Benninghoven Family Newsletter
March 30, 2020
Vision: A place where everyone pursues their greatness.
Mission: A community coming together for our kids.
From Dr. Gonser
Greetings Benninghoven Families,
I hope this message finds you all doing well, staying safe, and staying positive. I am excited to begin digital learning this week and to build on the positive relationships we have built over the year- Now we just get to do it in innovative ways! In an effort to keep communication open and get you all the info you need, I will now be sending you a newsletter every week. I hope this helps us all stay connected and informed. This week, teachers will begin connecting with students and offering digital learning opportunities. Your teachers miss you very much and we are excited to interact with you. We will start small and take it very slow- this is new for everyone. The goal this week will be to connect with every student, get virtual platforms set up for everyone, and have your first interactions with your child's teacher.
It is important to note that we realize all families are in different places and adjusting to this new lifestyle in their own time. Please know that the instruction assigned during this time is optional and intended to keep your child on track with their learning. It will not be the same quantity or level of rigor that would occur in our classrooms. Please do what you can with your child. We know everyone is doing their best and juggling many things from home. We will share many resources and opportunities with you in the coming weeks, but you are not obligated to complete them. Some families need more school resources, and some families need less, and we are working to provide for everyone. We thank you for your grace and patience and we work to find that balance.
Another priority this week is distributing PreK-2 iPads to families. We are working to do this as soon as possible in order to enable virtual instruction for all learners. Detailed information for PreK-2 iPad pick up is below. We will distribute PreK-2 iPads on Thursday, April 2nd.
Now that learning has gone digital, we want to make sure it is easy for families to access the instructional materials and resources they need. In the weekly newsletter you will receive from me, I will include a section titled "Quick Links". Here you will find links to all of the Benninghoven content you might need. Specials classes, Mrs. Pyle's page, and other items all Benninghoven families need can be found here. We hope this keeps things convenient for you and prevents you from having to look around for tools from every teacher. In addition to these links, your child's teacher should have communicated their plans for getting information to you each day or week.
I know I speak for our entire Knights Staff when I say we look forward to getting back to learning this week, and re-establishing our connections in new ways. Tough situations have the ability to separate communities or bring them together. I know that by working as a team in our efforts to support kids in our community, we will emerge more unified than ever. Our mission is: A community coming together for kids. There has never been greater need or evidence of this mission than now. Please let us know how we can support you at this time. Thank you for your partnership Knights Community.
Take care,
Dr. Gonser
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Quick Links
A Letter from Dr. Fulton
Dear SMSD Families:
I hope your family is well. Please know the Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) team is committed to the health and safety of your family and our employees. We are equally committed to doing our best to provide your child with meaningful learning experiences for the remainder of the school year. This week, all Kansas school districts have been developing continuous learning plans. The plans are required by the Kansas State Department of Education and designed to support Kansas students in their learning through the end of the school year. Click here for theSMSD Parent’s Guide to Continuous Learning.
In the next several days, you will receive an email from your child’s principal letting you know when learning begins for your child and what you can expect. Learning will, in almost every case, occur away from the building. Every school will provide information on how instruction will occur along with the materials and digital solutions used to support student learning. We are fortunate that all students in grades 3-8 have access to either a MacBook Air or an iPad. Because internet access at home is not universal for all students, schools are making accomodations in their lesson design to address access and equity. At the PreK-2 level, be watching for additional information from your building principal regarding potential iPad distribution.
This email is intended to provide a big picture overview of where we are in preparing learning for your child. It will be very important for you to monitor email and other strategies your school uses to communicate. Principals and teachers are best prepared to answer your questions. Learning will obviously look very different. You may have questions for principals and teachers they cannot immediately answer. We ask for your patience as we create new approaches to learning for your child, and ways to engage with you as a parent.
As a point of interest, the Board of Education will have a special meeting on Monday night at 6 p.m. to approve our waiver request to the state, which if approved will mean the district would not have to make up the hours school buildings have been closed. State approval of our waiver, which is required of all Kansas school districts, provides needed flexibility for issues such as required attendance hours, credits for graduation, and special education. A link to the audio will be shared on www.smsd.org, where you can follow the Board of Education meeting and learn more about SMSD’s plan for continuous learning.
On behalf of the Board of Education and district staff, thank you for your patience and support, and for all you do on behalf of our children. We stand with you in support of our community during this difficult time. SMSD is a strong, kind, and caring community committed to the well-being of every child. Be safe, stay home, and stay well.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mike Fulton
Superintendent
Benninghoven Family Liaison
Medication Pick Up
PreK- 2nd Grade iPads
10:10-10:30 Mrs. Boyer
10:30-10:50 Mrs. Hall
10:50-11:10 Miss Fingalsen
11:10-11:30 Mrs. Hoog
11:30-11:50 Mrs. Widman
11:50-12:10 Mrs. Viestenz
12:10-12:30 Miss Campbell
12:30-12:50 Mrs. Newell
12:50-1:10 Mrs. Loe
1:10- 1:30 Mrs. Bilovesky
When you arrive for pick up, please use the Southeast entrance, and drive around to the back of the building. We will have a sign posted where you should pull in. Note that this is where PreK and K families usually pick up, not the front circle drive. Please post your child’s last name in large, clearly visible writing in your front windshield.
When you pull through, a staff member will relay your name to the delivery team at the end of the drive. Please pull all the way up to 3 drop off tables that will be set up. Your child’s last name will be written on a sign on the table, and you can get out of your vehicle to pick up their ipad at that location. Once you have the ipad, please return to your vehicle right away and continue through the loop so the next family can pick up. Please pull your vehicle up alongside the table for easy access. We apologize in advance that we will not be able to do much socializing or interact with you and your student at this time. We very much want to see you, but we must also maintain social distancing as instructed by district and local authorities.
If you have multiple students in grades K-2, you will pick up with the youngest child’s class. Each family will receive 1 charging brick, and a charging cord for every child. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we do not have enough charging bricks to issue one for every child. However, each family should have a brick to go with their cords. If you have another USB source, you can use the cords to charge in any USB source.
Thank you for your patience with this process! We will see you at your scheduled time this Thursday.
Student Meals To Go
Beginning March 24, 2020, free breakfast and lunch will be provided to all children ages 1 to 18 at four school sites in the Shawnee Mission School District. Due to federal regulations, students must be present to receive breakfast and lunch. Read more here.
Locations:
- Comanche Elementary, 8200 Grant St., Overland Park
- Rosehill Elementary, 9801 Rosehill, Lenexa
- Shawanoe Elementary, 11230 W 75th St., Shawnee
- Hocker Grove Middle School, 10400 Johnson Dr, Shawnee
Time: 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.
Tech Support At Home
Technology support will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday. The district’s Web Help Desk ticketing system is available at https://support.smsd.org to any employee or student.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) team has placed a permanent link/app on all devices for easy access. This link can be accessed by clicking on the link that looks like this: or by clicking on this Help Desk link. The Help Desk can also be reached by phone, and is available to all employees and students at (913)993-8880. ICT encourages using the ticketing system as much as possible as phone support is more limited.
The ICT team will also be able to offer WebEx sessions to users that would like “face-to-face” support. You may view the support document we have created at this link: Using the SMSD WebEx Platform to help people install and configure the necessary software
In District Transfers for 20-21 School Year
The Shawnee Mission School District began accepting transfer applications beginning at 8 a.m. March 1, 2020, through 5 p.m. April 30, 2020.
Click here for Transfer Procedure information. Links for electronically submitting applications will become available at 8 a.m. on March 1, 2020 on this page.
Please note that the Board of Education adopted the following considerations as part of the district transfer policy on Jan. 14, 2019.
- Siblings of current District Transfer students receive first priority consideration.
- In-District students of employees will receive the second priority consideration.
- In-District Transfers are reviewed first in the order they are received.
- Remaining transfer requests are considered in the order they are received.
Please Note:
Transfer requests should only be submitted for those who are not currently transfer students.
Applications for readmittance are not needed for current transfer students. Please do not submit a transfer request if this applies.
Applications for readmittance are not needed for current transfer students who are moving from sixth grade to seventh grade and students moving from eighth grade to their freshman year of high school. Please do not submit a transfer request if this applies.
The full transfer policy can be read here.