| March 29, 2008 | Issue 16 |
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The Collegiate Connection
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| From Our Head of School |
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Dear Friends,
First through eighth graders will be taking the MAT-8
(Metropolitan Achievement Test) from March 31 through April
4. MAT-8 is a standardized test that measures a student's
achievement in various academic areas and compares the
results to a normed group. Please make sure your child gets
plenty of rest and a nutritious breakfast every day next
week.
This year, we are administering the tests in the spring
rather than in November. This way, the scores will more
accurately reflect the students' knowledge based on most of
the school year, rather than a few short months. You will
receive your student's MAT-8 scores when they are compiled
and returned to us from the testing company.
You may have heard the word "Rubicon" in discussions with
your child's teacher or an administrator. What is Rubicon?
Rubicon
Atlas is a school-wide, web-based curriculum mapping program
that we've adopted this year.
Using
Atlas, curricular information can be assembled and used by
curriculum decision makers to:
Atlas can also allow parents a larger view of what their children are experiencing in the classroom and the requirements needed to excel. Our faculty have spent in-service time this year - most recently on Monday - learning to use what we are confident will be a valuable tool for them and for our students.
Finally, our new
school web site has been up and running for a month now. We
thank TCS parent Andrew Goodrick for all the hours of work
he put in to complete this project. We hope you find the
new site attractive and easy to navigate. We'd like to hear
what you think. Please give us some feedback at
suggestions@topekacollegiate.org.
Warm Regards,
David Hudspeth |
| Quick Links |
| Calendar Highlights |
|
March 31st - April 4th -- MAT
8 Testing
April 3 -- Parent Council
Meeting 5:30
April 5 --
State Science Olympiad
April 10 -- Mary Poppins --
Assembly Hall
April 14 -- In
Service (Extended Care Available)
April 17 -- Day in the Life of a
Lower School Student 9:30-11:00
April 17 -- Lower School Open
House 5:30-7:00
April 17 -- 27 Third Grade Rain
Forest
April 22 -- Earth Day
Celebration 5-7 p.m.
April 25 --
25th Anniversary Celebration,
Heritage Hall (Ks. Expocentre), 6-11
p.m.
April 26 --
State History Day
April 27 --
25th Anniversary Picnic, TCS, 12 - 3
p.m.
May 1 -- Open
Forum, 5:30 dinner, 6:00 p.m.
meeting
May 2 -- Day
of the Child
May 6 -- Lower School Field Day
May 9 -- Middle School Field Day
Follow the quick link
(above right) to a concise academic calendar
for 2007-2008.
Follow the quick link
(above right) to a full events calendar for
2007-2008.
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| The Rules of Comedy--Middle School Play |
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What do you get when you take two rubber chickens, a pie fight
and a band of pirates and inject them into the most tragic scene
in all of literature? We're not sure either, but we do
guarantee a night of laughter (except during the parts that
aren't funny). Mark your calendars, April 18th and 19th at 7:00
p.m. for the middle school's production of The Rules of
Comedy by Peter Bloedel. |
| Parent Council News |
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The next meeting is
4/03/08. Please plan to attend. The minutes
to the 2/7/08 meeting are posted online. PC
Meeting Minutes 02/08/08
12/6/07; 2/7/08; 4/3/08
All meetings will begin at
5:30 p.m.
Officers
President - Joe Pennington (contact Joe
with agenda items)
Vice President - Dave Lob
Treasurer - Elena Carrington
Secretary - Tracey Goering
Fundraising - Julie Unruh
Special Events - Debra Ricks & Sarah Shipman
School Support - Kim Baker
Marketing - Mary Brownback
MEC - Dallas Bauer
Communications - Jill Cox
Anyone wishing to volunteer on any of these
committees should contact the Volunteer
Chairperson listed above.
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| New and Returning Students |
TCS has two more new students this month!
Starting in the Pre-k today is Lilliya L.,
younger sister of Carl and Max L.
She is joining Mrs. Mosier's class for the remainder of the
year. Trystan C. has joined Mrs. Van Aalst's
kindergarten class.
 
Returning to TCS are ZiYan D.
and Riley H. Zi Yan is in Mrs. Kido's 3rd
grade class and Riley is in Mrs. Oswald's 4th grade class.
Please welcome these two students back to our school.
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| MAT-8 Testing Dates Set |
| Dates have been set for MAT-8 standardized testing. First through eighth graders will be taking the tests the week of March 31 - April 4. Please make sure your students get plenty of sleep that week and send them off with a nutritious breakfast so they can perform their best on the tests. |
| MATHCOUNTS Team State Results |
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Congratulations to the Mathcounts Team of eighth graders Nicky H. and Edward C., sixth grader Josh G., and seventh grader Cain M. for their outstanding performance at the State Mathcounts contest on March 8 in Salina . Of the 26 schools represented at the state level, our team placed 5th! Congratulations to our top scorer, Nicky H., who brought home a 7th place individual trophy. To do so well at the state level reflects the strength of each team member, as well as their ability to work together as a team. Mr. McCoy and I are both proud of them!
Mrs. Hoyt
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| 25th Anniversary Celebration Calendar and Contest |
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At the end of the first semester the lower and middle school classes with the most points received pizza parties. At the end of the second semester, the students in the classroom with the most points for the entire year will all receive movie passes.
At the end of the year each student will have a chance for every point he or she received to be in a drawing for a grand prize. There will be a middle school winner and a lower school winner. The grand prizes will be a $100 gift certificate at Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Wal-Mart or Toys 'R' Us.
Your child's homeroom teacher will have a chart in the classroom to keep track of the students' participation. If one of the activities is off-site please have your child remind his or her teacher to record it on the chart.
Here is a list of the activities. Some dates are still to be established.
Back to School Picnic - 8/14 Raising of the 25th Anniversary Flag - 8/15 25th Anniversary Assembly - 9/7 Human number 25 Photo Shoot - 9/7 Chili Supper - 10/3 Run for a Reason - 10/13 Dress up for Halloween - 10/31 Buy a book at the Book Fair - 11/12-11/20 Dress up for Stucco Spirit Day - Jan. Participate in making the classroom auction item - Jan. Attend the History Day Fair - 2/5 Attend the Art Show Participate in the Multi Cultural Event Attend the 3rd Grade Form and Function Science Fair Come to a Skating Party Bingo Night Participate in Day of the Child Attend the Science Fair Participate in Field Day Attend a TCS Sporting Event Perform Community Service (such as donating items or your time or participating in a class project) Match the Staff and Faculty with their pictures from 1982 Dust your dancing shoes off for Disco Night - 3/7 Participate in decorating the Hallways for the Alumni Picnic - 4/25 Current Families and Alumni Picnic - 4/27
Some activities might be subject to change or cancellation. We will keep you and your child updated.
Please show your TCS spirit by encouraging your child and your whole family to participate in the exciting activities planned for this year for our 25th Anniversary! |
It's
time to celebrate our 25th year at Topeka Collegiate. To keep
the spirit going all school year long we have established a 25th
Anniversary Celebration Calendar of 25 activities. TCS students
will get points for every activity they attend or in which they
participate.| Heifer Ranch Visit |
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The seventh grade class traveled to
Perryville, Arkansas for a weekend stay at Heifer Ranch
recently. They learned about what leads to poverty and hunger,
and experienced first hand, however briefly, what it's like to
have to scramble for scarce resources. Students participated in
group activities designed to teach cooperation and raise
awareness about the world's resources. The highlight of the
experience was spending the night in the Global Village
bartering for food, oil, wood, water, and other items to prepare
a community meal and, in some cases, going to bed hungry.
Seventh graders wrote about Heifer in their journals:
"This will definitely be one of my favorite TCS memories
ever."
- Christine E.
"The most important memory was working
together and learning about people in third world
countries. I didn't really want to leave. I learned a
lot about people in poverty and people who were starving
and were hungry. It was a wonderful experience that I'll
never forget. It really made a mark on my life and
changed the way I thought about people living the lives
they are, and how I can help them and change a person's
life."
- Natalie S.
"I knew that poverty was bad in this world,
but living it myself really made me think about
the children across the world that live like
this. I also may have been impacted more than
everyone else because I became sick with a
stomach virus overnight in the village. Now I
realize that kids in these conditions could die
from a simple virus like that due to lack of
hygiene and medicine."
- Sam T.
"I think Heifer was fun and
educational and I would go back again in
a heartbeat."
"I'm starting to see how important it is
to form relationships with our fellow
countries."
- Cooper S.
"I think Heifer has impacted
me to think more about fair
trade and what I consume. I have
also learned more about how much
undeveloped countries suffer."
- Cain M.
- Bailey E.
"We did activities that showed
us you can succeed at a goal easier
if you do it as a community."
-
Alix W.
"I feel that this trip
has made me a better leader,
a better role model, and a
better person."
- Soren L.
If you are interested in more information about Heifer International, follow this link: Heifer International. |
| Pre-K Happenings |
The
pre-k welcomed TCS parent Abeer Asali on Thursday for a special
presentation on Jordan. They learned to say "hello" in Arabic,
participated in a folk dance, and saw traditional clothing.
Thank you to Mohammed's mother for sharing her time and
knowledge.
 
Celebrating "U" week, the pre-k class broke out their
umbrellas even though the sun was shining!
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| Washburn Solo Festival |
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On Saturday, March 8th, five Topeka Collegiate students participated in the Washburn Solo Festival at Washburn University. Open to 7th, 8th and 9th graders, this festival offers students the opportunity to prepare a vocal or instrumental solo, perform it for a judge, and receive comments and a rating for their performance. Hundreds of students from Topeka and the surrounding area participated in this event. Topeka Collegiate students made a great showing. Devin R. and Patrick E. prepared piano solos, and Christine E., Natalie S., and Alex C. prepared vocal solos. Christine (II+), Natalie (II) and Devin (II-) all received an Excellent rating (II) for their performances. Patrick Elisha and Alex Chanay both received a Superior Plus (I+) rating for their performances and so were asked to be a part of the Honor Recital the following evening at White Concert Hall which featured only 13 performers. Congratulations to all five of these students for their fine performances and for taking this opportunity to further their musical education. 
Pictured: Natalie S., Christine E.,
and Devin R.
Pictured: Patrick E.
and Alex C.
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| 2008 Kansas Choral Directors Assocication Honor Choir |
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In November, eighth grader Haley P. and seventh grader Luke M., were selected by audition tape to be members of the 2008 Kansas Choral Directors Association Honor Choir. Five hundred or more students from across the state auditioned and only 200 were chosen. On Friday, February 29 in Wichita, Luke and Haley and fellow honor choir members worked with nationally-known children's choir director Janeal Krehbiel for six hours, then gave a concert as part of the 2008 Kansas Music Educators' Conference.  |
| Mary Poppins Production |
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On Thursday, April 10, at 7:00 p.m. in Assembly Hall, Topeka Collegiate first, second, third and fourth grade music classes will present their version of the beloved musical "Mary Poppins". The students are working hard learning music and lines for this performance and are excited to share their efforts with all of you. Come join us on April 10 for this "SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS" event. |
| Disco Dance |
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The Disco Dance was a huge success and a
fun way to celebrate our school's 25th anniversary. Kids
danced, parents danced, everyone danced! Thank you to the
volunteers who made this event special for everyone:
LeiAndra Jones, Cheryl Kingfisher,
Marilyn Kido, Sarah Shipman, Joe Pennington, Barbara
Shapiro, Eileen McGivern, Petra Schneider, Joe Anderson,
Gary and Karen Robertson, Jen Shipp, Arwa Yunis, Julie
Unruh, Leslie Ham, Linda Fricke, Debbie Gibson, Isolde
Pettinella, Maia Ruby-Clemmons, Rae Anne Davis, Dianne
Sands, Tammy Schmidt, Janie Coates, Mary DeCoursey and Debra
Ricks.
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| Egg Drop |
| Several 4-8 grade students participated in the annual egg drop competition at the State Capitol this year. In the 4th - 6th grade category, Elena Blum and Savia Pettinella (5th grade) placed first. Clayton Fizer (5th grade) placed 4th, Sophie Oswald and Emma Bohlander (5th graders) placed 5th, Ariel Smith and Marisol Kingfisher (5th graders) placed 8th, Brandon Fricke (6th grade) placed 9th, and Michael Padgett and Mark Brownback (4th graders) placed 10th. Congratulations to all participants on your entries! |
| Summer Adventures Catalog to be posted Monday |
| The Summer Adventures catalog will be posted to the website on Monday. Camp Invention is returning this year--if you enroll by March 31st online, an additional discount is offered. For more information on this camp, you may speak with Mrs. Oswald, the program's local director; Mrs. Shinn, Director of Co-Curricular Activities; or view the website at www.campinvention.org. Several new and exciting Summer Adventures camps will be offered this summer as well as our traditional themed Summer Day Camp. Day camp is offered from May 27 to August 15. |
| Cookie Dough, Candle and Coffee Orders Due March 31st |
| Cookie dough, candle and coffee orders are due Monday March 31st. Forms should be returned to Mrs. Lamb's attention. This is an important fundraiser for the 8th grade Seacamp trip next year. Thank you for your participation and generosity! |
| Middle School Track |
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All girls and boys in middle school are invited to join the TCS track team. It's an opportunity to try another sport! Practice starts Tuesday, March 25 at 5:15 p.m. All practices and meets will be held at Hayden High School's track. Practice schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 5:15 - 6:30 pm.
Please read the track rules and philosophy packet which athletes will receive next week. Coaches: Tracie Lamb, Jackie Schumann, Sherry Miltz and Ben Coates
5th Grade: You are invited to participate in practices. |
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There is more to life than increasing its speed. Mohatma Ghandi |