Sheldon Update

Dear Sheldon Families,

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends. We were excited to welcome students back last week and are quickly jumping back into routines, procedures, and learning activities.

Families of OT students, the car line is a RIGHT TURN ONLY out of our parking lot. DO NOT BLOCK intersections or driveways!

Click the link to access the 2022-2023 Family Handbook.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me!

Thank you for the privilege of serving you ~

Mrs. Gabrielle Tanner, Principal

All events can be located on our calendar on our school website.

Please do not begin the car line in the staff parking lot before 8:15 each day. It makes it very difficult for staff to get in and park as their work day begins at 8:15. We will begin asking you to move if staff parking is blocked.

Families often call the school requesting to change their address or their child's AM or PM bus stop. Effective immediately, there is a request form on the Sheldon website for this purpose. Please complete the form if you are needing to make a change to your address for bussing purposes. Requests are submitted to the transportation office every Thursday morning and most changes take effect the following Monday. Not all requests will be honored, based on transportation policy. To find the form, go to Sheldon's website and scroll just past the top picture to the Quick Links. You will find one that says "Sheldon Bus Transportation Request Form". School staff will call to confirm each request.

If your family needs COVID tests for your home, please email or call the school nurse, Ms. Andrea. aferrell1@tps501.org or 785-438-4533.

As a courtesy, if a family has not been at the bus stop to pick up their child when the bus arrives, we have been calling the family to let them know the bus is there and to get to the stop within 1 minute. Beginning in January, we will no longer be making these calls. It is expected that families be at the stop at least 10 minutes before their scheduled time. It is also highly encouraged that families use the Here Comes the Bus app to track the bus in real time. When we return from Winter Break, as long as the bus is within 10 minutes of the scheduled bus stop time, the bus will wait the required 1 minute for an approved pick-up adult to pick up the child. After that 1 minute, the bus will continue on its route and the child will be returned to school when the route is finished. Families will need to come to the school and sign their child out in the main entryway. When the bus arrives, the child will be brought to the main entryway to be released to an approved pick-up person.

Please note: You may NOT follow the bus to retrieve your child at a stop other than the one assigned to them.

When I send messages to all families, such as this weekly newsletter, delayed buses, event reminders, etc., I send those via email and text. If you have not been receiving them via text, it could be that you have not yet opted in to that service. If you would like to begin receiving messages this way, text "YES" to 86088.

GreatSchools.org is a website that provides families with information about the schools in their area. Many families use this site when buying a new home or researching their options to help them determine the best placement for their child.

Have you had a positive experience at Sheldon? We would love for that to be highlighted on the website! Please take 1 minute to visit GreatSchools.org, search for Sheldon Child Development, click on the Review icon, and share what you love about our program!

Students are encouraged to wear their Sheldon shirts every Friday!

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 & Parent Involvement. If you ever have any questions regarding our policies and procedures, please reach out!

Age and Income Eligibility

POLICY:

Program eligibility is based on age of children, family income & special needs. This policy relates to Head Start Performance Standards 45 CFR Part 1302.12

PROCEDURE:

1. To be eligible for Head Start services, a child must be at least three years old by the date used to determine eligibility for public school, which is August 31st.

2. Birth certificates will be used to verify that a child will be three by August 31st for enrollment purposes. If a parent cannot produce a birth certificate, other documentation will be temporarily accepted. Other forms of age documentation that will be temporarily acceptable are:

• Immunization Card
• Medical Card
• Hospital Certificate
• Community Based Services list (TANF List)
• Documentation from appropriate agencies who have previously verified a child’s age 3.

3. An income eligible child is any child whose family has an annual income before taxes that is equal to, or less than, the poverty guideline or any child whose family is eligible for public assistance.

4. Head Start enrollment must adhere to the following income guidelines: 55% of enrolled children must be from families whose income does not exceed 100% of the low-income guidelines. 35% can be children from families whose income falls within the 101%-130% range of the low-income guidelines. Up to 10% of the children who are enrolled in the program may be children from families whose income exceeds the 130% range of the low-income guidelines but who meet criteria the program has established for selecting such children and who could benefit from Head Start.

5. The family income is verified by the program before determining a child is eligible to participate in the program. Verification includes examination of any of the following:

Individual Income Tax Form 1040

• W-2 forms
• Pay stubs
• Pay envelopes
• Written statements from employers
• Documentation showing current status as recipients of public assistance/SSI
• Low Income Interview
• Homeless Interview

Each month, Home Depot offers a fun workshop for kids! Show up toward the beginning of the session to ensure there are enough materials for your child. Children must be present to receive a kit. They get to keep their project, receive a free certificate of achievement, a workshop apron, and a commemorative pin (while supplies last). Can't make it to Home Depot for the kids' workshop? Why not bring the party home! Here are just a few of the ready to assemble kits you can buy and build at home. Homedepot.com also offers great kids' activities, videos, and how-to's!

Workshops take place the first Saturday of each month from 9:00-12:00.

February 5: Valentine's Photo Box

Please be sure to review both the COVID Update and the information on the Parent Resources page for the latest information from the CDC. Masks are encouraged, but not required. We will maintain strict sanitation protocols.

Late Start is on FRIDAYS for this school year and the arival time will be at 10:15.

You can find the 2022-2023 Academic Calendar HERE.

The Sheldon Food & Clothing Bank is up and running! If your family has any needs, reach out to your Family Advocate or call 785-438-4530.

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