Hello North Community!

I hope you all had a great weekend, and that you are as excited as I am about the start of the 2023-2024 school year. In this newsletter, we are adding some additional action items, but also leaving some pertinent reminders from our previous newsletter.

Just a friendly reminder, online verification must be completed by students and guardians before August 11th.

We are so excited to get this school year started, and we look forward to a great year with your student at the Brickhouse! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at the office here at Shawnee Mission North. Go Bison!

• Aug 8: SMN Basics (see below)

• Aug 10: Physical Night (5-8 p.m.)

• Aug 10: Freshman parent/guardian orientation (6:00-6:30)

• Aug 10: Back to School Night (6:30-8:15)

• Aug 14: First day of fall sports

• Aug 15: Freshman and Senior First Day of school (more information on these dates will be available in future newsletters).

• Aug 16: All students report to school

I hope this message finds all of you enjoying the summer season!

As many of you know, the SMSD Calendar shows that freshmen and seniors have school on August 15th and that all students will be in school on August 16. Below you will find a description of the different activities for each grade level on this date.

Freshmen

Freshmen will start that day at 7:40 in the Field House gym. They will want to report to North by 7:30 and should bring a bag so they can carry their computer which will be issued that day. Freshmen activities will conducted with our Freshman Mentor Program. Buses will be running at regular times this day.

Seniors

Senior class members who are not part of the FMP program on August 15th will have the opportunity to participate in an exploration activity of their choosing and may choose an experience that aligns with their Individual Plan of Study (IPS) required by the state of Kansas. Seniors may choose to participate in a college visit, community service, job shadow, or other IPS-related experience. Seniors participating in such an experience will need to provide their own transportation. Seniors are encouraged to identify an experience in which they may participate on the afternoon of August 15.

Senior students choosing this option, must have a parent/guardian fill out the August 15th Attendance Form to document their plan and excuse them from reporting to North on August 15th. FMP Leaders and other seniors participating in Freshman First Day activities do not need a parent/guardian to fill out the Attendance Form.

Seniors who report to North on August 15th, and are not part of Freshman First Day, will need to report to the front office for other assigned options. Senior students who are not excused to participate in an experience will be afforded real-world and hands-on learning opportunities by working with the various groups to support the incoming 9th graders and new school year. Some examples of these opportunities include assisting with freshman computer deployment, room and building organization, space configurations (LC, FH, etc), and equipment transfer/transitions.

All grades, 9-12, will be at school on Wednesday, August 16, for a full day of classes.

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.

2023 Fall Informational Letter

• Visit smsd.org.

• In the top navigation bar, click on “Skyward” and log in to your account.

• Under “Home” you will see “2023-2024 Student Annual Online Verification.

• If you have trouble accessing your Family Skyward account, please contact the computer clerk, Karen Facklam, at 913- 993-6909 or karenfacklam@smsd.org.

• • The online fee payment portal is now available for school fees. Go to www.smsd.org, hover over the "Families " tab, and click the link entitled "Pay Fees Online".
  • If you are interested in applying for free or reduced lunch, please use this link.
  • The following fees are required: instructional resource Fee, participation fee, ID card and course fees.
  • Optional fees are: parking, class dues, literary magazine, yearbook, pep club. Unpaid optional fees will be swept from your account after 1Q.
  • If you need to pay by check, please mail your check with your student’s ID number in the memo to SM North, Attn: Bookkeeper, 7401 Johnson Dr., Overland Park, KS 66202.
  • If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, email a copy of your food service benefits letter to shellelewis@smsd.org. Free lunch students receive a $105 waiver & reduced receive $52.50.
  • For payment plans and questions, please call 913-993-6910 or email shellelewis@smsd.org.

  
  

Students should check their schedule prior to the first day of school.

Counselors will accept change requests by email ONLY.

The last day to request a schedule change is Tuesday, August 15 at 3:00 pm.

Schedule change requests will be prioritized as follows:

1. You are missing a graduation requirement

2. Your schedule is incomplete, or a class is duplicated

3. You are enrolled in a course that you have already completed and received credit.

4. You are enrolled in a course for which you have NOT met the prerequisite.

5. You have a physical injury that does not allow participation in the course.

6. You wish to increase or decrease rigor of your schedule (assuming space is available).

7. You have decided you do not want to take a class that you originally chose (in January).

Alpha Counselor by student last name:

A – D/ELL jeinnymorris@smsd.org

E – K leahmurray@smsd.org

L – Q jenniferfontaine@smsd.org

R – W deannagriffey@smsd.org

Real World Learning and X, Y, Z brittsherer@smsd.org

• The Parent/Teacher/Student Association (PTSA) and the All-School Booster Club are great ways for parents and guardians to get involved with our school!

• Join PTSA by clicking on this link!

• Join Booster Club by clicking on this link!

• All proceeds raised by both organizations directly benefit SMN students!

• The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) is the governing body for a variety of student activities in the state of Kansas. Their website is www.kshsaa.org

• All forms that need to be completed for participation in a KSHSAA-sanctioned event at SMN can be found here.

• Please encourage your student to get involved in school activities and/or athletics! We have something for everyone at SMN!

• Please review our Student Handbook with your student

• Notify your student’s alpha administrator if you have any questions or concerns.

• Student last names A-G: Contact Dustin Jamison

• Student last names H-N: Contact Jon Durham

• Student last names O-Z: Contact Laura Brogdon

• Some of your students are in need of State of Kansas Required Immunizations.

• All who need them have been sent emails with a reminder of which immunization your student needs.

• Feel free to contact Nurse Kelly at 913-993-6916 or email at maryalicekelly@smsd.org

• Review DS Bus Company information and/or sign up for transportation service by clicking this link.

• Please note that eligibility for free bus transportation can be dictated by your home address.

If you are interested in food services positions in the SMSD, please see the image below.