IHMS Weekly News
December 18-22, 2020
Upcoming IHMS Events:
12/22: Middle School Adventure Day (see information below)
12/22: Ugly Holiday Sweater Day
12/22: Early Release Day (students release @ 1:45 p.m.)
12/23-01/04: Winter Break - No School
01/05-01/22: Remote School Continues
01/22: Semester 1 Concludes
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Section 1: This Week
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Middle School Adventure Day - December 22
On Tuesday, December 22, it's time to celebrate the last day of school in 2020. Although we typically save student reward days until end of semester, we want to recognize the efforts of our students who are working hard and acting with "hONor" before winter break.
Check out this promotional video (you can also click below) for more information.
This week in Knight Time class, your student will receive have the opportunity to preview their options as they begin to choose their own adventure. There will be raffles, prizes, learning, rewards, fun activities, and more, but your student will need to be in attendance in order to participate and/or win.
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Parent Reminder: Reporting Attendance Procedure
When your student is going to be absent for whatever reason, please remember it is the parents' responsibility to notify the school (not the student). You can use the 24 hour Attendance line @ 913-993-0412 or email debrahohly@smsd.org and jordanswanson@smsd.org.
Please also note that students must be in attendance for at least 30 minutes of the hour in order to be counted present. Students that show up to class and then leave early will be marked absent.
Due to the craziness this year, we have accepted student emails to teachers because many times that is the documentation that we have been provided. It is district policy, however, for parents to call or inform attendance personnel or the absence will not be excused.
After winter break, we will be adhering to the aforementioned district policy. If your student will be out for any holiday traveling in the near future, please let us know. We appreciate all you have to do with remote and hybrid learning, and we want to ensure that your student is not penalized for unexcused absences.
Thank you for your help!
Debra Hohly,
Attendance Clerk
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A Thank You From PTA!
We wish you and your families a healthy and happy holiday season!
Go Knights!
IHMS PTA
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WebEx Sign In Troubles?
Solution: All students should have set up their account through Knight Time in September using this presentation. It covers both forgotten passwords and setting up an account for the first time. Please work with your student to ensure that they are set up and able to sign into their WebEx account at both smsd.webex.com AND the Meetings app. Students are not allowed to enter a teacher’s Meeting room unless they are signed into their account. Please submit a Hills Help Hub request if you have specific questions or are unable to complete the sign in. Thank you!
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Middle School Athletic Clinics
Middle schools in the Shawnee Mission School District will resume all athletics, except wrestling, during second semester, once the district has transitioned back to the hybrid learning model. Middle school athletics will not take place while in the remote learning model.
To help keep our students safe during this time, middle school sports will not be competitive, but instead, will run clinics focused on skill building, rules and game strategy. There will be safety protocols in place in accordance with the Shawnee Mission Athletic Department, the Johnson County Health Department, and the Kansas State High School Activities Association to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. To see these protocols and guidelines, click HERE. An important part of these protocols involves maintaining cohorts, which means students will only participate in clinics on the days they attend school in-person.
If a child is a part of the remote-learning model, the days they will attend the clinics will be based on their last name:
Mondays & Tuesdays: Group A - Student last name begins with letters A-Lamb
Wednesdays & Thursdays: Group B - Student last name begins with letters Lamc - Z
Clinics will be held directly following the school day, running from 4:00 pm until 5:30 pm. Transportation to and from clinics will not be provided. Any student who would like to participate in the clinics will need to have a current physical on file, along with the Concussion & Head Injury Release signed. These can be found HERE (Spanish). These forms can also be found on each middle school’s website under Activities & Athletics, or picked up at your child’s school.
Tentative Athletic Timeline (subject to change based on return to Hybrid date):
Boys Basketball
February 1 - February 26
7th & 8th Grade
Girls Basketball
March 1 - March 26
7th & 8th Grade
Volleyball
March 29 - April 30
7th & 8th Grade Girls
Cross Country
May 3 - May 28
7th & 8th Grade Boys & Girls
Wrestling
Cancelled until the 21-22 School year
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Winter Break Information From Nurse Judy
The Indian Hills nurse office will be closed and nurse Judy will not be available from December 23-January 3. The nurse office will re-open on Jan. 4th. The nurse office will respond to voice messages upon returning on Jan. 4th.
There will be no COVID testing administered by SMSD after Dec 22nd.
Testing Site Information
- If you have COVID related questions, please contact Johnson County Health Dept. on their COVID hotline at 913-715-2819.
- Other testing site options include www.gogettested.com which provides links to several different locations in the KC Metro area (including Shawnee Mission North High School and the Church of the Resurrection).
Thank you so very much.
Judy McMullen, RN, BSN, M.Ed
Indian Hills Middle School Nurse
913-993-0407
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Section 2: Still Relevant
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Yearbook Purchase Due Date: January 15
This yearbook will truly be a one-of-a-kind keepsake of this school year - through a pandemic - that your child will want to show others throughout their lifetime. We will capture and ask for photos related to school and the lives of our students both within our building and wherever our Knights are learning and living. Payments for yearbook are completed through e-funds linked here. If you have any questions, contact Veronica Rodriguez through our school office phone number (913) 993-0400 or veronicarodriguez@smsd.org.
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Yearbook Ad Purchase Due Date: January 8
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Need Holiday Gift Ideas? Click below!
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Section 3: Mainstay News
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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 anxieties are high right now in our community. 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/ or in your student’s Knight Time course in Canvas, under the Student Services button.
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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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No More Snow Days?
In some extreme weather cases (causing power outages, etc.), school could still potentially be cancelled.
If your student is unable to attend remotely on a "snow day," normal daily attendance procedures apply.
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1-800-CHILDREN
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20-21 PTA Membership: Please Join Us!
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Library Book Checkouts Available to Students
Students can put physical books on hold through our library site. On the “Books & Stuff” → Destiny Discover page is a video on how to reserve a library book as well as check out our eBooks.
Once students have put a physical book on hold, it will be ready for them to pick up from a cart in the front office.
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Previous Editions of IHMS Weekly News
October 23-30 (Major Hybrid Learning Updates)
September 18 - 25 (Canvas pairing instructions)