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Collister Elementary School

Educating Today for a Better Tomorrow!

October Collister Connection

Posted Date: 10/01/26 (01:14 PM)
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A graphic features the text "Collister Connection" in green script over a white brick background.

October 2026 Edition

October is here, and there is a lot happening at Collister! From learning and growing in our classrooms to building connections with families and our community, we are grateful for all the ways our Eagles continue to SOAR.
Thank you for partnering with us and for being such an important part of the Collister community. We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter and all that October has to offer!

Parent-Teacher Conferences & More

First quarter conferences will be held:
  • Wednesday, October 14: 3:30–7:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 15: 8:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Parent sign-ups will be coming out Thursday, October 1st @ 3:30 pm.

Collister’s Second Annual Silent Pumpkin Auction will be held during Parent-Teacher conferences! Please see the attached flyer for details.

Mrs. Marinelli will be hosting the Annual Collister Book Fair during the week of conferences. Please see the attached flyer with times and information.

Your Child’s Elementary Report Card Is Changing

With Parent-Teacher Conferences right around the corner, Elementary parents will soon have their first look at the new Standards-Based Reporting report card.
To help families understand the changes, Boise School District is hosting Understanding Your Child’s New Elementary Report Card: A Parent’s Guide to Standards-Based Reporting on Tuesday, October 6, from 6:00–7:00 p.m. at the Boise School District Training Center.
District educators will explain why we are making this transition, what Standards-Based Reporting looks like in the classroom and what it means for your child. We’ll also walk through the new elementary report card so you know what the information means and how you can use it to talk with your child’s teacher about their progress.
Standards-Based Reporting provides more specific information about what students know, what they can do and what they are still working to learn. Our goal is to make the report card a more useful tool for conversations among families, students and teachers.

Join us October 6 and come with your questions.

Breakfast & Arrival Reminder

Just a reminder that the cafeteria opens at 8:15 a.m. each morning for breakfast, and the school bell rings at 8:40 a.m. If your child is coming to school for breakfast, please plan for them to arrive early enough to have time to finish eating and be ready for class when the bell rings.
We have seen an increase in tardies this quarter, so we appreciate your help in making sure students arrive on time and ready to learn.
The only exception is for students who arrive late due to bussing. These students may eat breakfast or take a breakfast to class and will not be marked tardy.
Thank you for helping us make sure our Eagles have a smooth start to their school day!

Collister's 6th Graders Explore Three Parks in Annual Environmental Field Experience

This September, our 6th grade students embarked on their Environmental Field Experience (EFE)—a three-day adventure that has become a tradition at Collister Elementary. Over September 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, students explored three beautiful Boise parks: Kathryn Albertson Park, Ester Simplot Park, and Veteran's Memorial Park.
A Tradition of Discovery
For the third year in a row, our 6th graders have had the opportunity to step outside the classroom and into nature. This year's experience gave students hands-on learning opportunities as they observed local ecosystems, studied plant and animal life, and discovered the natural features that make Boise's parks special places.
Three Parks, Three Learning Adventures
Each park offered unique learning experiences. Students investigated different habitats, collected observations, and deepened their understanding of how nature works in our community. Whether they were exploring trails, observing wildlife, or studying water features, students engaged in real-world science and environmental exploration.
Building Connections
The EFE isn't just about learning—it's about building connections. Students worked together as a team, asked questions about the world around them, and developed a greater appreciation for Boise's natural spaces. These experiences help our young learners understand their role in protecting and caring for the environment.
We're grateful to the parks, our parent chaperones, and our community partners who make this important tradition possible. Congratulations to our 6th graders on a successful Environmental Field Experience!

Collister Halloween Week Happenings

This year we will be participating in a Spirit Week the week of Halloween. Please see the attached flyer for details on daily dress up themes.

Classroom parties will take place on Friday, October 30th from 2:00-2:30. Teachers will be sending home more information later.

The Annual Collister Halloween Parade will take place on Friday, October 30th from 2:30-3:00. 
  • Students may wear costumes to school all day if they wish or change before classroom parties. If they are getting dressed at school, they must be able to put costumes on themselves. They must also be able to use the restroom independently while in their costume.
  • No masks, makeup, inflatable costumes or weapons are allowed. 
  •  Students will walk along the walking path on the playground, and parents can line up along the inside of the walking path to watch the parade. 
  • After the parade students will go back into the classroom with their teachers to pack up and head home. Please wait out front in your regular spot for students to be released at 3:15.

September SOAR Card Winners

Congratulations to our September SOAR Card winners! 🎉 Thank you for demonstrating our SOAR traits and helping make Collister such a positive place to learn and work. Keep showing those SOAR qualities, Eagles!
Kindergarten: Wally & Theo
First Grade: Henry, Marko, Sienna, & Brady
Second Grade: Cooper, Eliana, Ayla, & Braylin
Third Grade: Jade, Zane, Henry, & Larkin
Fourth Grade: Cade, Oliver, Andi, & Kaleb
Fifth Grade: Joel, Willow, Gavin, & Alexander
Sixth Grade: Quinn, Miko, Daniel, Ben
Staff: Mrs, Robles, Mr. Noor

Upcoming Events

Thursday, October 1st: Girls Basketball @ Cynthia Mann 3:45-4:45
Friday, October 2nd: Drew Field BAM Field Trip & 3rd Grade Wassmuth Center Field Trip
Monday, October 5th: PTO Meeting @ Catalpa Park 3:30-4:30; Girls Basketball @ Collister 3:45-4:45
Tuesday, October 6th: Balmer Idaho Museum of Mining Field Trip; Holloway Edwards Walking Field Trip; Girls Basketball @ Hidden Springs 3:45-4:45
Wednesday, October 7th: 2nd Grade Capital Building Field Trip; Peters Edwards Walking Field Trip
Thursday, October 8th: Baker Idaho Mining & Geo Field Trip
Friday, October 9th: End of 1st Quarter, No School for Students
Tuesday, October 13th: 4th Grade Celebration Park Field Trip
Wednesday, October 14th: Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:30-7:00 pm; Second Annual Pumpkin Silent Auction; Book Fair
Thursday, October 15th: No school for students; Parent-Teacher Conferences 8:30-7:00 pm; Second Annual Pumpkin Silent Auction; Book Fair
Friday, October 16th: No School
Monday, October 19th: Girls Basketball @ Taft 3:45-4:45
Tuesday, October 20th: Girls Basketball @ Collister 3:45-4:45
Monday, October 26th: Monster Monday (Dress as your favorite FRIENDLY monster)
Tuesday, October 27th: Time Travel Tuesday (Dress from a different era); 2nd Grade Nature Center Field Trip
Wednesday, October 28th: Wacky Wednesday (Dress in mismatched colors)
Thursday, October 29th: Black Out Thursday (Dress in all black); Kindergarten Berry Patch Field Trip; 4th, 5th & 6th Grade Boise High Field Trip
Friday, October 30th: Halloween Celebration (Dress in costumes. See guidelines above.)
Parties 2:00-2:30; Parade 2:30-3:00

PTO Updates

Open Streets Boise: This was a wonderful opportunity to represent Collister in our community, connect with families and neighbors, and raise funds through our baked goods and lemonade sales. Thank you to everyone who helped make the event such a success!
Read-a-thon: The response from our families has been fantastic so far! We have already surpassed our $6,500 goal, which means we now have additional funds available beyond what we had originally planned for this school year. We are so grateful for the incredible support from our Collister families!
Upcoming PTO Meeting: We encourage parents to join us for our PTO meeting next Monday, which we plan to hold outside, weather permitting. There has been quite a bit of conversation around some longer-term planning considerations that could impact Collister families. We want to help keep families informed and provide an opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and be part of the conversation.
Collister Fall Festival: Planning is in full swing! We’ll be sending out a SignUpGenius later this week with volunteer opportunities and would love to have lots of families involved in making this a fun event for our Collister community.
Stock the Kitchen: First grade will be participating this month, and Katherine will be sending more details to first-grade families soon.
Bike Block Party Flyer: The Washington PTA reached out to share information about an upcoming event on Saturday, October 10. If you’re interested, please see the attached flyer for more information. see attached.