Community News

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I am so very grateful for our incredible staff and families. As we approach the holiday season, I have been reminded countless times of the overflowing love, generosity, and support in Topeka. Our community is amazing!

Our students and staff have been spreading joy throughout the community through family events, musicals, and fine arts activities. We enjoyed the Miracle on Kansas Avenue Parade, where Topeka Public Schools was well represented! Jaden Patterson, an outstanding Topeka West senior, served as Junior Grand Marshal, Lt. Governor David Toland, a TPS parent, served as Grand Marshal, and the Topeka High JROTC and Marching Band did an excellent job leading the parade.

Thank you for supporting our holiday family adoption process, which has given us opportunities to donate gifts to families in need. We greatly appreciate our incredible staff and students.

Over the past week, we truly saw love in action through the generosity of our community partners at Advisors Excel, who adopted numerous students at every school for the holiday season. This is a season of caring and sharing, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to experience the holiday with our Topeka family.

As we prepare for Winter Break (December 18, 2023 - January 3, 2024), please review our inclement weather procedures highlighted in the newsletter below. We look forward to an even more exciting 2024 semester, and we thank you for your unified support and love this year.

Happy holidays from my family to yours!

Dr. Tiffany Anderson

Superintendent

120 students from across Topeka Public Schools are being treated to a shopping spree at Kohl's this holiday season! The shopping events continued this week and are part of Advisors Excel’s season of giving.

Students spend several hours paired with Advisors Excel employees, who help them pick out new toys, clothes, shoes, and more, as they were given free rein to pick out anything they wanted. Our elementary students even received a special visit from Mrs. Claus (also known as Dr. Anderson)!

The district extends special thanks to Advisors Excel for their continued support of our students and community! View photos from the event on Flickr.

On December 2, Topeka Public Schools students and staff took part in the annual Miracle on Kansas Avenue Parade!

Jaden Patterson, an outstanding senior at Topeka West High School and the district's November 2023 Senior of the Month, served as the parade's Junior Grand Marshal. Lt. Governor David Toland, a TPS parent, served as Grand Marshal.

Jaden is a tremendous scholar and athlete, who is active in soccer, golf, Link Crew, Spirit Club, and theatre. He serves as a leader at Topeka West, always supporting and inspiring his peers.

We enjoyed celebrating the start of the holiday season with so many families from across Topeka! View photos from the parade on Flickr.

Congratulations to the winners of our 2023 Topeka Public Schools Holiday Card Contest!

• Maybell Lovelace: Quincy Elementary, 1st Grade
• Daniela Jasso Guardian: Jardine Elementary, 5th Grade

The winning designs will be featured by the district as we send virtual and print cards this holiday season! In addition, each winning school and family will receive print copies.

You can view each of the winners and even send their beautiful artwork as an e-card at topekapublicschools.net. The winners will be highlighted throughout this month on our social media pages.

We are excited to announce that Melinda Flohr, an orchestra instructor at Highland Park High School, has been selected as the winner of the 2023 Outstanding High School Orchestra Director Award by the Northeast Kansas Music Educators Association.

Ms. Flohr was recognized and presented with a plaque at the District Mini-Convention Band Concert on December 2. View photos from the ceremony on Facebook.

We congratulate Ms. Flohr on this well-deserved recognition! She is a dedicated music teacher who is loved by the students and staff at Highland Park.

Over Thanksgiving Break, Madeleine Kiamco, a teacher at Landon Middle School, visited her mother in the Philippines, who is in the final stages of life. She planned to return during Winter Break for the final goodbyes, but the price doubled over $1,000 and she could not afford to return.

After sharing her story with Mrs. Claire Perry in the TPS Benefits Office, Mrs. Perry secretly reached out to the Superintendent and the Topeka Public Schools Foundation.

Watch this video to see what happens next, and be reminded to give the gift of love to others this holiday season, in any way you can! When possible, join us in supporting the Topeka Public Schools Foundation as one gift for the holiday season that will help someone in need.

We thank Ms. Pamela Johnson-Betts and the Topeka Public Schools Foundation, as well as all of the donors who make things like this possible.

Over the past several weeks, many of our outstanding high school students at Highland Park High School, Topeka High School, and Topeka West High School were inducted into the National Honor Society (NHS).

NHS membership is a prestigious honor, recognizing high school students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

These students share a commitment to academic success, involvement in extracurricular activities, and community service, and stand as shining examples of dedication and achievement within Topeka Public Schools. Congratulations, NHS scholars!

Topeka Public Schools is excited to announce a partnership with Special Olympics Kansas to implement inclusive programming in all elementary, middle, and high schools in the district.

As part of the Unified Champion Schools programming, TPS elementary schools have been provided books on inclusion for their libraries, PE teachers have been provided professional development regarding inclusion strategies for their classes, and Topeka West High School has formed a basketball and bowling team.

The Unified Basketball Team held a scrimmage on December 5 at Topeka West, and we look forward to cheering them on in upcoming games this season. We are so proud of these scholars for their dedication and teamwork on and off the court!

Learn more about Unified Champion Schools in this press release from Special Olympics Kansas.

Last week, Topeka Public Schools middle school scholars were engaged in hands-on learning through the use of drones.

The district’s FPV Drone Program allows students to race the drones, as they are equipped with cameras and mounted displays showing the live stream camera feed. The goal is for students to complete a course as quickly as possible.

On December 2, Topeka Public Schools hosted the fall Lego Robotics competition at TCALC. Our elementary and middle school scholars competed in the Robot Games and other activities to put their coding and robotics knowledge to the test.

We are so proud of our scholars across the district whose innovation and team work made the competition a success.

In partnership with Harvesters food pantry and local first responders, Hy-Vee grocery store is handing out 285 Hormel Cure 81 hams to families in need this holiday season.

Families across Topeka are invited to join us for the ham giveaway at our monthly food pantry at Capital City School (parking lot of Hummer Sports Complex - 500 SW Tuffy Kellogg Dr) on Wednesday, December 13.

The giveaway will take place from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM or until all hams are distributed.

Topeka Public Schools is now offering flu shots to all staff, middle school and high school students, and household family members of staff and students through the Campus Care Clinic, located at Topeka High School (800 SW 10th Ave, Room 101).

As we approach Winter Break, please review the Campus Care Clinic calendar for December 2023 and January 2024.

To schedule an appointment with a provider or to get your flu shot, please call 785-295-3256 or email THSCampusCare@KUMC.edu. Voice messages will be returned in a timely matter.

Check out our new College Connections Newsletter on Smore! With an easy to navigate Table of Contents, it's now simpler than ever for high school students and families to find helpful information on college and career readiness.

This month's newsletter covers the following topics:

• Applying for Federal Student Aid
• The Kansas Promise Act
• College registration/admissions process & deadlines
• Scholarships
• ACT/SAT testing dates
• Job opportunities for students
• Concurrent Enrollment Partnership (watch video)

As you plan for the rest of the 2023-2024 school year, please note that graduation will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at the Stormont Vail Events Center.

Living the Dream, Inc. is sponsoring its 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Art, Poetry, and Essay Competition for students in grades 1-12.

Contest information and submission forms for each competition are below. All entries must be submitted by 4:30 PM on Friday, December 8.

• Student Art Competition
• Student Poetry Competition
• Student Essay Competition

Certificates and gift cards will be given to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner in each grade category during the King Holiday Student Awards and Recognition Program on January 15, 2024 at 10:00 AM at New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Fellowship Hall (2801 SE Indiana Ave).

Topeka Public Schools high schools are hosting mid-year graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 for students who are eligible to graduate at mid-year.

Each school will hold its own ceremony, which will also be streamed live on the respective high school's YouTube page. Schools will reach out to graduates and families with more information in the coming weeks.

Ceremony times are as follows:

• Topeka West High School: 8:30 AM
• Topeka High School: 9:30 AM
• Highland Park High School: 5:00 PM

As we approach Winter Break, 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.

Parents can stay updated on transportation by downloading the Here Comes the Bus app!

• View the real-time location of your child’s bus.
• Access the app from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
• Receive push notifications or email alerts.
• Send your child to the bus stop at just the right time.

How to get started:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app or visit herecomesthebus.com
2. Sign Up by visiting the Here Comes the Bus website.
3. Enter school code 29036 and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
4. Complete the “User Profile” box
5. Under “My Students,” click “Add" then enter your child’s last name and student ID number
6. Once you confirm your information, you’re ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus!

Please note that there will be no school for students from December 18, 2023 - January 3, 2024 for Winter Break. We hope our students and families have a terrific end of the semester and holiday season! View the full 2023-2024 academic calendar or the district Google Calendar to learn more.

• December 14: Board of Education Meeting
  12:00 PM | Burnett Center
• December 18 - January 3: Winter Break
  No School | School Resumes on January 4

Stay up-to-date with everything you need to know about the 2024 Kansas Legislative Session on the Current Events page at kslegislature.org.

• 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.

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