Hello Friends and Family,

Welcome back to another exciting school year! We’re thrilled to have you and your children return to our vibrant community. At our school, we’re dedicated to nurturing each student’s potential with unwavering support and high expectations. Our goal is to create an environment where learning is engaging and enjoyable. With a focus on both academic excellence and personal growth, we’re committed to helping every child thrive. Let’s make this year memorable and successful together. We look forward to partnering with you to support your child’s journey and celebrate their achievements.

As we look ahead, here are some Topeka Collegiate numbers of note:

43 - The 2024-2025 school year is Topeka Collegiate’s 43rd year of excellence

21 - August 21 is the first day of school

22 - August 22 will be our first day of lunch, Beforecare, and Aftercare

16 - New students

11 - Students in the Class of 2025

4 - New staff members

4 - New Trustees are joining our Board of Trustees

6 - Year in our ISACS Accreditation Cycle- A Progress Report is due this year and faculty and staff will be working on Accreditation requirements before school starts and throughout the year

3 - Full classes (PreK, Grade 4, and Grade 5)

1 - Amazing community

0 - Planned construction projects

As mentioned above, we are excited to have 16 new students and 10 new families join our community. Welcome to the Barrett, Domsch, Gonzalez, Graves, Reece, Rutkowski, Schreyer, Scott, Seshadri, & Ward Families.

In Prekindergarten welcome to Amelia, Ansh, Claire, David, Ellis, Heidi, Reese, Sierra, and Vika. In Kindergarten welcome to Emmalie, MJ, Ryann, and Theo. In Grade 4, welcome Bradyn and Nicole. In Grade 8, welcome Scott.

The next 10 days will get us started on the right foot. This Connection contains a full list of dates, deadlines, and events to plan for.

Lyn Rantz, Ed.D. P'19, P'21

Head of School

Mark Your Calendar!

August 12: All Faculty Return
August 14: Opt-Out Deadline for Semester One of Collegiate Kitchen
August 14: New Family Orientation in Commons; 5:30 PM-6:30 PM (This event is for parents/guardians only.)
August 15-16: Hopes and Dreams Conferences
August 19: New-to-Middle School Orientation in Commons; 8:00 AM -9:45 AM (This event is for students and their parents/guardians.)
August 19: Meet the Teacher/Classroom Visits; 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
August 21: First Day of School; 8:15 AM-11:00 AM (No Before or Aftercare and no lunch.) Traditional first day of school photo with the Head of School.
August 22: First Full Day of School
August 25: Back to School Bash for all students and families; 5:00 PM-7:00 PM. This event will be fun for all ages!
August 26: Middle School Soccer and Volleyball practices begin this week.
August 29: Back to School Night; 6:00 PM-7:30 PM (This event is for parents/guardians only.)
September 4: School Picture Day

EDUCATE

Topics that support the Educate Pillar of the Strategic Plan, ensuring that we provide an unparalleled foundational education.

Hopes and Dreams Conferences: August 15 - 16

By now, you should have received communication from your child’s homeroom teacher regarding the scheduling of the Hopes and Dreams conferences. Last week, the school office sent out sign-up links to all Middle School families and the Lower School faculty have provided details on registering for their respective conferences. If you have yet to hear from your child’s homeroom teacher, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

The Hopes and Dreams conferences are scheduled as follows:

Lower School: Thursday and Friday, August 15-16
Grade 6: Thursday, August 15
Grades 7 and 8: Friday, August 16

Beforecare and Aftercare Details

Beforecare; 7:35 AM to 8:05 AM: Room 112 (across from the Library)
Aftercare; 3:35 PM to 5:25 PM: Library, playground, and Room 112

*Drop-ins welcome, no sign-up required. Charges for both Beforecare and Aftercare are $6/hour, charged by the minute.

For more information see the Extended Day section of the Family Handbook or contact Ms. Bonilla at rbonilla@topekacollegiate.org.

After-school Adventures

We are thrilled to offer seven After-school Adventures this semester!

Engineering Fun with Mrs. Brewer (TU; Grades K-2)
Pi-rates Paradise (Math Games) with Ms. Baldwin (TU; Grade 4)
Pi-rates Paradise (Math Games) with Ms. Baldwin (TH; Grade 3)
Chess (W; Grades 1-8)
Choir with Mrs. Siebert (W; Grades 4-8)
Origami with Ms. Yumiko (TH; Grades 3-8)
Innovation Thursday with Mrs. Robinson (TH; Grades 4-8)

For details and registration, click here or go to www.topekacollegiate.org/campus-life/extended-day.cfm. Adventures begin the week of September 2.

CONNECT

Topics that support the Connect Pillar of the Strategic Plan, fostering an inclusive and supportive community.

Back to School Bash: August 25 | 5:00 PM-7:00 PM

All current Topeka Collegiate families, staff, and Trustees are invited to attend this fun event on our campus. Some of the activities include:

Dinner provided; hot dog (vegetarian option available), chips, cookie, and water
Concessions to support Grade 8 Sea Camp Fundraiser
Inflatable water slide for kids aged 4-13
Outdoor games, rock painting, and karaoke
B.Y.O. lawn chairs & beach towels

We look forward to celebrating the new year together! If you can volunteer to help, please email Hayley Smith at hsmith@topekacollegiate.org.

Back to School Night: August 29 | 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

We are excited to welcome parents to our annual Back-to-School Night on Thursday, August 29, starting at 6:00 PM.

*The event will have three sessions and is for adults only. A minimum of one adult per family is asked to attend.

Lower School:

Presentations will be in the classrooms during the first and third sessions.

Middle School (Grades 6-8):

Presentations will be in the Assembly Hall during the first and third sessions.
First session: Advisory Period Teams and Flex Friday academic programs.
Third session: Academic competitions and athletic programs.

All Grades (PreK-8):

Second Session: Located in the Assembly Hall at 6:30 PM. Dr. Rantz and members of the Board of Trustees will deliver an address.

We look forward to kicking off the new school year with you!

School Pictures

School Picture Day will be Wednesday, September 4, beginning at 8:30 AM. Proofs, retake options, and ordering details will be sent shortly after.

A very special thank you to Ken Doll Photography for providing us with these special photos!

Collegiate Kitchen

As a convenience, all staff and students are enrolled in Collegiate Kitchen with an option to Opt Out. Opting out means a home lunch must be brought each school day. The deadline for Opting Out is August 14.

The enrollment period follows the school semester calendar. There will be Opt-out options for Semester 1 and Semester 2.
Collegiate Kitchen will bill over the semester, spreading the payments over time.

Volunteer sign-up for the Collegiate Kitchen can be found here.

Sustain

Topics that support the Sustain Pillar of the Strategic Plan, ensuring a strong future through strategic investments.

We want to thank each of our thirteen volunteers who will serve on our 2024-2025 Board of Trustees. Your time, support, and expertise are invaluable to our school community!

We are excited to see our returning and new families on Wednesday, August 21! In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. You can email us at sayhello@topekcoallgiate.org or call 785-228-0490.

View the 2024-2025 Academic Calendar here.

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