Principal Update
February 8, 2022
Principal Update Guidance
Principal Update Attachments:
- The information shared in the Principal Update is for administrators.
- Items within the Principal Update that can be shared with staff will be clearly identified.
- Links to documents will not be shared with any staff requesting access from an outside TPS email address.
- Attached items can be located in a Shared Folder entitled PU 2021-22.
- If you have questions regarding the content, please email the appropriate supervisor of the department as stated in each section.
- Please download the banners to use on your school social media or to add to your school newsletter.
Congratulations!!!
Please congratulate Dr. Murrell on his retirement. We look forward to hearing his plans for retirement.
Janna Abernathy will be the principal at HPC.
Dustin Dick will be the principal at TCALC.
Teaching & Learning Updates
February Principal Meeting: As we focused on safety measures and professional learning on our January 3 meeting, we did not have a chance to discuss the book you all received in December. That will be how we start our February meeting. Please plan to share a leadership take-away from Creating Magic.
Thursday, February 10, 2022
9:00-11:00
Zoom Link: https://tps501.zoom.us/j/86776217737
Meeting ID: 867 7621 7737
Passcode: 401870
Resources for Black History Month: Brown v Board Resources and the link to the TPS Celebrations Website.
Here's the story behind Black History Month-and why it's celebrated in February
Jonathan Franklin, Reporter, NPR, printed version
Video, The History of Black History Month, Youtube, Stanford, 3:46"
Ci3T Empower Session: The fourth Ci3T Project Empower Session is occurring on Thursday, February 17th from 5:00-7:00. Be it that it is during parent-teacher conferences, this is a great opportunity for our paraprofessionals to become more familiar with the session's topic: Understanding and Managing Acting Out Behavior. The session will focus on de-escalation plans to support student who engage in challenging behavior. Information will be provided on the different phases of acting out behavior and practical strategies for responding in each phase. Click here to register
Ci3T Surveys and Observations: The window for Ci3T observations and surveys is open February 22nd-March 31st. As we did in the fall, we are asking that building principals send the Ci3T survey emails to staff. This will help ensure the staff know it is important to complete and that we truly value the feedback. If you haven’t already, please complete this google form to let the Ci3T leadership team know when you plan to send the surveys so we can send you the email narrative. Once the PIRS/TSR survey has been sent to staff, Ci3T observations will begin. Observations will be done by a team of observers, including some of your staff, over several days. You will be notified when the team begins observations and who is on the team. Please contact Nettie Johnson with any questions.
TopCity Teachers: The TopCity Teacher events are for new teachers hired at semester and student teachers.
- Thursday, February 24th – 5:00 – 6:30 pm – Forge Young Professionals event. If you are not familiar with Forge, it is an organization that focuses on networking, community, social and professional development activities for professionals 40 and under. The Executive Director of Forge, Rhett Flood, will present on what Forge has to offer, and our events team will also share about all of the opportunities for fun and community involvement that we have in Topeka. This will be a fun event, and all ages are welcome, even if they don’t fit in the Forge demographic. We’re still working on the location for this event but will likely be at either Axe & Ale or The Tee Box downtown. #SHARE
February Conferences: Due to February conferences being virtual, please see this video that shows how to set up appointment slots in Google Calendar so parents can sign-up for a parent-teacher conference time. Staff MUST do PT Conferences from school. No exceptions.
Data Consult Schedule: The Data Consult schedule and form has been updated in the Administrator Folder or you can CLICK HERE to go directly to the Data Consult folder. If you have any questions please contact Dr. Mac.
Social-Emotional Learning C&A Team: As we work on SEL CDMs, we is looking for teachers who would be willing to support in the area of designing curriculum for SEL. This team will be responsible for writing our Curriculum Design Maps for Social-Emotional Learning and continuously improving our instruction to meet the needs of our scholars. Please share this application with interested, qualified candidates. If you have any questions, please contact Nettie Johnson. #SHARE
Native American Art Show: All Native American students are invited to participate in an art show. Art submissions are due by February 28. For more information click here. #SHARE
February Health & Fitness Tip: See the attached and share with staff and students. It can be added to your school newsletter. #SHARE
February Arts Newsletter: See the attached February Fine Arts Newsletter
Special Education Update
EL Update
If you have questions about EL Services Updates, please contact Anita Curry, the Director of EL Services.
EL Teachers and Substituting
Please do not utilize EL teachers as substitutes during the KELPA testing and scoring windows. This will allow them to maintain the schedules the Assessment and EL Departments have created.
KELPA Testing Information - Window Opens January 31
PRINCIPALS
- The KELPA testing window is 1/31/22 to 3/11/22. The scoring window is 1/31/22 to 3/31/22. We will begin testing as soon as the window opens.
- If you are not an EL site, please have your Test Coordinator contact the EL Office for instructions.
- The EL Office will provide your Testing Coordinator with a roster of students who need to take this assessment.
- Please remember, no fire drills, etc. during testing times.
- VIRTUAL STUDENTS: Parents must be contacted to make arrangements to test in person, they can come to any TPS school to do this. Please give interested parents the EL Office number to make arrangements, 785/295-3741.
- Paras who have had the Test Security and Ethics Training can administer the KELPA.
- Only certified teachers are allowed to score the KELPA (they do not need to be ESOL Endorsed).
- All who are proctoring must go through the Assessment Department's Security and Ethics training prior to January 31, 2022.
- ELEMENTARY KELPA Scoring: EL Teachers will be provided 2 full days to score KELPA assessments, March 22-23. These days will be done at Quinton Heights and they will be excused from pulling students for instruction. This is due to the lack of substitutes.
- SECONDARY KELPA Scoring: EL Teachers will use two weeks of collaboration time to score KELPA assessments. If this is not enough time to complete the assessments, we will pay them the district curriculum and assessment rate to complete scoring beyond the two weeks of collaboration. This is due to the lack of substitutes.
TEST COORDINATORS: #SHARE
- The EL Office will provide you with an EL roster.
- VIRTUAL STUDENTS: Parents must be contacted to make arrangements to test in person, they can come to any TPS school to do this. Please give parents interested the EL Office number to make arrangements - 785/295-3741.
- KELPA testing needs to start when the window opens, January 31, 2022.
- All who are proctoring must go through the Assessment Department's Security and Ethics training prior to January 31, 2022.
- There are 4 domains on the KELPA: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening, therefore, these students will need a quiet and comfortable environment in which to test. Please no fire drills, etc. during testing times.
- The Speaking and Writing sections of the test need to be administered first so we can score them ASAP.
- Individual building Test Coordinators will need to schedule KELPA testing for all Exempt EL students enrolled at EL schools (EL teachers do not monitor or work with these students). Exempt students are included in the EL roster provided by the EL Office.
- Paras who have had the Test Security and Ethics Training can administer the KELPA.
- Only certified teachers are allowed to score the KELPA (they do not need to be ESOL Endorsed).
- Building Test Coordinators will need to distribute the daily KELPA access codes to the EL teachers in your building.
- Administration of the KELPA must be in person, virtual testing is not allowed.
Do you need help with calls from Spanish speaking families? Call Jazzy at 295-3741 to help you get a Spanish phone line set up. The EL Department will be answering these calls as they come in whenever possible.
IEP/504 Interpreter Services: #SHARE If you need an interpreter for an IEP or 504 meeting, all requests must be submitted through the district’s IEP Interpreter Request Form . Spanish interpreters for an IEP or 504 meeting need an advanced notice of at least 2 weeks. Languages other than Spanish will need advanced notice of at least 4 weeks.
Professional Learning Opportunities
Conferences: Travel is not approved at this time for conferences.
MANDT Training: Please see this schedule for Mandt training sessions in the upcoming weeks. Certified staff are paid a stipend of $20 for half day/evening sessions and $40 for full day sessions. Classified staff may attend for professional development points. Questions or to sign up, contact Nettie Johnson njohnson2@tps501.org.
KSDE Summer Academies: See the attached Save the Date flier.
February 16: Mental Health: Food and Mood – Understanding Science & Evaluating Evidence: Hear from guest Speaker, Dr. Amanda Zangrillo, PsyD, BCBA-D, an associate professor and department director of the Severe Behavior Program at the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center to learn decision-making strategies and critical evaluation skills around the dynamic interplay of nutrition and behavioral health for school-aged youth. Participants will learn how to discern pseudoscientific practices from evidence-based practices when addressing physical wellness as part of a mental health treatment plan. Register to attend here.
February 23: Motivational Interviewing: Learn how motivational interviewing techniques can be used to intervene and help school age children become motivated to change addictive behaviors that are preventing them from making healthier choices. Dr. Elly Leavens, Research Assistant Professor in Population Health at Kansas University Medical Center, who serves as the chair of the Youth Vaping Task Force, Discipline and Cessation subgroup and whose research investigates mechanisms that contribute to tobacco use and tobacco-related health inequities will be joined by Alicia Jackson, School Counselor at Olathe West High School in the Olathe School District and 2018 Kansas Counselor of the Year to present the fourth and final wellness Wednesday session. Register to attend here.
New Hire PD Opportunities: Please share these recorded sessions with new teachers and long term subs. We have had requests and feedback that this is a needed resource.
SPRING Webinar Series: KSDE is sponsoring a spring webinar series featuring Rick Wormeli. See the attachment.
Elementary Update
If you have any questions related to the Elementary Update, please contact Mrs. Sharp, General Director of Preschool and Elementary.
Headphones: All schools should have received headphones this week. Principals determined the number needed for their school. They are for FastBridge and KAP testing. Please take care of them and remember that they will need to be sanitized after each use.
Student Led Conferences: This is a goal area for accreditation and related to parent engagement and college and career readiness. We look forward to hearing about schools that are implementing them and how they went.
Valentine's Day Parties: Classrooms that are celebrating Valentine's Day should plan to have prepackaged food and drink and there should not be any guests.
The Kansas Masonic Literacy Center and Emporia State University
are offering
Bilingual Tale Time
Bilingual Tale Time is an opportunity to connect ESU pre-service teachers with young children across the state. 10 weekly, 15 minute virtual sessions consist of a read aloud, extension activity, and early literacy lesson. The first session will begin the week of February 22- 24. Here is the link to register for Bilingual (Spanish/English) Tale Time and here is the link to register for Tale Time in English. Contact Tasia Markowitz (tmarkowi@emporia.edu) for more information.
Symphony Field Trip Transportation: Here is the finalized schedule to be distributed to principals for Feb 24th TSO Trip to TPAC for 4th Grade
Intervention Resource Input: If your PLCs have not yet given input on our Tier 2 and 3 Intervention resources, please have them complete the survey below. Each PLC should complete only one survey together with the instructional coach/interventionist present.
Tier 2 & 3 Intervention Survey
KAP Dates: Please plan to utilize the following dates for KAP testing at the elementary level:
Science: March 29th and 30th
Math or ELA: April 12th and 13th
ELA or Math: April 19th and 20th
Kindergarten Orientation: Since we adjusted the calendar and school is not in session on the 15th, Kindergarten Orientation will be moved to Tuesday, April 5th at 5:30.
Secondary Updates
If you have questions regarding the Secondary Update, please contact Billie Wallace, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching and Learning.
Headphones: Schools will be receiving headphones for various assessments (e.g., FastBridge and KAP). This spreadsheet will give you guidance in how to distribute them to classrooms. These are ESSER funded.
Student Led Conferences: It is an expectation that all secondary conferences are student led conference this month.
Student Handbooks: Due date for student handbook changes for MS is April 25th. Remind them to use the worksheet for changes. Will that date work for you?
Vaping Education Resources: The E-Cigarette/Vaping Task Force has developed both English and Spanish language versions of several educational resources. Attached are pdfs of “The Do’s and Don’ts of Talking to Teens about Vaping” and “Teen Vaping What to Watch For” in both English and Spanish. For additional resources to help address vaping in schools, go to the following link on the Kansas Department of Health & Environment website.
- English Poster - Do's and Don'ts of Vaping
- Spanish Poster - Do's and Don'ts of Vaping
- English Teen Vaping - What to Watch For
- Spanish Teen Vaping - What to Watch For
HS Winter Dance: Please submit a COVID safety plan at least a week in advance for any winter dances that are scheduled.
4-Year IPS: Eighth grade students MUST have their 4-Year Plan of Study completed before 8th grade enrollment for high school. Please ensure this is happening.
Updated Dual Credit Regulation: This regulation has not been updated online. Please see the attachment.
March 1, 2022 ACT: Please ensure that the attached spreadsheet is updated and that students are participating in some type of ACT Prep (juniors only).
Overnight Travel for Students: The following forms will be used for any overnight student trips within the region, for example the KMEA event in February:
Assessment & Demographics Update
If. you have questions related to items in this section, please contact the General Director of Assessment and Demographics, Dr. Aaron Kipp.
Tyler Pulse: At the top right of the scantron predictor page you can see projections with KAP history.
Mandatory Test Security/Ethics Training Video: Please follow this link to the pre-recorded youtube video for the 2022 test security training. There will be a sign off link and form at the end of the video.
Student Transfers for 2022-2023: The window for student transfer requests opened 1/1/22 and will run until 3/31/22. The link can be found here or on our TPS website.
Communications Update
Black History Month Activities: The Communications Team would like to highlight what schools are doing to celebrate Black History Month throughout the month of February. Please let us know what events and activities your students and staff will be participating in and send photos to be featured in the Community News and on social media.
How We Communicate with Families: Topeka Public School District uses a wide variety of communication tools to engage its families. This is an important tool that schools can share with families.
Ensuring Upcoming Media Coverage: The Communications Department would like to highlight your school's upcoming events and activities! Please let us know your plans for the below list of items by asap.
- Black History Month
- Women's History Month
- 100th Day of School Plans
- Valentines Day
- Read Across America
If your staff is needing ideas, the district has created a webpage of activities and resources relating to the above instructional holidays. You can find the site here.
School Websites: Please review your school's website to ensure the homepage is up-to-date with the latest information. If you would like assistance updating text, links, or photos, please send your request(s) to Darin Wallace at dwallace@tps501.org.
Above & Beyond Award: Do you know a teacher, staff member, parent, or community volunteer who goes above and beyond to help deliver educational services to students? Nominate that deserving individual by completing this short nomination form. The recipient's photo and story of how he or she goes above and beyond will be shared on the district website, TPS TV Station and the district community newsletter.
Information Technology Update
If you have questions regarding Information Technology Updates, please contact Mr. Scott Gowan, CIO.
Increase in CyberSecurity Threats: Please share with your teams that cybersecurity threats against school districts are on the rise, again. We have discussed these threat types before, but make sure that members of your teams do not open emails, attachments, or files unless they are certain about the person who sent them. When in doubt, call or email (do not reply) the person you believe sent it to you to confirm that is the case. With our recent loss of data on the U: Drive, we cannot be too careful.
Online Registration Forms: Please share with your teams that online registration for the 2022-23 academic year is just around the corner. Once we begin online registration, any forms for 2022-23 cannot be changed. Please enter Track-IT requests for any changes you would like to online registration forms by February 15th, so that our team can finalize those forms.
New Students: Please share with your teams the reminder that all new students must be registered through the online registration process in TylerSIS. If an existing family needs to add a student, please reopen their registration and add a student to the "Student Information" form in online registration. Once the student is added and that form is marked complete, additional online registration forms will be generated for the student. Once all of the online registration is complete for all members of the family's household, the registration must be submitted and approved before the new student will show in the TylerSIS database. When the new student is assigned to a school, then additional optional e-Forms will be available for the family to complete. Don't forget that the student's email address must be entered into TylerSIS before the student will be rostered in any of our assessments or instructional software.
Google Drive Storage: Please share with your teams that Google will begin limiting the amount of data that the district can store in GMail, Google Drive, and Google Classroom. All students, faculty, and staff should begin reviewing their files to see what they need to keep and what can be deleted or stored elsewhere. We have begun reaching out to students and staff with higher amounts of data stored, beginning first with a warning message to reduce the amount of data stored. Principals will be copied on any student who receives this warning message in order to reinforce the importance of complying with our request to reduce this storage. If students do not comply with a required reduction in storage, then parents will be contacted and ultimately large files may be deleted to reduce consumption of space. Here is an infographic you can share with your team.
FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program: Please share with your teams that the FCC has announced a permanent affordable connectivity program that will provide eligible families, who apply, a credit of up to $30 per month to cover the cost of Broadband services with various providers, including Cox. Eligible families include those who qualify for free & reduced school lunch, SNAP, WIC, or those with an income level at or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline for family size. Click here for information from Cox in either English or Spanish.
Password Changes: Please share with your teams that complex passwords that are changed periodically can often be our best defense against cybersecurity attacks. We have encouraged our secondary students to demonstrate good digital citizenship by updating their passwords, but we should also demonstrate that behavior ourselves. We encourage everyone to update their passwords at least quarterly.
Track-IT: Please share with your teams that all requests for IT support should go through Track-IT so that the IT Managers can assign your request to the person who is best prepared to solve that problem. This person may not always be the person you expect it to be, so please use the system we have in place to manage these requests. You are always welcome to follow up with us via email after the problem has been reported through Track-IT, but our team and their supervisors need that information in Track-IT in order to collaboratively solve this problem.
Contractor Accounts: As a reminder, contractor accounts are all set to automatically expire a year after they are requested. Each year, administrators need to request those accounts to be reset for the following year. Here is a link to request or to renew any district network and Google accounts. This link is for any temporary employee such as Contractors or Student Teachers.
Business Office
If you have questions related to this section, please email Mrs. Shawnette Mansfield, Director of Budget/Grant Accounts.
2022 W-2 & 1095-C Information: All employees should have received their 2022 W-2s last month. If you have not received your 2022 W-2, please call the Payroll office at (785) 295-3056. 1095-C Forms are currently being printed and employees should receive them in the mail by March 2, 2022. Please call the payroll office should you have any questions or concerns about receipt of your 2022 W-2 or 1095-C tax forms.
Human Resources Update
If you have questions related to Human Resources Updates, please contact Deborah Ramberg, General Director of Human Resources.
Retirement Information Meeting: A virtual Retirement Information Meeting will be held tonight, February 8, 2022, from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. It is open to all employees. Information and the Zoom link is available on the district website on the HR page, or in the CNews.
Personal Leave Blackout Dates for February: The following dates cannot by paid with Personal Leave for the month of February:
February 16, 2022
February 22, 2022*
*This is a CHANGE due to the Mental Health Holiday
Inclement Weather: As a clarification, all administrators are considered essential staff on days that school is canceled due to inclement weather.
Evaluation Timeline: Summative Conferences for Non-Probationary Satisfactory staff are due February 15, 2022. For Probationary and At-Risk staff, observations need to be scheduled now to allow for time between each observation AND a Summative Conference by April 11, 2022. Be sure to review the Evaluation Timeline available in the Administrator Notebook to schedule observations. Please contact HR with any questions.
Calendar of Events
February 7-15, 2022: TPSF Major Saver Campaign Collections
February 12, 2022: National ACT Date at TWHS
February 16-17, 2022: Parent Teacher Conferences, Virtual
February 16, 2022: TPSF Major Saver Follow Up
February 24, 2022: Fourth Grade Symphony Field Trip
February 24, 2022: Equity Council, 5:30-6:30, Zoom
March 1, 2022: KSDE ACT (Juniors Only)
March 9, 2022: TPS/KSU Academy 6 Information Mtg., Bishop 4:30-5:30
May 11, 2022: Hope Street Academy Graduation
March 14-18, 2022: Spring Break
March 21, 2022: Flex Day - Report Cards Due in Tyler SIS by 6:00 pm
March 29, 2022: TPS/KSU Academy 6 Information Mtg., Bishop 4:30-5:30
March 30, - April 15, 2022: SRSS-IE Spring Screening Window
March 31, 2022: Equity Council, 5:30-6:30, Zoom
April 2, 2022: National ACT Testing Day
April 5, 2022: District Funded ACT
April 5, 2022: Kindergarten Orientation, 5:30-6:30
April 15, 2022: No School for Staff or Students
April 18 - 29, 2022: MyIGDIs Testing Window
April 25, 2022: District PD Day
April 26, 2022: Distinguished Staff Awards (DSA), 5:30 pm.
April 28, 2022: Equity Council, 5:30-6:30, Zoom
May 4, 2022: Adaptive PE Field Day
May 11, 2022: Adaptive PE Field Day - Rain Date
May 14, 2022: High School Graduation
May 12, 2022: Equity Council, 5:30-6:30, Zoom
May 12, 2022: Sheldon/PRP Promotion, 2:00
May 13, 2022: Sheldon?PIP Promotion, 2:00
May 18, 2022: PIP Promotion, 2:00
May 19, 2022: PIP Promotion Rain Date, 2:00
May 20, 2022: State Preschool Promotion, 2:00
May 23, 2022: State Preschool Promotion Rain Date, 9:00
May 23, 2022: 5th Grade Promotion, 2:00
May 24, 2022: 5th Grade Promotion Rain Date, 9:30
May 24, 2022: 8th Grade Promotion, 8:00
May 25, 2022: Report Cards Due in Tyler SIS by 6:00 pm
May 27, 2022: Administrator PD Day
May 31, 2022: Administrator PD Day
June 2-3, 2022: Adaptive Schools Foundations, Bishop (REQUIRED for 11 Schools on Improvement - BLT)
June 2, 2022: Twenty-Eighth Annual Foundation Golf Tournament
June 11, 2022: National ACT Testing Day
July 18-19, 2022: Adaptive Schools Foundations, Bishop (REQUIRED for 11 Schools on Improvement - BLT)
July 12, 2022: 10 1/2 Month Administrators ON DUTY
July 16, 2022: National ACT Testing Day
September 13, 2022: Thirteenth Annual Foundation Community Breakfast