IHMS Weekly News
August 27 - September 3, 2021
Upcoming IHMS Events
Week at a glance:
Monday, 08/30:
- Late busing (activity busing) begins
3:50 Academic Learning Lab in IH Library
5:00 IH Volleyball @ Indian Woods
Tuesday, 08/31:
3:50 Academic Learning Lab in IH Library
Wednesday, 09/01:
3:50 Academic Learning Lab in IH Library
5:00 Volleyball @ home opener vs. Westridge
Thursday, 09/02:
3:50 Academic Learning Lab
Friday, 09/03:
Jr. Board applications due
Lancer Day Parade - 2:00 p.m.
Upcoming events:
09/06: Labor Day - no school
09/07: Fall reading MAP testing begins
09/08: Wrestling parent meeting - 7:00 p.m. @ IHMS Cafeteria
09/17: Teacher professional development day - no school
09/21: IHMS family engagement night #2 - Supporting Your Middle School Learner - 4:30-6:30 p.m. @ IHMS
10/01: Knights' Walk (annual PTA fund raiser)
10/20: IHMS parent/teacher conferences - 5:00-8:00 p.m.
10/22: IHMS parent/teacher conferences - 8:05-4:05 p.m.
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Section 1: New and Important at IHMS
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Lancer Day Logistics: Friday, September 3
It is our belief that one of our strongest assets is our vibrant community support. A major part of that community is the partnership we share with Shawnee Mission East. The LancerDay Parade - scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 3, 2021 - is a celebration for SME and for members of our East area community. However, the impact that this event has on Indian Hills is significant. Therefore, a very clear procedure for attending this event has been established.
Should you choose to attend the Lancer Day parade, the following guidelines and process must be followed:
Please send a signed parent note from home excusing your student from school for the Lancer Day Parade. Have your student hang onto this note as it is their ticket out of class at the designated time (12:30 p.m.).
Parking space will be an issue, so you may need to utilize parking lots around the building - not just the front parking lot.
Parents/guardians will line up outside of the IHMS Events Entrance (door #2: the cafeteria entrance just north of the main entrance) at 12:30 p.m. Parents/guardians will be let in a few at a time to find their student.
Your student will bring his/her note to the cafeteria at 12:30 p.m., find you inside the cafeteria, and then check out through the north cafeteria doors.
To check out your student, you must have a photo ID. Not procuring a photo ID will significantly delay the process for you and your student.
Students will only be allowed to check out from school for the Lancer Day Parade with their parent/guardian listed in Skyward. Friends and/or groups of individuals may not be checked out by the same parent.
If your student loses his/her note, or neglects to bring a signed note from home, please be aware that there will be a significant wait time before you will be able to retrieve him/her.
Lastly, we will continue with a regularly scheduled academic day, so any work that your student misses during the parade will need to be made up (just like any other excused absence).
We would ask that you be patient with us as we try to balance the safety and supervision of your students while continuing to honor the tradition of the SME Lancer Day Parade.
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Communicating Student Absences & Attendance Matters
ABSENCES:
- Please communicate absences through attendance personnel. Avoid emailing administration or student services directly.
- Email debrahohly@smsd.org and constanceeddy@smsd.org to indicate the date(s) and nature of your student's absence.
- Call in your student's absence - including date(s) and nature of the absence - to the school attendance line: (913) 993-0412.
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Student Check-in / Check-out Procedure
Here are the things you need to know to make picking up your student quick and easy:
Student check-out during school day:
- Students are not able to leave their classes unless the office has been notified.
- All students need to come in and leave through the main office entrance.
- Bring in a form of ID (driver’s license) the first time checking a student out, and then all subsequent check-outs the child will be released out the front when we see your vehicle
- Students return through the office on their own, no parent needed.
- The main circle is for buses only after 3:15 – parents are welcome to park in the smaller circle by the flagpole or in any open parking spot at either end of the main drive.
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Section 2: Still Relevant From Previous Weeks
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IHMS Mask and Masking Reminders
In addition, please remember that masks with ventilators and/or neck gaitors do not meet the minimum requirement for masking.
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21-22 Updated COVID and Quarantine Procedure (Abbreviated)
Attendance:
- When a student is absent because of quarantine or a confirmed COVID diagnosis, that student will be marked absent.
- Please make sure you contact school attendance personnel to notify/confirm the absence.
School/class work:
- Students can:
- Access and complete coursework found in Canvas.
- Email/communicate with their teacher regarding classwork/assignments.
- Turn in work on Canvas should they choose to do so.
- Turn in work when or after they return to school (policy is double the amount of time absent. e.g. Absent 3 days - student has 6 days to turn in work).
- Students cannot:
- Access class remotely via WebEx this year.
Notifications:
- Notifications of close contacts, etc. will be coming from the county health department rather than directly from the school.
Suggestions:
- If absent from school, your student should likely plan to attend Academic Learning Lab (A.L.L.) after school until they are caught up. See A.L.L details in this newsletter.
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Academic Learning Lab (A.L.L.) Begins Monday
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After-school Activity Busing Begins Monday
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Say "YES" to YES Club!
Youth Engaged in Service (YES) is a wonderful opportunity for our Indian Hills students to give back to their communities and to take part in some very rewarding experiences. YES Club is more than just doing community service to accrue service hours. It is a way to help shape the children’s moral character and a great way to teach them empathy, a trait that will help them succeed both now and later in every area of their life. Use the following link to add yourself to our distribution list: https://forms.gle/426VJFNBfVD4HR4L8. We will be reaching out throughout the year with volunteer opportunities.
The first volunteer opportunity is right around the corner: October 22 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Questions? Contact Stacy Curtis (stacyscurtis@yahoo.com) or Tracy Dillon (Jeffandtracy@me.com).
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IHMS Jr. Board Applications Now Available
By being involved in Junior Board, Indian Hills students will learn about the nonprofit world.
Junior Board is a student-driven foundation dedicated to providing assistance to local,
not-for-profit organizations while enhancing knowledge about the “business” of successful
philanthropy and stewardship. Stewardship is and always has been an important characteristic of the Junior Board.
The Junior Board introduces students to the business of philanthropy through hands-on
experiences and opportunities to meet the people committing their lives for the betterment of our community. Students learn what it takes to financially and physically feed, clothe, educate, and provide for those in need and learn first-hand from the clients receiving these vital services.
Program goals:
- Provide hands-on experience in the identification of agencies in need. Students will be required to conduct an in-depth review of multiple organizations to understand the services provided, financial structure, staffing, facility needs, primary sources of funding, uses of funds, etc.
- Students will learn the proper balance between compassion and business savvy to provide the best possible outcome for the chosen agency.
- Students will have opportunities to sharpen their research and presentation skills through interactive exercises with their peers and special guests.
- Students will develop the confidence to take a leadership role in future philanthropic endeavors and challenges.
- Junior Board members will have the opportunity to meet people in our community who commit themselves to worthy causes on a regular basis.
Junior Board will meet in-person on Thursday mornings in the IHMS Library from 7:45 – 8:30. Our first Junior Board meeting will be on September 9. Final Presentation Day will be held on April 14, 2022. Masks are required.
Commitment:
Making each meeting is a responsibility that must be taken seriously and met,
as students work together in groups and are relying upon each other. In April, we may be
meeting on other school mornings as well for extra preparation time for final presentations.
Application:
Completed application forms - found attached below - are due by September 3. Submit completed forms to
the Indian Hills Office or email to terrybyfield@smsd.org.
Questions:
If you have more questions about Junior Board, please feel free to contact Tiffany
Lynch at tiffanylynch1966@gmail.com or call 913-485-8993 (cell).
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COVID and the Health and Safety of Your Athlete:
Athletes who test positive for COVID or are presumed positive will need to follow the outlined Kansas State High School Athletics Association protocol in order to return to play.
For more information, visit:
https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/pdf/ReturntoparticipationguidelinesFall2021.pdf
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Fall School Picture Orders Available (click link below)
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Student Cell Phone Procedure Reminder
Additional information:
- There are times that teachers may allow students - during a specific task/activity - to utilize a student's phone (e.g. taking a picture of the whiteboard, engaging in a team-building activity, etc.), but cell phones are not to be otherwise utilized during classroom instructional time. In addition, cell phones are never a requirement for an activity.
- Students are able to check their cell phones during passing periods and during some lunch periods, but the emphasis from our staff this year is for students to "check" the cell phone - not "check out on" the cell phone.
- Speaking of lunch periods, students will start the year with two low-tech lunch periods built into each week where cell phones will not be utilized. One low-tech lunch period will consist of table-top conversation topics and starters and another lunch period students will be able to play table/card games.
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IHMS Communication Chain
1. Mass communication from IHMS:
- Mass communication will come each Friday or Saturday in the form of the IHMS Weekly News. This is an important review for your family each week as it outlines specific events, newsworthy, and/or action-oriented items relevant to IHMS.
- There are times throughout the week a stand-alone email may be sent via a Skyward blast - especially if an important event is taking place or if important information must be shared. You have already seen this in practice (i.e.Tuesday when I sent a reminder about the ice cream social).
2. Absences:
- Please communicate absences through attendance personnel. Avoid emailing administration or student services directly.
- Email debrahohly@smsd.org and constanceeddy@smsd.org to indicate the date(s) and nature of your student's absence.
- Call in your student's absence - including date(s) and nature of the absence - to the school attendance line: (913) 993-0412.
3. Grades/Classroom Questions/Issues:
- Please email your student's teacher directly for all questions/issues related to grades and/or the classroom.
- Staff email addresses can be found on our school website (click link). Unless specific circumstances
- Avoid emailing administration and/or student services with issues that have not been problem solved at the classroom level first unless extenuating circumstances merit direct contact.
4. General Contact Guidelines:
- The chart below provides parents with a general contact chart they can utilize to ensure communication remains streamlined:
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IHMS Arrival & Dismissal Information
Students arrive from 8:20-8:40 a.m. Class begins each day at 8:45 a.m. Anyone who arrives prior to 8:20 a.m. will remain unsupervised outside of the building (regardless of weather), so please ensure that you do not drop your student prior to 8:20 a.m.
- Bus Rider Instructions (masks on buses required):
Buses will immediately drop students in the front loop (off of Mission Rd.) and students will enter the building through the front doors. Students will proceed immediately to Knight Time or to breakfast in the cafeteria. - Car Rider Instructions:
All car rider students can be dropped in the south car loop off of Delmar or the fire station loop off of 63rd. For more information, please check the map below. Car riders will continue to arrive and immediately report to their Knight Time classroom or to breakfast in the cafeteria. - Bikers/Walkers:
Students who ride their bikes or walk to school should plan on showing up after 8:20 a.m. each day. Although the bike rack is located in the front circle, bike riders/walkers can gain entrance at any open location (main, south, or fire station entrances).
Student Dismissal: (3:45-3:55 p.m.)
- Bus Rider Instructions (masks on buses required):
Bus riders will be released from class at 3:45 p.m. with all other IHMS students. Each day, there will be a posted bus sign board with the bus locations and numbers for students. Buses will depart from IHMS each day at 3:52 - giving students 7 minutes to move from their final class of the day to the bus. - Car Rider Instructions:
All car rider students must be picked up from the south car loop off of Delmar or from the fire station loop off of 63rd. In the south lot, please continue to move forward through the car loop - even if you are stopped on Delmar. If you are picking up in the fire station lot, please ensure that you keep the car line moving, and that you do not block in the bus drivers that need to access to pick up students in that lot. - Bikers/Walkers
Bikers and walkers can exit the building through any IHMS door, but they must vacate the property by 3:55 p.m. or access our Academic Learning Lab (A.L.L.)
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21-22 PTA Membership: Please Join Us!
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Section 3: SME Area News and Events
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SME "Lancer Day" T-shirts Now For Sale
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SME Share Program Renovation Sensation
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Section 4: Mainstay News
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IHMS Website Reminder
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Give us a Follow
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IHMS Peace Corner
The IHMS Student Services team has created a virtual calming room (click link) for students, staff and families to access in times of need.
We know that stress and anxiety can be high at times. This IHMS Peace Corner has videos and activities to help manage stress, calm down strong feelings and build resiliency. We hope that this will be another resource for our families to navigate this unusual school year. You can also find this page on our Student Services tab at https://indianhills.smsd.org/.
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e-Read Access Through IHMS
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Mental Health Support Option
Parents and Guardians, if your student is in need of mental health support, and you are unable to pay, there may be relief available to you. Please visit the following link to see if you could qualify for assistance from COVID Cares Act relief funds through Johnson County Mental Health. https://jocogov.org/dept/mental-health/accessing-services/covid-19-relief-funds
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1-800-CHILDREN
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COVID-19 Vaccinations Now Available for Ages 12 and Older!
COVID-19 vaccine opportunities are now open through the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment or Children’s Mercy Clinics for adolescents ages 12 and older.
For more information about scheduling an appointment click here.