NORTH NEWS September 21, 2020

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

Class materials/resources will start to be distributed this week. Teachers will be communicating specific distribution information/plans to their students. If you have a question about a classroom supply, please contact your student's teacher directly.

Although students are learning remotely at this time, we still need to know if your student is ill or has a doctor’s appointment so we can excuse their absence. Students who do not show up to an online course/period without reason will be considered unexcused absent and you will be notified. An accumulation of unexcused absences can result in a student becoming truant. You can call the school's attendance HOTLINE - open 24 hours - at 913-993-6945 or you can email the attendance clerks: Mindy O'Connell and Lou Baker.

If you feel your student was marked absent in error, please email the teacher, if a corrections is needed the teacher will contact the Attendance Center.

Keeping our Community Safe

We have asked members of the Shawnee Mission School District community (students and staff) to avoid participating in large gatherings, particularly where mask and social-distancing guidelines are not being followed. If you have participated in a large gathering, either indoors or outdoors, where (either)

• Masks are not worn, or
• Social distancing is not observed

Please quarantine for 14 days after the date of departure from the large gathering. We are seeing cases rise in our community and want to do all we can to keep our students and staff safe and healthy. Thank you for doing your part.

It appears that all students are now successfully working in Canvas. By all accounts, things are running smoothly between the teachers and students. If you would now like to become an “observer” of your student in his/her Canvas courses please follow the directions below.

Canvas Parent Directions:

1. Download the Canvas Parent App from the App or Google Play store.

1. Follow the Canvas instructional guide here to setup your observer account.
2. To find your student’s “Pairing Code”
1. In the 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.

i. Note that each parent needs a different code, therefore repeating this process to generate a different code

ii. If more than one student, you will be prompted to “add student” on the app. Repeat the process to generate their observer code.

If you missed picking up your 2020 yearbook, and you purchased one, they are waiting for you in the SM North office. You can stop by and pick them up weekdays 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Wear a mask, please). Or if you would like to purchase a 2020 yearbook, the yearbook company sent an extra 45 yearbooks and you purchase them now. Purchase the 2020 SM North yearbook at www.yearbookforever.com – just make sure and choose 2020 as the year (NOT 2021). Once you’ve paid and receive the receipt, just forward it to beckytate@smsd.org and I’ll have the yearbook ready in the office where you can pick it up any weekday between 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

• The Online fee payment portal is now open and we appreciate your patience as student schedules should now be finalized. Go to www.smsd.org, hover over the "Families " tab, and click the link entitled "Pay Fees Online" The site can also be found at this link. https://www.smsd.org/families/pay-fees

• Required fees include: textbook ($80), ID card ($5), Participation fee ($45) Individual course fees – supplies will be provided to students for art, foods, etc. classes and future distribution information will coming from instructors concerning pick-up dates
  

• Optional fees - parking, literary magazine, yearbook, pep club, class dues - a student does not want or need will automatically be deleted from the student's account if it is unpaid at the end of first quarter. The online system will allow parents the option to not pay these fees.

• If you need to pay by check, You will need to go to the pay fees online portal to find out your students fees. Please Make your check payable to SM North, Mail your check with your students ID number listed to SM North, attn: Bookkeeper, 7401 Johnson Dr., Overland Park, KS 66204

• All payment plans and KanCare can be completed over the phone or email. Kancare has been applied to many accounts already, so please check fees in Skyward to see if the textbook & ID card fees have been waived. Please contact our bookkeeper, Shelle Lewis for help with this. Shellelewis@smsd.org or 913-993-6910.

• Past Due Fees - 2019-20 fees were due June 1, 2020. Please pay these NOW to avoid being sent to collections.

As we navigate our remote learning circumstances which are new to all of us, please partner with us in protecting and maintaining the confidentiality of all students. With students being at home, there may be a necessary level of incidental and/or intentional parent check-in with teachers. However, parents are highly advised to NOT become involved in your student’s online classes. If you have a question for the teacher, please use the appropriate means to communicate with the teacher at a different time. Interacting with the teacher directly during their WebEx session is not deemed appropriate in order to maintain student confidentiality (Federal law).

One thing is for certain with 2021, you will want to celebrate your senior's graduation with a Senior Ad in the 2021 Indian. The first deadline is Oct. 2. There are three due dates for ads, with prices increasing after each deadline. After the first deadline on Oct. 2, the prices increase. The best way to purchase a Senior Ad this year is online. To pay with a credit card and/or submit all your photos go to www.yearbookforever.com. Choose SM North. You can upload all of your photos and pay here. Thanks so much for supporting the Indian yearbook. We look forward to designing your senior’s ad. If you have any questions, please contact yearbook advisor Becky Tate at 913-993-7012 or at notate@smsd.org .

Shawnee Mission School District recently requested that all parents acknowledge 3 assurances regarding remote learning. The request comes because the Kansas State Department of Education recently changed its requirements for how we verify student learning and attendance. Once you acknowledge the 3 assurances, we will NO longer need to require that students complete and parents sign a daily learning activity log, which would have gone into effect once we entered hybrid learning mode. Your help and cooperation is greatly appreciated. Please log on to Family Access to complete the form.

El Distrito Escolar de Shawnee Mission solicitó recientemente que todos los padres reconozcan tres garantías con respecto al aprendizaje remoto. La solicitud se debe a que el Departamento de Educación del Estado de Kansas cambió recientemente sus requisitos sobre cómo verificamos el aprendizaje y la asistencia de los estudiantes. Una vez que reconozca las tres garantías, ya no necesitaremos que los estudiantes completen y los padres firmen un registro diario de actividades de aprendizaje, que habría entrado en vigencia una vez que ingresáramos al modo de aprendizaje híbrido. Se agradece mucho su ayuda y cooperación. Por favor inicie sesión en Family Access para completar el

The food service department is pleased to announce that we will be offering FREE meals to all SMSD students regardless if they are learning remote, hybrid or in person. This includes breakfast and lunch meals. We encourage families to continue to apply for free and reduced meals in the event the funding is no longer available by clicking here. Qualifying may allow for other support through the district so it is important to continue to apply for free and reduced meals.

• Meals will be available for pick up at all 47 SMSD schools.
• Pick up is on Fridays from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
• No advance ordering is needed. (The online digital ordering system has been disabled.)
• Available only for students enrolled in SMSD.
• May pick up meals for all of your students at your most convenient location.
• At pick up, the student(s) SMSD ID number(s) will need to be presented. Please have this ready in advance. (Student ID may be found in Skyward.)
• Pick up at SMN will be in the front circle drive outside the Cafeteria doors, door #48

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

9/4/20

Families interested in bus transportation for their students should visit https://www.smsd.org/families/transportation.

Football - We were thrilled to begin competing Saturday against Turner High School. We have been trying to cram 3 weeks of preparation into 9 days, and the players have responded by working hard and by showing improvement every day. We have several position battles where guys are competing hard to earn playing time. We are thankful for the opportunity and can’t wait to show out on Saturday!

Cross Country - After a long off-season of training, our runners are ready to compete again. We are taking our entire team to the Olathe Quad this weekend to race Olathe East, SME, and Olathe South. Our top returner on the boys’ team is senior Trevor Maxville who will compete for individual wins all season. Trevor won our 5k time trial with a time of 15:41. Then we have a pack of boys who have worked hard all off season to prove that they are ready to compete in the varsity races. We are excited to see these boys continue to push each other to get better all season. Our girls’ team has started to come together in workouts, and we have a strong group of motivated girls led by senior Christianna Kasunic, juniors Chloee Belgum and Josie Tyrrell and our returning state qualifier Brenna Murphy. There are several other girls that will be included in the varsity mix that are ready to see their hard work from this summer start to pay off. Next week, we are back in Olathe at the Olathe North Invite.

Girls Golf - The first Varsity meet this week we had the first round of the Sunflower League Meet at Sunflower Hills Golf Course. The golfers played well. Varsity Golfers Seniors Isabel Campsey, Brianna Hubenett and Eleanor McCarthy along with Varsity Sophomores Jocelyn Armendariz and Lauryn Moore competed. Jocelyn Aremendariz paced the Varsity squad and shot the first Birdie and Par of the season. Next Tuesday Varsity has a none hole tournament at Heritage Park and JV will be competing at Painted Hill.

Girls Tennis - The season has gotten off to a fast start after the return of fall sports. Coach Amie Schick of SMN’s math department returned to the program and the season began last Saturday with the District Tournament. Zoe Bell and Aubrey Bell went 2-2 in doubles and Emma Bell went 2-2 in singles to lead North on the day. Then this week, there were three days of play including away at SM East, a quad at CBAC with SM West, Olathe West, and Lawrence, and then a dual versus Olathe Northwest. On the conclusion of this busy stretch it is nice to end the week on our newly refurbished courts!

Gymnastics - The team will attend their first meet on Wednesday, Sept. 24 @ Indian Creek.

Football - Andy Walter

Boys Soccer - Jaime Velez Acosta

Cross Country - Aaron Davidson

Volleyball - Crystal Foss

Girls Golf - Walter Mansfield

Girls Tennis - Jon Durham

Gymnastics - Sarah Gregg

• Spotify- Start Up Helper Issues: If you have the Spotify app installed on your computer you may be getting an error pop-up preventing students from using their device? Here is are the directions to fix it. Fixing Start up Helper

• 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

FAFSA night put on by Johnson County Library:

https://jocolibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/search/index/event/5f46819978798a2400cdc057

Scholarships (students will need to sign up to access page): See the form below for more info.

https://studentscholarships.org/newsletter.php

Due to the late start of many K-12 schools, JCCC is extending the enrollment deadline for College Now and Quick Step Plus courses to October 16. Enrollment guides for College Now and Quick Step Plus can be downloaded below. Please be sure to complete all steps in the enrollment process. If a student obtains a placement waiver, student will still need to log in to MyJCCC, register for the course, and pay tuition. More information can be found by clicking here.

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

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