Note from Admin Team
Greetings, Wildcats,
This week has been another great week at Trailridge. I have been incredibly excited to see some of the fun activities happening within the classrooms. Please ask your student about them and how things are going at school. Overall, it has been incredibly successful and our students and staff are doing a great job.
As you are likely aware, our students, staff, and community have faced multiple traumatic events over the past two weeks. Processing grief can be challenging, and we want to ensure that we support each other during this difficult time. Please let us know if there are any specific ways we can assist your student or family as we navigate these tough times together.
Additionally, we have included a few resources below that may be helpful if you discuss these events with your child. We are truly fortunate to be part of such an amazing and caring community. The Trailridge PTA has also listed various ways to offer support on their Facebook page (Trailridge Middle School PTA, SMSD).
Spend extra time with your family and continue to make time to make memories. Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Matt, Cara and Ericka
Trailridge Middle School Administration
#ShowUpShowOut!
Here are some tips for parents and guardians that may help with processing grief.
- Be available to listen. Let your child talk without passing judgment. Let your child know their feelings are normal.
- Stay physically close. Your child may need extra hugs and reassurances of love as they recover from trauma.
- Honor your child privacy. Let your child take time to figure things out and express their feelings. Don’t force them to talk.
- Assure your child they are safe. Tell them about the safety steps being taken, and ask about their safety concerns.
- Spend extra time together. Plan family activities that everyone enjoys and let your child know you are there for them.
- Establish positive routines and go back to former routines as soon as possible.
- Limit or avoid TV viewing. Seeing the event replayed may re-traumatize your child.
- Give your child a sense of control over their lives. For example, let him or her decide what to wear or what to have for dinner.
- Keep your child healthy. Make sure your child is getting rest and good nutrition.
- Communicate with the school personnel. Parents/Guardians and teachers should work together to make sure all children are recovering from the trauma.
- Take advantage of mental health resources. Don’t be afraid to ask for professional help for your child and yourself.
**Update: All 7th grade teams have now received this presentation. We will begin working with 8th grade teams next week.
As we have done in years past, we will begin presenting to each of our teams during Wildcat Hour on expected behavior and possible consequences. It will take a few weeks to get to all of our teams. Officer Hoch and the administration will be the ones to deliver the message, and below is a copy of the presentation. It is important to note that the tone of our presentation will focus on education and prevention, rather than being a strict lecture of do's and don'ts.
Over my 19 years of working in middle schools, I have learned that middle school students often do not fully understand that the consequences of their actions can be more impactful at the secondary level. Our hope is to share this information with our students so that they can help keep our school safe. Please share this information with your students and continue to conversations. Most of our incidents related to these topics happen on social media.
Click here to access the presentation
Please let us know if you have any questions and thank you for your support.
At the heart of our school's commitment to fostering a safe and supportive learning environment stands our dedicated School Resource Officer, Officer Hoch of the Lenexa Police Department. With a blend of law enforcement experience and a genuine passion for student well-being, Officer Hoch serves as a crucial bridge between our school community and the broader police framework. Beyond his essential role in ensuring safety and addressing concerns, Officer Hoch actively supports our students and community through his involvement in coaching basketball and directing our musical productions. His dedication to mentoring students, supporting educational initiatives, and engaging with extracurricular activities not only enhances our security but also deepens the sense of trust and unity within our school.
You can Contact Officer Hoch at 913-993-1018 or at brandonhoch212@smsd.org
The Horizon Award is given to an outstanding 2nd year teacher. This year we are thrilled to have Kourtney Swift be our recipient. She will now be entered into the district competition and hope she is able to come out as the secondary district representative. Kourtney does incredible things within her classroom and builds very close connections with her students. We are thrilled that she is a Trailridge Wildcat!
#ShowUpShowOut!
Dear Families,
This week we began our implementation of CharacterStrong. As we mentioned in last week's newsletter, CharacterStrong is an organization that provides training for educators and a curriculum centered on the following outcomes: increasing a sense of belonging for all students, improving skills that support student well-being, and deepening student engagement in their academics, in their school, and in their community. It was a very successful kickoff.
We also want to stress that we are here as a resource to our students and families. Given the recent events, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team if you need any assistance or support as a family. We are happy to help!
- Elisabeth Johnsrud (8th Grade Counselor) elisabethjohnsrud@smsd.org
- Kristin Warner (7th Grade Counselor) kristinwarner@smsd.org
- Anna O'Connor (School Social Worker) annaoconnor@smsd.org
Device Maintenance
- 1st Incident: $100 charge
- 2nd Incident: $150 charge
- 3+ Incident: ~$750 charge (full device replacement)
If a device is intentionally damaged the student may be responsible for a full device replacement cost of approximately $750.
CANVAS Parent Portal
If you have not logged into your parent portal of Canvas yet, I would highly recommend doing so. Canvas is the learning management system that SMSD uses. It allows you to view assignements, assessments, grades, schedules and many more important items regarding your student's day at Trailridge.
Here is the link on how to access your Canvas parent portal. If you need additional assistance, feel free to contact the office.
Trailridge PTA
Our PTA is very active in supporting students and staff at Trailridge through grants, assemblies, student activities and celebrations, and more and while our events and activities will undoubtedly look different this school year, our commitment to supporting our students, staff, and families is as strong as ever! Please consider joining and getting involved in your Trailridge PTA as we find new and creative ways to support our students, staff, and families in 2024/2025!
The Trailridge Spirit Wear Store is live!! Visit the PTA website for a link to the store and to check out all of our new designs! Items are shipped directly to you and you can order anytime.
Please use the link or the QR Code to access the PTA website:
ATTENDANCE IS IMPORTANT!
Attendance Line: 913 993-1012
If your child is going to miss a class for an appointment or any reason, please make sure you are calling the attendance hotline listed above and leave a message for the attendance clerk. This is important so that we can excuse the absence.
Early Pickup for Appointments:
If your student will need to be picked up early, please call the main office (913-993-1000) when you are on the way to pickup your student. We will immediately call them down so that they are ready when you arrive. Please avoid calling too far in advance.
INFORMATION ABOUT TRUANCY
The administration of Trailridge may begin to request documentation for all absences after the 10th absence in a school year. Absences without a doctor's note or administrative approval may be recorded as unexcused. A student with three consecutive unexcused absences, five unexcused absences in a semester, or seven unexcused absences in a year is considered TRUANT according to Kansas State statues. A truancy report may be filed with the Johnson County District Attorney's office.
Important Trailridge Numbers
- FRONT OFFICE 913 993-1000
- SECRETARY: Angie Marsh 913-993-1002
- ATTENDANCE CLERK: Francy Johnson 913 993-1012 (Absences should be reported by 9:30 AM)
- SPANISH INTERPRETER: 913 993-1062 Ms. Veronica Simonetti
- DS BUSING: 913 384-1190
- BOOKKEEPER: Ms. Gina Bristow 913 993-1003
- NURSE: Ms. Darla Denny 913 993-1007
Cara Kearney, 7th Grade Associate Principal
Matt Engler, Principal
Ericka Corrado, 8th Grade Associate Principal
Trailridge Middle School
Email: trailridge@smsd.org
Website: trailridge.smsd.org
Location: 7500 Quivira Road, Shawnee Mission, KS 66216
Phone: (913) 993-1000
Facebook: facebook.com/trailridgemiddle
Twitter: @Wildcats512