Nieman News

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Today marks the last day of 1st quarter. We have had an amazing 9 weeks of learning and are excited to kick off 2nd Quarter on Tuesday. As a reminder we do not have school Friday, October 11th (teacher workday) or Monday, October 14th (Professional Learning Day).

Conferences are next week, please make sure you have signed up for a conference time with your child's teacher. Conference night is Thursday, October 17th and day conferences are Friday, October 18th. This is a No School Day for students. Parent teacher conferences are a vital time for connections between the home and school not only to discuss academic success, but social emotional and behavioral success. We look forward to seeing you all next week!

It was so fun celebrating our 1st quarter Nieman Leaders today!

October

11- NO SCHOOL- TEACHER WORKDAY

14- NO SCHOOL- TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

15- Chess Club 3:15-4:30

16- Choir 3:15-4:00

• Mathletics 3:15-4:00

17- Grade Cards Posted End of the Day

• Girls on the Run 3:15-4:30
• Knienam Knitters 3:15-4:00
• Night Conferences

18- NO SCHOOL- Conferences

21- Girls on the Run 3:15-4:30

• Choir 3:14-4

22- Chess Club 3:15-4:30

23- Choir 3:15-4:00

• Mathletics 3:15-4:00
• Fat Sully's Dine Out 5-9pm

24- Girls on the Run 3:15-4:30

• Movement Club 3:15-4:15
• Student Council 3:15-4:15
• Knienam Knitters 3:15-4:00

28- Girls on the Run 3:15-4:30

• Choir 3:14-4

29- Chess Club 3:15-4:30

30- Choir 3:15-4:00

• Mathletics 3:15-4:00

31- 2pm FALL PARADE AND PARTIES (see additional information below)

1- NO SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY

Help us stock the teacher's lounge! Each grade will have a different month to help stock the lounge. 4th grade is up for November! Please bring the goodies to the front desk starting Monday, October 28th. Our teachers are amazing and we would love to be able to refuel their energy throughout the day! Thank you!

4th Grade Families- Sign Up Here!

Stock the Lounge Schedule

November- 4th Grade

December-

January- 3rd Grade

February- 2nd Grade

March- 1st Grade

April- Kindergarten/PreK

May-

Exclusion Date for Vaccines: October 16th

October 16th is the exclusion date for vaccines that are not up to date. If your student is still missing some vaccines and is due to receive them before October 16th, I sent an email through Skyward last week. If you received notice, those must be turned in before October 16th or your child will be excluded from school until it is received. Here is the website for the Johnson County Health Department which has a walk in vaccine clinic. https://www.jocogov.org/department/health/immunizations

Updated vaccine forms may be dropped off in the office, emailed to kellymiller@smsd.org or Faxed 913-993-4099

Exclusion Date for Immunization: November 13th

November 13th is the exclusion date for physicals that have not been completed on any newly enrolled student 8 years of age and younger. If your student is missing a physical, I sent an email through Skyward on Monday. If you received notice, those must be turned in before November 13th or your child will be excluded from school until it is received. If you need information about where you can go to get a physical completed, here are two resources:

• Health Partnership Clinic (HPC)
• This clinic partners with SMSD and has a clinic at Shawnee Mission West High School. HPC offers medical, behavioral, and dental health services. In addition to the clinic at Shawnee Mission west, they also have a pediatric clinic near Advent Health Shawnee Mission and their main location in Olathe. Click Here for more information. They accept all students regardless of insurance and have sliding scale fees or waived fees for those experiencing homelessness. Insurance is also accepted. Please call to make an appointment for these services.
• Mercy and Truth Clinic
• A low-cost health clinic located near by at 11644 W 75th St., Suite 103. You can get more information on their website, click Here

Complete physical forms may be dropped off in the office, emailed to kellymiller@smsd.org or Faxed 913-993-4099

Health Screenings: October and November

We will be doing hearing and dental screenings as mandated by state law. If you Opted out of screenings during online verification, your student will not be screened, even if we are screening their grade.

• Dental: scheduled for November 21st and 22nd
• Hearing will be done on Tuesdays in October and first part of November (Includes PreK through 3rd and 5th grade, and new to the district students in grades 2nd, 4th and 6th.
• Vision screeners were completed this week.

Please contact Kelly Miller, Nieman School Nurse, if you have any questions.

913-993-4002

Dear Families,

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! This is a great opportunity to connect with your child over the thrill of bringing home new books to dive into again and again. Studies show that kids read more when they choose books for themselves. And fostering a love of independent reading leads to a wide variety of benefits—including academic success and improved mental health.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Book Fair:

Dates: October 15-17 during library time

Location: In the Library

Family Event schedule and location: October 17 – 18 during conferences, in the library

Many of us still remember the rush of finding the perfect book at a Scholastic Book Fair. I hope you’ll join your child at our school’s Fair and share a reading experience they’ll remember forever.

Happy reading,

Kiley Tenbrink

Principal

Nieman Elementary

PS: Need one more reason to visit the Book Fair? Every purchase at the Fair benefits our school!

Thought Exchange on Action Item 4.1.3: The Shawnee Mission’s Strategic Plan Cycle II work is off and running. Action teams scheduled to begin meeting in quarter one of this year have started their work. One of the new strategy areas in this plan, adopted by the board in June, is technology. It has been a priority of the district for technology action team 4.1.3 to dig into their work immediately. This team’s work is focused on creating a developmental guide related to age-appropriate usage of technology (to include the use of personal devices) with consideration for students who may require individualized support.

This action team’s work is challenging, and they are working to thoroughly gather research and critically important feedback from our school district community. To assist in the process, a ThoughtExchange is being launched to gather community feedback. The action team has developed a question prompt that will be shared through ThoughtExchange, which allows the district to receive input through comments from the community. Individuals are also able to rate thoughts that have been submitted to provide further insight. The topic of age-appropriate use of technology, including the use of personal devices, is of great interest and concern in our community, so the community engaging in this action step process is appreciated. “We are committed to bringing forward a thoughtful recommendation to the board as early as we are able,” Dr. Schumacher added. Click here to participate in the ThoughtExchange related to age-appropriate use of technology.

Fall parties will be Thursday, October 31st.

• Room parents are in charge of organizing items to bring in that day. Please DO NOT bring in food items unless you have coordinated with the room parent in your room. If you have any questions about this please reach our to your child(ren)'s teacher.

Attending the Parade and Parties! READ ME FOR EASIER ENTRANCE TO THE SCHOOL!

• The parade will start at 2pm and parties will start after that. Parents are allowed to attend the parade and parties. You may arrive starting at 1:30 to check in. Want to skip the line? read below!
• We are going to use a Google Form to expedite the check-in process. Please let us know you are coming by filling this out. https://forms.gle/eSjtaynntH9gCFAv8. This form will close on Wednesday, October 30th at noon.
• By filling out this form we will pre-print your name tag and have it waiting for you! If you have never checked in through Raptor before we won't be able to do this!
• If you do not fill this out you will have to wait in line to be checked in.
• All families will be asked to leave starting at 2:50 so that we can get the parking lot moving as quickly as possible. Please be patient and understanding. The safety of our students is our number one priority!

Parking

• We will open the back playground for our Kindergarten and PreK families to utilize.
• 1st-6th families please use the front parking lots and service drive first, if full then use the back lot.
• The circle drive will be blocked off.

Costume Guidance

• No full face masks. We must see student and adult faces.
• Limit extra accessories that may become distractions or get lost.
• Be cognizant of anything scary or gruesome. That includes cartoon characters that send a negative or violent message.
• No play weapons or sharp objects.

• Students should bring in their costumes as we will do the parade in the afternoon.
• Students will be allowed to put their costumes on at school. Please make sure students can put their costume on over the regular clothes and are mostly independent in getting ready.

We are so excited to start the 24-25 school year! Please join PTA using the links below. PTA can be as big or small of a commitment as you would like. All proceeds made go back to supporting Nieman students and staff!

https://niemanpta.givebacks.com/

We would also love for you to follow us on Facebook for the most up to date information, including spirit wear information, dine outs, and yearbook information!https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564652443542

On Saturday, October 12th, the Shawnee Police Department and several area churches are hosting our annual Faith & Blue event at Shawanoe Elementary School, 11230 W. 75th St., Shawnee, KS. This free community event will feature:

• Free hot dogs, chips, water, ice cream

• Bounce houses, police vehicles & equipment

• Free personal care and cleaning products from Giving the Basics

Come out for some fun and to meet some of the police officers who keep our community safe!

The SMAC clothing exchange information in the fliers below.

Link to Nieman Canvas page: https://smsd.instructure.com/courses/70535

Students have 10 excused absences a year that do not require documentation. If your child will be out due to a doctor's appointment, surgery, funeral, etc. please be proactive and provide the doctor's note or appropriate documentation for the absence and not wait until day 10. With appropriate documentation we are able to excuse more absences. Once your child's 10 "free" days are used all absences afterwards where documentation is not provided is considered unexcused.

Excessive unexcused absences will lead to Truancy being filed with the District Attorney. Please know that we are required by the state to do this and the information provided here and any information sent out from our office is not meant to be seen as a threat; we are simply trying to communicate regularly so there are no surprises. We will send excessive tardy emails, 7 day attendance warning letters, 10 day attendance warning letters and truancy letters all via email. Please ensure you have a valid email on Skyward and that you check it regularly.

We worked EXTREMELY hard last year to decrease our chronic absenteeism numbers at Nieman and we were very successful! Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing 10% of their educational time. We went from 24% of students being chronically absent during the 22-23 school year to 13.8% being chronically absent during the 23-24 school year. We will continue to prioritize lowering this percentage for our families and are so thankful for your help in this!

Student safety is of the upmost importance to us. Please know that frequent changes in dismissal routines causes safety concerns. We ask that you have a regular dismissal routine and communicate this with the classroom teacher at Sneak-a-Peek or through email prior to the first day of school.

If a change has to occur the safest way to ensure the change is communicated is to email the classroom teacher BEFORE school starts and then ALSO call the office BEFORE 2pm. Teachers have different plan times and lunches, and they are not regularly able to read email. Any dismissal change received after 2pm is NOT GUARANTEED. We will do our best, but the end of the day is a very hectic time in a school. We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring the safety of your child.

Our Shawnee Mission Student Handbook provides information on our philosophy of education, code of conduct and a of variety policies and procedures. Students and parents can read this handbook to better understand the behavior expectations of Nieman Elementary and also the Shawnee Mission School District.

Click Link to learn more!

Digital Learning Website: This webpage will provide information on our SMSD District-Wide Digital Platforms, Curriculum Apps, Approved Apps, Information for Families, and Digital Citizenship.

Email: kileytenbrink@smsd.org
Website: https://nieman.smsd.org/
Location: Nieman Elementary School, West 67th Street, Shawnee, KS, USA
Phone: 913-993-4000
Twitter: @Tenbrink512

Email: MelisaTVick@smsd.org
Phone: 913-993-4009

Email: annekwon@smsd.org
Phone: 913-993-4031