Fairview Family Newsletter
December 25
Happy December, everyone!
Thank you again for making the time to meet with us for parent-teacher conferences last month. I’m excited to share that we met with more than 96% of our families in November! This is a big jump from our typical 91%, and we are incredibly grateful for your partnership. Discussing student growth and celebrating achievements is always a highlight of our year, and your ongoing support truly makes a difference. Please be sure to mark your calendars for our spring round of conferences. Most of them will take place on March 3rd and 5th, 2026.
The weeks leading up to Winter Break are always full of energy at Fairview, and this December will be no different! We have a full month of themed dress-up days, assemblies, field trips, classroom celebrations, and, of course, high-quality teaching and learning. If you have any questions about upcoming events or activities, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Happy Holidays!
Dr. Simmons, Principal
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has released this year’s Annual Performance Report (APR), and Columbia Public Schools continues to trend upward. CPS earned 88.7%, placing our district in the top 15% of all Missouri schools. For context, CPS scored 70.1% in 2023, climbed to 86.5% in 2024, and has continued that positive trajectory with this year’s gains. You can click here for more information about how we performed as a district.
Fairview performed extremely well last school year! In 2023, we earned 73.5% of our available APR points. That jumped to 98.2% in 2024, and we maintained that exceptional score again in 2025. This level of success is only possible because of the dedication of our students, the commitment of our teachers, and the ongoing support of our families. From all of us at Fairview: Thank you, families, for partnering alongside us!
For more detailed information about our Fairview data, feel free to watch this video . Happy viewing!
Our next PTA Meeting will be held on Monday, December 8th at 4:30 PM in the media center. Please join us, if you're able!
Winter Break is coming up, and we often receive questions about Teacher Appreciation gifts. We've got you covered!
If you’d like to give a gift to a teacher or staff member and you’re looking for ideas, look no further than the “favorite things” list for teachers and staff.
If you’d like to make a monetary donation for specialists (Art, Technology, Music, PE, Classroom Aides, ELL, Special Education, etc.), you may send cash or a check to the office or use Venmo (@Fairview-PTA, verification code 0409). Please mark your gift as “Teacher Appreciation.” PTA volunteers will use the donations to shop for the specialists in the coming weeks.
Please make your donations by Friday, December 12 so PTA volunteers have time to shop before Winter Break. And of course, while gifts are appreciated, they are not expected!
Thanks for your help,
Fairview PTA
Our Winter Parties will take place on Friday December 19th from 2:00-2:50. If you signed up to lead your child's party, You may show up 15 minutes early to begin setup, if needed. Please coordinate with your child's teacher.
Thanks, in advance, for helping to make this a special event for our students!
We look forward to welcoming everyone back to School on Monday, January 5th, 2026.
As cooler weather arrives, we encourage our families to dress their students accordingly. At this time of the year, it is hard to predict the weather, so dressing in layers is always prudent.
Fairview has adopted a new expectation for coat-wearing. Please see the graphic below.
*A Special Note About Recess: Please take a moment to talk with your child about snow expectations. There will be days when students go outside for recess even if there is snow on the ground, so make sure they come to school with appropriate outerwear such as boots, jackets, and gloves. It’s perfectly fine for students to explore and touch the snow, but snow should not be thrown at others.
The Board of Education received updates to the school year calendar at its October 13 meeting. Recent changes in Missouri law mean CPS no longer needs to use Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) on snow days or other weather-related closures. As a result, the 2025–26 and 2026–27 calendars have been updated to remove AMI language, but the last day of school has not changed. Even though AMI is no longer required, CPS knows many families appreciated having optional learning activities on days school is closed. Updated choice boards will be available soon for families who wish to use them.
CPS already exceeds the state’s required number of school days and instructional hours, including the 36 hours set aside for inclement weather, so no additional makeup days are needed when weather closures occur. “Inclement weather” includes snow, ice, extreme cold or heat, flooding, and tornadoes. Moving forward, students will continue to enjoy traditional snow days, and families may choose to use the optional learning choice boards as an extra resource.
From the Gym
Hello Fairview Families!
Things are moving right along in the Fairview Gym! We’ve been reviewing games with all classes and, with younger kids, learning some new ones. They have included “PE Memory”, “Battleship”, “Bull Dozers and Cranes”, “Green Beans and Carrots”, “Angry Birds”, “Make it Take it”, and stations. We’ve also taken advantage of some nice days and gone on walks outside. Ask your kiddos about the activities!
Please check their A,B,C,D schedule and get those tennis shoes on. Unfortunately, that schedule is ever-changing so give it a look! It’s always attached at the end of the newsletter. If they don’t have them, they may not get to participate in all of the day’s activities. There have been some situations where kids have had to sit out. Please help them be successful. It’s a real bummer if your child must sit and watch because they forgot tennis shoes.
Finally, if you’ve been in the gym lately you might have noticed the pictures on the bulletin boards. They are of our kiddos in action!! If you wish, send me a photo of your child doing something active or being outside and I’ll get it up on the board. You’re welcome to send in a hard copy pic or email me one and I’ll get it up! Thank you to those of you who have sent in pics!
Wishing everyone and enjoyable break!
As always, thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Mr. Wright
From the Art Room
In art class we are wrapping up our Landscape unit. Each grade level worked on different objectives and used a variety of materials to create their projects. Most works have been uploaded to their digital portfolio in Artsonia, if you would like access to your child’s account, please email me. In December classes will begin learning about and working Still Life’s! Please reach out with any questions lrobb@cpsk12.org
-Lindsay Robb
From the Music Room
In music, we have been singing, moving, and playing instruments. All grade levels sang about Suuuuuuper Turkey and watched a video about Super Turkey’s shenanigans while we’re away from school! Check it out HERE. During the month of December, we will be singing a ton of songs about winter and other holidays, as well as exploring music from the Nutcracker ballet. This is always a favorite among students because we dance with ribbons, paper plates, and the parachute!
From the Media Center
In Technology we have spent the month of November exploring great resources for when we do research projects. The databases that we have been exploring are World Book Kids, Brain Pop Jr. and Kiddle, in addition to Pebble Go/Pebble Go Next, which we learned about in October. They are all safe sites for the kids to use and are very user friendly. Grades two through five also explored the Sora app to learn how to check out online books and magazines. Kindergarten and first graders worked on logging into the computer, navigating the resources available and learning mouse skills. Enjoy your holiday season!
From the Counselor
In counseling classes this month, students are learning about:
K: STAR Problem Solving- adult vs. kid sized problems, making problems better not bigger
1st: STAR Problem Solving/Conflict Resolution
2nd: Gratitude, Positive Self Concept
3rd: Coping Strategies
4th: Growth Mindset
5th: Working Together, Self Control
The holiday season is often a time when kids are around family members they don’t see all the time. It is a great idea to remind kids about how they can be respectful to those people and what kind of respect they should expect, as well. It can be a good idea to practice manners and kind words before a social event. It can also be a good idea to talk to kids about how to assertively set boundaries for themselves. Below are two resources that give ideas for discussing these topics.
Lillian Hoell
From the Home School Communicator
Hello families,
My name is Tynesha Green, and this is my 3rd year as a Home School Communicator at Fairview Elementary. I can be seen at our front circle drive during morning arrival or loading buses during dismissal. I am student support throughout our building, guiding students to take challenges as learning opportunities, while also creating new and continued connections among each grade level. Additionally, I assist families with community resources as necessary with essential needs in the home.
I want to give a special thank you to those who contributed to our food pantry and "Birthday in a Bag" kits. Students receiving food items are always so excited to visit the pantry and LOVE the snack options we have available! Your continued donations have also provided some of our teachers with whole class snacks, as we are now have plenty of options to distribute. Your support is appreciated!
Happy Holidays and enjoy your winter break,
Tynesha Green
Home School Communicator
From The Library
Thank you for your support of the Book Fair! It is always wonderful to see how excited students and families are about books. Because of your support, we are getting lots of new books for everyone to enjoy!
Students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade continue to learn about how our library is organized and about Destiny, our library management system. Then they can use the two together to independently find great books in the library. Younger grades have been looking at favorite subjects (dogs, cats) and favorite authors (including Karma Wilson, Tedd Arnold, Jack Barnett).
Winter and holiday books are always favorites for students to checkout and read. Books can also be great holiday gifts. Hope you and your student can enjoy some great books together!
Upcoming Dates in December
- Monday, 12/8: PTA Meeting, 4:30-5:00 PM
- Friday, 12/12: Last day to donate to our Charity Drive
- Friday, 12/19: Winter Parties: 2:00-2:50 PM
- Winter Break: Monday, 12/22 through Thursday, 1/1==> NO SCHOOL
- Friday, 1/2: Teacher Work Day, NO SCHOOL
- Monday, 1/5: School Resume
Attendance
If your child will be absent for the day, please call and report their absence or email jhouston@cpsk12.org. If we do not hear from you, we will call to check on their wellbeing.
Contact or follow us
Email: jhouston@cpsk12.org
Website: https://www.cpsk12.org/Domain/16
Location: 909 South Fairview Road, Columbia, MO, USA
Phone: 573-214-3590
Facebook: Follow us here!
Twitter: @FVEFalcons
Dr. Simmons
