Meadows Family Week-At-A-Glance

Hello, Monarch families!

We were so excited to welcome many of our Monarchs back during Meet the Teacher Night on Monday, and we loved seeing so many smiling kindergarten faces today! Tomorrow, all students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be in attendance.

As a reminder:

• Students may enter through their pod doors beginning at 8:20 a.m.
• After entering, students may go to breakfast or wait in their pod.
• Classroom doors open at 8:30 a.m.
• School begins at 8:40 a.m.
• Students arriving after 8:40 a.m. should be dropped off in the circle drive and enter through the front doors.

We are looking forward to an amazing school year together!

Ashley Pineau, Principal

Drop Off Procedures

Vehicles will begin lining up at Second Street. The line will continue around the school building.

Please join the line at the end and do not merge ahead of other vehicles. The line will move quickly as students are dropped off at their assigned pods, beginning with Pod 1 and continuing around the building through Pod 4.

For everyone’s safety and to keep traffic moving:

• Please remain in your vehicle during drop-off.
• If you need to get out of your vehicle, park on a nearby side street and use the designated crosswalks to walk your student to the building.
• If you need to bring items into the school, park in front of the building and enter through the main office.

At 8:40 a.m., staff members will close the pod doors and report to their other duties. If you arrive at or after 8:40 a.m., please use the circle drive and drop your student off at the main entrance.

AFTERNOON PICKUP

Families will pick up students at their assigned pods. Please display your student’s name tag clearly in the front windshield. Staff members will identify the name tag, call your student, and escort them to your vehicle. Please stay in line and do not pull around other vehicles. Follow directions of staff to pull up as needed and remain in your vehicle so we can keep the pickup line moving safely and efficiently.

• All early pickups must be completed before 3:00 p.m.
• Buses will enter the circle drive at the front of the school. Students will be dismissed in the order their buses arrive so that buses can depart in the same order.
• Family vehicles may not enter the circle drive between 3:00 and 3:45 p.m. Vehicles entering during this time may be unable to leave until approximately 4:00 p.m.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work together to keep arrival and dismissal safe and efficient for all Monarchs!

• August 12: First Day of School- 1st-5th Grade!
• August 14: NO LATE START on this Friday!
• August 19: First Day of School for Mrs. Drews' Preschool!
• August 21: FIRST LATE START of the school year! Doors open at 9:15
• September 7: NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

• September 23: Family Fun Fitness Night @ Hummer Sports Park

Track Your Child's School Bus with the NEW My Stop App!

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 Public Schools 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!

Cell Phone Expectations :In an effort to ensure families are well-informed about our recently adopted cell phone policy, the district has outlined clear expectations that are now posted on both the district and school websites.

Here’s what families need to know:

• Phones must be off and out of sight. Beginning this school year, students may not use personal electronic communication devices, including cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and similar devices, during the school day. Devices must be turned off and securely stored from the first bell until dismissal.
  

• Need to contact your child? Please call the school office. Our staff will ensure messages are delivered quickly and students stay connected with their families when necessary.
  

• In an emergency, students may use the office phone to contact a parent or guardian. Students may also use school-issued devices for instructional and school-related purposes under staff supervision.

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.

It is important that your child attend school each day to have a consistent educational program. Of course, illness or other family emergencies can cause absences. If your child will be absent please let us know by contacting the office at 785-235-7150.

The Topeka Public School Procedures are as follows:

1. Absences are excused for student illness or family emergencies. If your child is going to be absent, you should call the office before 9:30 a.m. It is each parent’s responsibility to be sure the office has been notified of the reason for absence. Advanced notice is appreciated.

2. A phone call attempt will be made on every child that does not arrive at school by 9:30am.

3. After 2 days of unexcused absences, staff will conduct a home visit or make other direct contact with the child's family, determine what assistance is needed to remedy the problem.

4. Unexcused absences can result in a truancy report being filed.

5. Each absence after 10 excused absences may result in the need for a doctor’s release note to be considered an excused absence.

6. Although Kansas law does not require students to be in school prior to the age of 7, ANY child enrolled in public school does fall into the state truancy policies. Truancy reports will be made to the district truancy officer for any student with excessive absences and/or tardies.