September 3, 2021

Welcome Thunderbird families to the 2021-2022 school year! For those I do not know yet, my name is Tracy Hugunin, and I am this year's PTA President. I have two kiddos. My son Carter moved on to Indian Woods this year, and my daughter Marlee is in 5th grade.

I hope you all enjoyed our first in person event, the Popsicle Pop-In. It was so great seeing so many families enjoying a cool treat together and meeting teachers. Though PTA events and involvement will again look different than it has traditionally been in the past, we have a lot of exciting things happening and several ways for you to be involved from Room Parents to Staff Appreciation. The continuous support this Trailwood community provides always amazes me and fills me with pride.

Please take note of important dates coming up including our first general PTA meeting, T-Bird Serves opportunity, Pastries with Parents, Book Fair and more!

I'm really looking forward to a wonderful year! Please never hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Go Thunderbirds!

Tracy Hugunin, PTA President

tjhugunin@gmail.com

Important Dates:

9/6 No School (Labor Day)

9/10 Skate Party 4pm-6pm

9/13-9/24 T-Birds Serve KCPB&J Collection

9/14 Pastries with Parents 7:30am

9/21 General PTA Meeting 7pm (TW library, in person, masks required)

9/27-10/10 Virtual Book Fair

10/2 In Person Book Fair 8:30am

10/2 Pancake Breakfast 8:30am-10:30am

10/6 Walk to School Day

2/26 Auction

Join the Wingman Program!

As we kick off another school year at Trailwood, we're looking to refresh our roster of dads to be part of our Wingman program. The group has completed numerous projects over the last few years including the Ga-Ga Ball pit and picnic tables and a few others. In years past, we've been able to spend time in the building helping out for the day, but that isn't feasible in the current environment. Hopefully we can add this aspect of the program back in the future. However, there are other opportunities to get involved and we need your help!

Need:

September 14- Pastries with Parents

We need volunteers to help with table setup/takedown and handing out the pastries. I'm looking for volunteers between 7AM-9AM, but only for 30 minutes at a time. The actual event will occur from 7:30-8:30, so if you are interested in helping with either of these items, please let me know!

Even if you cannot help with the Parents and Pastries event, but are interested in being part of the group, please let me know and I'll loop you in on future opportunities.There will be other opportunities to volunteer, including at the book fair/pancake breakfast on October 2nd. We are also hopeful that the T-Bird Trot and Carnival will happen in the Spring which will present new opportunities. And who knows, we may have a chance to build something as well!

Feel free to contact me with any questions. I look forward to another great year with the Trailwood Community!

Please email Eric Foreman at foremane@gmail.com or text him at 303-668-9159 if you are interested in helping on 9/14.

T-Birds Serve

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

T-Birds Serve Event - Sept. 13-24, 2021

T-Birds Serve and STUCO will be hosting a Peanut Butter and Jelly Food Drive for KC PB&J Project. KC PB&J is a small non-profit located in Olathe, KS, whose mission is to work alongside food pantries, meal centers, and soup kitchens as a way to provide food to those in need. Our goal is to collect 100 jars of peanut butter and 100 jars of jelly (preferably strawberry).

During the week of September 13-24, please bring your donations to Trailwood. More details coming soon!

T-Birds Serve hopes to create a community of compassionate children through engagement and involvement in humanitarian service projects related to aiding, clothing and feeding those in need. We want to help children understand the importance of giving to others and we hope that they will continue to give as adults. If you have any questions or want to support T-Birds Serve in a bigger way, please contact Karen Badgett at 913-269-9342 or kabadgett@gmail.com.

Membership Update

It’s Time to Update Your Membership Toolkit Account!

It’s the beginning of a new school year, which means that it is time to update your information in our school directory, Membership Toolkit! This process is quick and easy, gives you access to the online directory, and ensures that you will receive communication from the PTA all year long. Simply log into your Membership Toolkit account and follow the prompts to update your family information and publishing preferences.

Eventually, you will be able to purchase a PTA Membership and yearbook as well as pay student activity fees from Membership Toolkit. Stay tuned!

Are you new to Trailwood Elementary or still need to create an account? Just follow the steps below.

- Go to http://www.trailwoodptaop.membershiptoolkit.com.

- Click on the Register/Login button and please log in with the email address you supplied when registering your child(ren) for school.

- Select Create Account and fill in your name, email and password information.

- Click on Verify My Email and then check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in two hours. If you do not receive the email, please check your spam or junk folders.

- Log back in and update the Parent/Family and Student Information and Directory/Publish Preferences, once you have verified your email address. Please note that if you are new to Trailwood Elementary, your data is not automatically published in the directory. You will need to edit this in order to make your information visible!

- Determine if you wish to invite another email address to access the primary account. This allows the secondary user to have his or her own login information, but still have access to the family account.

-If you’d like, feel free to download the free Membership Toolkit App! Visit the App Store or Google Play Store and search for Membership Toolkit. Download the App, and then log in with the same username and password you used online. You can then control what notifications you receive and how you receive them within the App. Just tap the Settings Wheel at the top right, go to Communication Settings and specify your preferences.

Any questions, please contact Lori Tritsch, nurseholcomb@hotmail.com

Pastries With Parents

This Trailwood tradition, featuring yummy breakfast treats and coffee from Hattie's, is a great opportunity for students and parents to connect with friends. Meet us on the Big Trailwood Playground from 7:30-8:30 a.m. on September 14th!

Hybrid Book Fair

Just like everything this year, the Book Fair will be a little different...

We will be having a Hybrid Book Fair where you can shop online from September 27-October 10. There will be free shipping for book only orders greater than $25. Stay tuned for the link to shop...

On Saturday, October 2nd, 8:30-11:30 we will have an IN-PERSON, OUTDOOR Book Fair (fingers crossed for good weather)! We will have the book carts set up outside of Shereen's office/library. The Pancake Breakfast will also be going on, so come and buy some books and get some breakfast!

All purchases benefit the library!

For more information or questions, email Lori @nurseholcomb@hotmail.com

If you are interested in volunteering for the in-person book fair, please see sign up below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49ACAC28AAF58-book

Room Parents

We have had a great number of interested parents respond willing to take on the room parent role in their child’s class. Thank you for volunteering! It’s not too late to sign up for those still thinking about it. We especially need more parents in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. The duties include: planning the Halloween, Winter, Valentine’s and end of year parties. The role also includes helping celebrate teacher birthdays, teacher gifts and setting up monthly lunches for the teacher. This year will be the same as last year with duties being from afar and sending in the resources needed via your kids or the front desk. We hope this will change later in the year and will be announced if that fortunate day comes. Please let me know if you have any questions! Cher Brownback cherylynnbrownback@gmail.com

Reflections Contest

Submissions for the Reflections Contest can be sent to Tracy Hugunin at tjhugunin@gmail.com or left in the Trailwood office with Shereen. More information about the Reflections Contest can be found HERE.

Family Connections

To encourage and continue the strong sense of this Trailwood community, we'd like to be able to better connect new and veteran families. If your child is involved in a sports team, dance class, scout troop or any other activity, please send that information to Tracy Hugunin at tjhugunin@gmail.com. Include the grade level, activity and contact person's information. The hope is to connect kids and parents and provide inclusiveness for all. Thank you in advance for your participation!

SMAC PTA Legislative Update

Both Overland Park and Prairie Village residents have city council elections, as well as a mayoral election for OP! All of SMSD will vote for the at-large school board position; voters in SME will also vote for school board rep. Your sample ballot can be found at voter.jocoelection.org starting on October 13th.

Resources for the Informed Voter:

· Candidate websites or Facebook pages- Local candidates are often members of the neighborhood or school community (for example, Trailwood parent Melissa Cheatam, running for Overland Park City Council!), so don’t be afraid to contact candidates to ask questions about the things you care about!

· League of Women Voters voter guide: Vote411.org (enter address and see candidates for your area and their answers to questions, side-by-side)

· Upcoming Candidate Forums for Trailwood area:

o Calendar of Shawnee Mission Post Forums

9/30 at 6:15 p.m. OP City Council Ward 1,2,3

10/5 at 7:30 p.m. OP Mayor

10/7 at 7:00 p.m. Shawnee Mission Board of Education Candidate Forum.

10/12 at 7:00 p.m. PV City Council

o Calendar of League of Women Voters’ Candidate Forums

9/12 (6 p.m. Zoom) Shawnee Mission Board of Education Candidate Forum

For additional info, see SMAC PTA legislative update here

Local Elections - Tuesday, Nov. 2^nd

The outcomes of local elections often have a bigger impact on our community and our everyday lives than those at the state and federal level! Turnout is historically low, so make your plan now to vote on Nov. 2^nd.

Join Cub Scouts

We would like to invite all interested parents and potential Scouts to our 1^st Cub Scout Den meetings scheduled for next Tuesday, 9/7, at Roe Park! Come out to join us and participate in your first meeting at 7:00 PM at the Main Pavilion. The location can be found by clicking the map link here. This is for all youth (Boys and Girls), K-5 and their families. For any questions, please contact Travis Rubelee at travis.rubelee@scouting.org or at 816-302-5228 cell.

Cub Scout Recruitment Flyer

Dining Partners

Dining Night with Teriyaki Madness!

Thursday, September 16
11:00AM - 9:00PM

https://teriyakimadness.com/locations/ks-overlandpark/

Enjoy lunch or dinner from Teriyaki Madness on September 16th and they will donate a portion of your total meal purchase to Trailwood! Valid for online, pickup and dine-in orders (not valid with coupons and/or promotions). Patrons must mention TES/Trailwood Elementary School.

Trailwood Spirit Wear is COMING SOON! More information coming after Labor Day!

Let's Move

It’s getting to be that time of year again! The crisp fall air will signal it’s time for “Walk to School” day! This year it is Wednesday October 6. More details to come closer to the event. For now, please make sure it’s on your calendar. Thank you!

Trailwood PTA

5101 W 95th St.

Overland Park, KS 66207

SUBJECT: September 2021 PTA Newsletter