- School Offices Closed, DAC Open
Transportation Coordinator Melissa Ostermeyer wants to remind parents of bus riders to bring us your student's bus pass and ring at your earliest convenience. There are still quite a few that haven't been returned, and these will be subject to a $5 replacement fee.So please return your student's bus pass AND RING no later than June 28 to avoid the $5 replacement fee being placed on the student's Skyward account.
Also, if you live in an area other than Pay to Ride, you are welcome to drop by the District Administrative Center at any time to complete a Transportation Request for next year.
- Online enrollment has begun, and will continue through August 8th. This is for students currently in our system who are returning from last year, and is available through Skyward Family Access. If you don't have (or don't remember) your login or password, just click the "Forgot your Login/Password" link and it will email a password reset message to the email in the student's account. Once you're logged in, you should see a box with a green label in the middle of the page. If you don't see that box, click Home on the left side of the page. You may then choose the student you'd like to enroll if you have more than one. It is not necessary to click "Online Enrollment" at the left side of the page, since Skyward Family Access opens automatically to online enrollment this time of year..
- July 31 & August 1: Returning students who did not enroll online (including incoming Kindergarteners if desired) can enroll in the classroom building the student will be attending. If incoming kindergartners have older siblings at TES it may be more convenient to do them all at once!
- August 4: New students enroll in the building the student will be attending. This also includes students who have attended USD 464 before but transferred to another district, and kindergartners if it’s more convenient than July 31 or August 1.
A variety of documents and forms used for enrollment are posted on the Parents/Patrons tab of the district website. The bold red links indicate current forms; if the link is black it will be made active as soon as updated forms are available. Credit or debit cards may be used for online payment if the family has or creates an e-funds account. Payment by check or cash may be made in the school offices or in the district administrative center. Free and Reduced Meal Applications will be available in late July.
An Online Enrollment FAQ may answer any questions you may have. If not, feel free to contact the District Administrative Center or the school your student will be attending.
High School Head Football Coach Al Troyer and his staff will be operating three
football camps during the summer months.
- High School Camp June 2-6, from 9am-1pm
- Middle School Camp June 9-12, from 9-10:30am
- Little Chieftains Camp July 21-24. Grades K-2: 6-7pm. Grades 3-6: 7-8:30pm
The High School Honors English classes have required summer reading selections, along with a guided reading organizer to complete. These assignments must be completed before the first day of the fall semester.
- Incoming freshmen must read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Guided Reading Organizer I.
- Sophomores are assigned Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Guided Reading Organizer II.
- Juniors will read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Copies of the book will be available in the THS office later this summer, or students are welcoe to pick up a copy at a used book store. Guided Reading Organizer III.
USD 464 Tonganoxie Board of Education President, Kris Grinter, announced on Friday that the board has selected Dr. Lyn Rantz as the next Superintendent of Schools beginning July 1. The Board selected Dr. Rantz from a pool of 35 applicants for the position. Grinter said, "The Tonganoxie School Board welcomes Dr. Lyn Rantz as our new Superintendent of Schools. She comes to Tonganoxie with an impressive record of transformative educational leadership that has led to significant student performance gains. We look forward to working with Dr. Rantz as she joins the district.”
Rantz comes to Tonganoxie from Blue Valley USD 229 in Johnson County where she has served since 2001. For the past nine years she has been principal of Prairie Star Middle School, recognized in May of 2014 by BestSchools.org as the 16th best middle school in the country.
Rantz said, “I am committed to support each staff member in providing a focused education where students are safe, supported, and prepared for their college and career endeavors.”
During her career Rantz has been an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The former high school and junior high social studies teacher and coach has been recognized in several books including Leading by Design by Cassandra Erkens and Eric Twadell and Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap: Whatever it Takes by Richard DuFour, et al.
Rantz received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in history and a minor in business administration from Graceland College in Iowa, her Master of Science in Education Administration from Pittsburg State University, and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from St. Louis University.
Rantz and her husband, Micky and their three children, ages 7, 9, and 11 enjoy cheering for one another at sporting events, attending Royals games, visiting with friends, and traveling. Each year Rantz is team captain of Lisa’s Legacy, part of the annual Head for the Cure 5K and fundraiser in honor of Rantz’s sister, Lisa, who lost her battle with brain cancer. Lyn and Micky have coached their children’s athletic teams and been involved with Girls Scouts during their 13 years in Overland Park. Rantz said she, Micky, and their children are “eager to become a part of the Tonganoxie community where the focus is on students and their future success.”
Rantz said, “Tonganoxie is a small town with large dreams for their children and I am so thrilled to become part of it!”
Studies have shown that children who do not read during the summer experience a loss of reading level. By the time kids get to Middle School, this loss could amount to a 2 year lag behind students who read over summer vacation! To help prevent this loss, the Elementary Reading Recovery staff have created a Summer Reading Program for TES students! The program has two facets:
- Starting on May 28, the Elementary Library will be open every Wednesday evening from 4-6pm for students in grades K-4. No matter which Wednesday you check your book out, it will be due July 30th.
- For students who are unable to get to the library during those hours, the TES Book Buggy will be touring Tonganoxie every Wednesday! They'll drive around the neighborhoods, to the pool, and anyplace else there may be kids looking for books to read!
The district offers a variety of calendar options for our patrons.
2014-15 and 2015-16 Academic Year Calendars - 2 pages. This two-year schedule now allows families to plan far into the future!
A 16-page Athletics and Activities Calendar - This calendar will be available in early August, and is designed primarily for parents and patrons. It contains the school-year schedule as well as athletic events, school activities, meetings, and a variety of other information.Printed copies of these calendars are available at the District Administrative Center and in the school buildings.
This online calendar is updated as changes occur; it will always be more accurate than the printed version.
Kaw Valley League/RSchoolToday High School Events Calendar - this subscription service will allow district patrons to view, search, filter and print a variety of calendars for high school events and activities. The calendar may also be accessed by going to www.kawvalleyleague.org then clicking Tonganoxie at the right side of the page.
Each building is responsible for the upkeep of their online athletics and events calendar, available by clicking the District Calendar link at the very top of the webpage, or going to the Schools menu then choosing the building.
Click the link above to open the current edition of the District Newsletter.
Here are the bell schedules for the 2014-15 school year:| THS | 7:45-3:00 |
| TMS | 7:55-3:10 |
| TES | 8:10-3:25 |
At their September '12 meeting, the Board of Education approved new policies and procedures for requesting district facilities.
A Facility Use Packet has been developed to help patrons with the proper forms, contact information, and billing procedures.
If you currently use, or plan to use, district facilities, please take a look at the packet to help insure that the proper procedures are being followed. Feel free to print the packet so all the information is readily available.
To reserve a district facility:
- Call or visit the scheduling coordinator of the facility you wish to request. For TES, call Carlie Puhr at 913-845-2290. For TMS, call Mark Altman at 845-2627. For THS, (except the Chieftain Room) call Brent Smith at 845-3042. For the Chieftain Room, call Julie Bernard at 845-2654. They will be able to tell you if the facility is available when you need it.
- Once you have determined that the facility is available, fill out the Facility Request form and get a signature from the scheduling coordinator or administrator at the appropriate building.
- Send the completed and signed form, and insurance waiver if required, to Bill Seymour at the District Administrative Center. Fees will be assessed and you will be contacted about payment to secure the facility.
