LEAD Innovation Studio
October 4th, 2024
LEAD Innovation Studio
Website: https://lead.parkhill.k12.mo.us/
Location: 7201 North Line Creek Parkway, Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone: 816-359-4130
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parkhillLEAD
Twitter: @ParkHillLEAD
Calendar of Events
- October 8: Senior Academic Awards, 11:00 AM
- October 16: Jostens Senior Class Meeting, 8:45 AM
- October 18: NO SCHOOL
- October 21: Parent Advisory (Virtual), 6:00 PM
- October 26: Bags Boo Bash, 1:00 PM
- October 31: Jostens Additional Cap and Gown Order Day
Important Phone Numbers
Attendance: 816-359-4131
School Fax: 816-359-4139
Counseling: 816-359-4132
Health Room: 816-359-4134
School Pictures are Available
School pictures are available on the photographer’s website. Type LEAD in the search bar. The required access code is your student’s ID (numbers only).
If you have questions, you may contact the LEAD office at 816-359-4130 or email grahamt@parkhill.k12.mo.us.
ASVAB Testing
If you have a student interested in the military, LEAD will be hosting the ASVAB test on March 21st, which is a non-school day.
The ASVAB test is for juniors and seniors only. It will begin at 8:00 am and run until 11:00 am.
Transportation will not be provided. However, please contact eisenmengers@parkhill.k12.mo.us if your student will not have a ride or does not drive and wants to take this test. We will be emailing the sign up form out to students at a later date.
Order Bags Boo Bash Shirts!
Click below to order shirts for Bags Boo Bash. The store closes on 10/8 at 4:00 pm.
https://ic.parkhill.k12.mo.us/campus/store/parkhill/school-store/26/products
Parent Advisory Members Needed
Please keep in mind that being on the help list does not commit you to coming to meetings, though we would love to see you there!
Order Your Student's Yearbook
Attention LEAD parents! Order your child's 2024-2025 LEAD Yearbook NOW for $30. Senior salutes can also be purchased for $50 for 1/2 page, $35 for 1/4 page, and $20 for 1/8 page. Purchase both using the link: https://yearbookforever.com/school-store/jXGW7Ce9nyOR4sxZst4IHPcW. Please reach out to Shannon Le Grand (legrands@parkhill.k12.mo.us) if you have any questions.
Schoology Resources
Do keep in mind though, that while our ongoing transfer to Schoology is nearly complete, we are still dialing in the gradebook settings to match what we had in Summit. Right now, there is a small team of teachers piloting a specific gradebook model that we believe will closely emulate the kind of automated grading that was done in Summit. If we can see that it's working the way we hope, we will share the settings with all teachers next week. In that process, you are likely to see some shifts in your child's grade, even if they have not submitted new work or completed a revision of an older PFA or project.
If you have questions during that process, please reach out directly to the teacher.
We hope to be done with this process very soon! Thank you for your continued support and patience!
LEAD Capstone Project
LEAD is introducing a new capstone project during the 2024-2025 school year.
LEAD’s capstone will be an optional graduation distinction that celebrates and encourages student work and inquiry beyond traditional academics. The capstone is an independent, student-designed project outside the parameters of a student’s schedule, credits, or GPA. It is a passion project they will engage in on their own, with the help of a staff member assigned as a capstone advisor, not only for their intellectual pursuit and betterment, but also for the potential to stand out more in post-secondary and scholarship application processes.
LEAD is proud to announce the establishment of a capstone grant to support capstone candidates in their community projects with a vision to provide essential resources such as media equipment, printing, graphics, or web design. The initial goal is to raise $3,500. This will ensure funding is available to our students, ensuring their projects reach their full potential.
Click here or scan the QR code in the corner to donate.
Thank a LEAD Staff Member
We are hoping to collect some kind notes from our LEAD families to share with our LEAD staff members. If you would like to thank one of our staff members for their efforts, please take a moment to complete this short form.
These responses will be shared with our staff. Share the love and lift up a staff member who has a made a positive difference in your student's life here at LEAD!
Nominate a LEAD Staff Member for a Park Hill Star Award
Click here to nominate a LEAD staff member for a Park Hill Star Award.
Park Hill High School's Most Recent Newsletter
Click here for this week's Park Hill High School newsletter.
Bags Boo Bash!
If you are new to LEAD, you might not know about our annual cornhole tournament: Bags Boo Bash!
If you are familiar with it, you know that it is an absolute blast and a wonderful LEAD tradition.
Click here for more information regarding the event and how you can help make it happen!
Signs of Suicide Program
In the next several weeks, LEAD will be implementing the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program.
This program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help. We encourage you to visit www.mindwise.org/parents for information on the warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn during this lesson.
For more information about the SOS program at LEAD, or to opt your student(s) out of this program, please see the information in the LEAD SOS Parent Information and Opt Out Letter.
For more information about the SOS program, please contact Dr. Laura Hartman at hartmanl@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Next Parent Advisory
Our next parent advisory meeting is October 21st at 6:00 pm. This meeting will be virtual in an effort to encourage more parents to attend. A Microsoft Teams link will be sent out to LEAD families earlier in the day on the 21st.
We hope to see you on Teams that evening!
End of Semester Grade Cut-Off Protocol
One of our goals at LEAD is to provide detailed and authentic feedback on student work in an effort to support mastery learning. Unfortunately, the opportunity for authentic feedback gets compromised when students turn in revised work on the last day of the semester.
Last year, we deployed a school-wide policy to prevent a logjam of revised work from being submitted on the last day of the semester, as that had been a problem for many teachers in the past.
What we learned, though, is that a school-wide policy might not be necessary for all subjects. For example, in ELA, where a teacher might find themselves grading many revised essays and thus reading through potentially hundreds of pages on the last day of the semester, this policy might be absolutely necessary. However, in some subjects, where the nature of the content might make the grading faster, this policy might not be needed.
In the interest of improving our practices, we're going to try a modified version of this policy this year.
In fact, this year, it is not a school-wide policy, but more of a protocol that teachers can choose to deploy if necessary. This year, the cutoff date for previously due projects and other assignments--for those teachers who wish to use this protocol--will be three days before the last day of the semester, which will be December 18th. If a teacher is using this protocol, they will advertise it immediately; thus, your students should know which classes will cut-off submissions for revised work on December 18th and which ones will accept revisions through the last day of the semester.
Please understand, though, that the cutoff does not include PFA's. PFA's can be taken through the last day of the semester for all classes.
Also understand that students with an IEP or 504 extended time accommodation will be able to submit previously due work through the the last day of the semester.
NHS Blood Drive
LEAD's NHS group has partnered with the Community Blood Center for our fall drive on Oct. 11th at LEAD.
There is an emergency shortage of blood and platelet donations. Donating through the CBC allows the donation to stay local.
Parents and Guardians, would you like to donate too? We would love your support by donating directly at the CBC using code EH5Z. There is a Gladstone location, but any CBC is great!
Students interested in becoming a Gallon Grad can learn more here!
Please contact the NHS Advisor, Courtney Carter, with any questions. carterco@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Parent Advisory Schedule
LEAD does not have a PTA; instead, we have a parent advisory committee that helps shape our school community. We appreciate support on special occasions for both students and staff, such as providing meals for parent teacher conferences and pancake breakfasts for students. We will be looking to partner with our advisory committee to plan other events and activities to allow families an opportunity to be involved in the LEAD community.
Our advisory committee will meet on the following nights from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the LEAD commons or virtually, as indicated below:
9/16: LEAD
10/21: Virtual
11/18: LEAD
1/27: LEAD
2/25: Virtual
4/21: LEAD
5/19: Virtual
LEAD Positive Impact Grant
So far this year, we have given over 447 rewards to our students for positive behavior. Our PBIS program has been such success!
This is because of your generosity. With that being said, we are running low on inventory. We will take any snack item you think a teen would like (including drinks).
If you would rather make a monetary donation, you can do so through our positive impact grant. We would love to have some businesses help sponsor this program as well.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Attendance Policies
If you have questions about our attendance policies or procedures, please contact Adelaide Wills (816-359-4131, willsa@parkhill.k12.mo.us).
Free and Reduced Lunch
For more information, please click here.