Friday News and Events
East Antioch Elementary
September 9, 2021
Mission: To create a community where all students feel safe, enabling them to be confident in gaining knowledge and skills to navigate the world around them
Vision: To make East Antioch a community where everyone feels welcome and students become responsible and productive citizens
Calendar of Events
SEPTEMBER
13-24: Panorama Survey Window (grades 3-6) See information below
13: 5th grade choir
15: mathletics (for students that signed up)
16: 6th grade choir
16: PTA Homeroom Parent Meeting - 5:30pm
16: PTA Meeting - 6:00pm (in-person or virtual-see below)
17: No School PK-12 Professional Learning
20: 5 grade choir
22: mathletics (for students that signed up)
22: Bilingual Back-to-School Information Event at SMSD Center for Academic Achievement 5:00-7:00 (see info below)
27: 5 grade choir
29: mathletics (for students that signed up)
30: 6th grade choir
OCTOBER
4: 5 grade choir
6: Mathletics competition
7: 6 grade choir
11: 5 grade choir
13: Mathletics
14: 6 grade choir
15: No School PK-12 - Teacher Work Day
18: 5 grade choir
20: Night Conferences for grades 7-12
20: mathletics
21: 6 grade choir
21: Night Conference for grades K-6 (see information below)
22: No School - Parent Teacher Conference day
25: 5 grade choir
27: Mathletics
28: 6 grade choir
Click here for the 2021-22 SMSD district calendar.
Congratulation to our outstanding teachers!
Georgia Klos-Kindergarten
Erin O'Dwyer-Kindergarten
Carol Fagan-1st grade
Christi Smith-2nd grade
Krissondra Rydzel-4th grade
Kayleigh Morash-6th grade
Nina Williams-Music
Thank you to all of the community members that took the time to recognize our team!
Staff Shout-Outs!
This week's shout-out goes to our school nurse, Holly Poplion. Holly remains calm and supportive no matter what the situation is! A parent emailed us saying " We are so appreciative of all the work that has gone into keeping our students safe during our quarentine and use Poplion's math skills in keeping the whole school safe". Thank you Nurse Poplion. We are all so fortunate to have you as part of the East Antioch community!
Mathletics for students grades 4-6
Good afternoon 4-6 grade parents,
East Antioch is dedicated to enhancing your student’s opportunity for extended learning in mathematics. We are excited to announce that we will be able to have a math club (mathletics) this year, beginning next Wednesday, September 15 after school. Any student in fourth through sixth grades can join. However, our recommendation is that Panther Math Club members have a love for math, complex problem solving, and teamwork. This is NOT Math tutoring. Students who do not enjoy solving math problems will likely not enjoy this club as well as the competitions that come with it! If you would like more information please see this link for more information and to register your child.
PTA meeting is this Thursday-anyone can attend remote or in-person
Last week's PTA meeting was rescheduled. We will have our meeting this Thursday, September 16.
5:30: room parent meeting-for those parents that signed up to be a room parent. It is preferred this part be in-person. If you are not able to attend in-person please let us know and we will send you information.
6:00-PTA meeting, you may attend in-person at East Antioch or join remote through Webex at https://smsd.webex.com/meet/felicianetolicky
The East Antioch PTA supports our students in many ways including providing teachers with classroom supplies, virtual field trips, parent engagement nights, testing snacks and more! Every membership supports students in our school. If you are able to join, we can accomplish so much. How to Join East Antioch PTA:
https://eastantioch.memberhub.com/store scroll down to store items & choose your level of membership - individual, family, staff or other.
We look forward to the collaboration in the community to support staff and students.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION POLICY
East Antioch's specific policy concerning birthday treats for students is below. No birthday treats does include anything that is NOT food.
Birthday treats: As a reminder of the policy that has been in place since 2018 that addresses the health and wellness of children at East Antioch. Our elementary school is implementing a “no birthday treats” guideline. This decision was made after much thought and discussion at the building and district level. There are a variety of reasons why we made this change, the main one being to coordinate with our district’s wellness policy on making healthy choices, in alignment with federal regulations. Be aware that if parents happen to bring treats because they are unaware of this policy, we will hold them in the office and send them home at the end of the day.
Other rationale for restricting treats at school include the following concerns:
Allergies: Due to the increasing number of students with food allergies, schools have had to be extremely careful with any food items entering the school building. It is a safety issue and something that we need to take very seriously.
Promoting Healthy Lifestyle: The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six school-age children are overweight; triple the proportion in 1980. The agency has projected that one in three children born in 2000 will eventually develop a form of diabetes linked to being overweight.
Equity: Some parents are not able to provide treats for their child on birthdays or special days because of financial hardships.
The purpose of this change is to assure a school environment that promotes and protects students’ health, well- being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating, physical activity and healthy choices. This change brings together current research to create guidelines that help us with healthy choices for all of our students. If you are interested in reading the district’s policy on wellness, it is available on the District website.
Classroom teachers will continue to recognize and celebrate children on their special day in special ways. Thanks in advance for your flexibility and for caring about the health of our students.
Ms O'Dwyer's Class Working on Shape Patterns
Coronavirus or COVID-19 Information
Are you looking for district information regarding Covid-19, mitigation measures, district plans, covid testing information, as well as a Covid dashboard are all located on the SMSD/information central website HERE.
We currently have a very high number of positive covid cases in our community. We understand that this causes concern for many of you (and us). We are in contact with the Johnson County Department of Health and will continue to communicate with them.
If your child ends up being in close contact with a positive case, you will receive a letter or email on behalf of the health department from Cindy Alexander. If your child is asked to quarantine, it will be an excused absence. Teachers will either push out homework through Canvas (our online platform) or make a “homework folder”. We will not be logging into webex for live instruction unless the entire class needed to stay home, or in the event of a school closure.
- If you or your student have symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home and contact your school nurse for testing information. Symptoms to watch for:
o New loss of taste or smell
o Sore Throat
o Cough
o Shortness of breath
o Fatigue
o Headache
o Runny Nose
o Congestion
o Fever
o Chills
o Body/muscle aches
o Nausea
o Vomiting
o Diarrhea
- Close contacts of positive COVID cases will receive an email with instructions for testing and return dates.
- SMSD only accepts PCR tests for return to school/activities.
Thank you for your help keeping each other and our community safe!
Dear Families,
We hope the start of the school year has been a smooth one for your family. We are excited to have our students return to school. We want to let you know about challenges we are facing in the 2021-22 school year due to local, regional, and national supply and labor shortfalls related to food and busing.
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.
Transportation
The driver shortage has also impacted school bus transportation. Our contracted bus providers are working hard to recruit and/or develop CDL-licensed drivers to support student transportation needs in our district, with schools across the country facing similar challenges. For the time being, your family may notice more students on buses, longer route times, and later starts for after school activities and athletic events that require transportation.
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.
Thank you for your continued support of the Shawnee Mission School District.
School Based Health Clinic
A school-based health clinic for all Shawnee Mission School District students and their siblings (3 to 20 years old) will open Thursday, September 2 at SM West High School, 8800 W. 85th St. The clinic will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays, except when school is not in session. Health Partnership Clinic (HPC) and the Shawnee Mission School District are partnering to provide access to primary and preventative health care, chronic disease management, mental health services, and dental care to district students and their siblings. For more information about the Health Partnership Clinic, or to schedule a medical appointment, Shawnee Mission School District parents should call 913-648-2266. More information also is available here. Services will include: Physical exams Sports physicals Immunizations, including vaccines for COVID-19 COVID testing Age-appropriate health screenings Preventative education Referrals to specialty services Sick visits Management of acute and chronic problems and mental health services Dental Care including screenings, fluorides, and restorative care Most insurance plans are accepted, including KanCare/Medicaid. As a community health center, HPC offers a sliding-fee discount program which is based on income and household size. Fees are waived for students experiencing homelessness. Free medicaid and Marketplace insurance enrollment will also be available. “The idea is to break down barriers to health care,” Shelby Rebeck, health services director for the Shawnee Mission School District shared. “Barriers for many of our students include low income, lack of knowledge, lack of transportation and parents’/guardians’ inability to take time away from hourly jobs. Health Partnership provides a tremendous opportunity for our students to receive critical health care so they can be successful in school.” The clinic offers pediatric-focused care to treat most health conditions that affect children and adolescents, Amy Falk, HPC’s chief executive officer shared. “We basically function as a doctor’s office, but in a school building,” Falk noted. “Services are available in person or virtual, and walk-ins will be accommodated if the schedule permits. The primary goal is to provide easy, immediate access to quality and affordable health care.” The goal is to serve as a medical home for students and offer an additional access point to primary care, Wael S. Mourad, MD, MHCM, FAAFP, and HPC’s chief health officer, shared. “Beyond a focus on primary health care, it is important we meet the social and emotional needs of children and adolescents to help them reach their individual potential,” Mourad added. The clinic will open across from the nurse’s office at SM West. "The Shawnee Mission School District and Health Partnership Clinic are an example of how two organizations can come together to help improve the lives of children,” says Steve Loe, principal of Shawnee Mission West High School. “The school-based health clinic will greatly expand the resources of our school nurse and social worker and help support our goal to have every student succeed.”
Parent Teacher Conferences
Panorama Social-Emotional Learning survey
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. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to our school social worker, Jenny Suljevic at JenniferSuljevic@smsd.org or you may always contact me.
Survey will be given on the following dates for students that have parent permission in skyward:
September 14: Mrs. Stromgren, Mr. Wann, Mrs. Glasier, Ms. Morash
September 20: Mrs. Rydzel
September 21: Mr. Oldham
September 22: Ms. Kelley and Mrs. Franz
September 23: Ms. Binkley and Mrs. Waris
Escape the Great Indoors
When: Wednesday, September 15 at 7:00pm
Where Shawnee United Methodist Church
10700 Johnson Dr Shawnee KS 66203
For more information go to KCScouting.org, contact Tom Fyffe at tom.fyffe@scouting.org or 816.569.4985
Coach D's Corner
Is there anything that your student, or you as a parent, are proud of? Please email me and we will get it in the newsletter!