Office Hours 7 AM - 3:30 PM

913.993.7200

Attendance

Attendance Hotline 913.993.7245 (All Day)

Attendance Office 913.993.7242 (Partial Day)

Email: lisagruman@smsd.org

Dear Northwest Families,

We are so excited to welcome our students back for the start of second semester! Everyone is getting settled into their classes and we are ready to engage with some great learning opportunities!

January opens the enrollment window for our students to select their courses for the 2025-2026 school year. This may seem early, but there are many steps to creating a master schedule and enrolling around 1550 students in their respective classes for next year. We look at the number of requests we have from each student and assign sections and teachers based on those requests. We then work to place the classes in their respective period of the day, minimizing conflicts. When that is set, we assign students in our Skyward system and finish with resolving any conflicts.

We schedule several opportunities for students to learn more about the elective and core content courses offered and how those classes may fit their interests. We encourage our parents and families to begin conversations with their students about their schedules. We want students to be challenged appropriately and to find a balance within their Individual Plan of Study. We offer a wide variety of classes, and we want to work with our students to create a schedule that allows them to excel during their time at Northwest.

Below I have outlined several key dates in our enrollment timeline as well as steps we have taken to help our students make informed decisions about their courses.

• November/December – students worked during the Seminar time on Thursdays to review the career interests they saved in Xello. Students then discussed their Individual Plans of Study with their teachers and began outlining their 4-Year Course Plans. These plans are fluid, and students update them periodically throughout the year. Students can share their course plans from their Google Sheet now or parents may view them in Xello in late February once students have transferred them to that platform.
• January 14 – Course Exploration Fair. Students in grades 9-11 will use their seminar time to visit teachers and classrooms to learn more about the electives we offer. Students have the opportunity to gather information about six different courses, directly from staff who teach those courses. Students can learn more about AP, IB, and College Now courses, all of the electives we offer, and options within our core (ELA, math, science, and social science) content offerings.
• January 14/15 – Students will receive their Enrollment cards in their ELA class.
• January 16/17 – Teachers across all departments will take part of class time to answer questions about enrollment in their respective areas. For example, Biology teachers will review options for sophomores in science, including Physical Science, Chemistry, Honors Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, etc. Sophomores complete their physical science requirement and there are several options for them to explore.
• January 23/24 – Juniors have their individual advisement meetings with counselors to finalize their enrollment requests. Counselors review graduation requirements at this time to confirm students are on track, for all grade levels.
• January 29/30 – Sophomores have their individual advisement meetings with their counselors for finalize enrollment requests.
• January 30/31 – Freshmen have their individual advisement meetings with their counselors for finalize enrollment requests.
• We are visiting Trailridge on the 22nd to share information about enrollment and course offerings. Our Future Cougar Night is scheduled on January 27th. Stay tuned for more details regarding our incoming freshmen.

Have a wonderful week and stay warm!

All the best,

Lisa Gruman

January 16, 2025 - 6pm IB Info Night - NW Library

January 23, 2025 - 7pm NW Area Band Festival

January 27, 2025 - 6pm Future Cougar Night

January 30, 2025 - 7pm Winter Choir Concert

February 5, 2025 - 5pm-8pm P/T Conferences

February 7, 2025 - 7pm Hall of Fame Basketball Game

February 15, 2025 - 8pm Sweetheart Dance

This option is for reporting all day absences and late arrivals only.

When requesting an early dismissal please call 913-993-7242 or email jamieprosser@smsd.org

Winter weather is here and we want to be sure families are as ready as possible for possible schedule changes or inclement weather cancellations. As of December 5, 2024, the Shawnee Mission School District has updated its inclement weather plans to include Plan C- which includes a 2-hour delay option. This new option aligns us with our neighboring districts in Johnson County and will facilitate common decision-making with regard to inclement weather. Please review the district’s inclement weather procedures on this website: https://www.smsd.org/families/weather

Zach Cash A-D zacharycash@smsd.org

Barb Legate E-J barbaralegate@smsd.org

Katie Cole K-Pe katherinecole@smsd.org

Jessica Andrade Pf-R (ELL) jessicaandrade@smsd.org

Jordan Landis S-U jordanlandis@smsd.org

Erica Jablonski V-Z (RWL) ericajablonski@smsd.org

Please see the SMNW STUDENT SERVICES WEBSITE for more information on the following Real World Learning events!

Visit the PTSA website for the January PTSA Newsletter!

Help Us Reach Our Goal!

Please take a moment to become a member! Our 2024/2025 membership goal is 125 and we currently have 115 members. Becoming a member doesn't commit you to volunteering, it simply supports what our PTSA does for NW students, staff, and families! CLICK HERE to join.

Thank you to all that volunteered their time to bake cookies and treats for the SMNW Staff for December Staff Appreciation!! Treats were a hit with all that indulge in this annual tradition!

ALL-SPORT PASSES NOW AVAILABLE FOR 24-25 SMNW ATHLETICS

All Sports Passes are now available for purchase! All ticket sales including the All Sports Pass are available digitally through GoFan!

All Sports Passes are ONLY available in the digital format. You will have access to your All Sports Pass through the GoFan platform throughout the entire school year. There are two types of individual sports passes:

(1) Individual Sports Pass–Adult: Admits one adult with the cost being $75

(2) Individual Sports Pass–Student: Admits one person, who is not a SMNW student (with valid ID) to get into games. Please remember that all individuals grades K-12 are considered students. Cost is $50

The Shawnee Mission Northwest All Sports Pass allows you to pre-purchase your admission to Shawnee Mission Northwest regular season home regular season athletic events. This convenient option can allow for quicker access by eliminating the need for cash at the entrance gates. The All Sports Passes are not valid for KSHSAA post-season events and regular season tournaments hosted by Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.

In summary, two different passes available:

Individual Pass–Adults are $75.00

Individual Pass–Students are – $50

See below to order your individual passes today. For questions contact the SMNW Athletic Office at 913-993-7400 or email angelogiacalone@smsd.org

SMNW All Sport Pass

We are so happy to be back and get this semester started. We are “hitting the ground running,” and are excited to have everyone back. We are hopeful that this edition of the EveryDay Champion Newsletter helps to keep everyone informed. If there are questions regarding athletics/activities you can reach out by emailing Mr. Giacalone, angelogiacalone@smsd.org, or Mrs. Alvey, victoriaalvey@smsd.org or you can reach out by phone at 913-993-7400. This week’s edition of the EveryDay Champion newsletter is linked below:

EveryDay Champion Newsletter Week of Jan. 13

• Full Page: $325
• ½ Page: $225
• 1/3 Page: $145
• ¼ Page: $110
• 1/6 Page: $75

Your SMNW student may be missing KS state required immunizations. These may include any Meningitis ACWY for Juniors 16 years or older (this is a 2-dose shot and the first should have been received in 7th grade) or they may be missing other state required immunizations. If this is the case please see the attachment for an upcoming immunization clinic at the health department.

Thank you, Nurse Wendy Woods

Please provide proof of vaccination to the nurse aid or I. You can email this to myself at wendywoods@smsd.org or the nurse aid Brenda Renteria at brendarenteria@smsd.org.

Please turn any athletic papers to the athletic secretary in the main office.

I would also like to introduce our new health office nurse aid Brenda Renteria; she will be helping with vaccinations, paperwork and everyday office needs.

Feel free to email or call with any questions or concerns about your student’s health or vaccine needs! You can reach me, Wendy Woods (nurse) at 913-993-7216 or Brenda Renteria (nurse aid) at 913-993-7606.

Thank you,
Wendy Woods, RN, BSN, MSN

NW Nurse

• https://www.smsd.org/about/departments/health-services/illness

• https://www.smsd.org/about/departments/health-services/medication

• https://www.smsd.org/about/departments/health-services/immunizations-physicals