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

Enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year will begin in January. Counselors will talk to their Alpha grade level students during Seminars and give them their Course Request Cards and Course Listing Sheets at this time.

Each Counselor will be in a specific location – listed below:

Students’ last names:

A – D w/Holloway will be in the Auditorium

E – K w/Murray will be in the Little Theater

L – Q w/Miller will be in the Cafeteria

R – Z w/Griffey will be in the Learning Commons

The dates for these presentations during Seminar are:

Freshmen – Thursday, January 11

Sophomores – Thursday, January 17

Juniors – Thursday, January 24

Students will have one week to talk to their parents and make their decisions about course choices. Counselors will be sitting at tables in the ELA hallways and will “pull” students from their ELA grade level classes during Wednesday and Thursday block days.

The dates are:

Freshmen – January 16 & 17

Sophomores – January 23 & 24

Juniors – January 30 & 31

8th graders –

We will be at Hocker Grove Middle School on Friday, January 11th (all day) to present the enrollment information and give them their enrollment paperwork.

Northern Exposure will be on Wednesday, January 16 at 6:00 pm here at North. The 8th grade students and their parents are invited to attend this event to learn about the various high school academics, clubs and athletic opportunities.

Counselors will return to Hocker on Friday, January 18th to meet with each 8th grade student individually and collect their Course Request cards.

For our next parent information night, on January 15th at 6:30 at North High School, we will be hosting a panel of representatives from Pathways to Hope, Health Partnership Clinic, JCMH , NAMI, Jewish Family Services, and Children’s Mercy. This informational panel will be moderated by Ann Konz, board member of NAMI and local mental health advocate. The goal for this parent night is to not only have the presenters speak on mental health and wellness as it relates to students and families, but also expose parents/families to all the resources available in our community.

SMN Teachers, Staff, Coaches and Admins,

The 5th Annual SMN "Trivia Night for the Tribe" will be held on Saturday, January 19th, 6:30pm at St. Pius Church in Mission This event is co-sponsored by the SMN PTSA and the SMN Booster Club. Save the date and start getting your team of eight together today! Or, you can sign up as an individual and we will place you on a team where space is available.

If you haven't heard.... "Trivia Night for the Tribe" is a fun night full of trivia, prizes (Best Table Decorations, Best Team Theme/Costumes) and a huge prize raffle. Cost for this adults-only evening is $30.00 per person/$240 to reserve your table if you sign up prior to the deadline. And, if you sign up as a table, you can designate $100 of your registration to go to the SMN club, group or team of your choice!

Coaches and sponsors, please consider pushing this info out to your parents and ask them to designate YOUR group or team.

Space is limited so get your table reservation in ASAP. Proceeds go to support SMN students!

For information, contact SMN PTSA at smnorthptsa@gmail.com or SMN Booster Club at smnboosterclub@yahoo.com.

We are excited for our 5th annual event and really hope to see you and your team there!

*tables will be secured for a team once money is turned in.

Happy Holidays from Stuco!! We are super excited for our events coming up after winter break, including Matchmaker (Jan. 9th and 10th), Northman (voting Jan. 14th-18th, assembly on Jan. 25th), WPA (Feb. 2nd), and Movie Night in the spring!

Amie Schick, math teacher, has worked with administration and algebra 1 teachers to develop the Algebra Cadet Teaching program. This program will connect upper level math students with an interest in teaching to their younger peers in algebra 1 classes. Each cadet teacher will work alongside the algebra 1 teacher to help struggling students one-on-one or in small groups to improve their algebra skills. Not only will algebra 1 students benefit from extra help, they will develop and build relationships with successful SMN students. The program will start next semester and will continue with new applicants during the 2019-2020 school year.

Carolann White has been facilitating a Book Club within her Study Skills class. During the first semester, the students voted on and read, One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. Kate Miner, Instructional Coach has been pushing in to the reading sessions as well. The class will be completing the novel early this week and cannot be more excited. The PTSA has graciously awarded the class with a grant to purchase the sequel, signed by the author. Engaging our reluctant learners in a novel has been challenging however the students were excited to read during the class and just maybe they have realized reading is not terrible. Carolann and Kate have also been Tweeting with the author throughout their journey as well. Thank you to the PTSA for all of your support!

Erin Rivers, ELA teacher, was recently rewarded with Shawnee Mission Education Foundation’s It Starts With The Arts grant. SMEF will provide funds for Ms. Rivers to take her Writer’s Workshop students to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in April for students to recognize and reflect creatively to the connections between visual arts and writing.

Five North students travelled to Topeka in early December to take part in the Kansas Youth and Government program. Senior Tyler Ruzich served as this year’s Senate President and helped run the Senate Chambers as students debated bills and evaluated executive orders through a process of judicial review. Both Ruzich and Junior Mason Trout received awards for Outstanding Bills—two of the three awarded to students in the Senate. Ruzich’s bill was on predatory lending practices and Trout’s was about the quality of water for Pretty Prairie, Kansas. The North students were great stewards of both the school and Shawnee Mission as the Sergeants of Arms for both chambers commented on how professional the proceedings were. Next year’s conference plannings are already underway!

SMN will host the first Teen Trivia Night for North students. The event will be held in the Learning Commons on Tuesday, January 22, from 3:30 to 6:30 pm. We will have food, games, nostalgic movies, and more. Each student needs a canned food item to enter the event. The canned food items will be used to help families in need. Students can form teams based on clubs/organizations they belong to or form an independent team of four to six players.Team themes are welcome.

Congratulations to Audrey Diggs who won best in show in Overland Park's Future of Art competition. The show is at Tomahawk Ridge Community Center and runs from November 23rd through the second week in January.

In Honors English 9, Natalie Johnson-Berry’s classes completed a unit on analyzing poetry that culminated into students writing original poetry using multiple formats. These poems were presented as slam poetry spoken word pieces, animated poetry, choral performances, duets, and narrative poetry in the SMN library with invited guests.

Congratulations to the 2018 Indian yearbook staff for being named an All-Kansas yearbook by the Kansas Scholastic Press Association.

The book was edited by: Rena Lipari, Lila Brockman and Morgan Vanderbruegge

Each All-Kansas school earns an All-Kansas plaque. Winners will be announced and presented with the plaque at the KSPA State Contest opening ceremony May 4, 2019 at the Memorial Union at the University of Kansas.

To read more, https://www.kspaonline.org/news/2018/12/04/unveiling-the-2018-yearbook-all-kansas-winners/

SMN Choirs is proud to announce that sophomore tenor Ryan Russell was named KS All State Choir Alternate!

The choirs performed throughout the SMN community in December, beginning with a trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart to record two holiday pieces for Channel 41 Action News. Look for their performance on Channel 41 between 4-6 am or 10 am to noon on December 25 and on Channel 38 The Spot on December 30 between 7 and 9 pm!

On December 6, SMN Choirs produced Sweet Sounds of the Season, an evening of holiday music and desserts, featuring choirs, soloists, and small groups—including our newly formed Extreme North Singers, a group comprised of SMN staff and alumni.

In addition, groups of singers performed for Mission Lights, caroled for runners at the Jingle Bell Run, the Countryside Christian Church December luncheon, Mission Square Retirement Center, Homestead of Lenexa Retirement Village, and the SMSD Center for Academic Achievement.

In January, SMN Choir Booster Club will host our 3rd annual NORTH’S GOT TALENT, a celebration of talent that includes SMN and it’s feeder schools. Any student who attends, SMN or any SMN feeder school is eligible to come and share their talents in this event!

Prices will be going up, on 2019 yearbooks soon, so purchase yours now.

If you haven’t purchased a 2019 Yearbook, they can still be purchased through the bookkeeper in the main office or at www.yearbookforever.com through Jan. 19, 2019. Cost is $48 if purchased at school.

The money ($48) or a check made out to SM North, can be taken to the bookkeeper by January 19. If you would like to pay with a credit card, payment can be made at www.yearbookforever.com. Choose Shawnee Mission North. There is a $2 service fee if you choose to pay online.

Shawnee Mission North’s Hall of Fame will grow by three exceptional inductees. On Friday, February 1st, at halftime of the boys’ basketball game (approximately 7:45 pm), Gene Elstun (posthumously), Jennifer True Roth and Robin Williams-Gray will be introduced as the newest members of the class of 2018-19.

Gene Elstun 1950-1953 (athlete)

• 1951-1952 KSHSAA AA runner-up (2nd) basketball championships
• 1952-1953 KSHSAA AA State champions in basketball
• 1952-1953 Member of 4-man golf team that won state championship

Jennifer True Roth (athlete)

• 9 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball & softball
• All-Sun Country first team softball 1990, 1991, 1992; first team volleyball 1990 1991; basketball first team 1991
• All-Sunflower League first team softball 1991 & 1992; 1st team in volleyball 1990 & 1991; & honorable mention basketball 1991
• all-metro softball 2nd team 1992 and 1st team 1991
• KSHSAA State Softball Champions 1991 and 1992
• Kansas City Scholar-athlete for SMN 1992
• Pitching record 31-5

Robin Williams-Gray (athlete)

• 8 varsity letters in volleyball (2), basketball (3) & track and field (3)
• KSHSAA State Champion in shot-putt and discuss - 1985 & 1986
• High School All-American in Track & Field and Basketball
• Kansas City scholar-athlete 1986
• 1985 SMN Homecoming Queen

Did you know ways to keep you and your family healthy during the holiday season? Please follow these 4 basic food safety steps to reduce the risk of foodborne illness: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

Clean

 Hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of foodborne illness. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after handling food.

 Wash all kitchen counters, dishes, and utensils with hot soapy water.

Separate

 Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from all other foods.

 Designate one cutting board for fresh produce and another for raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs.

Cook

 Use a food thermometer to ensure your foods have been cooked to the proper minimum internal temperature.

 Keep food at 140° F or above after cooking.

 Microwave food thoroughly to 165° F.

Chill

 Refrigerate perishable foods within 2 hours. Remember to store leftovers within 2 hours as well.

 Know when to throw food out. When in doubt, throw it out.

Don’t forget – if your child receives free or reduced meals, they are eligible for one breakfast and one lunch per day as part of this benefit. All breakfast and lunch meal choices are available for all students regardless of eligibility status.

The school breakfast menus, lunch menus, and other nutrition information are available on the district’s website at https://www.smsd.org/about/departments/food-service.