Trail Talk Newsletter

Thank you for following along with your SFT PTA, we are so thankful for your generosity, time and support. We are especially grateful for the teachers and staff that make SFT so special. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and make a lot of great memories. Let's make a few more together this month! In this issue find fun December events and open volunteer opportunities to start planning for spring events. See you next year! Stay connected with the SFT community on Facebook.

As our holiday surprise to you, the SFT PTA is officially launching its new website! We hope this will help you find all of the SFT information you need in one trusty place that you can visit anytime! Please check it out today and watch for more content coming soon.

New SFT PTA Website!

The next Skating Party is tonight, Tuesday, December 5 and it's a Scavenger Skate Party! Find items and get the correct answers to win prizes.

• 6-8 pm. at Skate City
• 9800 W. 62nd Terrace, Merriam
• $7 admission to skate, $2 skate rental
• Dinner Special: $4.50 for a hot dog, chips and a drink
• A portion of admissions that evening go back to the SFT PTA
• At our last Skating Glow Party, you helped raise $447.50--way to go, SFT!
• Our goal is 200 skaters! (179 last time)

Spring Fundraiser Committee

SFT's biggest (adults-only) party of the year is March 2, 2024. Not only is the Spring Fundraiser and Party majorly fun, it also raises essential funds to support our students, teachers and school activities. In order to pull off a successful event, we need a dedicated planning committee. Click on THIS LINK to find out more and to sign up to help.

Spring Carnival

The annual SFT Spring Carnival will be May 3, 2024. We want you to be part of making our beloved carnival the best it's ever been! If you are interested in helping plan this event, please contact Shae Paradise (shaestark@gmail.com).

Each year, PTA supports teachers and school initiatives through classroom grants and program funding. Indeed, that's one of our main functions as a PTA. This year, because of your generous support of PTA fundraisers over the past few years + PTA's very careful management of these funds, we are thrilled to announce we are in a position to purchase a few larger wish-list items for the school beyond our typical annual support.

In October, PTA put out a call for submission of ideas. Qualifying submissions--those that were complete, at least $500, and approved by school leadership--were presented and voted on at the November 15 PTA meeting. We are excited to share that those votes have been tallied and the results are in!

Special Projects listed in the order of the most votes received:

1. Robot Kits for coding

2. Portable PA System for assemblies and special events

3. New Plastic Gaga Ball Pit with rubber flooring

4. Recess Equipment and Storage

And the winner is...(drumroll please)

ALL FOUR PROJECTS will be fully funded!

Thank you to our special SFT community for your support, everyone that submitted ideas, and all who participated in this process. We are delighted to be able to support our students, teachers and staff with all of this cool new equipment and materials!

Each year, Kansas PTA sponsors a themed writing contest for students in grades 5-12. If your 5th or 6th grade SFT student is interested in participating in the contest, she or he will write a self-reflective essay or poem based on this year's theme: I Will Lift Others Up By...

Winners can earn local prizes and may qualify to move on to the regional level. Student entry forms and more information will be available in the school office and with the 5th and 6th grade teachers.

Send entries to lisa.a.bauman@gmail.com by Dec. 6, or contact Lisa with questions before then.

Tis' the season for holiday lights! Whether you channeled your inner Clark Griswold and put up an extravagant display or you chose a simpler theme for decorating the outside of your house, we want you to enter the SFT Families Annual Holiday Lights Tour!

As a little added fun and competition--who doesn't love a little friendly competition?--we also welcome you to enter the Lights Contest as well. The contest winner gets the coveted grand prize traveling "trophy" to display in their yard!

• To be added to the Lights Tour map: Please fill out this 2023 SFT Holiday Lights Tour and Contest Sign-Up Form.
  by Tuesday, December 12th. All displays welcome, no matter the size!
• To also be added to the Lights Contest: Please indicate contest entry on the form. Voting will happen on the SFT Facebook page, so we'll need a photo(s) of your display. The photo(s) can be uploaded to the Google Form or you can email them to Amy Mendez at amycmendez2013@gmail.com

If you're not currently following the Facebook page - SFT Trailblazer Connection, make sure you follow so you can participate in the voting. If you have any questions, contact Amy: amycmendez2013@gmail.com or 913-626-0603

Remember, the deadline for entries is Tuesday, December 12th!

Parents and guardians are welcome to attend the school sing-along and winter class parties on Dec. 20. Here are the details:

• Kindergarten through 6th graders will participate. (Pre-K Winter parties will be on December 19 at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Pre-K does not have school on December 20.)
• The Sing-Along will start at 8:30 am in the gym.
• Classroom Parties will begin at 9:00 and last until 9:50 am.
  
• Room parents and other volunteers will set up in the classrooms during the Sing-Along.
  
• School will dismiss at 12:30.

Each year, PTA sponsors several cultural assemblies for our students. On Nov. 30, students were entertained and educated by Mr. Jim from Mobile Ed productions with a fun show about the “Magic of Science.” Through several interactive activities, students learned about magnetism, physics, chemistry, math, and optical illusions. The students walked away with simple scientific knowledge and a few ideas of how to create their own magic at home.

The next cultural arts assembly will be on December 11 and is a performance about Diwali.

Encourage your student to use the long winter break to start getting their act together for the Spring Variety Show! If your child is interested in showing off their talent, we are looking for singers, dancers, gymnasts, comedians, magicians, musicians and others with (indoor, safe) talents of all kinds. Auditions will be due in January, and we'll share more details after break. In the meantime, if you have questions, contact Erin or Glenn Shipps, Variety Show co-chairs.

SFT Families,

The December newsletter provides an opportunity to talk about the things we are thankful for. I think making a list and talking about it is a great idea. Of course, health and family are first, so I hope you will be able to spend time with loved ones during this holiday season. I am thankful for the skilled, committed staff at Santa Fe Trail that works together each day to provide the best education and opportunities for our students. They are focused on each student to help each grow socially, emotionally, and academically. I am thankful for the students who come to school each day ready to learn, ready to work, and ready to cooperate. The smooth transitions they make going from one class to another and one group to another make it possible for the staff to provide the individualized instruction they each need. I’m thankful for their excitement when they meet their goals.

I am thankful for our supportive parents who make so many opportunities available for our students. Without your support of PTA, through the donation of your time and talent or your support of fundraising, learning for our Santa Fe Trail students would not be going as smoothly. It is exciting to see students participate in field trips and assemblies this year. I hope you have an opportunity to count your blessings; that is, appreciate the things you are thankful for and to let those around you know they are loved during this season.

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank all the students, staff, and parents for a wonderful start to this year. It is such a privilege each day to see how each person in the SFT community comes together to help our students achieve. It is truly great to be a Trailblazer! I wish you a wonderful holiday season and thank you for the opportunity to work with your child each day.

Educationally yours,

Ms. Leiker

Snack Donation Request

Some students are in need of a snack to regulate and continue with their day but are unable to bring a snack from home. If you are willing to donate a box of snacks--Ritz crackers, peanut butter crackers or fruit snacks--please drop them off at the office and we will get them to our support teachers. Thank you!

Attendance

Please call the school by 8:30a.m. to report your child’s absence or late arrival. The Attendance Line is available 24/7 ~ 913-993-5088. Or you may e-mail brigettejones@smsd.org to report an absence. Information on entering Absence Requests through Skyward will be coming in January!

Appointment Verification

Please remember to send the note from the doctor/dentist/orthodontist/therapist with the student when they return from an appointment as verification for attendance. Please ask for a note at each appointment. If you forget to send it the next day after an end of day appointment, just send it the following day. Please contact Ms. Jones with any questions.

Pre-K and Kindergarten Enrollment Date Set

Please mark January 8, 2024, on your calendar as the kick-off date for online enrollment for Pre-K and Kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year. Online enrollment will open at 8 a.m. on January 8, 2024.

Dress in Layers and Label Everything

Please have your child dress in layers for school. Temperatures in the school can vary widely so having a sweater or light jacket to wear in the building will help keep your child comfortable. Also, remember your student should be sent to school with a warm coat, gloves and a hat for outdoor recess. If they wear boots please send a change of shoes for PE and the classroom. It is helpful if all student items were clearly labeled with the child’s name so they do not end up on the lost and found table. This would include labeling tennis shoes, boots, coats, sweaters, jackets, hats, gloves, mittens, book bags, lunch boxes and notebooks. This year we cannot let students dig through items on a table so we are trying to get items back to the owner if they are labeled.

Inclement Weather

As the winter months approach, it is especially important for our community members to be aware of inclement weather procedures and how to receive an alert if plans for building closures are announced. If conditions make it necessary for SMSD to close schools, the district will implement one of three plans: A, B, or C. Click here to view the plans and other additional resources.

We are in need of gently used or new sweatpants - Sizes 6-14 and nut-free snacks you can bring to the office. I would like to wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season. If you ever have any health-related questions or concerns, please contact me at KellyClark@smsd.org

Help PTA earn cashback donations by shopping brands and restaurants you love. It's simple! With Givebacks, when you shop and dine at participating stores and restaurants, those merchants automatically donate a percentage to the cause of your choice. To make sure you're all set up to give, register for a Givebacks account and securely link your credit card. Then, select Santa Fe Trail as the cause of your choice. https://www.givebacks.com/join/sft

PTA's DEI committee is involved in a district-wide, parent-led grassroots effort to advocate for the school district to add a Dual Language program in SMSD. The group organizing this effort has created yard signs to spread the word about our advocacy effort. If you are interested in having a sign for your yard, contact Mary Birkel at marydeantaylor@gmail.com. For a little more info on this effort, see the October Newsletter.

To find out how you can support this effort, join the Dual Language SMSD Facebook Group.

Do you want to recognize a fabulous SFT employee? Nominate them for the Shawnee Mission School District's All Star Award! The SMSD All Star review committee meets monthly to complete the selection process for submissions in advance of the Shawnee Mission Board of Education meetings. It's easy! Fill out the form at the link below and show the district that SFT teachers and staff are the best! The form includes basic information about the employee and three questions.

All Star Nomination Form

Share the love this holiday season by donating items to help your local community holiday shop collection! Donations will be accepted at Nall Avenue Baptist Church at 6701 Nall Ave. Prairie Village, KS.

Donation Drop-off Schedule:

• Tuesday, December 5, 5-8 pm
• Thursday, December 7, 5-8 pm

Donations Accepted:

• Gently used kids clothing, shoes (good condition, no stains/tears)
• Gently used toys, kids books (good condition)
• NEW kids socks, underwear
• Small household appliances
• Electronics (in working order)
• Home décor
• Kitchen items
• Wrapping paper, scotch tape & gift bags
• Household cleaning products
• Household paper products
• Hygiene items
• Cash or gift card donations

2023

Dec. 05 --> SFT Skate Party 6-8 pm

Dec. 06 --> Citizenship Essays Due

Dec. 19 --> Pre-K Winter Class Parties

Dec. 20 --> Winter Sing-along and K-6 Class Parties

Dec. 20 --> Early Dismissal 12:30; No Pre-K

Dec. 21 - Jan. 05 --> Winter Break No School

2024

Feb. 20 --> SFT Skate Party 6-8 pm

Feb. 21 --> General PTA Meeting SFT Library 6:00 pm

Mar. 02 --> Spring Fundraiser

Apr. 10 --> General PTA Meeting SFT Library 6:00 pm

Apr. 16 --> SFT Skate Party 6-8 pm

May 03 --> SFT Carnival

May 10 --> Field Day

Email: sftptapresident@gmail.com
Location: 7100 Lamar Avenue, Overland Park, KS, USA
Facebook: SFT Trailblazer Connection | Facebook