Tri-City Day School Family Newsletter December 2015

Dear Parents/Guardians, We were again blessed with an amazing Thanksgiving Feast thanks to many of you, community members and our staff! I am always very excited and thankful to see how many of our auxilliary staff members from the other districts take time to come and celebrate with the Tri-City students each year. I also feel so happy each year to host some of our Tri-City “alum” at this event! I feel very excited that we have former students that want to return for visits and to celebrate with us!

December will be a very fast month as well and marked with many of our customary activities. A new activity this year is our first every Tri-City Family Night. This will be held on Thursday, December 3 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. There is additional information in this newsletter and you will get a flyer and an RSVP card very soon. Other traditional activities at Tri-City are on the calendar at the end of this newsletter. Please note that the students’ first date back after the holiday is January 5.

On behalf of the staff at Tri-City, have a wonderful and safe holiday season with your family!

Wishing you well, Gina

Winter Break December 20 – January 4 (First day back for students January 5)

Accelerated Reader (AR) Field Trip December 11 will be our first semester Accelerated Reader reward Field Trip! Mr. Bargdill and Mrs. Kennedy have determined an appropriate goal for each student based on his/her ability to read and comprehend stories. Students who meet their goal will be treated to an outing to Paint the Towne on the Colt Spirit bus! This was a lot of fun last year and the students will get a chance to vote on which painting they would like to make. Remember that your child can take AR tests over books they have read or books that have been read TO them. Please find some time in your busy schedule to read with your child to help them reach their goal! If you would like to know your child’s AR goal, you can email Mr. Bargdill at [email protected] or Mrs. Kennedy at [email protected] to get that information.

Inclement Weather It is that time of year again, when the weather can change very quickly. A decision to close school due to inclement weather will be made as soon as possible and, in some cases, even the night before. If it is necessary to close school due to weather conditions, or for any other reason, the following media will be informed: Radio TV KFDI - 101.3 KSNW - TV3 KTHR - 107.3 KAKE - TV10 KZCH - 96.3 KWCH - TV12 KRBB - 97.9 (B98) KZSN – 102

Tri City Family Night Please join us on Thursday, December 3 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. for our first ever Tri-City Family Night! We will be serving chili to start the evening, then families will be able to enjoy a cupcake bar and make a holiday ornament together as a family! We will also enjoy holiday music performed by Behavior Techs, I.C. Collins (acoustic guitar) and Abby Sharp (violin). Siblings of Tri-City students are welcome to attend but all children must be accompanied by an adult for the activities. Watch for more information to come – we will be requesting an RSVP so that we have enough food and art supplies for everyone!

Food Service at Tri-City Tri-City Day School is a “satellite” kitchen for food service. What this means is that we do not prepare the food on site but rather it is prepared and brought to our school in a heating unit to be served promptly after it is dropped off. We do not have appropriate equipment to “save” lunches for students who arrive past lunch time, reheat and serve those lunches and still be in compliance with health and sanitation regulations.

If your child will be arriving at school after 11:30 a.m., the conclusion of lunch time at Tri-City, you will need to make other arrangements for lunch before dropping them off. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have further questions, please contact Jenn Call or Gina Keirns at 554-2324.

My School Bucks

Parents and guardians of Tri-City students from all three districts are now able to utilize the program myschoolbucks.com to keep track of lunch balances and make payments on your child’s lunch account. To utilize this tool, go to www.myschoolbucks.com and have your child’s district identification number. If you do not know what your child’s identification number is, you may call Trisha at 554-2324 and she will be able to give it to you.

This program will allow you to check your child’s current lunch balance and set up automatic payments. If you have any difficulties setting this up, you may call Gina at 554-2324 for assistance.

Other Field Trips for the 2015-16 School Year

Parents have mentioned in the past that it would be helpful to know what other field trips we are planning to have and anticipated costs with these outings. The following are a list of activities so far:

December 11 – Accelerated Reader (AR) Party for eligible students – no charge for this outing

January 23 – Carousel Skating Rink – $4.00 for skating, $5.00 max. extra spending money, lunch at CiCi’s covered by school

May 6 – Sedgwick County Zoo - $5.25 and a sack lunch

If you find yourself unable to pay for an outing, please contact us and let us know ahead of time so that payment arrangements can be made. It is very difficult to find out the day of the outing that someone needs help covering the cost of the trip.

Remember that students must be in good standing both academically and behaviorally to attend school outings. Students who are partially transitioning may not be able to attend depending upon class requirements for their other school. Arrangements and consideration will be made on a student by student basis.

Reminder on Dress Code Since the temperatures are becoming colder, just a reminder about a few things in our building dress code. Students are not allowed to wear hoodies, coats or jackets in the building during the school day. Our staff at Tri-City also follow the same dress code. Please have your child wear a long-sleeved shirt under their short sleeved shirt or maybe bring a hoodless sweatshirt that can be left at school if they need it. Thank you for your continued cooperation with our dress code!

Community Resources Rent and Utilities American Red Cross - 1900 E. Douglas Wichita, Ks (316) 219-4070. Through an application process, assistance may be offered for rent and utilities. Center of Hope (Call Mondays 9-12 and 1-4 only) - (316) 267-0222. Through an application process, assistance may be offered for rent and utilities.

Food and Clothing Haysville Re-Store - Haysville Baptist Church 415 E. Grand Haysville, KS (316) 524- 4254. Offers clothing, coats, and shoes. Please call for an appointment. Haysville Community Outreach - West Haysville Baptist Church 141 N Lamar Haysville, KS (316) 524-6302. Provides a box of food every 30 days for families in the Haysville School District. Please provide proof of address: driver's license or utility bill showing your current address. There are no income restrictions. Come to the church during office hours, 9AM-Noon, Monday through Thursday. Derby Church of Christ - 225 N. Derby, Derby, KS 67037. Food Pantry. Upon receiving food, a form will need to be filled out. Please call (316) 788-2672 Monday - Friday from 9-12, for an appointment. Quantity of food may be limited. Bread of Life - 1301 E. Galena Wichita, KS 67216. (316) 689-6866. This organization helps meet the needs of the community through various programs including: Clothing outlet, food distribution centers, community service programs, hands on training on caring for those in need, and disaster relief. Must have proof of address, photo I.D., Social Security Card, birth certificate, or medical card for family members, and proof of income if any. Program hours are 10 am-1:45 pm on Tuesdays. Derby Community Family Services - 4900 S. Clifton Wichita, KS 67216. Food Pantry. Residents of USD 260, may get food once every 3 months. Please call (316) 519-5867 for an appointment. Catholic Charities Food Pantry - 2825 S. Hillside Wichita, KS 67216, (316) 262-8898. Must provide a photo I.D., identification (Social Security Card or School I.D.), for each member of the household, and proof of address. Program hours are 8:30 am -12 pm Tuesday - Thursday and 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month. Mulvane Care and Share Center - 100 W. Main Mulvane, Ks 67110, Assistance with food, clothing, rent, utility assistance or medical bills. Application and proof of need required. Salvation Army Wellington Food Bank - 305 S. Washington Wellington, KS 67152, (620) 326- 5301 ext. 368. Program hours are 8:30 -11 am Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. Must have proof of need for assistance. Giving Center - . 3401 E 47th St. S, Wichita, KS 67216 (316) 554-8924. Program Hours 8-11 Tues (food), 8-11 Wed (clothes), 5-7pm Thurs (both); 8-11am, 3rd Sat (both). Food Pantry and Clothing Closet. Walk in’s and no program fees or eligibility.

Mental Health Services Family & Children Community Services, COMCARE - 7701 E. Kellogg Wichita KS (316) 660- 9600. Counseling and mental health services. Crisis Intervention Services - 934 N. Water Wichita KS (316) 660-7500. 24 hour services, crisis intervention, suicide prevention. Family Consultation Service (Amber Hope Program) - 560 N. Exposition Wichita KS (316) 264- 8317. Counseling and mental health services. Mental Health Association - 555 N Woodlawn St # 3105 Wichita, KS (316) 685- 1821. Counseling and mental health services. Sumner Mental Health - 1601 E. 16th S Wellington, KS (620) 326-6662. Counseling and mental health services. Pamela Frieden, LSCSW - 141 N. Main Haysville, KS (316) 200-8977. Counseling services

Raise your words, Not your voice. It is the rain that grows flowers, Not the thunder.

December Calendar December 3 - 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. - Tri-City Family Night December 9 – 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. - Med checks with Nancy Ballenger December 11 – 9:00 a.m. - Paint the Town AR Party for eligible students December 14 – 17 – PBIS Drawing Week December 16 – 1:00 p.m. – Santa visit December 17 – PBIS Parties in a.m. December 17 (afternoon) – Holiday movies and hot chocolate December 18 – January 4 – Winter Break January 5 – School resumes

January Calendar January 1 – No School January 5 – School resumes at Tri-City January 6 – 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. - Med checks with Nancy Ballenger January 13 - 2:40 p.m. – PBIS/BLT Meeting January 15 – No School – Building Inservice January 18 – No School – Martin Luther King Day January 19 – 8:00 – 9:15 a.m. Group and Casual Pictures January 22 – Skating Party and Pizza for eligible students January 29 – Day Chili Luncheon

Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

* 2 lb hot breakfast sausage

* 1 (30-32oz) bag frozen shredded hash browns

* 1 tsp salt * 1/2 tsp pepper

* 1/4 tsp garlic powder

* 1/4 tsp onion powder

* 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

* 8 eggs

* 2 cups milk

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat. Add hash browns to skillet and cook until lightly brown. Place hash browns in bottom of lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with sausage and cheese. Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and milk. Pour over hash brown mixture. **Cover and refrigerate at this point if baking later.** Bake for 35-40 minutes.