| May 14, 2010 | Issue 19 |
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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 School Families,
Congratulations to our Music Teacher Kay Siebert, who has been named the first director of the Kansas Youth Chorale, a choir for fourth- through eighth-grade singers. Mrs. Siebert was introduced at a news conference as "a gifted musician with a commitment to musical excellence and a superior knowledge of vocal production in children's voices." Mrs. Siebert's talent will be on display as she and her 34-voice TCS Youth Choir present Annie on Thursday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. Thank you to all who organized and volunteered at Friday's Day of the Child. What a great day for building relationships and giving our students a day full of experiences that will make a difference in their lives!
I really can't express the feeling I had after a day of watching the wonderful non-instructional interaction between students and teachers, It a great day for the children at Topeka Collegiate. I want to thank everyone who made it a successful day. A special thanks to Jewelia Oswald, Sonja Czarnecki, Dené Mosier and all who helped organize the day. I had the honor of watching it all come together for our students. Today's eighth grade tribute was a great example of the relationships that develop in our school community. We give our students the foundation of confidence that sets them on the path to a bright future. Thank you for all you do to make this happen in our unique educational environment. Educationally yours, 
Dick Patterson
Head of School
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| Quick Links |
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| Calendar Highlights -- April and May |
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For the most current information, refer to the
calendar on ParentsWeb!
Friday, May 14 -- 8th grade farewell
assembly, 8:35, Assembly Hall; Middle School field day, 1:50
p.m., north soccer field; Middle School overnight lock-in,
10:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.
Tuesday, May 18 -- Lower School
Field Day, 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., north soccer field
Thursday, May 20 -- "Annie" performed by
TCS students, 7:00 p.m., Assembly Hall
Friday, May 21 -- 1st grade poetry tea,
1:00 p.m., Assembly Hall; Middle School dance, 7:00 p.m. -
10:00 p.m., Commons
Monday, May 24 -- STUCO talent show, 1:00
p.m. - 3:30 p.m., Assembly Hall
Wednesday, May 26 -- Last day of school for
pre-k through 7th grade - noon dismissal (no lunch served
and no child care will be available); Middle School awards
ceremony, 8:30 a.m., Assembly Hall
Thursday, May 27 -- 8th grade graduation,
10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, June 1 -- Day camp at TCS begins
Monday, June 7 -- Summer Adventures at TCS
begin; Camp Invention at TCS begins
Sunday, June 13 -- Topeka Collegiate Book
Fair at Barnes & Noble, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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| Lower School Field Day -- Tuesday, May 18 |
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Field Day is right around the corner. Here is some
information that you should be aware of:
Lower School
Field Day is Tuesday, May 18th 12:30 - 3:15 p.m.
- Please have your kids wear athletic attire. - Please make sure your kids are wearing tennis shoes for the events. - Include a towel to sit on, a water bottle, and sunscreen for the afternoon.
- Please don't send drinks or snacks with your
child; we'll provide drinks for them.
We are planning on having a good time, so if you are
interested in volunteering in any way, please
contact Mr. Ginapp at
nginapp@topekacollegiate.org. We look forward
to seeing you on the north soccer field to cheer on
all of our competitors!
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| TCS Choir To Present "Annie" -- Thursday, May 20 |
The Topeka Collegiate Choir under the
direction of Kay Siebert will present the musical "Annie" on
Thursday, May 20 at 7:00 in the Assembly Hall. Friends and
family are welcome!
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| Calling All Talent! -- Monday, May 24 |
Parents, family, and friends are invited to
attend!
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| End of the School Year Reminders |
 The
last day of school for students in pre-Kindergarten through
7th grade is Wednesday, May 26, which is a half day (noon
dismissal). No lunch will be served and no child care will
be available for that afternoon.
Many homerooms will commemorate the end of the school year with a class party. Your child's homeroom teacher or volunteer room parent will communicate with you the dates and times of those parties.
We request that all off-campus
end-of-the-year parties do not affect regular school
hours of operation. TCS asks that year-end parties held
off of the Topeka Collegiate campus take place after
noon dismissal on Wednesday. In keeping with the
school's philosophy of encouraging our students to
develop strategies of acceptance and inclusion for all
members of their learning community, please include all
members of your student's class when planning
end-of-the-year off-campus parties. Volunteer room
parents should always get final approval of the homeroom
teacher when helping or making arrangements for
classroom parties.
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| Exchange Student Meetings Scheduled |
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Jaime Cabo, who specializes in organizing
student exchanges, will be flying from Spain and visiting Topeka
and TCS on May 27-30. Jaime would love to meet with any
families that might be interested in hosting a student or being
part of an exchange.
Miguel Martinez
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| 3rd Graders Create Rain Forest on TCS Campus |
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When you're a third grader at Topeka Collegiate, one
of the highlights of the year is the unit on the
rainforest.
During April, the north half of Mrs. Siebert's trailer
is transformed into a rainforest, complete with trees,
vines, a canopy, and a gurgling stream. Each third
grade student researches a rainforest animal of their
choice, then creates a three-dimensional representation
of the animal to place in our very own
rainforest. Visitors are led through the space by third
grade tour guides, who have committed to memory some
interesting facts of each animal.
In conjunction with the rainforest and Earth Day, the
third graders also sponsored a trash-to-treasure
contest. Using materials they would ordinarily recycle
or throw away, students fashioned some very creative
entries. During our Earth Day activities, visitors and
celebrity judges were able to vote on their favorites.
Channel 13 News Anchor Melissa Brunner toured the third
grade rain forest April 29 and served as a celebrity
judge for the Trash to Treasures contest. Melissa took
photos and blogged about her experience. Check it out by
clicking
here. Other celebrity judges included Channel 27's
Chief Meteorologist Jeremy Kappell and Channel 49 News
Anchor Marshanna Hester.
Our hats are off to third grade teachers Marilyn Kido
and Dallas Bauer for another successful rainforest
season!
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| Middle School Play |
Thank you, too, to Robin Bonsall, who has directed our
Middle School play for two years now. The hard work and
dedication of Robin and our students (and our parents,
too), was evident with this performance!
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| Heifer Ranch and Heifer Ranch Banquet |
Topeka Collegiate 7th grade students and faculty
members at Heifer Ranch, near Perryville, Arkansas.
Seventh grade students spent the April 23rd weekend at
Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas, where they experienced
firsthand some of the challenges of global poverty and
hunger and learned how to be part of the solution.
 
On May 6th, students gave a presentation on their
experiences at Heifer Ranch during a special simple-food
banquet at school. There were also PowerPoint presentations
of research the students have been conducting on the part of
the world they studied while at Heifer.
Your donations at the Heifer International Banquet totaled
over $1,000. With your help, our 7th graders will be able
to provide valuable resources for families in need in the
areas that Heifer International serves.
Students have decided to purchase:
1. The Gift of Knitting: Two sheep and two llamas 2. A water buffalo 3. A goat 4. A pig 5. Honeybees
Heifer's mission is to work with
communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the
earth. Learn more at
www.heifer.org.
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| TCS Student and Coach 11th in National MATHCOUNTS |
Congratulations to the Kansas MATHCOUNTS team for placing
11th out of the 56 teams competing at the National
Competition May 7 in Orlando. The 4-member team was composed
of the four highest-scoring individuals at the state
MATHCOUNTS competition held during March in Salina. Eighth
grader Josh G., (front row, third from
right) who placed 2nd in the state contest, also was
the 2nd highest scorer on our Kansas team at nationals.
Shyam Narayanan, the team's highest scorer, was 2nd in the
nation!
The mathletes performed the written competition on Friday morning, followed by the Countdown Round on Friday afternoon. The Master's Round, which consists of a 15 minute lecture made by each of the top four individuals, was held Saturday morning. The culmination of all activities was the banquet and awards ceremony on Saturday evening. Between all of the math activities, the students enjoyed Epcot and Disney World. The highlight of these parks for most mathletes was The Sum of All Thrills Exhibit, in which students design their own roller coaster and then take a simulated ride on their creation. Epcot closed this building to the public at 7:00 on Friday evening, so the mathletes had the entire building to themselves!
Congratulations Josh, Team Kansas, and Coach Phyllis Hoyt!
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| B-I-N-G-O! |
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The numbers were lucky for 2nd grader Trey E.,
who was the winner of the grand prize at last Friday's family
bingo night. He was the first to black out his bingo sheet on
the final round of play and took home a Kindle! Trey says he
has already downloaded books to read on his new gadget.
Thank you to parent volunteers Isolde Pettinella and Cheryl
Kingfisher for organizing the games, prizes, and
concessions. Their efforts and your participation
raised more than $2,100 for next year's 8th grade trip to
SeaCamp.
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| Coming in 2010 - 2011! |
Beginning this fall, all the materials that we normally
distribute in printed form will be available electronically.
This includes:
Paper copies of publications will be available for purchase
in the office.
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| Last Chance for Lost and Found |
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| Mrs. Woodward's 1st Grade Assembly |
Mrs. Woodward's first graders
entertained us at their May 7th assembly with their
interpretation of the folktale about Anansi the Spider.
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| Students Receive AMC Honors |
Congratulations to the following students who were invited
to the Honor's Banquet at K-State for their outstanding
performance on the American Mathematics Contests, known as
the AMC-8, AMC-10, or AMC-12.
Note that the AMC 10 and 12 are exams designed for high school students, so Josh's 3rd place performance on the AMC-12 compares him with the top high school students in the state. He was one of 8 total high school and below students whose scores on the AMC-10 and 12 qualified him for the next level of competition, the AIME. Sahil R. 2nd highest 8th grader in the AMC 12, 2010 Josh G. 3rd in State and Top 8th grader in the AMC 12, 2010 Josh G. 2nd 8th grader in the AMC 10, 2010 Laura N. 2nd highest 6th grader, in the AMC 10, 2010 Josh G. 1st in State and Top 8th grader, in the AMC 8, 2009 Leonardo P. 2nd highest 5th grader, in the AMC 8, 2009.
-- Phyllis Hoyt, Mathematics Instructor
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| Summer Tutoring Available |
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School will soon be out, and summer will
be here. Many of you may have started thinking about arranging
some summer tutoring for your child. My name is Jaime
Frederick, and I'm a first grade teacher at Topeka Collegiate. I
have been tutoring students in grades K-8 for twelve years now,
and I will be offering tutoring this summer as well. If you
feel like your child needs a little extra help or would benefit
from some enrichment, feel free to give me a call. I will talk
to your child's teacher to find out what concepts or skills your
child could use improvement in. Then, I will work with your
child to strengthen those skills.
Because of the great demand for
tutoring, it is important to know if your child will be able
to attend the majority of the tutoring sessions before
signing him or her up. I will take children on a
first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the
dates and times I am offering, please give me a call or
email me. I look forward to working with your child.
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| Around Campus |
The boys' 5th grade flag football team, coached by parents
Stuart Lowry, Mark McGivern, and Maurice Kemp, finished the
spring season undefeated and first place in their league!
Go Eagles!
(Front row, L-R) Satchel P., Christopher G., Chase H., Nick J., Korbin K. (Second row, L-R) Jackson D., Griffin L., Joe M., Mason H., Evan W., Job K. (Back row, L-R) Coaches Stuart Lowry, Mark McGivern, and Maurice Kemp 
Each department at Topeka High School nominates students
quarterly for the Tower Award. Nominees display honesty,
loyalty, commitment, and a strong work ethic. They are
students who make beneficial contributions to the classroom,
leading through their deportment."
Julian Mullican '08 (left) (son of our own
Melanie Mullican) was awarded the Tower Award "In
recognition for the leadership, the display of a
positive attitude, the courage to take a stand and
esprit-de-corps." "
We are so proud of Julian," states Melanie. "He is a
quiet but effective leader."
In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, pre-K parent Kacy K. (Izahbella) provided books about the holiday, helped students create paper maché pinatas, and even provided a taco bar for snack time. Thank you, Mrs. K.! 
6th graders learn the ropes at Hidden Pond during a
late April visit.
Sarah S. (6th) (left) and
Josh G. (8th) (right) presented actor Ed
Asner with yellow roses at the conclusion of his one-man
show "FDR" at the Topeka Performing Arts Center last month.
Yellow is a traditional color of remembrance, and was chosen
to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Month.
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| Day of the Child |
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Thank you to all of the faculty, staff, and parents who
volunteered their time and their talents, provided paint,
chalk, food samples, and cash donations to make Day of the
Child a success.
(left)1st graders Beni K., Trinity
B., and Andrew N.; (below) 5th
graders weave ribbons on the maypoles
  
(above) Erin Forstein, Annousha H.
(jr. pre-K), Kailee L. (jr. pre-K)
 
(left) Marilyn Kido, Maha K.; (right)
Chloe W., Karyna C., Cheryl Hamilton;
(below) Malik B., Dario P.
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| Days We Have Shared |
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The days always seem short when we're
having fun.
Which is why it seems like yesterday we were only four feet tall. I've told myself not to let these years slip through my fingers, but we have almost no control over how much we love the days we have all shared.
It didn't matter how many times we
washed our little white tennis shoes
they would always be stained by the dirty playground rocks. It didn't matter who played tag with us on on the Big Toy we always had fun. It didn't matter why we enjoyed throwing red rubber balls at the white-lined squares as long as you won.
It didn't matter how many times Dr.
Roberts asked us what we were going to do during the play
we would always answer, "We listen with our ears and watch with our eyes." It didn't matter how many times we sang the school song it sounds even more beautiful each time we hear it. It didn't matter what part you got in your class play you couldn't be performing on the stage without having fun.
It didn't matter how bad our injuries
were,
the nurse would always cure it with a band-aid and an ice pack. It didn't matter who was in the nurse's office we would all worry and mourn for them. It didn't matter how many times you went to the her office with a paper cut nurses never get mad.
It didn't matter what game we were
playing in gym
we could always make it fun. It didn't matter how many times we argued over the rules of the game Mrs. Lamb could always straighten it out. It didn't matter who was on our team we always had hope that we would win.
It doesn't matter if they ever build
us a new middle school
we will always remember our orange trailers. It doesn't matter if we lose our favorite teachers from our school because they can be found in our hearts. It doesn't matter if we never see each other again we don't need to see each other to be together.
The days always seem short when we're
having fun.
Which is why it seems like yesterday we were only four feet tall. I've told myself not to let these years slip through my fingers, but we have almost no control over how much we love the days we have all shared.
-- Alexandra M., 8th grade
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| Earn Money for Collegiate Through Everyday Activities! |
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. Drop off your Box
Tops in the school office or in the marked container in the
school's mail room, across the hall from the office.
New!
Since October, 2009, your contributions have earned us $355!
Thank you to parent volunteer Carisa Sims for spearheading this
effort!
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Dillons grocery store merchandise cards are available for
purchase for $20, $50 and $100 each in the school office.
The cards may be used at any Dillons 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. Cards
may be purchased in the office.
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HyVee grocery store merchandise cards are available for
purchase $20, $50, and $100 each in the school office.
Like the Dillons cards, Topeka Collegiate receives 6% of
all sales. Cards may be purchased in the office. 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, Perry Lecompton and Oskaloosa Thriftways, and
Checkers. Drop off your labels in the school office or in the
marked container in the school's mail room, across the hall from
the office
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.
Drop off your UPCs in the school office or in the marked
container in the school's mail room, across the hall from
the office. Go to
www.elabelsforeducation.com to register for e-Labels for
Education.
  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).
Drop off your labels in the school office or in the marked
container in the school's mail room, across the hall from the
office  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.
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