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November 20, 2009 |
Issue 8 |
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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, Families and Friends,
SAFETY ALERT! The after-school pick-up zone on
Hope Street runs north to south. Please wait
single file in line to pick up your child at the
loading zone. Hope Street is a two-way street.
When cars double park, they block northbound
traffic, resulting in an unsafe and frustrating
situation.
If you are waiting to pick up your child in
front of school, you must angle park. We ask
parents of children in the lower grades to park
and walk in to pick up their children.
Monday we celebrate Thanksgiving as a school
family with all students and teachers gathering
to share a meal together. The Thanksgiving Feast
is a wonderful tradition at our school that
helps reinforce that we are a learning community
where we all care for one another.
Today's world is often driven by economics, but
the only requirements for a wonderful
Thanksgiving are sharing time with family and
being thankful for what we have. Simple but
true. It's what I wish for you.
Finally, IT'S BACK! The orange VW bug has been
at the VW hospital. So many children asked me
about it that I wonder whether they like it
better than they like me. The doctors did their
work and the VW is healthy again.
I look forward to seeing many of you at
Grandparent/VIP Day on Tuesday.
Educationally yours,
Dick Patterson
Head of School
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Calendar Highlights -- November and December,
2009 |
Monday, November 23 --
Complimentary Thanksgiving feast for
students, staff, and faculty.
Tuesday, November 24 --
VIP/ Grandparents Day. Students should wear
their collared TCS shirts. Half day of
school; noon dismissal; no lunch served.
Day care is available from noon until 5:45
p.m. Check our web page under the "Programs"
tab for more information.
Wednesday, November 25
through Friday, November 27
-- No school - Thanksgiving break. No child
care.
Friday,
December 4 -- Middle School
dance 7:00 - 10:00 p.m., Commons.
Tuesday, December 8 --
Science fair for grades 6 through 8.
Wednesday, December 9 --
Speaker Andy Brownback '02 on gender equity
and the political situation in Honduras,
11:15 a.m., Assembly Hall.
Tuesday, December 15 --
Middle School and choir holiday concert,
7:00 - 8:15 p.m., Assembly Hall.
Friday, December 18 -- Half
day of school; noon dismissal; no lunch
served. Day care is available from 12:15
p.m. until 5:45 p.m. Check our web page
under the "Programs" tab for more
information.
Monday, December 21 --
Alumni family reunion and chili feed, 6:00 -
8:00 p.m., Commons.
Monday, December 21 through
Sunday, January 3, 2010 --
No school - winter break. No child care.
Monday, January 4, 2010 --
No school - teacher in-service. Day care is
available. Check our web page under the
"Programs" tab for more information.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 --
School resumes.
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The Book Fair is Here! |
The Scholastic Book Fair is in
the Assembly Hall through November 24th!
Plan ahead for class book reports
and holiday gifts!
Proceeds benefit the TCS library!
Our Book Fair brings a week-long celebration of
reading to our school. Through reading, not only
teachers, but parents and older siblings can be
a positive influence to our children. We hope
you will join us on Destination Book Fair. The
whole family can go to new and exciting places
through reading.
We'll be utilizing Scholastic's
One-for-Books program. This program will
do two things - increase the proceeds
for TCS and help put books in the hands
of children in the community. Last
year, we were able to give 60 books to
the Doorstep Holiday Store using the
One-for-Books program. Drop your change
in the One-for-Books balloons that will
be at the book fair entrance.
The book fair will be open for shopping on:
Friday, November 20: 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Monday, November 23: 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Tuesday, November 24: 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
To keep the shop open, we need
volunteers to staff the fair! Sign-up
sheets are posted on the wall outside the school
office. Daytime and evening time slots are
available.
See you at
the book fair!
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Can You Help With Our Annual Thanksgiving Feast? |
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Our annual school Thanksgiving feast will be held
Monday, November 23, 2009. The
whole school will sit down and enjoy a wonderful
meal together provided by our kitchen and family
volunteers. All students will be treated to a
complimentary turkey lunch with all the trimmings,
which they will enjoy in the company of their book
buddies and our school staff and faculty.
As in years past, we are seeking volunteers to
donate to our turkey fund. If you
are able to donate $20 towards the purchase of
approximately 75 pounds of sliced meat, it would be
appreciated. Contributions may be dropped off in the
school office.
Volunteers are also needed to serve lunch. If
you are available to help at lunchtime,
please let us know by contacting Special Events
Committee Co-Chairs Joe A. and Tammy S. or by
clicking
here. You may also sign up on the sheets posted
outside the office door. |
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Grandparents/VIP Day -- Tuesday, November 24 |
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This year's Grandparent/VIP Day is Tuesday,
November 24, from 8:30 a.m. to noon - the last
half-day of school before Thanksgiving vacation.
Students are encouraged to invite their grandparents or
VIPs to spend time with them in their classrooms, browse
the book fair, and enjoy refreshments and a musical
performance.
We ask that you RSVP with the number of guests. Did you
misplace your invitation? Simply call the office or
e-mail
mloftus@topekacollegiate.org with the number of
guests and their names (for nametags).
(Artwork by first grader Ananya V.)
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School Directory Updates |
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Lauren L.'s (Griffin,
5th) email address is printed incorrectly in the school
directory. It should be
XXX.
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Shyla B.'s email address is printed incorrectly in
the school directory. It should be XXX.
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Volunteer Spotlight On Tammy Schmidt and Rehana
Syed |
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They love books, but Book Fair Co-chairs Tammy
Schmidt and Rehana Syed haven't had much time to
read lately. They've been too busy with the Book
Fair, open through Tuesday in Assembly Hall.
Thank you to these dedicated volunteers for their
important work.
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Topeka Collegiate Alumni Family Reunion -- Monday,
December 21 |
 Calling
all alumni and their families!
Please join us for:
Chili Supper
Monday, December 21
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Topeka Collegiate School
See old friends and teachers. Laugh at stories of
the old days. Enjoy a hearty meal.
Featuring: The O'Shea Sisters (Erika
'04 and Shannon '06) (pictured,
left)
$5/person or $20/family
Adult beverages available. Please bring I.D.
Volunteers who would like to
help plan the reunion are welcomed and encouraged!
Please contact Phyllis Hoyt at 785-228-0490 or
phoyt@topekacollegiate.org
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A TCS Quiz |
Question: How many pounds of turkey will be
prepared for the Thanksgiving Feast on
Monday?
A. 25
B. 50
C. 75
Answer appears
below.
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Educators Attend ISACS Conference |
Earlier this month Dene'
Mosier, Kelley Berryman, and Sonja Czarnecki
traveled to Columbus, Ohio for the annual conference
of the Independent Schools Association of the
Central States (ISACS). ISACS is the regional
division of the National Association of Independent
Schools, and our accrediting organization.
The ISACS conference was an intensive professional
development experience that will continue to bear
fruit throughout this year and beyond. When we
weren't attending sessions (25 in total), we were
talking with each other about how to bring back our
learning to Topeka Collegiate. As Kelley said, it
was definitely "information overload!" We connected
with colleagues in independent schools from all over
the Midwest, gained a national perspective on issues
we face here, learned about the latest research in
everything from pedagogy to brain science, and
explored ways to implement best practices in our
school.
We will be presenting to the leadership team, in
Lower School and Middle School divisional meetings,
and to the faculty as a whole. Overall, we were
heartened because we once again saw that we are
already living many educational best practices or
implementing them, and we were inspired by the new
ideas that will help us grow even stronger. Here are
a few essential facts we already know, confirmed by
research, that we would like to share with the whole
community:
-- Our flexibility to
adopt best practices will continue to make
independent education the standard of excellence
-- Making
teaching more professional improves student
performance
-- A small school with
relatively small class sizes where all students
are known, understood, and loved results in the
highest student achievement
We are grateful to the school and the fundraising
contributions that make such professional
development possible. Thank you for the support, and
for helping to bring 21st century education to
Topeka Collegiate!
Kelley Berryman
Dene' Mosier
Sonja Czarnecki
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Welcome, Baby! |
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Estella Marie F. was born
Monday, November 9 at 4:20 p.m. She weighed 7
pounds 12 ounces and measured 20 1/2 inches.
She joins parents Erin and
Micah F. and half siblings Dylan C.
and Kaila F. (both
second graders).
Laurel Anne S. was born
Friday, November 6 at 1:15 p.m. She weighed 10
pounds 2 ounces and measured 22 inches.
Congratulations to parents John S. and Jennifer
M. and sisters Rose (pre-K) and
Holly.
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Soccer Team Takes Second |
Congratulations to the Topeka Collegiate middle
school soccer team for its second place finish in
the Parochial League soccer tournament. The team,
coached by Loren Shinn, defeated St. Matthews in the
first round and then scored in the final seconds to
beat Topeka Lutheran in the semi-finals. They
played Christ the King in the championship game
coming up a little bit short, but showed great
effort in the season's final game.
Once again, congratulations to the TCS Eagles on the
2nd place finish in the tournament and a great
season!
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Students Learn about the U.S. Constitution |
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In 1776, our Founding Fathers sent a document to
King George III of England describing the injustices
that were imposed on the American colonists without
their representation or their consent. That
document is our Declaration of Independence. The
beauty of what emerged from that treasonous act led
to the creation of the checks and balances system in
our Constitution whereby no one branch of government
can force tyranny on the people. The Legislative
Branch makes the laws, the Executive Branch enforces
the laws, and the Judicial Branch interprets the
laws. Ensuring that every branch remains in their
proper role and shares their power with others,
American freedom from government oppression will
prevail. The Founders wanted a government that
offered the most freedoms with as little government
interference as possible.
Justice Eric Rosen (left) spoke to our 3rd
through 8th graders on Monday, November 09, 2009
about those very issues in conjunction with issues
of equity in the justice system and in the
government of the United States. Each student
received a pocket Constitution where they looked at
the 1st Amendment and 4th Amendment with Justice
Rosen. Specifically, they looked at mandatory drug
testing for high school students involved in
extracurricular activities from a court case in our
very own El Dorado, Kansas, as well as school
newspapers and how the 1st Amendment applies to
student work. Because the Judicial Branch is not
about popularity, the courts are only accountable to
the Constitution and ensuring that peoples' rights
are not violated.
Many students asked questions about jury trials, why
kids have to go to jail, and about the branches of
government.
We want to thank Justice Rosen for coming to speak
to the students and entertaining their good
questions.
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5th Grade Assembly -- A Wild Rumpus! |
Our fifth graders treated us to an expanded telling
of "Where the Wild Things Are" at their November
13th assembly.
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Around Campus |
 Major
Shawn M. (Grayson, 7th) (right)
visited the middle school on Veterans Day to share what
the day means to him.
Mrs. Cross (below, left) demonstrated
the proper way to fold a flag.
Maria Maldonado '99 was a substitute teacher in 4th
grade earlier this month. She is shown here (at
left) with Grace M.
(Below) Junior Girl Scouts in Troop
7299, including 4th graders Jazmine J. (left) and
Annabel C. (center),
visited Camp Tongawood in Tonganoxie in
September to participate in agility and
team-building activities.
Thank you to everyone who skated last week with
us at Sk8away. We raised $285 for the school,
and had a good time doing it!
Miss Jackson's homeroom was the winner of the
class with the most participants.
We misidentfied Kaden K.
in our previous newsletter. He is shown
here (at left) with Jack R.
as they dissect a worm in Ms. Kido's
third grade class.
Thank you to parent David P. (Lana,
5th) (right), who reinterpreted
our school song as a lovely guitar
accompaniment prior to our November 13
assembly.
Topeka Collegiate's tipi, originally
constructed on school grounds five
years ago, has been re-erected on
our south field.
We'd like to thank Dr. Dave
Kingfisher and his crew for their
help in seeing this project through
to completion.
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Anti-Bullying Contest Winners |
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(from left) Jal M.
(pre-k), Gabrielle M. (1st),
Bailey H. (2nd), Amber S.
(4th), Nell B. (4th).
It was very difficult, but after much deliberation,
we were able to choose finalists in the Anti-Bully
Poster Contest from among the 101 Lower School
entries:
3rd place:
Pre-k: Peyton C.
K and 1st: Jesse K.
2nd and 3rd: Cooper H. and
Psalm K.
4th and 5th: Kevin B.
2nd place:
Pre-k: Sloane S.
K and 1st: Mia B., Mary D.,
Kathryn G.
2nd and 3rd: Kaila F.
4th and 5th: Isabel H.,
Lauren F.
1st place:
Pre-k: Jal M.
K and 1st: Gabrielle M.
2nd and 3rd: Bailey H.
4th and 5th: Amber S., Nell
B.
The posters will remain on display in the Lower
School through VIP Day.
Good work, everyone!
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Middle Schoolers Model Civic Responsibility |
During their second service day on
November 12, sixth and seventh graders (eighth graders
were at Sea Camp helped out at the Ronald McDonald
House, Helping Hands Humane Society, Plaza West Care
Center, and the Topeka Rescue Mission.
Middle School instructor
Phyllis Hoyt reports "My students toured [Ronald
McDonald House], then they split into groups. Some
students raked leaves, some sorted pop can tabs, and
others created scrapbook pages for the families to
use. I was so very proud of my students. They asked
great questions, and performed their tasks with
enthusiasm and wonderful attitudes. Following is an
excerpt from the letter I got from the House
Manager, Stephanie Salisbury: 'This group of
volunteers was absolutely amazing. They worked so
hard and appeared to have fun while doing it. I
enjoyed working with each and every single one of
them.'"
Mrs. Hoyt and eight middle school students
attended the November 12 Parent Partnership
meeting where they made a presentation on the
middle school service goals. The panel presented
a Power Point detailing their activities, then
fielded questions from attendees. Thank you,
Mrs. Hoyt, and all middle school faculty and
students, for your service!
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Kehres Cares |
 The
holidays are the perfect time to get your children
involved in the kitchen. What better way to spend some
quality time than by letting your kids make their
favorite meal. Children really enjoy preparing snacks
and meals that taste good and that are good for them!
For tips on healthy eating visit:
www.kidshealth.org/kid/recipes. You will find
delicious holiday recipes your kids will love at: www.childrensrecipes.com.
For school lunch ideas and helpful tips for picky eaters
visit:
www.family.go.com. If you're looking to lighten up
the mood in the kitchen visit:
www.cookingwithkids.com for some funny jokes.
Here are some sample jokes your children are sure to
enjoy:
What did the mother ghost tell the baby ghost when he
ate too fast? Stop goblin your food.
What did the hungry computer eat? Chips, one byte
at a time.
What is an astronaut's favorite sandwich? Launch
meat.
Have a happy time preparing holiday treats the whole
family can enjoy!
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Collect Labels for Education Label Points
Electronically and DOUBLE Our Points! |
If you are new to e-Labels for Education, then
simply follow the instructions below to start
automatically earning valuable Labels for
Education points for your school today. Even
grandparents and family members in other cities
and states can earn points and show support for
their loved ones.
If you already participate in e-Labels for
Education, then you know how easy it is to help
your school once you register online and shop
with your Shoppers or Rewards card at Dillons.
Just remember to choose Topeka
Collegiate as the recipient of your e-Labels for
Education points, or TCS will not
receive the points you earn.
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Click. Go
to
www.elabelsforeducation.com
to register for e-Labels for
Education. Set up your account by
entering your Dillons Shopper Card
Number. Then choose Topeka Collegiate
School as your school of choice to
receive your points. |
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Earn.
Now, every time you shop at Dillons and
purchase any eligible Labels for
Education products, total points
earned will be credited to your school's
Labels for Education account
automatically. Remember to clip your
labels and turn them in to TCS for
even more points! |
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Chess Club Competes |
 The
Topeka Collegiate Chess Club attended the Blue Valley
Chess Tournament on November 7. All players in the K-3
Division (Santino J., Teddy D., Malcolm L.,
Harun K., Angel F., and Malik B.)
did so well individually that they each
earned a medal. Unfortunately, there were not K-3 team
trophies
available at this tournament; however, there were K-6
team trophies available, and although it takes four
players to make a whole team, Thomas K.
and Charlie L. did so well together
that they came home with the third place trophy!
The Chess Club also attended
the Wakarusa Chess Tournament on November 14. The
K-3 team (Santino J., Teddy D., Malcolm L.,
Harun K., Trevor J., and Malik B.) placed
2nd out of 7 teams!
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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!
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.
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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 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. Cards
may be purchased in the office.
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HyVee grocery stores 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,
Price Chopper, 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
  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.
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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TCS Quiz Answer:
The correct answer is:
B. 75 pounds of turkey
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