Dear Pine Ridge Prep Families,

Happy Monday! It's hard to believe that April starts tomorrow! It will be the end of the school year before we know it!

If you have further questions after reading, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Thank you for the privilege of serving you ~

Mrs. Gabrielle Tanner, Principal

Mrs. Kim Meyers-Lopez, Building Leader

Class Picture Day will take place on April 9th. All students will receive one free group photo of their child's class. No orders are necessary.

NEW & EXCITING this year! Strawbridge will also be taking cap & gown pictures of our 4 year old students who will be promoting to Kindergarten next year! These photos will be available for purchase. See the flyer below for ordering details. A paper order form will be sent home with students as well. We are excited to offer families this opportunity this year! Please be mindful of student hairstyles to ensure the cap fits on well, stays on, and doesn't mess up their hair-do when taking it off.

This link will allow parents to sign up to receive updates via email regarding their child's school portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, parents should be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. We encourage everyone to wear BLUE on Friday, April 4th to bring awareness to this topic. Below is a calendar of family activities for fun, positive engagement with your kiddos.

Due to the number of inclement weather days, TPS will be using some of the days built into the calendar the last week of May. The last day of school for TPS students will be May 29 as a half day.

Our next staff meeting is coming up. We would LOVE to have more staff shout-outs to share! This form will be live for the rest of the school year. Feel free to submit your shout-outs and then we will print them, read them out loud at our monthly staff meeting, and provide the printed note to that staff member. Thank you for taking a moment to highlight the hard work our staff does daily!

March is Women's History Month, Music In Our Schools Month, National Social Work Month, and Youth Art Month

March 31: National Crayon Day

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, Autism Awareness Month, Libraries in Schools Month, Occupational Therapy Month, and Volunteer Appreciation Month

April 1: DCAC Meeting @ 6:30

April 2: Paraprofessional Appreciation Day (We have the very best!)

April 3: StoryTime with Boomer Bear

April 3: Board of Education Meeting @ 5:30

April 5-11: Week of the Young Child

April 7: National Assistant Principal Week (THANK YOU, Ms. Kim!)

April 7: Zoo Field Trip

April 9: Class Pictures & 4 Year Old Cap/Gown Pictures

April 10: Kindergarten Orientation @ 5:30 (at your home Kindergarten school)

April 16: Fire Drill

April 16: Advisors Excel StoryTime

April 17: Advisors Excel Barnyard Event! (at Sheldon Head Start)

April 18: NO SCHOOL!

April 21-May 2: Spring myIGDIs Assessment (4 year old students)

April 22: Earth Day

April 23: Growing Kindness Family Night @ 4:15-5:15 (see flyer below)

April 28: NO SCHOOL!

We will be visiting the Topeka Zoo as our last field trip of the school year! We will be going on Monday, April 7th. All students MUST have a signed permission slip on file to be able to attend. Please be sure your child arrives to school on time that day as buses will load and leave the school as scheduled. Families are welcome to attend with their student but must provide their own transportation and pay their own entry fee. Even if families are in attendance, students MUST stay with their classroom group.

As of July 2024, Topeka Public Schools will be using My School Bucks as a way for parents to track and pay student fines, fees and other costs online. Pine Ridge Prep students DO have an enrollment fee. This ranges from $21-$32. The lower rate is for those families who qualify for free or reduced lunch by completing the Child Nutrition Form (link to complete is further down in this newsletter). See the pictures below (you can click on a picture to make it bigger) for instructions on how to set up your My School Bucks account and pay your fees for the 24-25 school year. Please reach out to the office with any questions.

For those students going to Kindergarten next year, your home school is based on your current home address within the 501 attendance boundaries. The exceptions to this are Williams Science & Fine Arts Magnet and Scott Dual Language Magnet. See the flyers below for information on how to apply for Scott Dual Language or Williams Science and Fine Arts by April 1. To request a transfer from your assigned home school to another district elementary school, fill out the transfer request form by March 31. For questions call 785-295-3055.

Monday-Thursday: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

• Arrival begins: 8:20 AM (drop off at classroom door)
• School starts: 8:30 AM
• Arrival ends: 8:30 AM (Students will be considered tardy after 8:30 AM. Students arriving after 8:30 AM will need to sign in at the main office )
• Dismissal begins: 3:30 PM (pick up at classroom door)
• Dismissal ends: 3:45 PM (all students must be picked up by 3:45 PM)

Late Start Fridays (every Friday): 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM

• Arrival begins: 9:20 AM (drop off at classroom door)
• School starts: 9:30 AM
• Arrival ends: 9:30 AM (Students will be considered tardy after 9:30 AM. Students arriving after 9:30 AM will need to sign in at the main office)
• Dismissal begins: 3:30 PM (pick up at classroom door)
• Dismissal ends: 3:45 PM (all students must be picked up by 3:45 PM)

Late Start is on FRIDAYS for this school year and the doors will open at 9:20 and school will begin at 9:30. This is for every Friday that school is in session.

This handbook includes important information about Pine Ridge Prep including our mission and vision, policies and procedures.

Please take time to review this handbook.

Pine Ridge Prep follows the Topeka Public Schools Academic Calendar. The only exceptions are a later start. The first day of school for Pine Ridge Prep students is Wednesday, August 21st.

Our Pine Ridge Prep Facebook page is active! We use this as a way to communicate with families and share many pictures. Please follow the page to stay updated!

https://www.facebook.com/PineRidgePrep/

Regular school attendance is one of the most important factors that determine school success. The habit of attending school every single day begins with the preschool year(s).

Daily Absence Information

• Parents/guardians should notify the school each day a student is absent by 9:15 a.m, by calling (785) 329-7870. If leaving a voicemail, please provide the student's name, classroom teacher and reason for absence. If the parent/guardian fails to notify the school, the school will attempt to contact the parent/guardian. The communication can be in a variety of methods, such as electronic communication, telephone call or in person. Home visits will be conducted if there has been no contact made after two days.
• All absences, including those excused, will count against a student’s attendance.
• The school encourages parents to schedule doctor and dental appointments after school hours, or on days when school is not in session.
• Parents/guardians may be required to submit supporting documentation in order to excuse the absence of their student if student absenteeism is excessive.
• Preschool absences are recorded in Synergy, the district's student information system. The expectation is that students attend school at least 90% of the time. If the student falls below 90% (excused or unexcused) a letter will be sent home. If this issue does not improve an official attendance plan will be put into place and/or a meeting with the school principal will be scheduled.

The Kansas State law specifically says that a student is truant if they have missed 3 unexcused days in a row, 5 unexcused days in a semester, or 7 unexcused days in a school year. Truancy may result in a report being filed with DCF.

Examples of Excused Absences:

• Personal illness or medical appointment
• Illness of an immediate family member
• Death in the immediate family or other emergency beyond the control of the family
• Religious holidays of the student’s religious faith
• Participation in a district approved or school sponsored activity or event
• Required court appearance or subpoena by a law enforcement agency
• Family vacation/Out of town (that have been pre-approved by the school principal)

Examples of Unexcused Absences:

• No contact by parent/guardian
• Oversleeping
• Personal grooming appointments (hair, nails, etc)
• Shopping/errands
• Suspension from school
• Family vacation/ Out of town that have not been pre-approved
• Missing the bus/ride

Check out this website for free or affordable mental health resources and supports.

Check out this excellent packet of community resources available, provided by the City of Topeka.

Take a look at the Topeka Resources Checklist. This is very helpful for planning! This is a list of possible resources to help you stretch your dollars and avoid economic emergencies. Place a check beside the ones you are using or have used.

You can find the link to the 2021 Community Resources Council Resource Directory here. This directory provides contact information for a variety of community resources.

If in need of resources, you can also contact the United Way by dialing 211.

See the following links for Food Pantry resources available to families.

English and Spanish

Email: klopez@tps501.org
Website: https://pineridgeprep.topekapublicschools.net/
Location: 1120 Southeast Highland Avenue, Topeka, KS, USA
Phone: 785-329-7870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PineRidgePrep/
Twitter: @PinePrep