Sheldon Update

Dear Sheldon Families,

Today starts the first full week of school! Students are doing such a great job learning routines and procedures, and making new friends! We are so proud of them!

Each week, you will receive a 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

In order to learn our students and get our procedures down, we will start our car line early this week (August 24-28) at 3:35. We will see how it's going on Friday and I will communicate with you if we are going to change that time for next week. We will work toward our goal of beginning dismissal at 3:45.

The car line will begin at 3:35 and ends at 4:00. If you arrive after 4:00 and don't see Mrs. Tanner smile and wave at you, the car line has ended and you need to pick up your child from the front door and sign them out.

Our full Arrival & Dismissal Procedures are further down in the newsletter in the Transportation section. After the first few days, there are a few things we must improve on to keep these busy times of day as safe and calm as possible.

1. Please use the car line in the morning and afternoon. If you truly walk your child to school, work with Mrs. Tanner on a plan. It is not sustainable for so many families to walk their children in the front door each morning. Student safety will always be the priority as procedures are being put in place. If you have questions, reach out to Mrs. Tanner.

2. Students in the car line MUST have their lanyard on. This makes it so much faster to get them to their classroom while we are still learning everyone's names!

3. You've been doing awesome having your car tags up on the passenger side! Thank you!!!

4. DO NOT BLOCK driveways or intersections! We share this neighborhood with so many wonderful neighbors who still need to be able to access their homes and get in and out. Let's be respectful!

5. Please stop cutting into the car line from side streets. All cars should enter from Gage.

6. While it may seem odd, bus harnesses zip up on the student's BACK. This is to prevent them from unbuckling themselves!

Due to the new state law on social media communication, Topeka Public Schools is using 5 approved tools for family communication - including the new app Parent Square. Directions are below for how to download the app and log in to your account. This will be our primary communication tool at Sheldon, so please download the app and access your account as soon as possible. Let Mrs. Tanner know if you have any issues!

Parent Square Directions:

• Scan the QR Code. Or go straight to the App Store and download the app (a picture is on the flyer below).
• Scroll down past the long list to the bottom of the page and click on either the Download App from Apple Store or Download App from Android Store.
• Once the app has downloaded, sign-in using the same email and password you use for Synergy ParentVUE (this is how you enrolled your child in school this year). It will not tie you to our school if you try to use a different email.
• Once logged in, you should be on the Sheldon Home Page. If not, check to see if you received an invitation email from Parent Square to join Sheldon and click the link in that email.
• If you have children in multiple TPS schools, you will have a drop-down option at the top of your screen that lets you switch between schools.
• Email Mrs. Tanner if you are having any issues! gtanner@tps501.org

If your Sheldon student has siblings at other schools in the district, and you change your child's emergency contact information with them, it may change that for your Sheldon student as well. However, the school will not be notified these changes have been made! If you could call the office and let us know so we can update our car line and bus emergency contact lists, we would appreciate it!

The Sheldon Policy Council meets monthly for 1 hour and asks for a one year commitment. More information will be shared at Home Visits.

We LOVE our friends on Sesame Street! They have so many great resources for families. Check it out here!

Color Week is coming up! We will have a color "spirit week" to help us all learn our colors!

Please make sure your student is ready for the bus with their harness on under any jacket they may be wearing. Car riders need to have their lanyard around their neck as they exit the vehicle in the car line. If you need a new lanyard, please reach out to your child's teacher. This will help us transition students to their classrooms quickly and more importantly, safely!

If your student is coming to school or leaving school in the car line, please be sure the yellow car tag is displayed in your front passenger window. We use an app to dismiss students and it makes the car line move very quickly! Having this information displayed once you join the car line helps it to continue to move fast. If someone else will be transporting your child, please provide them your car tag. Let your classroom teacher know if you need more.

***If your child will be dismissing in a way that is different than normal, please contact the office prior to 2:00 PM.

Sheldon will be using a car line for arrival/dismissal again this year. It will take us a few days to get it down, but if you give us grace during that time, I ensure that we will be a well-oiled machine by the end of the second week of school! Our highest priority is student safety so we will take our time to ensure the safety of all. The number one thing I have learned over the years is that when everyone follows the rules, the system works, and works quickly!

It is CRITICAL that the car line procedures are followed to ensure a safe arrival and dismissal for all students, families, and staff. The map below highlights the traffic flow for the car line. Please remember that we are located in a fairly compact neighborhood. We want to ensure we are respectful of all Sheldon's neighbors by following speed limit and other traffic signs and by not blocking driveways or intersections. Our car line becoming backed up can significantly impact the traffic on Gage - which makes the morning and afternoon commute no fun for anyone!

The car line will run from 9:00-9:15 on Monday-Thursday (10:15-10:30 on Fridays). Any student arriving after 9:15 (10:30 on Fridays) will need to check in at the main office as the car line will have ended. The dismissal car line will begin at 3:45. Any adult arriving to pick up a child after 4:00 will need to check them out at the main office as the car line will have ended.

The picture above shows the proper way to enter the neighborhood to join the car line. The only way to enter the carline that will allow it to flow efficiently, is to enter from Gage.

From Gage, turn west onto Sena St., continue toward Sheldon, and turn right into the parking lot on Sena St., just past Seabrook. All traffic must turn right out of the parking lot onto Sena St. and then proceed on the most convenient path.

I HIGHLY SUGGEST coming from 10th & Gage, heading south down Gage, and then turning right onto Sena. Gage is a busy street and it can take awhile for the chance to turn left if you are driving northbound!

When approaching the parking lot on Sena, just past Seabrook, vehicles will turn RIGHT into the parking lot and follow the painted arrows to loop through the parking lot. Adults will not exit their vehicle. Staff will greet students at the vehicle and then escort them into the building where additional staff members will escort them to their classrooms. Once the student exits, the vehicle may continue to follow the painted arrows to complete the loop through the parking lot. Vehicles will make a RIGHT turn out of the parking lot onto Sena St. If you have a situation that requires you stop to exit the vehicle or you need to have a conversation with a staff member, please pull to the right out of the car line so that it can continue to flow smoothly.

Topeka Public Schools is NO LONGER USING Here Comes the Bus. If you used this app in the past, you can delete! The new bus tracking app is called VersaTrans MyStop. A step by step guide to downloading and using this app is linked below.

Getting Started is Easy:

1. Step by Step Guide - English
2. Step by Step Guide - Spanish
3. Download Versatrans My Stop™ from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
4. Select Topeka (KS) as your school district.
5. Log in using your student's Student ID as the username and their 8-digit date of birth (MMDDYYYY) as the initial password.

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)

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

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 19th. The last day of school for Sheldon students will be May 17th.

Topeka Public Schools utilizes the SchoolMessenger system for web services and to deliver text messages to families in the district. Alerts come straight to your mobile phone with important information about school events, school closings, and more.

Parents and guardians can participate in this free service by sending a text message of "Y" or "Yes" to the TPS short code number 67587. You can also opt-out of these messages at any time by simply replying "stop" to one of our messages.

View our communications document in English and Spanish to learn more about how Topeka Public Schools communicates with families throughout the school year.

Don't forget to follow us on social media! We're active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

As a state and district expectation, all preschool children must have the ASQ3 and ASQSE2 completed each year. These are also required to be completed by our Head Start grant.

Please use the appropriate link below to complete both the ASQ and ASQ-SE screening forms. It should take approximately 15 minutes to complete. When you click on the link, you will have the option of choosing to complete BOTH surveys.

English version: https://www.asqonline.com/family/58ce82

Spanish version: https://www.asqonline.com/family/824204

If you need additional help completing the screener please use our step-by-step directions using the link below.

ASQ Parent Guide

SPANISH ASQ Parent Guide

Thank you to the families who have delivered, sent or uploaded the required preschool documents!

If you have not done so, please submit your child's:

• birth certificate
• immunization records
• health assessment (physical), including hemoglobin and lead testing
• oral health form

The above documents can be submitted by , scanning and emailing them to kneufeld@tps501.org, faxing to the Sheldon office (785-271-3647), or delivering them to the Sheldon office.

We must have the required documents before the first day of school.

Regular school attendance is one of the most important factors that determine school success. The habit of attending school every single day begins with the preschool year(s).

Daily Absence Information

• Parents/guardians should notify the school each day a student is absent by 9:00 a.m, by calling (785) 438-4530. If leaving a voicemail, please provide the student's name, classroom teacher and reason for absence. If the parent/guardian fails to notify the school, the school will attempt to contact the parent/guardian. The communication can be in a variety of methods, such as electronic communication, telephone call or in person. Home visits will be conducted if there has been no contact made after two days.
• All absences, including those excused, will count against a student’s attendance.
• The school encourages parents to schedule doctor and dental appointments after school hours, or on days when school is not in session.
• Parents/guardians may be required to submit supporting documentation in order to excuse the absence of their student if student absenteeism is excessive.
• Preschool absences are recorded in Synergy, the district's student information system. The expectation is that students attend school at least 90% of the time. If the student falls below 90% (excused or unexcused) a letter will be sent home. If this issue does not improve an official attendance plan will be put into place and/or a meeting with the school principal will be scheduled.

The Kansas State law specifically says that a student is truant if they have missed 3 unexcused days in a row, 5 unexcused days in a semester, or 7 unexcused days in a school year. Truancy may result in a report being filed with DCF.

Examples of Excused Absences:

• Personal illness or medical appointment
• Illness of an immediate family member
• Death in the immediate family or other emergency beyond the control of the family
• Religious holidays of the student’s religious faith
• Participation in a district approved or school sponsored activity or event
• Required court appearance or subpoena by a law enforcement agency
• Family vacation/Out of town (that have been pre-approved by the school principal)

Examples of Unexcused Absences:

• No contact by parent/guardian
• Oversleeping
• Personal grooming appointments (hair, nails, etc)
• Shopping/errands
• Suspension from school
• Family vacation/ Out of town that have not been pre-approved
• Missing the bus/ride

If in need of resources, you can also contact the United Way by dialing 211.

English and Spanish

Website: https://sheldon.topekapublicschools.net/
Location: 1155 SW Seabrook Ave.
Phone: 785-438-4530
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheldonChildDevelopmentCenterHeadStart