Community News

Welcome back! In spite of the challenging weather conditions, we have had a great start to 2024 with various events occurring throughout this month. We missed our scholars over the break and are so excited for the semester ahead.

We are highlighting our dedicated Board of Education members throughout the month of January in celebration of National School Board Recognition Month. Please join us in thanking our outstanding board members on social media! Click here to watch a video featuring the work of our school board members and thanking them for their service to TPS students, staff, and families.

On January 11, we celebrated one of the state's distinguished Horizon Award winners. The Commissioner of Education, Dr. Randy Watson, and our staff surprised our incredible second-year teacher, Mrs. Leslie McCaffrey, at Williams Magnet with the exciting announcement. Mrs. McCaffrey is tremendous and represents the talent recruited into Topeka Public Schools through state Transition to Teaching programs.

As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, January 15 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. As we honor Dr. King's legacy, we look forward to continued community events in partnership with Living the Dream, Inc. throughout this weekend, where many of our students will be recognized.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to the many successes and achievements ahead in 2024.

Dr. Tiffany Anderson

Superintendent

Topeka Public Schools is excited to announce that one of our educators has been honored with the 2024 Kansas Horizon Award from the Kansas State Department of Education!

Mrs. Leslie McCaffrey, an elementary teacher at Williams Science & Fine Arts Magnet School, was surprised with a Zoom call from Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson to announce the award on January 11.

Mrs. McCaffrey was showered with love, balloons, and flowers by her students, colleagues, and district leadership. She was also joined by family members to celebrate the momentous occasion.

The Kansas Horizon Award program recognizes exemplary educators who have completed their first year of teaching. Learn more in this video highlighting Mrs. McCaffrey's award recognition.

January is School Board Recognition Month—a time to salute the work of our school board members and celebrate public education.

School board members play a crucial role in ensuring our students receive the best education possible by working with parents, education professionals, and community members to create successful learning environments. We created this video to highlight our school board members and thank them for their service.

We encourage you to join us in celebrating the work and success of our school board on Facebook and Twitter! You can learn more about each of our board members at topekapublicschools.net.

On December 30, the Topeka West High School Charger Band returned home from the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, where they received numerous competition accolades.

Topeka West earned the overall top prize, the Sweepstakes Award, in addition to 7 Field Show Competition awards and 6 Parade Competition awards.

Students also had the opportunity to perform in the pre-game and half-time shows during the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Oklahoma Sooners, which was broadcast on ESPN. Learn more in this article from KSNT News.

We congratulate Topeka West Director of Bands, Mr. Barry Evans, and all of the marching band students on an outstanding competition and performance. Go Chargers!

On January 4-6, students from Topeka West High School and Topeka High School attended the 2024 Kansas Thespian Festival in Wichita, KS, where both schools earned numerous awards, including Gold Honor Troupe recognition.

Eight students qualified for nationals and will now compete at the International Thespian Festival the week of June 23-28, 2024 at Indiana University Bloomington.

Brenna Rutschmann (TWHS) received one of two statewide scholarships given to future Theatre Educators by Kansas Thespians, Joey Westphal (TWHS) received a perfect score for her monologue and was selected to perform in the festival showcase.

Congratulations to all of our Topeka West and Topeka High scholars and theatre educators!

Leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 15, Topeka Public Schools students and staff honored Dr. King's legacy through a variety of school and community events in partnership with Living the Dream, Inc., including the annual Governor's March & Proclamation Signing at the Kansas Statehouse.

Many students and staff will join us on January 13 at the annual Living the Dream, Inc. Scholarship & Awards Banquet, where scholarship and community award recipients will be recognized. Additional information will be shared in the next edition in the Community News.

We also congratulate all of the winners of the 2024 Living the Dream, Inc. art, essay, and poetry competitions, whose work was inspired by Dr. King. View a list of student awards here.

In celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Topeka Public Schools and Living the Dream, Inc. kicked off the 7th annual district-wide Living the Dream Food Drive this week.

Students and staff are encouraged to donate non-breakable, non-perishable items between now and February 1. The school or building that collects the most items will receive the Living the Dream traveling trophy.

Last year, the food drive collected more food items than ever before, with over 6,000 items donated to the TPS Community Cupboard and Washburn University Food Pantry, and we are hoping to top that number this year.

On January 5, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran visited the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning & Careers (TCALC) to tour the school and learn more about the innovative career and technical education programs offered to Shawnee County students.

During the student-led tour, Sen. Moran met with educators to learn more about each pathway, and discussed with students how TCALC is preparing them for the workforce after they graduate from high school.

We thank Sen. Moran for visiting and for his continued support of Topeka Public Schools!

Hope Street Academy senior, Victoria Hird, has been selected as January's Senior of the Month!

Victoria serves as a student ambassador at Hope Street, where she helps coordinate school events and activities to uplift her fellow students. She has also facilitated activities at the district's annual Family Fitness Fun Night and spends time working at the school store.

After graduation, Victoria plans to attend Washburn University and become an art teacher so she can give back to her community. Her teachers describe her as a quiet leader who works hard to achieve her goals.

Victoria was honored by the Topeka Public Schools Board of Education on January 4. Watch the January Senior of the Month video highlighting her achievements on YouTube.

Congratulations to Mr. D'Andre Phillips, a teacher at Eisenhower Middle School and a proud graduate of Highland Park High School, who is deploying for military service.

District and school staff will join Mr. Phillips at a departure ceremony at 10:00 AM on Sunday, January 14 at the Stormont Vail Events Center. We invite you to join in the celebration as we wish him well and thank him for his service. Additional ceremony details are available in this flyer.

We also invite students, staff, and families to share your well-wishes, memories, and appreciation for Mr. Phillips via comments on Facebook!

Is there a service member at your school or building who is preparing for deployment? If so, please share this information with TPS Communications so we can highlight them and thank them for their service!

On January 27, Fellowship Hi-Crest is hosting a Teacher Resource Fair at Eisenhower Middle School (3305 SE Minnesota Ave) to uplift and support Topeka educators! The event is open to any teacher or school staff member who works in the city of Topeka.

Come and explore a treasure trove of free teacher supplies to support and enhance your classroom experience! Fellowship Hi-Crest has partnered with the Citizens Advisory Council, Hi-Crest NIA, Walmart, Azura Credit Union, Milk & Honey, and others in our community to share this event. We expect around $8,000 worth of supplies to be given away on this day.

Save the date, bring a colleague, and leave with the supplies you need to make your classroom even more amazing!

On January 6, we celebrated National Technology Day! We are grateful for all the technology we have, which helps us in our everyday lives and in the classroom.

We thank our Chief Information Officer Scott Gowan and his team for their hard work to keep everyone connected across the district.

In addition, we send special thanks to Gail Ramirez, Curriculum Technology Integration Specialist, Travis True, Technology Services Coordinator, and Jess Blouvan, Technology Specialist, for their work incorporating drones, robotics, and other technology into the district's curriculum.

Across the country on January 9, we have an opportunity to thank law enforcement for their service. Students and staff across the district showed their SROs some extra appreciation this week!

We would like to recognize Chief Ron Jeanneret, Director of School Safety, and the entire Topeka Public Schools Police Department, as well as our local, county, and state police agencies, for working to keep our community safe.

Join us in honoring our school police by commenting our Facebook and Twitter posts!

Topeka Public Schools high schools are hosting mid-year graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 for students who are eligible to graduate at mid-year.

Each school will hold its own ceremony, which will also be streamed live on the respective high school's YouTube page. Schools will reach out to graduates and families with more information in the coming weeks.

Ceremony times are as follows:

• Topeka West High School: 8:30 AM
• Topeka High School: 9:30 AM
• Highland Park High School: 5:00 PM

As we approach Winter Break, we want to remind families and staff of school closing notification procedures.

As we make decisions about closing school, a number of factors come into play, including the safety of travel but also the safety of students who will be home during the day.

Should school be canceled, we will:

• Send a text, email, and/or phone call via SchoolMessenger
• Update the district social media pages
• Update the district website
• Contact our local media partners

To sign up for text message updates, text Y to 67587. To learn more about school delays and closures, please review our How We Communicate With Families document.

Parents can stay updated on transportation by downloading the Here Comes the Bus app!

• View the real-time location of your child’s bus.
• Access the app from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
• Receive push notifications or email alerts.
• Send your child to the bus stop at just the right time.

How to get started:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app or visit herecomesthebus.com
2. Sign Up by visiting the Here Comes the Bus website.
3. Enter school code 29036 and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
4. Complete the “User Profile” box
5. Under “My Students,” click “Add" then enter your child’s last name and student ID number
6. Once you confirm your information, you’re ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus!

View the full 2023-2024 academic calendar or the district Google Calendar to plan ahead for parent-teacher conferences, no school days, and more.

Below are important dates for January 2024:

• January 1-31: National School Board Appreciation Month
• January 5 - February 1: Living the Dream Food Drive
• January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  No school in session. All district buildings will be closed in observance of the holiday.
• January 18: Board of Education Meeting
  5:30 PM | Burnett Center
• January 24: Mid-Year Graduation Ceremonies
• January 29: Kansas Day

Stay up-to-date with everything you need to know about the 2024 Kansas Legislative Session on the Current Events page at kslegislature.org.

• Topeka Public Schools Blog
  
• Topeka Public Schools YouTube Channel
  
• Board of Education Meeting Minutes & Agenda

The Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District No. 501 is committed to affirmative action and equal opportunity. No person shall, on the basis of age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability, national origin or ancestry be denied lawful access to any appropriate educational service, program or activity provided by the school district. For students, the Title VI, Title IX and Section 504 compliance coordinator compliance coordinator is the General Counsel for the district. For employment, the EEO/AA and Title VII compliance officer is the general director of human resources. Compliance coordinators may be contacted at 624 S.W. 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294, (785) 295-3000.The clerk of the Board of Education has been designated to receive and redirect or handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, regulations and procedures. The clerk may be contacted by calling (785) 295-3059 or by writing to 624 S.W. 24th Street, Topeka, Kansas 66611-1294.

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