Dear Sheldon Families,

We are very excited about our first family engagement night this week - Outdoor Health Night! We will serve walking tacos, have informational booths and resources available, and a chance for you to enjoy fun on the playground with your student! See the details of this event below. Hope to see you there!

We are very quickly running out of extra student masks. We simply can not keep up with the number of students that are coming without them daily. Please ensure your children are coming to school with masks each day. It is a good idea to send a spare mask as well. We appreciate your support in ensuring students come to school prepared to learn and masks are essential to a safe learning environment. Additionally, we will happily accept any donations of new, disposable child size masks!

As always, if you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me!

Thank you for the privilege of serving you ~

Mrs. Gabrielle Tanner, Principal

The city has placed NO PARKING ANYTIME signs on the south side of Sena where our car line runs. Please respect this no parking zone. It was requested by the school to ensure vehicles can exit the car line safely, without impeding line of sight and without damaging any vehicles parked on the street.

Picture retakes will take place at Sheldon on Monday, October 18th. If your child was absent on picture day and you would like to order pictures on retake day, please email your child's teacher so we can get you a picture order form. If your child was here on picture day but you are not satisfied with your photos, you will return the original photos in order to receive the retake photos. We hope to have your child's portraits here within the next week so we can get those to you!

If your child is a car rider, you should have received a tag to hang from your rearview mirror. This makes dismissal so much smoother and quicker when those are displayed! If you did not receive one, please reach out to your child's teacher. We would appreciate those being visible each day. Thank you!

At home visits you received information from your child's teacher regarding completing the ASQs. This is an important measure that we are required to complete each year. Teachers resent the links last week. Please be sure you are getting this completed. Let us know if you need the link again or need support completing this screener. These must be comleted by the end of this week.

Please be sure you are communicating with the office or your child's teacher when your child is sick or has been exposed to COVID-19. We are following all Shawnee County Health Department guidance when it comes to evaluating students being at school. We are keeping careful track of students who are identified as having COVID, as a close or household contact to ensure quarantine periods are being followed. Your communication is critical in ensuring we have the information we need to keep everyone safe and healthy! This page on the Topeka Public Schools website provides the most up-to-date COVID information for our families.

Here Comes the Bus is an app that will allow you to track your student's bus in real time. It is free on both the Android and Apple app stores. You will need your child's student ID number, which you can find in your account in TylerSIS. If you have trouble locating this, please give us a call and we will provide it. Directions for downloading and setting up the app are below:

Here Comes the Bus®

Now available to parents of (Topeka Public Schools) students

• 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, every time.

How to get started:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app* or visit herecomesthebus.com

2. Sign Up by going to the Here Comes the Bus website https://login.herecomesthebus.com/SignUpConfirm.aspx

3. Enter school code 29036 and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”

4. Complete the “User Profile” box

5. Under “My Students,” click “Add.” 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!

The school day at Sheldon runs until 4:00 with students being dismissed from 3:40-4:00. As you know as caretakers of toddlers, the transition to go home is a process! Classrooms are finishing their day, cleaning up activities, eating snacks, and packing to go home. It is very disruptive and difficult for us to dismiss children from school early, starting at 3:10. If you have to pick your child up for an appointment, please be sure it is communicated in advance and they are picked up before 3:10. We will be unable to release students after 3:10 until our bus and car line process begins at 3:40. Patterns of leaving early are tracked just as tardies are and will have an impact on student attendance. Thank you for your attention to this!

If your child takes medication at school, you will need to have your child's physician complete and sign a Request to Administer Medication form, which will need to be returned to Ms. Andrea in the clinic. Medication must be sent in the original packaging with the original label. If your child needs meal modifications due to religious or medical restrictions, please complete and return the attached forms.

Please be sure you send an extra set of clothes (bottom, top, underwear, socks) with your student in case of accidents. Make sure they are appropriate for the current weather.

Topeka Public School District uses a wide variety of communication tools to engage its families. This document provides an overview of these communication tools.

At Sheldon Head Start, we utilize SeeSaw, email, Facebook, our website, and SchoolMessenger blasts to email and text. If you have any questions regarding the communication you are receiving, or not receiving, please reach out to your child's teacher.

The Topeka Public Schools Board of Education voted on August 5th to follow the CDC Universal masking guidelines to start the school year. This means that masks will be required indoors for all staff, students, and visitors regardless of vaccination status. Masks will not be required during outside times. Please be sure you send your student to school with a clean face mask each day. This is part of their required dress code and we appreciate your assistance with ensuring we are providing a safe environment for our students! We will also be continuing with frequent handwashing/sanitation, disinfection protocols, and maintaining a social distance of 3 feet. Follow this link to view the entire "TPS Safe to Return to School Plan".

Late Start has moved back to FRIDAYS for this school year and the arival time will be at 10:10. The first late start of the year will be our second day of school, August 20th.

You can find the 2021-2022 Academic Calendar HERE.

This updated document provides a list of food pantries and food resources available in English and in Spanish.

Family Service and Guidance Center is hosting a 12 session series for parents of an autistic child. The flyer is attached here.

Are you receiving the amount you should for Child Tax Credit? This tool will help you determine what your payment should be.

The Sheldon Food & Clothing Bank is still up and running! If your family has any needs, reach out to your Family Advocate or call 438-4538.

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.

Website: https://sheldon.topekapublicschools.net/
Location: 1155 SW Seabrook Ave.
Phone: 785-438-4530
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheldonChildDevelopmentCenterHeadStart