WILDCAT WORD

• Jan. 20: No School. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Jan. 21: No School. Teacher Professional Learning Day.
• Jan. 22: Boys Basketball Game @ WR
• Jan. 22: SMNW Enrollment visit for 8th Grade Students
• Jan. 23: NW Area Band Festival @ SMNW
• Jan. 27: BBB vs HG @ TR
• Jan. 29: BBB vs IW @ TR
• Feb. 3: BBB @ IH
• Feb. 5: BBB vs. WR @ TR
• Feb. 6: 2nd Semester Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00
• Feb. 7: No School. Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00-4:00
• Feb. 17: No School.
• Feb. 18: No School. Teacher Professional Learning.

Click Here to access the SMSD Calendar

Click Here for Trailridge's Athletics Calendar

Greetings Wildcats,

It was a great first full week of the second semester! Our students did an excellent job navigating the week. We also implemented our district’s new personal electronic device policy (outlined below), which I emailed earlier this week. Overall, our students managed their personal devices well. Please remind your student that devices must remain in their locker during the school day.

Additionally, please note that there will be no school for students on Monday and Tuesday of next week. It will be another short week.

Have a great weekend, and go Chiefs!

Sincerely,

Matt, Cara and Ericka

Trailridge Middle School Administration

#ShowUpShowOut!

Greetings Wildcat Families,

I am writing to inform you of an important update to our district policy regarding personal electronic devices, which was passed at last night’s Board meeting. Fortunately, the new policy is very similar to our current procedures, and the changes for our students will be minimal. However, I wanted to take this opportunity to ensure you are fully updated.

The new policy will require students to store their cell phones, earbuds, smart watches, or any other personal electronic devices in their lockers from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. They will only be permitted to use their devices while at their locker during passing periods. If a student is observed with a personal electronic device outside of these times, they will be asked to return it to their locker. This will count as their one redirect for the semester. Any further redirects will result in the device being turned in to the office for the remainder of the day. I have updated our Trailridge Personal Electronic Device document to reflect this change and outline the consequences for non-compliance. All five middle schools in the district will follow the same policy, procedures, and response plan.

I understand that this policy introduces slight changes to our expectations and how we respond. We spent today notifying students and practicing the new procedures. Any redirects today did not count toward their semester limit. However, starting tomorrow, all students will be expected to comply with the new board policy.

I recognize that discussions about personal electronic devices can be polarizing, and not everyone may agree with the new district policy. I want to emphasize that this policy was developed with the goal of creating an age-appropriate framework that minimizes disruptions and protects the learning environment. I believe our students will rise to the challenge and respond positively to these new expectations. Our hope is that this policy will help students stay focused and engaged during their time at school.

Thank you for discussing this change with your student as we make this shift. We appreciate your continued support.

Sincerely,

Matt Engler
Principal, Trailridge Middle School

Our student highlight will run throughout the year to showcase the amazing things our talented students are doing outside of the school day. Examples may include community service, sports accomplishments, awards, and more! If your student is involved in something that deserves recognition, please email Mr. Engler at matthewengler@smsd.org with a short description and a few pictures.

Our amazing PTA is providing dinner for our teachers on the upcoming February conference night. If you are interested in donating an item for the dinner, please use this link to sign up. Thank you in advance for your help!

An email was sent out today regarding the upcoming R&D Forum. I have included some information below as well. This is an awesome opportunity for our students and we hope you take advantage of it!

The Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) Research and Development Forum is coming this spring! This is a big, district-wide celebration and everyone in the SMSD is invited to be ALL IN!

Every student can submit projects, every educator can share student work and encourage students to participate, and every community member will be able to see the amazing, innovative learning that takes place in our district.

The R&D Forum will feature a Student Showcase and a student pitch competition called The Next Great Idea!

What is the R&D Forum? The Shawnee Mission School District Research and Development Forum (R&D Forum) is an annual event that celebrates student achievement and highlights innovative student projects and talent from across the district. The event, held in the spring, features student work in the areas of art, career and technical education, and science. The year 2025 will mark the 63rd annual R&D Forum! Shawnee Mission is grateful to the Regnier Family, who has supported the R&D Forum since it began.

Dear Families,

This week during Wildcat Hour students completed their iReady assessments. We appreciate their tenacity in completing these and flexibility. We also went over building wide expectations to insure understanding and have a fresh start this semester!

Sunflower House is offering a free virtual training to members of the community. Keeping kids safe online can be difficult and technology is always changing. If you would like support for this please see below.

As always, please do not hesitate to let us know if there is anything we can do to assist.

• Elisabeth Johnsrud (8th Grade Counselor) elisabethjohnsrud@smsd.org
• Kristin Warner (7th Grade Counselor) kristinwarner@smsd.org
• Anna OConnor (School Social Worker) annaoconnor@smsd.org

Important resources:

• If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 immediately.
• If you are uncomfortable talking on the phone, you can chat the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
• You can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.

Other links for Suicide Prevention:

• https://samhsa.gov/newsroom/observances/suicide-prevention-month
• https://988lifeline.org/promote-national-suicide-prevention-month/
• https://afsp.org/national-suicide-prevention-week

Sunflower House is offering a free virtual training to members of the community. Keeping kids safe online can be difficult and technology is always changing. If you would like support for this please see below.

Keeping Kids Safe Online

2/6/25 12-1:30 pm *via Zoom

Learn more about possible dangers of internet usage, practical safety tips & tools and the cyber crime reporting process. Presentation covers electronic safety concepts, including gaming systems, apps, AI, current and local trends and other wireless/internet communication. *Presentation designed/presented by Sunflower House, Overland Park Police Department and FBI Cyber Crime Task Force. This program is hr in length; no clock hours available.

Register Here!

24-25 School Year Physicals

Student athlete physicals for the 2024-2025 school year must be completed after May 1st, 2024. Here is the updated KSHSSA Physical Packet that must be completed. Please note that the date on the bottom right-hand corner of the form is 3/2024. Every physical packet turned in must be using the updated packet. If you have any questions, please contact Ericka Corrado at erickacorrado@smsd.org.

Student Athlete Handbook

Attached is the Trailridge Student Athlete Handbook. This handbook reviews policies and procedures for being an athlete at Trailridge. Please review this handbook at your convenience.

Click Here to access the Trailridge Student Athlete Handbook.

Athletics Calendar

Be sure to visit our calendar page, and download the app to stay up to date on all Trailridge athletic activities: CLICK HERE

BOYS BASKETBALL

Our Boys Basketball team will have optional practices on Saturday, Jan. 18 from 8AM-10AM, and Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 4:05-6:00 PM.

WEDNESDAY Jan. 22 Trailridge AWAY @ Westridge 5:00. 6:15, 7:30

Contact Information

Athletic Director: Ericka Corrado, erickacorrado@smsd.org

Athletic Coordinator: Kelsey McCall kelseymccall@smsd.org

Football: Larry Benson, larrybenson@smsd.org

Volleyball: Reece Lovitt, reecelovitt@smsd.org

Cross Country: Michael Scott, michaelscott341@smsd.org

Wrestling: Justin Andrews, justinandrews387@gmail.com

Girls Basketball: Rachael Baumgartner, rachaelbaumgartner@smsd.org

Boys Basketball: Brandon Hoch, brandonhoch212@smsd.org

Boys and Girls Soccer: Ben Archacki, benjaminarchacki@smsd.org

Athletic Trainer: Josh Hardy, jhardy2@kumc.edu

If you have not logged into your parent portal of Canvas yet, I would highly recommend doing so. Canvas is the learning management system that SMSD uses. It allows you to view assignements, assessments, grades, schedules and many more important items regarding your student's day at Trailridge.

Here is the link on how to access your Canvas parent portal. If you need additional assistance, feel free to contact the office.

Please make sure your student is taking care of their device. Below is the fee structure should the MacBook be unintentionally damaged:

• 1st Incident: $100 charge
• 2nd Incident: $150 charge
• 3+ Incident: ~$750 charge (full device replacement)

If a device is intentionally damaged the student may be responsible for a full device replacement cost of approximately $750.

Our PTA is very active in supporting students and staff at Trailridge through grants, assemblies, student activities and celebrations, and more and while our events and activities will undoubtedly look different this school year, our commitment to supporting our students, staff, and families is as strong as ever! Please consider joining and getting involved in your Trailridge PTA as we find new and creative ways to support our students, staff, and families in 2024/2025!

The Trailridge Spirit Wear Store is live!! Visit the PTA website for a link to the store and to check out all of our new designs! Items are shipped directly to you and you can order anytime.

Please use the link or the QR Code to access the PTA website:

https://www.trailridgepta.org

Attendance Line: 913 993-1012

If your child is going to miss a class for an appointment or any reason, please make sure you are calling the attendance hotline listed above and leave a message for the attendance clerk. This is important so that we can excuse the absence.

Early Pickup for Appointments:

If your student will need to be picked up early, please call the main office (913-993-1000) when you are on the way to pickup your student. We will immediately call them down so that they are ready when you arrive. Please avoid calling too far in advance.

INFORMATION ABOUT TRUANCY

The administration of Trailridge may begin to request documentation for all absences after the 10th absence in a school year. Absences without a doctor's note or administrative approval may be recorded as unexcused. A student with three consecutive unexcused absences, five unexcused absences in a semester, or seven unexcused absences in a year is considered TRUANT according to Kansas State statues. A truancy report may be filed with the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

We have now enabled the ability for parents and guardians to report student absences online through Skyward. If reported through Skyward, you would not need to call the attendance line or office to report. Multiple schools and families have reported this system is very easy to do and quicker. We hope it makes reporting absences easier for our families as well.

Below are the step-by-step procedures on how to do that.

• FRONT OFFICE 913 993-1000
• SECRETARY: Angie Marsh 913-993-1002
• ATTENDANCE CLERK: Francy Johnson 913 993-1012 (Absences should be reported by 9:30 AM)
• SPANISH INTERPRETER: 913 993-1062 Ms. Veronica Simonetti
• DS BUSING: 913 384-1190
  
• BOOKKEEPER: Ms. Gina Bristow 913 993-1003
• NURSE: Ms. Darla Denny 913 993-1007

Email: trailridge@smsd.org
Website: trailridge.smsd.org
Location: 7500 Quivira Road, Shawnee Mission, KS 66216
Phone: (913) 993-1000
Facebook: facebook.com/trailridgemiddle
Twitter: @Wildcats512