The Cougar Connection
Weekly Update for Families - August 1, 2023
SMNW
Office Hours 7 AM - 3:30 PM
Offices are now Open!
913.993.7200
Attendance
Attendance Hotline 913.993.7245 (All Day)
Attendance Office 913.993.7242 (Partial Day)
Email: lisagruman@smsd.org
Website: https://smnorthwest.smsd.org/
Location: 12701 W 67th St Shawnee, KS
Phone: 913.993.7200
Twitter: @smnw_office
From Dr. Gruman
Dear Northwest Community,
We have been excited to see our families and students in the building today for MacBook checkout and fee payment. We recognize you have some time left in summer, but we definitely enjoyed the opportunity to chat with many people. We look forward to seeing many more during our session tomorrow, August 2, from 12 - 6 pm.
Amidst our excitement, we also take moments to continue to hold our community close in thought. The Celebration of Life Services for Will Ensley will be held at 1 pm on Friday, Aug. 4 at Westside Family Church. It is located at 8500 Woodsonia Drive, Lenexa. We will continue to have our social workers and counselors available for our students, staff, and families to assist with any needs that arise, especially at the start of the school year.
Below are our reminders for the upcoming weeks. We will get back on our regular schedule for newsletters starting Thursday, August 10.
MacBook Checkout and Fee Payment continues tomorrow, Wed., Aug. 2 from 12 - 6 pm
First Day of Classes - 9th and 12th on August 15 and All Grades on August 16
Freshmen - LINK Crew activities on August 15.
Seniors - Activities and classes for a shortened time on August 15. We will assist with college applications and upcoming timeline. Some seniors may choose to schedule a College Visit or Job Shadow Opportunity on that day which is aligned with our focus for the 15th. Please complete the following form if you have scheduled that visit: Senior August 15th - College or Job Shadow
Grades 9-12 will have a 7-period day on Wednesday, August 16 followed by Even block day on Thursday, Aug 17 and Odd block day on Friday, Aug. 18.
School Supplies - we do not have a formal list of school supplies for our students. At this stage, we support student preferences between spiral notebooks, folders, or 3-ring notebooks. We would recommend a combination of some pens and pencils and a highlighter. Teachers will let students know the first week of school if there are special items for their classes.
Student Schedules - Reminder to have your student check their schedule closer to the start of school. There may be some small adjustments due to needs in the larger schedule. Please see reminders from counselors regarding schedule changes as needed. Seminars will be finalized over the next week.
Please reach out as questions arise.
All the best,
Dr. Lisa Gruman
Senior Open Lunch Application
The Shawnee Mission Board of Education allows open lunch privileges to seniors. If your son/daughter is a senior this year please use the following link to access the Senior Open Lunch App.
This form outlines the procedure to be used by our families that request permission for their child to leave campus during their lunch period. Only parents and seniors completing this process will be allowed to use this privilege. To obtain off-campus open lunch privileges it is necessary for you and your senior to sign the Senior Lunch Release Contract section of this letter. There is a place on the back of the form to have the parent’s signature notarized unless the parent returns the form in person. The form will also be available to complete and turn in by parents during Cougar Roundup. We ask that you read and discuss the contract carefully with your son/daughter. Your signatures on the release form confirm that you have read and understand the responsibilities that accompany the contract.
The signed and notarized forms are due back by Monday, August 7th to avoid delayed distribution and a $5 reprint fee.
From our Northwest Counselors
The counseling staff hopes that you’ve had an awesome summer break. Our staff is busy now spending their time working on schedules that are incomplete, as well as enrolling new students for the 2023-24 schoolyear. Our master schedule was designed based on the courses requested by our students during enrollment last year. We dedicated time for students to explore courses and select their requests carefully. We hope your student is excited for their class this upcoming school year.
When your student views their class schedule, on or after July 25, please note that counselors will address the following schedule issues as necessary:
- an incomplete schedule or a hole (class missing) in the schedule
- a conflict between two requested courses that are scheduled the same hour
- a pre-requisite course is missing
- a failed course that needs to be repeated
- seniors needing to fulfill a graduation requirement
Students or parents/guardians may email their student’s counselor with their request to address one of the needs listed above.
Thank you for your understanding. We are excited to see you in August!
Zach Cash A-D zacharycash@smsd.org
Barb Legate E-J barbaralegate@smsd.org
Katie Cole K-Pe katherinecole@smsd.org
Jessica Andrade Pf-R (ELL) jessicaandrade@smsd.org
Jordan Landis S-U jordanlandis@smsd.org
Erica Jablonski V-Z (RWL) ericajablonski@smsd.org
SMNW Summer Supports for Families
Meals, food and basic needs assistance
Summer meals for kids in SMSD-free for anyone 1-18 years of age
https://www.smsd.org/about/departments/food-service/summer-lunch-bunch
Para obtener información y menús para Summer Lunch Bunch en espanol, haga clic aquí.
Shawnee Community Services
Persons seeking food needs, please call 913-268-7746 for more information. Pantry boxes are available by calling to schedule a day to pick up.
Free bread, desserts and assorted perishables will be available Monday thru Saturday from 10am until 3pm.
Johnson County Utility Assistance
https://www.jocogov.org/department/aging-and-human-services/outreach-services/utility-assistance
Johnson County Rental Assistance
https://www.jocogov.org/department/aging-and-human-services/outreach-services/rental-assistance
Catholic Charities Family Support Centers
https://catholiccharitiesks.org/where-we-work/olathe/
https://catholiccharitiesks.org/family-support-centers/
Health Care Partnership-physicals, vaccines
913-648-2266
Crisis and Mental Health Services
Dial 988-National Suicide Hotline
If you or someone in your family requires crisis mental health support, the open access clinic at Johnson County Mental Health is available for walk-ins
Johnson County Mental Health Center
https://www.jocogov.org/department/mental-health/accessing-services
Looking for a therapist check out https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
(Use the filters to search for a therapist who accepts your insurance and specializes in your needs.)
Please see the link below for JUNIOR families:
NW Athletic Links
- Individual High School calendar: Sunflower League
- Combined High School calendar: https://www.shawneemissionactivities.org
- Visit our Athletics Website for schedules of upcoming events: https://smnwcougars.com/
- Check out the NW Track Results: MileSplit
DS Bus Lines
Shawnee Mission School District 2023-24 Busing It is hard to believe another school year has come to an end and it is time to start enrolling for 2023-24 school year bus service. Please note the following important information for 2023-24 busing: For more information on Shawnee Mission School District transportation, please visit https://www.smsd.org/families/transportation or call DS Bus Lines at 913-384-1190.