Community News

Pictured above are the educators who have dedicated 25 years of service to Topeka Public Schools, and were honored during our board meeting last night.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Pictured above are the educators who were honored for 25 years of service to the district. We believe all of our staff members teach valuable lessons to our students daily, and this week we celebrated all of them for their dedication and service.

This week, we participated in the 2022 Unified Field Day, planned by adaptive PE teacher, Mr. Matt Dunkin. Information on the event is in this newsletter.

Last week, we celebrated our Distinguished Staff Award winners. Videos can be viewed on YouTube and KTPS-TV (Cox Channel 14), and photos from the awards are available on Flickr.

Next week, we will be celebrating our graduating scholars. Approximately 900 students are graduating and we are excited to see our parents and staff at their ceremonies. A special thank you is extended to all of the staff and families for their incredible support that has helped these scholars graduate.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day and an amazing end of the year!

Dr. Tiffany Anderson

Superintendent

Topeka Public Schools is excited to honor the class of 2022! High school commencement ceremonies will take place during the dates and times listed below.

• Hope Street Academy: 10:30 AM on Wednesday, May 11 outside the school
  
• Capital City School: 5:30 PM on Wednesday, May 11 at TCALC
  
• Topeka High School: 9:30 AM on Saturday, May 14 at Hummer Sports Park
  
• Highland Park High School: 12:30 PM on Saturday, May 14 at Hummer Sports Park
  
• Topeka West High School: 3:30 PM on Saturday, May 14 at Hummer Sports Park

Each commencement ceremony will be live-streamed on the Topeka Public Schools YouTube channel. A virtual Presentation of Graduates celebration for each school will also premiere on Facebook beginning at 4:30 PM on Saturday, May 14.

Join us in celebrating our scholars as they take the next step in their educational journey! Preschool, elementary, and middle school promotions will be held during the dates and times listed below.

• College Prep Academy 8th Grade: Thursday, May 12 at 9:00 AM at TCALC
• Sheldon Head Start / Pine Ridge Prep: Thursday, May 12 at 2:00 PM
• Preschool Intervention Programs: Wednesday, May 18 at 2:00 PM
• Shaner / Preschool Programs: Friday, May 20 at 2:00 PM
• 5th Grade: Monday, May 23 at 2:00 PM
• 8th Grade: Tuesday, May 24 at 8:00 AM

Promotion ceremonies will be held at each school. Please reach out to your building principal for additional details.

The Kansas Governor's Scholars program honors the top academic 1% of Kansas high school seniors. Scholars are selected from accredited public and private schools in the state.

Congratulations to the exceptional Topeka Public Schools students who were honored as 2022 Governor's Scholars!

• Highland Park High School: Celeste Gonzalez & Lyzeht Terrones-Martinez

• Topeka West High School: Anna Newcome, Anna Phelps, & Patience Wagner

• Topeka High School: NiJaree Canady, Adrianne Caracioni, Owen Deines, & Emily Locke

View photos from the recognition ceremony on Facebook.

Each year, Dr. Anderson involves students from each of the comprehensive schools in an advisory group to provide her with new ideas and to gain their input as we continue to engage, prepare, and inspire students across Topeka Public Schools.

We thank the Superintendent's Student Advisory who devoted time to meet and give feedback resulting in positive improvements across all schools during this first full year in-person since the onset of the pandemic.

Additionally, we congratulate the high school students who were awarded grant funding for projects impacting their school community!

The students who wrote and received grants are:

• NiJaree Canady (Topeka High)
• Miles Cusick (Topeka West)
• Jada Fulton (Topeka High)
• Allison Montague (Topeka High)
• Kushal Mamillapalli (Topeka High)

On Wednesday, May 4, high school students were invited to visit Advisors Excel and gain valuable career experience.

Scholars from Topeka High, Topeka West, Highland Park, and Hope Street Academy were inspired after spending the day at the "Real World” Advisors Excel event.

The district extends a special thank you to Advisors Excel for hosting this amazing event and investing in the futures of our students! View photos on Facebook.

NiJaree "NiJa" Canady, a scholar and athlete at Topeka High School, has been recognized as the May Senior of the Month!

NiJa is a member of National Honor Society, Student Government, Link Crew, Medical Club, and much more. She is also an incredible multi-sport athlete who led the Lady Trojans to a 6A State Softball Championship last year.

NiJa has committed to playing softball at Stanford University this fall, and is interested in majoring in Management Science & Engineering.

NiJa was honored for her accomplishments at the Topeka Public Schools Board of Education meeting last night. Watch the video on YouTube.

Last night, the Topeka Public Schools Board of Education honored staff members with 25 years of service to the district and proclaimed May 2-6, 2022 as Teacher Appreciation Week.

In Topeka Public Schools, all of our staff members support teaching students academic and life-long lessons daily. Our schools and central office team have enjoyed celebrating all staff members throughout the week with tokens of our appreciation!

We created a video highlighting teachers, school nurses, and food service staff members across the district. View the video and leave a message of support on Facebook!

For the second year in a row, Topeka Public Schools has been honored with a Best Communities for Music Education designation from The National Association for Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation!

The district was recognized for its outstanding achievements and commitment to providing music access and education to all students.

This summer, Topeka Public Schools will host its annual Summer Music Program for students in grades 6-8. Learn more and register at topekapublicschools.net.

In order to receive your first choice of school, register early for the 2022-2023 school year as classes are filling up! Online registration, a school supply list, and the 2022-2023 academic calendar are now available at topekapublicschools.net.

Topeka Public Schools offers endless opportunities for students in preschool through twelfth grade! Learn more about our national award winning PreK-12 Dual Language Program in this video highlighting Scott Dual Language Magnet School.

The district also offers a virtual education program. Homeschool families can register to enroll in the virtual school, which provides students (grades K-12) and adults with both virtual and on-site learning opportunities.

On Thursday, April 28, the 2022 Distinguished Staff Award (DSA) honorees were celebrated during a reception and ceremony at Bishop Professional Development Center.

These 13 staff members have positively impacted thousands of Topeka Public Schools students and families. Pictured is Mr. D'Andre Phillips, a Highland Park High School graduate finishing his first-year as a teacher, with his former teacher and fellow award winner, Mr. Chris Reynolds.

The DSA is the highest award that a staff member can receive in Topeka Public Schools. Congratulations to all of this year's recipients! View photos from the event on Flickr.

Thanks to the generosity of Fellowship Bible Church, hundreds of volunteers spent their Saturday morning giving to Topeka Public Schools as part of ShareFest 2022!

Volunteers beautified our schools by creating learning gardens, landscaping, painting playgrounds and equipment, and much more.

Eight Topeka Public Schools sites benefited from the hard work of our faith-based partners from across the city.

Learn more about ShareFest Topeka in this video. View photos from the event on Flickr.

The third annual Unified Field Day was held at Hummer Sports Park on Wednesday, May 4.

Unified Field Day gives students who may need additional support the opportunity to participate in activities that meet their needs. It also provides a chance for general education students to engage as peer models for students with disabilities.

Topeka Public Schools students and staff joined in workstation activities such as t-ball, shooting baskets, hula hooping, and more! View photos from the event on Flickr.

If you have an interest in teaching at TCALC, please check the Topeka Public Schools Human Resources website for available opportunities!

We offer state of the art digital and web design equipment for anyone interested in the graphic arts. We look forward to adding a TPS staff member to the department.

Nurses who would like to be an adjunct to teach CNA students also have an opportunity to serve at TCALC. Please contact Dr. Beryl New at bnew@tps501.org if you are interested in this position.

The District Citizen Advisory Council (DCAC) is conducting two surveys for parents to learn more about their perceptions of Secondary Enrichment Opportunities and District Assessments.

If you haven't already completed these surveys released on April 25, then please use the following links to complete the surveys.

DCAC wanted to offer the high school survey to all families who have rising secondary students to gather your input. Your feedback will inform their research and recommendations on these topics to be presented to the Board of Education early this summer.

Parents:

• Parent DCAC Assessment Survey
• Parent Survey - Secondary Enrichment

Staff:

• Staff DCAC Assessment Survey
• Staff Survey - High School Enrichment

On Saturday, May 21, Jardine Elementary School will host a 5K walk/run in support of Instructional Coach, Dr. Bridget Stegman.

Dr. Stegman was recently diagnosed with ALS, and proceeds for the event will go toward the ALS Association Mid-America Chapter, which provides direct support to Dr. Stegman and other families in their ALS journey.

Check-in will begin at 8:00 AM and the event will begin at 9:00 AM.

Learn more and register on the official Steps for Stegman page.

The 29th annual Topeka Public Schools Foundation Benefit Golf Tournament date has been set for Wednesday, June 1 at the GreatLife Shawnee Country Club Golf Course (913 SE 29th St).

The event will begin at 11:00 AM with registration and lunch, followed by an 11:30 AM shotgun start.

Proceeds from the tournament go to the TPS Foundation to support various TPS student and staff services and programs, including scholarships and educational grants.

Teams and sponsorship requested! Please send names to pbetts@tps501.org. View and print the registration form here and learn more about this event in this letter from Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Anderson.

The last day of school is near! Below you will find last day of school dates for all grade levels.

• Tuesday, May 10: Last day for high school seniors
• Friday, May 13: Last day for students at Sheldon Head Start & Pine Ridge Prep
• Monday, May 23: Last day for students in grades 6-7
• Monday, May 24: Last day for all grades

As we approach the end of this school year and prepare for next year, please be sure to check out the 2022-2023 academic calendar at topekapublicschools.net.

Below are important dates for the month of May 2022:

• May 1-31: Better Hearing & Speech Month
• May 2-6: Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 10: Last Day of School for Seniors
• May 11: Hope Street Academy Graduation
  Outside at the School | 10:30 AM
• May 11: Capital City School Graduation
  TCALC | 5:30 PM
• May 12: College Prep Academy 8th Grade Promotion
  TCALC | 9:00 AM
• May 12: Sheldon Head Start / Pine Ridge Prep Promotions
  Sheldon Head Start & Pine Ridge Prep | 2:00 PM
• May 12: Retirement Reception
  Bishop Professional Development Center | 5:15 PM
• May 14: High School Commencement Ceremonies
  Hummer Sports Park | See above for times
• May 18: Preschool Intervention Program Promotions
  All PIP Locations | 2:00 PM
  
• May 19: Board of Education Meeting
  Burnett Center | 5:30 PM
• May 20: Shaner/Preschool Promotions
  All PreK Locations | 2:00 PM
• May 23: 5th Grade Promotions
  All Elementary Schools | 2:00 PM
• May 23: Last Day of School (Grades 6-7)
• May 24: 8th Grade Promotions
  All Middle Schools | 8:00 AM
• May 24: Last Day of School (All Grades)
• May 25: Staff Professional Development
  
• May 30: Memorial Day

• 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.