Dear Sheldon Families,

Happy Monday! Please be sure students are wearing a weather appropriate coat to school. Per district policy, we do go out for (shortened) outside times as long as the feels like temperature is above 20 degrees.

Please remember, the front of our building is our bus lane for loading and unloading students at the beginning and end of the day. Please DO NOT park in the spaces at the front of the school from 9:00-9:30 Monday-Thursday (10:00-10:30 on Fridays) and 3:00-4:00. If your vehicle is parked there, you will be asked to move and you risk getting blocked in by the school buses. If the car line has ended, you may park along Munson. You may also park along Sena or other side streets surrounding Sheldon. Also, please do NOT park in any parking spots with a Reserved sign, even if it is currently empty. Thank you for your attention to this!

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

From January 6-January 31, Sheldon will be participating in the district-wide food drive for Living the Dream, Inc. These resources support many families in our program! There will be a tub in the main lobby after Winter Break. If you are willing and able, please drop donations there.

Our next staff meeting is Thursday, December 19th. I would LOVE to have more staff shout-outs to share before we head into Winter Break! As we enter the holiday season and are thinking of all those we are thankful for, we wanted to offer families an opportunity to give shout-outs to Sheldon staff! 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!

December 2-20: Winter Countdown (see flyer below)

December 18-20: GraceMed Dental Clinic

December 19: Board of Education Meeting @ 5:30

December 20: Last Day of 2nd Quarter

December 23-January 1: NO SCHOOL - WINTER BREAK

January 2: NO SCHOOL - Teacher Work Day

January 3: NO SCHOOL - Professional Development Day

January 6: Students Return - First Day of 3rd Quarter

Register now for upcoming virtual learning sessions for parents in January and February. See the attached flyer for more information on topics and for registration.

• Register HERE for 1/8/25, 5:00 pm: Understanding Head Start Funding and Governance; Understanding Kansas Early Childhood Governance
• Register HERE for 2/12/25, 5:00 pm: Understanding Advocacy, Parents and Advocacy, Telling Your Story

As the weather begins to cool down, please trade out the extra clothes you sent for your student at the beginning of the year with weather appropriate items (long pants, long sleeves).

Monday-Thursday: 9:15 AM - 4:00 PM

• Arrival begins: 9:00 AM (drop off through car line)
• School starts: 9:15 AM
• Arrival ends: 9:15 AM (Students will be considered tardy after 9:15 AM. Students arriving after 9:15 AM will need to sign in at the main office)
• Dismissal begins: 3:45 PM (pick up in the car line)
• Dismissal ends: 4:00 PM (all students must be picked up by 4:00 PM)

Late Start Fridays (every Friday): 10:15 AM - 4:00 PM

• Arrival begins: 10:15 AM (drop off through car line)
• School starts: 10:15 AM
• Arrival ends: 10:30 AM (Students will be considered tardy after 10:30 AM. Students arriving after 10:30 AM will need to sign in at the main office)
• Dismissal begins: 3:45 PM (pick up in the car line)
• Dismissal ends: 4:00 PM (all students must be picked up by 4:00 PM)

Late Start is on FRIDAYS for this school year and the arrival time will be at 10:15. This is for every Friday that school is in session.

This handbook includes important information about Sheldon Head Start including our mission and vision, policies and procedures.

Please take time to review this handbook.

Sheldon Head Start follows the Topeka Public Schools Academic Calendar. The only exceptions are a later start date and earlier end date. The first day of school for Sheldon students is Wednesday, August 21st. The last day of school for Sheldon students will be May 16th.

Our Sheldon Head Start 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!

@SheldonChildDevelopmentCenterHeadStart

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) 438-4530. 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

Website: https://sheldon.topekapublicschools.net/
Location: 1155 SW Seabrook Ave.
Phone: 785-438-4530
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheldonChildDevelopmentCenterHeadStart