Dear Sheldon Families,

THANK YOU to our bus drivers and bus paras for ensuring over 100 Sheldon students arrive to and from school safely each day! We appreciate you!!!

Please note: Due to the cold weather expected tomorrow morning, we have made a change to our field trips this week. ALL CLASSROOMS will be going to the pumpkin patch on THURSDAY this week!

Families of OT students, the car line is a RIGHT TURN ONLY out of our parking lot. DO NOT BLOCK intersections or driveways!

Click the link to access the 2022-2023 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

We will practice a Fire Drill during the month of October.

You can find all school events listed on our school calendar which you can access on our webpage.

October is Head Start Awareness Month! Please share with us a positive experience, shout-out, or reason why you love Head Start on this Google Form! We will be sharing these on social media to highlight our program during Head Start Awareness Month!

We are excited to be heading to the Pumpkin Patch for our first field trip of the school year! Due to the cold weather expected Tuesday morning, ALL CLASSROOMS will be going on October 20. Permission slips for this trip will be sent home. These must be returned by the day before your child is scheduled to go. Those students without signed forms the day of the trip will not be allowed to attend.

Sheldon's Picture RETAKE Day is coming up on October 19! If your child was absent on picture day OR you are dissatisfied with your child's portraits, you are welcome to have them retake their picture. If your child did have their picture taken in September and you are wanting retakes, you must return the original pictures you received.

The flyer below provides details on the different packages that are available for order. You may order online, or pay by cash or check. If paying by cash, you must provide the EXACT amount. We will not be able to make change. If paying by check, please make the check out to Strawbridge Studios. Paying online is the easiest! We will collect orders and payments at the school beginning October 10 and ending on picture day, October 19.

Each month, Sheldon's Policy Council meets and covers a variety of program topics. It is important to this group that highlights from each meeting are shared with all families. Here are the updates from the October 12 Policy Council meeting.

Building Goals: Each year the Sheldon Leadership Team develops building goals as part of the School Improvement Process with the state of Kansas. Goals are developed in 4 areas: Math, Literacy, Social-Emotional, and Attendance. Sheldon's building goals for 2022-2023 are:

• By May 2023, 35% of Sheldon 4 year old students will score in the Tier I category on Number Naming as evidenced by the myIGDIs assessment.
  
• By May 2023, 70% of Sheldon 4 year old students will score in the cut or Tier 1 categories on letter sound identification as evidenced by the myIGDIs assessment.
  
• By May 2023, 65% of Sheldon students will be in the Tier I category for internalizing and externalizing behaviors as evidenced by the SRSS-EC screener.
  
• By May 2023, 100% of Sheldon students will be in attendance for 90% or more of program days, as evidenced by the Chronic Absenteeism report in TylerPulse.
  

Each month we send home an activity calendar. Each day has a new activity, geared toward preschool aged students. Doing these activities as a family is an excellent way to support your child in progressing toward our building goals!

Attendance Rate: The current attendance rate for Sheldon Head Start is 90.17%.

COR Family Engagement: As a Head Start requirement, we must use an ongoing observation tool to guide our work with students. Last school year we adopted the COR Advantage system. Teachers collect "moments" throughout the day and score students in different areas. There is a cool feature where families can share moments back with us! We will be rolling this out to families during October Parent/Teacher Conferences. We are excited to partner with you in this way!

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, Disability, and Child Development and Education. If you ever have any questions regarding our policies and procedures, please reach out!

Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting

POLICY:

Staff members will receive annual training in methods for identifying and reporting suspected child abuse and neglect that comply with applicable State and local laws. Any staff member who witnesses or suspects child abuse and/or neglect must report his/her concerns to the proper authority. The definition of child abuse includes neglect, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. This policy relates to Head Start Performance Standards 1301.31, 1304.22(a)5, 1304.52

PROCEDURE:

1. Anyone “having cause to believe that a child’s physical or mental health or welfare has been or may be adversely affected by abuse or neglect” MUST report the case to the Kansas Department of Family and Protective Services or a local or state law enforcement agency.

2. Oral or electronic reports should be made immediately, not to exceed 48 hours. Do not delegate or rely on another person to make this report.

3. Anyone who files a report in “good faith and without malice” is immune from civil or criminal liability. “Good faith” means the person making the report took reasonable steps to learn facts that were readily available and at hand. “Without malice” means that the person did not intend to injure or violate the rights of another person.

4. Confidentiality is essential. Information given about a child and his/her family should not be shared with friends, other parents, one’s own family or even Head Start staff members who do not have a need to know. A staff person has a “need to know” if the information is needed to: properly care for and educate the child, and/or effectively provide support and services to the family.

5. When there are bruises, cuts, or other visible signs of injury present on a child you may ask the child (if appropriate age) how he/she obtained the bruise, cut, or injury. Be sure to use open-ended questions such as, “Tell me what happened…”. Document his/her statement. HOWEVER, do not ask leading questions. We are not responsible for investigating child abuse, we are only responsible to report.

6. If you suspect abuse or neglect, you must make a report. Also document through a Concern Sheet. If you are uncertain what to do, please discuss your concern with an admin team member.

For the convenience of students and staff, the district will begin offering two (2) over-the-counter COVID-19 tests to each student and staff member, upon request. Please contact Nurse Andrea Ferrell to make a request. You can reach her by email at aferrell@tps501.org or by calling the school office.

Each month, Home Depot offers a fun workshop for kids! Show up toward the beginning of the session to ensure there are enough materials for your child. Children must be present to receive a kit. They get to keep their project, receive a free certificate of achievement, a workshop apron, and a commemorative pin (while supplies last). Can't make it to Home Depot for the kids' workshop? Why not bring the party home! Here are just a few of the ready to assemble kits you can buy and build at home. Homedepot.com also offers great kids' activities, videos, and how-to's!

Workshops take place the first Saturday of each month from 9:00-12:00.

November 5: Scarecrow Napkin Holder

November 26: Train Ornament

December 3: Santa Letters Mailbox

Please be sure to review both the COVID Update and the information on the Parent Resources page for the latest information from the CDC. Masks are encouraged, but not required. We will maintain strict sanitation protocols.

Late Start is on FRIDAYS for this school year and the arival time will be at 10:15.

You can find the 2022-2023 Academic Calendar HERE.

The Sheldon Food & Clothing Bank is up and running! If your family has any needs, reach out to your Family Advocate or call 785-438-4530.

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