Dear Sheldon Families,

Happy February! The shortest month always seem to be the busiest month and we have a lot of fun happening!

Please be sure students are wearing a weather appropriate coat to school. Per district policy, we do go out for (shortened) outside times as long as the feels like temperature is above 20 degrees.

If you have further questions after reading, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Thank you for the privilege of serving you ~

Mrs. Gabrielle Tanner, Principal

Pictured below are the staff that we shared Family Shout-Outs with at our monthly staff meeting last week! What a positive start to our day! Our next staff meeting is Thursday, February 27th. I can't wait to share more shout-outs with staff!

This form will be live for the rest of the school year. Feel free to submit your shout-outs and then we will print them, read them out loud at our monthly staff meeting, and provide the printed note to that staff member. Thank you for taking a moment to highlight the hard work our staff does daily!

February is African-American Heritage Month

February 3: NO SCHOOL

February 4: Dinner with Dudes @ 5:30-6:30 (RSVP Required!!!!!)

February 4: DCAC Meeting @ 6:30

February 5: Fire Truck Visit

February 6: Board of Education Meeting @ 5:30

February 10: Discovery Center Field Trip - Upstairs Classrooms

February 10: Art Workshop

February 11: Art Workshop

February 14: 100th Day of School! (see flyer below)

February 14: Friendship (Valentine's) Day! (see flyer below)

February 17: NO SCHOOL

February 17: President's Day & Random Acts of Kindness Day

February 20: Board of Education Meeting @ 5:30

February 22: School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

February 24: Discovery Center Field Trip - Downstairs

February 25: Story Time with Boomer Bear

February 26-March 1: National Public Schools Week

February 26: National Tell a Fairy Tale Day

February 26: Advisors Excel Story Time

February 27: Story Time with Boomer Bear

Dinner with Dudes RSVP is now closed. For those that did RSVP you received a confirmation email. Check your junk folder if you did not receive it!

February 4th @ 5:30-6:30

Please remember, due to space limitations and the amount of food that has been ordered, only the Sheldon student and the one father/father figure that completed an RSVP will be able to attend. Please DO NOT bring others as we will have to turn you away. We look forward to our Donuts with Dudes event in the Spring that will be held outside and accommodates more family members. Thank you for your help and understanding!

We are so proud of the Kansas City Chiefs for clinching their 9th straight AFC West Divisional Championship! To celebrate, TPS students and staff may wear their Chiefs gear and jeans every Friday through the remainder of the Chiefs' season. We send a special thank you to our TPS staff members for their dedication and incredible work as a team. Go Chiefs!

Check out our Super Bowl Spirit Week below!

Nurse Andrea will be completing hearing and vision screenings on all students over the next 4-6 weeks, beginning next week. If your child wears glasses, please make sure they are wearing them to school!

Register now for upcoming virtual learning session for parents in February. See the attached flyer for more information on topics and for registration.

• Register HERE for 2/12/25, 5:00 pm: Understanding Advocacy, Parents and Advocacy, Telling Your Story
• Register HERE for February 7th, 9:00 – 9:45: Safe Kids KS Coffee and Learn Series: Household Safety Topics (Poison Prevention & TV/Furniture Safety) (no cost).

Monday-Thursday: 9:15 AM - 4:00 PM

• Arrival begins: 9:00 AM (drop off through car line)
• School starts: 9:15 AM
• Arrival ends: 9:15 AM (Students will be considered tardy after 9:15 AM. Students arriving after 9:15 AM will need to sign in at the main office)
• Dismissal begins: 3:45 PM (pick up in the car line)
• Dismissal ends: 4:00 PM (all students must be picked up by 4:00 PM)

Late Start Fridays (every Friday): 10:15 AM - 4:00 PM

• Arrival begins: 10:15 AM (drop off through car line)
• School starts: 10:15 AM
• Arrival ends: 10:30 AM (Students will be considered tardy after 10:30 AM. Students arriving after 10:30 AM will need to sign in at the main office)
• Dismissal begins: 3:45 PM (pick up in the car line)
• Dismissal ends: 4:00 PM (all students must be picked up by 4:00 PM)

Late Start is on FRIDAYS for this school year and the arrival time will be at 10:15. This is for every Friday that school is in session.

This handbook includes important information about Sheldon Head Start including our mission and vision, policies and procedures.

Please take time to review this handbook.

Sheldon Head Start follows the Topeka Public Schools Academic Calendar. The only exceptions are a later start date and earlier end date. The first day of school for Sheldon students is Wednesday, August 21st. The last day of school for Sheldon students will be May 16th.

Our Sheldon Head Start Facebook page is active! We use this as a way to communicate with families and share many pictures. Please follow the page to stay updated!

@SheldonChildDevelopmentCenterHeadStart

Regular school attendance is one of the most important factors that determine school success. The habit of attending school every single day begins with the preschool year(s).

Daily Absence Information

• Parents/guardians should notify the school each day a student is absent by 9:15 a.m, by calling (785) 438-4530. If leaving a voicemail, please provide the student's name, classroom teacher and reason for absence. If the parent/guardian fails to notify the school, the school will attempt to contact the parent/guardian. The communication can be in a variety of methods, such as electronic communication, telephone call or in person. Home visits will be conducted if there has been no contact made after two days.
• All absences, including those excused, will count against a student’s attendance.
• The school encourages parents to schedule doctor and dental appointments after school hours, or on days when school is not in session.
• Parents/guardians may be required to submit supporting documentation in order to excuse the absence of their student if student absenteeism is excessive.
• Preschool absences are recorded in Synergy, the district's student information system. The expectation is that students attend school at least 90% of the time. If the student falls below 90% (excused or unexcused) a letter will be sent home. If this issue does not improve an official attendance plan will be put into place and/or a meeting with the school principal will be scheduled.

The Kansas State law specifically says that a student is truant if they have missed 3 unexcused days in a row, 5 unexcused days in a semester, or 7 unexcused days in a school year. Truancy may result in a report being filed with DCF.

Examples of Excused Absences:

• Personal illness or medical appointment
• Illness of an immediate family member
• Death in the immediate family or other emergency beyond the control of the family
• Religious holidays of the student’s religious faith
• Participation in a district approved or school sponsored activity or event
• Required court appearance or subpoena by a law enforcement agency
• Family vacation/Out of town (that have been pre-approved by the school principal)

Examples of Unexcused Absences:

• No contact by parent/guardian
• Oversleeping
• Personal grooming appointments (hair, nails, etc)
• Shopping/errands
• Suspension from school
• Family vacation/ Out of town that have not been pre-approved
• Missing the bus/ride

Check out this website for free or affordable mental health resources and supports.

Check out this excellent packet of community resources available, provided by the City of Topeka.

Take a look at the Topeka Resources Checklist. This is very helpful for planning! This is a list of possible resources to help you stretch your dollars and avoid economic emergencies. Place a check beside the ones you are using or have used.

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