Stay Informed. Get Involved.

Hello, new and returning Colfax families!

Summer is over, and another school year is here. It's going to be a great one! I'm glad to serve as PTO President again, and I have been working hard with the new and returning PTO Board volunteers to plan a terrific year for us.

If you are new to the Colfax PTO mailing list — welcome! I'm so glad you signed up for these weekly emails, and I hope to see you at some of our upcoming events. 

Stay tuned for information on:

• Spiritwear (Colfax merchandise) — this year all students will receive a free t-shirt, but we will continue to sell additional items as a fundraiser.
• Student/Family Directory
• Cobra CARES — new PTO program to provide assistance to Colfax families in need (colfaxpto.org/cobracares)
• Colfax Communicator — Quarterly magazine (thanks to Bee Schindler for taking this on!)
• Fall Fest — mark your calendar for Wed 9/25 and contact events@colfaxpto.org if you'd like to volunteer!
• Movie Nights
• Ice Skating
• Playground Meetups
• and PTO meetings every other month (first one 9/11!)

This year brings a lot of change to Colfax. We saw many teachers retire at the end of last school year and some others leave for different schools.

Please help welcome our new teachers:

Dionna Spencer (K-4 Assistant Principal)

Marshall Medrano (5-8 School Counselor)

Emily Byrne (Speech)

Daniel Gigler (Gym)

Claire Kushner (Music)

Sandrina Pullie (3rd grade)

Matthew Binger (4th/5th grade math)

Madison Madine (6th grade math)

Emily Duque (7th grade math)

There is a lot of uncertainty about the future of Colfax K-8 under the proposed new Facilities Plan for Pittsburgh Public Schools. Please be sure to carefully read the information the district has been and will be sending — Colfax WILL be affected by the changes they are proposing. (See more info below.)

As always, your feedback is important to me! Please reach out to me at president@colfaxpto.org to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions!

Sincerely,

Kelly Anderson

Your Colfax PTO President

Last week, PPS consultants presented recommended building utilization scenarios to the Board and the community at large. One of their recommendations for East/Central schools was to make Colfax K-8 into a 6-8 school and Greenfield K-8 into a K-5 school. Current Colfax K-5 students would attend Greenfield, Minadeo, or possibly Liberty, which will become a new neighborhood school in Shadyside. Proposed Attendance Zones are supposed to be revealed in September.

https://www.pghschools.org/about/superintendent-of-schools/facilities-utilization-plan-new

If you have comments or concerns about this recommendation, we encourage you to provide feedback to the district. There are several ways to do this:

1. Attend and speak at the Public Hearing of the PPS School Board on Monday, August 26, 6:00pm in the Oakland administrative office. In person speaking slots of 3 minutes or less. You must register by noon Monday 8/26:

https://pghboe.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3l0voKQUjcvUZka

2. Attend one of the four Community Engagement Events, all from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. (See Flyer below for location information):

• Tuesday, August 27
• Tuesday, September 3
• Wednesday, September 4
• Thursday, September 5

3. Fill out the Let's Talk form to provide any feedback on the preliminary recommendations. (Select "Facilities Utilization Plan" under "Trending Topics")

https://www.pghschools.org/about/contacting-the-district/contact-us

4. Email our school board representative Yael Silk directly at ysilk1@pghschools.org

Explore these resources to stay informed about the school, our PTO, and upcoming school events:

• Talking Points: Download the app. Directly contact each of your children’s teachers and Dr. Woods (via the office 412-529-3525) to get connected.
• Robo-calls from the school and the district: contact the office (412-529-3525) to sign up.
• Colfax PTO’s website
• Colfax’s website
• Find the PTO on Facebook
• Find the school on Facebook and Twitter
• Home Access Center to stay up to date with your child's assignments, grades and scheduling

Here are some more links you may find helpful in navigating life at Colfax!

• Colfax website
• School breakfast and lunch menus
• Suggest topics for PTO meetings
• Schedule a Building Tour (for prospective families)