Hello Thunderbird families! Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! My name is Cara Peterson, and I am this year’s PTA president. I have three children at Trailwood. Avery is in 6^th grade, Norah is in 3^rd grade, and Kellen is in Kindergarten. I have loved our family’s time at Trailwood, and I am looking forward to a fun year ahead with our Trailwood community!

We are off to an exciting start! It’s been wonderful to see so many smiling faces at some of our favorite back-to-school events, such as the Popsicle Pop-In, Welcome Back Coffee Hours, Back to School Night, and the T-Bird Trot! Be on the look-out for more fun activities coming up in the month of September!

I’d like to invite you to join us for our first PTA meeting of the year on September 13^th, following Donuts with Grownups. You will have a chance to get know other Trailwood families, learn more about the PTA and hear from Mr. Lawrence. If you can’t make the meeting but would like to get involved with the PTA, please don’t hesitate to reach out anytime! And, don’t forget to check the website and Facebook page often for upcoming volunteer opportunities. We truly have something for everyone!

I hope that the school year is off to a great start for everyone! I look forward to seeing you at a PTA event soon! Go Thunderbirds!

Cara Peterson

caraelizabeth1@yahoo.com

Friday, 9/2: No School, Professional Learning Day

Monday, 9/5: No School, Labor Day

Thursday, 9/8 MVP Training at Trailwood (8:30 am – 9:30 am or 6:00 – 7:00 pm)

Friday, 9/9: Skate Party at Skate City (4:00 – 6:00 pm)

Tuesday, 9/13: Donuts with Grown-ups (7:30 – 8:10 am)

Tuesday, 9/13: PTA Meeting in the Commons (8:15 am – 9:15 am)

Thursday, 9/15: Fall Flight Time Begins (3:15 – 4:15 pm)

Friday, 9/16: Fall Picture Day

Thursday, 9/22: Fall Flight Time (3:15 – 4:15 pm)

Thursday, 9/29: Fall Flight Time (3:15 – 4:15 pm)

We hope you’ll consider purchasing a PTA membership for the 2022-2023 school year! Becoming a member helps us in our efforts to support the students, families, teachers and staff of Trailwood Elementary! Becoming a member doesn’t obligate you to attend meetings or volunteer your time (although, we’d love to have you join us at all of our events)! You can be as involved as you’d like!  

Memberships are $10 each and may be purchased at https://www.trailwoodpta.com/form/m/204040. While there, you can also pay for your child’s yearbook and yearly activity fee. Thank you for your support of Trailwood Elementary!

Now is the perfect time to make sure your contact information is up-to-date! Keeping your directory account accurate ensures that you receive important PTA information throughout the year and helps you to connect with other Trailwood families. Not sure how to do this? Just go to https://www.trailwoodpta.com/join_the_directory for step-by-step instructions. Contact Lori Tritsch at nurseholcomb@hotmail.com if you have any questions.

Flight Time is back! Flight Time is a series of after-school clubs hosted by Trailwood staff and organized by the PTA. Teachers volunteer to lead once-a-week, six-week clubs after school based upon their interests. The clubs cost $50/student with $40/student going directly to the teacher! Scholarships are available; please contact Mrs. North for more information.

Flight Time meets every Thursday from September 12^th – October 24^th (no meeting on October 13^th) from 3:15 – 4:15 pm. Enrollment runs from August 31^st – September 7^th at 10:00 pm.

Flight Time Info 

Please review the attachment for club information. Register your child(ren) here: https://one.bidpal.net/flightimefall2022/welcome

Contact Amber Hipp at amberhipp@gmail.com with any questions.

The kids are back in school, and they're busy connecting with friends, old and new. Now, it's time for us to get together at our Fall Parent/Guardian Grade Level Happy Hours! 

But, we need hosts to make these events happen! Hosts select the date and time for their grade level party and provide food and drinks. You may host on your own or with a group of friends. If you are interested in hosting, please sign-up by Monday, September 5th, at the Sign-Up Genius sent to your email a few days ago. Or, contact Heidi Saunders at hmschwartze@gmail.com.

Proceeds from these parties go directly to the PTA to help fund amazing opportunities for our students, including field trips, assemblies, mini-grants and more!

What a great morning we had at the T-Bird Trot! It was wonderful to see so many Trailwood families join us for this fun run/walk through the neighborhood. And, we were all so excited to learn the name of our mascot, Bolt, as voted on by Trailwood students! 

We’d like to express our appreciation to Jen Pontier for organizing this fun event and to our event sponsors for making the T-Bird Trot a huge success! Please give them a thank you, too! 

The 2022 National PTA Reflections contest is a program that encourages students to participate in the Arts. All students are eligible and encouraged to participate! The theme for the 2022 Reflections Contest is: Show your voice! Students can submit their entries in the following categories: Dance Choreography, Music Composition, Film Production, Photography, Literature, or Visual Arts. Detailed requirements for each category are listed on the entry form linked below and students can enter more than one category. 

ba1111_a0a06b5c372f4dec926614c37d916180.pdf (smac-pta.org)

The deadline to submit is October 14th. Questions and digital submissions can be submitted to Rebecca Keunen at rebecca.keunen@gmail.com. Physical entries (visual art & photography) and ALL completed signed entry forms due to Shereen North in the Trailwood Elementary office.

Click Here for Flyer

Our many Trailwood events could not happen without the support of our wonderful committee chairs. Please thank these amazing Trailwood parents for helping to get our school year off to a great start during the month of August!

Popsicle Pop-In: Leigh McCabe

Kindergarten Coffee: Megan Allen

T-Bird Trot: Jen Pontier

Room Parent Coordination: Cher Brownback

Flight Time: Amber Hipp

Memberships and Directory: Lori Tritsch

Wingmen: Eric Foreman

Staff Appreciation: Jen Pontier

This month you can learn about the Lopez/Guillen family. Read all about them here.

If you're interested in sharing your family story for future newsletters, email Tracy Hugunin tjhugunin@gmail.com.

We hope you’ll join us for Donuts with Grown-ups, featuring yummy breakfast treats and coffee! This is a great opportunity for students and their grown-ups to connect with friends and meet others in our fabulous Trailwood community. Join us from 7:30 am – 8:10 am on the big playground on September 13^th. And, plan to stay for the first PTA meeting of the year at 8:15 am in the Commons. 

The My Volunteer Pal (MVP) program is the volunteer program for all Shawnee Mission schools. Volunteers enjoy flexible schedules, and all activities take place on school grounds during school hours, with the exception of field trips. Only volunteers who will be solely/directly responsible for students (other than their own) need training.

Want to get MVP certified? While you can attend training sessions at any school, Trailwood is hosting two sessions on September 8^th from 8:30 am – 9:30 am and again from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Please visit https://www.smsd.org/families/volunteer-mvp for more information on the program and to explore additional training dates/times. Contact Social Worker Brenna Sandefur-Farrar for more information at brennasandefur@smsd.org.

As we kick off another school year at Trailwood, we’re looking to refresh our roster of dads and father-figures to be part of our Wingman program! The group has completed numerous projects over the past few years, including the ga-ga ball pit and picnic tables.

And, this year, we are excited to bring the Wingman program back to the classroom! Please consider taking a half-day or full-day out of your busy schedule and spending some time at Trailwood. The schedule will vary depending on the needs of the day, but you can plan on spending a portion of the day with your kiddos (including lunch). You may also help out with other parts of the school, such as recess and specials.

Check your email for a Sign-Up Genius in Mr. Lawrence’s weekly newsletter! For more information, please contact Eric Foreman at foremane@gmail.com. 

5101 W 95th St. 

Overland Park, KS 66207