Welcome to Columbus Elementary School where our mission is to foster life-long learners who are critical thinkers, collaborators, communicators and creative in their approaches to solving all problems.   At Columbus we have many special programs starting with our preschool classes and ending with our 5th grade classes.  We have Transitional Kindergarten in addition to five Specialized Academic Instruction – Self Contained classes for primary aged students in pre-k through third grade with students ranging from moderate to severe in their academic, social, or behavioral exceptional needs. Because of our concentration, we are able to provide general education teachers with the necessary support to mainstream and include many of these students into the general education program with great success.  

Our Staff focuses on positive, caring, effective approaches in building self-esteem by teaching children respect for themselves and others by continuing our implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) where we teach, model and practice how to “Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful” in every area of our school. We have a school wide matrix which shows our expected behaviors in each area of the campus, in addition to the classroom matrices created by the teachers for their own classrooms.  

Educating our children for their futures takes a commitment from all of us.  I enjoy having parents and guardians active in school activities by volunteering in the classroom or at various school events, joining me in our Coffee with the Principal gatherings or being a member of our School Site Council, attending parent conferences or serving as our DELAC representative.  There are so many ways to be involved and I’d love to have you join us!

 At Columbus we have collectively embraced the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and see the value in challenging all of our students, both in general educations as well as our students with exceptional needs, to meet these rigorous demands.  We know that by doing so, our students will complete elementary school with a stronger foundation for what higher education as well as the demands of life require for success, while embracing differences and supporting each other in the process.  This said, our focus this year is Reading Comprehension.  Grade level reading comprehension is one of the most critical skills for student success all curricular areas.  Knowing how important this is for academic success, we are committed to focusing on this specific area with targeted instruction for 90 minutes a week in addition to our teaching of the CCSS.  I’m excited to see the growth in all of our students as a result of taking on this challenge.  

 We are committed to the success of all of our students and determined to provide the best that we have to offer.  Please contact our front office (818) 242-7722 if you have any questions, would like additional information, or would like to schedule a meeting with me.

Sincerely,

Dr. Elena Rojas