Sheldon Update

Dear Sheldon Families,

Happy Monday! Reminder that this Friday, December 15th is the last day of school for this semester. We will welcome students back for the new year on Thursday, January 4th. This will be the last parent newsletter until we return in January.

Click here to access the 2023-2024 Family Handbook.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me!

Thank you for the privilege of serving you ~

Mrs. Gabrielle Tanner, Principal

The Policy Council is a group of Head Start parents and community members who help lead and make decisions about their program. Policy Council members are elected by the parents of children enrolled in the program. Please take a moment and vote on these candidates by clicking the link below. Thank you!

The Office of Head Start is proposing changes to the Head Start Performance Standards, which are the set of regulations that programs are held accountable to. On November 20, 2023, the proposed standards were released and are open for public comment for 60 days. The comment period closes on January 19, 2024 and a determination on whether to implement these changes will be made after that date. You may click this link to read the proposed standards and access several items, including documents and webinars, that make these changes clear.

December 13: Policy Council @ 11:30 on Zoom

December 15: End of the 2nd Quarter

December 18-29: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

On Friday, all students will be coming home with a Winter Break Choice Board. While not required, these are fun and easy to do activities to keep students' brains working over the long break! The goal is to complete at least 10 activities.

We are blessed to have so many community partners and individuals supporting our students and families over the holidays! Expect students to come home with some gifts in their backpacks this week.

Does your family have a need for a computer in order for you student to continue learning activities or engage with the school? USD501 has Chromebooks available for families through a grant with the FCC. If you are interested, please reach out to Mrs. Tanner.

All students should have received their blue Sheldon Sharks t-shirt. If they haven't, expect to see them in backpacks this week. We encourage students to join us in wearing their Sheldon shirt EVERY FRIDAY of the school year!

Monday through Thursday: 9:15 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Arrival begins: 9:15 a.m.

Arrival ends: 9:30 a.m. (students will be considered tardy after 9:35 a.m.)

Dismissal begins: 3:45 p.m.

Dismissal ends: 4:00 p.m. (all students must be picked up by 4:00 p.m.)

Late Start Fridays (every Friday): 10:15 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Arrival begins: 10:15 a.m.

Arrival ends: 10:30 a.m. (students will be considered tardy after 10:35 a.m.)

Dismissal begins: 3:45 p.m.

Dismissal ends: 4:00 p.m. (all students must be picked up by 4:00 p.m.)

Looking for daycare for your two-year-old? The Little Stars Daycare at Shaner Early Learning Academy has openings beginning in January! See the graphic below for more information.

Sheldon Head Start follows the Topeka Public Schools Academic Calendar.

Each week the Sheldon staff reviews one of our Head Start Policies & Procedures and felt it was important that families stay up to date on these as well. This quarter our focus is on Mental Health, Child Development & Education, Disability. If you ever have any questions regarding our policies and procedures, please reach out!

Field Trips

POLICY:

Field trips will support classroom educational experiences, current curriculum, each child’s individual developmental level and cultural background of all children. Field trips will be pre-planned, supporting all children’s engagement in learning experiences and activities. This policy relates to Head Start Performance Standards 45 CFR Part 1304.21 1302.60; 1302.61; 1303.72; 1303.75; 1302.31

PROCEDURE :

1. The field trip must be relevant to the curriculum and reflective of the needs, interests and cultures of the children and this relevance documented on the lesson plan.

2. Field trips will be pre-planned and approved prior to the scheduled trip.

3. Notify parents, in writing, at least five (5) days in advance of the scheduled field trip, and obtain their signed permission.

4.. Children and volunteers will be counted and names recorded prior to leaving the classroom. Prior to returning, a face count must be made and names checked to ensure the presence of all children and adults.

5. Each child will wear a durable identification tag including the name of the program and phone number (not the child’s name).

6. Each child’s “Consent for Medical Emergency” form and a First Aid Kit must be taken on all field trips.

7. Parents may use their private vehicles to transport their own children. No other Head Start enrolled child may ride in the private vehicle to or from the field trip.

8. Siblings attending field trips are the sole responsibility of the parent/guardian.

9. Classroom discussion should occur both before and after a field trip in order to prepare children and assess outcome.

10. Children with disabilities cannot be excluded from field trips due to issues with transportation or accommodation during outings. Whenever possible, children with disabilities must be transported in the same vehicles used to transport other children enrolled in the Head Start program. Other needs regarding transportation identified on the child’s IEP, such as seating requirements, necessary training for bus drivers or monitors, etc. must be in place for field trips.

If needing some help with food over break, click this link to a list of Shawnee County resources.

Valeo is offering free mental health screenings.

December 13 @ 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. @ Papan’s Landing Senior Center 619 NW Paramore

December 20 @ 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. @ Topeka & Shawnee County Library 1515 W 10th Street

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