NORTH NEWS April 12, 2021

Website: https://smnorth.smsd.org/
Location: 7401 Johnson Drive, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: 913-993-6900
Twitter: @SM_NORTH_HS

We hope that all of you had an enjoyable spring break! Coming back from spring break always means that the end of the school year is right around the corner. That is especially true this year, as we have 7 weeks left in the school year. With that being said, now is the time for our students to buckle down on academics and make that final push to the end of the year. There is still time to get grades up, but the process with the classroom teachers needs to begin now! Academic warnings will continue to be sent out on a weekly basis. Use those as a starting place for conversations with your student about areas for improvement and then, as always, communicate with specific teachers about what needs to be done.

Students are allowed to park in the East or West parking lot in open spots. Students are NOT allowed at anytime to park in the front circle drive.

Please ask your student to check their yearbook photo for accuracy. Photos are posted in front of the office and students are asked to check for accuracy of the photo along with grade and name. If there are any errors, students are to follow the directions and complete a google form with the correct information. Only students who had their photos taken will have photos in the yearbook portrait section. If a photo was not taken, names are listed as not-photographed.

Attention all students and parents:

We are beginning the exclusion process for those students who have not had their state required immunizations. We’ve checked all the Missouri and Kansas Databases and that leaves us with several students who are NONCOMPLIANT.

Everyone who needs a vaccine has been emailed 3 times as a gentle reminder to get their immunizations up to date. Please help us update your immunization records, if you’ve received an email. We are not excluding remote learners from class participation from home. But they are not allowed on campus for any reason – sports clinics, computer help etc. They will not be able to attend school on the first day next year until we receive proper documentation of their vaccinations.

If you have any questions about this please call us at 913-993-6916 or 913-993-6907. Thank you all!

Mary Alice Kelly and Val Snow

• You can call the Attendance Hotline (913 993-6945) anytime day or night to report an absence, early release, tardy etc.
• When you need your student to be released from school early, please give us at least 30 minutes notice. There are times that your student’s teacher may not be reachable by phone. Certain classrooms such as weights, choir, orchestra, etc. require a staff member to go to the classroom to excuse your student. This takes time.
• Students – if you arrive to school late, please stop by the attendance office so we can record your presence and email you a pass for admittance to class. Show this pass to your classroom teacher.
• The Attendance Office has gone paperless. We no longer use paper passes to be admitted late to class or to leave early. We email the pass to the student and the student then shows it to their teacher. If you expect to leave early, please monitor your email.

Yearbook students are working on wrapping up this year’s yearbook for planned distribution in May. There are still about 60 books available on a first-come, first-served basis. To order yours, either take $65 in cash or check to the bookkeeper or pay online at www.yearbookforever.com .

The art department has big plans for the 21-22 school year! We’re looking at hosting a couple of big events (1 in the fall and 1 in the spring) that will help showcase the work of our amazing students and boost community involvement in our program! We are in search of some dedicated volunteers who can help us bring our plans to life! If you are looking for a satisfying and fulfilling volunteer opportunity please contact any of us. We would love the opportunity to tell you more about the special events we’re envisioning for 21-22.

Stephanie Dalley stephaniedalley@smsd.org

Alexis Burdick alexisburdick@smsd.org

• Mon/Wed - 3:20-4:20, ELA, ELL, Science
• Tue/Thur - 3:20-4:20, Social Studies & Math

Click HERE to sign up

See the calendar below for reminders about the upcoming schedule.

11th Grade Science- This week; April 13th and 15th during seminar classes.

10th Grade ELA- April 19th-23rd

10th Grade Math- April 26th-30th

10th and 11th Grade Remote Students- April 23rd

(More details to come about student remote testing information)

REMOTE STUDENTS: Updated State Assessment Information

Attention…Parents of 10th and 11th grade Remote Learners:

It is the time of year where all accredited schools in Kansas are required to administer the Kansas State Assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics, for 10th graders, and Science for 11th graders for both In-Person and Remote Learners. Unlike many of our locally administered assessments, the Kansas State Assessments must be proctored in-person under the supervision of school district staff. As a result, we are scheduling a time for our 10th and 11th grade remote learners to come to Shawnee Mission North to complete their assessments on the morning of Friday, April 23rd at 8:00am.

Given this reality, we understand that there are likely concerns with this prospect due to your family’s remote learning modality selection. We would like to provide as much grace and flexibility as possible per the Kansas State Department of Education. With that in mind, your student will have the following two options for this year’s state assessment. Please see the outlined options and additional information to help inform your decision:

Option A: My student will be attending SMN on April 23, 2021, to take the Math and ELA (10th grade), and Science (11th grade) Kansas State Assessments.

• Students will arrive at SMN between 7:40am and 8:00am at the Field House (FH) entrance, where they will enter the FH doors. Students will then check-in at the FH lobby area and then find their seat in the FH.
• Students will be seated at least 3 feet apart from other Remote Learners in the Field House gym.
• ALL students and staff members proctoring the Remote-Learner testing session will remain masked at ALL times.
• Students will not be in hallways or classrooms with other In-Person Learner students.
• Once students are finished with their testing, they will then can be picked up from the same drop off location at the FH.
• Approximate testing times: 10th graders- 2 to 2 ½ hours, 11th graders- 1 hour
• The tests are not timed, so students will be able to leave once they have completed all testing sections.
• Attendance will be excused for all testing participants 1st-4th hours. (7:40 until 10:55am)

Option B: My student will not be attending the in-person testing session and will need to be considered exempt from all sections of this year’s Kansas State Assessment. A follow up notification email to dustinjamison@smsd.org will need to be sent to confirm student exemption.

Please fill out the following form HERE to indicate your students Kansas State Testing option before this Friday, April 16th.

How can your student plan to do their best during spring assessments?

• Be prepared:

• Laptop is fully charged for school
• Bring your laptop charger
• Bring headphones to use on the assessment
• Get plenty of rest
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Encourage your student to give their best effort!

Do you like gift cards to Quiktrip and Chipotle? The Johnson County STOP contest is back with many prizes! Follow us on Twitter @JOCO_STOP or Instagram @JOCOSTOP between March 1st -May 7th. Watch for anti-drug & alcohol facts and WIN by answering questions every week. Grand prizes include a gaming console or an Apple iPad product. High School Seniors could win a $500.00 scholarship! Contest rules will be posted on the social media pages or see Officer Covington.

Seniors interested in applying for the scholarship must have their application in by April 12th, scan the QR code below or on Officer Covington’s door to apply.

April 15 is the last day College Now students can withdraw with a ‘W’ on their JCCC permanent record or request a pass/fail grade option for a spring 2021 semester course.

Need to drop a course? All course drops must be completed by dropping the course online through MyJCCC or by emailing registrar_office@jccc.edu to obtain a schedule change request. JCCC does not allow courses to be dropped over the phone once the semester has begun.

Test scores for the free junior ACT have been uploaded into students’ Skyward accounts under Test Scores. Please log in to your Skyward account to view your scores.

Join SMSD for March Money Madness! Each day of the week we'll be giving information about financial aid.

All SMSD schools will be participating.

Watch the video and fill out the quiz each day for your chance to earn a prize from Amazon!

Visit our website: https://sites.google.com/smsd.org/smsd-college-resources/ to learn more.

Enrollment for SMSD Summer Academy and eSchool is now available. Information about these programs can be found in the links below

Summer Academy

Summer eSchool

If you are unsure if you need to take a summer program class, please reach out to your Academic Counselor

Last Names:

A-D jordanlandis@smsd.org

E-K leahmurray@smsd.org

L-Q jenniferfontaine@smsd.org

R-Z deannagriffey@smsd.org

Click on the link for more information about Scholarships.

https://studentscholarships.org/newsletter.php

Scholarship Database

Student Scholarships

Advent Health - Nutrition Service Worker click here

Countryside Child Development - Child care worker click here

Dandelions and Mud Puddles - Child care - Carrie Carter 913-825-0399

Freddy's Frozen Custard - click here

Genesis Health Club - Summer Camps - contact Kora Arnold

Johnson County Park & Rec - Before & Afterschool worker click here

JCPRD - Lifeguards, sports officials, concessions workers, and more click here

Lowe's Careers - Seasonal Worker - click here

Panera Bread - Mission location click here

Rally House - Mission location click here

Worlds of Fun - click here

YMCA - Lifeguard click here

YMCA - Before & After school care click here

SMN Softball team swept the SMNW Cougars in a DH. They lost to SMS 5-4 on Friday. The scheduled game on Saturday vs SMW has been rescheduled to this Thursday, April 15. They also play Tuesday @ Olathe East (CBAC) and in the SMSD showcase on Saturday vs Lansing and Topeka High.

SMN Baseball team secured a win vs Maranatha Academy on Saturday, they played Olathe South, SM West and SM South this past week and dropped all three games. The team plays this week on Tuesday at Olathe East (CBAC) and in the Desoto Invitational on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday we play Desoto at 7:00pm @ 3&2 West.

Boys Tennis Team ended the month of March and started the month of April on positive notes. The team was paced by seniors, Adam Thompson, Matthew Cunningham, Evan Whitaker, Deven Cherry, Josh Ryan and Dayton Moody in the matches against SM West and SM East. The week also saw the first high school victories for sophomore Owen Laipple and freshmen Donovn Moody and Porter Lee. This week features matches against Olathe East, East Kansas City, and the District Tournament.

SMN Track and Field team participated in the SM South Relays last Saturday and Blue Valley Relays this past Friday. They had a number of outstanding performances. Some highlights from Friday: Micah Blomker – 1st in 3200m run; Josie Tyrell – 2nd in 3200m run, B&G throw relays both finished 2nd, boys 4 x 100 – 3rd, girls 4 x 800m relay – 2nd, girls shuttle relay – 2nd. Congrats to medalist from SM South Relays: Destany Moore – 100 H – 1st; Micah Blomker – 1600m – 2nd, Chloee Belgum – 800m – 2nd, Major Ewers – 800m – 2nd, Rosjai Curtis – Long Jump – 2nd, Audrey Caravello – Pole Vault – 3rd, Girls 4 x 800m relay – 3rd and boys 4 x 800m relay – 3rd.

The track team will participate in the SMSD meet on Friday at 3:00pm hosted by SME @ SMSD – North.

Girls’ soccer team was on hiatus this past week but plays three games this week. Tuesday at Lawrence, and home games vs Gardner Edgerton on Thursday and Olathe West on Saturday.

Boys Golf program has a busy week. Varsity will play in the first leg of the Sunflower League at Deer Creek on Tuesday and play at Shiloh Springs in Leavenworth on Thursday.

Girls Swim/Dive will have a meet at SMW on Tuesday and at SM East on Saturday.

Seeking student ambassadors for the Sunflower State Games Ambassador Program. The Sunflower State Games is an annual series of sporting events based in Topeka, KS. We are entering our 32nd year of hosting the games and are always looking for ways to branch out and reach more Kansans! We believe this is an excellent opportunity for students to boost their resume, gain experience in the Sport Management, Communications, Marketing, and Event Planning fields, and add volunteer experience for teams, clubs, projects, and so on.

If you’re interested please click here: https://www.sunflowergames.com/index.php/about/ambassador.

SAVE the DATES:

• Wednesday, May 5th, NLI Athletic signing for all students. Any athlete that is signing to play collegiate athletics please see Ms. Gonzales in the main office by Wednesday 3/31. The ceremony will be 5/5 in the Field House - 3:00pm
• SMN Sports Foundation Scholarship recipients will be recognized at the Senior Awards Program - TBA
• NORTH Relays - Friday May7th, 9:00am-10:00pm

Live Eligibility - The athletic department practices live eligibility via skyward reports. A friendly reminder our student-athletes must be passing 5 courses in order to participate in competitions.

Dual Participation Athlete (JJ) – If your student is interested in participating in two after-school activities please complete the DUAL ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION CONTRACT and schedule a meeting with both coaches and the athletic director.

Joe Gliori Varsity Girls Soccer Coach

Julie True Varsity Softball Coach

Jon Durham Varsity Boys Tennis Coach

Shane McBride Varsity Baseball Coach

Walter Mansfield Varsity Golf Coach

Aaron Davidson Varsity Track & Field Coach

Kailey Morash Varsity Girls Swimming Coach

Jerry Banks Varsity Girls Dive Coach

The district has made the decision to change the doctors allowed to release students from COVID Return to Play to only MD, PO and APRN; DC and PA-C will be removed, as they do not have the ability to perform cardiac assessments.

KSHSAA Guidelines Return to Play

SMSD partners with The Health Partnership, which is a medical practice with family physicians and pediatricians; they also have equipment to perform an EKG. The Health Partnership the only federally funded health clinic in Johnson County. They accept families with no insurance as well as families with health insurance coverage. They have offices on the Shawnee Mission Medical Center campus and in Olathe.

Face coverings for all attending and supporting interscholastic activities. The only exception is for those actively participating in competition.

For SMN PTSA/Booster Club news and updates like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter....

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=403968853023402

https://twitter.com/SMNorthBooster

https://twitter.com/SMNorthPTSA

As we look ahead to the upcoming school year, Shawnee Mission North Parent Teacher Student Association (SMN PTSA) is seeking volunteers to help our non-profit organization support school activities and needs. SMN PTSA hosts fundraisers to purchase supplies and equipment not provided for within the district/school budget, provide staff appreciation meals and snacks, and monetarily support classes, clubs, groups, and teams. We sponsor community events, like the Gingerbread House Party, and offer programs through PTA, like the Reflections and Citizenship National Contests.

At the district level (Shawnee Mission Area Council) and at the national level, PTA is one of the largest lobbying groups that advocates for children. PTA was formed by the integration of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers (founded in 1897) and the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers (founded in 1926) just over fifty years ago (check out the story of unification here: Every Child. One Voice.).

The Brick House is fortunate to find strength in our diversity and SMN PTSA is seeking to echo that diversity in our leadership. We are currently seeking parents to join our team for all board positions:

President – oversee operations, host meetings, and check signer.

VP of Programs – oversee programs (almost all committees have a chairperson) and sponsor liaison.

VP of Membership – Oversee membership recruiting efforts and maintain database in MemberHub.

Treasurer – bookkeeping in WAVE software and check signer.

Corresponding Secretary – daily management of email and social media with student assistance.

Recording Secretary – attend six meetings (3 per semester) to record notes and check signer.

If a board position is a bit too much to chew, we do have two committees with open chair positions: Staff Appreciation (1 event each quarter) and Legislation (passing on information provided regarding upcoming legislation that concerns children and public schools).

Being active in PTSA is one of the most rewarding ways to help create the best learning environment for North! We sure would love to have you on our team! Reach us at smnorthptsa@gmail.com.

For SMN PTSA/Booster Club news and updates like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter....

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=403968853023402

https://twitter.com/SMNorthBooster

https://twitter.com/SMNorthPTSA