In this edition of Trail Talk we are excited to share events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support our special school.
- Kick-off September by saying Aloha SFT community at a family fun night Luau!
- Pack the library at our first PTA Meeting of the year.
- SFT Future Bison have the opportunity to participate in Shawnee Mission North homecoming activities!
- Reflections Contest for creative students is open!
- Brand new opportunity to recognize your amazing SFT teachers & staff.
Get your calendars out, grab your pumpkin spice latte, and read on so you don't miss any of the fun!
Speaking of calendars, the SFT PTA presents a new ONE PAGE Event calendar that is just waiting to be printed so it can jump on your refrigerator! Link at the end of the newsletter.
Stay connected to SFT PTA on the Website, Facebook and Instagram
The first SFT PTA meeting will take place on September 10 from 6-7 pm in the SFT Sue Wiley-Carter Library. All attendees will be entered into a drawing to win fall SFT spirit wear! You do not need to be a member to attend the meeting.
What to expect at the meeting:
- 2024-2025 PTA Budget Presentation and Vote.
- 2024-2025 PTA Standing Rules Presentation and Vote.
- Principal Leiker Update.
- Upcoming PTA Activities & Volunteer Opportunities.
- How to use Givebacks to shop and give back to SFT.
- Ways to connect and volunteer.
- Social hour at Strang Hall immediately after the meeting.
Become a PTA member online today! Please Contact Us with any questions!
Save the date! The SFT Fun Run, our school's only student-led fundraiser, will be Friday, Oct. 4. Leading up to the big day, students will work to meet their fundraising goal through pledges. On the morning of Oct. 4, the Fun Runners will be greeted by enthusiastic volunteers cheering them on as they complete a fun obstacle course on the school's back field.
Each year, PTA works with the school administration to devise a fun and silly incentive to encourage students to meet their fundraising goal. (One year, as the student body's reward for meeting the school-wide goal, Ms. Leiker had to kiss a chicken at an all-school assembly!)
Keep an eye on your email for information about how you can volunteer and how your student can participate and reach their goal!
If you've been around SFT for any length of time, you know our school's teachers and staff are outstanding. And if you're new here, you're in for a real treat! Starting in September, we are launching a brand-new awards program that will honor one teacher or staff member per month with the all-new Trailblazer of the Month Award. This will be a fun way to recognize excellence among SFT's team of fantastic teachers, staff and administrators and give families insight into the specific merits of our fabulous educators.
To nominate a staff member, classroom teacher or administrator for this honor, please complete this brief form: https://forms.gle/hu4TxJrzB1ahwDsm8
Nominations that are not chosen for the month during which they were submitted will be kept for consideration for future months. All employees within the school are eligible to be nominated, and anyone in the SFT community may submit a nomination.
Each month--Sept., Oct., Nov., Feb., March, April--we will announce the honoree on our PTA communication platforms and provide the winner with the privilege of reserved parking in our brand-new "Trailblazer of the Month" parking spot for that month. Happy nominating!
SFT future Bison are invited to walk in the Shawnee Mission North Homecoming Parade September 18, 2024. The "North area" feeder elementary schools will be participating in the parade. The "Santa Fe Trailblazers Headed North" will have a banner, flag and debut our new mascot, Blazer! All SFT students are invited to wear their SFT gear and walk together to show our school spirit and how excited we are to head north!
Participants should arrive to line up at 4:45 pm in the lower east parking lot of SMN indicated with a red asterisk below. The parade begins at 5:30 pm. All SFT students must be accompanied by an adult. If you plan to walk with SFT please let us know by signing up here! These details will be provided again to all who sign-up.
The SMN pep rally and block party open to the community to follow immediately after parade in Shawnee Mission North's west parking lot. There will be food trucks, games and music!
The Shawnee Mission North (SMN) Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) is excited to continue their partnership with SMN feeder elementary schools this year by encouraging community engagement and support of athletic and activity programs. SALT is focused on building connections and relationships between high school athletes and elementary students and families.
SALT will host ALL SMN feeder elementary schools at the first home football game on September 20 vs. Shawnee Mission West, during Homecoming Week! SALT will designate a specific section for each SMN feeder elementary using their school flag/banner.
- Elementary students are allowed in FREE and guardian admission is $7 each.
- Elementary students will receive a Brick House Bound t-shirt and Bison sticker.
- At 6:45 pm the announcer will invite all Future Bison to form a tunnel so they can HIGH FIVE SMN football players as they enter the field assisted by PEP Club, Dance Team, and Cheer Squad. Parents are encouraged to join their students on the field.
- SALT will be visiting elementary schools the week of September 16-20 during lunch to bring energy and enthusiasm, excite, and invite future bison to the football game.
Greetings! Thank you to everyone who came to Meet the Teacher/Supply Drop-Off Night and helped kick off the year! By September 6, all students will have completed the beginning of the year benchmark assessments in math and reading. The staff will determine each child’s needs and come up with the best educational plan for each one. If you have questions, please contact your child’s teacher. It’s hard to believe, but the first quarter ends October 10. There will be no school on October 11 so teachers can complete grade cards or on October 14 for district professional development. Great ways to support your child’s learning here at school for younger students is to read aloud to them often and for those a bit older, to take turns reading at home and reviewing math facts often. Checking backpacks nightly and reading email from teachers ensures that you have all the important information that the teachers and office are sharing with you. Thank you for partnering with us on your child’s learning journey.
Educationally yours,
Ms. Leiker
Classified Career Fair
Shawnee Mission School District will host another Classified Career Fair on Thursday, September 26 at the CAA from 4-6 pm.
Removing Students Early
Only parents are permitted to take students out of school during the school day. If you would like your child released to anyone else, arrangements must be made with our office. When you know in advance that you will be taking your child out during the school day, it is helpful to send a notice to the classroom teacher. When you need to take your child out of school during regular school hours, remember to:
- Come to the building intercom system or call the office (993-5000) to check out your student. If you let us know ahead of time about the appointment, just call when you pull up out front and we will send the student out to you.
- This is also how you check a student in after 8:20 AM or when they return from an appointment.
- Please bring an appointment note from the doctor/dentist/specialist’s office when you bring them back to school or send it the next day if they are leaving early for the appointment.
- These procedures ensure the minimum number of interruptions and maximum amount of valuable classroom time for your student.
Excusable reasons for absence in all Shawnee Mission Schools
- Personal illness. (Doctor/Dental/Medical appointments) The school may, with notice to the parent, require verification from a physician of absences due to reasons of health.
- Serious illness or death of a member of the family.
- Obligatory religious observances of the student’s own faith.
- Emergency situation requiring immediate action.
- Participation in a Kansas State High School Activities Association activity, a district-approved function, or a school-sponsored activity.
- An absence that has been requested in writing and approved in advance by the building administration.
Attendance Reporting
- Please call the school by 8:30a.m. to report your child’s absence or late arrival. The Attendance Line is available 24/7 ~ 913-993-5088. Or you may e-mail brigettejones@smsd.org to report an absence. This number applies to ANY and ALL absences.
- It is not necessary to call the nurse unless you have a specific question about your child.
- Please report absences so Ms. Jones can avoid making multiple calls each morning and accomplish other tasks.
Photographs
- You do not have permission to come into the school or on the property and take pictures of any child except your own unless it is for our yearbook.
- Please Do Not Post or Share Pictures of Our Students on Websites or FACEBOOK! Some parents have chosen not to provide a photo release for their students.
Clothing Reminder
- Recess is an integral part of the school day and proper outdoor clothing is essential.
- Please see that your child is prepared for abrupt weather changes at times of the year when the weather may take a sudden turn for the worse. A jacket is often needed in the mornings as fall approaches.
- Please put student names on outdoor wear. For safety reasons, we ask that each child wear gym shoes during physical education classes. No flips flops, slides, platform shoes, sandals or shoes that do not fit snugly to the foot are to be worn to school.
Picture Day is coming to SFT!
- September 30
- Plan your outfit
- Order online today at: Inter-state.com/order
- Use code: 86984GF
In the next couple of weeks, screenings will be starting that include vision, hearing and dental. Families consented/declined the screenings as part of the enrollment process (online verifications).
To protect your student and prevent the spread of disease, please keep your student home when any of the following conditions are present:
- Temperature of 100 degrees or greater
- Vomiting or Diarrhea
- Severe sore throat or pain with swallowing
- Severe headache
- Severe cough
- Undiagnosed rash or skin lesions or sores that are weeping or draining
- Any suspected or doctor-diagnosed contagious disease
Students may return to school when they have been free from fever (without medication), vomiting, or diarrhea for 24 hours. If in doubt about sending your child to school, contact the school nurse or your child's doctor.
Donations Needed: The nurse's office is in need of new or gently used stretchy waistband shorts and pants especially in sizes 4-6X and 7-8. In addition, snacks such as goldfish and granola bars are appreciated.
Parents, Guardians and Educators, September is National Suicide Prevention Month. 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 online 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.
Resources for Suicide Prevention Month:
- https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/mental-health-resources/suicide-prevention-month
- https://988lifeline.org/promote-national-suicide-prevention-month/
- https://www.sprc.org/resources-programs/suicide-prevention-month-ideas-action
- https://afsp.org/national-suicide-prevention-week
- https://jasonfoundation.com/get-involved/suicide-prevention-month/
2024
Sept. 6 --> Family Fun Night Luau at SFT 6pm
Sept. 10 --> PTA General Meeting 6-7pm
Sept. 18 --> SMN Homecoming Parade
Sept. 20 --> SMN Football Game: Feeder Elementary Night
Sept. 30 --> Picture Day! (Nov. 11 retakes)
Oct. 4 --> SFT Fun Run
Oct. 11 --> No School: Teacher Workday
Oct. 14 --> No School: Professional Development
Oct. 15 --> Reflections Contest Entries Due
Oct. 15 --> Skate Party
Oct. 17 --> Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences (4:30-7:30 pm)
Oct. 18 --> No School: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Oct. 29 --> SMN Trunk or Treat
Oct. 31 --> Fall Parade & Class Parties: Parade at 1:45 pm
Nov. 1 --> No School: Professional Development
Nov. 4 - 7 --> Book Fair
Nov. 19 --> PTA General Meeting 6-7pm
Nov. 25 --> No School: Teacher Professional Learning
Nov. 26 --> Teacher Contact Flex Day
Nov. 27 - 29 --> No School: Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 10 --> Skate Party
Feb. 11 --> PTA General Meeting 6-7pm
Apr. 15 --> PTA General Meeting 6-7pm
Connect with SFT PTA!
Email: sftptapresident@gmail.com
Location: 7100 Lamar Avenue, Overland Park, KS, USA
Facebook: SFT Trailblazer Connection | Facebook
Website: www.sftpta.org