Cyclone Watch

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• Thursday, October 15 - No School for Students
• Pre-Scheduled Parent Conferences - by appointment only
• Friday, October 16 - No School for Students - Building Closed
• Monday, October 19 - 3:30pm - Girls Basketball Tryouts Begin (Aux Gym) - see more info below
• Monday, October 19 - 3:30pm - Wrestling Begins
• Tuesday, October 20 - 3:45pm - 7th Grade City Football Game (@ Oregon Trail)
• Tuesday, October 20 - 6:00pm - Distinguished Scholars Open House (@ Olathe North) - see more info below
• Tuesday, October 20 - 7:00pm - 7th & 8th Grade Orchestra Concert (SFT Auditorium)
• Wednesday, October 21 - 3:45pm - 8th Grade City Football Game (@ Indian Trail)
• Wednesday, October 21 - 5:45pm - Olathe North Academies Open House (@ Olathe North) - see more info below
• Animal Health Academy
• Geoscience Academy
• Medical Professionals Academy
• Sports Medicine Academy
• Wednesday, October 21 - 6:00pm - Volleyball Banquet
• Thursday, October 22 - 7:00pm - 6th Grade Orchestra Concert (SFT Auditorium)

New this year, instead of taking one large assessment over everything they learned in the Spring for their State Assessment, all Olathe middle schoolers will use their Quarterly Benchmark Assessment (QBA) toward an overall state assessment score. The QBAs are over the material that your student learned in math during 1st quarter.

It is important that students are in school on the day of their QBA and ready to give their very best effort! We will provide granola bars for students on their first day of testing, but students are welcome to bring a water bottle with them as well.

Testing Dates:

• 6th Graders - Testing on Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22
• 7th Graders - Testing on Tuesday, October 20 and Wednesday, October 21
• 8th Graders - Testing on Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22

If at all possible, please avoid scheduling appointments when your student is testing.

For more about this new approach to state assessments, please see the district communication below.

Olathe Schools is thrilled to share an exciting landmark in our assessment system! Starting this school year, our students in English Language Arts (Grades 3–5) and Mathematics (Grades 3–10) will no longer sit for the traditional, high-stakes end-of-year KAP state assessment. Instead, state accountability scores and proficiency levels will be drawn directly from our quarterly through-course check-ins. These are the same high-quality benchmark assessments our teachers have successfully used in our classrooms for years in a formative manner to guide daily instruction.

Please see the attached handout below to better understand how our students Math State Assessment will be different this year!

7th and 8th grade girls basketball tryouts begin Monday, October 19 at 3:30 in the AUX gym. You MUST have a physical on file to tryout. Please see Ms. Morrow or Mr. Karsten if you have any questions.

Interested in wrestling? No experience is necessary! Next week, Olathe North coaches will be here in the commons coaching SFT wrestling. All 6th-8th graders are welcomed, we have a 4 week season that ends with a wrestling tournament at Olathe West. To signup you will need a physical on file and show up in the commons on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday starting the week of Oct 19th after school.

If your 8th grade student is interested in applying for one of Olathe's amazing 4-year academies, this information is for you!

First, each academy hosts an open house so students and families can gain information and ask questions about their academy or academies of interest!

• Tuesday, October 20th - 6:00pm - Distinguished Scholars (@ Olathe North)
• Formal Presentation at 6pm
• Wednesday, October 21st - 5:45pm - Other Olathe North Academies (@ Olathe North)
• Time to mingle, then three 30-minute rotations starting at 6:15pm
• Other North Academies:
• Animal Health
• Geoscience
• Medical Professions
• Sports Medicine
• Tuesday, October 27th - 5:30 to 7:30pm - Engineering Academy (@ Olathe Northwest)
• Tours of the academy start every 5 minutes
• Wednesday, October 28th - 6:00 to 8:00pm - Olathe West Academies (@ Olathe West)
• No set tours - come and go as your schedule allows
• Olathe West Academies:
• Green Tech
• Public Safety
• Thursday, October 29th - 5:30 to 7:30pm - eCommunications Academy (@ Olathe Northwest)
• Tours of the academy start every 10 minutes
• Wednesday, November 4th - 5:30 to 7:30pm - Olathe East Academies (@ Olathe East)
• Visit displays in the commons and tour academy spaces
• Olathe East Academies:
• Civic Leadership
• Design Academy
• Future Educators
• Thursday, November 5th - 6:00 to 8:00pm - Olathe South Academies (@ Olathe South)
• Visit displays in the commons and tour academy spaces
• Olathe South Academies:
• BioMedical Engineering
• Business Finance
• Computer Science

Also, the Four-Year Academy application will open on Friday, November 6th and close on Friday, December 4th. Don't miss out on the opportunity to engage with these amazing opportunities!

On Wednesday, October 14th, our 8th graders participated in a day of service! In each of their core classes, they had a chance to participate in different projects.

Teachers at Santa Fe Trail provide additional academic support and opportunities to participate in clubs and activities before school. To view the schedule for the coming week, click on the link below. Zero Hour begins at 7:45am daily.

Note: The link updates weekly even if the title of the document does not.

As our students attend athletic events and activities at other schools, we want to remind them that they are representing not only themselves, but also their school and our district. Students are expected to demonstrate respectful, responsible behavior throughout the event, including following the host school’s expectations, treating others with kindness, and leaving the facility and surrounding areas clean.

Parents/guardians, please make arrangements to pick up your student promptly at the designated dismissal time. Students should be picked up no later than 5:15 p.m. Timely pickup helps us ensure that students are safely supervised and allows our staff to complete their responsibilities at the end of the event.

Thank you for partnering with us to help our students be great representatives of our school, both at home and when we are guests at another school!

If you have a 7th or 8th grade student who is interested in playing basketball this year, please complete the Google Form below. Completing the form will ensure that you receive important information regarding upcoming basketball meetings, tryouts, and other team information.

Basketball Interest Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoaE0ToYgmtO0GBJ3brO2Ec5ypDvUwED8AG9h73jftN7JJXA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Thank you, and we look forward to a great basketball season!

If your student is planning to play basketball this year and does not yet have a physical on file, it is important to get this taken care of as soon as possible so they are eligible to start on the first day of tryouts! If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Ulmer (tjulmer@olatheschools.org) or Mrs. Grimes (smgrimes@olatheschools.org).

Check out the 8th Grade Movie Screening Night at the Glenwood Arts Theatre on Friday, October 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Our goal is an ambitious one—we would love to fill the Glenwood’s 500-seat theater with 8th-grade students and their families. We think this can be a really exciting opportunity for students to see what is being created in the e-Communication Academy and imagine themselves being part of it next year.

We still have plenty of room, so your continued help getting the word out would mean a lot. If possible, we would really appreciate any additional promotion that works well for your building, whether that is through student announcements, weekly newsletters, reminders to families, or simply encouraging teachers to mention the event to students who may be interested.

The screening is completely free and will feature some of our best student films and animations, followed by a Q&A with current and former students.

Families can reserve their free tickets here:

Reserve Tickets for the 8th Grade Movie Screening Night

The Cyclone Closet at Santa Fe Trail provides a unique opportunity for students and their families to select clothing and/or toiletry items that are needed. SFT students who need something during the day should see their counselor, but we are also open to families on designated Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the school year.

The Cyclone Closet is open on:

• Tuesdays listed below from 4:30 to 7:30pm
• October 27
• November 17
• January 26
• February 23
• March 23
• April 27
• Saturdays listed below from 9am to 11am
• November 14
• December 12
• April 10

If you need access to the Cyclone Closet outside of these dates, please contact the SFT front office at 913-780-7290 or Patty Stadler at Olathe North at 913-780-7140 or pstadleron@olatheschools.org

Those arriving to access the Cyclone Closet should enter through Door E on the north side of the building.

We have a large number of community partners who are committed to supporting the students and families at Santa Fe Trail. If your student or your family would benefit from additional community assistance as you prepare to return to school, please use the link below to make that request. You may also reach out to your student's counselor.

Family Assistance and Outreach (2026-2027) - Fill out form