Sheldon Update

Dear Sheldon Families,

Have a wonderful week!

You will receive a weekly newsletter from me highlighting all upcoming dates and events. The weekly newsletter will also include reminders and important information. Please make sure to read the newsletter each week so you stay informed! This is the number one way I communicate with all families. This newsletter will be sent via email, text, and posted on our Sheldon Facebook page. Speaking of, haven't followed us yet on social media? Please do! We love to share pictures of all the fun we are having!

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

March 6th is an all school dental screening. If you choose not to have your child screened by GraceMed, please notify nurse Andrea, aferrell1@tps501.org or call 785-438-4533. If you do not opt out, your child will be screened.

We are currently hiring for a Head Start Nutritional Aide (Kitchen Assistant) at Sheldon. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more and/or applying, please see the job posting at this link.

Check out this cool health website for kids!

The Preschool Application for next school year will open in April. ALL preschool students, including those who will be returning for their second year, MUST complete the online application.

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on February 25th from 4:00-8:00 and February 26th from 8:00-8:00. There will be NO SCHOOL for students on February 26th and 27th. You should have heard from your child's teacher soon to sign up for a time frame that works best within your schedule. If you haven't yet, please reach out! Teachers will then use that information to create a finalized schedule. Once that has been done, your student's teacher will send a confirmation of the date and time for your conference. These conferences will be held in person in your child's classroom. We look forward to meeting with you and sharing your child's progress!

See the flyers above for information on Kindergarten Orientation. ALL FAMILIES with students who are going to Kindergarten next year should plan to attend. You will attend this event at your home Kindergarten school. We will provide information at Parent/Teacher Conferences on your child's home Kindergarten school.

The district transfer window is now open. Applications for admission to a magnet school, or any other school that is not the school of residence, must now be submitted after January 1 and no later than March 31 for fall admission in the next school year. Applications for transfer of enrollment at times other than the designed period are discouraged. Information regarding the magnet schools - Scott Dual Language and Williams Science and Fine Arts - are pictured below.

For a transfer request application CLICK HERE.

The following are some frequently asked questions about school transfers. CLICK HERE

We will go on several field trips this year. Dates and locations are listed below. Parents are welcome to attend field trips BUT must provide their own transportation and their own entry fee. Siblings are welcome to attend, with parents providing transportation and entry fee, EXCEPT for the Discovery Center field trip as they are closed to the public on the day we visit and children outside of Sheldon will not be able to attend. We will pay all fees for Sheldon students. Even if their family attends, students are to stay with their school group. Finally, we require a signed permission slip before every field trip. Teachers will provide these. These MUST be completed in order for students to attend.

Discovery Center: Monday, February 16th @ 10:00-12:00 (upstairs classrooms)

Discovery Center: Monday, February 23rd @ 10:00-12:00 (downstairs classrooms)

Topeka Zoo: Monday, April 6th @ 10:00-12:00 (upstairs classrooms)

Topeka Zoo: Tuesday, April 7th @ 10:00-12:00 (downstairs classrooms)

As a federal Head Start program, Sheldon implements policies & procedures to ensure a safe and effective program. Each week, one will be posted here for review. This quarter our focus is on Mental Health and Child Development & Education Services.

Child Attendance

POLICY: 1302.16

Sheldon aims to promote consistent attendance and support families with frequently absent children by monitoring absenteeism. This ensures that enrolled children receive maximum benefits and promotes their overall well-being.

PROCEDURE:

1. Attendance is logged in Synergy for each child. Staff will call daily for absent children. If a child has 2 or more unexcused absences, family service staff will visit the home. Contact attempts will continue until the 10th unexcused school day, after which the child will be withdrawn unless they return to school.
2. A monthly report will be generated to show the average daily attendance of students, which is expected to remain over 90%. If attendance falls below this threshold, an attendance plan may be created, and a meeting with the principal may be arranged.
3. If a child's attendance drops below 90%, staff will inform the family to discuss ways to improve attendance.
4. Staff will analyze each child's absence patterns, including reasons such as illness, weather, or family vacations, and the frequency of consecutive absences.
5. The program will adhere to the established State Truancy Laws. The procedures outlined by the district will be put into action. A student will be deemed truant if they accumulate three consecutive unexcused absences, five unexcused absences during the first semester, or a total of seven unexcused absences overall, which will also result in a truancy designation.

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)

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 20th. The last day of school for Sheldon students will be May 18th.

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

Check out this link for Kansas Food Source. This link provides a map of all of the KS counties and indicates what food resources are available in each county.

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