Community News

What an exciting start to the 2023-2024 school year! We hope all of our students and families have had a wonderful first full week of school.

Our school year has started off well due to the excellent parent and staff involvement in support of the success of every student. Thank you to all of our families for the positive feedback and for your attendance at various back-to-school events across the district. We also thank our community partners who helped us serve hundreds of families with school supplies to ensure students are prepared for the upcoming year.

Yesterday, we welcomed our youngest scholars for the first day of preschool. View highlights from all of our first-day activities in the newsletter below.

Save the date for our annual Family Fun Fitness Night, which will be held at Hummer Sports Park on September 20.

Thank you for your tremendous support!

Dr. Tiffany Anderson

Superintendent

Topeka Public Schools students are off to a great start during the first full week of school!

Students in Kindergarten, 6th-grade, and 9th grade, as well as Hope Street Academy, Capital City Schools, and Avondale Academy returned for the 2023-2024 academic year last week on August 8 and all students returned on August 9.

Families and staff members alike were thrilled to return to the classroom, and excited students were greeted at schools with balloons, parades, cheering, and fun.

Families can view highlights from the first week of school on Flickr and in this video. Don't forget to share your first day of school photos with us on Facebook!

On August 17, Topeka Public Schools welcomed its youngest scholars to the district on the first day of preschool! We also welcomed our second class of two-year-olds to Little Stars Daycare at Shaner Early Learning Academy.

Topeka Public Schools is excited to offer daycare options to staff and families, in addition to half-day and full-day preschool programs at nearly all elementary school sites. Topeka Public Schools also has three early childhood centers, Shaner Early Learning Academy, Sheldon Head Start, and Pine Ridge Prep.

View highlights from the first day of preschool in this video and view photos on Flickr.

On August 5, hundreds of Topeka Public Schools families received backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, and sports physicals at the annual United Community for a Successful School Year event at Highland Park High School.

We thank the many churches and community organizations who provided resources and donated supplies to ensure our students were prepared to start the school year.

View highlights in this video and photos on Flickr.

Throughout July and August, community partners from across Topeka donated supplies for the new school year through the district's annual Stuff the Bus campaign.

We send a special thank you to our partners at Advisors Excel, Dillons, Bonkers, Kansas Secured Title, Wheatfield Village Apartments, the Kansas State Department of Education, and the many other local businesses and churches who donated to our schools.

It truly takes a village, and thanks to these generous donations, our students and families are off to a great start to the year! We appreciate the tremendous support from the Topeka community.

Monica Solis, who serves Topeka Public Schools students and families as a bus driver through Kansas Central School Bus, was recently honored by the National School Transportation Association with the Outstanding Driver Service Award.

The award is given annually to an individual bus driver who consistently demonstrates excellence in safety, performance, commitment to pupil transportation, and notable contributions to the community.

View the official press release here. We thank Ms. Solis for her dedication and service to students and families!

Join us at Hummer Sports Park for the 13th annual Topeka Public Schools Family Fitness Fun Night at 5:30 PM on September 20!

This event provides information to families and the community on education and healthy living in a positive and fun atmosphere for all ages in a safe and socially-distanced setting.

Attendees can visit various booths to learn about nutrition, fitness, and mental health and participate in fun games and activities. We can't wait to see you there! View the event flyer here.

Join our team at Topeka Public Schools! Work for a nationally recognized school district with competitive salaries, cutting-edge professional development, and loan forgiveness opportunities, where substitutes can now earn up to $180 per day!

As an added thank you, any TPS staff member who refers a NEW certified staff member that is hired by the district will be eligible for $500 to spend on resources and materials for their classroom or school once the candidate shares who referred them! As new staff members join us, please ask about the apartments and local companies reducing rent for teachers in TPS.

To learn more about joining our team, please visit topekapublicschools.net/careers or contact Nicole Johnson in Human Resources at 785-295-3027 or njohnson@tps501.org.

As families plan for the upcoming school year, please note that Topeka Public Schools high school commencement ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at the Stormont Vail Events Center (1 Expocentre Dr, Topeka, KS 66612).

Graduation times will be announced at a later date. Each commencement ceremony will also be live-streamed on the Topeka Public Schools YouTube channel.

Additionally, the last day of school for seniors will be Tuesday, May 14. Students or families who have questions about graduation may contact their building/division principal for additional information.

As students are headed back to school, one year-round parenting challenge is discipline. This month’s Ask a Child Therapist Facebook videos from Family Service & Guidance Center will focus on “Discipline Strategies that Actually Work with Kids.”

Madisen DeLuna, School-Based Clinical Director, will present short videos and easy-to-understand information on what parents can do to consistently discipline kids in a manner that won’t damage their relationship.

Parents and caregivers can watch the videos and follow Family Service & Guidance Center on Facebook. Questions about the topic can be submitted to marketing@fsgctopeka.com. Questions are kept anonymous and may be answered in an upcoming video.

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, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Families can stay updated on transportation during the upcoming school year 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 every time.

How to get started:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app* or visit herecomesthebus.com
2. Sign Up by going to the Here Comes the Bus website. https://login.herecomesthebus.com/SignUpConfirm.aspx
3. Enter school code 29036 and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
4. Complete the “User Profile” box
5. Under “My Students,” click “Add.” 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!

As our families and staff plan for the upcoming year, view the 2023-2024 academic calendar, which is available on the Communications Department drop-down menu.

The district Google Calendar is also available on our home page.

Please note that there will be no school on Monday, September 4 in observance of Labor Day. All district buildings will be closed.

Stay up-to-date with everything you need to know about the 2023-2024 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.

Copyright © 2018, All rights reserved.