K.A.T.S. NEWSLETTER

August 18, 2008

Kids in Action at Trailridge

Ms. Colburn, Ms. Druen, Mrs. Key, Ms. Meyer, and Mrs. Ramsey, Sponsors

During Super Start Day on Thursday, August 14, seventh grade students learned about KATS. We discussed activities for the year. KATS (Kids in Action at Trailridge Middle School) is an innovative middle school approach to student council. KATS is made up of student volunteers who have a genuine interest in contributing time, energy, and ideas to our community and school. Students in KATS raise money for community organizations. We also volunteer at the American Royal, Meals on Wheels, the Christmas Bureau, Harvesters, and the Special Olympics Bowl-a-thon. We assist teachers, escort new students around the building, or work in the office. There is an emphasis on building leadership skills and helping others in the community.

Besides being a service to our school and our community, KATS sponsors parties and field trips for active members. We may go bowling, ice-skating, miniature golfing, or have a pizza party. We also may go to other schools for student exchanges or to Topeka to be a page.

Once an application is signed by a parent and returned to one of the five teacher sponsors, each KATS member is issued a KATS card. All teachers sign these cards for each half-hour worked at school and for each full hour of volunteering outside of school. Students become KATS Stars and receive recognition for completed cards. Only Stars (students with 12 or more signatures) may go on field trips and attend Leadership Committee meetings. Six hours of volunteer work must be completed before or after school at Trailridge before members are eligible to be Stars. If a student has 3 KATS cards completed by the end of the school year, additional volunteer hours completed outside of school may be used to accumulate more stars and win awards.

Leadership Committee meetings are held before school in the Room 1 (Ms. Druen) each month. KATS members only need 6 signatures (1/2 of a card) to attend the first Leadership Committee meeting on October 15 at 8:05 AM in the library. The first order of business of the Leadership Committee will be the election of officers. There will be two chairpersons and two secretaries – one from each grade.

KATS embodies middle school philosophy because all students have the opportunity to participate. The meetings are held during the school day and students may earn signatures before school on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Faculty meetings are held on Tuesday mornings and students may not volunteer during this time. KATS members need to report to Room 17 (Mrs. Ramsey) at 8:00 AM on the mornings they wish to work and 3:45 pm on the afternoons they are volunteering. Students must go directly to Room 17 and not to their lockers. The KATS card is a pass and should be in the student’s hand as he/she enters the building. Students may work as little or as often as they would like with a minimum goal of 30 minutes a week.

Our annual trash bag sale to raise money for KATS starts on Back to School Night, Tuesday, August 26. We will sell 39-gallon heavy-duty lawn and leaf bags and smaller tall kitchen trash bags. Students may sell trash bags to friends, relatives and neighbors. Orders may be picked up in Room 2 (Mrs. Key). This fundraiser finances our entire program throughout the year. The money raised pays for bus transportation to field trips and prizes for any contests we hold during the school year. One hundred percent of the money we raise for charities goes to the organization. Money for prizes comes from the money we earn from the trash bag sale.

Recycling discarded paper is a big job at Trailridge. KATS members are needed to empty the recycling boxes from the classrooms before school. The recycling company will pay our school if we collect more than two tons in a month. The money will go towards creating an environmental lab at Trailridge. Parents are encouraged to drop off paper, newspapers, and magazines in the yellow and green bins in the parking lot. The heavier the paper, the better for us! We also collect the Boxtops for Education, ink cartridges, and pop can tabs for Ronald McDonald House. These items can be dropped off in Room 16 (Ms. Colburn).

The President's Student Service Challenge recognizes, rewards, and encourages activities that have a significant impact in meeting the needs of local communities. Types of service could include: service with community or religious organizations, service through school or community-based service learning projects, and individual efforts to help others and improve the local community. KATS work, of course, counts too! Students should get a form in Room 6 (Ms. Meyer) to keep track of hours worked outside of school.

Please put Saturday, October 18, on your calendar. We have agreed to work at the First Downs for Down Syndrome Buddy Walk at Arrowhead Stadium. We will travel there by bus. This will be our sixth year to volunteer at this event. Also be sure to check out our web site at www.geocities.com/trkats. You can see our calendar of this year’s activities.

The Johnson County Nutrition Program needs volunteers to deliver meals to senior citizens in the Lenexa area. Last year, KATS was able to do this every Tuesday because mothers took turns delivering meals. Each week two different KATS members assisted them. We are hoping we can continue this worthwhile activity this year. The Meals on Wheels program takes place between 10:45-1:00 PM. Parents, please call Mrs. Ramsey at 993-1052 to let her know if you can participate in this wonderful community service.

KATS meetings will be on the second Thursday of the month for about a half hour in the MPR during the school day. Students must have their KATS card with them to attend. Lost cards will not be replaced the day of meeting. All missed assignments must be made up. The next meeting is September 11, the second half of sixth hour.

We are looking forward to a great new year.