NORTH NEWS August 30, 2021

Website: https://smnorth.smsd.org/
Location: 7401 Johnson Drive, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: 913-993-6900
Twitter: @SM_NORTH_HS

Hello North Community!

We have had an outstanding start to our school year, and we are super excited to have fall activities and events ramping up this week. During ELA classes today, the admin team is reviewing key procedures related to course credits, lunch, dress code, mitigation, and expected behaviors. Our staff is working very hard to provide our students with the best experience possible, and we want each of our students to reach their goals! Thank you for your time and Go Bison!

Please always check the school calendar for the most up to date schedule SMN Calendar

• Sept 6 - Labor Day, NO SCHOOL
  

• Sept 9 - First Thursday Late Start, school starts at 8:50am

• Sept 14 - PTSA Meeting, 6:00pm, Library

• Sept 16 - Voter Registration for Students that are or will be 18, Library

• Sept 17 - Teacher Work Day, NO SCHOOL

• Sept 22 :Bilingual Back to School Night Event! 5pm to 7pm at the CAA.

  ¡Evento bilingüe de regreso a clases! De 17:00 a 19:00 horas el 22 de Septiembre en el CAA.

We are beginning construction on the northeast side of the building this year. This will affect our traffic flow for this school year. Please adhere to the following guidelines:

- Parents picking up and dropping off their student before and after school should utilize the front circle drive, and the west parking lot by the practice baseball field.

- Busses will utilize our east parking lot for bringing students to school, and also taking them home at dismissal.

- Anyone who parks in our east parking lot will not be able to enter or leave that parking lot between 2:30-2:55. We have to keep traffic flow in that parking lot to a minimum to ensure our busses can leave on time.

If you purchased a student parking pass, they can be picked up with Officer Vega at the security office by the Main front door. You will need a copy of your receipt (electronic is okay ) and your drivers license. The parking permit registration form will need to be filled out and signed. You get the form from Officer Vega. He is available 7:00-3:00pm each day.

STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PARK IN THE FRONT CIRCLE.

COVID Management for the 21-22 school year

• SMSD COVID Team will notify JCDHE of all positive cases.
• JCDHE will manage all contact tracing and quarantine related to exposure to a positive case.

In order to keep all students and staff safe at school please help us with the following:

• Report all positive cases of COVID-19 to the school nurse.
• Keep your student home when they are ill and get a PCR test.
• PCR Testing – SMSD only accepts PCR COVID tests
• SMSD offers free PCR testing Monday- Friday 8am-4pm when school is in session by calling 913-993-6218
• Free PCR testing is also offered at community testing sites such as www.gogettested.com/kansas, CVS, Walgreens, etc.
• If you or your student have a known exposure to a positive case of COVID-19 outside of school/school-related activity, please contact JCDHE at 913-715-2819 for instructions.

Back-to-school forms (Online Verification Forms) are now online, and they need to be reviewed and signed with an electronic signature. They include permission forms, a health history, 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 complete these forms as soon as possible. Parents and Students both need to complete this process.

Steps to fill out forms:

1. Visit smsd.org.
2. In the top navigation bar, click on “Skyward” and log in to your account.
3. Under “Home” you will see “2021-2022 Student Annual Online Verification.”
4. There will be directions that walk you through the entire process.
5. If you have any questions, please contact the SM North office at (913) 993-6900.

Thank you for your quick attention to this important step of the annual process.

We are asking all parents to pay fees online this year.

Go to www.smsd.org, hover over the "Families " tab, and click the link entitled "Pay Fees Online"

If you need to pay by check, You will need to go to the pay fees online portal to find out your students fees. Please mail your check with your students ID number listed to SM North, attn: Bookkeeper, 7401 Johnson Dr., Overland Park, KS 66204

All payment plans and KanCare can be completed over the phone or email. Please contact our bookkeeper, Shelle Lewis for help with this. Shellelewis@smsd.org or 913-993-6910.

Interested in a career in law enforcement or criminal justice? Join the Overland Park Police Explorers! We meet twice a month on Thursdays and provide young adults a glimpse of what it takes to be in law enforcement. The Explorer program is open to all young adults from high school to college, who are 14 to 20 years of age. Please join us at our open house meeting September 16th at 6:30PM at the Sanders Justice Center, 12400 Foster Street. Please visit the following link for pre-registration for the open house meeting.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe15nBLl1JE2b5jBfKic9okEvDl7xLhkMTjjuPdA6R4zMRAIg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Hey North, Fall sports and activities have begun and we’re all over it!

• The Freshmen have finished representative elections, all classes are working on their bulletin boards, and all classes have started fun activities to get their grade bonding and involved!! Our social events heads are already working on themes, a DJ, and plans for homecoming.
• Our other committee heads are getting prepped for the full STUCO retreat on Tuesday, August 31 as well as working on exciting new projects and homecoming elections!
• Pep club has had their hands full with all things sports, specifically the Nut Cup, they spent the week selling shirts and hyping up the game on all social platforms. They have a video and introductions in the works as well!
• Exec board members have also been publicizing the Nut Cup, but they have spent a lot of their time planning the upcoming retreat and getting t-shirts, and all-important details organized. Everyone is doing their best to give the North community the best year possible!
• It's Best to be a Bison!!

One thing is for certain with 2022, you will want to celebrate your senior's graduation with a Senior Ad in the 2022 SM North yearbook.

The first deadline is Sept. 9

There are three due dates for ads, with prices increasing after each deadline.

After the first deadline on Sept. 9, the prices increase.

The only way to purchase a Senior Ad this year is online.

To pay with a credit card and submit all your photos go to www.yearbookforever.com. Choose SM North. You can upload all of your photos and pay here.

If you need help scanning to make the photos digital, or getting things uploaded, please call Mrs. Tate and she will assist you.

After you send your Senior Ad in, you will receive a proof via email by Feb. 9. Not all will be done by then, but a majority will be. If you haven't seen yours by then, please call 913-993-7012 or email notate@smsd.org and check on the ad. Photos will be returned in late April.

Seniors love to see a Senior Ad purchased by their loved ones in the yearbook, so purchase one by the first deadline and lock in the best size and price.

Thanks so much for supporting the SM North yearbook. We look forward to designing your senior’s ad.

If you have any questions, please contact yearbook advisor Becky Tate at 913-993-7012 or at notate@smsd.org .

Real World Learning is here!

College Now

Concurrent Credit

Dual Enrollment

Career and Technical Training

Internship and Job Shadowing Opportunities

If you are interested in knowing more contact Britt Sherer - BrittSherer@smsd.org

Hi all-

Welcome to the 21-22 school year! We're excited to have some College Representatives visit us (virtually) this Fall.

Each week during seminar we will reserve the Conference room in Student Services to learn more about select colleges! Please keep in mind, this is a first come, first serve basis so be sure to sign up early.

There will also be Rep visits after school starting at 3:15pm, where I will provide a zoom link to join.

If you're interested, please email me to get signed up: moniquewesley@smsd.org

Next week goes as follows:

Tuesday, September 7th @ 9:30am Pitt State (Student Services)

Wednesday, September 8th @ 3:15pm: Macalaster College (via zoom)

Thursday, September 9th @ 3:15pm: Wichita State (via zoom)

Click on the link for more information about Scholarships.

https://studentscholarships.org/newsletter.php

Scholarship Database

Student Scholarships

Toppers Pizza - Mission, 913-262-7849 or sally.topperskc@gmail.com

Advance Auto Parts

Quick Trip - 913-362-3700 or apply online at QuikTrip.com/Jobs

Sporting KC - click here to apply

Countryside Child Development Center - email Jesse at countrysideCDC@gmail.com

JoCo Parks and Rec - appy at JCPRD.com/jobs or call 913-826-3054

Loft - click here to apply

We hope you will join us this week as we host our first home varsity events for varsity soccer. A friendly reminder that ticket prices are set by the Sunflower League and as such tickets are $7.00 adult and $5.00 K-12. This week we play at SMSD-North but it is SM East home football game so we will be on the east visitors bleachers. A friendly reminder to purchase a season fast pass through the booster club!!! The monies help support North Athletics and activities. Booster Club will not host any tailgate meals this fall however, we will host concessions.

The SMN boys varsity soccer team scored a huge season opening win @ SMNW (SMSDSC) on Friday evening. The football teams had a positive experience and competed really well at the Olathe South Jamboree (ODAC) on Friday evening. The girls golf team has already begun their season and the girls are improving and having fun. Our volleyball, and tennis teams begin competition this week. For more information please see sport-specific twitter feeds &/or websites:: @NorthBisonFB; @smnorthxc; @SMN_Volleyball; @SMNorthCheer

SMSD Mitigation Spectator Guidelines - please take time to review the SMSD mitigation guidelines.

We look forward to seeing everyone this year at athletics and activity events. A great opportunity to purchase advance tickets to events is through the North Sports Fast Pass. *Flyer below*

Sports Calendar can be found at www.sunflowerleague.org

Want to be part of a fun new sport offered at North? Want to earn service hours while having fun and hanging out with some AWESOME individuals??

Check out North’s NEWEST sport. Unified Bowling is a bowling team of individuals with disabilities and non-disabled peers. We are currently recruiting non-disabled peers to join our team. The season is from September 27th til November 18th and practices will be 2 days a week after school at Mission Bowl in Olathe.

Informational meeting will be held in room 109 during Seminar on Tuesday, August 31.

Stop by room 15 to grab a seminar pass.

Did you know that each year the Shawnee Mission North All-Activities Booster Club supports student clubs, groups and teams by funding grant requests from coaches and club sponsors for expenses that are not funded by the school district? Since our organization began, we have given over $150,000 in grants to clubs, groups & teams at North!

Join the Booster Club and check out our "NEW" SMN Bison Spirit Wear in our online store https://shawnee-mission-north-booster-club.square.site/

Purchase Fast Pass - https://shawnee-mission-north-booster-club.square.site/#HoIVKX

For SMN PTSA/Booster Club news and updates like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter....

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=403968853023402

https://twitter.com/SMNorthBooster

https://twitter.com/SMNorthPTSA

Shawnee Mission North High School and Shawnee Mission North PTSA recognize and encourage student and community volunteer efforts in conjunction with the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards. Find more information and a service log sheet below

• Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead - email FarmsteadVolunteer@opkansas.org

For SMN PTSA/Booster Club news and updates like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter....

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=403968853023402

https://twitter.com/SMNorthBooster

https://twitter.com/SMNorthPTSA

Families are encouraged to complete the Household Economic Survey (HES) as part of the Online Verification available on Skyward. The purpose of the HES form is to assist families and our district in the upcoming year.

All students will be able to eat breakfast and lunch at no cost this year. However, the HES form generates additional state funds for our schools.

If your family qualifies, the district will receive funds to help support programs providing additional support for learners with a variety of needs. Additionally, qualifying on the HES provides other benefits to eligible families, which may include free/reduced transportation fees and Pre-k enrollment. If families do not complete the HES, the district will not be able to receive state funding for which it is eligible.

Do not complete the HES form if you are Directly Certified to receive free meals. If you receive state assistance, call the SMSD Food Service office before completing the HES form.

Eligibility determination will be made according to the guidelines established by the Kansas Department of Education. Please contact the SMSD Food Service office with any questions.

• Download the Canvas Parent App from the App Store or Google Play store.
• Follow the prompts to create your account. Create a username and password.
• Search SMSD (Shawnee Mission School District) > Shawnee Mission North > Eventually it will ask you for a “Pairing Code”
• To find your student’s “Pairing Code”

1. In your student’s Canvas account have your student click on “Account” (Top Left)
2. Click on “Settings” > then click on “Pair with Observer” (Right side)
3. Enter this “Pairing code” when prompted in your Canvas Parent App.

• Note that each parent needs a different code, therefore repeating this process to generate a different code. If more than one student, you will be prompted to “add student” on the app. Repeat the process to generate their observer code.
• If your student will not provide the code to you, please reach out to the school to get the Pairing Code.

• Additional Canvas gradebook information can be found here.