Good Afternoon SLMS Families,

Throughout these first weeks of school and periodically throughout the year, our staff reviews a daily theme with students centered on being "school ready." With over a third of our student population being new to SLMS each year, we recognize the importance of revisiting general school expectations to foster a positive and productive learning environment for all students. Here are a few reminders shared daily with all SLMS students:

• Return greetings to adults and peers with a simple "Hello" or "Good Morning."

• Remove hats or any non-approved head coverings.

• Turn off cell phones and secure them in lockers.

• Remove earbuds and put them away.

While these are just a few of the expectations for our Falcon students, we believe they help set a positive tone for the start of each day.

NWEA Testing: Per last week’s communication, all SLMS students will begin their fall ELA and Math NWEA testing window this week. This is the first of three benchmark tests taken in the fall, winter, and spring each year, starting in 4th grade. Math testing will begin on Wednesday, September 4, followed by ELA testing on Thursday, September 5. Testing will take place in the morning from 8:20 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.

Spring 2024 MAP Student Reports: By Friday, September 6, each SLMS family will receive, via traditional mail, their child’s Spring 2024 MAP testing Individual Student Report (ISR) for English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science (8th grade only).

Your child’s Individual Student Report includes an Achievement Level, describes performance as Below Basic, Basic, Proficient, or Advanced. The report will also include a brief description of the knowledge and skills typically demonstrated by students in each Achievement Level. A letter will accompany each student report, providing a more detailed review and guidance on where to find further information.

Missouri Culture and Climate Surveys: Lastly, all LSR7 families should have received an email on Friday morning regarding the newly adopted Missouri Culture and Climate surveys. These surveys provide our students and families with the opportunity to share their experiences in our schools. SLMS students will complete the survey during social studies classes the week of September 9-13. A similar parent survey will be shared with you later this fall. Survey questions can be viewed below:

• Grades 6-12 Survey

• Parent Survey

While we value the input from all our students, if you do not wish your child to participate in these surveys this academic year, please complete the opt-out form by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. By submitting this opt-out form, your student will not have access to the surveys for the entire school year. Please note that a separate form must be completed for each student in grades 4-12.

Thank you for your continued support of SLMS and your middle school child. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me should you have any questions.

Respectfully,

David Mitchell, Ed.D.
Principal, SLMS

It’s ALWAYS a Great Day to Be a Falcon!

Dear SLMS Families,

As we approach the start of another fall sports season, including the first home LSW Varsity football game Friday, September 6, 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. Below are additional details that have been shared with me by the LSW administration:

• All stadium concourses must remain clear for the duration of the pre-game and in-game activities. Patrons should be able to walk to their seats, restrooms, concession stands, and merchandise tables as needed. If you are not walking to one of these areas then we ask that you and anyone you are with find a seat in our bleachers. We will have extra seating available in an overflow bleacher area located on the South end of the track (home side only). Students/patrons will be asked to leave the stadium complex if there is continued standing in our concourse areas.

• All middle school-aged or younger students must have an adult who is in charge of them at the game at all times. Middle school students and younger who do not have an adult in charge of them will be turned away at the gate or asked to call a ride and leave the game. The best practice would be for these students to sit with the adult they came with during the game.

• No backpacks are allowed in the stadium, and backpack storage will not be available. Therefore, any backpacks should be stored in cars or left at home prior to coming to the game. Those wearing backpacks will be turned away at the gate.

• All Lee’s Summit West fans and patrons must remain on the stadium's home side throughout the event.

• All students wanting to attend the game must arrive and purchase their tickets prior to the end of halftime. Any student/patron wanting to gain entrance after halftime ends will be turned away. To clarify further, no tickets will be sold in the 3rd and 4th quarters.

• Our home football games generally conclude around 9:30 pm. All students should have rides and be picked up no more than 30 minutes after the game's conclusion. Our staff work a very long day on Fridays and want to get home to their families, so students/patrons exiting promptly is very much appreciated. Violating this policy could result in losing the privilege of attending our home games.

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. We limit the FFD section to the first 150 responses. 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

• Archery: Parent meeting Monday October 7th at 7:00PM - LSW HS Library (located on 2nd Floor).
• Book Club: Join book club! 1st meeting September 25 before school. Schoology code: 27H6-H9SQ-2KJ48
• Chess Club: Starting September 10: Chess Club will meet the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:30 a.m. in the LMC.
• D&D Club: Thursday September 5th - 3:30 - 4:30PM - Applications form https://forms.gle/fv4oBJThZykTrHwR9
• Falcon Smart: Applications due September 6th. First meeting Thursday September 12th at 7:40AM
• First Priority: Thursday September 5th - 7:35AM
• Student Council - Wednesday September 4th - 7:30AM
  

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:

• AM: Monday - Thursday (7:20-8:10)

• AM: Friday (8:20-9:10)

• PM: Monday (3:20-4:20)

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 (7:20-8:10)

• Monday/Wednesday - Mrs. Dick’s Room

• Tuesday/Thursday - Mrs. Gerling’s Room

• AM: Friday (8:20-9:10)

• Location TBD

Falcon Smart is a Club whose members are Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drug-Free (ATOD). We focus on providing ATOD activities for our members as well as the entire SLMS student body. We strive to educate students on related issues through our monthly meetings using fun and informative activities and games. Our goal is to empower our students to make smart decisions when faced with tough choices.

Each month we have a morning meeting with DONUTS and great information and activities related to living drug and alcohol-free. Once a quarter our club meets with the other three middle schools to participate in a fun event. This year we are looking forward to the Tug of War Tournament, going bowling and to Sky Zone, and the Dodgeball Tournament.

See our brochure and schedule of events on our bulletin board. The application is accessed via the QR code below. Everyone who applies gets in!!! Applications are due September 9th to the front office. If you have any questions, please email at olivia.durrell@lsr7.net or jamey.michael@lsr7.net.

Brochure
Schedule of Events

Dear Falcon families,

We are excited to streamline our fundraiser by going online with 99Pledges. You will now be able to reach out to friends and family by email, Facebook, and text message, instead of going door-to-door, tracking commitments, and handling checks.


To add your child as a participant, please follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Go to this link - www.99pledges.com/fund/slmsfalcon/addme
2. Enter your child’s name, enter your email(s), and select their Advisory teacher.
3. Click “Add” > this will take you to your newly created pledge page!

Our attached flyer has a QR Code to take you directly to the Falcon Fundraiser!
All you have to do is make a donation for whatever amount you can, and share your child’s pledge page link with friends and family. We are shooting for 100% participation so no amount is too small.

If we make our goal of $45, 000, every student will receive a free yearbook!

Auditions for our winter musical, Little Mermaid, Jr. are quickly approaching on September 10th and 11th from 3:30-6:30. Join our Schoology group with code:
Code: 8WF7-WJKJ-CD2JK
to prepare for your audition or apply for the tech crew. Stage/Tech crew applications are due by September 10th at 11:59 PM. Come be a part of one of the biggest shows at SLMS. You won't regret it!!!

Would you like to travel with your SLMS friends to Washington D.C.? Have you ever wanted to see national monuments or go inside the Smithsonian? Are you ready to create memories that will last a lifetime? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then bring your parents to an informational meeting on September 17th in the Library Media Center at 6:45 PM. All 7th & 8th Grade SLMS Students and their parents are welcome! Find out more about what’s included in our trip, how to register and save your spot, and costs involved. For more information or questions, please email christy.beavers@lsr7.net. ** Students already registered for the trip need not attend this meeting.

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 courtney.mitchell@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