Good Afternoon SLMS Families,

As we say goodbye to winter and welcome the promise of warmer days ahead, we also look forward to settling back into our routines after a season of weather-related disruptions. With the start of the fourth quarter approaching, it's a great time to refocus on consistency, academics, and finishing the year strong

While winter weather has led to a number of calendar adjustments, one important date remains unchanged: Friday, March 14, is still the last day of Quarter 3.

Key Academic Reminders:

• Schedule Changes for Quarter Classes – Students with quarter-long courses should check PowerSchool before Monday, March 17, to view schedule updates.

• MSHSAA Activity & Athletics Eligibility – Students planning to participate in Fall 2025-26 MSHSAA-sanctioned activities and athletics must maintain eligibility based on Quarter 4 grades. Per MSHAA rules, students receiving two or more failing grades in the prior grading period will be ineligible to participate.

6th Grade Trimester Updates:

Changes have been made to Trimesters 5 and 6 for 6th-grade students in the exploratory wheel to balance instructional days:

• Trimester 5 ends on April 17

• Trimester 6 begins on April 18

Upcoming Testing & Final Exam Information:

• MAP Testing: April 22-25

• NWEA Testing: May 20-21

• Final Exams: May 27 – June 2

• Finals will count toward students’ 80% grade calculation (tests, quizzes, projects).

• Algebra 1 & 8th-grade Modern Language courses (French 1, Spanish 1, German 1, Mandarin Chinese) will follow the high school policy, with finals weighted at 10% of the final grade.

Early Final Exam Requests
If your child cannot attend finals during the scheduled dates, you may request an early final exam due to unique circumstances caused by our extended school year.

• Request Deadline: Friday, May 9 (via email to Dr. Mitchell)

• Early Finals Dates: May 22 & May 27 (3:15 – 5:30 PM)

• Please include your child’s teachers on the email request.

Quarter 4 Clubs Begin Soon!

All students will begin their 4th quarter club on Wednesday, March 12 during Advisory time at the end of the day.

Springtime Encouragement & Time Management

Spring is a busy time of year for SLMS families, with school activities and outside commitments ramping up. We encourage students to practice strong time management skills to balance their academic and extracurricular responsibilities. Maximizing time in class, Homeroom, and SOAR periods can help reduce workload and stress.

We are incredibly proud of the many activities our students engage in and the valuable skills they gain along the way. These experiences will serve them well as they continue to grow and take on new challenges!

Enjoy the return of warmer temperatures, and thank you for your ongoing support of your child and SLMS. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions.

Respectfully,

David Mitchell, Ed.D.

Principal, SLMS

• Archery: Monday 3/10 & Wednesday 3/12 - 7:00PM
• Chess Club: Tuesday 3/11 & 3/25 - 7:30AM
• D&D Club: Thursday 3/13 - 3:30 - 4:30PM - Applications form https://forms.gle/fv4oBJThZykTrHwR9
• Embroidery: Tuesday 3/11 - 7:35AM
• Falcon Smart: Thursday 3/13 - 7:30AM
• First Priority: Thursday 3/13 - 7:35AM
• GSA: Monday 3/10 - 7:40AM in Ms. Whyte's room.
• Peer Mentors: Thursday 3/20 - 7:30AM
• STUCO: Wednesday 3/12 - 7:30AM
• Yearbook: Wednesday 3/12 - 3:25PM-3:55PM

They finished their season by bringing home the Pride of Lees Summit traveling trophy!

Peer mentor applications for the 2025-2026 school year open March 1! Any current seventh grade students may apply at the link or QR code below. Applications are due March 14.

Do you know any high school students who are in need of A+ hours? SLMS is looking for tutors on Tuesday and Thursday from 2:40-3:15. Please contact Ms. Thompson at caitlin.thompson@lsr7.net if you or anyone you know is interested in helping tutor our SLMS students!

Dear SLMS Families,

I want to remind our families that all LSR7 students in grades K-8 are to be accompanied by an adult while attending district evening activities. This includes middle school athletic competitions, both indoors and out, which begin at 4:00pm.

SLMS will provide Falcon Fan Days during our fall, winter, and spring sports seasons. Falcon Fan Days are an exception and allow students with signed permission slips to stay after school and attend our home contests without their parent/guardian in attendance. Students participating in Falcon Fan Days will have some supervised time after school followed by attending the contest and sit in our designated student section. Students who are signed up will receive a ticket for a hotdog + water/pop or water/pop + candy at our PTA concession stand. Students are always encouraged to attend our athletic events to support their fellow falcons with a parent or guardian.

24-25 Falcon Fan Day Dates:

• Volleyball - 9/16

• Cross Country - 9/30

• Football - 10/8

• Wrestling - 11/20

• Girls Basketball - 12/5

• Boys Basketball - 1/14

• Track - 4/22

We are proud of the many outstanding and successful extracurricular activities that our students participate in and we want families and students to be able to support and enjoy these events safely.

Thank you for your support with this expectation. We appreciate your partnership.

Respectfully,

SLMS Administration

With the semester just underway, it’s already time to begin preparing for next school year! Our counselors are working hard to guide students and families through the enrollment process. Information will be shared with students during classroom presentations, and key dates and events are outlined below.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our guidance team with any questions regarding your child’s enrollment:

• 6th Grade: Erika Miller (Erika.Miller@lsr7.net)

• 7th Grade: Jamey Michael (Jamey.Michael@lsr7.net)

• 8th Grade: Toni Drecktrah (Toni.Drecktrah@lsr7.net)

Enrollment Dates & Events by Grade

• Elementary Visits:

• March 10: 12:45-2:30 PM – Hawthorn Hill Elementary

• March 11: 1:15-2:45 PM – Trailridge Elementary

• March 13: 1:00-2:30 PM – Greenwood Elementary

• March 14: 1:45-3:15 PM – Summit Pointe Elementary

7th to 8th Grade (Current 7th Graders):

• Classroom Presentations: Feb. 24-27 (Math Classrooms)

• Course Selection: March 5 & 6 in the Counseling Center

Course Selection: Feb. 12, 13, & 18 in the Counseling Center

In preparation for this Spring’s annual state testing as well as the spring NWEA benchmark test, I want to share with you the testing window for SLMS early, in hopes of giving you sufficient notice and the ability to schedule appointments around your child’s testing. Below is an overview of our planned testing dates:

• April 22-24: (grades 6-8 ELA and Math)

• April 25: 8th Grade Science

• April 29 and 30: Algebra 1 EOC (only students enrolled in Algebra 1)

• Spring NWEA Testing:

• Grades 6-8: May 6th and 7th

• ALL Testing Sessions: Approx. 8:30am-10:20am each day

At SLMS students are expected to complete all assignments on time and submit on the date they are due. Homework is given as practice to assure that students are building the necessary skills to master course objectives. We believe that meaningful work should be completed prior to taking any assessment. Our goal is to ensure that all students are reaching the desired grade-level standards that have been established for each course.

Students will have a set amount of passes for missing/incomplete homework per subject. When all passes have been used for that subject area, students will be assigned a before or after-school Homework Center. This is an opportunity to complete missing homework and get help from teachers. Students should report to the LMC with missing assignments to work on when assigned to the Homework Center.

Homework Center Hours: - Located in RM 510

• AM: Monday - Thursday (7:30-8:10)

• AM: Friday (8:30-9:10)

In the case that your student is absent during a test in a class, they will be given the opportunity to take the test in the Testing Center. This is a proctored environment to provide the student with an ideal testing environment.

Testing Center Hours:

• AM: Monday - Thursday (7:30-8:10)

• Monday - Rm 520

• Wednesday - Rm 520

• Tuesday/Thursday - Rm 613

• AM: Friday (8:30-9:10) - Rm 511

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With an increase of fall allergies and illnesses starting the health room would like you to send your students prepared. Your student is always welcome to carry a water bottle and lozenges with them in the building. We are unfortunately unable to provide every student with water bottles and lozenges, so it is best to send these items with your student daily. We have multiple water filling stations throughout the building, so a reusable water bottle is a great investment!

In order to ensure that transportation needs are met, we ask that you follow the below processes for end of day transportation changes:

• If you need to communicate a transportation change with a student, we ask that you notify the main office prior to 3:00pm. This allows us time to reach your student with the message, as students begin dismissing at 3:13pm.
• It is difficult to check students out between 3:00pm-3:15pm, as many activities occur during Advisory at the end of the day, and students are often moving between locations in the building. In order to ensure that you are not waiting, or late to appointments - please pick up your student prior to 3:00pm if you need to leave before 3:15pm.
• If you need a one-day bus pass for your student to ride home with a friend on a different bus - we need written permission from both families prior to 1:30pm the day of in order to arrange this with transportation. Written permission can be emailed to Cassandra.Hord@lsr7.net.

We appreciate all your help and understanding in helping to ensure that all of our Falcons have a safe and timely dismissal.

LSR7 is now hiring school bus drivers. No experience needed, and the opportunity includes paid training, full benefits and pay starting at $20.03 - $28.05 per hour based on experience. Have a vested interest in supporting students?

Apply to be one of our district's greatest assets.

Call 816-986-4287 for more information.

Email: firstname.lastname@lsr7.net
Website: slms.lsr7.org
Location: 3500 Southwest Windemere Drive, Lee's Summit, MO, USA
Phone: 816-986-1375
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summitlakes
Twitter: @SLMSFalcons