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Dear Topeka Collegiate Families and Friends,
As we wrap up the first four months of the school year, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. There is so much to celebrate and appreciate, and I am grateful for each of you. Together, we’re building a vibrant environment where students can thrive, and we remain deeply committed to providing the best educational experience for every child. With winter weather in the forecast, we are preparing accordingly and remain hopeful that nothing severe comes our way.
The next three weeks—just fourteen and a half school days before winter break—will be filled with cherished traditions and memorable activities that bring Beyond the Book experiences to our students and bring our community together. Upcoming events include the Middle School Girls’ basketball games, Book Buddies activities celebrating Citizens of the World, Middle School Science Night, the 2nd Grade Assembly, a Middle School dance, the Innovators Club Robotics Competition, a 3rd grade visit to TPAC for The Nutcracker, Math Olympiad for Grades 4–6, and the culmination of our TARC pajama and pudding drive with an all-school pajama day. All of this leads us into our early dismissal at 11:00 AM on December 19.
As we work to meet and exceed your expectations, your feedback is invaluable. New families to Topeka Collegiate have been invited to a mid-year check-in with the Head of School and Business Office. For everyone, we encourage you to share your thoughts in our Mid-Year Survey, open through December 15. Your insights help us continue to strengthen and enhance the educational experience for all students.
Thank you for being an essential part of our school family. We look forward to sharing this season of learning, joy, and community with all of you.
Sincerely,
Michael Flax and the Leadership Team
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COMMUNITY NEWS & INFORMATION
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Inclement Weather Reminder
As we approach the possibility of winter weather, we want to remind families of the Inclement Weather section on page 19 of the Family Handbook. Please take a moment to review the guidelines so you are familiar with our procedures.
Topeka Collegiate makes decisions about school closings with the safety of our students, families, and employees as our highest priority. While we do not automatically follow decisions made by Topeka USD 501 or Washburn Rural USD 437, their closures will be taken into consideration when we evaluate conditions.
There may be days when we implement a delayed start to allow road conditions to improve. Please note that Beforecare will not be available on any day with a late start.
School closures or delays will be communicated via parent alert text and local media. We will make every effort to notify families as early as possible.
Families may pick up their child early at their discretion if driving conditions worsen or a storm is approaching.
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From the Health Office
As often accompanies the winter weather, illness comes around this time of year as well. To that end, we want to highlight the Topeka Collegiate Exclusion Policy from the Health Office. You can find more information about our student health policies on page 24 in the Family Handbook.
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ERB Results
Students in Grades 4–8 participated in the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) assessments this fall. The ERB includes seven subtests that measure student progress in Verbal Reasoning, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Writing Mechanics, Writing Concepts and Skills, Quantitative Reasoning, and Mathematics. Fourth-grade students take an Auditory Comprehension subtest in place of the Vocabulary subtest.
Our students approached the assessments with a positive mindset, took the process seriously, and performed very well. Individual student results will be sent home before the end of the semester. Please watch for these reports, and contact your child’s homeroom teacher if you do not receive them.
Additionally, second-quarter report cards will be emailed to parents during the second week of January.
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Collegiate Kitchen Status Update
At the beginning of the school year, families completed a survey regarding school lunch participation at Topeka Collegiate. Per our policy, all students are automatically “Opt-In” unless parents selected the “Opt-Out” option on the survey. Most families who opted out did so for both the first and second semesters; those selections have been recorded and will continue to be honored for the entire year.
As we prepare for the second semester, we want to ensure our records remain accurate. You only need to contact Michael Flax if you wish to make a change to your child’s lunch participation status. If no changes are needed, your original survey response will remain in place. The deadline for making changes is Thursday, December 18.
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Help Our Collegiate Kitchen Team
Volunteering in the Collegiate Kitchen comes with a complimentary lunch, which you can enjoy with your student! We need one volunteer each day to help keep things running smoothly.
To sign up, visit https://signup.com/go/WXmHdHZ
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Treats for Teachers
We are so grateful for the kindness and generosity of our families, who help make Fridays extra sweet with Treats for Teachers! If you’d like to sign up for this wonderful tradition on an upcoming Friday, click here: https://signup.com/go/rRkWDW
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Original Works
The deadline for ordering Original Works has passed. However, it is not too late to make an order with them.
You can find the directions for making a late order at this link.
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Each year, our Early Childhood students lead a special service project supporting TARC, one of Topeka Collegiate’s long-standing community partners. During this season of giving, they collect children’s pajamas, tie blankets with their book buddies, and gather individual applesauce and pudding cups to help TARC clients with daily medication needs.
All donations are due December 17, when TARC representatives will visit campus to receive the students’ gifts. Guided by 1st-grade teacher, Mrs. Dina Dudinyak, this project teaches our youngest learners meaningful lessons in kindness, empathy, and community.
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Annual Fund Update
As 2025 comes to a close, we know you have many meaningful opportunities for year-end giving. If you haven’t yet had a chance to make your philanthropic plans, we invite you to consider a gift to the Topeka Collegiate Annual Fund.
Your generosity directly supports our students and faculty by sustaining the daily operations that make our mission possible—and every gift is 100% tax-deductible. Contributions may be mailed to the school or made online at any time.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Days of Thanks!! Together, we raised 70% of our campaign goal. With your support, we’re confident we can reach 100%. Thank you for helping fuel a bright and thriving future for our students!
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Evening on Eveningside
Plans are underway for this year’s Evening on Eveningside—A Night of Giving in Celebration of Topeka Collegiate on Saturday, February 28, 2026!! Thank you for your generous support of this event over the years. If you haven’t joined us before, we hope you’ll consider it—it's always an enjoyable evening with great food and drink, community connection, and exciting auction prizes.
As one of our two major annual fundraisers, Evening on Eveningside provides unrestricted support for daily school operations and the special programs that make Topeka Collegiate such a vibrant place for students.
We invite you to mark your calendar, gather friends, and plan to join us. Your participation truly makes a difference. Thank you also for contributing items for classroom baskets and projects—we look forward to collecting them throughout December!
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ADMISSIONS AND RE-ENROLLMENT UPDATE
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2026-2027 Re-Enrollment & Admissions
Our re-enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year will begin in January. As a reminder, current students proceed through our reenrollment process and do not need to submit a new application every year.
If you have another child or know anyone who is considering joining us next year, now is the time to apply, before our recruitment season begins. Apply today or connect with Leilani Grey at lgrey@topekacollegiate.org if you have any questions.
For more information, contact Leilani Grey, lgrey@topekacollegiate.org, share the admissions or admissions event pages on our website, or invite others to our school events and activities.
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2026-2027 FIT Rate Applications Open On December 1
In early January, families with locked student contracts or students transitioning to a new division will receive an email outlining the next steps for re-enrollment for the 2026-27 academic year, if applicable. If re-enrollment is uncertain, the email will also include the necessary steps and deadlines for that process.
For families who did not lock in their contract FIT rates, are advancing to the next Division, or wish to reevaluate their current locked rate, the School and Student Services (SSS) application process for the 2026-27 school year will open tomorrow, December 1, 2025
This financial application process is essential for evaluating your unique FIT rate. You can access the application form and additional details on our school’s website under the Admissions: Tuition ReImagined section, or directly via the SSS website. Our school code is 7682.
Application Deadline is Monday, January 26, 2026. For further guidance on how to apply, please refer to our flyer. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Debra Ricks, Director of Finance and Operations, at dricks@topekacollegiate.org.
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03 December: Basketball vs Christ the King at CTK, 7:00 PM
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04 December: Book Buddies - Citizens of the World, 8:25-8:55 AM
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04 December: Middle School Science Night, 5:30 PM-8:30 PM
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05 December: Middle School Science Day in Assembly Hall
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06 December: Basketball vs Most Pure Heart at MPH, 1:00 PM
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08 December: Basketball vs NEK at St. Matthew, 7:00 PM
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09 December: Grade 4-6 Math Olympiad
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12 December: Grade 2 Assembly, 8:30 AM
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12 December: Grade 3 Nutcracker Performance at TPAC, 9:30 AM - Noon
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12 December: Middle School Dance in Assembly Hall, 7:00 PM-10:00 PM
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13 December: Basketball vs MPH at MPH, 12:00 PM
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13 December: Innovators Club, FLL Robotics Competition, Hickman Mills MS, 5:45 AM-6:45 PM
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18 December: Collegiate Kitchen OPT-OUT Deadline
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18 December: PreK-Grade 2 Presentation to TARC (All-School Pajama Day)
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19 December: End of 2nd Quarter - 11:00 AM Dismissal
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22 December-05 January: No School -Winter Break
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05 January: Faculty Professional Development Day
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06 January: School Resumes - 1st Day of 2nd Semester
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03 February: Grade 5, Topeka Symphony, White Concert Hall, 8:45 AM-10:45 AM
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27 February: Grade 4-5 Kid Wind Competition, Burlington, KS, 6:15 AM-5:00 PM
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28 February: Evening on Eveningside Auction
| | Our next Collegiate Connection is scheduled for Sunday, December 06, We're excited to to see everyone back at school tomorrow! | | | | |
