MARCH 2021
View current and past e-Communicators by visiting www.seamanschools.org/eCommunicator.
Important Dates
March 3 - No School for SMS and SHS (Elementary Schools In Session)
March 5 - Elementary Early Release Day (1:30 pm)
March 8-12 - No School - Spring Break
March 15 - SHS Return to Full On-Site Learning Environment
March 15 - Board Meeting - 6:00 pm at Seaman High School
March 24 - Early Release - Teacher Work Day
March 31 - No School - Snow Day Make Up
Message from the Board President
USD 345 School Community:
Let me first reiterate my comments from the board meeting on November 9 in response to our student journalists’ work in uncovering Fred Seaman’s ties to the KKK. Racism and hate have no place in our schools or our community, and the views of the KKK in no way reflect the inclusive environment we are dedicated to providing for each and every one of our students and their families.
Through initial feedback from our community, it is clear that discussion around the district name is a complex issue. We are hearing calls of change and calls to not change the district name. All voices are important in this discussion and we need to listen to understand each others’ viewpoints and perspectives. We must remain sensitive to our current students, current families, alumni, businesses, organizations, and all future school community members in finding a resolution. During this work, we remain committed to our effort in equity and creating an inclusive environment for all students.
District leadership, building leadership, teachers and staff continue to work hand-in-hand with students of color to help us build an anti-racist school community. The equity and anti-racist work continues, apart from the discussions of our district’s namesake, through regular and ongoing meetings. Additionally, the district held a community conversation on December 7, 2020 titled, “Race, Equity, and Moving Forward Together.” From that conversation, the idea to form a district equity council emerged. This council’s work will begin in the next few weeks and will assist the district in ensuring an equitable educational environment for all students. Regardless of the resolution of the district’s namesake, our equity work must continue.
The board will be responsible for facilitating the discussion around the district namesake while continuing to focus on other board related responsibilities. At the March 15 board meeting, we will discuss a process around the district namesake that will ensure all members of our school community have an opportunity to be heard and represented in the discussion. I will be recommending the superintendent of schools appoint the District Namesake Task Force to work through this process. This task force could include students, staff, parents, alumni, community businesses, and organizations. The task force will be responsible for utilizing the most effective and comprehensive way to gather feedback, provide public reports at USD 345 board meetings, and present a final recommendation to the board. The board will take action on the district name after the work of the task force is completed and a final recommendation is made.
No matter what our district is called, it is my hope that our community will remain strong and committed to what makes us special. We are a community with great support, love and care for each other, and a commitment to maximizing student achievement. The 100 year history of our district is more than our district’s namesake. I believe we will work through this as a school community and we will find an answer which celebrates our tradition and moves us forward, together.
Sincerely,
James Adams
USD 345 BOE President
2021-22 Kindergarten Orientation
Mark your calendars for April 22, 5:30 - 7:30 pm!
If you have a child who will be five years old on or before August 31, 2021 and you live in the Seaman School District, please register for Kindergarten Orientation.
To be sure everyone is pre-registered and ready to enroll in July, we are asking that you complete the New Student Information sheet and supply us with your Proof of Residency.
Proof of Residency:
- A copy of a current lease with your name and address
- A home purchase document with your name and address
- A current utility bill with your name and address on it (if you just moved, an email from a utility stating that service will starting at a Seaman address.)
Please email these documents to
[email protected]. If you do not have the ability to scan and email, taking a CLEAR picture on your cell phone and emailing the picture.
You can also mail the documents to Theresa Dunham, Seaman Education Center, 901 NW Lyman Rd., Topeka, KS 66608.
If neither of these options will work for you, please contact your elementary school to arrange a time to come fill out the
New Student Information sheet and provide Proof of Residency.
Elmont: 785-286-8450
Logan: 785-575-8700
North Fairview: 785-286-8500
Northern Hills: 785-286-2992
West Indianola: 785-286-8550
The other documents (Birth Certificates, immunization record, and health assessment) can be brought to kindergarten orientation.
Registration Links Below
View our Boundary Map: www.seamanschools.org/map
ELMONT ELEMENTARY
785-286-8450
6432 NW Elmont Rd. 66618
Registration Link
LOGAN ELEMENTARY
785-575-8700
1124 NW Lyman Rd. 66608
Registration Link
NORTH FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY
785-286-8500
1941 NE 39th St. 66617
Registration Link
NORTHERN HILLS ELEMENTARY
785-286-2992
5620 NW Topeka Blvd. 66617
Registration Link
WEST INDIANOLA ELEMENTARY
785-286-8550
4201 NW Brickyard Rd. 66618
Registration Link
2021-22 MELC Preschool Registration
Please complete our registration form for your child to be considered to attend Mathes Early Learning Center (MELC) for the 2021-2022 school year.
MELC serves an inclusive model of 3- and 4-year-old students, in high-quality, half-day preschool classrooms. All information on the form must be complete to be considered for placement. Families will be contacted for a screening date. Once a child is selected from this registration process, the family will be contacted to complete paperwork for school and to determine eligibility. Slots are limited and all preschool students in the Seaman School District receive priority preference. Go Little Vikes!
Morning Class: 8:30 am – 11:30 am
Afternoon Class: 12:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Fees: $52.50 Annually (Free & Reduced Rates Available)
The completion of this registration form does NOT guarantee your child a placement into the school.
2021-22 Program Planning Guides
Our Seaman Middle School and Seaman High School Program Planning Guides for next school year are online. These guides are designed to assist students and parents with the enrollment process with course descriptions and other helpful information. School counselors will be available to assist students with any enrollment questions they may have during this process.
Seaman High School Program Planning Guide
Seaman Middle School Program Planning Guide
Severe Weather
Severe weather season is upon us and we would like to share with you our severe weather procedures.
When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Shawnee County during school hours, students in all USD 345 buildings will take cover. Administrators have identified safe places for sheltering in all school facilities and conduct severe weather drills during the school year so students know what to expect. No students or staff members will be allowed to leave the shelter area until the warning has expired. For this reason, parents will not be able to pick up their children from school while a warning is underway. School staff members will not be answering the office telephones since they are all required to report to the shelter areas. When necessary, we will keep children at school beyond regular hours if threatening weather approaches.
We realize dangerous weather has the potential to pop up during bus routes. Our bus drivers’ number one priority is to safely deliver each of our students to their proper destination. Bus drivers have been trained to assess and report potential weather conditions and remain in contact with the transportation department throughout their routes. Drivers have protocols in place to quickly, accurately, and efficiently react to severe weather conditions.
When possible, you will receive an email through SchoolMessenger letting you know the students are taking cover. You will receive a second email when the warning has expired and students and school staff are returning to classrooms. The safety of our students is our number one priority and we will keep you notified of procedures, pick-up instructions (if necessary) and other information pertaining to all emergencies.
If you’re not signed up for email through our notification system, SchoolMessenger, please contact your school office to update your contact information.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have questions or concerns.
Weekly COVID Report/Impact
This district report includes detailed information on the impact of COVID in the Seaman School District. This can be accessed from any school website and is updated every Monday with data from the week prior.
Click here to view the report.
2020-21 Elem, SMS, & SHS School Calendar
Below are links to the most recently updated calendars for this school year. Calendars on the
district calendar page will be updated as changes in learning environments are made.
2020-21 SHS Calendar (Revised 2/12/21)
2020-21 SMS Calendar (Revised 2/12/21)
2020-21 Elementary Calendar (Revised 2/9/21)
2021-22 School Calendar (NEXT School Year)
2021-22 School Year Calendar
Free Breakfast and Lunch
Students are encouraged to take advantage of FREE breakfast and lunch until the end of school year 2020-21 at Seaman. School meals include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, and other nutrient dense foods to help keep students ready to learn. Students do not need to be qualified for free or reduced price meals to receive meals at this time at no charge. Free meals are available to every student.
Remote meal pickup registration is completed weekly. There is no charge for remote order meals, but we kindly ask for registration weekly now to help with production numbers. Please look for weekly emails from Candace LeDuc.
Lunch Menu
Click here to view the K-6 on-site lunch menu. You can also subscribe to calendar feed for quick access as you're planning for your day.
Spring Break Remote Meal Service
No remote meal services the week of March 8-12. Remote meal services will only be available to FCRL students beginning on Monday, March 15. The next remote meal order will be for Monday, March 15 with a 10:00-10:30 AM pickup with 2 DAY PACKS For Learning Days March 15 & 16. Order will open Wednesday, March 10 & close Sunday, March 14.
Regular Wednesday Pickup with 5-day packs will resume March 17. For learning days March 17, 18, 19, 22, 23 order will open Monday, March 15 & close Tuesday, March 16.
Mobile Food Pantry
We have new dates, times, and location for Harvesters thanks to a partnership with IBEW Local Union 226. USD 345 will have the Harvesters Mobile Distribution at IBEW 1620 NW Gage (this is off Lower Silver Lake Road). We will continue having the Mobile Distribution at this location and time on the second Monday of the month. Future dates are as follows.
March 8
April 12
May 10
Seaman High School Museum News
We have exciting news to share on how the Seaman community will soon have the opportunity to interact and engage with the history of the district. The Seaman High School Museum and Archives is now managed by students in the Museum Studies class at Seaman High School after many years of hard work from dedicated volunteer community members. Students in this class are learning how to preserve and archive district artifacts while sharing information and experiences with others.
From homecoming queens to sports teams, their exhibits have already impacted current students and faculty. Their goal is to continue creating engaging exhibits to further the historical knowledge of the district by providing even more access to the Seaman community in new and different ways. Currently, the class is working to revitalize the museum through the digitization of archival material onto a website, frequent creation of exhibits, and modernization of the space to enhance the museum experience. The students have had a successful beginning and a positive outlook for its future, however they need your support.
The museum is relocating to the high school to become part of the educational experience while also increasing community access during the school day and at school events. As part of this move, the class would like to invest in an open storage concept to expand the existing space with more shelving for storage, exhibits, and research space while simultaneously protecting and displaying district collections.
The museum studies class is diligently working to digitize every artifact within the museum to allow for convenient virtual viewing. With your generous donations, these students can preserve materials virtually and physically through the purchase of archival storage materials. Your support will help students create: traveling trunks, mobile museum exhibits, and teaching materials. These funds will assist in preserving, displaying, discovering, and retelling the history of the Seaman community! Previous funds from museum memberships and donations have been rolled over to cover future student scholarships.
How can you support the Seaman High School Museum and Archives?
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Donation Opportunities: The SHS Museum and Archives gratefully accepts monetary donations of any level. Please send your tax deductible donation payable to: SHS Museum and Archives: 4850 NW Rochester Rd., Topeka, KS 66617
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Exhibit and Archival Storage Sponsorship Opportunities: Sponsoring an exhibit or archival storage will assist in preserving our community’s vital history. For an annual sponsorship of $250, your family, business, or organization will receive recognition on the SHS Museum and Archives website and a plaque on each exhibit sponsored. Sponsorship levels can be viewed below. To become a sponsor contact us TODAY!
Patron Level: 1 Exhibit $250
Historian Level: 2 Exhibits $500
Archivist Level: 3 exhibits $750
Viking Level: 4 exhibits $1,000
Centennial Level: 5+ exhibits $1,250+
For more information, contact:
Nathan McAlister
Phone: 785-286-8300
Email: [email protected]
Technology Support
Please call the USD 345 Technology Department Help Desk on Monday-Friday between 7:00 am-4:00 pm at 785-286-8483 for help with your district-issued device.
Student Technology Support
Parent Technology Support
COVID-19 Quarantine Update
Based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Dr. Erin Locke, Shawnee County Health Officer has adopted updated quarantine guidance allowing for individuals to be released from quarantine after 7 days with a negative PCR test in addition to the current 10 days without testing, effective immediately. PCR tests must be completed on or after day 6 and individuals must stay in quarantine until results are received.
This updated guidance will apply to individuals who are currently serving a quarantine order.
It is important to note the incubation period of COVID-19 continues to be 14 days. Individuals who are released from quarantine prior to day 14 from should continue to self-monitor for symptoms for the full 14 day incubation period. If any symptoms should present themselves, individuals should call their primary care provider immediately and see if testing is available for them.
Board Digest
Following each board of education meeting, the Director of Communications recaps the board meeting in the Board Digest.
Click here to review the latest board meeting.
The Seaman USD #345 Board of Education will meet on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM with the exception of March and April, which will be held on the third Monday, and any regular scheduled meeting may be adjourned to another time and place when necessary.
Regular meetings remaining for the 2020-21 school year:
March 15, 2021
April 19, 2021
May 10, 2021
June 14, 2021
July 12, 2021
The March 15 board meeting will occur in person and streamed live online. The meeting will be held at the Seaman High School band room and the public comment portion of the board meetings will continue our practice of allowing three minutes per speaker. Persons wishing to speak to the board on the 15th must pre-register at the meeting with the board clerk. A digital input form will continue to be available for submitting public comments electronically. We want and encourage all voices to be heard during this process.
Parents and other community members frequently request help in knowing the best way to communicate with the school. The communication guideline chart below will serve as a helpful resource. By contacting the following people in the prescribed order, questions will be answered more efficiently and effectively.
Click here to view the Concern Chain of Command.
We’re hiring!
We are always looking for qualified substitutes, bus drivers, food service workers, and various support positions.
Take a look at our current job openings, and help spread the word!