Good Afternoon SLMS Families,

As winter continues to disrupt our school calendar and routines, I can say with all sincerity—it was great to see students back in the building this past Friday!

Despite the interruptions, the days we have been in session have provided valuable opportunities for student engagement. This past Friday, our 8th graders participated in Career Day, where more than 30 professionals generously shared insights about their career paths and responsibilities. We sincerely appreciate their time and willingness to inspire our students.

Additionally, last week’s Focus Friday highlighted our celebration of Black History Month. We were thrilled to welcome guests from local Black-owned businesses who shared their stories and experiences. The experience provided all SLMS students with the opportunity to engage with these community leaders and learn from their journeys.

Both of these meaningful experiences support our commitment to providing Real World Learning (RWL) opportunities, helping students expand their knowledge and awareness of the diverse career paths available to them in the future.

A few important calendar updates:

• The last day of school is now Friday, May 30 and will be an early release - 12:45pm.

• The 4th Trimester for 6th-grade wheel classes will now end on Wednesday, February 26.

• There will likely be changes made to our spring testing schedule that I have previously shared with you. Final dates should be confirmed next week.

Looking ahead, the forecast is warming up, which means the start of our spring sports season!

• Track and field begins March 3 for eligible 7th and 8th boys and girls.

• New this spring: We’re excited to introduce boys volleyball and girls flag football as intramural sports beginning in late April. These programs, open to all 6th-8th grade students, are part of our district’s ongoing efforts to expand middle school athletic opportunities.

Enjoy the upcoming warmer temperatures and thank you for all you do to support your middle school child and SLMS. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me should you have any questions.

Respectfully,

David Mitchell, Ed.D.

Principal, SLMS

Students, how much do you know about SLMS and the last 25 years? In honor of the 25th anniversary of Summit Lakes, we invite you to compete in a little trivia of the last 25 years. Some of these answers can be found while walking through the building and being observant. Others might have to be researched. Some may even require the help of someone knowledgeable. Answers must be submitted by Feb. 27 at 11:59pm in order to be eligible to win a fabulous prize.

Prizes will be awarded to the twenty students who score the highest. If there is a tie in number of correct answers, prizes will be awarded based on time of submission, so get your answers in quickly!

Answer the questions here --- https://tinyurl.com/SLMS25th

• Archery: Monday 2/24 & Wednesday 2/26 - 7:00PM
• Chess Club: Tuesday 2/25 - 7:30AM
• D&D Club: Thursday 2/27 - 3:30 - 4:30PM - Applications form https://forms.gle/fv4oBJThZykTrHwR9
• Embroidery: Tuesday 2/25 - 7:35AM
• Falcon Smart: Thursday 3/13 - 7:30AM
• First Priority: Thursday 2/27- 7:35AM
• GSA: Monday 2/24- 7:40AM in Ms. Whyte's room.
• Peer Mentors: Thursday 3/20 - 7:30AM
• Scholar Bowl: Monday 2/24 - 3:30PM
• STUCO: Wednesday 2/26 - 7:30AM
• Yearbook: Wednesday 3/12 - 3:25PM-3:55PM

All Students enrolled in the Washington D.C. trip will have a meeting during Advisory on February 19th in order to choose roommates. Please come to Mrs. Beavers' room (518) during advisory time. You will leave school from my room so bring your stuff to go home.This is a very important meeting. We need all of you there. Looking forward to traveling with you June 3rd-6th.

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!

The boys’ and girls’ intramural basketball schedule is now available! Coaches will provide updates on SportsYou this weekend.

Please Note:

Spectators are not permitted during basketball intramurals.

Students will focus on skill-building and participate in scrimmages coached and refereed by their intramural coaches.

This format is different from intramural volleyball as we continue to refine our intramural program.

Due to our End of the Year Basketball Tournament, Intramural Basketball will start the week of February 3rd. For updated info about practices please join these SportsYou groups.

Girls: HGNGV6G3

Boys: G5LZWNG9

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

Incoming 6th Grade (Current 5th Graders):

• Parent Information Night:

• Tuesday, Feb. 25 @ 6:30 PM (Alternate date: Feb. 27, in case of inclement weather)

• 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