Community News

This week, Scott Dual Language Principal, Dr. Pilar Mejía, and General Director of Demographics & Assessment, Dr. Aaron Kipp, presented to school boards across the nation about the district's Dual Language Program.

Topeka Public Schools was selected as the top Dual Language Program in the nation. We are the only PreK-12 Dual Language Program in Kansas. You can learn more about the program in the American School Board Journal and in this video produced by the National School Boards Association, featuring Scott Dual Language.

Testing is underway in our schools and we view this time as a celebration of learning! To kick off events, McCarter Elementary and many other schools held an academic pep rally. You can view video highlights here, where our Kansas Teacher of the Year finalist from McCarter is dancing with Sluggerrr from the Royals!

To keep families informed, our celebration of learning videos incorporate state test score performance from the state department's website. You can learn more about state assessment performance at topekapublicschools.net.

We are excited about the many achievements of our students! This week, we welcomed in our new kindergarten parents at orientation and celebrated students from all high schools at Washburn University, as 59 scholars received college scholarships.

Thank you to our families for your ongoing support and congratulations to our students for their many accomplishments!

Dr. Tiffany Anderson

Superintendent

Topeka Public Schools is excited to announce that all recipients of the 2022 Distinguished Staff Awards (DSA) have been selected!

On March 29, our second round of honorees received a surprise visit from Dr. Anderson, Ms. Wallace, and their school colleagues to announce the awards. View photos from all the DSA announcements on Flickr.

DSA recipients will be honored at 5:30 PM on Thursday, April 28 at Bishop Professional Development Center. DSA recipients, thank you for all that you do for Topeka Public Schools!

On March 28, the Kansas State Department of Education announced that Ms. Pamela Muñoz was selected as a finalist for the 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year Award!

Ms. Muñoz has been an educator for 16 years and currently serves as a kindergarten teacher at McCarter Elementary School, which ranks in the top 30% of schools in the state of Kansas. Learn more about McCarter's academic excellence in this video.

In addition, Ms. Barbara Atkins of Robinson Middle School was recognized as a semi-finalist for the award!

Read more about Ms. Muñoz and the Kansas Teacher of the Year Award in this feature from the Topeka Capital-Journal.

During the week of April 4-8, Topeka Public Schools celebrated our youngest learners!

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration to spotlight early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and our community.

Learn more about our early childhood education programs and enroll your young scholar for preschool at topekapublicschools.net.

Morgan Dean, a scholar and athlete at Highland Park High School, has been recognized as the April Senior of the Month!

Morgan participates in band, wrestling, football, and even debate. He is an exceptional student who always puts academics first, and plans to be an English major in college.

Morgan is described as a "quiet leader" by his teachers. They hope he will return to Highland Park to teach English after college!

Morgan was honored for his accomplishments at the Topeka Public Schools Board of Education last night. Watch the video on YouTube.

This week, Topeka Public Schools celebrated our many wonderful paraprofessionals in honor of Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, held annually on the first Wednesday in April.

Paraprofessionals perform a variety of teaching-related tasks to assist classroom teachers, such as enrichment activities, small group activities, play groups, and more. They also provide one-on-one support for students in completing tasks and assignments.

Show love to the paraprofessionals in your life by commenting a photo or message of support on our Facebook post!

This week, we celebrated National Assistant Principals Week by honoring the contributions of assistant principals to the success of students in Topeka Public Schools.

You can show your appreciation to your school’s assistant principal by commenting a photo or message of support on Facebook.

Online registration, a school supply list, and academic calendar for the 2022-2023 school year are now available at topekapublicschools.net.

Topeka Public Schools offers endless opportunities for students in preschool through twelfth grade! Learn more about one of our outstanding schools, McClure Elementary, in this video highlighting its distinction as a National School of Character.

The district also offers a virtual education program. Homeschool families can register to enroll in the virtual school, which provides students (grades K-12) and adults with both virtual and on-site learning opportunities.

The Topeka Center for Advanced Learning & Careers (TCALC) will host tours for future students and families on Monday, April 11 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM.

Come take a tour and learn more about the Career Pathways TCALC has to offer for students in grades 10-12!

Please call 785-274-6350 to schedule your tour.

Topeka Public Schools will once again be offering a variety of summer enrichment opportunities for students in grades PreK-12.

Summer Enrichment Camps will include arts, academics, cooking, robotics, athletics, and more!

To learn more about Summer Enrichment Camps and to enroll your student, visit topekapublicschools.net.

This month's College Connections Newsletter provides:

• Graduation information
• Applying for the Seal of Biliteracy
• Information on FAFSA registration
• College exploration
• Career & internship opportunities for students

Topeka Public Schools is excited to honor the class of 2022 on Saturday, May 14 at Hummer Sports Park.

Graduation ceremonies will take place at the following times:

• Topeka High School: 9:30 AM
• Highland Park High School: 12:30 PM
• Topeka West High School: 3:30 PM

Students or families who have questions about graduation may contact their division principal for additional information.

At the Board of Education meeting on Thursday, April 7, Topeka Public Schools General Director of Demographics & Assessment, Dr. Aaron Kipp, presented on state assessment performance.

To learn more about state assessments, view Dr. Kipp's presentation. You can also watch the board meeting livestream on YouTube.

Please note that school will be closed next Friday, April 15.

School will also be closed on Monday, April 25 as our staff members attend professional development training sessions.

The 2021-2022 academic year district calendar is available at topekapublicschools.net. The calendar includes dates of parent-teacher conferences, no school days, and more.

Below are important dates for the beginning of April:

• April 1-30: Autism Acceptance Month
• April 1-30: Occupational Therapy Month
• April 1-30: School Library Month
• April 2-8: Week of the Young Child
• April 11: TCALC Tours
  5:00 PM | TCALC
• April 12: Indigenous Family Night
  5:30 | Jardine Middle School
• April 15: NO SCHOOL
• April 21: Board of Education Meeting
  5:30 PM | Burnett Center
• April 22: Earth Day
• April 25: NO SCHOOL
• April 27: Middle School Parent Orientation
  5:30 PM | All Middle Schools
• April 28: Distinguished Staff Awards
  5:30 - 6:30 PM | Bishop Professional Development Center
• April 30: ShareFest
  8:00 AM | Learn more at sharefesttopeka.com

• Topeka Public Schools Blog
  
  
• Topeka Public Schools YouTube Channel
  
  
• Board of Education Meeting Minutes & Agenda

The Topeka Public Schools, Unified School District No. 501 is committed to affirmative action and equal opportunity. No person shall, on the basis of age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability, national origin or ancestry be denied lawful access to any appropriate educational service, program or activity provided by the school district. For students, the Title VI, Title IX and Section 504 compliance coordinator compliance coordinator is the General Counsel for the district. For employment, the EEO/AA and Title VII compliance officer is the general director of human resources. Compliance coordinators may be contacted at 624 S.W. 24th Street, Topeka, KS 66611-1294, (785) 295-3000.The clerk of the Board of Education has been designated to receive and redirect or handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, regulations and procedures. The clerk may be contacted by calling (785) 295-3059 or by writing to 624 S.W. 24th Street, Topeka, Kansas 66611-1294.

Copyright © 2018, All rights reserved.