NORTH NEWS February 8, 2021

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

On Monday, January 25, the Shawnee Mission Board of Education approved a revised calendar for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. A copy of the calendar may be found on the district’s website. Barring unforeseen circumstances that would prevent SMSD from holding classes, here is a brief summary of the changes in the new calendar:

• Friday, March 19 – No school, professional learning
• Wednesday, May 19 - Last day for Seniors
• Wednesday, May 26 – Last day for Pre-K
• Tuesday, May 25 - SMN Graduation @ North Stadium - 7:00 PM
• Thursday, May 27 – Last day for grades K-11 (1:10 early release)
• Friday, May 28 – Teacher Workday/Last day for staff

Based on the revised state guidelines, the last day of class for seniors will be Wednesday, May 19.

Unless unforeseen circumstances arise (power outages, etc.), school will continue during snow days. Because our learning mode is currently hybrid, only the in person group for that particular day of the week will attend courses remotely (logging into WebEx and Canvas each hour).

Those students that were to be asynchronously learning that particular day will still login remotely to their Seminar Check-In time at 12:55 p.m. and then access their work/courses asynchronously via Canvas throughout the remainder of the day.

If your student is unable to attend remotely on a "snow day," normal daily attendance procedures apply.

Upcoming Events:

February 15: No School - Presidents' Day

February 16: No School - Teacher Professional Development

February 17, 18, 19: Remote school only (see weekly news write up below)

The week of February 15 is already a short week due to Presidents' Day and teacher professional development. Please plan for the remainder of that school week (Wednesday, 2/17 - Friday, 2/19) to be remote learning days.

This was not the preferred option of our district or our secondary schools, but due to the overlap among secondary personnel, transportation logistics, and other scheduling factors, this was the only viable option for the remainder of that particular week.

All remaining weeks will operate on a normal hybrid schedule after 2/19. Any "No School" Fridays remaining on the district calendar will not affect hybrid in-person days on that particular week.

See the calendar below for reminders about the upcoming schedule.

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

Click HERE to sign up

Kindness Week is just around the corner! February 8-12, we are collecting hygiene products for our school and community. Please bring toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo, lotion, WHATEVER you can. There will be blue collection bins at each student entrance.

Reminder: Northman will be announced during halftime of Tuesday’s basketball game. We will post live @smnstuco on Instagram. Stay Tuned!

Also, during kindness week, Student Council is offering opportunities to show kindness to each other and the community. Kindness Week Notes are available for you to give a shout out to your friends. Look for the QR codes posted around the school, and your messages and kind thoughts will be sent on to your friends at the end of the week. We will also have a Valentine making station in the cafeteria during lunches so that you can make a Valentine for nursing home residents.

Kindness Week Fundraisers:

Freshmen: Flower Sale

Sophomores: Crush for you Crush ($1 for a Crush Soda)

Juniors: (Matchmaker- $2 for results)

9th Grade Students Only: Our 9th graders will be taking the winter MAP testing in the upcoming weeks in both their ELA and math classes. All testing dates and information will be shared with your student by both their ELA and math teacher so that they know whether they will take the test remotely or in-person if they are hybrid learning. Testing dates will be communicated by your student’s teacher!

If for some reason your student is absent during MAP testing, please communicate with your child’s ELA/math teacher so we can develop an alternate window for your student. All MAP testing has to be complete by February 12th.

MAP Testing Reminders:

• Student winter MAP data provides teachers, parents, and students a snap-shot of progress thus far in the year.
• MAP data is a great resource for teachers to know students' strength areas and growth areas and can drive the instruction taking place in the classroom.
• Teachers want to know what your student knows. This is low stakes. Please talk with your student about this being an opportunity to show what they know. There is no need to access outside “help” during the test to gain answers to the MAP test questions.
• Teachers want students to do their best so they can use the information provided by NWEA to better understand your student as a learner.

If you a Junior signed up to take the state issued free ACT test at Shawnee Mission North on Tuesday, February 23rd at 8:00am. Please read the details below to get ALL the information you need for that day.

1. You are testing in individual classrooms throughout SMN. (You must wear a mask and be socially distanced while taking the test) Lists with your name and testing location will be posted throughout the building beginning this week. You will be expected to be at your room location no later than 7:55am to check-in. (No one will be admitted to their rom location after 7:55) You can check-in as early as 7:30.
1. Must bring school ID or Driver’s License/Photo ID to verify your identity during the check-in process.
2. Items TO bring with you the day of the ACT

1. School ID/Driver’s License
2. #2 Pencils w/eraser
3. Calculator – There are a few calculators that are prohibited. To see a list click here. (Calculators will NOT be provided. If you need a calculator, talk to your math teacher (before testing day) to check one out for the day)
1. Items that are NOT allowed into the testing room.

1. Phone (You will be dismissed if you have your phone out during any part of testing)
2. Backpack
3. Water Bottle
4. Snacks
5. Headphones
6. Scratch paper
7. Book
1. Busses will run at normal time in the morning and breakfast will be provided from 7:15 to 7:40 in the cafeteria. (Remember no food or drink in the testing rooms)
2. Lunch will also be provided. If you are interested in eating a school provided lunch that day, please fill out this lunch form, so our lunch team can prepare enough lunches for the day.
3. A small snack and water bottle will be provided during the break between the 2nd and 3rd test.
4. The ACT test takes approximately 3 ½ to 4 hours. Once everyone in your room is finished with the test, you will be dismissed as a classroom. Afternoon Busses will run that day and leave at 1:10pm. If you are a bus rider, you will stay in the cafeteria until it is time to leave.
5. Lastly, you will need to pre-register with MyAct and complete the non-test information either before the test or two days after you take the test. Each of you have a personalized Non-Test Instruction sheet with directions that can be picked up in Student Services THIS WEEK. (You can’t register until Feb. 15th, but remember we don’t have school next Mon. and Tues. and we are full remote Wed, Thurs. and Fri of next week.)

Earlier this semester, students at SMN completed the YouScience assessment. YouScience is a researched-based tool with a goal to identify your student’s interests and aptitudes and connect them with in-demand careers. Through a series of scientific-based assessments, YouScience uncovers your student’s natural talents, then combines those aptitude measures with interests to generate their specific profile. The results that the school is provided with show each student who completed the assessment and their aptitude, interest, and overall fit in relation to in-demand careers.

As we begin the enrollment process for the 2021-2022 school year, the information from YouScience has been shared with SMN teachers. Teachers will use this data to contact students (via email) who have a “fit” that is associated with a course they teach to make an initial contact with them, encourage them to enroll in their class, provide them with additional information, etc.

Please remind your student to continue to check their email on a regular basis as teachers will be reaching out with important information that your student may find useful when determining the courses to enroll in. We hope that they find this useful and connects them with additional courses in which they are not only interested in, but that they also have an aptitude for.

AP Students: The final deadline for AP Exam orders is coming up quickly. If you want to register for an AP exam OR if you need to cancel an AP exam, you will need to do so BEFORE March 1st.

To order an AP exam: Visit www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/172000, pay for your exam and then Ms. Murray will get your order changed to “yes” in College Board. There is a nonrefundable $40 late fee for each AP exam that is ordered at this time.

To cancel an AP exam: Log into www.TotalRegistration.net, cancel your exam and then Ms. Murray will get your order changed to “no” in College Board. There is no financial penalty to cancel but late fees are not refundable.

Spring schedule of classes is available online -
The schedule of classes will display course offerings and any prerequisite requirements needed. You can visit the College Now website to get all the information needed to APPLY/TEST/ENROLL/PAY for the spring semester. These four steps will walk you through the process with FAQ’s to answer any questions you may have along the way.

ACT or Placement Test Requirements

For a complete list of how students can place into their courses, go to www.jccc.edu/CollegeNow.
CNA (Certified Nurse Aid) – ACT Reading sub-score 19 or higher, or appropriate JCCC placement test score (proof of a 2.8 high school GPA can also meet the Reading Requirement).

Enrollment and Payment Deadlines-
Deadline for spring College Now enrollment is Friday, Feb 12. Payment is due at the time of enrollment.

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

Advent Health - Dietary Aide - Food Services click here

Lowe's Careers - Seasonal Worker - click here

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

Panera Bread - Mission location click here

Rally House - Mission location click here

Boys Varsity Basketball drops two games this past week:

North 49-Gardner Edgerton 71

Logan Oberle and James Shepherd with 10 pts each.

SM North 46-Olathe North 59

Juan Jones 8 points

Logan Oberle 9 rebounds.

The boys swim and dive team

As a team, we took 7th at League. We broke three more school records during the two days, and had tons of personal records.

The 200 Medley Relay of freshman Charlie Brooks, Caleb Sostarich, Junior Lopez, and Cameron Lee finished 4th, and nearly placed 2nd. They broke the school record both Thursday night as well as on Saturday, with a time of 1:40.45. He then came back and swam a great 500 Freestyle (one of the top 5 times All-Time for North), and placed 2nd in finals. Caleb Sostarich swam the 200 IM in an all-time best of 2:06.12 in Prelims, and finished 6th for finals. Cameron Lee finished 4th place in finals. He then came right back for the 100 Butterfly, swimming another P.R. with a 52.43, putting him in the 3rd overall for finals.

The 200 Free Relay of Cameron, Caleb, Jakob Rooney, and Junior took another 3 seconds off their season best to swim a 1:29.79 (3rd fastest in North History) and placed 2nd in finals. Caleb finished the top swims of the meet by going a 1:00.11 in the 100 Breaststroke, putting him in the 3rd place spot for finals. Caleb broke his own school record from last year, and barely missed on the magical sub-minute 100 Breast.

Other Top 16 Finals qualifiers for North include Oliver Goering and Henry Duff in diving (10th and 13th) Jakob Rooney set a P.R. in his 50 Free (:23.66 in prelims) for 13th in finals. Jacob Slobodzian also set a P.R. in his 500 Free (5:44.20 in prelims) for 16th. Jack Nely and Charlie Brooks both swam in the 100 Backstroke with P.R.s (1:02.84 and 1:03.64) for 14th and 16th. Congrats to all the swimmers and divers.. We had a lot of other SUPER swims at League, so congrats to all the guys who had significant drops in their times.

State for those who qualified will be in two weeks, on Feb. 19th also out at the Aquatic Center.

Varsity Girls Bowling took 1st on Tuesday at Mission Bowl in Olathe beating both Lawrence and Mill Valley. Leading the Lady Indians was Alyssa Williams taking 1st individually! Boys Varsity took 3rd!

Girls Varsity Basketball played with a lot of toughness on Tuesday evening vs Gardner Edgerton although they were undersized. North closed the gap to two points in the 4th quarter but eventually the Trailblazers pulled away to win 46-36. North traveled to Notre Dame De Sion on Thursday and played a see-saw battle with the crusaders. At one point hitting 6- 3 pointers; the worn-down Tribe eventually lost 39-28. The girls traveled to Olathe North on Friday and lost 28-50.

Wrestling team did not compete last week

For those interested in Boys Golf there will be an informational meeting on Tuesday February 10th and Wednesday February 11 in room 253 at 3:00pm with Coach Mayfield.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact Coach Mansfield or Coach Ricker to get more details.

Spring Sports begins on Monday March 1, 2021. Please make sure you have your physical turned in to the office no later than Friday February 26th at Noon. If you have participated in Fall or Winter sports you have completed this requirement.

Live Eligibility - The athletic department practices live eligibility via skyward reports. We will run our first report on Monday, Feb 8 for semester II. A friendly reminder our student-athletes must be passing 5 courses in order to participate in competitions.

Spring Off-Season/Open Gym Guidelines

Weight-training Conditioning Hour – check with Coach Carpenter and Coach Walter about work-out dates for North.

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.

Girls Swim & Dive - Open Swim & Dive @ SMSDAC- Tuesdays starting today, 1-26-21, 6:30-7:30PM Feb. 7, Feb. 9, Feb. 16 and Feb. 23.

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.

At their recent meeting, the Executive Board approved for staff to take the following actions when a school is found to be non-compliant with covid-19 risk mitigation protocols:

a. First report – notification to school administration detailing violation and identification of corrective action.

b. Second report – correspondence to school and district administration.

c. Third report – school/district administrative appearance before the Executive Board.

d. Fourth – implementation of Executive Board sanctions including, but not limited to:

• i. Loss of postseason host opportunities
• ii. Removal from postseason tournament(s)
• iii. Suspension of KSHSAA membership for all activities
• iv. Fines/Special assessments

Based upon response of school leaders, they move more rapidly through this sequence.

Shawnee Mission North is proud of the accomplishments of our student athletes and their ability to perform at the next level while earning a post-secondary education on a scholarship. If you are a student-athlete who has, or will, sign an athletic scholarship our intention is host our school athletic signing ceremony in the spring. As time progresses more information will be disseminated.

Congratulations to the SM North students that were selected for the KMEA All-State Rosters

High School Treble Choir - Naomi Hart, Raina Jackson, Olivia Morris & Emily Turner

High School Band - Anahi Silva - flute

Results from the 2021 Area 9 Regional Academic, Athletic and Drill Championship on 1/16/21. North took 1st place in 8 of the 9 events and 2nd place in the other event - capturing the Overall title for the 15th consecutive year. The Indians garnered 4,486 of the possible 4,500 points. In addition to qualifying for the National Championship the victory improved their record to 31-0 on the season. Several cadets distinguished themselves in the areas of academics and athletics – in fact, North captured the Top 5 spots in every individual event/category in both Academics and Athletics. Here are the individual results:

ACADEMICS

1ST Place – Angel Arreola - 99

2nd Place – Eleanor McCarthy - 99

3rd Place – Lily Smith - 98

4th Place – Austin Larison - 97

5th Place – Lewis Griffin – 96

Owen Dooley – 96

Sam Smith - 96

MALE SIT-UPS

1st Place – Clayton Spears – 330

2nd Place – Jacob Needham – 326

3rd Place – Chaise Carrender – 322

4th Place – Lucas McGriff – 321

5th Place – Sam Seckar – 313

FEMALE SIT-UPS

1st Place – Abigail Serling - 345

2nd Place – Eleanor McCarthy - 325

3rd Place – Alyza Gonzalez - 320

4th Place – Sabrina Dubois - 220

5th Place – Samantha - 150

MALE PUSH-UPS

1st Place – Lucas McGriff – 140

2nd Place – Sam Seckar – 124

3rd Place – Junior Gutierrez – 110

4th Place – Jacob Needham – 109

5th Place – Jake Smith – 95

FEMALE PUSH-UPS

1st Place – Eleanor McCarthy - 85

2nd Place – Sofia Porraz - 74

3rd Place – Jade Gomez - 72

4th Place – Sabrina Dubois - 71

5th Place – Alyza Gonzalez - 62

Next up will be an Inter-Service Drill Meet at Fort Leavenworth on Saturday, 2/27/21.

You and your high school student are invited to participate in a research study investigating bicultural identity and the decision to pursue higher education. Please see the letter below for more information and how to sign up.

FREE meals are offered to all SMSD students regardless if they are learning remote, hybrid or in person. This includes breakfast and lunch meals. These free meals will continue through the end of the 2020-21 school year. If you have any questions, please see your cafeteria manager. Meal pick up will be on Fridays from 6:30-7:45 a.m. at all schools.

Please contact the Food Service office with questions at (913) 993-9710 or foodservices@smsd.org. The school breakfast and lunch menus, pick up meal information, and other nutrition information are available on the district’s website at https://www.smsd.org/about/departments/food-service.

All families that have not already applied for free or reduced meals this year are encouraged to apply if they feel they may qualify. There is a possibility that additional Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer ( P-EBT) funding may be available later this school year for those who have been approved for free or reduced meals. Click here for information and applications. If you have questions please call the Food Service Office at 913-993-9710.

• Download the Canvas Parent App from the App Store or Google Play store.
• Follow the prompts to create your account. Create a username and password.
• Search SMSD (Shawnee Mission School District) > Shawnee Mission North > Eventually it will ask you for a “Pairing Code”
• To find your student’s “Pairing Code”

1. In your student’s Canvas account have your student click on “Account” (Top Left)
2. Click on “Settings” > then click on “Pair with Observer” (Right side)
3. Enter this “Pairing code” when prompted in your Canvas Parent App.

• Note that each parent needs a different code, therefore repeating this process to generate a different code. If more than one student, you will be prompted to “add student” on the app. Repeat the process to generate their observer code.
• If your student will not provide the code to you, please reach out to the school to get the Pairing Code.

• Additional Canvas gradebook information can be found here.

• Student Support Tech Link: Lastly, if you have not already, please have your student check out the Black SMSD Icon in the dock next to the life preserve (Hep Desk) icon. This Student Technology Support link will direct you to helpful information and be a reference when troubleshooting your MacBook during remote instruction. Student Tech Support Reference

• Please contact the front office for support 913-993-6900

Join us for our next SMN Booster Club Meeting via ZOOM on Monday, Feb 8 at 6:30pm to get updates on the happenings at North!

The Booster Club offers Attendance Grants to all SMN clubs, groups, or teams who have an adult representative at Booster Club meetings throughout the year. If an adult representative (does not need to be the same person) attends at least 4 meetings a year, your group will get $100, attend 6 and get $200!

2020-21 Booster Club Meeting Dates:

Feb 8, Mar 8, Apr 19, June 7

Zoom Meeting Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87338286750?pwd=a1Y5cEhOdWI4dDRUekVVOTMvUTlhUT09

Meeting ID: 873 3828 6750
Passcode: 905586

The 7th Annual "Trivia Night for the Tribe" VIRTUAL event has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb 20th!!

Did you know that you can raise $$$ for your favorite SMN team, club, or group by participating in the upcoming "Trivia Night for the Tribe"?

The cost of this adults-only evening is $240 per team with a maximum of 8 players per team. Each trivia team can designate a donation of $100 from your registration fee to benefit the SMN club, group, or team of your choice!

The 7th Annual SMN "Trivia Night for the Tribe" - will be a VIRTUAL EVENT hosted by TriviaHub. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 20th at 7:00 pm and start recruiting your team - you can register and pay at the following link...

https://www.smnptsa.com/

Facebook Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/405427664151831/?active_tab=discussion

Much of the event will be the same as in the past – it will be a fun night full of Trivia, Prizes & Bragging Rights (including awards for Best Team Name/Theme/Costumes), plus our Raffle. The biggest change is that this year, you get to participate online from the comfort of your home!

Registrations and team payment must be received by FEBRUARY 11, 2021, to secure your spot!!

Teams will be assigned a number that will be used by each participant to sign-in to the event. This number is used to group your team together in “Break Out Rooms” to answer the trivia questions. Team members can log in as individuals, or if they are in the same location, they can log in as a couple, or small group. Team members DO NOT need to be at the same location during the event.

Raffle tickets and mulligans will be available for purchase before the event.

Trivia Night for the Tribe is co-sponsored by the SMN PTSA and the SMN Booster Club and all proceeds will be used to support SMN students, staff, and programs!

For more information, contact SMN PTSA at smnorthptsa@gmail.com or SMN Booster Club at smnboosterclub@yahoo.com - we will also be posting information, updates, and more on our Facebook event page...

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