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The Collegiate Connection
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Our Mission Statement
We prepare students for advanced education, successful
careers and responsible citizenship through a commitment
to academic excellence and humanitarian ideals. |
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From Our Head of School
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Dear Parents and Friends,
We have finished our first full week of school.
Here are a few of the pleasures that I have
experienced:
1. Watching parents walking into school
holding hands with their students (especially
dads).
2. Watching children at play during
recesses (especially 7th and 8th grade boys and
girls jumping rope as a group), being allowed to
enjoy their youth.
3. Helping first graders learn to tie their
shoes. (I'm the gray-haired one in the
photo.)
4. Seeing students in the lunchroom
sitting at round tables, having conversations
with each other.
5. Observing our teachers instructing your
children in special ways to stimulate their
minds.
6. Watching teachers energized and excited
by their interaction with students.
7. Seeing faculty members enjoy quality
non-instructional time with students, refereeing
a touch football game or playing catch.
8. Watching two faculty members help a sad
student get happy by finding a way to salvage
the computer work he thought was lost.
9. Watching the whole school together
today in our first all-school assembly. It was
a great example of the impact of our middle
school students as role models for younger
students.
I feel that parents are
establishing a very positive community feeling in
the school. The Parent Council and Multicultural
Education Committee (MEC) are teaming up to
establish a community room for parents to have a
place in school to get information, to gather for
coffee before school, and to be included in all
schools events.
Topeka Collegiate's success is based on the
partnerships that are formed with the parents and
teachers in the development of your child. Together
we can help our students represent our mission of
academic excellence, responsible citizenship and
humanitarian ideals.
I am inspired by what I
observe at Topeka Collegiate every day. I hope that
you are able to spend some time during school hours
to see what I see.
Your partner in the development of your child,
Dick Patterson
Head of School
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Calendar Highlights -- August and September,
2009 |
Monday, August 31
-- Spirit wear apparel order forms
due. MEC meeting, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.,
TCS conference room (room 111).
Everyone is welcome.
Thursday, September 3
-- Junior Pre-K (half-day program)
Orientation
Friday, September 4
-- Schoolwide roller skating party
at Sk8Away, 814 SW Fairlawn, 5:00 -
7:00 p.m. $3 per skater, all ages.
Wear your TCS spirit gear!
Monday, September 7
-- No school - Labor Day. Child care
WILL NOT be available.
Tuesday, September 8
-- First day of school for Junior
Pre-Kindergarten (half-day program)
students.
Monday, September 14
-- School picture day.
Friday, September 18
-- Parent social for all grade
levels. Adults only, please.
Saturday, September 26
-- Topeka Collegiate Night at the
Kansas City Wizards.
Monday, September 28
-- No school - teacher in-service
day. Childcare is available from
7:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Students
should bring a lunch.
Thursday, October 1 -
Family Read Night from 5:30
to 6:30 p.m.
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Spirit Fridays Every Week
Special-Order Spirit Wear by Monday, August 31
Deadline
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Every Friday at Topeka Collegiate is now a "Spirit
Friday!" Students are encouraged to wear either their
blue TCS collared polo shirt (which will be delivered to
new students soon) or any of a number of spirit wear
items for sale in the Eagles Nest or by special order.
Our Spirit Gear team of Debbie Gibson and Leslie Ham
are taking orders on the following items through
Monday, August 31st. No orders on this
apparel will be accepted after August 31st. Please
order carefully; we cannot accept exchanges or
refunds on these special-order items.
We want to thank every family that purchased spirit
gear last year and helped us purchase flat screens
monitors for our computer lab! This year's
proceeds plan to be used to purchase Smartboards
(electronic white boards).
We appreciate your school spirit and support!
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Junior Pre-Kindergarten (Half Day Pre-K)
Orientation -- Thursday, September 3
First Day of School -- Tuesday, September 8
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An orientation has been scheduled for Thursday,
September 3 from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. for parents of
children enrolled in our half day Jr. Pre-K program.
Openings still exist in this program. Classes begin
Tuesday, September 8.
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Topeka Collegiate Night at the Kansas City Wizards --
Saturday, September 26, 7:30 - 10:00 |
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Topeka Collegiate
After School and Weekend Adventures Presents
Topeka Collegiate Night at the Wizards
To kick of the addition of Weekend Adventures to the
Topeka Collegiate After School Adventures Program,
we have partnered with The Wizards, Kansas City's
Professional Soccer team, to create a Topeka
Collegiate Night at the Wizards!
Join us as the Wizards play the Colorado Rapids on
September 26, 2009. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
and will be played at the CommunityAmerica Ballpark
(just west of The Legends in Kansas City, Kansas).
Tickets are now on sale!
$25 ticket includes
- Stadium seating in a
special Topeka Collegiate Section
- A pass to go on the field
before the game to help form a human tunnel which
the Wizards will run though and slap your hands as
they take the field
- A pass to go on the field
after the game where kids will be able to take a
goal shot!
Additional Add On Options:
Ball Kid (available to youth
ages 12 and up)
- $25 in addition to
admission ticket price - all proceeds benefit
Topeka Collegiate
- Spend the entire game on
the field serving as a Ball Kid, ready to throw in a
new ball when the game ball is kicked out of bounds
- Training and special
t-shirt provided prior to the game
- Spots are limited to the
first 14, so order early!
Flag Bearer (available to children ages 8 to 13)
- $15 in addition to
admission ticket price - all proceeds benefit Topeka
Collegiate
- Be on the field as part of
the opening ceremony as you help carry the FIFA Fair
Play and MLS flags
- Receive training prior to
the game
- Spots are limited to the
first 12, so order early!
Because Topeka Collegiate
profits from the sale of tickets, please consider
selling additional tickets to your friends, family,
and soccer teams.
To order tickets, e-mail Dallas Bauer, Director of
Extended Day Programs, or complete an order form.
Order forms are available outside the Extended Day
room (room 110)
If you are interested in a
Ball Kid or Flag Bearer Add On, please contact Ms.
Bauer to ensure there are spots still available.
You may e-mail her at
dbauer@topekacollegiate.org, call her at
554-8799, or see her in person! Orders will be
confirmed via e-mail by Ms. Bauer and you will be
notified when tickets are ready for pick up.
Tickets are non-refundable.
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From Our Health Room: |
- Please be sure to hand in your child's Topeka
Collegiate Health Form. By state law this form needs
to filled out each year for each child. If you need
a copy you may stop by the office or access it on
our web site at www.topekacollegiate.org and search
under "Forms".
- It is important you let us know of any dietary
restrictions your child may have due to health,
religious or personal reasons.
- Also, if your child has had any additional shots
since you provided the Health Room with a copy,
please send an updated version.
- Do you have smaller-sized clothing you could
pass on to our "emergency" stockpile? We are
seeking underwear, pants, shorts, and sweatpants to
keep on hand in the health room for those occasions
when our younger students need a quick change.
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From our Lower School Spanish Teacher: |
Hola,
We are off to a great start in Spanish this year. I
have included a list of the days I see each grade
because on those days is when I will be posting the
homework assignment for each class. For example: I see
3rd grade on Mondays and Thursdays so any homework that
is sent home will be posted on RenWeb on those days.
Pre-K : Tuesday and Friday.
K: Tuesday and Thursday.
1 - Mrs. Wells: Monday and Wednesday.
1 - Mrs. Schwerdt: Tuesday and Thursday.
2 - Mrs. Bammes: Monday and Thursday.
2 - Mrs. Mosier: Tuesday and Wednesday.
3 - Monday and Thursday.
4A - Mrs.Oswald: Monday and Wednesday.
4B - Mrs.Oswald: Tuesday and Friday.
5 - Mr. Park: Wednesday.
5 - Mrs. Jackson: Friday.
There have also been a couple of questions about a
hand-out given to 5th graders titled "Utiles expresiones
orales para conversar en la classe de espanol". This
hand-out is just a list of common expressions that will
be used in Spanish class. We will be learning and using
them as the year goes on so that we can all eventually
speak Spanish in class.
Thank you parents and fellow teachers for all your help
and making me feel welcome. Feel free to contact me if
you have any questions.
Gracias,
Graciela Berumen
Lower School Spanish Teacher |
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Our Dress Guidelines |
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At Topeka Collegiate we believe in a solid partnership
between the school and our parents. In this regard our
dress guidelines are based on the premise that a
student's attire reflects his or her sense of
self-esteem, concern for the general appearance and
feeling of the school, and does not distract from the
educational climate. Students are to wear clothing that
is neat, clean and appropriate for the school day and
are expected to maintain these standards throughout the
school day. Please be aware your child's dress in the
morning as he or she leaves for school and feel free to
call the school with any questions you might have
regarding dress. |
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Très bien!
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Irene N. ranked #2 and Laura N.
ranked #4 in the nation in their respective divisions in
the le Grand Concours 2009, a national exam
sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of
French. This annual event evaluates students' listening
comprehension and written skills in French. More than
100,000 students in the United States participated this
year, and of those, ten national winners were from
Kansas.
Félicitations, Irene and Laura! |
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What I Did on My Summer Vacation. . . |
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Haley P. '08, Michael P.
and Emily P.; Meaghan R.
'08, Meredith R., William M.
'08, and Alexandra M. swam
competitively for the Topeka Swim Association.
Sixth grader David L. went
fishing - and how! Here's his "fish tale ":
This is a photo of the fish that I caught in the
Lake of the Woods. It is a 23 and ¾ inch Walleye.
Lake of the Woods is on the Minnesota/
Canadian border. It is 90 miles by 55 miles
in size, When I caught this fish we were 30
miles out into the lake. The land you see in the
background are islands, of which there are
14,000. This trip was great fun.
First grader Tanner H. won first
place and the patriotic prize pinata in the
watermelon carving contest at the annual Potwin
Fourth of July picnic.
taff
Staff Development Director
and History Department Chair Sonja Czarnecki
traveled to Turkey as part of a study tour sponsored
by the Turkish Cultural Foundation. Here she is at
Catalhoyuk, the Neolithic excavation site.
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Welcome Back! |
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This year we are welcoming 30 new students and 25
new families to our school. Our current enrollment
stands at 256.
We are still enrolling in all grade levels. If you
or someone else have a student interested in joining
our school family, please contact Admission Director
Linda Kehres at 228-0490 or by email at
lkehres@topekacollegiate.org.
Sho (1st) and Kai
(3rd) G.
Jack R. (3rd)
Aubree A. (1st), Kathryn
G. (K) and Mr. Patterson
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Ben and Me (and You!) |
Topeka Collegiate is having its
first Family Read Night on October 1 from 5:30 to 6:30
p.m. at our school. The book we will be studying is "Ben
and Me" by Robert Lawson. In this book Amos the mouse
claims to be the one behind all of Franklin's inventions
and discoveries. "Ben and Me" is full of fact and
fiction; children and families will read it and sort out
both. You read it and decide!
Parents and students may sign up to participate. You may
also invite friends and family members to join in the
reading, discussion, and activities on October 1.
Thank you to the following volunteers for helping out in
the library: Elena Carrington, Leslie Ham, and Harriett
Johnson; and Washburn University librarians Heather
Collins, Paula Inman, and Patricia Renn-Scanlon.
 Librarian Jan
Allison and husband Sid dressed as characters Amos
the mouse and Ben Franklin from the book "Ben and
Me". Thanks to Ryan McCoy, Topeka West High School
Drama Department for use of the costumes.
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The Extended Day Care Program at TCS
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As a service to our families, Topeka Collegiate
offers child care before school, after school, and
on selected days off. While the following
summary will give you an overview of the program,
you should always check our Extended Day Care
Program page on our web site for updated information
before making child care plans.
Before-school
care is available from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. every
day that school is in session. The charge for
before-school care is $6 a hour and is billed in
15-minute increments. For your child's safety and
for your peace of mind, any student not directly
supervised by a parent or designated adult will be
signed in to before-school care.
Students are welcome to bring their breakfast to
before-school care. In addition, granola bars and
breakfast bars will be available until 8:00 a.m.
(7:45 a.m. for Middle School).
After-school
care is available from 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. every
day that school is in session a full day.
The charge for after-school care is $6 an hour and
time is billed in 15-minute increments. For your
child's safety and for your peace of mind, any
student not directly supervised by a parent or
designated adult within 15 minutes of school or an
extracurricular activity ending will be signed in to
after-school care.
Parents can expect the following each day their
child is in after-school care: A substantial
healthy snack (fresh fruit, yogurt, string
cheese, pretzels, and/or peanut butter crackers,
along with ice water, milk, or 100% fruit
juice), play time outside, academic time in a
classroom setting where they can complete
homework and read, and structured free time in
the Extended Day room.
In recognition of students' hard work during the
week, special snacks are served on Fridays, and
academic time is replaced with special
activities such as a movies, arts and crafts
projects, organized games outside, and gym time.
After-school care ends promptly at 5:45 p.m. A late
fee of $1 per minute will be charged after 5:45 p.m.
For their safety, students are not released from
after-school care until an Extended Day staff member
makes visual contact with a parent or other person
designated to pick the student up.
In addition to before and after-school care, the
Extended Day Program offers child care on many days
when school is not in session.
Half-Day Care
Child care for Pre-Kindergarten
through 8th Grade will be available from 12:15
p.m. to 5:45 p.m. on half days of school (with the
exception of the last day of school). Students will
need to bring a lunch from home. An afternoon snack
will be provided.
Child care will be available for
these scheduled half days of school:
- Friday, October 30 (Halloween)
- Tuesday, November 24 (Thanksgiving break begins)
- Friday, December 18 (winter break begins)
- Friday, April 16 (teacher in-service day)
In the event that child care has to be cancelled for
a particular day due to low enrollment numbers,
parents will receive a one-week notice via e-mail.
Full-Day Care
Child care for Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade
will be available from 7:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on
teacher in-service days, teacher work days, and
parent-teacher conference days.
Parents may chose to register their child(ren) for
the entire day or half of the day. Students who will
be in child care at 11:30 a.m. will need to bring a
lunch from home. A mid-morning snack and an
afternoon snack will be provided.
Child care will be available for
these scheduled days off:
- Monday, September 28 (teacher in-service day)
- Monday, October 19 (teacher work day)
- Thursday, November 5 (parent-teacher
conferences)
- Friday, November 6 (parent-teacher conferences)
- Monday, January 4 (teacher in-service day)
- Friday, February 12 (parent-teacher
conferences)
- Monday, March 22 (teacher in-service day)
In the event that child care has to be cancelled for
a particular day due to low enrollment numbers,
parents will receive a one week notice via e-mail.
Child Care will not
be available on the following days:
Monday, September 7 (Labor Day)
Monday, January 18 (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
Monday, February 15 (Presidents' Day)
Monday, April 19 (No school)
Wednesday, May 26 (Summer vacation begins - noon
dismissal)
Thursday, May 27 (Summer vacation)
Friday, May 28 (Summer vacation)
Regular Fee
Half-day: $32 (7:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or
12:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.)
Full-day: $63 (7:15 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.)
Special Fee
Families who register their child(ren) a
week prior to the date of service will be charged
the rate below:
Half-Day: $25 (7:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or 12:30
p.m. to 5:45 p.m.)
Full-day: $45 (7:15 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.)
Registration
Families may register for any date as early
as they wish by signing up in the folder labeled
"Half-Day and Full-day Child Care" which is located
outside the Extended Day Room or by e-mailing Ms.
Bauer at
dbauer@topekacollegiate.org. Space is limited,
so early registration is recommended. You may remove
your name from the list at anytime; however, those
listed one week prior to the service date will be
charged and refunds will not be available. *Families
who need to utilize Extended Care on a regular
basis, but find the cost prohibitive, should contact
Dallas Bauer for possible financial assistance.
For more information on the Extended Day classroom
locations, staff, and schedules, select the
"Programs" tab on the TCS web page, then click on
"Extended Day Care," or click
here.
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Thank you, A. Family and A's Catering! |
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When we ordered 300 frozen hot
dogs for back-to-school picnic on August 18th, our plans
were to grill them on the patio and serve them in the
Assembly Hall. Imagine our surprise when our grill
wouldn't function correctly - we heard it was like
trying to cook a frozen hot dog over a candle flame.
Lucky for us, the A. family had arranged to donate some
200 barbecued beef sandwiches. Not only did they deliver
the food to the school, they even stayed and served it!
Disaster averted!
We are so grateful for the Abouds' generosity. Thank
you, Brad, Deborah, and Coral, too! |
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Volunteer Spotlight On: |
 Kim
Baker defies easy categorization.
She is part-time parent volunteer, part-time staff
member, and full-time helper whenever there's a job to
be done, particularly if it involves writing or
proofreading. Kim's motto might be "Have chair. Will
travel." She can often be spotted rolling her chair from
front office to Development Office to lunchroom, with
her laptop stowed on the seat.
One of Kim's most important volunteer jobs, as
Parent Council School Support Chair, is to match
volunteers with volunteer opportunities in the
lunchroom, front office, classrooms, etc. A former
auction co-chair, Kim is also part of this year's
auction team, with plans to head up the Auction
Preview.
Thank you to Kim Baker - a reliable and valuable TCS
volunteer.
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Eagle Idea Box |
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Because we value your opinions, we would love to hear
your ideas and feedback as we all continue to work
towards making TCS the very best it can be for our
children.
Please stop by room 110 (our future Community Room)
where we will have idea forms for you to fill out
and drop in the eagle idea box, or you can
e-mail your ideas to
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This $500 Could Be Yours! |
By simply referring a family
to Topeka Collegiate School, you can earn $500!
Do you know a family who might be
interested in enrolling their child at Topeka Collegiate
School? For every child who enrolls based on your referral,
we will give you a $500 rebate on your tuition!
To refer a student or for more
information, contact Admissions Director Linda Kehres at
228-0490 or
lkehres@topekacollegiate.org
*Rebate applies only to enrolling
families not already in the school's system. Enrolling
family must name referring family on application.
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Earn Money for Collegiate Through Everyday Activities! |
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You can earn money for Topeka Collegiate through everyday
activities like going to the grocery store, searching and
shopping online, and recycling useful products. Click on the
links for more information on participating brands and special
promotions.
 www.goodsearch.com
-- Each time you use GoodSearch, a Yahoo!-powered search engine,
for your online searches, Topeka Collegiate receives a cash
donation. Be sure to designate Topeka Collegiate as your
designated cause.
 Box
Tops for Education -- For each Box Tops 4 Education coupon
you clip and turn in to the office, TCS receives 10 cents. The
Box Tops logo can be found on hundreds of participating brands
from diapers to frozen vegetables to disposable bags. And if
you shop online at the Box Tops marketplace, a portion of every
qualifying purchase (up to 22%) is donated to our school at no
extra cost to you. Participating online stores include GapKids,
Pottery Barn, Hotels.com, and Lands' End. During the 2008-2009
school year, your contributions earned our school $748.26!
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Dillons grocery store merchandise cards are available for
purchase for $20 each in the school office. The cards may be
used at any Dillon's store for merchandise including
prescriptions and gas.
For every card you buy, Topeka Collegiate receives a six
percent rebate. For every $1,000 of Dillons cards we
sell, the school receives $60, for example. The 6%
rebate will go in to the Eagles Flight Fund, which will
be used to support our school's operating budget.
The Dillons card is like cash. It buys a full $20 worth
of groceries or gas, but cannot be replaced if it is
lost and is not reloadable.
 Best
Choice Labels -- When you purchase Best Choice brand
products, clip out and return the UPC portion
(the proof of purchase) to the office. For each bundle of 1,000
UPCs, our school will earn $30. Topeka-area stores that
carry Best Choice products are Apple Market, Tilton's Westside,
Price Chopper, Perry Lecompton and Oskaloosa Thriftways, and
Checkers.
Campbell's Labels for Education -- You no longer need to
save the entire label - just the UPC code as
shown above is needed for redemption. Other brand names besides
Campbell's in this program include Pepperidge Farm, Prego,
Swanson, V8, Market Day, Franco-American, and SpaghettiO's.
 Nestlé
Pure Life Water Labels -- Update:
PROGRAM DISCONTINUED BY MANUFACTURER.
  Tyson
Project A+ Labels -- Labels from boxes and bags of
Tyson frozen chicken products are worth 24¢ to Topeka
Collegiate. Clip the end flap from boxes (top
left) or the top edge from bags (bottom right).
 Office
Depot 5% Back to Schools Program -- 5% of your purchase
comes directly to the school in the form of free
supplies. School supplies qualify for the program, while
computers, technology items, and other items do not. Simply
identify TCS as your school choice at the checkout and/or
supply the school ID number: 70039209. Past purchases can
be credited to the school as long as they were made within
the last quarter.
 Target
Take Charge of Education Program -- Apply and get approved
for a Target REDCard. When you enroll, designate TCS as your
school of choice and Target will send our school a
no-strings-attached check worth up to 1% of your REDCard
purchases at Target and Target.Com.
Recycle your old cell phones, printer
and toner cartridges, plastic containers
marked with a 1 or 2 within a triangle, paper,
corrugated cardboard, and newspapers --
all of these items are collected and redeemed for cash. Please
place old cell phones and printer cartridges in the collection
boxes across from the main office in the teachers' workroom.
Plastic, cardboard, paper, and newspaper may be placed in the
marked Dumpsters on the east side of the campus. |
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