Hello North Community!

Homecoming week! We are excited to kick off another edition of SMN Homecoming week. This week is packed with events, spirit days, our parade, and dance. We are excited that the students get to have some fun as we wrap up the first quarter. In the update below you will find key announcements about the events this week, along with information for next week's final week of the quarter. Let's have a great week and Go Bison!

• Please do not park in the row along the construction fence in the parking lot on the east side.
• Students are not allowed to park in the front circle. We reserve this area for our visitors to the building.
• Please make sure your student is bringing a mask to school each day. We only have a limited supply of extra masks for students, and we cannot provide masks to every student.

HOMECOMING:

Homecoming Assembly: celebration of fall sports and our Homecoming Court. Seniors will be voting for Top 10 royalty this week.

Parade: October 8

Theme: Once Upon a Time

Pep Club, Class officers, and exec board are beginning on their floats for the HOCO parade. We have also reached out to businesses along the Johnson Dr route to see if they’d like to join us in the Homecoming Spirit. Look for more information in the coming weeks!

Homecoming Dance: October 9

Location: Rose Garden

Tickets will be sold at the door: $10 for singles & $15 for couples

There will be NO rainout date.

Any adult interested in chaperoning can email student council sponsor, Kayte Cormack at kaytecormack@smsd.org

If a student is interested in bringing an outside date, forms can be found in the office. You must have the form filled out in order to bring an outside date.

Have a great week North, it’s Best to be a Bison!

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

• October 5 - Jazz Concert, 7:00PM Auditorium
  

• October 6 - Choir Concert, 7:00PM, Auditorium

• October 8 - Homecoming Parade, 1:15PM

• October 9th - Homecoming Dance, 7:00-10:00PM

• October 13th - National Day of Testing, early release 1:10pm

Where: Rose Garden

How to get a ticket: Click on this link and fill out the form. You will get an email that is your ticket into the show.

This will be an early dismissal day, 1:10.

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors will be taking a standardized test.

• Freshmen – all students will take the Pre ACT
• Sophomores – those who signed up will take the PSAT all other sophomores will take a locally scored ACT as a practice test.

• Juniors – those who signed up will take the PSAT all other juniors will take the locally scored ACT as a practice test

• Seniors will have a “Senior Exploration Day”. They received a green sheet with information about this day. This form needs to be completed, signed and returned by October 4th.

The day for freshmen through juniors will start at regular time, 7:40. This is an early release day so after all exams are completed, students will have the opportunity to eat lunch and then busses will run at 1:10.

Please go to www.smsd.org, hover over the "Families" tab, and click the link entitled "Pay Fees Online" to pay current and past due school fees as soon as possible.

If you need to pay by check or cash, you can come to the school from 7:30 to 3:30 or mail payment to SM North, Attn: Bookkeeper, 7401 Johnson Dr., Overland Park, KS 66204.

Please contact our bookkeeper, Shelle Lewis at Shellelewis@smsd.org or 913-993-6910 to pay by phone or to set up payment plans & Kancare waivers.

Invitation from SRO Covington: The Overland Park Police Department is hosting a community Trunk or Treat event on Saturday October 23. Come bring the family or sign up to host a decorated car. See the information below.

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.

Theatre Arts Parents (TAPs) is dedicated to supporting the theatre arts program at SMN and is open to anyone--especially parents of students participating in theatre activities.
Parent support is vital to providing opportunities for students to learn lifelong skills and participate in an award-winning program with a long history of excellence here at SMN.

Please connect using the membership form along with cash/check for $10 or use SMN Theatre SquareUp

and join for $11.

JOIN BY OCTOBER 15TH AND YOU'LL BE ENTERED IN DRAWING FOR 2 FREE TICKETS TO SHOW OF YOUR CHOICE!

Questions? Contact Kelly Ingram

Some career paths can’t be mapped in a straight line. Whether you’re interested in a two-year degree or no degree at all, there are rewarding jobs waiting. Garmin invites students to learn about the different career paths for electronic and engineering tech, product support, manufacturing, customer repair and circuit board design during this free virtual event.

At the end, we will be discussing Garmin's application process and taking questions from the audience.

Date: Thursday, October 21st, 2021

Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM CST

Our session will be hosted on Mircosoft teams, register here!

We look forward to seeing you at the event!

Other RWL News:

JCCC – COLLEGE NOW – Last day to drop College Now courses with a full refund is October 4th.

AP Courses – Sign up for the AP Exam! Talk to your AP Teacher or Mrs. Sherer with any questions or help needed. Sign up by October 29th to avoid late fees.

Questions - Contact Britt Sherer brittsherer@smsd.org

Johnson County Library Presents Step-by-Step through the FAFSA (virtual)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is the federal application necessary to get free and low-cost money for college. Join us as Jason Anderson, CPA, CFP®, Managing Member and Senior Consultant at Gradmetrics,as he walks line-by-line through the FAFSA form, using it to explain the ins-and-outs of the college admissions, and financial aid process.

Program dates:

Wednesday, October 14, 2021, 6:30-8pm (register here)

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.

Tuesday, October 5th @ 9:30am University of Kansas (Student Services)

Wednesday, October 6th @ 3:15pm: Drake University (via zoom)

Thursday, October 7th @ 3:15pm: University of Chicago (via zoom)

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

October 1st is the first day to file FAFSA for the 2022-2023 school year. Please be sure to complete your FSA ID before October 1st! One parent, and each student will need their own ID.

Need help filling out your FAFSA?

SMSD is holding a Virtual FAFSA Night Tuesday, October 5th 6-8pm (Register here)

Click on the link for more information about Scholarships.

https://studentscholarships.org/newsletter.php

Scholarship Database

Student Scholarships

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 Search 1710 to apply

Imo's Pizza - 4200 Rainbow - email for more information

Jose Pepper's - Immediate openings

Gus's Fried Chicken - Apply today by Texting POLLO to 914-685-6939

Milburn Country Club - Part time golf dept. Contact Mark Chedrick 913-432-0490

New Wingstop in Mission - click here to apply

Chick-fil-A - Text TEAMMC to 913-285-8535

Kansas City YMCA - click here Lifeguards needed

Hollisters/Ambercrombie & Fitch - Click here to apply

• The SMN boys’ varsity football team lost a heartbreaker on Friday night; to Olathe East. The Bison had a game-tying drive in the 4th quarter only to squander a 50y kick-off return. The team continued to play hard and showed some moxie and fight. . The team plays Gardner Edgerton at home on Friday evening at 7:0pm.
• The boys’ soccer team dropped two games to SM South and Olathe Northwest last week. The Bison are hoping to bounce back vs SME and LFS; both games are scheduled at SMSDSC- Westridge MS.
• The girls golf team plays in the SMNW Invite @ Tomahawk Hills GC today.
• Our volleyball team secured a victory vs SM South and dropped matches to ONW, OS and GE. They play this week at home vs LHS at 6:00pm and on Thursday at SME and vs MV.
• Our tennis teams will compete today at CBAC in the SFL championships today; the team is seeing improvement and the girls are excited to win some matches and compete at a solid level.
• Our gymnasts compete Tuesday @ SMNW Invite.
• Our Cross-Country competed at the The team will run in the Maple Leaf Classic in Baldwin this past Saturday. Micah Blomker placed 1st and 5 team members modeled as the boys team garnered 1st overall. Also, the girls team had some strong performances and finished 3rd overall.

Live Eligibility

Daily eligibility reports will be monitored and students that are involved in a Fall Sport must be passing 5 classes, or they will not be allowed to participate in the game that day.

Coaches will be aware of the status of their students each morning. If students are on the ineligible list, they will have an opportunity to turn work in. We will work to monitor their status and potentially clear them for participation.

KSHSAA AND NFHS celebrate National High School Activities Week, October 10-16.

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. Ticket prices are set by the Sunflower League and as such tickets are $7.00 adult and $5.00 K-12.

SMSD COVID mitigation protocols require a mask for indoor events; Please make sure you bring one with you to our home volleyball matches.

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

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
• The Overland Park Arboretum is looking for volunteers for their upcoming events, “Enchanted Faire”, “Terra Luna”, and “Luminary Walk”. Multiple times and activities are available for each of these events. Please contact Liz Hazell at liz.hazell@opkansas.org for more information.
  

• Crestview Elementary School Carnival, 6101 Craig St.

  Friday, October 1st from 5:30-8pm

  We are looking for volunteers to help run carnival games & activities!

  Please email lindsayjo.taylor@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.

Thanks for your continued support of the SMN Booster Club! Here is a list of important dates and upcoming volunteer opportunities...

Volunteers are needed to help sell spirit wear and fast passes at home football games on FRIDAY, OCT 8and FRIDAY, OCT 15. Click on the links below for more info and to sign up!

Oct 8 (Homecoming) - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4eafa62fabf58-spirit18

Oct 15 - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4eafa62fabf58-spirit19

The next BOOSTER CLUB MEETINGwill be on MONDAY, OCT 18 at 6:30pm in the Learning Commons - all are welcome - masks are required to be worn in the school building.

You can earn $$$ for your favorite group at North by attending Booster Club meetings. We offer Attendance Grants to any SMN club, group or team that sends a parent or sponsor to our meetings. If your team or group has someone attend at least 4 Booster Club meetings a year, we will give a $100 grant and for attending 6 meetings, we will give a $200 grant!

A huge THANK YOU to our business partners that are sponsoring the 2021-22 Roster Wraps –

Sue Walton with ReMax Premier Realty

Eclipse Roofing, Inc. – Jeff Pendergraft

Hammond Chiropractic - Patrick Hammond

ManiDev Customer Software Development – Ainoy Manirath

Nill Bros Sporting Goods

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for the annual SMN TRIVIA NIGHT - Saturday, January 29 at St. Pius X Church in Mission. More information will be available in the next few weeks.

Did you know that each year the SMN 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! We raise funds for our grants through our spirit wear sales, tailgates/concessions, Trivia Night and annual Golf Tournament. Thanks for your continued support!

Join the Booster Club and check out the SMN BISON spirit wear at our online store - https://shawnee-mission-north-booster-club.square.site/

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

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 School District students in the Medical Health Sciences Signature Program are partnering with researchers at the University of Kansas to study the effects of sports specialization on teens and young adults.

Data collection for this project involves a short anonymous survey that the researchers would like to send to your student-athlete, with your permission. This invitation is for any student-athlete, including athletes who might not be involved in fall sport. If you are willing to allow your student athlete(s) to complete this survey, please click on the link provided at the bottom of the form below.

Information for Parents/Guardians:

This school year (2021-2022) 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 once each semester. The first survey window is scheduled for September 13 through September 24, 2021. Parents/Guardians would have opted their student(s) in or out of the survey during the 21-22 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.

Dear Families,

School Lunches

If you follow our Food Services menus, you know we have posted information about the possibility of menu changes and substitutions, which could happen with little advance notice. This is because of issues along the entire supply chain (how food comes from where it is produced to our cafeterias.) Because of these challenges, Food Services has had difficulty in receiving products - both food and paper supplies. Transportation is also a significant part of the problem, as companies complain about not being able to find staff to load trucks and drive those trucks to deliver products to schools and school districts.

Employment Opportunities

Please understand that we are working hard to ensure students have the support services necessary to focus on their education. We continue to seek qualified and caring applicants to join our district team as well as our partner transportation contractors.

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.