Dear Sheldon Families,

Happy Monday! It is so wonderful to finally have some warmer days!

Please be sure students are wearing a weather appropriate coat to school. Per district policy, we do go out for (shortened) outside times as long as the feels like temperature is above 20 degrees.

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

Our next staff meeting is Thursday, February 27th. I can't wait to share more shout-outs with staff!

This form will be live for the rest of the school year. Feel free to submit your shout-outs and then we will print them, read them out loud at our monthly staff meeting, and provide the printed note to that staff member. Thank you for taking a moment to highlight the hard work our staff does daily!

February is African-American Heritage Month

February 24: Discovery Center Field Trip - Downstairs Classrooms

February 25: Story Time with Boomer Bear

February 26-March 1: National Public Schools Week

February 26: National Tell a Fairy Tale Day

February 26: Advisors Excel Story Time

February 27: Story Time with Boomer Bear

For those students going to Kindergarten next year, your home school is based on your current home address within the 501 attendance boundaries. The exceptions to this are Williams Science & Fine Arts Magnet and Scott Dual Language Magnet. See the flyers below for information on how to apply for Scott Dual Language or Williams Science and Fine Arts by April 1. To request a transfer from your assigned home school to another district elementary school, fill out the transfer request form by March 31. For questions call 785-295-3055.

Read Across America Week is coming up the week of March 3rd. We will do several activities throughout the week here at school to celebrate literacy. We invite you to participate with us at home as well! Next weeks students will be bringing home a Read Week BINGO page. Do the activities with your student, mark off the box, and send it back to school when you have a BINGO! All students who bring the completed paper back will receive a book to take home with them. They will also all be entered into a drawing for a gift card! So you can start planning your reading fun, the BINGO sheets are included below. Happy reading!

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, March 12th from 4:00-8:00 and Thursday, March 13th from 8:00-8:00. There will be NO SCHOOL on March 13th & March 14th. You will be hearing from your child's teacher soon to sign up for a time frame that works best within your schedule. Teachers will then use that information to create a finalized schedule. Once that has been done your student's teacher will send a confirmation of the date and time for your conference. The

conferences will be held in person in your child's classroom. We look forward to meeting with you

and sharing your child's progress!

Nurse Andrea will be completing hearing and vision screenings on all students over the next 4-6 weeks. If your child wears glasses, please make sure they are wearing them to school!

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)

Late Start is on FRIDAYS for this school year and the arrival time will be at 10:15. This is for every Friday that school is in session.

Each week the Sheldon staff reviews one of our Head Start Policies & Procedures and felt it was important that families stay up to date on these as well. This quarter our focus is on Family Service and Parent Involvement. If you ever have any questions regarding our policies and procedures, please reach out!

Classroom Volunteers

Policy: 1302.94

The program aims to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities for parents.

Procedure:

1. Parents will be notified about volunteer opportunities during orientation sessions, home visits, meetings, and Parent/Teacher Conferences.
2. All parents with enrolled children are invited to volunteer and will receive clear instructions on how to sign up and indicate their interest.
3. To guarantee the safety of children, regular classroom volunteers need to undergo a background check and require a health assessment to be maintained on file.
4. New parent volunteers should undergo training that covers the philosophy of the Head Start program, stages of child development, classroom procedures, safety measures, and expectations regarding confidentiality.
5. Volunteer roles may involve aiding with classroom activities, assisting in meal preparations, supporting field trips, participating in parent committees, or helping with administrative duties.
6. It is essential for volunteers to always be under the supervision of staff members and not to be left alone with children.
7. There will be guidelines regarding the appropriate dress code for volunteering in the classroom.
8. Maintaining regular communication between staff and volunteers is crucial, including providing updates on program activities and opportunities for feedback.

This handbook includes important information about Sheldon Head Start including our mission and vision, policies and procedures.

Please take time to review this handbook.

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 21st. The last day of school for Sheldon students will be May 16th.

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

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 9:15 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

Check out this website for free or affordable mental health resources and supports.

Check out this excellent packet of community resources available, provided by the City of Topeka.

Take a look at the Topeka Resources Checklist. This is very helpful for planning! This is a list of possible resources to help you stretch your dollars and avoid economic emergencies. Place a check beside the ones you are using or have used.

You can find the link to the 2021 Community Resources Council Resource Directory here. This directory provides contact information for a variety of community resources.

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

See the following links for Food Pantry resources available to families.

English and Spanish

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