Sheldon Update

Dear Sheldon Families,

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! I am so excited to welcome all of our new and returning Sheldon Sharks!

I am privileged to be beginning my seventh year as principal at Sheldon Head Start and Pine Ridge Prep Preschool. Here at Sheldon we are blessed with the best ~ the most passionate and dedicated teaching staff, incredible students, and rock star families! Working together, we will set the tone for your child's continued academic success!

Once school starts, you will receive a weekly 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!

This edition of the newsletter contains important information you need to know leading up to the first day of school. I hope this newsletter helps answer many of your questions. There are also several required items that MUST be completed. Please pay careful attention to those and complete them ASAP.

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 19-August 21) at 3:25. 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 (the first full week of school). We will work toward our goal of beginning dismissal at 3:45.

**Please note, updates are still being made to the Sheldon bus routes. Directions are below for how to access your child's bus route information in Synergy ParentVUE BUT please check again the morning of the first day of school in case there are changes.

Bus Transportation Information in Synergy ParentVUE:

-Log into Synergy ParentVUE

-Click on Student Info

-Scroll to the bottom and you will see "Bus Information"

You know that place where all the missing socks disappear to when you're doing laundry? Well, that happens to us here too and student belongings sometimes disappear into the void! Help us help you by labeling the inside of your child's belongings with their first and last name. We also have a Lost & Found in the front entryway. Check there for any items that turn up missing!

Below is a Welcome to Sheldon social story created by our Instructional Coach, Ms. Sara! Feel free to use it at home to help your child with any nerves they have about starting school!

There is a NEW app for families to access their child's school account. The screenshot below shows what it looks like. It is called ParentVUE (New) and has a purple background. When you download and open the new app, you may get a screen that asks if you have an activation code. Your options will be No, Yes, or Already Activated. Click on Already Activated and you should be able to log in to your account like normal.

Class lists were finalized on Friday, August 7th.

You will find out your child's teacher when they reach out to you and schedule a home visit to occur before the first day of school. At Sheldon, we complete a home visit before school starts so your child can meet his or her teacher team in a familiar environment. This allows the staff to learn about your child and begin building a relationship in a setting that your child is comfortable with. We love meeting students at the home visit because then the child has already met the teachers. This results in a much smoother "Meet the Teacher Night" and "First Day of School." We will also conduct an end of the school year Home Visit. This is the reason for Sheldon students ending the school year earlier than others in the district. This also fulfills the Head Start requirement of home visits with each family twice a year and gives us a one-on-one opportunity to share information and complete required paperwork.

We look forward to setting up home visits with each family.

We believe names are important and want to ensure we are pronouncing student names correctly. If your child has a more unique name, please consider going into Synergy and recording your child's name pronunciation.

Please be sure you send TWO extra sets of clothes (bottom, top, underwear, socks) with your student on the first day of school, in case of accidents or just because sometimes preschool can be messy! Make sure they are appropriate for the current weather.

Here are some suggestions for appropriate clothing for preschool kids and why it is important.

What to Choose:

• Washable & Durable: Preschool is a messy environment with paint, glue, and dirt, so choose clothes that are easy to wash and won't be ruined by accidents.
• Easy to Manage: Select pants and shirts with elastic waistbands and simple necklines that children can easily pull on and off.
• Comfortable: Clothes should not be too tight, as this restricts movement, nor too loose, which can be a tripping hazard.
• Sturdy & Safe: Tennis shoes with velcro are ideal for active play. Closed-toed shoes and closed heel shoes are a must for safety, as sandals, flip-flops, and boots can cause trips and falls. Tennis shoes allow kids to safely run, pedal, and climb.
• Layers: Dressing in layers allows children to adapt to different temperatures indoors and outdoors.

What to Avoid

• Challenging Fasteners: Items with many buttons, snaps, zippers, or belts can slow dressing and make it difficult for children to use the toilet independently.
• Overalls & Suspenders: These can be tricky to manage in the bathroom and pose a tripping hazard.
• Long Dresses: Long dresses can be a tripping hazard and make it difficult for little girls to dress themselves.
• Special or Expensive Clothes: Avoid sending your child in clothing that is meant for special occasions or that you don't want to get messy or stained. Help your child distinguish between school clothes and party clothes.
• Open-toed Shoes: Sandals, flip-flops, and party shoes are not safe for active play and can lead to falls.

We will be providing each student a water bottle to use throughout the day. There is no need to

send one with your student.

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

Families should plan to attend "Meet the Teacher Night" on Tuesday, August 18th. This event is from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and is a come and go event. Bring your child, see your child's classroom and school.

At home visits, teachers will provide families with a labeled bus harness if they are a bus rider OR a labeled lanyard for students who use the car line. 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. This will help us transition students to their classrooms quickly and more importantly, safely!

Finally, a car tag will be provided to all families at Meet the Teacher Night. If your student is coming to school or leaving school in the car line, please be sure this 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.

We're excited to introduce a new and improved transportation tool for Topeka Public Schools families! This school year, families of eligible riders can stay informed with the Versatrans My Stop™ mobile app, making it easier than ever to track your child's school bus.

The free app allows families to:

• Securely view their student's assigned bus
• Track the bus location in real time
• Receive estimated arrival times at their bus stop
• Opt in to notifications when a bus is delayed by more than 20 minutes

Getting Started is Easy:

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

The app is free for families of students who qualify for transportation and provides a convenient way to stay connected to your child's daily bus route. If you need assistance, please contact Kansas Central School Bus at 785-233-2009 during business hours.

We are excited to offer this new tool to help make transportation information more accessible and provide families with greater peace of mind throughout the school year!

We have seen in the news recently about many children and caregivers not surviving car accidents because they were not properly restrained. Unintentional accidents are the leading cause of death among children. If you need a car seat, we have a great resource to obtain one. Also, please remember that the car seat needs to be properly restrained within the car as well and you must have the proper number of seatbelts per person in the car. Please move seats between cars as needed when changing vehicles with the children.

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.

At Sheldon Head Start, we provide breakfast, lunch, and snack to all students. As we are a federal Head Start program, nutrition guidelines are very strict and due to this outside food and drink is NOT allowed. Please do not send your student with a lunch or a snack.

If your child takes medication at school, you will need to have your child's physician complete

and sign a Request to Administer Medication form, which will need to be returned to Ms.

Andrea in the clinic. Medication must be sent in the original packaging with the original label.

If your child needs meal modifications due to religious or medical restrictions, please complete and return the attached forms.

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