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Calendar Highlights - October and November |
Monday October 27 -- Original
Works orders due
Wednesday October 29 through
Tuesday November 4 at 3:30 -- Sign
up for November 6th and 7th parent/teacher
conferences
Friday October 31 -- Halloween;
assembly at 8:35; half day of school - noon
dismissal - no lunch served; child care
will be available. Spiritwear orders
due. Creepy Crawly Bug House Chess Tournament
12:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday November 1 -- MEC
movie night, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday November 5 --
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF boxes due back to Mrs.
Oswald or Mr. Park
Thursday November 6 -- Parent
Teacher Conferences noon - 7:00 p.m.; no school;
child care will be available
Friday November 7 -- Parent
Teacher Conferences 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; no
school; child care will be available
Friday November 7 and Saturday
November 8 -- Merry Market at
Agricultural Hall
Monday November 10
through Friday November 14 --
8th grade students at Sea Camp
Tuesday November 11 -- Coffee
and conversation for all parents, 8:15 - 9:15
a.m., Assembly Hall
Thursday November 13 -- Open
Forum; dinner at 5:30 in the Commons; meeting
from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Assembly Hall
Sunday November 16 - Annual
Fund Thank You Party, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Friday November 21 --
All-school roller skating party, 5:00 - 7:00
p.m., Sk8away, 815 Fairlawn; $3 per skater.
Wear your TCS
spiritwear!
Monday
November 24 -- Thanksgiving feast
for students, faculty, and staff
Tuesday
November 25 -- VIP/Grandparents Day
Wednesday November 26
through November 30 --
Thanksgiving break; no school; no child
care
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Original Works Orders Due Monday, October 27th |
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A reminder that it is time to turn in
orders for your child's Original Works project. If you are
purchasing the preview magnet that was sent home in your child's
home folder or other products, please do so by Monday.
If you are not placing an order, please
return the preview magnet to your child's teacher or to the
office. |
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Halloween at TCS |
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Halloween is always a special day at
Topeka Collegiate!
Parents are invited to attend the
Halloween assembly, which begins at 8:35 a.m.
in the gym. The pre-K and Kindergarten classes will be
performing several songs, followed by a sing-along for all,
including the traditional TCS song "Have You Seen The Ghost of
John?":
Have you seen the ghost of John?
Long white bones with the skin all gone
Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo, Ooo
Wouldn't it be chilly with no skin on, no skin on?
Plan to stay for the parade,
as the students circle the gym, walk through the courtyard
and return to their classrooms. Most homerooms will be having a
Halloween party; please contact your room
parent or your child's teacher if you would like to bring
refreshments or help out in some other way.
When you are helping your child choose
his or her costume, please help them use good judgment in
picking an appropriate theme. Students should not wear
costumes that may be perceived as being too gory, violent,
or sexually provocative.
Also, please keep in mind that
no weapons of any kind are allowed on the Topeka
Collegiate campus, not even play weapons.
Please do not send a sword with your swashbuckler, a rifle
with your Army Ranger, or a light saber with your Star Wars
Jedi knight.
Friday, October 31st is a half day
of school; classes will be dismissed at noon. No lunch
will be served. Child care will be available.
Have a safe and fun Halloween!
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Creepy Crawly Bug House Chess Tournament -- Friday, October
31st |
Creepy
Crawly Bug House Chess Tournament
The Chess Club will be sponsoring a Bug House Chess
Tournament on Halloween from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. (School will
be dismissed at 12 p.m. on this day.)
Children who do not know how to play chess are also invited,
as there will be plenty of non-chess fun! Teachers
-- including Ms. Bauer, Mr. Ginapp, Mrs. Zachritz, Mrs.
VanAalst, and Ms. Wilk -- are planning gym activities,
playground games, and other Halloween-themed indoor fun!
This event is for TCS scholars of all grades. Friends from
other schools are also invited! There will be prizes for
each member of the winning team!
Admission for this fun event is $25 per child or $40 per
family. All proceeds to benefit the chess club and athletic
department.
Please sign up outside Ms. Bauer's classroom or e-mail her
at
dbauer@topekacollegiate.org. Questions are also
welcomed!
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MEC Movie Night -- Saturday, November 1st |
The Multicultural Education Committee (MEC) will be
presenting the film "Millions" (2004, rated PG) at a movie
night on Saturday, November 1st at 7:00 p.m. at the
school. TCS staff spouse Curt Waugh will moderate a
discussion before the show. All members of the school
faculty, staff, school community, and their guests are
welcome to this free showing.
MEC will also present a short clip of a Spanish-language
puppet show created by a TCS alumnus.
Free popcorn and bottled water will be provided. Please
bring blankets and pillows if you'd like to get comfy
while you watch the movie.
From movies.msn.com:
"Millions" opens with recent
widower Ronnie (James Nesbitt) moving his two precocious
pre-pubescent sons to the suburbs. Missing his mother
and the comforts of his old neighborhood, the young
Damian (Alex Etel) builds a cardboard-box fort on the
outskirts of the suburb, where one day his placid
introvert existence is literally crushed by a giant gym
bag full of thousands of pounds' worth of cash. Less
concerned with the origin of the money than with how to
spend it, Damian and his older brother, Anthony (Lewis
McGibbon), decide to keep it a secret from their father,
which becomes an increasingly tricky proposition as the
days pass. His conscience getting in the way of his
spending, Damian debates the ethics of his ill-gotten
gains with a handful of imaginary saints, and begins to
try to spend his cash a little more altruistically. But
his charitable deeds inadvertently attract the attention
of a mysterious, threatening man who's desperate to get
his hands on the money.
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Parent / Teacher Conferences -- November 6th and 7th |
With the end of the first quarter, it is nearly time
to sign up for parent/teacher conferences. Homeroom
and resource teachers will be available to meet with
parents from noon to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday
November 6th and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on
Friday November 7th.
To schedule your conferences with your child's
homeroom teacher, please sign up in the notebooks
that will be available in the front hall between
Wednesday October 29th and Tuesday November
4 at 3:30 p.m. Please schedule
your meetings during this time period; it is
difficult to accomodate requests the day of the
conferences.
There is no school on November 6th and November
7th. Childcare will be available. To reserve a
spot for your child, contact Karen Benson at
kbenson@topekacollegiate.org.
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Welcome, New Students! |
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Please help us welcome four new students to TCS:
Cheyenne K. -- Mrs. Hoyt's 6th grade
homeroom
Lorinc K. -- Mrs. Hubbell's Pre-K class
Benedek "Beni" K. -- Mrs.
VanAalst's Kindergarten class
Thomas S. -- Mrs. Hubbell's pre-K class
Contact information for new families may be found on
ParentsWeb by clicking on the "Directory" tab under "School
Information."
Our current student enrollment is now 282.
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Ms. Kido's Class Assembly |
Ms.
Kido's third graders put on the first class assembly of the
school year October 17th with a short history of the Olympics
and the kids' take on what competitions they would like
to see included in the Olympic Games.
We were treated to demonstrations
of competitive video gaming, rapping, dancing, Webkinz, and
Pokemon trading card battles. We're convinced these kids would
all be champs in their chosen games!
These third graders urge us to follow
their example and strive for excellence, friendship and
respect.
Gold medals all around, kids! |
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Found: Nintendo DS Game |
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Have you misplaced a brand new Nintendo DS game? If so, call the
office to describe and claim it. |
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Private Music Lessons Through After-School Adventures
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Todd Weller will begin offering guitar
lessons to students Monday through Thursday after school.
If you are interested in taking private music lessons on any
other instruments, let us know and we will attempt to match
you with an instructor.
The TCASA Private Instruction Recital is scheduled for
December 14th at 2:00 p.m. in the Assembly Hall.
For information on enrollment and fees, or
for any questions, please contact Ken Park at 228-0490 or at
kpark@topekacollegiate.org. |
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6th Graders Volunteer at Let's Help |
As part of the middle school program
that teaches community service, Mr. MacDonald's 6th grade
class recently volunteered their time at Let's Help.
Every two weeks a middle school homeroom goes to Let's Help
for approximately 90 minutes. They eat lunch, then work or
perform tasks that need to be done.
During this session, Mr. Mac's homeroom was divided into two
groups after lunch. One group cleaned tables in the
cafeteria, and the other group put together more than 200
cookbooks titled "Share The Goodness - 15th Anniversary
Cookbook, a Collection of Recipes by Family and Friends."
Pictured above assembling the cookbooks are (from
left) Ryland E., Ariel S.,
and Kyle B..
Let's Help
is a non-profit organization that provides community
services, including a free lunch program, adult
education and employment services, and aid for emergency
rent, utilities, food, and medication costs.
For more information, visit
http://www.letshelpinc.org.
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Hayrack Ride and Bonfire Party |
206 Topeka Collegiate students and
family members took part in the autumn party at Rees Fruit
Farm on October 17th.
Everyone enjoyed the delicious pulled pork meal prepared and
served by the Maichel family, followed by a
hayrack ride through the orchard at night pulled behind Rex
Rees's tractor. We think the orchard may have been haunted
by little spooks!
Thank you to Parent Council officers
for organizing this event, and to the Rees family for
hosting our school and for going the extra mile to
accomodate us.
(Above) Pre-K student
Cameron O. picks the perfect pumpkin (or
two).
(Left) Gathered 'round the
bonfire are pre-K students Lincoln Patrick D.,
Olivia O., and Van
B.; and Van's sister Maya B. (1st
grade).
(Right)Teddy Mac D.
enjoys the party with his parents, Chelle and Dan.
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Kindergartners Visit the Pumpkin Patch |
Mrs.
Berryman's Kindergarten class took a field trip to the pumpkin
patch earlier this month.
They all piled on for a hayrack ride through the fields, then
each child picked out a pumpkin to take back to school with
them.
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T Shirt Contest Winner -- Order Yours Today! |
In
the contest among 5th through 8th graders to design a Topeka
Collegiate shirt, the votes have been tabulated, and
Cooper S. (8th grade) has been
declared the winner!
Spiritwear committee members Debbie Gibson and Leslie Ham
announced the winner and the two runners-up, Sarah
S. (5th) and Neha T. (5th) at the
October 17th assembly.
For the contest, each of the 19
participating student entries had to incorporate into the design
an eagle, the word "Collegiate" and the phrase "Building Futures
One Child at a Time." Votes were cast by students, faculty, and
staff.
Designs were also submitted by Emma B.
(5th), Jenna B. (5th), Dylan C.
(7th), Brian D. (5th), Alvaro E.
(5th), Josh G. (7th),
Madison M. (5th), Matt M. (6th),
Laura N. (5th), Sophie O.
(6th), Sage P. (5th), Nathan R.
(5th), Meredith R. (8th), Bailey S.
(5th), Jordan S.
(5th), and Brennen S. (5th).
If you would like to order a shirt with the winning
image (above), you may pick up an
order sheet in the office and return it to either Mrs.
Warner or Mrs. Mullican. The design will be available in
short-sleeved t-shirts, long-sleeved t-shirts, and on a
crew neck or hooded sweatshirt.
Hooded and crew-neck sweatshirts for youth and adult are
$30; long-sleeved shirts for youth and adults are $22;
short-sleeved shirts for youth and adults are $15. For adult
size XXL, add $2 to the price for all styles.
The deadline for submitting your completed
order form is Friday, October 31st.
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New Spirit Shirt Orders Being Taken |
Orders are now being taken for shirts
with the designs shown above. You may order a
soccer, volleyball, or a basketball version, or a version
that has a book in the eagle's talons (rather than a ball)
with no sport designation printed underneath.
The design will be available on short-sleeved and
long-sleeved t-shirts, and on a hooded or crew-neck
sweatshirt. Both youth and adult sizes will be
available.
Hooded and crew-neck sweatshirts for youth and adult are
$30; long-sleeved shirts for youth and adults are $22;
short-sleeved shirts for youth and adults are $15. For
adult size XXL, add $2 to the price for all styles.
The deadline for submitting your
completed order form is Friday, October 31st.
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Math Olympics |
 Our
annual Math Olympics took place this year on October 17th.
The students in the Lower School homerooms dressed in the
colors of their home country's flag and participated in the
Games by visiting the classrooms and playing fields of other
"countries." While in each country, the competitors played
games designed to hone their interest in math and make
learning fun. They even had time to get their "passports"
stamped!
(Top) Representing Kenya, Mrs. Berryman's
Kindergarten class participates in the opening
ceremonies.
 ( Center)
Australians Christian T.
(1st) and Austin V. (1st) share a
moment of friendship
(Bottom) The Canadian team (a.k.a. Mrs. Oswald's
4th grade) cheers on the players.
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Grayson M. Goes Backstage at Carrie Underwood Concert |
After
winning tickets on the radio to see country music vocalist
Carrie Underwood perform live in Topeka on September 30th, 6th
grader Grayson M. competed in a karaoke
sing-off for a chance to win backstage passes to meet Carrie
Underwood in person.
As you can see, Grayson's talent served her well, and we think
she looks great in this photo backstage with Carrie!
Way to go, Grayson! |
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A "Snow Day" in October! |
When school was closed unexpectedly on October 10th to repair
broken water pipes, many Collegiate parents were left wondering
What do we do with the kids?!
For several families, the beautiful autumn weather suggested
a trip to the pumpkin patch! In this case, it was Lambert's
Pumpkin Paradise, where the kids had the chance to pick out
a pumpkin or two and chase around the corn maze and climbing
structures.
Spotted at the pumpkin patch were Edward B.
(3rd), Annabel (3rd) and
Alexandra C. (1st), Ryley G.
(K), Tanner (K) and Daxton H.
Carter (K) and Haven L.
(2nd), and Drew (3rd)
and Matt M. (2nd).
What did you do on your day off?
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UNICEF Fundraising Updates |
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UNICEF Bake Sale
Thanks to your support, the 4th graders were able to
raise $320.85 for the United Nations Children's Fund through the
bake sale on Tuesday, October 22nd. Thank you to everyone who
helped out by baking and bagging goodies, sending money with
their child to purchase a treat, and manning the check-out
table.
The 4th graders have set a goal of raising
$1,400 for UNICEF this year through the bake sale and the
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF boxes.
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
Orange cardboard Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF collection
boxes are coming home in your child's home folder
today. Just by carrying their orange UNICEF box
with them when they are trick-or-treating and collecting
spare change from their neighbors, they can help kids in
other parts of the world get the things they need to to
survive and grow, like clean water, medicines,
nutrition, and education.
When trick-or-treating for UNICEF, the fund has the
following tips:
- Practice what you are going to say, and let your
neighbors know you'll be trick-or-treating for UNICEF so
they'll be prepared with both candy and spare change
- When you go door-to-door, call out "Trick or treat for
UNICEF!" when your neighbor answers the door
- Always be polite, explain what the donation is for, and
thank everyone you ask, even if he or she does not donate
- You may choose to thank those who put coins in your
orange box by saying "Thank you for helping make the world a
better place for kids!"
- Return your box to school by November 5th
Thank you again for your continued assistance in helping us
teach our students the importance of helping others in need
and being good global citizens.
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A Note From Your Annual Fund Co-Chairs |
The Annual Fund Team thanks all the TCS families we spoke with
during Tuesday's phonathon. We appreciate your courtesy and your
generosity. If you have not yet made your Annual Fund pledge,
you may do so by returning the pledge form in your child's home
folder, bringing it to the office, or giving it to your child's
teacher. You may also give online by clicking on Giving,
then Annual Fund.
Remember, we'll be announcing at the Halloween Assembly which
classes have reached 100% participation. Those classes will
receive pizza parties!
Thank you for modeling philanthropic behavior for your students,
and for your graciousness to our callers.
Kristina Dietrick and Mary Etzel
Annual Fund Co-Chairs |
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From the Health Room |
Hearing and vision screening took
place on October 13th, with completion of the entire school
in under 3 hours!
Testing was done according to KDHE guidelines as follows:
PK - Neither hearing nor vision
K and 1st - Hearing and vision
2nd - Hearing
3rd - Vision
4th - Neither
5th - Hearing and vision
6th - Neither
7th - Vision
8th - Hearing
The USD 501 nurses who performed the screenings will return
in about two weeks (date pending) to test those children who
were absent on October 13th and to retest children whose
hearing and/or vision screens were not within normal
limits.
I will contact you only if your child needs to be retested.
If you do not receive notice, then your child scored within
normal limits for their hearing and/or vision screen.
If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact
me.
Danielle Huckins
Health Services Director
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New Policy Regarding Fingernail Polish |
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Mr. Jannelle reports that black fingernail
polish was recently found spilled onto the floor in the gym and
in the Commons. He informs us that the mess cannot be cleaned
up without stripping and re-finishing the floors in both areas.
Please do not bring any nail polish
into the school; you may WEAR it to school, but it must be
applied at home.
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Grandparents/VIP Day -- Tuesday, November 25th |
Save
the date!
All students are encouraged to invite their grandparents or
other VIP to a special day at Topeka Collegiate when we welcome
and acknowledge the important people in our childrens' lives.
As the event nears, we'll have more information to share
with you.
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Merry Market -- November 7th and 8th; a TCS-Sponsored Event |
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$500 Tuition Rebate |
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 Kristen Tillona at 228-0490 or
ktillona@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. Your box tops have
earned our school $235 since August 1, 2008!
Best
Choice Labels -- New this school year. 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 -- As part of Nestlé's Go Play!
program, TCS can redeem any size or flavor Nestlé water bottle
labels for sports gear or towards transportation costs for
school field trips. The entire label from individual
bottles should be turned in; no multi-pack wrappers or
case labels.
 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. Last year your purchases
earned Topeka Collegiate $538.49!
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. Last year your
recycled materials earned the school $105.07!
We'd like to thank Debbie Rosacker for her past
coordination of the label redemption program, and say welcome
and thank you to parents Elena Carrington and
Carisa Sims for taking over these
important fundraisers!.
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