Weekly Wildcat

PARENT NEWSLETTER: WEEK OF 5/3/2021

Chisholm Trail Middle School

Office Hours: Mon-Fri. 7am-4pm

16700 W. 159th Street, Olathe, KS, 66062

913-780-7240

Technical Support: Help Desk--913-780-8058


Administration

Principal: Rick Sola (6th Grade)

rfsola@olatheschools.org

Asst. Principal: Krista Dueringer (7th Grade)

kdueringercst@olatheschools.org

Asst. Principal: Rebecca Reyes (8th Grade)

rlreyes@olatheschools.org


Counselors

Stacey Silkett: 6th grade and Green Team-7th

slsilkett@olatheschools.org

Ashley Rodden: 8th grade and Silver Team-7th

amrodden@olatheschools.org

Week of 5/3/2021

Dear CST Family,

It’s the month of May…can you believe it!? We are in the homestretch, three weeks to go, but still much to be done. There’s so much to be thankful for when contrasting this May to last May. Most notably, we are IN school! We are going to finish this year with our students! One of the hardest parts of last year’s shutdown was the abrupt end to the year after building relationships with students over 3 quarters. No “good-byes”. No conclusion or wrap up. I visited with one of the teams this week and spoke about this very thing—this year we’ll have the opportunity to give our final thoughts and farewell to our students—in person.


This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Much like our students, our teachers have also been expected to do things this year that have never been done before. So much of what our teachers do relies on building relationships and interpersonal connections and interactions. Given the remote start, this was exceptionally challenging this year...but connect they did! The genuine emotions and "reunion-like" feel when students came to the school and saw their teachers in person for the first time is a memory I'll always cherish. Our teachers had to design lessons differently than ever before. Remote learning and hybrid learning required different planning and different types of lessons. I've seen excellence from our teachers this year in new ways along with the traditional. They have risen to the occasion to create memories and experiences for our students. Their passion for students never wavered even through the emotions of the year. The gift they have to work so effectively with this age of student is invaluable. I'm so grateful for all our teachers and for all they've done for kids this school year.


Below is information about how you can show appreciation for your child's teachers. A note from your child would mean the world and this is a great week to do it!


Finally, I’m excited for so much to come--a school-wide community service effort coming in the final week of school (via Cat class), concerts from our music department, our production of Annie Jr. that’ll be available virtually through the month of May, and, of course, continued focus on a rich, meaningful classroom experience. Let’s keep moving forward and let’s finish the homestretch strong!

Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead.

Rick


Week at a glance..

-TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!


Monday, 5/3

  • MAP Reading Testing all week
  • Track awards (during school)

Tuesday, 5/4


Wednesday, 5/5

  • Dance Team Spring Show Practice

Thursday, 5/6

  • Dance Team Spring Show Practice
Friday, 5/7
  • Dance Team Spring Show Practice

Saturday, 5/8


  • Dance Team Spring Show (5-6pm and 6:30-7:30pm)



Looking Ahead...

5/20--Last Day of School for Students (7:50-11:15am)

Teacher Appreciation!

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Adopt-a-Teacher For Teacher Appreciation

Thank you to our parent leaders, Lori Grantham and Becca Stanley, for organizing an adopt-a-teacher appreciation drive. Below is a link that will take you to a spreadsheet of CST teachers. From there, select a teacher (or more) to go to a page of their "favorites" to share Teacher Appreciation Week! Feel free to contact Lori or Becca with questions.


Click here-------> Adopt-a-Teacher


Contact Lori or Becca:

lori.grantham@mac.com

rmstanley@olatheschools.org

Summer Learning Opportunities and Parent Night (District)

Parents/Guardians interested in continuing their students learning into the summer have numerous opportunities that include:


  • Elementary learning options include Families Learning in Partnerships (FLIP), a program to connect parents to schools and student learning; mental health clinics for students and families in need of these services; and the migrant summer program is offered to qualifying families in the district to promote literacy and learning grades K-5.
  • Middle school learning options include mental health clinics for students and families in need of these services; tutoring opportunities; the migrant summer program is offered to qualifying families in the district and is a four-week summer enrichment for students in grades 6-12; weightlifting sessions and more.
  • High school learning options include credit recovery opportunities; the migrant summer program is offered to qualifying families in the district and is a four-week summer enrichment for students in grades 6-12; mental health clinics for students and families in need of these services; weightlifting sessions; Summer eAcademy, which will offer a limited selection of courses for advanced placement students who acquire counselor enrollment permission.


NEW this year for all families grades pre-K to 8th grade is Level Up Your Learning, a website designed to engage with key skills through games, activities, and lessons. Students may follow reading and math activities based on recommendations from their teachers or choose their own learning adventure based on their interests. The website will launch May 17 and families will receive district communication telling them more about its features.

Visit www.olatheschools.org/summerlearning to learn more about these summer opportunities at all levels.


The district is also hosting an Informational Parent Night May 10th and 11th at Olathe North High School to learn more about the Summer Learning opportunities. Please see the attached flyers in English and Spanish for more information and to register. If you have any questions, please call: 913.780.8121.

Now Available--Annie Jr. the Musical!

The show comes out at 7:00 PM on Friday the 30th. . It will stay live until May 27th., so buy your tickets and watch at your own pace.”
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Annie Jr.

The Musical! Our students have been working hard putting together a performance of the musical, Annie Jr. It's going to be great and available virtually! See more details below...


Scan the QR code to access the show/tickets-------------->

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21-22 Bus Info

  • General Education bus registration opens today! All enrolled families will receive an email on Monday with a link to olatheschools.org/transportation. Please see the attached informational page with a condensed version of our GenEd bus services.
  • An online transportation request is available for families of students who are eligible for Special Services or Early Childhood transportation. Families will receive a link to the online forms in the coming weeks, but are currently accessible on olatheschools.org/transportation.

REPEAT: 8th grade Celebration Friday, May 14th

Chisholm Trail will be hosting a celebration for the 8th grade Wildcats with a variety of fun activities on Friday, May 14th. Students will work with their CAT teachers to sign up for choice activities throughout the day, as well as a preview of the 8th grade video. There will not be a formal promotion ceremony but we look forward to providing a day where students can celebrate their friendships made throughout the last three years before moving on to their respective high schools. This day will be for students only. More details will come closer to the celebration day.


If you have any questions please email 8th grade assistant principal, Rebecca Reyes, rlreyes@olatheschools.org

REPEAT: 6th and 7th Grade End-of-Year

Our 6th and 7th grade students will also take part in end-of-year activities through their teams/teachers. This may include awards presented within the classroom, project based activities, and other class-specific culminating activities.

CST Summer Camps!

Printable sign-up form below the screen grabs...
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Printable Summer Camp Form

The 21st Century Design Academy of Olathe East is hosting a summer camp

Join the staff and students of the Design Academy at Olathe East High School for our summer camp that will introduce you to the world of design using indoor and outdoor design challenges! Camp is May 25-27 from 8:00am-12:00pm. Register today on our website design@olatheschools.org
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After School Academic Help

Wildcat After Hours Update

To help teacher-assigned students be more successful in Wildcat After Hours, we are going to make a few changes this quarter. Please look at the following items:


1. If a teacher is assigning a student, then the assigning teacher must either provide a “homework to-do” list for the student, or have the student create their own work to-do list. When the student arrives at WAH, the student will then present their to-do list as their “entry ticket.” The WAH teacher will ensure that the student completes all of the assignments on the list. You are welcome to use this to-do list as an option. If a student does not arrive with a to-do list, then the WAH teacher cannot guarantee that all of the student’s work will be completed.


2. All students must stay until 4:15, even if they finish their work early. The assigning teacher must contact the student’s parents and make it clear that the student will be released at 4:15. If a student must leave early, then the parent will need to directly contact the WAH teacher.


3. With the arrival of baby Servaes, Lindsey Bingham and Samantha Collins will take turns covering Allison's Wednesday slots. Please refer to this calendar to see who oversees WAH each day.


If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Reyes.

Math Lab Times Have Been Updated!

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Busing for 21-22--Available May 1st

Open Registration for 2021-2022 bus transportation will be available May 1


  • All payride and registration dates will be updated on the OPS Bus Info website by the end of April.
  • The website link for 2021-22 registration is scheduled to go live on May 1 and families will receive a Blackboard notification with a link to the registration portal.
  • Families accessing Special Services busing will receive a separate Blackboard notification with a link to ED and K-NG online request forms. These are currently available on the OPS Bus Info website under ‘Registration’ with tabs titled ‘Special Education’ and ‘Early Childhood. Families may complete the requests at any time.


More info on busing can be found at this link...

https://www.olatheschools.org/Domain/2918

A note from the counselors:


Today we were in 7th grade student classroom discussing all the high school options they have as a part of the Olathe Schools. You can access your students work through their Xello account in Class Link. Here is the link that can take you directly to the Olathe Career Pathways website: https://sites.google.com/students.olatheschools.com/career-pathways-fair/home.

Today was not about making decisions it was about getting your students the information they will need to make decisions next year. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your students counselor with any questions.

Thank you,

Ms. Silkett & Mrs. Rodden

Counselor Minute Meetings

Beginning next week, counselors will begin "minute meetings" with students. Mrs. Silkett and Mrs. Rodden will work on goal setting and follow up with students in short "minute meetings". This will eventually reach all students as we move into next year. Please read below a message from CST counselors about these meetings and its goals. Feel free to reach out to Mrs. Silkett or Mrs. Rodden with questions.


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Counselor minute meetings are a 2 minute or less meeting to set and track social and emotional goals with students. Mrs. Rodden and Mrs. Silkett are paired with a core teacher and will set up a meeting spot outside that classroom to facilitate students being out of class for the least amount of time. This initial meeting may take 5 or so minutes to leave time to explain our goals to them so they understand. We will track this goal through the end of the year by meeting with them at least two more times in the same fashion.


As counselors we are excited to begin this process as this allows us to connect with every student on a different level, as well as, support them in learning how to set and track goals. Most importantly it will give us time to give them the individual tools, or strategies, they may need to withstand certain circumstances. If you would like your student to participate in the beginning stages of this great addition to our CST building please let your students counselor know by Tuesday, 3/30 so they can be sure to have what they need that would be awesome.

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Future Falcon Football Skills Camp Grades 7 & 8


Who: Any current 6th or 7th grade student in Olathe

When: June 17th, & 24th, & July 8th, & 15th 9:00am - 11:30am

Where: Olathe South Football Field

Head Football Coach Craig Lewis, his staff and several HS players would like to invite you to their annual Future Falcons Football Skills Camp. This will be a controlled camp intended to teach the proper fundamentals and the skills used in football for QB, RB, & WR’s. Safety will be taught and practiced in every drill. This is a great opportunity to have high school coaches alongside some HS players teaching football together. Skills will include: Passing, catching a ball correctly, running back skills, blocking in space, teaching the football mindset, and understanding base defenses.

Cost: The camp will cost $40


Checks Payable to Olathe South Falcon Football


This camp includes: 1 Camp T-Shirt

Forms due: Please turn the form and payment to Coach Lewis, as soon as possible.

ENTRY FORM HERE: https://forms.gle/Ly3G6bGyFJhXbdCw6

Curbside Library book pick up on Tuesdays will no longer be available

Families may still come up to school during the school day the rest of the year and drop off/pick up books for their remote kiddos and if a teacher wants to give out a class novel, we will hold special curbside dates just for that.

CST Traffic Pattern

Odds and Ends and a Few Expectations

Admin visited with all students at the beginning of the year to discuss the Student Code of Conduct (found HERE) as well as ways to get involved at CST, student resources in the building, and CST expectations. Below are a few CST-specific items for review as we begin the 4th quarter...


Water Bottles--PLEASE BRING WATER BOTTLES

Students should bring water bottles to be filled throughout the day. We have several bottle filler stations in the building and the drinking spout is not accessible this year. Bottles should have a secure cap and paper cone cups are available in the nurses office, but students are strongly encouraged to bring their own water bottle.


Extra-Curricular Activities

It's not too late to join the track team! There is a strong link between school involvement and academic success. Reminder: To participate in an extra-curricular activity, students must be in attendance a minimum of four class periods during the day of the activity. Please contact the coach or sponsor prior to the excused absence on the day of an extra-curricular activity.


Backpacks

Students may carry backpacks throughout the day since lockers have not been issued this year. Cell phones should be turned to silent or off and stay in backpacks during the day to limit distractions during academic time.


Attire

Clothing worn to school should be worn as it was designed to be worn, appropriate for school and school activities, and should not interfere with the educational process. Undergarments should not be exposed. Clothing should provide appropriate coverage for school. Hats are not permitted during the school day. Rule of thumb: we are an academic environment. We're at school, not the pool.
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From District Nurse Coordinator

There has been an update to the Primary and Secondary symptoms of COVID-19 per JCDHE. Fever is no longer considered to be a primary symptom of COVID-19 even in secondary students and adults. It is now a secondary symptoms which means there needs to be at least one other symptom of COVID in order to classify the person as have COVID-like Illness requiring exclusion and/or testing. The symptoms are now as listed below:

Primary (any one symptom):

  • New, persistent cough
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Loss of taste and/or smell (this is so specific that even in the presence of a negative PCR test, the person is considered COVID positive)

Secondary symptoms (any two or more symptoms):

  • Extreme fatigue
  • Fever (100o +) or chills
  • Congestion/runny nose
  • Nausea/vomiting/diarrhea
  • Sore throat
  • Headache
  • Muscle or body aches

CHISHOLM TRAIL BELL SCHEDULE


23/7 CAT SPLIT

CAT 7:50 – 8:13

1st hour 8:17 – 9:07

2nd hour 9:11 – 10:01

3rd hour 10:05 – 10:55

4th hour 10:59 -11:49 (10:59-12:14 for 6th grade)

  • 6th grade Lunch
  • 10:59-11:24 (Taulbee, Totte-Boyd, Clark, Williams, Horner, Parker)
  • 11:24-11:49 (Grauberger, Snethen, Olvera, Marye)

5th hour 11:53 – 1:11

  • 7th grade Staggered Lunch
  • 11:49 – 12:15 (Ruffin, Jones, Cromer, Rodriguez)
  • 11:55 – 12:20 (Reed, M. Kinzer, Hylton, Kusek)

  • 8th grade 1st Lunch 12:20 – 12:45
  • (Carroll, R. Sheffield, Boyd, Rotert, Woolcott, Waller, Sutter)

  • 8th grade 2nd Lunch 12: 46 – 1:11
  • (Stumbo, Detrick, Robison, Haines, Gibson,)


6th hour 1:15 – 2:05

7th hour 2:09 – 2: 59

CAT 3:03 – 3:10

District Assessment Communication

State assessments will be coming up in April. All students, remote and in-person learners, are being asked to take the state assessment. We will communicate date and time opportunities for our remote students. These will be during non-school hours and for only our remote learners. Stay tuned for details in future weeklies. Below is the message from our director of curriculum and assessment.


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Dear District Families,


During the spring of the 2019-20 academic year, the Kansas Department of Education made the decision to not administer state assessments, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This spring, with schools being open and the majority of students learning in person, KSDE has made the decision to return to administering state assessments. This decision to move forward with testing is a positive one, embraced by the Olathe district. As we move towards the end of this school year, it is important our district has evidence of academic learning, as well as evidence of academic needs moving into the 2021-22 academic year.


KSDE has shared the expectation with school districts that ALL students take state assessments, even those students who have chosen to learn Remotely. For Olathe students who have chosen In-Person learning, this will feel very normal and state assessments will be scheduled during the normal school day, as in the past. For our students learning Remotely, the design of the state assessments requires that students take the assessments in person at school. Currently, each building is working on a plan to safely assess Remote students and they will reach out to families of Remote students in the next few weeks with those plans. The Olathe Public Schools expects all students to take the state assessments and provide the district and families with much-needed information to make the best decisions possible for 2021-22.


Once building administrators have sent state testing details to their communities, please feel free to contact your school’s principal (or building test coordinator) with additional questions.


Rich Wilson

Director of Curriculum and Assessment

Attendance

Attendance Corner

Welcome Parents to the 2020-21 School Year. A few suggestions to help us tackle attendance for your student(s) during this hybrid learning experience. Attendance is more crucial during these unprecedented times. We ask that you notify Chisholm Trail Attendance Office, preferably before 8:00am with your students all day absence. You can use any of the following methods of contacting us:

1. Call dedicated Attendance Line (voicemail only) – 913-780-7241

2. Call CST Main Line – 913-780-7240 (voicemail after 4:00pm)

3. Email Connie Bray, Attendance Secretary @ cbraycst@olatheschools.org

*all emails will be responded to with a follow-up email for verification of receiving

Information needed to report absence:

· Student Name

· Student Grade

· Your Relationship to Student

· Reason for absence (i.e. illness description, appointment, etc.)

· Phone number to return call (if needed for further info)

Due to remote learning, if your student checks out for an appointment, we ask for a second notification to Attendance (again via any of the 3 methods listed above) if student returns to learning with a time of return. If you contact your student(s) teacher via email please cc Connie Bray with info as to help us.


Please refer to this request as we proceed to continue to help make this school year as positive as we possibly can. We are always here to assist you in any way we can. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. Thank you, and together we can do this.


Attendance Secretary,

Connie Bray

Office Staff

Receptionist: Chrissy Walters

Assistant Principal's Secretary: Angie Peterson

Attendance Secretary: Connie Bray

Bookkeeper/Principal's Secretary: Andrea Wescott

Data Operator: Melynda Marquardt

School Nurse: Jennifer Ross


Please keep info updated (email, phone number, medical, etc.). Contact the office at 913-780-7240 if you are concerned you may be missing communication or need to update your family's information.

CST Admin and Counselors