Trail Talk

April is finally here and so is the 2023 SFT Auction and Party: Luau at the Legion! See below for details, including a link to purchase your auction tickets in advance! We're also looking forward to several other fun upcoming events, including the last skating party of the year. Mark your calendars as we head full speed downhill toward the end of the semester.

Stay connected with your Trailblazer Community on Facebook and Instagram.

Buy your tickets now to the funnest auction party around: Luau at the Legion!

• April 15, 6-10 pm
• American Legion event space, 7500 W. 75th Street
• Ticket cost: $10 in advance and $15 at the door, which includes a tasty dinner
• New this year: Catered meal from Hawaiian Bros and live music by "Band in a Box"!
• Purchase tickets, raffle tickets and BINGO cards: Visit Luau at the Legion
• Pre-auction Giveaways: Follow @santafetrailelementary on Instagram for pre-auction giveaways and highlights of auction items!

Luau at the Legion will be SFT's biggest, best party of the year. Come out, have a great night with new and old friends, check out some truly awesome auction items at all price points, and support Santa Fe Trail. And yes, there will be BINGO! Let’s make this our most successful auction yet so we can continue to support our students, teachers and community!

Join us on April 12 for Why Cook Wednesday at Slim Chickens!

• 6591 Johnson Drive, Mission
• Dine-in or Drive-thru
• 5 pm to 9 pm
• 15% of your purchase goes to SFT

SFT students got to experience another Cultural Arts Assembly on March 30. Caley Rose performed her original songs about building self confidence and bravery. She taught the kids strategies to stand up for themselves and try new things. The students got a chance to sing, dance and play percussion. Caley's songs can be found on Spotify.

Greetings SFT Families!

It’s truly hard to believe that we’re now headed into our final months of the 2022-2023 school year. During the short time we have left in the school year, there will be lots of time for reflection of memorable moments and achievements from this year. In addition, as final projects and assessments are completed, everyone will also have an opportunity to find challenges for the future.

Although it’s exciting to look forward to summer, I ask that parents help students maintain a focus on what is truly important. This means that students will want to play more outdoors, but be sure to remind them to complete homework assignments and to keep up with their reading programs, too. Additionally, bedtimes have a tendency to be pushed later as spring turns into summer. Parents are asked to resist the urge to be lenient on this issue. As you can imagine, a tired student is not a productive student. So, thank you in advance for your consideration of these issues. Remember, you can contact your child’s teacher if you have questions about his/her progress. Thanks for all you do!

Educationally yours,

Ms. Leiker

Kansas Assessments

Grades 3-6 will be taking the state assessments this month. Please check with your teacher for dates each grade will be testing. Thank you for making sure students are getting lots of rest and eating a good breakfast each day.

Pre-K Kick-Off

Our Pre-K Kick-Off is scheduled for Thursday, May 4 at 4 pm. Please contact the SFT office for questions about our grant funded half-day Pre-K program.

Kindergarten Round-Up

Kindergarten Round-up is scheduled for Thursday, April 20 at 6 pm. Students and

parents/guardians will see a short presentation and then tour the kindergarten classrooms, specials classrooms, lunchroom, and office/nurse area. If you know of any families who haven’t registered their rising kindergartener, please have them call the SFT office for assistance.

Food Service Balances

We are thankful for a patron who lives down the street who made a large donation to

put towards unpaid lunch balances. Families may complete a free/reduced lunch application for additional assistance.

Instructional Fees

Please check Skyward to be sure all outstanding Instructional Fees are paid before the

year ends.

SMSD Parent Digital Learning Webpage

The district Parent-Facing Digital Learning Webpage has been updated. The updated webpage has information on: district-wide platforms (Classlink, Skyward, Lightspeed) curriculum apps, approved apps (and approval process), information for parents, along with frequently asked questions.

The last SFT Skate Party of the school year is Wednesday, April 19, 6-8 pm.

As always, the fun is at Skate City, 9800 W. 62nd Terrace, Merriam.

• Admission is $6 (and $2 from every admission goes back to SFT, at no additional cost to families!)
• Skate rental, food and drinks are available for purchase

The Third Grade Bike Rodeo will take place Friday, April 28, 1:30-2:30 pm. Third grade parents and guardians: watch for an email from your child's teacher with more information.

On Friday, April 28, join us for the final Family Fun Night of the year: A guided draw-along led by our very own Ms. Cushing. Starting at 6 pm in the SFT gym, Ms. Cushing will lead families on a cool drawing adventure. Drawing materials will be provided, along with popcorn to keep your creative juices flowing. Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Please BYO water bottle.

We are excited for this school-wide, community event chock full of fun for adults and children of all ages! Join us on Friday, May 5, 5:30 to 8 pm for...

• Inflatables
• Carnival Games
• Food Trucks
• Shaved Ice

For inflatables and games, wristbands and tickets will be available for purchase before and during the event. Don't miss this beloved, joy-filled night with your Santa Fe Trail community.

And we'll need extra hands to make the magic happen that night. Be on the lookout for a SignUpGenius for opportunities to sign up to help run a station for a portion of the evening. If you are interested in helping out or have questions, contact Shae Paradise (913-575-7505) to take part in the planning fun!

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is the week of May 8-12. Be on the lookout for an email listing the special ways to celebrate our SFT teachers and staff during this fun, celebratory week. If you would like to help with any of the various efforts PTA has planned for that week, we welcome your assistance! Please contact Amanda Connell at arconnell@gmail.com or 913-530-3662. If you don’t have time to volunteer but would like to contribute monetarily towards end-of-year gifts, please Venmo @connellbt in any amount. Thank you!

If you know of an SFT teacher or staff member who deserves a high-five for a job well done, the SMSD All Star Award form is available for nominating exemplary personnel throughout the school year and nominations are reviewed monthly. The nomination form is short and sweet: fill out this form.

Spring is finally getting ready to peep its head out! Many students (and adults) are coming to school or work this time of year with red, irritated eyes and sneezing. The hard part can be deciding if it’s just seasonal allergies, a cold, a stye, or a pink eye. If your student regularly takes an over-the-counter allergy medication approved by your physician, consider this the reminder to start taking that home medication as prescribed to better make it through their school day. Happy Spring! - Nurse Leta

Allergy Assistance

To help reduce allergy symptoms, please have students do the following every time they come in from outside:

• Blow nose
• Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds
• Wipe face down to remove pollen
• Flush eyes with water
• Get a drink of water

Healthy Egg Hunting

To help celebrate Spring in healthier ways, if you're doing an egg hunt, consider non-candy egg filler for some or all of the eggs. Here are some fun ideas: seed packets, Playdoh, Kinetic sand, stickers, bubbles, temporary tattoos, Chapstick, colored shoelaces, fake bugs, mini animals/grow animals, mini slinky, bouncy balls, Wikki Stix, mini pull back cars, putty, flavored floss, mini trains, coupons (putt putt, visit local animal shelter, Sky Zone, swimming, berry picking), mini bath toys, pop-its, slap bracelets, glow sticks, jump ropes, blow up beach ball, jax, chalk, recipes, spare change.

The PTAs from around the Shawnee Mission School District collaborate to offer the SMAC PTA Clothing Exchange, and our PTA is on the calendar to help out at the store at the end of April. We'd love to have a strong showing of volunteers from our school community.

We are signed up to help on Friday, April 28, from 10:00am to 12:00pm. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Kelly Menking at kcmenking@gmail.com or text 913-485-5355.

The Clothing Exchange offers gently used clothing and shoes from infant to adult sizes and is a free service available to anyone who lives within the SMSD boundaries. Click here to learn more: https://www.smac-pta.org/clothing-exchange

Apr. 04 --> PTA meeting

Apr. 12 --> WCW, Slim Chickens

Apr. 15 --> Spring Auction: Luau at the Legion

Apr. 19 --> Skate Party

Apr. 20 --> Kindergarten Roundup

Apr. 28 --> 3rd Grade Bike Rodeo

Apr. 28 --> Clothing Exchange volunteer opportunity

Apr. 28 --> Family Fun Night: Drawing Party

May 04 --> Pre-K Kick-off

May 05 --> SFT Carnival

May 8-12 --> Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week

May 22 --> Last Day of School for Pre-K

May 23 --> Last Day of School for K-6

Email: sftptapresident@gmail.com
Website: www.sftpta.com
Location: 7100 Lamar Avenue, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: 913-993-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371636722923691/