Trail Talk

You did it, we did it, they did it! We all made it through another fabulous year at SFT! Congratulations to all graduating 6th graders, we will miss you and wish you the best on your middle school journey and beyond!

The fun isn't over yet, we hope to see you at the SFT Carnival this Friday evening! We also look forward to celebrating the amazing SFT staff and teachers next week as we say so long for summer, details below! Stay connected with your Trailblazer Community over the summer on Facebook and Instagram.

Inflatables! Rides! Carnival Games! Face Painting! Touch a Truck! Food Trucks! Shaved Ice!

We are excited for this school-wide, community event guaranteed to be tons of fun for adults and children of all ages! Join us on Friday, May 5, 5:30-8:30 pm. Don't miss this beloved, joy-filled night with your Santa Fe Trail community.

BUY EARLY AND SAVE

• Wristbands (for rides & inflatables): $10 at the presale price OR $12 the night of the event
• Individual tickets (for games): 5 for $1 at the presale price OR 4 for $1 the night of the event
• Wristbands and tickets are available for purchase this week, Monday-Thursday, before school (7:45 to 8:10 am) and after school (3:10 to 3:20 pm); cash or checks welcome

PIE TOSS: Teachers vs. Students!

• Teachers: Toss a whip-cream "pie" at a graduating 6th grader
• Students: For 5 tickets, get 2 chances to toss a "pie" at a teacher

(Note: This is all in good fun, of course, and participants have volunteered to be pied.)

KC TREAT TRUCK AND KONA ICE TRUCK (cash and credit card accepted)

• Kids Hot Dog Combo: $5
• Adult Hot Dog Combo: $6
• Burger Combo: $7
• Nachos: $6
• Pretzel with Cheese $6
• Kona Ice: $4-$7

COTTON CANDY AND POPCORN (purchase tix at ticket table; cash only)

• Cotton Candy: 4 tickets
• Popcorn: 2 tickets

VOLUNTEER OR DONATE

• Volunteer: Sign up to fill one (or more) of the open 30-minute volunteer slots: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040d45abac2bab9-sftcarnival#/
• Donate: Sign up to donate 2-liter sodas and/or baked goods; drop off in school office on May 5

QUESTIONS?

• Contact Shae Paradise: shaestark@gmail.com.

In April, at PTA's final meeting of the year, members voted in the new slate of PTA officers for the 2023-2024 school year:

• President: Jenni Miller
• VP, Membership and Classroom Programs: Emily Beecher
• VP, Student Programs and Family Events: Shae Paradise
• VP, Ways and Means (Fundraising): Kristin Horst
• Treasurer: Tammy McMahon
• Secretary: Morgen Govindan

This team of dedicated volunteers will officially take the reins over the summer. They will be reaching out and looking for NEW and familiar SFT parents/guardians to help make next year's events and committees fun and active. Stay tuned!

Thank You to our Outgoing Officers!

We want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to our outgoing PTA President Extraordinaire Mary Birkel. SFT is a stronger community because of Mary's tireless dedication to making our school great under her PTA leadership. She is the friendliest face you will meet and always excited to convince someone to join PTA or volunteer in some way so that all SFT students have a memorable elementary experience. The PTA has grown in so many ways over the last few years because of Mary's endless energy and thoughtful planning.

Thank you to outgoing treasurer Jill Hrabe who is finishing a 4-year stint on the board--the first two of which were as president, leading our PTA through the uncertainty of a global pandemic! Jill's attention to detail, mad organization skills and keen business savvy have been an immense asset to our PTA and to our school. We are grateful for Jill's leadership and financial oversight!

Thanks, too, to outgoing VP Rachelle Tracz who has been serving on the board basically since 1982. (Slight exaggeration. Rachelle hadn't even been born yet in 1982.) Rachelle has served in various roles throughout her board tenure and has been a helpful unofficial historian when looking back on how PTA has done various things over the years. Thank you for your service to SFT, Rachelle!

We also appreciate the leadership and service of Marie Haake, who is rolling off the board after two terms as secretary. Marie's insight into the by-laws, standing rules and general behind-the-scenes gobbledygook of PTA regulations have kept our organization on the up and up, and her maintenance of the official meeting minutes have been a useful tracking tool. We appreciate you, Marie!

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week is next week, May 8-12. PTA has several fun things planned throughout the week and we encourage you and your student(s) to get involved, too. Here are a few ways you can show your appreciation:

• Make a card: Stop by the card making booth at the SFT Carnival on May 5 for your student to make a card to be delivered to the SFT teachers and staff next week. Or, have your student make or write a card at home to deliver next Thursday. Kind notes from students and families are such a heartwarming way to let your teachers/staff know you are grateful for their work.
• Chalk the walk: Grab some sidewalk chalk and stop by SFT anytime on Sunday, May 7 to help decorate the front walkway for teachers'/staff's arrival on Monday morning.
• Tokens of appreciation: If you're so inclined, bring/send a gift for your child's teachers and staff throughout the week. (Keep an eye on your email for the teachers'/staff's "My Favorite Things" document.) Don't forget the specials teachers and other personnel who mean a lot to your student. If you need a reminder of how to spell names, click here for the SFT personnel directory.
• Chip in for the gift bags: PTA is purchasing a summer-themed gift bag for each teacher and staff member to send them off to summer in style. PTA's budget is covering most of the cost, but we put together a SignUpGenius for families who might like to pitch in that way: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/4090B45ABAD2EA0FF2-sftstaff. To arrange drop-off of any items, please text Amanda Connell: 913-530-3662. Alternatively, if you would like to contribute monetarily towards these gifts, please Venmo @connellbt in any amount. Thank you!

See below for the flyer we are sharing with teachers and staff about the plans for the week.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Andy's Frozen Custard! Visit Andy's Frozen Custard for our last Why Cook Wednesday of the year!

• May 10, 2023 4-8 pm
• 95th and Metcalf location
• Must show flyer below

The Susan Dixon Volunteer Award is given annually to honor the life of Susan Dixon, a Santa Fe Trail parent and PTA member who died of cancer in 2003. The award is given to a PTA volunteer who exemplifies Susan’s giving nature and uplifting spirit. Candidates for the award are:

• Normally, but not exclusively, a volunteer whose youngest child is graduating from sixth grade
• Normally, but not exclusively, a volunteer whose child(ren) attended K-6 at Santa Fe Trail
• A volunteer who has been an active member of PTA for all/most of the period their child(ren) attended Santa Fe Trail

Any individual (parent/guardian/teacher/staff) in the Santa Fe Trail community can submit a nomination for the Susan Dixon Volunteer Award by completing this nomination form.

***NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BY MONDAY, MAY 8, 2023 ***

If you know a Santa Fe Trail volunteer who you think should be considered for the Susan Dixon Award, please nominate them! Don’t assume someone else will do it!

Once the nomination window closes, the awards committee will review all submissions and select the honoree. The award will be presented during the last PBIS Assembly on May 18.

One last Mahalo! -- "thank you!” in Hawaiian -- to everyone who supported SFT’s 2023 Luau at the Legion auction and party!

Thanks to so many generous donors and participants, we were incredibly excited to have raised more than $33,000 for our school!

We are especially grateful to all of the SFT families and teachers/staff who personally donated from their own businesses! Not sure who they are? Contact Emily Beecher for a list of our donors that you can help support!

Greetings SFT Families!

It’s truly hard to believe that we’re now headed into our final month 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!

Kristal Leiker, SFT Principal

Benchmark Testing

Third through sixth grades have finished taking the state assessments except for a few students who were absent. We began spring benchmark testing on April 25, and it will continue through May 17. Please check teacher newsletters for dates for individual grades. Thank you for making sure students are getting lots of rest and eating a good breakfast for their testing days.

Pre-K Kick-Off

Our Pre-K Kick-Off will be Wednesday, May 4 at 4:00 pm. Please contact the school office for questions about our grant-funded half-day Pre-K program.

Proper Footwear

Please ensure your student has the proper footwear each day. Shoes should be securely fastened to the feet; flip flops and slides should not be worn to school. Tennis shoes are needed on PE days so students can safely participate in all the activities. We appreciate your support in keeping everyone safe.

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 here full force! If your student takes a seasonal allergy medication, this may be the perfect time to start at home if you do this at your doctor’s direction or to discuss this with your pediatrician.

Many students (and adults) are coming to school or working 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. Remember your water bottle and drink through the day, this helps keep the mucus in our nose thin and keeps down infections. Most eye infections are viral and self-limiting, with those being treated taking just as long to subside as those without treatment.

PINK EYE

SMSD, following the JCDHE, does not exclude for conjunctivitis and has not for several years. The main sign to differenciate and watch for with pink eye is eye inflamation and crusting/matting along the lash line. Click here for more information about illness at school.

STYES

A stye is a red bump that appears on the inner our outer eye area, most often this happens with a blocked oil/eyelash duct. Styes aren't considered contagious. You can go to work and send your child to school when they have a stye. A stye will usually go away by itself in a few days, but can take up to two weeks. To feel better faster and reduce pain and swelling, you can normally use a self-care plan to treat your stye at home.

DO:

• Use warm compresses. Apply a warm washcloth to the eyelid for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, from three to five times per day.
• Rewarm the washcloth by soaking it in warm water, wring and repeat.
• Many people believe that using green tea bags moistened in warm water as eye compresses will help the stye not only feel better but also speed healing, due in part to the antibacterial properties in green tea. Some scientists have shown that a natural antioxidant in green tea breaks down the cell wall of the bacteria, killing it. While there is some debate about this among eye experts, it won’t hurt you and should be at least as effective as using a warm washcloth as a compress.
• Clean eyelids/lashes. Gently wipe away eye discharge with a mild soapy solution made from half-baby shampoo and half water. You can also use the eyelid wipes available in most drugstores. Washing your face (including eyelashes) each time after you come in from outside /play can be helpful to reduce stye/ or eye infection re-occurrence.

DON'T

• Squeeze or pop a stye.
• Rub or touch your eyelid.
• Wear makeup or contact lenses until the area has healed.
• If the problem persists or is not getting better after 2-3 days of home, care call your doctor or ophthalmologist for care.

Let me know if you have any questions and I hope this helps us all enjoy spring a little bit more.

Nurse Leta

May 4 --> Pre-K Kick-off

May 5 --> SFT Carnival

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

May 10 --> WCW Andy's 4-8pm

May 12 --> K-5 Field Day 9am - 2pm

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/