The Trailblazer
Tomahawk Elementary - September 2016
Welcome Back!
Thank you to everyone that donated to the Teacher Back to School Breakfast and to those that volunteered during the Watermelon Feed. Your support is much appreciated.
As always please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Best Wishes,
~Christy James, Principal
Office 411
Important Morning Reminders
- Please No Drop Off Before 8am -For safety reasons, students waiting outside of the school before 8am must be accompanied by an adult.
- Morning drop off is from 8:00am-8:15am. Students will be dismissed from the gym at 8:10am to go to their classrooms. Students should be in their desks ready to go at 8:20am.
- Tomahawk Breakfast in the Classroom begins at 8:10am - Breakfast is served in the classroom from 8:10-8:25am for students who signed up at enrollment. Breakfast ends promptly at 8:25am.
- Attendance - If your child is going to be absent, please let the office staff know by calling 780-7690. If he/she is going to be late because of an appointment, it is helpful to know that as well. Your child's safety is important to us and we must be certain that each child is accounted for. You can call before 8am and leave a message on the voice mail with details also.
Safety Reminders for the Start of School
The school year has begun and with that comes more students walking to school and more car traffic on school campuses across the district. It’s important for all of us who drive near our schools to be especially careful of students walking. Those transporting students to/from school are asked to follow the recommended drop off/pick up procedures to ensure pedestrian safety and traffic flow. Parents should be sure to buckle their children and use child safety seats when necessary, even if the trip is short. It’s also a good idea to remind your child about ways they can have a safe walk to school.
- Look for cars when crossing the street
- Use crosswalks when available
- Cross with a crossing guard whenever possible
- Don’t text while walking (or while driving)
- Walk in groups and be aware of your surroundings.
- Be sure to follow the rules of the road if biking to school.
Be An ACE at Dismissal Time
We want to thank everyone for their patience and flexibility at dismissal time. The first couple of weeks are the “retraining” time for our returning families and the “learning” time for our new Tomahawk families. Many of our families are catching on to the idea of coming to Tomahawk between 3:40-3:45pm and moving in line for about 10 minutes. Here are a few tips to make dismissal time move faster:
· Have your ACE card prominently displayed in your car window.
· Practice your ACE # with your children and remind them that siblings should sit together in the gym.
· If the regular pickup routine might change due to weather or other circumstances, discuss with your child before school if he/she will be a car rider/ walker/bus rider on the way home. If you need to change your child’s way of getting home and contact your child during the school day, please call the office by 3pm. This will give us ample time to notify your student & teacher.
· Approach from the North side of Brougham to get into line. Coming from the South means you have to cut in line and hold up traffic behind you.
· Stay to the right lane for pick-up and drop off. The left lane is for buses and those who want to park in a parking spot.
· Follow signs and directions of dismissal staff.
We appreciate all your efforts to keep all Tomahawk students safe and to make this a
Careful and Rapid Dismissal System!
Parents Right to Know
This notification is provided to inform you of your right to request the following specific information concerning the school and teachers:
Parents may request information regarding the professional qualifications of their child’s/children’s classroom teachers and paraprofessionals.
Professional qualifications include:
- Whether or not the teacher has met Kansas licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas being taught;
- The baccalaureate degree and any other graduate certification or degree and the field of discipline of both;
- If services are provided by paraprofessionals, their qualifications;
- If the teacher is teaching under an emergency or professional waiver.
We are proud to inform our parents that all teachers at our school meet the above criteria. Each one is licensed for the grade levels and subject areas being taught. Each one has a baccalaureate degree and none are teaching under an emergency or provisional waiver. The paraprofessional(s), who work under the direction of the Title I and classroom teachers, meet required qualifications for the position.
A teacher might not yet meet the federal “highly qualified” designation because of one of these reasons:
- They have moved here from another state and are teaching under provisional status, pending final paperwork from the State of Kansas that certifies they have fulfilled all of the requirements of teaching in Kansas.
- They are adding an endorsement area, but have completed only a portion of the university coursework required for the new endorsement, and they are teaching courses in the new area under provisional status for which the state has waived licensing criteria while they finish the required coursework.
For those teachers affected by one of these situations, the district and the teacher have an action plan in place to reach “highly qualified” status as soon as possible.
As a parent you will be contacted by me if your child is taught by a “non highly qualified” teacher for four continuous weeks or more.
As a parent you have the right to request your child’s state assessment scores. You have a right to obtain the school and school district state reports cards. This will be found on the district website once they are available from the state.
If you have questions or would like to request further information, please feel free to contact me at 913-780-7690.
Site Council
Tomahawk parents and community members are needed to serve on the building Site Council. The Site Council is scheduled to meet 5 times this year: 9/27, 11/7, 1/17, 3/28, and 4/17. The September and March meetings will be at 7:00 pm. All other meetings will begin at 6:00 pm. My goal is for each grade level to have a parent representative.
If you have questions or are interested in being a Site Council member please email me at cjamesth@olatheschools.org.
Guidelines for Birthdays in the Classroom
Traditionally students have enjoyed celebrating their birthday by bringing in treats for their classmates. Here are some tips to make these quick celebrations easy for all:
1. Contact the teacher several days before you plan to send in treats to find out the best day and time, as well as any food allergies in the class.
2. Remember to send in enough treats for the entire class, plus plates, napkins and silverware if needed.
3. Individual or pre-cut treats like cupcakes or cut brownies are easy to pass out and require less time.
4. Because the school day is unpredictable and a set time for the celebration may be difficult to pin down, parents should have treats to school by lunchtime and should not plan to be present during the treat time.
5. Gift bouquets are discouraged due to lack of storage space in the office or the classroom. Students who receive gift deliveries will be called to the office to see the gift, but it will be kept in the office until dismissal time.
6. To avoid feelings of being left out, invitations to birthday parties should not be distributed at school unless the entire class is invited.
If you have questions about providing treats for your child for a birthday celebration, please contact the classroom teacher or the office at 780-7690.
Parent Communication/Information from Tomahawk and the District
It is with great excitement that we share that the district has implemented a new parent communication system to replace CityWatch. Beginning this school year, the Olathe School District and its schools will utilize Blackboard ParentLink. This will allow the district and its schools to quickly communicate with all parents on a variety of issues. In the event of an emergency, school closing, early dismissal, or school delay, or even notification of events that may impact you or your child(ren), we will be able to send an automated voice message, e-mail, and/or SMS text message to all parents within minutes. This automated technology will allow us to keep you well informed of any important school events by using telephone numbers and email addresses provided by you.
The Blackboard system is connected to the district’s student information system. If you would like to update your email or phone number, or if the other parent would also like to receive this information, contact your oldest child’s school so we can update our records. We are excited about the opportunities this new and efficient system will provide the district as we strive to continuously improve our communication efforts for our families.
ParentVUE (ParentVUE.olatheschools.com)
ParentVUE is a secured website which offers parents real-time access to this information and much more. Assignments, grades, attendance, credits earned, school and teacher contact and calendar information, course schedules, and health immunization records are additional types of school and student information available online. To gain access to ParentVUE, contact your child’s school to obtain an activation letter with the needed information for initiating your account. Each custodial parent with educational rights for the child may choose to register separately and will subsequently have access for all students of that parent. (Click here to be directed to website for more information.)Tomahawk Website
Check the Tomahawk website regularly for general information, forms, and a calendar of activities.
Tomahawk PTO Facebook page
Are you a regular Facebook user? LIKE the Tomahawk Elementary PTO Facebook page and keep up to date on all the Tomahawk activities.
Counselor's Corner
Watch D.O.G.S. Wanted!
Attention Dads! Tomahawk Trailblazers want to see you at school! I know we have Great Students here at Tomahawk… we just want to share our days with our Dads! Our students promise to make your day exciting and memorable, you may even go home a little tired, but we promise to make your time here full of fun and learning. Our Watch D.O.G.S. program is designed to help bring in positive role models for our kids. Research has shown the more involved our parents are the higher our students achieve. Please check your calendar and volunteer! The first day available for our Watch D.O.G.S. to serve is Sept. 6th. Dad’s please notice we will have a new schedule this year so you will be able to spend time with each of your students.
Signing up for a day online is easy!
- 1. Visit www.olatheschools.com/Tomahawk
- 2. Click “Parent Info” on the left side of the page
- 3. Click “Watch D.O.G.S. Calendar”
- 4. Select your days by clicking the box next to the desired dates.
- 5. Click “Submit and Sign UP”
- 6. Enter required information.
- 7. Click “Sign Up Now!”
If you are having trouble with signing up on-line or if you would just like more information, please do not hesitate to contact Wendy Karr at wkarrth@olatheschools.org. Thank you for your time and dedication to your children and all of our students-we appreciate YOU.
Pizza Night for “New Dads and Students” to Tomahawk is scheduled for Thursday Sept. 1, at 6:00 pm in the cafeteria. This event will provide more information about the Watch D.O.G.S. program. RSVP is needed to make sure we have enough pizza.
Social Thinking: I keep hearing the terms red and blue thoughts, what does this mean?
The staff at Tomahawk want to help our students become better observers of our world and capable of making positive choices throughout the day. Social Thinking is designed to help everyone understand how our individual actions affect other’s feelings and ultimately, how it affects the way we feel about ourselves. Staff will be using some common language throughout the building this year not only allowing our students to reflect on their actions, but also encouraging them to make decisions to help everyone feel good in the classroom. A few of the terms you may hear your child talk about are listed below. If you should have any questions please feel free to contact either Christy James, building principal or Wendy Karr, counselor.
BLUE THOUGHTS: Thoughts we have about others that make us feel happy, calm, and comfortable
RED THOUGHTS: Thoughts we have about others that make us feel anxious, angry, sad, or uncomfortable
Doing what is EXPECTED: Following the rules for any given situation; people have BLUE thoughts about us when we do what is expected
Doing what is UNEXPECTED: Not following the rules for any given situation; people have RED thoughts about us when we do things that are unexpected
THINKING WITH YOUR EYES: Teaching the importance of observing the world around us and interpreting the information so we model expected behaviors
WHOLE BODY LISTENING: We teach that the whole body (eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, bottom, brain) are important parts of the listening/attending process.
5th Grade Legendary Leaders
During the 2016-2017 school year 5th graders will be given the opportunity to fill leadership roles at Tomahawk Elementary. While our 5th grade students are our natural leaders of the building, it is important to provide them with chances to practice their leadership skills and the exposure to opportunities that interest them. By volunteering their time to others, students learn the importance of community and empathy. Many of the opportunities for leadership will be provided throughout the year during school hours. This may require the students to donate one recess period a week. Mrs. Karr, the school counselor, would also like to organize at least one community service project a quarter. This project, while voluntary, would take place outside of the school day and would require participation from parents. Details for the Legendary Leaders Program will be presented soon to the 5th grade classes by Mrs. Karr. If you should have any questions or would like to volunteer your time to help with the quarterly community service projects, please contact Wendy Karr, counselor at 913-780-7690 or by e-mail wkarrth@olatheschools.org .
Nurse Beth's Cabinet
Screenings
In the upcoming weeks I will be doing heights and weights for all of the students.
Also, I will be screening 2nd and 4th graders for vision. All students who are new to Olathe and those students with an IEP will also be screened. I will screen the kindergarten classes after I am finished with all other grade levels. Thank you.
Lunchroom Cupboard
Grill Day is coming to Tomahawk on Monday, September 26
The menu will be: Lunch A-Grilled hamburger; Lunch B- Grilled hot dog; Lunch Y- Yogurt & mini pancakes. The blue bar has lettuce/onion/tomatoes/pickles, Cheddar Sun chips, baked beans, baby carrots, watermelon (or substitute fruit) & frozen fruit dessert.
Lunch Account Payments
We gladly accept lunch account payments in the office. When sending a check, please include the information listed below from Envision Payment Solutions. Those who wish to pay online can do so at www.MyPaymentsPlus.com . This online payment system includes cafeteria balances and purchase history, as well as options like receiving low meal balance email reminders and setting up recurring payments for meals. Please contact the office at 780-7690 if you have questions about your child’s lunch balance.
Month At A Glance
(click here to be directed to website for Tomahawk September Calendar of Events)
Monday, August 29- Monday, September 19– PTO Fundraiser
Monday, September 5 – No School- Labor Day
September 12-16: Noah's Bandage Project
Tuesday, September 13 - Wendy's Night (Take flyer)
Thursday, September 15 – Box Tops and Hy-Vee Receipts due
Friday, September 16 - Hat Day for all students who donated bandages or $2 for Noah's Bandage Project
Monday, September 19 – PTO Fundraiser Orders Due
Tuesday, September 20 - 6:30pm Room Parent Party Planning Meeting in Tomahawk Library; 7:00pm PTO Meeting in Tomahawk Library
Monday, September 26 – Grill Day Lunch
Friday, September 30– No School – Professional Day
(The Student Store will soon be open on Fridays before school from 8:00-8:15; Running Club meets after school on Thursdays; Intramural Flag Football meets on Mondays and Tuesdays - check schedule sent home with your child for his/her specific game days.)
Dates subject to change. Check the Tomahawk website at http://schools.olatheschools.com/buildings/tomahawk/ for an updated list. Contact the office at 780-7690 with questions about activities.
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September is National Preparedness Month
Tomahawk students will celebrate National Preparedness Month by practicing emergency fire and tornado procedures in the month of September. The American Red Cross encourages everyone “to assess and prepare for their local disaster risks.” During the month of September, “it's time to make or update your family disaster plan and your Red Cross chapter is ready to help.” For more information, check out the American Red Cross website at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/nationalpreparednessmonth
Mark Calendar for Conference Dates
Parent-Guardian/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, October 19, 4:30-8:30pm and Thursday, October 20, 11:00am-8:00pm. This is an important time for home and school to communicate about student progress. Letters will be sent home in September detailing specific times for each student's conference. Please review your reserved time and send the confirmation form back to school immediately so teachers can get everyone scheduled. Conferences will be held for parents/guardians unable to attend during these designated times by a phone conference or face-to-face conference at another time. Teachers will determine which format will be best for these conferences held outside the designated conference days.
Specials Nook
Information from Art, Computer, Library, Music, and PE
"Art to Remember"
The Art to Remember program is a supplementary program for the Tomahawk Art Department which allows you to have your child's very own artwork reproduced onto a selection of quality products. These products range from magnets, mugs and mouse pads to t-shirts, tote bags and tiles. The wide selection of professionally produced, full color products offers something for everyone. Your child will create their artwork in school, using the art curriculum as the basis for their masterpiece. You will then have the opportunity to order the products of your choice with your child's artwork featured on each and every item. Complete program, product, and pricing information coming in October.
Special Chorus
Attention all 4th and 5th graders! Special chorus begins on September 13th for part II and September 16th for part I! All 4th and 5th graders are eligible to participate and will be assigned a part in music class. Choir meets on A, C and E days from 3:00-3:30. Singers participate in two concerts, two tours, and one area festival during the year. An enrollment form and special chorus t-shirt order form will be coming home with students and is available here on the website!
Music Instrument Donation Program
Do you have a band or orchestra instrument that you no longer play? Consider donating your used instruments to the Olathe School District for students who might not be able to rent or purchase an instrument.
Club Spot (after school clubs)
Trailblazin’ Runners After School Club
Tomahawk Elementary students in 3rd through 5th grade are invited to participate in the Tomahawk Trailblazin’ Runners club. This school club promotes fitness and community involvement. The Trailblazin’ Runners meet on Thursdays after school from 3:40 to 4:30, between August 25th and September 29th. The Thursday meetings will include increasing distance runs (beginning with ½ mile) in preparation for the 18th Annual Jared Coones Memorial 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, October 1, 2016. Running Club packets were sent home with students in grades 3-5. Permission slips must be signed by parents and returned to school before students are able to participate. Please contact any of the coaching staff at the school office (780-7690), or email Courtney at cevansth@olatheschools.org if you have any questions or would like to help!
Intramurals
Every September, Mrs. Buchta and I offer the opportunity for girls and boys in grades 4 and 5 to participate in an after-school Flag Football program. We play only on Mondays and Tuesdays. Teams are picked randomly, so yes, boys and girls will probably be on the same team. The schedule will be made after I have determined the participation level and assigned teams. A copy of the schedule will be sent home with students and will be available on the Tomahawk website. My promise to parents is that all games will conclude by 4:30pm and your student will be ready at that time, if not slightly before. If you have any further question’s, feel free to contact me at: Mike Lawver, mlawverth@olatheschools.org or 913-780-7690.
Spanish Club
Enroll your student in Spanish Club at Tomahawk today! Classes start Wednesday, September 7th and meet weekly after school from 3:45pm - 4:45pm for 30 weeks running through May. This year we will be offering Elementary Spanish Level 1, which focuses on development and integration of the four key language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students apply language and develop oral fluency through play-based, interactive activities. Classes are open to all grades K-5. We are so excited to have your student in our dynamic, FUN, active based Spanish Club this year! For more information and to enroll CLICK HERE: https://www.amilia.com/store/en/thelanguageproject/shop/programs/17003
Payment information: TLP offers two payment options for our after-school clubs:
1. 1 yearly payment for the full 30-week program (includes a 5% discount) OR
2. Initial payment + 9 monthly installments
*Any special payment schedules and scholarship inquiries should be requested to info@languageprojectkids.com .*Needs based scholarships and discounts available for Siblings, school staff, Military, & more. http://languageprojectkids.com/pricing-discounts/. We are looking forward to a great first year of language learning at Tomahawk!
Around the Community
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and your Olathe Public School has
teamed up once again with Noah’s Bandage Project to help bring smiles to kids all across the area! Please help by bringing cool, fun bandages to your school during this year’s drive. If you’d rather donate, $2 = 1 box. All proceeds go to Pediatric Cancer Research!
You can wear a hat for participating... and the school with the most bandages/monetary donations wins an ice cream treat at lunch! Bring your bandages to the collection station set up at the entrance to your school every morning from September 12th – 16th. Learn more about Noah at www.NoahsBandageProject.com or click here for a flyer on the Tomahawk website.
Parents as Teachers Program
Olathe Schools Parents as Teachers Program has openings for Personal Visits, Playgroups, and Group Connections! These are open to families with children prenatal to 3 years of age. Personal Visits are usually offered in home and provide developmental information, screening, and activities for you and your child. Playgroups and Group Connections are a time for parents and children to play and learn together. Plans this year include Block Fest, Story Walk, Music with Mar, and much more. Free hearing, vision and developmental screening, for children 4 months to 36 months, will be offered Saturday September 24 from 9:00 am to 2:00 p.m. Please call 913-780-8106 to make an appointment for your child. Please go to www.olatheschools.com/pat or call 913-780-8106 to enroll! Remember all of the Parents as Teachers activities are FREE for you and your family!
Tomahawk Elementary School
Email: kzuelth@olatheschools.org
Website: www.olatheschools.com/tomahawk
Location: 13820 S. Brougham Dr. Olathe, KS
Phone: (913) 780-7690