Dear Sheldon Families,

Happy Monday and happy May!!

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

Sheldon Head Start will join thousands of schools, libraries, and community groups nationwide in a coordinated effort to encourage millions of Americans to turn off televisions, computers, and video games for seven days and turn on the world around them.

Screen-Free Week is a chance for children to:

• Read
• Play
• Think
• Create
• Be more physically active
• Spend more time with friends and family

Many parents choose to join their children in giving up screens all week long and engaging in other fun activities. Check out this free Family Guide here for ideas and helpful resources. Students will be coming home today with a packet of additional resources, including the pledge card and activity log.

Please enjoy the screen free activities provided for your child and family. We encourage you to bring back your pledge card or activity log to your child’s teacher during the week! Each child who brings it back will get a book to take home!

Water Day will take place on Thursday, May 15th. We will have a slip & slide, sprinklers, small pools to splash in, and other water activities! Please send the following with your student that day:

1. Clothes that can get wet AND a change of clothes (swimsuits are NOT preferred)

2. Shoes that can get wet (water shoes, flip flops, crocs) - Water Day will take place on the playground

3. Towel

Please note, due to it being so close to the end of the school year, we can no longer accept requests for changes to a child's bus route/stop. Thank you for your understanding.

See below for an invitation to Sheldon's Promotion Ceremonies for our 4 year old students heading to Kindergarten next year! We do still have a full school day on the 19th following ceremonies, as well as a full day for the last day of school on May 20th. Please plan for your student to remain at school after their ceremony and to attend the last day of school.

Topeka Public Schools has summer program offerings available in June to any preschool student who attended in a TPS program in the 24-25 school year. Students MUST BE fully potty-trained. This summer program will be held at Shaner Early Learning Academy. Click this link for more information on dates, fees, and registration. Feel free to reach out with any questions!

Additionally, there is a summer program available at the Deer Creek Community Center. See more information below. Reach out to Mrs. Tanner if you would like a printed copy of the full summer program packet.

Check out this site for information on the Summer Book-It Program!

Our next staff meeting is Thursday, May 22nd. I can't wait to share more shout-outs with staff! It is such a positive start to our day sharing these! Pictured below are the staff who received shout-outs at our staff meeting last week!

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!

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, Better Hearing & Speech Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and Military Appreciation Month

May 5-9: Staff Appreciation Week

May 5-11: Screen Free Week

May 6-12: National Nurses Week

May 6: Teacher Appreciation Day

May 6: DCAC Meeting @ 6:30

May 7: National School Nurses Day (THANK YOU to Nurse Andrea!)

May 11: Mothers' Day

May 15: Water Day!

May 15: Board of Education Meeting @ 5:30

May 18: National Speech & Language Pathologist Day (THANK YOU to Ms. Jamie, Ms. Dayna, Ms. Kelly & Ms. Dora!)

May 19: Sheldon Promotion Ceremonies @ 10:15, 11:15, 12:15 (see invitation below)

May 20: Sheldon LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

May 26: Memorial Day

We will be doing an A-Z Countdown to Summer this year. Details for each day are below. Of course, participation is voluntary!

See the information below.

The Topeka Public Schools Online Registration link is live. Register TODAY for the 2025-2026 school year!

*Preschool Registration is part of the district registration and is found on the same link. Students who will be 3 or 4 years of age on or before August 31st can register for preschool. All preschool students will be placed at "Quinton Heights" until the Early Childhood Enrollment team has processed applications, ensure students qualify, and assign to specific schools.

*Students registering for Kindergarten will be assigned to their home elementary schools.

All students must register, even if you will be returning for the second year of preschool. If you have questions or need help through the process, please reach out to our Preschool Enrollment team at preschool@tps501.org or 785-438-6899.

Please note required immunizations for the 25-26 school year, pictured below.

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.

Each week the Sheldon staff reviews one of our Head Start Policies & Procedures and felt it was important that families stay up to date on these as well. This quarter our focus is on Program Management & Program Governance. If you ever have any questions regarding our policies and procedures, please reach out!

Non-Federal Share

POLICY: Head Start Act and Federal Guidelines

Head Start grantees must contribute a portion of project costs. Federal funding cannot exceed 80% of total costs, requiring a minimum non-federal match of 20%. This match can be met through donated cash or in-kind contributions, which are non-cash contributions from public agencies, private organizations, and individuals.

PROCEDURE:

Volunteer Services Overview:

Volunteer services refer to contributions that are not compensated by Head Start. These services can be provided by both professional and non-professional individuals (non-staff members). Each hour of volunteer service can be counted if it is essential to the Head Start program. To qualify the time of a volunteer as a match, the volunteer must be providing a service to the program rather than receiving a service from it.

Criteria for Counting Volunteer Services as In-Kind

1. The volunteer services must be ones that would otherwise need to be purchased or provided by salaried staff.
2. The Head Start program must oversee the duties assigned to the volunteer.
3. The services performed by the volunteer must be both measurable and necessary for the program.
4. The value of the volunteer's time should reflect the nature of the service provided. For instance, if a dentist donates their services to a Head Start program, the value may be based on their usual fees for dental services. If the dentist performs a different task, the value should correspond to the rate for a non-professional.

Documentation Requirements:

Documentation must include the signatures of volunteers, certifying the date of service, hours worked, and the nature of the service provided. This information will be recorded on the Volunteer Time Sheet and verified by the program accountant, which then will determine the rate of pay.

Valuation of Volunteer Time:

1. The time contributed by a volunteer will be valued at the same rate as what would be paid for a substitute or part-time employee. Generally, this rate will be equivalent to the state minimum wage per hour unless the volunteer service is provided by a professional engaging in their specific field of expertise.

Supplies:

1. If a person donates supplies, the contribution shall be valued at the fair market value of the supplies at the time of the donation.
2. The following determinations have been made concerning the allowability of supplies donated to a Head Start program.

• Clothing used specifically for educational experiences for children (e.g., dramatic play) is allowable. Clothing furnished to children or families for personal use is unallowable.
• Food counted as allowable in-kind matches must be used in the program and not sent home.

-Allowable: Food served at Parent Meetings.

-Not allowed: Food brought into the classroom.

• Generally, supplies donated from any source that serves to provide a “gift” to families cannot be counted as a match. This includes prizes and awards. The value of such items can only be counted as a match if the program would otherwise have had to purchase the items to implement program objectives.

3. Documentation of donated supplies will be provided by the In-Kind Donations Form.

Travel:

1. If it is viable for the program to regularly provide transportation, the reasonable value of transportation costs is allowable. Transportation costs for medical services as required by Head Start Performance Standards are allowable. However, parents taking their own children to services cannot be counted as allowable.
2. Parents and community volunteers involved in the Policy Council may be reimbursed for their travel to and from these meetings.
3. Policy members may choose to donate the cost of travel to and from these meetings as in-kind. In-Kind travel should be documented on the In-Kind Donations form.

Space:

1. The value of donated space shall not exceed the fair rental value of comparable space as established by an independent appraisal of comparable space and facilities in a privately owned building in the same locality.
2. The difference between a reduced rental fee and the actual value of the appraised property is allowable.

Equipment:

1. The value of donated equipment shall not exceed the fair market value of equipment of the same age and condition at the time of donation. The description of donated equipment as an in-kind contribution should reference that the equipment is related to the purpose of the program, be in working order, and be used for the program.

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 20th.

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