Hello Friends and Family,

The beginning of the school year will be here before we know it and it is always an exciting time- for children, teachers, and families. We are looking forward to the upcoming educational journey with you. After the past 18 months of Sustain Campaign efforts and construction, we are pleased to welcome our families back to “normal” school. Although we are four weeks away from the start of school, I have three suggestions to help the transition:

Reading Rally - deliberate reading, pleasure reading, school reading, or family time reading. Find time to visit the library.
Heads-Up, Offline - Spend time together outside, enjoying the air, observing the clouds, or running through the sprinklers. Use the next four weeks to spend time together offline. Have your child(ren) watch the sunset with you. Walk in a park or play on a playground. You are always welcome to come to school to play on the big toy. Enjoy a bike ride or gardening together (even a front porch pot works).
Sleep Tight - Begin transitioning from late nights and sleeping in, to a school schedule. Everyone feels better on a good night's sleep.

Let's have a Conversation

In today's digital age, it's more important than ever to consider the impact of screen time and social media on our children. As a parent and your Head of School, I want to share some resources for you to review. Recently, I was given (thank you, Channing Cox) an article by Johnathan Haidt titled "End the Phone-Based Childhood Now." It is a compelling read. Childhood 2.0 documentary is another resource recommended to me (thank you, Kathleen Heit). I hope can find time to discuss the research as a school community. As partners, we can best support our children. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Thank you for your support. I look forward to seeing everyone back at school next month. In the meantime, please remember that my door is open, and my email is always on.

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

Head of School

Mark Your Calendar!

August 5: Homeroom Teacher Welcome letters mailed to all families.
August 5: Middle School math meeting, 6:00 PM-7:00 PM
August 9: New teachers will begin. Welcome to Alicia Amborski (3rd grade), Aubrey Cook (1st grade), and Linda Philbrick (MS Spanish). We are so thrilled to have you join our school family!
August 9: Collegiate Connection (Back to School) published
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; look for sign-up link email next week
August 19: 6th Grade and 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 after-school care, 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.)

EDUCATE

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

Student Enrichment Packets

As our students are gearing up for a new school year, this is a great time for them to work on the summer reading and activities. Each summer, Topeka Collegiate students are expected to do the summer work provided by the teachers. Lower School students received their packets during the last week of school. For all prekindergarten through eighth-grade students, these work packets can also be found here, located on the school website under the Family Resources tab. This provides students the opportunity to start the new year ready for the challenges of their new grade levels. If you need any help locating this work, please contact the Academic Dean, Michael Flax, and he will be happy to answer questions and assist you as necessary.

School Supplies

The list of school supplies for which parents are responsible will be provided in the back-to-school letter that teachers will send to you on August 5. Middle School supply lists are found here, located on the website under the same Family Resource tab. Just scroll down until you find what you are looking for.

Afterschool Adventures Sign ups will begin on in the August 9 Collegiate Connection and Adventures begin the week of September 2.

Engineering Fun with Mrs. Brewer (Grades K-2nd)

Pi-rates Paradise (Math Game) with Ms. Baldwin (4th Grade)

Pi-rates Paradise (Math Game) with Ms. Baldwin (3rd Grade)

Chess (Grades 1st-8th)

Choir with Mrs. Siebert (Grades 4th-8th),

Origami with Ms. Yumiko (Grades 3rd-8th)

Innovation Thursday with Ms. Robinson, (Grades 4th-8th)

CONNECT

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

Summer Engagement Events

July 19 | 4-5 pm | Topeka Collegiate - MyGym at Topeka Collegiate

Siblings and friends are welcome. Recommended ages toddler to 2nd grade

* Space is limited and registration required.

July 19 | 5-6pm | Topeka Collegiate - Open Gym

July 24 | 5:00 - 6:30 pm | Evergy Plaza Splash Pad - Splash Pad Meet Up (time change)

*New* July 24 | 3:00 - 4:30 PM | Topeka Collegiate - Olympic Watch Party

Men's Soccer USA vs. France (Group A)

*New* July 25 | 3:00 - 4:30 PM | Topeka Collegiate - Olympic Watch Party

Women's Soccer USA vs. Zambia (Group B)

See more Topeka Collegiate - Olympic Watch Party events here

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.

Click here for more details on Collegiate Kitchen.

Back to School Bash! August 25; 5 - 7 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, chips, cookie, and water
Concessions to support 8th Grade Sea Camp Fundraiser
Inflatable water slide for kids aged 4-15
Outdoor games, rock painting, karaoke
B.Y.O. lawn chairs & beach towels

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

Sustain

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

Enrollment Packets

This is a friendly reminder for you to check to see if your Enrollment Packets have been submitted. These packets are very important to help us prepare for our school year. If you have no new updates, you packet will take little time to complete.

How to locate the Enrollment Packets?

FACTS Family Portal (District Code TCS-KS)

> Apply Enroll

> Enrollment/Reenrollment

>Select “Click here to open Enrollment.”

Click here to download the FACTS Family Mobile App.
Login to your FACTS account to make a payment!
Questions about tuition or billing? Send us an email.

Our next Collegiate Connection will be on August 9. 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. The building is open from 8:00 AM-3:30 PM Monday-Friday, so feel free to stop by or give us a call if you have any questions.

View the 2024-2025 Academic Calendar here.

Click here to subscribe to the Collegiate Connection.