Knightly News

Is your student interested in working backstage for this year’s musical? We will have a meeting during Knight Time on Tuesday, Feb. 25th. (Cafeteria)

PREP CREW:

Love crafting, building, and getting creative? Prep Crew is for you! Members will help design and create everything the show needs—sets, props, costumes, and more. This crew offers a flexible schedule and unlimited spots, making it a great option for students who enjoy hands-on work or just want to try something new!

RUNNING CREW

Want to be part of the action during performances? Running Crew works backstage, handling set changes, costume quick-changes, spotlights, and more. Running Crew requires two weeks of mandatory rehearsals. Running Crew spots are limited–students who can’t attend to the full rehearsal schedule are encouraged to join Prep Crew!

More details will be provided at the meeting—see you there!

Ms Opheim (musical director)

francesopheim@smsd.org

Ms Smith (crew director)

jillsmith@smsd.org

Calling all IHMS Students: Join an exciting live pitch event where you’ll present your idea to a panel of judges and get the chance to win amazing prizes!

Get ready to impress! Applications are open until March 7, 2025. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to shine!

Learn more during lunch on February 20th.

Ms. Crawford is currently pursuing her bachelor’s in mathematics at the University of Kansas and will graduate this May!

Outside the classroom, she loves shopping, spending time with family & friends, and watching Netflix.

Her advice to students: “It’s okay to not know something the first time! Don’t be afraid to ask questions—you’ll feel so much better when you understand.”

Fun fact: Her favorite number is 8! Ever since she was 4, she always wanted to check out in lane 8 at the grocery store.

Ms. Crawford’s passion for teaching comes from the amazing teachers she had growing up and her love for math. She’s excited to help students learn her favorite subject!

This is the 1st of 2 sessions on stress and coping. Increasing numbers of adolescents struggle with stress. In this session, we focus on understanding stress and learning ways to cope with stress.

In this session we continue to look at the concept of happiness. In this session, we examine another myth about happiness - that if we're not always happy there's something wrong with us. Being unhappy at times is normal and knowing that can help us not feel even worse when we experience unhappiness.

Invest 10 minutes each day this week right when everyone gets home to sit together and share about your day. No distractions, just full attention to what matters: each other. Use intentional questions like, What was a high and a low today? From 1-10, how was the day, and how will tomorrow be better? What’s a snapshot from today you want to remember? If you had to describe your day as a type of weather, how would you describe it?

In 2019, the State of Kansas and State Fire Marshal modified the number of Fire, Tornado, and Crisis drills that schools are required to conduct throughout the school year (four fire drills, two tornado drills and three crisis drills). Students and staff are trained periodically throughout the year on various emergency preparedness protocols.

The safety of students and staff at Indian Hills is of utmost importance. Drills are an important step in the process to test system communication and ensure everyone knows what to do in case of fire, tornado or other unpredictable emergency situations.

This week, IHMS conducted a crisis drill with the assistance of Prairie Village Police Department. The drill was to practice our response to an event in the surrounding community that may impact the safety of our campus. The main idea is no one enters or exits the building and the exterior is secured during this time. We appreciate the seriousness that our staff and students approach emergency preparedness with. Thanks for helping make Indian Hills a safe place for our students to learn and our staff to work each day.

This month, our attendance focus is from the students' perspective. When asked, "Why do you think it is so important to be in school every day?" students shared the following insights:

• School offers the opportunity to learn new things daily, which can open doors to exciting opportunities.

• Attending school helps them avoid missing valuable lessons, preventing them from falling behind or feeling overwhelmed.

• School is also a place to connect with friends and teachers, creating a supportive environment for both learning and personal growth.

Overall, being at school is essential for staying engaged, building knowledge, and maintaining important social connections.

We have noticed an increase in students bringing energy drinks and coffee to school. Please remind your child that outside food and drinks are not allowed.

In addition to school policy, energy drinks and excessive caffeine consumption can negatively impact students’ health, leading to:

☕ Increased heart rate and blood pressure
⚡ Difficulty focusing and disrupted sleep patterns
😓 Anxiety, jitters, and dehydration

To support a healthy learning environment, students will be asked to dispose of any outside drinks found in hallways or classrooms. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe and focused.

Please see the dates in the image for Spring Testing. We would appreciate your support in making sure your student(s) have a good night sleep and a healthy breakfast prior to testing. We will send more information in the weeks prior to testing to help provide clarity and support in the testing process.