St. Columba’s aging badly?

[Anonymous]

I’ve given St. Columba’s a lot of thought because it is close to where we live but I can’t get past the condition of the playground and facilities. The playground looks so dilapidated and deteriorated and frankly unsafe. It’s full of rusty old nails, loose bricks, and weird concrete structures jutting out here and there. Then the big area outside the classrooms has gross worn down astroturf and sad abandoned sandpits with tree stumps closed off in a corner. The whole thing just doesn’t make sense to me. Is this really that great a place? I’m not being overly picky, truly, I just genuinely feel like the whole place looked run down.

[Anonymous]

Maybe it’s a result of the church been more-or-less virtual for 2 years?

[Anonymous]

St. Columba's is a very tight community. If you live near by and are planning on sending your child to the local public school it is a way to start establishing neighborhood relationships.

[Anonymous]

It's definitely been allowed to fall into disrepair. My kids are mid teens and it was much nicer back in the day. I subbed there a few times years ago and it was fine. Nothing special or beyond any day care. As a previous poster mentioned, what makes it special for those who live in AI Park is the community. It's nice to meet neighborhood families. Although frankly you'll meet them all at Janney anyway. Our closest parent friends are ones we made in early elementary school--not preschool.

[Anonymous]

We have two kids at St. Columbas right now and, funnily enough, the aspects of the playground you're describing were some of the biggest draws for us. The school prides itself on the amount of time spent outdoors - our half-day (12:30) kids would have two recesses, and our full-day (2:30) kids have three. And unlike any of my friends' kids' schools, they go outside every. day. of. the. year. It is wild how much fun they have in the snow and rain. Plus, at least during non-Covid times, there is a full-time recess staff member who daily sets up obstacle courses or relays, takes care of the chickens, helps each classroom with its garden, and finds odd objects to introduce (for example, they get a dozen Christmas trees each January that spend a month being props put to every possible use). Then the stream runs in the spring and fall. In other words, the playground is a kid's dream.

I agree that the exterior of the building needs a facelift, but the classrooms are bright and spacious. And the staff is incredible -- there has been almost no turnover during COVID. We have been very happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's definitely been allowed to fall into disrepair. My kids are mid teens and it was much nicer back in the day. I subbed there a few times years ago and it was fine. Nothing special or beyond any day care. As a previous poster mentioned, what makes it special for those who live in AI Park is the community. It's nice to meet neighborhood families. Although frankly you'll meet them all at Janney anyway. Our closest parent friends are ones we made in early elementary school--not preschool.

They did a community build of the playground probably 15 years ago - and it has been well used by the preschool, the community, the church

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's definitely been allowed to fall into disrepair. My kids are mid teens and it was much nicer back in the day. I subbed there a few times years ago and it was fine. Nothing special or beyond any day care. As a previous poster mentioned, what makes it special for those who live in AI Park is the community. It's nice to meet neighborhood families. Although frankly you'll meet them all at Janney anyway. Our closest parent friends are ones we made in early elementary school--not preschool.

They did a community build of the playground probably 15 years ago - and it has been well used by the preschool, the community, the church

Yes, kids love that playground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have two kids at St. Columbas right now and, funnily enough, the aspects of the playground you're describing were some of the biggest draws for us. The school prides itself on the amount of time spent outdoors - our half-day (12:30) kids would have two recesses, and our full-day (2:30) kids have three. And unlike any of my friends' kids' schools, they go outside every. day. of. the. year. It is wild how much fun they have in the snow and rain. Plus, at least during non-Covid times, there is a full-time recess staff member who daily sets up obstacle courses or relays, takes care of the chickens, helps each classroom with its garden, and finds odd objects to introduce (for example, they get a dozen Christmas trees each January that spend a month being props put to every possible use). Then the stream runs in the spring and fall. In other words, the playground is a kid's dream.

I agree that the exterior of the building needs a facelift, but the classrooms are bright and spacious. And the staff is incredible -- there has been almost no turnover during COVID. We have been very happy.

All 3 of ours went to St. C's, the youngest is now in 2nd and my how we ALL miss those days! The best best playground and faculty. I haven't seen the playground in a year but if it's run down I hope the school will spruce it up. This is a gem of a school. And as far as the outdoor play, truly no matter the weather our kids still play outside, much more so than some of their friends. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Man, I live right around the corner from the playground and we love it. I don’t really understand what you mean about it being worn down. It’s an excellent place to play and we are there almost every weekend. I have no affliction with the church or school so have never been inside, but the playground is excellent.

But if you don’t like it, I don’t know where you could find anything close to the outdoor space anywhere nearby!

[Anonymous]

My kid was there last year and he and we loved it. I have no idea what you mean about the playground, though admittedly I didn't spend much time examining it closely. My son adored it and we all loved how much time they got outside. The teachers and (tiny) admin are great too. I wish we'd had more than one year there.

[Anonymous]

In 2007, when our 3 kids were young, we were a part of the community building of the playground. The school was determined to have a partial wood playground (as opposed to all metal), and that required parent volunteers and paid construction workers.

So I have a special place in my heart for that wonderful big playground, where our kids spent so many hours when they were young.

I know that the long-time director (J. Berry) retired a few years ago, but she would have been adamant about playground safety and inspections. I'm sure that the new director would be equally adamant. (I kind of wish the wood could be sanded and stained each year, but I'm guessing that is an investment.)

Because it's made of largely wood (and Trex along the hand rails) it may not look as shiny as a metal playground. But the kids love it.