The Trailblazer

On Thursday, April 9 from 1-6pm during the Olathe School District's Annual Kindergarten Enrollment, Tomahawk will be enrolling 2026-27 kindergarten students who will be 5 years of age on or before August 31, 2026 and live in Tomahawk's attendance area. Please complete this online form so we can get you on the mailing list - Kindergarten 26-27 Enrollment List

Please contact the office at 913-780-7690 or email Kelli Zuel, Administrative Secretary, at kzuelth@olatheschools.org if you have questions.

I am so excited to start the 2026 semester of the school year. I hope that your winter break was filled with fun, family and friends. We ended first semester with so many fun activities, and so many parent volunteers. Thank you for celebrating your students and all of their hard work over the fall semester. We are looking forward to all that 2026 has to bring! As always, thank you for your continued support to your students, and Tomahawk!

Julia Baucum

Principal

Each month there will be a classroom recipient (K-5) chosen by the classroom teacher as someone who displays the expected behaviors of Tomahawk Students showing: We Matter, We are Safe, and We are Prepared. This student helps ensure others know that they: Belong, Matter, and are Loved.

The staff members who work with students outside of the classroom (Art, PE. Music, Library, Counselors, Lunch room staff) will vote on the representative for each classroom. That student will receive a yard sign for the month. We are so Proud of all of our Tomahawk students, and showcase their strengths in many ways through out each grade level and each class. We are excited to celebrate these school wide recipients each month, to continue to show our Tomahawk Expectations!

Grade Level Students of the Month

K: Jayden Diaz De Leon

1: Breezy Summers

2: Valerie Gurrero

3: Jennifer Rubi Chavez

4: Amari Lindsay

5: Angelina Moore

Classroom Students of the Month

K: Margot Hartman; Etta Whitt

1: Maria Haroun; Charlie Johnson

2: Codie Fredricks; Aiden Hammer

3: Elsy Ramirez Zuniga; Raymond Smith

4: Junior Diaz Gomez; Logan Whitt

5: Mia Rodriguez

Thursday, January 1 & Friday, January 2- No School

Monday, January 5, 2026 - No School

Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - Math Wings after School; 4-8pm PTO Food Night- Papa John's Night (use code KST011 when ordering online)

Wednesday, January 7, 2026 - STUCO Store before school (Items $.50 - $2); STUCO Meeting after school

Thursday, January 8, 2026 - 1pm FT Area Band Tour

Monday, January 12, 2026 - Art Club after school

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - Math Wings Regional Competition @ Green Springs

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 - STUCO Store before school (Items $.50 - $2); FTMS Choral Festival for Special Chorus

Thursday, January 15, 2026 - 7pm FT Area Band Concert (including Tomahawk 5th Graders)

Friday, January 16, 2026 - Color Walk Reward: Mr. Feagan in Hot Dog costume all day!

STUCO Specialists' Supplies Drive all Week

Monday, January 19, 2026 - No School

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 - STUCO Specialists' Supplies Drive: ART; FT Enrollment for Gr 5 students @ TH; Math Wings after School District Competition; 5:30- 7pm Tomahawk Community Event- Keeping Kids Safe Online in MPR- parents only please; 7pm PTO Meeting

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 - STUCO Specialists' Supplies Drive: LIBRARY; STUCO Store before school (Items $.50 - $2); IT Enrollment for Gr 5 students @ TH; 6:00pm Gr 5 Enrollment for 6th Grade Parent Meeting @ ITMS; 7pm FT Area Orchestra Festival @ FTMS

Thursday, January 22, 2026 - STUCO Specialists' Supplies Drive: MUSIC; Gr 4 Field Trip to Mahaffie Stagecoach (bring sack lunch); 6:30pm Gr 5 Enrollment for 6th Grade Parent Meeting @ FTMS

Friday, January 23, 2026 - STUCO Specialists' Supplies Drive: PE; 7:45-8:30am Pastries with Parents ($1 donuts, hot cocoa & Starbucks coffee) in MPR; Major Saver assembly (check backpack for packets with information)

Saturday, January 24, 2026- 3:00-4:30pm PTO Community Event- Bowling at Mission Bowl, $15 per person for 90 minutes of bowling & shoe rental; see flyer in PTO section below

Kansas School Lunch Week - Lunch Among the Stars

Monday, January 26, 2026 - Art Club after school

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - PBIS Pizza with Principal; Math Wings after School

Wednesday, January 28, 2026 - STUCO Store before school (Items $.50 - $2)

Mark your calendars for the following days when there will NOT be school for students:

Thursday, January 1- Monday, January 5

Monday, January 19

• Wednesday, January 14- Special Chorus to FT Choral Festival (students will eat lunch at school)
  
  
• Wednesday, January 22- Gr 4 to Mahaffie (students should bring a sack lunch)

We LOVE to have spirit days at Tomahawk! It's even part of our PBIS Reward process where students can turn in Trail tickets for an all school spirit day! Many days are planned out in advance and are viewable on the Tomahawk website calendar . The PBIS ones are decided with little notice but we will update the website calendar with those also. We announce those to students at the end of the day and put the info on facebook also. So if your kiddo comes home and says tomorrow is an all school PJ day, check the website calendar or facebook to verify. Classroom/Grade level special days will be communicated by the teacher in Seesaw app.

This month's Spirit Days:

Tues 6th - Tomahawk Tuesdays- Wear TH gear or blue/yellow

Fri 9th - Fan Friday- Wear Chiefs, Red or favorite team

Tues 13th - Tomahawk Tuesdays- Wear Class Colors (KDG-Purple; 1st-Blue; 2nd-Red; 3rd-Green; 4th-Orange; 5th-Pink; PreK-Yellow)

Fri 16th- Fan Friday- Wear Chiefs, Red or favorite team

Tues 20th - Tomahawk Tuesdays- Wear TH gear or blue/yellow

Wed 21st - STUCO Spirit Day- Wear PJs

Fri 23rd - Fan Friday- Wear Chiefs, Red or favorite team

Mon 26th - KSLW Spirit Day- “Shining Star Day”- Wear yellow, gold, or anything sparkly.

Tues 27th - KSLW Spirit Day- “Planet Power Day”- Wear your class color head to toe.

Wed 28th - KSLW Spirit Day-–“Blast Off to Breakfast for Lunch”- Come in comfy clothes or PJs like you just rolled out of your spaceship bunk

Thurs 29th - KSLW Spirit Day- “Astronaut Adventure Day“- Wear athletic clothes or something “astronaut-like” (NASA shirts, silver/white)

Fri 30th - KSLW Spirit Day- “Galaxy Glow Day” - Wear neon, glow-in-the-dark, or galaxy print.

STOPFINDER App for Families of Students Riding DS Buses To/From School

Parents, are you aware that after your StopFinder account is activated you can share the account with any other smartphone user? Also, did you know you can set customized alerts so you are notified when the bus is nearby? Check out all the app’s capabilities here for English and here for Spanish. Contact olathebus@dsbuslines.com if you need to activate your StopFinder account or need additional support.

Dress for Unpredictable Weather

The weather is changing and becoming colder. Help your child anticipate the change in weather by encouraging them to dress in layers and bring a jacket to school. Labeling outerwear with your student’s name helps when coats are misplaced, left on the playground or identical to other students. We have outdoor recess unless there is precipitation or the temperature falls below 20 degrees; limited outdoor recess when 10-19 degrees; and indoor recess when below 10 degrees. All students will need to go out to recess unless they have a doctor's note. This link gives more information on winter weather guidelines.

Important Arrival Reminder

Students are considered tardy if they are not in their seats ready for class to begin at 8:55am. Our staff helpers are only outside until 8:50am then students need to come in through the front door. Please remember to have students arrive at school before 8:50am in order to get them out of the car and to class on time.

Reminder: Photo ID REQUIRED EACH TIME You Want to Enter Tomahawk

Please remember that District policy requires us to ask for ID from EVERYONE each time they enter the building. Please remember to have your driver's license or other form of picture ID ready for the camera at the door when you arrive at Tomahawk. If you come to the door without your ID, we will kindly ask you to return to your car to get it.

Get ready to kick off the New Year with an exciting opportunity to support our school! The annual Major Saver Fundraiser is back, and it’s gearing up to be better than ever.

Key Dates to Remember:

• Kickoff Week: January 20th- 23rd
• Daily Collections: January 28 - February 4

This fundraiser directly benefits our school while offering families and community members great deals through the Major Saver discount cards.

Limo Ride and Pizza Party
Students who sell 15 or more cards will earn a spot at this exclusive event. It’s a fantastic way to reward their hard work while having a blast with friends!

Thank you for your continued support. Stay tuned for more details in January, and let’s make this year’s Major Saver campaign a success!

Recess is an important part of the elementary school day. As it gets colder, we want to remind families to send students to school dressed for outdoor recess.

Olathe School District Guidelines for Outdoor Recess (the playground blacktop will need to be clear of snow and ice):

Outdoor recess will be held if:

• Outside air temperature and/or wind chill is 20° (F) or greater
• There is no falling precipitation

Limited outdoor recess will be held if:

• Outside air temperature and/or wind chill is between 10° and 19° (F)
• There is no falling precipitation

Indoor recess will be held if:

• Outside air temperature and/or wind chill is lower than 10° (F) or there is falling precipitation

All students will need to go out with their class for recess unless there is a doctor's note indicating the student needs to stay inside. Please have them bring a warm coat, gloves, winter shoes and head covering for these cold days.

Read our District Inclement Weather FAQs for more details

The winter weather season is here, so parents are encouraged to stay connected with the district in several ways to learn of school cancellations. When the chance for severe or inclement weather looms, we will only post the cancellation of school, athletic events and other activities. We will not post when school, athletic events and activities are proceeding as scheduled.

If school is canceled due to snow or bad weather, the information will be available in these ways:

• Blackboard notification to parents and staff via text and email information on file
• Local television and radio stations
• District website — http://www.olatheschools.org
• Facebook — go to "Olathe Public Schools"
• Twitter — look for "Olathe Schools"
• The Olathe Public Schools mobile app
• By calling the district information line, 913-780-8000

Any parent who is in the district’s system, and who has included a cell phone number, will receive a text message in case of the cancellation of school. If there has been a change in a parent’s phone number or email address since enrollment, please notify the child’s school

No Early Dismissal

If school is in session when deteriorating weather conditions are present, regular dismissal time will be observed rather than dismissing students early from school. District administrators are mindful of safety issues such as transportation, particularly for those students who normally ride the bus or are driven to and from school; lack of supervision at home because of an unscheduled dismissal; and the uncertainty of sending children away from a protected school environment and out into hazardous weather conditions.

Facility Usage/Building Rental

If school is canceled for the entire day, all facility usage/building rentals will also be canceled.

If school has been in session all day but evening district activities are canceled, facility usage/building rentals will also be canceled.

Athletics and Activities

The final decision about whether to cancel school activities will be made at the district level. Administrators understand the importance of these activities, but the safety of students is always of greater importance.

Click here for more information on Plan A and Plan B No school Days.

Community Event for Parents & Guardians -Keeping Kids Safe Online • January 20 • 5:30–7:00 PM

Join us for an informative evening focused on helping families navigate online safety. Pizza will be provided, and attendees will be entered into gift card drawings throughout the event.

Please note: While we wish students could join us, this event is for parents and guardians only.

About the Presentation
This program, presented by Sunflower House (often in partnership with a co-presenter from the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force), provides an in-depth look at online safety for children. Adults will learn about:

• Potential dangers associated with internet use
• Practical safety tips and monitoring tools
• The cyber crime reporting process
• Current trends in apps, gaming systems, and digital communication

The presentation lasts approximately 90 minutes and offers clear, actionable strategies to help keep kids safe online. Tomahawk's monthly PTO meeting will take place right after the presentation at 7:00pm. See the RSVP form below. We hope to see you there!

Importance of Handwashing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) has lots of great information about the benefits of washing our hands. Here are interesting facts:

• Handwashing reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 23-40%
• Handwashing reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%
• Handwashing reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21%
• Handwashing reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in schoolchildren by 29-57%

To wash your hands properly:

1. Wet your hands with water
2. Apply soap while your hands are out of the water
3. Rub your hands together for at least 20 second, rub your palms, the back of each hand, between your fingers, thumbs and under your nails
4. Rinse your hands well with clean water
5. Dry your hands with a clean cloth or paper towel
6. Use the cloth or paper towel to turn off the tap

If there's no running water, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

1. Put some hand sanitizer into the palm of one hand -use enough hand sanitizer to wet both hands completely
2. Rub your hands together for 20 seconds or until dry -make sure to rub your palms, the back of each hand, between your fingers, thumbs and under your nails.

Physicals/Well Child Exams

We are approaching the district wide exclusion date! The last date to turn in physicals/well child visits for your Kindergartner, Jump Start student, Early Childhood student, Community Speech student, and any new students is January 12th, 2025. Unfortunately, your student will have to be excluded from school on January 13th if I don’t have the necessary paperwork showing they have had a well child exam. Some of your students may have already had their physical but I do not have a copy of it. Your doctor can fax it to me at 913-780-7699. If you have any questions or are wondering if you have turned on in or not, please call Nurse Devin at 913-780-7696 or email me at dburns@olatheschools.org.

Winter Illness

With winter comes more illness so please remember to keep your children home if they have a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, severe congestion, or any symptoms that may be contagious. Students must be symptom free for 24 hours before returning to school. This helps decrease the spread of infections! Thank you!

Kansas School Lunch week is January 26-30th. This year’s theme is Lunch Among the Stars. We look forward to celebrating with spirit days and decorating the cafeteria. We hope to keep our winning streak up!

We have recognized and given out almost 86,000 tickets so far this year! Students have been cashing in on fun items and experiences at Tomahawk!

Remind your students to keep up their hard work and to visit the PBIS store before school on the following days to spend their tickets: Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays. The store opens at 8:35 and will close prior to the bell ringing at 8:55.

If you'd like to help support the 2025-2026 PBIS store, here is our amazon wish list:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/5JAE740KSH8Q/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_5

Here is our reading strategies poster for the intermediate students:

Thank you to our wonderful Watch D.O.G.S. this semester!!! We look forward to seeing more of you in 2026!

Watch D.O.G.S. Sign-Up

Art Club- Thank you for a successful first session of art club. Session #2 for those signed up will begin Monday, January 12th!

Artsonia: Reminder you can view your students artwork all year as well as can invite relatives from near and far to see student's artwork if you choose. If you choose to purchase our student's artwork in the gift shop, the proceeds come back to the Tomahawk Art Room!

Donations: Do you have any yarn lying around your house that no one will ever use? Donate it to the art room!

Book Care Reminders

Please see the Book Care reminders below. We have had many books returned with writing/drawing inside, wet, or torn. I expect students to treat our library books kindly so that others can check them out.

• Keep books clean and dry
• Keep books away from pets
• Read with clean hands
• Keep books away from little kids
• No food or drinks around the books
• No drawing or coloring in books

Thank you so much!

Beanstack Tracking Form

Many students have said they are reading, but are unable to log their minutes on the app. If your student reads at home and does NOT log the minutes on the app, have them complete this log (attached below) and return it to Mrs. McGinnis. She will log the minutes for them and give them a new one. This is an optional way to record reading minutes. Thank you so much for your dedication to reading!

Special Chorus will travel to Frontier Trail on Wednesday, January 14th from 9:30-11:45 for their choir festival. Please wear your special chorus shirt, You Matter shirt or Tomahawk gear that day!

Footwear Reminder

A quick reminder to all families to check the ABCD schedules regarding P.E. class. It’s important that on their assigned P.E. days, students wear the proper shoes, which are athletic shoes with closed toes and no raised heel.

Plank Challenge

What is the “Plank Challenge”?

Students holding an elbow plank for 1-minute increments. We start at 1 minute and practice throughout the year with the goal of being able to hold the elbow plank for up to 5 minutes. We have some students who have already earned a 5-minute plank certificate.

The dates for the Plank Challenge during the weeks of: January 12th, February 17th, March 24th, April 20th.

We have recently completed our MySAEBRS screening tool. MySAEBRS is one of many tools our school district uses to ensure we have the right supports in place to meet every student’s emotional, behavioral, and social needs. Only students with signed consent during registration were given this screening tool. If you would like to know your student’s results, please contact Mrs. Baucum.

Sponsors: Lindsay Cotton, lecotton@olatheschools.org & Rhianna Penner, rnpenner@olatheschools.org

STUCO 2025-2026

Co-Presidents – Zola Dale and Remi Fussel

Vice President – Adele Felix

Secretary – Izabelle Robertson

Treasurer – Angelina Moore

Representatives:

• 3rd grade- Jamison Rozof, Sophie Senin, Kolton Fussel, Lola Sadi Oufella, Ari Eck, Shelly Gagne
• 4th grade- Ximena Alvear, Addi Powers, Logan Whitt, Leo Queen, Amari Lindsey
• 5th grade- Violet Gagne, Sam Palmer, Grady Penner, Trexlyn Phillips, Rory Reeves and Song Senin

Spirit Days

STUCO Spirit Days will be decided upon members during monthly meetings. Check back here for updates! Spirit Days will also be available on the school’s website.

• Jan 21st – PJ Day
  
  

Events

Specialists Supplies Drive - STUCO is having a supply drive for our specialists during the week of January 20-23. If you would like to donate, please see below for their wish lists!

A Day (Tuesday, Jan 20): Art

• Baby Wipes; Paper Products (plates); Paper Towels; wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/32U13W1WGCSPT?ref_=wl_share

B Day (Wednesday Jan 21): Library

• Pencils; Markers; Crayons; Glue sticks; Legos; wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2VOG9191I5DZS?ref_=wl_share

C Day (Thursday, Jan 22): Music

• wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1DW4VQNF4B4G7?ref_=wl_share

D Day (Friday, Jan 23): P.E. "Dollars for Lawver"

• Bring in dollars to add to Mr. Lawver's P.E. Fund

Coming Up… Friendship Grams in February, and more!

STUCO Meetings

STUCO Snack Sign Up https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0549ACAE29A5FA7-58587233-2526

Meetings will be held in Mrs. Cotton’s classroom from 3:55-4:35 pm on the following dates for STUCO members: January 7th, February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, & May 13th

School Store

STUCO Members Sign Up for School Store https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0549ACAE29A5FA7-58715146-20252026

Information on the STUCO school store can be found here. The store will be open Wednesday mornings before school until May 13th. Please send your child with small bills ($1 bills or $5 bills) and change..

Math Wings will meet Jan. 6th, the first day back after Winter Break. It is the only meeting we will have before the next Regional Competition on January 13th at Green Springs. The District Competition will be held on January 20th. We will not meet for Math Wings those days. We will meet again on January 27 to start preparations for the last competition in April.

Check out the information below. Remember all parents/guardians of Tomahawk students and all Tomahawk staff are automatically members of the Tomahawk PTO. We invite you to share your ideas to help us make Tomahawk a great place to be!

PTO Board for 2025-26 school year. Email us at tomahawkolathepto@gmail.com.

Tuesdays @ 7:00pm in the Tomahawk Staff Lounge:

Jan 20, Feb 17, March 24, April 21, May 12

Tuesday, January 6: 4-8pm PTO Food Night- Papa John's Night (use code KST011 online)

Tuesday, January 20: 7pm PTO meeting in staff lounge

Friday, Jan 23: 7:45-8:30 Pastries with Parents in MPR – $1 donuts, coffee and hot cocoa- Parents should stay with kids until 8:30.

Saturday, Jan 24: 3:00-4:30pm Bowling at Mission Bowl (see below for details)

Teacher Appreciation

We are looking for parents to volunteer some time and talent to make Teacher Appreciation week in May amazing this year. This is a great opportunity to be involved with celebrating our teachers. Please contact Ashley Queen for more information or attend any PTO for more info.

Come grab a donut for $1 and enjoy it in the MPR/lunchroom. Meet your child’s friends, connect with other families, and support our 5th Grade Legacy Team at the same time!

⏰ Friday, January 23 • 7:45–8:30 a.m.

📍Event will occur inside the MPR.

📍Front doors open at 7:45am. Parking spots will fill quickly. Please do not park in the drop off lane areas. We will be blocking off the North Parking Lot to save spaces for our staff. Please do not park in the North Parking lot.

📍Please bring small bills ($1 or $5 if possible)

📍Hot cocoa & Starbucks Coffee for $1 also.

📍Parents need to stay with their students until 8:25 am in the MPR. Students will then sit on the stairs and dismiss to wet areas at the 8:35am bell.

Join us on January 24 from 3:00–4:30 PM at Mission Bowl (1020 S Weaver, Olathe, KS) for a fun afternoon supporting our school. Admission is $15 per bowler and includes 90 minutes of bowling and shoe rental. Lanes are first come, first served, so no reservations are needed—just bring friends and family! Be sure to mention Tomahawk Elementary when you arrive, as a percentage of the proceeds will be donated back to support our students.

Tuesday, January 6- 4-8pm Papa John's Night (use code KST011 when ordering online)

Order your yearbook now. The only way to order is online. We will not have extras to purchase at the end of the year. You should order now at www.treering.com/validate enter school code 1015269347902029. Cost is $22.

We would love to include your photos of school events in the yearbook. See instructions below on how you can upload photos to share with the school.

More Community and District Opportunities Available on ePOST

Check out ePOST on the District website for information about other opportunities in the district and the community.

Food Bank Resources- see the attached document on Food Banks in the area.

• Students may arrive between 8:35- 8:50 am when staff will help them exit their cars out front. Students will enter through South parking lot gym doors during this time. After 8:50am, students will enter through the front door.
• Please no arrivals before 8:35am.
• Students wanting to eat breakfast should arrive between 8:35-8:45am to eat in the lunchroom.
• Students will be tardy if not in the classroom by 8:55am. No breakfast will be allowed in classrooms.
• NEW Early Childhood Hours: AM Class 8:55am-12:00pm; PM Class 12:50-3:55pm- No classes for EC on Fridays or on Half Days.

We have a new look!

We’ve officially launched our redesigned district and school websites with a fresh look, easier navigation and a more powerful search to help you find what you need faster!

If you have pages bookmarked, be sure to update them. Do you need quick access to key resources? Visit our Family Guide.

Take a look around. We’re excited for you to explore! https://www.olatheschools.org/

If you need to contact other Tomahawk families, you can find information in our Tomahawk Student Directory and Class Lists sent in a Blackboard alert on Monday, October 13. Please note this information does not include everyone in the school as some of our families have opted out for various reasons and new students are added regularly.

This directory is intended for school use only. All of the contact information -email, home addresses and phone numbers - are not for business use. Please respect the privacy of our families and do not share the list with others or use it for business purposes.

• December 2025

• November 2025

• October 2025

• September 2025

• August 2025

• July 2025 Resource Guide

Notice of Non-Discrimination

Email: kzuelth@olatheschools.org
Website: https://tomahawk.olatheschools.org/
Location: 13820 S. Brougham Dr. Olathe, KS
Phone: (913) 780-7690