Weekly Wildcat

Office Hours: Mon-Thurs 7:15am-4pm; Fri-7:15am-4:00pm

16700 W. 159th Street, Olathe, KS, 66062

913-780-7240

Technical Support: Help Desk--913-780-8058

Administration

Principal: Rick Sola

rfsola@olatheschools.org

Asst. Principal: Krista Dueringer (Silver Teams-6,7,8)

kdueringercst@olatheschools.org

Asst. Principal: Erin Richerson (Green Teams-6,7,8)

eericherson@olatheschools.org

Counselors

Rachel Iuli: Green Teams-6,7,8

rjiuli@olatheschools.org

Makaela King: Silver Teams- 6,7,8

mcking@olatheschools.org

Nurse

Jenn Ross: jiross@olatheschools.org

School Resource Officer

Daniel Mason: dmasonsro@olatheschools.org

Attendance Secretary

Carrie Douglas: cescottdouglas@olatheschools.org (913.780.7241)

Student Information Specialist

Melynda Marquardt: mrmarquardt@olatheschools.org

Website: https://www.olatheschools.org/chisholmtrail
Location: 16700 W 159th St, Olathe, KS 66062, USA
Phone: 913-780-7240

X: @CSTWildcatsMS

Facebook: Click HERE

(click HERE for past Weekly Wildcat newsletters)

Commit, Connect, Continue

Dear CST Family!

Welcome back from what I hope was a nice, family and friend-filled, break. There are 14.5 days until the even bigger break, but that also means 14.5 days until the end of the quarter and semester. We will have a concerted effort between now and then to ensure all work is completed and turned in prior to the holiday break and also promote building expectations with regard to timeliness and behaviors. Read more about the fun we have planned for students on December 20th below in the newsletter.

The final few weeks before break are filled with events and fun for students. There are several concerts, a talent show, a 6th grade activity, basketball games, spirit weeks, and on and on and on between now and December 20th. It's certainly a lot of fun but it's also a time to buckle in and work hard through the semester 1 finish line. We'll promote these reminders in class and during Cat time and we appreciate your reinforcement at home.

Dads! Please take note of a couple opportunities this week to come in and learn about "brain breaks" at lunch. CST's Father's Club would like to have this be an opportunity for dads to be involved during the lunch hour at CST. This week, on Wednesday and Friday at 11:30, you can learn more about this program and how you can be involved. This is great for the work from home dad. Read more about this below.

I'm looking forward to this wonderful time of year in the schools and hope you will join us along the way in however you are able.

Have a great week ahead!

Rick

This week...

***Spirit Week***

FastBridge window (12/2 - 12/20) - ELA/Math

Monday, 12/2

• Jazz Band Field Trip

• SPIRIT DAY: Holiday PJs/stocking cap
  

Tuesday, 12/3

• 8th Grade Mock interviews
• 7/8 Girls Basketball @ IT -- 3:45pm
• SPIRIT DAY: Winter Wonderland Whiteout
  

Wednesday, 12/4

• Father's Club Brain Break Lunch On-boarding (11:30am)

• SPIRIT DAY: Cat Class vs Cat Class Dress Alike Day (most spirited competition)
  

Thursday, 12/5

• AIM Field Trip
• Heavy Metal Christmas (Band)
  
• Jazz Band to ACE (1:40pm)
  
• 7/8 Girls Basketball @ PRT -- 3:45pm
• SPIRIT DAY: Dress to Impress (holiday theme)
  

Friday, 12/6

• Pep Assembly (Alt schedule--No Cat)
• Boys Basketball informational Meeting (7:40am auditorium)
  
• Spelling Bee (AM)
  
• Father's Club Brain Break Lunch On-boarding (11:30am)
• SPIRIT DAY: Candy Cane Day (red and white)
  

...and beyond!

• 12/10--6th grade activity! (3:20-4:30pm)
• 12/12--CST's Talent for Pennies! Talent Show (7pm)
• 12/20--Last day of Semester 1 (11:35am dismissal)
  

Mrs. King has enjoyed precious time with her new baby daughter while on maternity leave and will be returning to CST this Tuesday, December 3rd. Welcome back, Mrs. King!

The CST SOS Club (Sources of Strength) are hosting the 2nd CST skate party at Skate City in Overland Park. This event cost $7.00 plus a $2.00 skate rental. The venue is reserved for CST! Come one, come all for this fun, positive, event for CST students!

Questions can be directed to Mr. Woolcott (dwwoolcott@olatheschools.org) and Mrs. Sutter (lsuttercst@olatheschools.org).

“Brain breaks” at lunch--opportunity for dads to play games with students at lunch (chess, connect 4, basketball, etc.)--Attend the "on-boarding" session on EITHER 12/4 or 12/6 beginning at 11:30am. This is to go over the process for checking in, where to go, and how this opportunity will operate. We will wrap the meeting up within 30 minutes.

Brain Break On-boarding Signup:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C4CA8AE28A5FB6-53402039-brain

Fist Bump Fridays...12/19--Let's get the dads out on the last full day before the break--wear your festive and/or ugly sweater and wish our kids a great day and break!

CST Father's Club has two co-chairs, 7th grade parent, Brad Reynolds, and 7/8 grade parent, Steven Brigman. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at ChisholmTrail@FathersClub.org.

Register or read more about Father's Club by clicking the buttons below. We look forward to having our dads active in the CST community!

In October, students with parental consent completed the MySAEBRS screener, which provides our staff with helpful information on the student’s social, academic, and emotional functioning. If you would like to see your child’s results from the screener, please contact the school by emailing your child's counselor:

Mrs. Rachel Iuli (Green) rjiuli@olatheschools.org

Mrs. Makaela King (Silver) mcking@olatheschools.org

There will be an after school 6th grade activity on December 10th beginning beginning at 3:25 and lasting until 4:30pm. All 6th grade students are invited to stay after school for games, music, concessions, and fun! Students will be released from their 7th hour teacher to the MPR/gym. Rides should plan to pick up their child via the regular after-school pick-up pattern.

The CST KAY club is asking for donations of boxes of full-sized candy canes in a variety of flavors. During the week of 12/9, students and parents will have the opportunity to purchase a "candy gram" for their child/student to be delivered during class the last week of school before break. Parents will have the opportunity to write a note along with the candy cane. More details in next week's Weekly Wildcat, but any support with candy canes is much appreciated! Candy cane boxes can be dropped off in the front office.

Proceeds will go to the Mayor's Children's Pennies for Shoes fund. CST will be kicking off the Pennies for Shoes Campaign through Cat classes the week of 12/9.

Thank you for your support!

We have amazing students at CST and we want to celebrate an awesome 1st semester as well as encourage positive behavior as we lead up to winter break! On December 20th, students will get to attend 4 different sessions by grade level if they meet the following criteria between December 2-20:

1. No office discipline (ISS, OSS, etc,)
2. 3 or fewer tardies
3. All assignments/test turned in by December 18th

Each grade level has 14-15 different activities to choose from. Students wishing to have first choice of activities will have the opportunity to pay tokens at the ROCS store to sign up early. All other students will sign up on December 16th.

This presentation explains the day in more detail! We are looking forward to having a great time with our students! - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11eMAnqJGu7f54JLKYLggkkRa2ft35zUuMrUlC3s8xBI/edit?usp=sharing

The CST Parent Group is collecting donations of $10 gift cards for the CST staff ahead of the holiday season. These will be used for giveaways at meetings, prizes for holiday competitions, and gifts in staff mailboxes to name a few! If you are able to donate, please use the link below to donate. Thank you so much for supporting the CST Staff!

Link to Sign Up

Thanks,
Lori Grantham

(contact info in the link)

There will be a student (and staff) talent show on Thursday, December 12th @ 7pm here at Chisholm Trail. The night is in support of the Mayor's Children's Fund: Pennies for Shoes. The show is officially called our "Talent for Pennies" show.

We hope to pack the house in support of our students on stage and for this wonderful cause benefiting kids in Olathe.

Mark your calendars for this fun event on December 12th!

Questions can be directed to Mrs. Vohland.

If you would like to learn more about 21st Century Academies, please explore the Olathe Public School Website: https://www.olatheschools.org/21stcenturyacademies . There is information on each specific academy, the application process, partnerships, open houses, and FAQ’s.

Each Academy hosts an Open House for students and parents/guardians. During this time, students can see the space, talk with facilitators and students, and learn more about each Academy. Dates and times for these are below – all are drop-in except for Distinguished Scholars, they would like you to attend for the entire 90 minutes.

Dates to Know:

Tuesday, December 3 – CST Mock Interviews

Thursday, December 5 - 7:30am CST Application Workshop - for students that would like help with their application

Monday, December 9– 21st Century Academy Application closes at 10pm

Ongoing throughout mid-December to mid-January – Interviews scheduled for Academies

Wednesday, January 10 – 21st Century Academy notifications available via link at 4pm

Contact Mrs. Iuli with questions.

rjiuli@olatheschools.org

Follow CST's Facebook or X page!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We're excited to announce the launch of Lightspeed Parent Portal, a new tool that empowers you to stay informed about your middle and high school student's online activity on their district-issued device.

With Lightspeed Parent Portal, you can:

• Receive weekly reports: Get a summary of your student's web browsing activity for the past week.
• View browsing history: See up to seven days of websites visited on their district-issued device.
• Manage internet access: Pause web browsing during designated out-of-school hours.
• Control YouTube: Temporarily disable YouTube access outside of school hours.

Getting Started:

On Sunday, November 10th, you will receive an email from do_not_reply@lightspeedsystems.com with instructions on creating your free Lightspeed Parent Portal account. This email will provide a secure link to register and access all the features mentioned above. Please register using the email address that your student’s school has on file.

For More Information:

Attached you will find a helpful guide on Lightspeed Parent Portal. This document provides more details on how to use the portal and navigate its features.

We believe this tool will be valuable in ensuring your student experiences a safe and responsible online environment.

---------------------------------------------------

Estimados padres y tutores,

Nos complace anunciar el lanzamiento de Lightspeed portal para padres, una nueva herramienta que le permite mantenerse informado sobre la actividad en línea de su estudiante de secundaria y preparatoria en su dispositivo proporcionado por el distrito.

Con el Portal para padres Lightspeed, usted puede:

• Reciba informes semanales: Obtenga un resumen de la actividad de navegación web de su alumno durante la semana pasada
• Ver el historial de navegación: Vea hasta siete días de sitios web visitados en el dispositivo proporcionado por el distrito.
• Administre el acceso a Internet: Ponga en pausa a la navegación web durante las horas designadas fuera del horario escolar.
• Controlar YouTube: Desactivar temporalmente el acceso a YouTube fuera del horario escolar.

Para empezar:

El domingo 10 de noviembre usted recibirá un correo electrónico de do_not_reply@lightspeedsystems.com. con instrucciones para crear su cuenta gratuita en el portal para padres Lightspeed. Este correo electrónico proporcionará un enlace seguro para registrarse y acceder a todas las funciones mencionadas anteriormente. Por favor, regístrese utilizando la dirección de correo electrónico que la escuela de su estudiante tiene en los archivos.

Para más información:

Adjunto encontrará una guía útil sobre los recursos del portal para padres Lightspeed. Este documento proporciona más detalles sobre cómo utilizar el portal y navegar por sus funciones.

Creemos que esta herramienta será valiosa para garantizar que su alumno experimente un entorno en línea seguro y responsable.

CST Families,

We wanted you to be aware that our school is expanding our supply of Naloxone (commonly known as NARCAN), a medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose and can be safely and easily administered to individuals of all ages. In addition to our nurse’s office, NARCAN will now be stocked next to the AED defibrillator at our school and at our district athletic complexes.

Most opioid overdoses are accidental and can happen anywhere. As you may know, the Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that colorful pills have entered the counterfeit drug market, with the intent of making the pills look like candy. Our school district wants to be prepared for any emergency situation. Emergencies do not always happen during the school day, so having NARCAN near the AED defibrillator would allow for access to this lifesaving medication at any time. Our top priority is and always will be the safety of our students and staff.

Various school staff members have been trained on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of opioid intoxication and how to deliver NARCAN quickly and effectively. If emergency medication, such as NARCAN or Epinephrine is administered, we will call 911 and our district emergency management system will be activated. However, it can be lifesaving if an individual is experiencing an opioid overdose.

While we hope to never use NARCAN, we believe having it available and more accessible in our building is a good addition to the list of lifesaving medications we already carry in case of an emergency.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Rick Sola

Principal

Hello Chisholm Trail Families!

We are thrilled to share a way to connect with your student’s learning at home! In 2016, the Kansas State Board of Education challenged schools to develop a process that engages students in the creation of an Individual Plan of Study, or IPS. While we are proud to involve even our youngest learners in career and future thinking, the IPS process officially starts for students in middle school and continues throughout high school.

Individual Plans of Study help students examine how their interests and strengths can transform into education, training and careers after high school. We know that the journey to discover how our individual skills and interests can transform into a career is filled with both short and long-term goals that evolve throughout our life. To help students explore all possibilities, Olathe has developed classroom instruction and hands-on experiences to support the IPS process.

One way we support this is through a future-readiness website called Xello. For the past two years, middle and high school students have explored lessons, inventories, and other programming within Xello but now we can share this student learning with you at home! Family Portal will allow you to not only view your student’s work but also research future career options, scholarships, training and school opportunities after high school.

Invitations for Xello Family Portal will be sent to parents and guardians listed in ParentVUE. Those email invitations will come from noreply@xello.world and will prompt you to create a password. All students in grades 6-12 who are already connected to you as a parent/guardian will be connected to your account. [If you've already activated your Xello parent account, continue to use the account you have already set up. If you have not created an account, please look for the email to set up your account.] Additional information for Family Portal can be found in both English and Spanish on the Parent/Guardian support section. Counselors will continue to share Xello highlights throughout the year. Please contact your student’s school counselor with any questions.

Sincerely,

Rachel Iuli

School Counselor

Hola Familia de Chisholm Trail,

¡Estamos felices de compartir con ustedes una forma de conectarse con el aprendizaje de su estudiante desde su casa! En 2016, El Consejo de Educación del Estado de Kansas pidió a las escuelas a desarrollar un proceso que involucre a los estudiantes en la creación de un Plan de Estudio Individual, o IPS. Nos sentimos muy orgullosos de involucrar a nuestros estudiantes más jóvenes en su trayectoria profesional y su pensamiento hacia el futuro, el proceso del plan de estudio individual comienza oficialmente para los estudiantes en la escuela intermedia y continuará durante toda la escuela secundaria.

Los planes de estudio individual ayudan a los estudiantes a examinar cómo sus intereses y objetivos pueden transformarse en educación, capacitación y carreras profesionales después de la escuela secundaria. Sabemos que el trayecto para descubrir cómo nuestras habilidades e intereses individuales pueden transformarse en una profesión, que estará lleno de objetivos a corto y largo plazo que van evolucionando a lo largo de nuestra vida. Para ayudar a los estudiantes a explorar todas las posibilidades, Olathe ha desarrollado instrucción en el aula y experiencias prácticas para apoyar el proceso de IPS.

Una forma en que nosotros apoyamos esto es a través de un sitio Web de preparación para el futuro llamado Xello. Durante los últimos dos años, los estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria han explorado lecciones, inventarios y otra programación dentro de Xello, ¡pero ahora podemos compartir este aprendizaje estudiantil con ustedes en casa! El portal Familiar le permitirá a usted no solo ver el trabajo de su estudiante, sino también investigar futuras opciones de carreras profesionales, becas, capacitación y oportunidades escolares para después de la escuela secundaria.

Las invitaciones para Xello Family Portal (Portal familiar) se enviarán a los padres y tutores que figuran en Parent VUE. Esas invitaciones por correo electrónico llegaran a nombre de noreply@xello.world. Ellos le pedirán que cree una contraseña. Todos los estudiantes en los grados 6-12 que ya están conectados con usted como padre / tutor se conectarán a su cuenta. [Si ya ha activado su cuenta principal de Xello, continúe usando esta cuenta que usted ya ha configurado. Si no ha creado una cuenta, busque el correo electrónico para configurarla.] Puede encontrar información adicional para Family Portal en inglés y español en la sección de apoyo para padres / tutores. Los consejeros continuarán compartiendo los aspectos más destacados de Xello durante todo el año. Por favor, póngase en contacto con el consejero escolar de su estudiante si tiene alguna pregunta.

Atentamente,

Rachel Iuli

School Counselor

ICYMI from registration: The CST Wildcat Fund are funds used to promote a positive climate and culture for all wildcats. Donations to this fund can go toward any of the following…

• CST students—CST ROCS Store (experiences, toys, candy, swag, etc.), recognitions, giveaway items (Vets Day pin, US Constitution, treats, etc.), other student-specific items as needs arise.
• CST teachers—Parent-teacher conference meal support, teacher appreciation efforts
• "CST" landscape design on the hill just south of the football field (future project)

• CST 25 Event support—All CST Community Event on 10/22/24 at 6:00pm

Any and all amounts are appreciated. ALL donations are tax-deductible and go toward the CST Wildcat Fund. Thank you for your generosity and continued support of CST students and staff!

*You will have the option to email or print a receipt for your donation. If you need any assistance regarding your donation, please email Courtney Seever at: cseever@olatheschools.org

Parents, you received an email from Jostens earlier this week about how to purchase a yearbook for your CST student. Please use the information and links in that email for your yearbook purchases. This year, Jostens is offering many different add-ons for you to choose from - all are optional! Yearbooks start at $27.15 plus tax.

We are so appreciative of the K-cup donations we've received last year! If you are looking for a simple way to support CST staff, we gladly accept and greatly appreciate K-cup donations for our lounge. Our staff LOVE this and use it daily...thank you! These donations can be dropped in the office or on the tables stage in the main hall of the building with tissue boxes.

Middle School Athletic Passes for adults and students are available through GoFan - https://gofan.co/app/school/KS79390

Once purchased, you can transfer the student pass to your student via text message. Passes can only be transferred 1 time. If your student doesn’t have a cell phone, they will receive an ID card with an “A” on it for Athletic Pass that will allow them into athletic events.

All students need to have a Transportation Consent form on file each year. This allows them to travel on buses for athletic and activity purposes. All students will need this as trips are scheduled throughout the year, including an all-school service day in the spring.

• Go to Touchbase
• Select your student
• Click on Registrations
• Click on Transportation Consent Form

• Students walking east: stay on sidewalk in front of football field and along Mur-Len--do not cross parking lot entry on 159th St.
• There is no park and pick-up at CST. Doing so creates additional bottle neck trying to exist the parking lot to get onto 159th. Only park if you need to come into the building.
• Dismissal: stay as close to the curb on either side as possible to open up the middle traffic lane
• Dismissal: students may cross to the second lane in front of the school, by the flag pole, only.
• Dismissal: Two lanes of traffic need to form to keep the line from spilling onto and sitting on 159th Street.
• Arrival: Has been going great...thank you!
  

Parents were shared information about personal student devices at school (board policy can be found HERE).

We will review this policy with students as they return this week. Please help us by reminding (informing) students of this change ahead of time. This policy will be a slight shift from last year's practice.

• Personal devices are to be put away from bell to bell--8:20am-3:20pm
• Cell phones and ear buds will be turned into the office if out during the day. This includes passing periods and lunch.
• Headphones/earphones should be wired only
  
• Devices will be labeled and kept in the office until after school where students can pick it up.
• These procedures will be reviewed with students this week.
• Smart watches may be worn for time/step tracking purposes, but active use (i.e. like cell phone) will result in the watch being turned into the office.
• Collected devices will be kept in the office so it can be labeled and kept safe until return.

Reminders:

• There is no park and pick up at CST. Parking is reserved for those needing to come into the building
• Once child is picked up, use the center lane for pass through
• May switch lanes in the PM
  
• Drop off along the ENTIRE curb
  

Please review and follow the traffic patterns for drop-off and pick-up. The established traffic pattern is designed for the safety of our students and families who are in vehicles as well as our bike and walker traffic. Plan ahead and expect delays, especially at the start of the year.

For brief video tutorial of CST's traffic pattern, click HERE.

If your child needs to be picked up during the school day, you can call the front office (913-780-7240) and let them know the time. A pass will be sent for your child to be in the office upon your arrival. Please come into the building to check out your child. A state ID (driver's license) is required to enter the building.

If your child is late because of an appointment, you can simply call the office to check them in and have them walk in and report to the attendance secretary (Mrs. Douglas).

If your child is going to be absent, please notify our attendance secretary directly at 913-780-7241 or by email at cescottdouglas@olatheschools.org.

Add Money to your students account-- https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/2915

(3 charges allowed per student)

District Lunch Menus:

https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/2911

Chisholm Trail launched its new PBIS program last school year. PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports and ROCS is Respect, Ownership, Compassion, and Safety. These four core values are emphasized and taught to our students daily. The program is intentional about teaching students expected behavior. Tokens may be given out for exhibiting expected behavior and those can be used in a "store" to purchase items. These items may be tangible (candy, pop, books, etc.) or intangible (time in the gym, lunch in a special location, sit in the teacher's chair for the day, etc.). The tokens are what helps make ROCS fun, but the conversations this generates between students and staff are also part of what makes this such an impactful program. You will certainly see and hear more but ask your child about ROCS, what it stands for, and why we do it...they should know and may share about their own experience receiving a token or cashing it in!

Use the link in the section below if you'd like to contribute to our store. Thank you in advance for your consideration and support of this important program at CST!

You can donate items for the ROCS (Respect, Ownership, Compassion, Safety) store through our Amazon Wish List and the items will be sent directly to CST.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/12SICJZV5MY4P?ref_=wl_share

Thank you to all who have helped us in the past. Our kids are LOVING it and we are so grateful for your support of our positive behavior program...CST does in fact ROC(K)!