***This weekly is for both the weeks of 1/2 and 1/9***

Dear CST Family,

Welcome back and welcome to the new year! I hope the break was enjoyable for you and your family. Students return on Thursday, January 5th. Boys' basketball tryouts begin on Tuesday, January 3rd (details below). Below in this newsletter are several parent events to note. I know firsthand how busy the weeks can become, but I truly believe the two special topic events are of critical importance and relevancy for all parents (and kids) so I'm hoping for strong attendance. Three events I want to draw specific attention to with more details in the newsletter below...

• 1/10--(CST Event) From Alcohol to Fentanyl and Everything in Between--7-8:30pm @ CST
• 1/11 OR 1/25--(District Event) Screen Sanity (parents only)--@ California Trail or @ Santa Fe Trail--6-7:30pm
• 1/19--6/7 grade parent enrollment night--all current 6th/7th grade parents--6pm @ CST

I want to thank the CST community for their amazing generosity for the Pennies for Shoes campaign. Over $4300 were raised by CST alone which helped achieve the district goal of raising over $30,000 from all schools.

I also want to thank the dads who've supported the CST Father's Club already. We had a successful launch meeting and lots of fun in the drop-off lane the last week of school. Be on the lookout for more Father's Club events this semester!

I'm confident the second semester will move just as quickly as the first semester, but I'm also confident in another semester of student learning (via success and failure) through a wide variety of experiences. This semester will bring the concerts, the plays, the games, and learning like the first part of the year, but we'll also have the 8th grade high school transition day (March), 7th grade career options day (March), an all-school service day (April), an 8th grade "Night of Recognition" (May), perhaps a few snow days sprinkled in (along with the many planned days off in Q3), a 5th grade transition day, and many other unique and wonderful opportunities for our students. As always, the busyness is part of the fun, it's part of the ride, and it's part of our kids' middle school experience. I hope you will join in on as much as you can and join us in partnership as we start the year two-thousand and twenty three...let's go!

Rick

• Please contact the CST front office for student absences. More info on attendance can be found HERE.
  
• Doors open at 7:20am
• No school on Monday, January 16th due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
  
• Follow us on Twitter @CSTWildcatsMS for fun updates
• Moved or moving? Contact CST Student Information Specialist, Melynda Marquardt, to assist through the process at CST (mrmarquardt@olatheschools.org)
• For more parent resources, visit the CST website (https://www.olatheschools.org/domain/2082)

...mark your calendars for the 8th grade "Night of Recognition" on Tuesday, May 23rd at 6pm. This event is for all 8th grade students. More details to come in the 4th quarter.

Current 6th and 7th grade parents: Mark your calendars for 6pm, Thursday, January 19th for a 6th and 7th grade enrollment night. This meeting is intended for parents only and will include both CST counselors and Principal Sola. The info session will take parents through the online enrollment process, discuss available curriculum and opportunities for students, and answer questions.

Current 5th grade parents have an enrollment night at CST on Thursday, February 2nd at 7pm.

See the flyer below for an important event on JANUARY 10 @ 7pm. This is intended for parents with their child, but parents should use their own discernment. Director of Addiction and Residential Services, Kevin Kufeldt, will discuss the many drug risks seen in our community and among middle school students.

This is a CST event and will be a valuable use of your time. Please join us on January 10 for this special topic event.

Olathe Public Schools is excited to bring you Screen Sanity, a highly-acclaimed program designed to help parents unpack today's hottest screentime topics, and get you the tips and tricks you need to raise happy, healthy kids in an increasingly digital world.

This workshop features expert-guided content, including a roadmap for introducing your kids to smartphones and social media. The content is designed for adults only, but will give you practical ways to talk to your kids about screen use. Spanish interpreters will be available to assist families. For interpretation services for other languages such as sign language, please contact your school

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11 | 6 - 7:30 PM | CALIFORNIA TRAIL MIDDLE

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25 | 6 - 7:30PM | SANTA FE TRAIL MIDDLE

Register HERE

Las Escuelas Públicas de Olathe se complacen en presentarles Screen Sanity, un programa muy reconocido diseñado para ayudar a los padres a abordar los temas más actuales sobre el tiempo frente a la pantalla, y ofrecerles los consejos y trucos que necesitan para criar niños felices y sanos en un mundo cada vez más digitalizado.

Este taller cuenta con contenido guiado por expertos, incluyendo una guía para introducir a sus hijos a los teléfonos inteligentes y las redes sociales. El contenido está diseñado solo para adultos, pero les dará las herramientas para hablar con sus hijos sobre el uso de la pantalla. Los padres hispanohablantes dispondrán de servicios de interpretación y se puede solicitar la interpretación en otros idiomas como lengua a señas a través de la escuela.

REGISTRESE AQUÍ O ESCANEE EL CÓDIGO PARA INSCRIBIRSE

With colder weather we have less walkers/bikers and more vehicle traffic. Please plan accordingly and allow extra time for morning drop-off. Your child should have their items readily available and conversations finished prior to stopping so exiting the vehicle can be as efficient as possible. This helps the line not back up and maintains a constant flow of traffic. A few other reminders to assist with safety and efficiency...

• Those dropping in the front of the school may pass vehicles in the activity drop-off on the left
• If dropping off at the activity entrance, please do not pass others who are dropping off at the activity entrance to then merge back into the same activity drop-off lane--this creates a safety issue
• Form 2 lines for afternoon pick-up--students may cross at the front cross walk with CST staff only...do not encourage your child to run across traffic or parking lot.
  

Reminders for Walkers and Bike Riders

Please help us reinforce with students the best sidewalks to use upon arrival for walkers/bike riders (seen with the purple arrows on the map below).

• Students from east of Mur-Len should cross at the 159th/Mur-Len light and walk/ride toward the football field. They will avoid having to cross all vehicle traffic in the parking lot by doing this.
• Students coming from Lindenwood should take a left upon reaching the CST property and use the sidewalk next to our open field on the west. They should not cross exiting traffic onto 159th from the CST parking lot.
• A new bike rack was placed at the doors west of the front entrance.
  
• Students should exit the building using the same routes. PLEASE talk with students about crossing 159th at the light/cross walk...for their own safety, they should not cross 159th at any other location.

Thank you for your support as we promote safety and efficiency.

Supplies needed:

Liquid glue

construction paper(11x17 and regular size)

colored cardstock

Tape (scotch tape, washi tape, and duct tape) any colors/patterns

stamps and stamp pads

yarn

Parents,

The information below is from technology and outlines a software available for parents for monitoring your child's district device outside the school day. For full details, click the PDF button below. Check it out!

What is included in the GoGuardian Parent App:

• Top 5 summary of student browsing (apps, extensions, documents, and websites visited)

• Teacher interventions

• 30-day view of websites, videos, documents, apps, and extensions

• Ability to block websites on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours

• Ability to pause internet access on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours, either on-demand or at a scheduled time.

Read more in the attached PDF.