Wichita
Collegiate School views education as a
partnership between students, parents,
and teachers, and therefore encourages
frequent communication. There are many
ways that as a Collegiate parent, you
can become more involved in the
education of your child, and in the life
of our school.
Teachers always welcome volunteers as
classroom helpers, and we encourage you
to ask how you can be of assistance in
your student’s classes. Your involvement
can be as simple as bringing healthy
snacks on special days, or you may
choose to give of your time to help with
projects.
Parent
Involvement
Research confirms what most of us know
to be common sense: When parents are
involved in their child’s education, the
child shows a better ability to perform.
And so at Collegiate we welcome you. We
believe it is a privilege to partner
with you in guiding your precious
children to adulthood.
A Safe
Environment
A safe and secure environment is
necessary to allow students of all ages
to concentrate on the tasks before them.
When your child is away at school, you
have the right to expect your child will
be safe. At Collegiate we foster an
atmosphere that creates a community in
which students feel secure. Our smaller
size means Collegiate hallways are full
of familiar faces, with staff and
faculty members alert to the daily
comings and goings. Parents are always
welcome on campus, and so you will find
that we encourage your visits.
Continuity of
Education — Early Childhood through
Upper School
One of the hallmarks of Collegiate is
that students have the opportunity to
begin their education in pre-K and
continue through the high school years,
all at Collegiate.
While many of our students enter
Collegiate at various stages in their
educational career, we encourage parents
to consider enrolling their child at the
earliest possible time. Why? Our
curriculum is a continuous one that
builds from year to year. What is done
in one grade leads directly into what
will be done the next year. The
cooperation of the faculty, the
camaraderie of the kids, and the quality
of each year are all great reasons to
consider choosing Collegiate – today!
“My son came to Collegiate in 8th
grade. It’s simply the best decision we
ever made. Now we wonder, why did we
wait so long!”
Communicating with Parents
At Wichita
Collegiate School, we realize the
importance of good communication among
all constituencies of our community:
students, faculty, staff, parents,
alumni, and the Wichita community at
large. In order to stay connected, we
use a variety of ways to send out
important information and also to
receive welcome feedback.
In today’s cyber world, we try to use
Internet communication
as much as we can. This website is one
of the main tools for disseminating
pertinent information. You'll find
special announcements and news
linked on our home page.
Through PowerSchool, parents
and students have password-protected access to personal
class information, including homework
assignments, grades, commentaries,
e-mails from teachers, and much more.
Once a week, we e-mail the
Collegiate Connection newsletter.
The e-Connection
is sent to all subscribers with
announcements, feature articles, sign-up
forms and late-breaking news. A printed
copy is available also.
Occasionally you will receive
mailed information sent to your
home from divisions, from classes, from
sports teams, and other sources. We also
will send printed information home in
the backpacks of Lower School and Early
Childhood children.
Twice a year we publish the
Connection Magazine, which
highlights the accomplishments of our
students and alumni. This is mailed to
current parents, former parents,
alumni, grandparents of current
students, other friends of Collegiate,
as well as prospective families who
request information.
On-campus meetings are
important, and include parent/teacher
conferences, parent education meetings,
special performance events, or special
class activities to which we invite
people to come on campus and experience
what our students are doing on a daily
basis. Parents are always
welcome to visit classes by making an
appointment through the divisional
office. Prospective families are
encouraged to contact the Admission
Office at 316-771-2203 to schedule a
tour.
We communicate with the Wichita
community at large by
showcasing the achievements and
activities of our students whenever
possible. We submit articles for
publication in the Wichita Eagle
newspaper, and other print media
outlets. We inform and invite the local
TV and radio stations to come to campus
to report on stories of interest which
involve our students. We encourage local
groups and organizations to use our
facilities as meeting places or special
event venues. We advertise in local
publications and in the programs
of various organizations to help raise
awareness of our presence in the
community.
We want to hear from you, as
well. On the website, there are
links to send us an e-mail or subscribe
to the e-Connection. We publish
our phone numbers and e-mail addresses for easy access to our
faculty and staff. We welcome personal
visits with any of our faculty, staff or
administration.
Our relationships with our
constituencies depend on good
communication and dialogue. Therefore,
we are intentional about sending out
important information in the most
expedient and effective manner. But,
never wanting to lose that personal
touch, we always welcome personal
interaction and the opportunity to
answer your questions one-on-one.
Expect Great Ways to Get Involved!
Wichita
Collegiate School offers six auxiliary
parent organizations that provide
avenues for parental involvement.
Booster Club, the Collegiate Association
of Parents (CAP), Friends of the
Library, the Initiative for Science
Engineering and Excellence (ISEE),
Patrons of the Arts, and Commitment to
Diversity actively engage the energies
and interests of parents.
Booster Club
The
Booster Club consists of WCS
parents and friends who are committed to
supporting the many extracurricular
activities offered at WCS as well as
many projects around and outside of the
school that promise to enhance our
children’s growth and improve the school
community. The Booster Club Board meets
monthly to consider funding requests and
discuss upcoming activities. Our income
comes from membership dues, activity
program ads, concession stand sales, and
Shirt Shack sales (in partnership with
CAP). This money funds many different
activities/groups around campus. Here
are a few examples:
Signing up for a shift in the concession
stand during an athletic event is a fun
way to meet other parents. Click on this link for more information about the Booster Club.
Collegiate Association of Parents
(CAP)
Collegiate Association of Parents (C.A.P.)
exists to provide support and
services for faculty, students and
parents. Any friend of Collegiate is
welcome to join and
attend monthly meetings. The
organization assists the school
with events for all of the school
divisions, and sponsors fundraising
events throughout the year. These
fundraisers include Wrap Pacs
(pre-packaged school supplies), the Wrap It Up Poinsettia Sale
and Gift Market, Garden Market, and
Final Survival Packages. CAP also
publishes and sells detailed school
calendars and planners that are
pre-printed with the school year 's
activities and events, and sponsors
Shirt Shack with Booster Club. Proceeds
from all CAP projects fund the faculty's
Wish List of items to enhance classroom
instruction. Click on this link for more information about CAP.
Friends of the Library
No
monthly meetings! No membership dues!
Friends of the Library
is a volunteer organization of moms and
dads dedicated
to assisting our three campus libraries.
There are various ways in which to give
of your time and talents: shelve books,
help create craft projects, lend a hand
with special events such as Book Fairs
and Young Authors Conference, just
to name a few. Volunteers may choose to
chair an event, coordinate refreshments,
or simply straighten bookshelves. For more information about Friends of the Library, please contact our Librarian, Leslie Prechtel at lprechtel@wcsks.com
Initiative for Science and
Engineering Excellence (ISEE)
Ooey, Gooey
Science -- Exploring Space -- Building
Robots -- and Trash …
These are just some of the things that
ISEE loves best.
The Initiative for Science and
Engineering Excellence (ISEE) is the
perfect organization for Collegiate
parents interested in nurturing the
study of science. We know that science
is an exciting, ever-changing subject.
Science affects all of our lives every
day.
Collegiate’s science teachers in
all grade levels make science come alive
for our students. They pride themselves
on providing hands-on experimentation
that puts the student in the driver’s
seat. These experiments and
opportunities require many resources,
including training, materials,
equipment, and a time and place to
perform them.
ISEE is dedicated to helping the science
departments obtain all of these needed
resources. We help send science teachers
to conferences and workshops, providing
professional development and training.
We help purchase materials and equipment
needed in the science curriculum. We
help provide support for expanding
classrooms. Last year, a new chemistry
classroom was added to the Upper School.
This year, the Lower School will be
operating from a remodeled classroom
space. ISEE has helped both these
classrooms with purchases of equipment
needed to make the most of the science
experience.
ISEE also helps with the
out-of-classroom activities. We
coordinate dinners for the Robotics
team. We help provide snacks for the
Science Olympiad teams during after
school practice and at competitions
throughout the year.
How do we provide this help? Your
membership investment and trash bags
sales provided more than $16,000 last
year. We plan to do more this year to
further the science experience at
Collegiate.
Trash bags are going to be easier than
ever to purchase this year. We have a
new ISEE Bag Hotline – 771-2058 – you
can call anytime you need bags. We also
provide delivery for a nominal fee.
Every bag you use is money in the WCS
science bank. Your child, no matter what
the division, will benefit from your
trash bag purchase.
Where do you fit in? There are many ways
to help with science. First, please join
us. We meet the first Tuesday of every
other month at 4 pm in the Lower School
science room. (Check the school calendar
for specific dates.) We are also seeking
volunteers for small commitments. And
most important, give us your trash. We’d
love to supply trash bags for your home,
your office, your club, anyone,
anyplace.
Do you have a budding chemist making goo
in your kitchen sink? Does your child
sit out under the stars and dream of
going into space? Does your family have
a collection of pets because all animals
are fascinating? Is someone in your
house always building something? Then
you have someone interested in science.
Please let us help you foster that
interest. Click on this link for more information about the Initiative for Science and Engineering Excellence.
Patrons of the Arts
WCS is a
unique environment which combines
academic excellence with a variety of
outstanding enhancement and
extra-curricular options, including many
choices in the Fine Arts. Patrons of the
Arts is a parent volunteer organization
focused on providing the extras, in the
form of time and money, to our creative
Fine Arts faculty. Click on this link for more information about Patrons of the Arts.
Focus on Diversity
Commitment to
Diversity has been established by
Wichita Collegiate School (WCS) parents
and friends for maintaining an inclusive
environment that welcomes, respects,
values and benefits individual
differences at WCS. Members of our WCS
community are diverse in many ways
including geographically,
socio-economically, racially and
religiously. This newly developed
organization is seeking volunteers and
support from members of the WCS
community who are interested in
promoting a nurturing environment where
all feel safe, respected and valued for
our individual differences.
Initiatives for the year will include
the following:
• Hosting gatherings for new and current
families of multi-ethnic backgrounds
which will welcome them into the WCS
community and will provide continuing
support throughout the school year
• Offering workshops, seminars and
speakers to support diversity or
multiculturalism
• Providing “Open Forum” discussions
• Promoting cultural understanding by
hosting cultural activities throughout
the year
How YOU can get involved:
Membership is open to anyone interested
in promoting a nurturing environment for
all. If you have an interest in learning
and supporting different cultures and
diversity within WCS, then support this
organization by contributing $25.00 and
becoming an “I CARE” member. We
encourage you to volunteer and take part
in the many exciting activities planned
for the upcoming school year.
Your support will ensure our overall
success in creating an inviting and
supportive environment at WCS. Let’s
work together to prepare our students
for socially based leadership in our
culturally and religiously diverse
world.
For more information please contact one
of the following Collegiate parents or
administrators, or click on this link:
Upper School
Yolanda Camarena 316-687-4795
Gwen Sharpe 316-683-0662
Middle School
Shari Solomon 316-425-7698
Lower School/Early Childhood
Bernie Winston 316-558-8169
WCS representatives
Bunny Hill 771-2319
Terrence Phox 771-2213