As I've gone through life, I've often relied on "self-talk" to get me through the toughest seasons. That self talk went something like this ... "I can do ANYTHING for _______ days/weeks." During my school years, the end of a semester and finals week always seemed to be one of those tough seasons. This year's calendar, with only three weeks between Thanksgiving Break and the Winter Break, brought back some reminders of that self-talk. The short period of time left in the semester poses some excitement, as well as added challenge, to students who are trying to finish strong.

Many things are coming due as we close this semester, whether it be IAs, practice exams, Reflective Project drafts, TOK essay outlines, and so many others. This is definitely a time for some self-talk in the form of, "I can do ANYTHING for two weeks!" At the time of this newsletter release, we will only have one week of classes and one week of finals remaining. Please encourage your student to finish strong. Everyone is wearing out after a very intense (and hopefully rewarding) semester, but it is important that we each give all we have as we cross the semester finish line!

It is hard to imagine that we are closing in on the end of the first semester of your final year in high school, but we are and that means there are some important deadlines coming quickly. Here are a few items you want to have on your to-do list now.

1. Applications deadlines. Most selective colleges and universities will have an application deadline between December 31 and January 2. Once those deadlines pass, you are no longer able to apply to those schools. Pay close attention to dates and requirements. Everything that YOU submit, must be in by the deadline in order to be considered for admissions.
2. School documents. If you are using the Common Application, be sure you have linked your Common App account and your School Links account, so your counselor and teachers can submit required documents. Please note, colleges do allow time for school documents to arrive after student deadlines.
3. Letters of recommendation. If you are applying to a school that requires letters of recommendation, request those immediately. Teachers need time to write and submit letters – and they are on holiday break when you’re on holiday break! If they ask you for a brag sheet or information to assist with your letter, please take time to share that with them.
4. Transcripts. Make sure you have your Parchment account set up, so you can order transcripts. If you do a quick search of your school email for “parchment,” you will find a link to set up your account. Ordering a transcript is as easy as ordering a coffee on an app; but, if you need assistance, your counselor or Ms. Wano, the school registrar, can help.
5. FAFSA. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is up and running and seems to be working well this year. Most students will need to fill this out to be eligible for scholarships and financial aid. For many families, it is much easier than it was in the past, and early reports are showing most families can complete it in less than 30 minutes. If you need assistance, you can reach out to Ms. Zimmerman, our college adviser, or your counselor.

This college application process can be very stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Set up a regular time each week to work on college applications, essays, and other documentation, and make it a priority! Parents and students should work together, with parents taking the lead of financial aid documents and students taking the lead on applications and essays. Remember, it’s always fine to submit documents BEFORE the deadline arrives. By taking care of the application business early, students and families can focus on having a real break from the worries of the application season.

Congrats to the cast and crew of the Music Man who put on a truly INCREDIBLE performance.

Language and Literature HL and Literature HL are the two Group 1 courses offered to students at NKCHS. Students are assessed in four ways: an HL Essay, two IB exams, and an Individual Oral. Those oral exams will take place Dec. 10-13 (Lang/Lit) and Jan. 22-23 (Literature). With these oral exams on the horizon, we thought it was a good time to introduce you to the Group 1 teachers. It's also a good time to ask your senior what work(s) they are doing their individual oral over! Returning this year are Mrs. McKinnis, Mrs. Heyer, and Mrs. Loveall. After a few years away from teaching IB Literature, Ms. Durill is rejoining the team this year. Rounding out the team is our rookie IB teacher, Mr. Joe Barnes!

Folks may not know, but our Journalism teacher team and their students are behind so much of Northtown's publicity. Whether it be weekly broadcasts of NTV news, the regular social media feed of @NorthtownNews, YouTube broadcasts of Hornet sporting events, the AWARD-WINNING Purgold Yearbook, or our quarterly publication of The Buzz magazine, these teachers are consistently burning the midnight oil to be sure our students are in the spotlight! The team of Paul Aubrey, Amanda Dolinger, and Mary Prichard have been together for over a decade and function as a very strong and collaborative team.

"IB Thankful Day" has become a new tradition at NKCHS. On the day before students departed for Thanksgiving break, we treat them with donuts and they spent some time sharing with teachers the appreciation they have for them. Teachers LOVE receiving and reading the sentiments from their students.

Each year, NKCHS pairs up with another school to host a student (and staff) exchange. We were fortunate this year to partner with Sumner Academy of the Arts and Sciences out of Kansas City, KS. Sumner is also an International Baccalaureate School, so we put the focus of this year's exchange on our IB Programs. On November 4, we welcomed about 20 students and 4 staff members from Sumner Academy. They were welcomed by our drumline and IB students. Throughout the day, they visited a variety of IB Classes, toured our school, and enjoyed some lunch. On November 19, it was Northtown's turn to visit Sumner. Nineteen students and 5 staff members were able to experience IB classes at Sumner, tour their historical building, and build some community through team challenges. We learned so much from each other and look forward to continuing our relationship with Sumner Academy!

If you know of an 8th grade student who is interested in transferring to NKCHS to pursue an IB Diploma, please encourage them to sign up for a shadow experience. These are open to 8th grade students who attend Antioch MS, Maple Park MS, New Mark MS, or any of our local private schools.

This year, our after school tutoring has been revised a bit. It will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:50-4:30pm in M107/M109. Below is a document that outlines the details and provides a QR to sign up to tutor.

Serving as a tutor in the Success Center would be a great way to meet CAS (DP) or Service Learning (CP) requirements. It can also count toward your A+ and/or community service hours! Our AVID students will provide a training on strategies you can use with students while tutoring.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ms. Klein (PAH Counselor).

Take a look at this document which highlights the credit policies of some of the most selective universities in the U.S. as well as their IB credit policies. I think you'll see pursuing an IB Diploma pays off!

Crimson Education Document

Please remember that you have access to "all things IB" in our International Baccalaureate Canvas course. As a parent observer, you also have access to all of your student's classes, as well as this course. We keep meeting presentations, important dates, exam information, course syllabi, program policies, and so much more in this course. Please take a moment to take a look.

As a program, we regularly visit our program's policies to revise and update them to ensure they are current and relevant. These policies are housed in the International Baccalaureate Canvas course; however, we also wanted to share them in this newsletter for easier access.

• Academic Integrity Policy
• Admissions Policy
• Assessment Policy
• Inclusion Policy
• Language Policy

Do you have topics you'd like to see covered or questions you'd like to have answered in an upcoming edition of the "IB Happenings" newsletter? If so, please take a moment to share those with us here: https://forms.gle/3gJM6DLqJTj5NAXf8

Email: cymantha.beason@nkcschools.org
Website: https://bit.ly/NKCSIB
Location: 620 East 23rd Avenue, North Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone: 816.321.6508