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Nieman News
August 18, 2023
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Reunited; the Foxes are back in the den!
And just like that all the Nieman Foxes have returned to school! Thank you all for helping ensure our first week back was a HUGE success! It feels so good to have all of our returning and new kiddos in the building. The smiling faces and excitement are what make our jobs so much fun!
I would also like to say how thankful we all are that everyone is following the arrival and dismissal procedures so well! Thank you all for pulling all the way up in the car loop it is SO helpful and keeps everyone safe! As a reminder, parents are no longer allowed to walk into the building to take students to breakfast or class- our top priority is to ensure we keep all students safe and making sure we know who is in the building is the best way we can do this!
This week we have a Meet the Principal event sponsored by PTA on Tuesday at 6:30pm in the library. Come and learn a little more about myself and Nieman and everything the school and PTA does for our students and staff!
Principal Tenbrink
PTA Information and Updates
PTA has so many ways for you to get involved, connect with one another, and support Nieman.
Become a PTA member through Givebacks- scan the QR code or visit the link below!
6th Grade Stock the Lounge- Sept 1
Help us stock the teacher's lounge! Each grade will have a different month to help stock the lounge. 6th grade is first up for September! Please bring the goodies to the front desk between August 28th and September 1st. Our teachers are amazing and we would love to be able to refuel their energy throughout the day! Thank you!
6th Grade Families- Sign Up Here!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054AA4A929ABFC1-niemanStock the Lounge Schedule
September- 6th Grade
October- 5th Grade
November- 4th Grade
December- PTA Provided
January- 3rd Grade
February- 2nd Grade
March- 1st Grade
April- Kindergarten/PreK
May- PTA Provided
Important Dates for Families
August
Tuesday 22nd:
- Meet the Principal Hosted by PTA 6:30pm Library
Monday 28th:
- MVP Training with Ms. Kwon 6pm
September
Wednesday 6th:
- MVP Training with Ms. Kwon 8am
School and District Information
MVP Training
My Volunteer Pal (MVP) Program is a volunteer program for all Shawnee Mission Schools. If you are interested in volunteering in a classroom or chaperoning on a field trip, you will need to be MVP trained. Nieman will be holding two sessions to start off the school year:
- Monday, 08/28 at 6pm and
- Wednesday 09/06 at 8am.
You do not have to train at the specific school you would like to volunteer at. If you are unable to attend these two dates, feel free to look on the district website for other locations and dates. Once you are trained, you do not need to renew for another 5 years. https://www.smsd.org/families/volunteer-mvp
Contact Ms. Kwon, annekwon@smsd.org to check on your MVP status.
Online Verification Forms and Food Service- Action Item
Back-to-school forms(Online Verification Forms) are now online, and they need to be reviewed and signed with an electronic signature.
Steps to fill out forms:
If you do not have a Family Access account, you may contact your child’s school office starting on July 26, 2023 to inquire about setting up account access.
- Under “Home” you will see “2023-2024 Student Annual Online Verification.”
There will be directions that walk you through the entire process.
The process includes permission forms, a health history review, and a medication permission form. For middle and high school students, there is also an athletic packet. The process should take only about 5 minutes to complete.
Please try to complete these forms as soon as possible. It is a mandatory step necessary for student materials checkout. Students cannot be assigned a computer/device until the forms are complete.
2023-24 - Child Nutrition Program Meal Benefit Application
Families are encouraged to complete an application for meal benefits – free or reduced priced meals – as part of the Online Verification. The link to the Child Nutrition Program Meal Benefit Application is available on Skyward or the online application is on School Cafe. Families do need to create a School Cafe account if they do not already have one - more information may be located on the SMSD Food Service Free and Reduced web page. Contact the Food Service office by calling 913-993-9710 for questions on the meal benefit application.
Potential Benefits of Filling out the Application
- Families, whose meal benefit application is approved for meal benefits, can receive a breakfast and lunch at the free or reduced price – depending on their qualifying benefit.
- Families who complete an application and qualify also generate additional state funds for our schools.
- Families who qualify for child nutrition meal benefits, may receive additional benefits such as free/reduced instructional resource fees, transportation fees, and Pre-k enrollment.
STUDENT FEES
Student fees have been assessed in Skyward. New for the 2023-24 school year there is an Instructional Resource fee for K-12 students, which replaces the previous Textbook fee. Elementary students will be charged $60; Secondary students will be charged $100. Fees can be paid online through eFunds (a $3 processing fee will be charged) or in the office by cash/check/optional credit card.
Free/Reduced Waiver
Parents are advised to complete their Free/Reduced application in SchoolCafe and their Consent for Disclosure form in Skyward’s Online Verification. It could take 2 weeks or more to process the application, consent form and reduce fees, so please have them completed as soon as possible. If approved for free/reduced meals please send your approval letter to JonelleCarter@smsd.org so she may adjust/remove the activity fee.
Important Reminders
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Kindergarten-6th Grade Arrival Procedures
PreK Arrival- back car loop
Car Tag Example
Changes in Dismissal Routine
Student safety is of the upmost importance to us. Please know that frequent changes in dismissal routines causes safety concerns. We ask that you have a regular dismissal routine and communicate this with the classroom teacher at or before Sneak.
If a change has to occur the safest way to ensure the change is communicated is to email the classroom teacher BEFORE school starts and then ALSO call the office BEFORE 2pm. Teachers have different plan times and lunches, and they are not regularly able to read email. Any dismissal change received after 2pm is NOT GUARANTEED. We will do our best, but the end of the day is a very hectic time in a school. We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring the safety of your child.
Attendance
We have seen a major increase in chronic absenteeism at Nieman. Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing 10% of their educational time. Please know that teachers and office staff will be in constant communication if your child starts to accumulate excessive tardies or absences.
Community Resources
The Knight School
The Knight School is returning this fall to Nieman Elementary! The Knight School Chess Team will be your school's official chess team and chess party.
This revolutionary, party-based approach to chess has had amazing success—winning multiple state championships—because our unique and unprecedented educational philosophy, “the chess party,” is the perfect way to transform a complete beginner into a devastating chess machine.
Our unique model has swept America because it has never been seen before: we simply invite every beginner in your school to join our school chess team and we use only super-fun teaching methods such as super-fast chess clock-slapping chess games, zany chess videos, a strict bully-free environment, silicone wristbands for tactics mastery, chess puzzlers for candy, driving music, hilarious tactics-lesson videos, Mardi-Gras bead chess tournaments each day we meet and National Online tournaments every weekend!
In this kid-centered classroom environment, we teach our kids every cool trick, strategy, opening, and tactic in chessdom and our kids soon learn to love and master chess and to masterfully control their classrooms, sports fields, and home lives as well! Laughter, fast clocks, and compelling teaching approaches make this class the week's highlight for the current 4500 Chess Party members who make up the awesome network of The Knight School's 300+ school chess teams.
Join The Knight School chess party and give your child the gift of amazing chess friends, undeniable academic confidence, self-identity as a smart kid, and a weekly dose of childhood joy that is the highlight of their week! Sign up today! Learn more and sign up for our school chess team at www.theknightschool.com or email Coach Brian Harris: brian@theknightschool.com (785) 341-6590.
If you need a scholarship we have an easy, quick scholarship link to apply online:
Scholarship Request Link: https://www.theknightschool.com/scholarship-application
Free Money! Do you qualify?
Get $1,000 for each eligible student!
The Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP) provides qualifying parents and guardians with $1,000 per eligible student to spend on approved educational goods and services. This could be used for Sylvan learning services, and many other educational opportunities for students. Check the website below to see if you qualify!
Repeated but Important Information
Nieman Student Expectation Reminders
Please see below for some frequently brought up Nieman student expectations:
Toys- All student toys should be left at home and not brought to school. The only time this would be an exception is if a class earned a reward, then communication would come from the teacher.
Fidgets- Fidgets are great tools used to calm and deescalate students. So long as the fidget is being used in the following ways it will be allowed:
- As a tool and not a toy- for it's expected purpose of calming
- Silently (many fidgets can be disruptive to the learning environment so please ensure your child is capable of using their fidget silently before sending it in).
- It will stay in the classroom and not travel to other locations in the school.
- Must be smaller than a student's hand.
Phones- See the new district policy from the Student Handbook above. Phones may be brought on to school property. Once the student enters the school their phone should be turned off and kept in their backpack during school hours.
- With permission from the teacher a student may get their phone out to call parents. This is only common towards the end of the day if checking on dismissal or an after school activity.
- Personal phone use may start once students are off school property.
- If a students phone becomes a concern the first contact will come from the classroom teacher. After that contact, if the phone is still a concern, then administration will contact the family and a guardian will need to come up to the school to get the phone.
Hoods- Students are allowed to wear hoods, so long as they don't disrupt their learning or the learning of others.
Panorama
Panorama:
Parent information regarding the 1st Semester Panorama Survey below.
This school year (2023-2024) the Shawnee Mission School District is once again utilizing the Panorama Social-Emotional Learning survey to assess student’s perseverance, grit, determination, school culture and student-teacher relationships. The Panorama Social-Emotional survey takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete and will be administered during the first semester. The first survey window is scheduled for October 16 through November 10, 2023. Parents/Guardians must consent for their student(s) to participate in the Panorama survey; this would have been done during the 23-24 registration process. Survey data will be reviewed at the district and classroom level to determine areas of strength, as well as areas where more instruction and/or support is needed. Once survey results are returned, parents/guardians are welcome to see and discuss the results with their students’ teachers, social workers, and counselors. Sample survey questions can be found here and here.
We encourage you to visit the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) website to learn more about how Social Emotional Learning benefits your child and their environment. All data is maintained by SMSD and will remain confidential. Please visit this site for more information about the Panorama SEL survey.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Our Shawnee Mission Student Handbook provides information on our philosophy of education, code of conduct and a of variety policies and procedures. Students and parents can read this handbook to better understand the behavior expectations of Nieman Elementary and also the Shawnee Mission School District.
Please note specifically the updated cell phone policy that was approved summer 2023:
- SMSD is committed to providing highly effective and consistent learning spaces across the district. During instructional time, the personal use of cell phones and other electronic devices that are not district-issued is prohibited unless explicitly directed by school staff. Cell phones and other personal electronic devices are to be turned off and put away during the day in order to respect the educational environment of the classroom. Medical exemptions may be applied. Initial violations will fall under the Discipline Matrix as a Level 1 offense. Subsequent violations will result in progressive disciplinary action.
Principal Tenbrink
Email: kileytenbrink@smsd.org
Website: https://nieman.smsd.org/
Location: Nieman Elementary School, West 67th Street, Shawnee, KS, USA
Phone: 913-993-4000
Twitter: @Tenbrink512