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

• August 14: LEAD Back-to-School Kickoff, 3:00 - 6:00 PM
• August 16: New Student Orientation, 8:30 - 11:30 AM

• August 19: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
• August 26: School Pictures at LEAD
• August 28: Jostens Sophomore Class Ring Meeting, 2:15 - 2:45
• August 28: LEAD NHS Chipotle Night, 5:00 - 9:00 PM
• September 2: Labor Day (No School)
• September 4: Jostens Class Ring Orders Due
• September 16: Parent Advisory Meeting, 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Greetings, LEAD families!

The start of the 2024-2025 schoolyear is drawing closer! In fact, as you are reading this, our staff is gathering to learn about Canvas, our new learning management system. They will be ready to roll on day 1, and I hope you and your family will too!

This newsletter is primarily a "re-run." While there is a lot of info in it, most of it is what was shared back in July. If you are new to the LEAD family, we try to run most stories more than once so important info doesn't get overlooked. If you scroll down, you'll see a graphic that says "No New Info Beyond this Point." That's your cue that anything below has already been shared, but it's been deemed important enough to stick around for an extra newsletter or two in case anyone missed it the first time it was published. Anything above that graphic, though, is new content that you want to make sure you check out.

That said, please make sure you read the new info closely. There is a schedule for our first day of school, which will be a non-travel day. We will also have a special event for our seniors on August 18th-- a tradition we just started last year that was really fun!

If you have any questions about the information below, don't hesitate to reach out.

Take care!

Dr. Early

• Teresa Graham (Admin. Assistant to Principal) | 816-359-6165 | grahamt@parkhill.k12.mo.us
• Allison Offield (Registrar/Admin. Asst. to Dr. Eisenmenger) | 816-359-5843 | offielda@parkhill.k12.mo.us

• Jess Rueda (Admin. Asst. to Dr. Hartman & Counselors) | 816-359-5685 | ruedaj@parkhill.k12.mo.us
• Adelaide Wills (Attendance Administrative Assistant) | 816-359-4131 | willsa@parkhill.k12.mo.us
  

Attendance: 816-359-4131

School Phone: 816-359-4130

School Fax: 816-359-4139

Counseling: 816-359-4132

Health Room: 816-359-4134

Last year, a brand new tradition started at LEAD: our seniors decorated parking spots for the first day of school with chalk. They had a blast and made sure the senior lot was looking good for their "last first day" of public education.

We would like to continue the tradition on August 18th from 3:00 - 4:00 pm. All seniors are invited to bring some sidewalk chalk (no paint!) and decorate a spot. Parents are welcome to attend as well!

August 19th will be a non-travel day for our LEAD students. That means students who normally travel to their home schools for music will stay at LEAD for the full day. If a student has music at their home high school first block, they will come to LEAD instead of reporting directly to their home school.

The purpose for this change is so that all students can learn about Canvas, our new learning management system, at the very beginning of the day. To accommodate this important Canvas training, students will report directly to CT at the beginning of the day so they can learn about Canvas from their mentor.

Our full schedule for day 1 will be as follows:

CT: 8:10 to 9:30

1st Block – 9:30 to 10:45

2nd Block – 10:45 to 12:00

3rd Block – 12:00 to 1:40

4th Block – 1:40 to 2:58

The home schools have been notified of this change and students will not be penalized for missing their music classes on that day.

Bus route information is now available in Infinite Campus for students who are eligible to receive transportation provided by Park Hill School District.

To view your student(s) bus route information, visit the Infinite Campus Parent Portal at https://ic.parkhill.k12.mo.us/campus/portal/parkhill.jsp .

• From the menu, click MORE; then Select TRANSPORTATION.
• If you need assistance with the accessing the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, click here for assistance from the HELP DESK.
• Please check this information again prior to the first day of school and then frequently throughout the school year. As students are added or dropped from the bus routes, the pick-up time may change.

If the bus stop information is incorrect AND you HAVE NOT MOVED, please contact First Student at 816-359-4560 and select option 1; or you may email First Student at 20275.busrequest@firstgroup.com .

If the bus stop information is incorrect DUE TO A CHANGE OF ADDRESS, please contact your student’s building to update your student’s records.

If your student(s) will not be riding on the bus, and bus information is listed, please notify your child’s school or the district’s transportation office at transportation@parkhill.k12.mo.us . We will mark your student as a non-rider.

If your transportation needs have changed, notify your student’s school or transportation at transportation@parkhill.k12.mo.us .

If your student receives Specialized Transportation and you don’t find information on this page, please contact the Special Services office at 816-359-4032.

Park Hill School District’s transportation provider, First Student, provides a bus tracking and parent communication app for smartphones. FirstView is a wonderful tool for families to be able to track their student(s) school bus. Additionally, parents can set up push or email notifications through the app which alert you when your student’s bus is a chosen distance or number of minutes away from your stop. Buses for all your students can be tracked with FirstView. You will be able to connect up to three email accounts (including your own), to receive email alerts. This is a great feature for grandparents or caregivers. FirstView is available in multiple languages, including English, French (Canadian), Spanish, Vietnamese, Oromo, Chinese, Amharic, Tagalog, Somali, and Tigrinya, based on your phone’s language setting. FirstView is free to our Park Hill families.

Getting Started with FirstView (PDF) - Instructions English (PDF)

Get Your Student ID and Access Code (PDF) - Get Your Access Code (PDF)

Please allow a ten (10) minute window, five (5) minutes before and five (5) minutes after the estimated pick-up time, for the bus to arrive at your bus stop. Students should be at the bus stop, waiting for the bus. Unfortunately, the bus is not able to wait for late riders.

Students who cross the road at the bus stop must wait for the bus driver’s hand signal AND must always cross in front of the bus. It is important to teach your students to make sure that the bus driver is looking at them, and to wait for their signal to cross.

Please be aware that during the first days of school, bus routes tend to be delayed. This is where the FirstView app comes in handy and allows you to be able to anticipate your student’s arrival.

If you have a student in preschool, kindergarten and/or certain Special Services programs, we require a parent or parent designee to be at the bus stop to receive the student.

It is helpful for younger students to have identifying information on them during the first weeks of school until the bus drivers become familiar with each student.

To efficiently route school buses, it is necessary to have an accurate count of students with a consistent need for transportation. We have seen an increase in ridership for students who have an occasional need for transportation. While completing the Online Enrollment Verification, if you selected that your student WILL use district transportation and your student will only ride on an occasional basis, please notify transportation at transportation@parkhill.k12.mo.us so that we can change their status to non-rider. If/when a situation occurs where you student will need temporary transportation, please work through your student’s building to obtain a temporary bus pass.

For further transportation information, please select the link below to access Park Hill School District’s Transportation Pamphlet.

PH Student Transportation Pamphlet Rev2023.pdf

New student orientation is Friday, August 16th from 8:30 to 11:30 at LEAD Innovation Studio. All students new to LEAD have a great opportunity to meet other students and teachers, participate in team-building activities, and learn more about their upcoming year at LEAD!

Important Information for Bus Riders:

• Buses will pick students up from their assigned bus stop, then transport them to their home high school.

• From their home high school, bus riders will then board another bus that will take them to LEAD. Staff will be there to help LEAD students find the bus to LEAD.

• Once orientation is over, bus riders will be bused from LEAD back to their home high school, and at their home high school, they will catch a bus that takes them home.

• First Student will have all bus information for the 2024-2025 school year updated in Infinite Campus before August 16th.

• IMPORTANT: Students who live within a mile of their home school but will need to ride a bus to LEAD should either walk to or be dropped off at their home high school by 8:15 on the 16th.

Important Information for Car Riders:

• New students can be dropped off in the circle driveway directly in front of the school starting at 8:15 on the 16th (we won’t start until 8:30, but our doors will open at 8:15).

• Students can be picked up at the same location at 11:30.

Important Information for Student Drivers:

• If you are a new upperclassmen and will be driving yourself to LEAD on August 16th, you can park in any lot for that day. You will learn more about where to park during the school year before our first official day of school.

We look forward to seeing all students new to LEAD on August 16th. If you have any questions, feel free to call LEAD at 816-359-4130.

Our school day is from 8:10 AM to 2:58 PM. Our building will open at 7:15 for students who need to be dropped off early. Those students can study and socialize in our commons area, but are not allowed to be anywhere else inside (or outside) the school.

Our daily schedule is:

• 1st Block: 8:10 AM - 9:45 AM
• 2nd Block: 9:45 AM - 11:00 AM
• Community Time (Mentor groups/ Self-directed learning time): 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• 3rd Block/Lunch: 12:00 PM - 1:40 PM
• 4th Block: 1:40PM - 2:58PM

Important Information for NCC and NCAPS Families:

AM NCC students will return during Community Time. Mentors will do their best to schedule visits with mentees once they've returned from NCC. AM NCAPS students should arrive at LEAD at roughly 10:30, or during 2nd block.

PM NCC students who need transportation will need to catch their shuttle by 10:40, which means they will need to eat before that. In an effort to accommodate these students without forcing them to miss additional class time, they will be allowed to leave 2nd block, get their lunch, and return to 2nd block to eat during instruction (if necessary-- if they are completing self-directed learning, they can stay in the cafeteria to eat).

PM NCAPS students will leave during Community Time and will also be allowed to eat lunch before they go.

See the links below for the 2024-2025 school-year calendar.

• English: School-year calendar (PDF)
• Spanish: Calendario actualizado del ano escolar (PDF)
• Arabic: تقويم العام الدراسي (PDF)
• Amharic: ዓመተ ትምህርት (PDF)
• Somali: Kalaandarka Sanad Dugsiyeedka (PDF)

The Park Hill School District, values instructional time and student social and emotional health. In an effort to support the whole child and reduce distractions use of personal electronic devices will be limited and/or prohibited under certain circumstances. It is a privilege to bring personal electronic devices (e.g. cell phones, smart watches, earbuds, iPads, gaming devices, etc.) to school. At the high school level, the district cautions against allowing students to bring such items to school unless the student and parent/guardian have determined the device is necessary for before or after-school communication.

Personal electronic devices are not permitted to be used during instructional time. Students must place their personal electronic devices away in a pocket, backpack, locker, or other similar location to reduce the potential for distraction. Such devices must be turned off or placed on silent mode to avoid disrupting the learning environment. Staff may permit student to use personal electronic devices during non-active instructional time and students may elect to use personal electronic devices in the completion of assignments and/or tasks so long as such use is approved by the supervising staff member, does not district from the learning environment, or otherwise violate any district or school rules. Staff will not require students to use a personal electronic device for any purpose. If a student violates district policies, expectations, or school rules related to the use of a personal electronic devices, the student may be assigned disciplinary consequences as determined by a building administration, which may include a loss of the privilege to bring such devices to school for a period of time or indefinitely. When such issues occur parent/guardian may be required to pick up such items from the school’s front office.

Parents/Guardians who need to contact their student during the school day should contact the school’s front office. The school will be able to deliver a message to the student or call the student out of class so they can contact the parent in a manner that does not distract from the learning environment. If a student needs to contact a parent, they may do so in the front office or the counseling center. Students found to be using a personal electronic device in violation of district and school expectations will be subject to discipline even if they are using the device to communicate with a parent or guardian.

Grab some Chipotle at 8600 N Boardwalk Ave (Tiffany Springs area) from 5-9 pm on August 28th to help raise funds for LEAD NHS! Use code LLHJ6FT when ordering ahead, or show a copy of the ad below while ordering in the restaurant. Skip cooking dinner that night while helping raise funds for an amazing group of LEAD students!

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

The A+ Scholarship Program was created as a part of the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993 as an incentive for improving Missouri’s high schools. The primary goal of the A+ Scholarship Program is to ensure that all students who graduate from Missouri high schools are well prepared to pursue advanced education and/or employment.

The A+ Scholarship Program is designed to accomplish that imperative. “The A+ Scholarship Program will mobilize an intensive partnership among high schools, community colleges, students, teachers, parents, labor, businesses, and communities to give these students the motivation, skills, and knowledge to graduate from high school. It will create an innovative and well-designed path from high school to high skill, high wage jobs.”

Students that complete A+ are eligible for 2-years tuition* at any MO vocational/technical school or community college. Many MO 4-year universities offer scholarships based on A+ criteria as well.

LEAD works closely with both home high schools to support students wishing to participate in the A+ program. You can learn more about the A+ program at your home high school: Park Hill High School and Park Hill South High School.

If you have questions about A+, please contact Dr. Hartman (816-359-5875,

hartmanl@parkhill.k12.mo.us).

If any of the following courses are on your student's schedule for the upcoming school year, your student has the opportunity to earn dual credit. Dual Credit courses allow students to earn high school credit and college credit at the same time. We partner with Metropolitan Community College for our dual credit offerings. Students must meet certain requirements to qualify for the college credit and complete the Intent to Enroll form each semester if they wish to receive dual credit. See below for more information.

What courses this year at LEAD are dual credit?

College Algebra

Comp & Read

AP Psychology

Spanish III and Spanish IV

Child Growth and Development

AP United States History

AP Biology

AP Environmental Science (Tentative)

What are the requirements for dual credit qualification?

This varies by your student's grade level. Sophomores need a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 3.0+ and a qualifying Accuplacer or ACT score. Juniors and Seniors can use their unweighted GPA of 2.5+ to qualify. Other GPA requirements listed in the chart below.

To take the Accuplacer exam, please follow the steps below:

• Students must have an MCC ID to test.
• Go to http://www.mcckc.edu/apply and APPLY in order to get an MCC ID
• Must have a valid photo ID. Testing is offered on a walk in basis on Monday, Thursday, and Friday until 4:30 and Tuesday and Wednesday until 7pm. No appointment is needed. The entire test takes 2-3 hours to complete.
• The MATH section takes about 90 minutes to complete. Please allow the appropriate amount of time for the test.

The testing center is located at:

Learning Resources Building (room 174)

2601 NE Barry Road

Kansas City, MO 64156

The Park Hill School District has changed concussion testing for student athletes. We are moving from ImPACT testing to SWAY. This will be scheduled for all student athletes even if they have a current ImPACT test on file and will be scheduled with the coach and athletic trainers.

Please contact your home school for testing session information. The consent form and medical form can be found here:

SwayConsentForm.pdf

Sway Medical Download

Please make sure you use the loop directly in front of the school for dropping off and picking up.

Click here for a short video explaining more about the pick-up and drop-off process:

All returning families in the Park Hill School District must prove residency annually. Using our quick and easy online application system, parents of returning students will verify their students' demographic, health, emergency contact and residency information for the 2023--2024 school year.

Visit the residency information link below Online Verification and Residency

Visit your campus parent portal at

https://ic.parkhill.k12.mo.us/campus/portal/parents/parkhill.jsp

If you have questions about verification or residency, please contact Allison Hersh (816-359-5843, hersha@parkhill.k12.mo.us).

Please visit the attendance page on LEAD's website for information on student absences.

If you have questions about our attendance policies or procedures, please contact Adelaide Wills (816-359-4131, willsa@parkhill.k12.mo.us).

PARKING: Students may purchase a LEAD parking pass after completing the Vehicle Registration Form and providing proof of insurance, valid driver's license, and Missouri registration. Parking passes are $30 and may be purchased online through Infinite Campus, or by cash or check in the LEAD office.

TRANSPORTATION: Students who will not be using district transportation need to complete this form and bring to the LEAD office: Opt-out Form - District Transportation.

Students who will be riding with another student for district sponsored events/activities need to complete this form and return to the LEAD office: Ride With or Transport Another Student.

Families who need alternate transportation should complete this form: Park Hill Alternate Transportation Request 2024-2025 School Year.

If you have questions about parking or transportation, please reach out to Teresa Graham (816-359-6165, grahamt@parkhill.k12.mo.us).

Parents need to provide the school nurse with medical information regarding your student. This can be completed with your online registration or visiting the school nurse at any time. Proper paperwork will need to be completed by parent and physician with certain student issues. Please see school nurse for any questions or concerns.

The Park Hill School District does not provide medication to students. Parents or
guardians who want the nurse to give medications (over the counter or prescription) to
their student will need to provide the medication to the health room and fill out the
appropriate paperwork EACH school year, allowing the school nurse to administer the
medication. Park Hill High School health room asks that you send/provide no more than
30 pills at one time. Another option for your high school student regarding medications
is that they can carry one (1) dose of over the counter medication on their person as long as it is in its original container. Any prescription medication carried on their person must be approved by the school nurse.

Missouri State law requires that your students have the appropriate immunizations
to attend school. If you choose not to have your child immunized, or their medical
condition requires that they cannot be immunized, parents need to go to the Health
Department or to their personal physician to have exemption cards completed and
provide a copy to the school nurse.

SENIORS: Meningococcal (Menactra/Menveo) Vaccination

The state of Missouri requires that seniors require a Meningococcal (Menactra/Menveo) Immunization. Senior students will NOT be able to begin their senior year until proof of the Meningococcal (Menactra) Immunization can be provided. The Meningitis Immunization requirement for Seniors is required whether you are doing online learning or in person learning. Proof of immunization needs to be sent or emailed to the school nurse before the first day of school. Many of the students have had this vaccination before the age of 16, but will need a BOOSTER SHOT before beginning school in the 2024-25 school year. Some students have not had it at all and will need to get the vaccination.

Technology will be disabled for students who are not compliant with immunizations. It will be reactivated once proper documentation has been received.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact one of our school nurses. You can send forms and other documentation to April Klein at kleina@parkhill.k12.mo.us.

For important forms, please see below, please visit the Student Health page on our district website.

Free and Reduced applications will be available after August 1, 2023. We encourage families to complete and submit an application for free and reduced price meals to see if you might qualify. See information about meal charges on the menus and nutrition homepage. A new application must be completed each school year. Online applications are available through the SchoolCafe portal and is the most efficient way to submit an application.

For more information, please click here.

We will frequently use social media to send out reminders about important events and to share information about the great things going on in our school. If you haven’t already done so, please like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for updates.