Dear Sheldon Families,

Happy New Year and extended Winter Break! We hope you are all staying safe and warm. We are excited to welcome students back when we are able to.

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.

TPS Weather Notifications: As the weather begins to cool, we want to remind families and staff of school closing notification procedures. As we make decisions about closing school, a number of factors come into play, including the safety of travel but also the safety of students who will be home during the day.

Should school be canceled, we will:

• Send a text, email, and/or phone call via SchoolMessenger
• Update the district social media pages
• Update the district website
• Contact our local media partners

To sign up for text message updates, text Y to 67587. To learn more about school delays and closures, please review our How We Communicate With Families document.

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

It takes every singe Sheldon staff member to ensure that our dismissal runs smoothly and safely. Due to this, it is a difficult time for us to make late notice changes. Please be reminded that if your student rides a bus normally and you would like to change them to a car rider for that day, please call the office no later than 2:00 PM. There are NO STUDENT PICK UPS after 3:30, unless you join the car line and wait for it to begin at 3:45.

From January 6-January 31, Sheldon will be participating in the district-wide food drive for Living the Dream, Inc. These resources support many families in our program! There will be a tub in the main lobby after Winter Break. If you are willing and able, please drop donations there.

Thank you so much to those families who sent in 33 staff shout-outs! It was so much fun to share these with staff right before heading off to Winter Break. Our next staff meeting is Thursday, January 30th. I can't wait to share more shout-outs with families! Pictured below are most of those staff who received a shout-out in January. Don't see a familiar staff member? Show them some love on the Google Form below! 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!

January 6: Students Return - First Day of 3rd Quarter

January 7: DCAC Meeting @ 6:30

January 9: National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

January 9: Board of Education Meeting @ 5:30

January 20: NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 21: Fire Safety Lesson with Topeka Fire Department

January 21-February 1: 4 Year Old Students Completing myIGDIs Assessments

January 23: Sheldon Health Advisory Council Meeting

January 23: Board of Education Meeting @ 5:30

January 28: Story Time with Boomer Bear

January 28: Dinner with Dudes @ 5:30

January 29: Kansas Day

January 30: Story Time with Boomer Bear

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!

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

• Register HERE for 1/8/25, 5:00 pm: Understanding Head Start Funding and Governance; Understanding Kansas Early Childhood Governance
• Register HERE for 2/12/25, 5:00 pm: Understanding Advocacy, Parents and Advocacy, Telling Your Story

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