August 2009—Published Monthly Shawnee Mission Public Schools
Lancer Newsletter
East Lancers 50 Years
Shawnee Mission East High School www.smsd.org/schools/smeast
It Can Only Get Better What Is Ahead for the 2009-2010 School Year Over the course of the past school year, Shawnee Mission East High School (SME) has undergone some significant changes. As I mentioned in the August, 2008 edition of the Parent Newsletter, block scheduling, new administrative personnel, and building construction would pose the biggest challenges. Despite some early anxiety, block scheduling (for the most part) can be deemed a success. Several changes are in the works to try and improve seminar, including moving seminar to the end of the day to alleviate using this precious academic time for assemblies and other school activities. With the help of seasoned administrators, Heather Royce and Steve Loe, both John McKinney and I feel welcomed and accepted by the staff, students, and the community. Thank you for making this a great year. Our biggest challenge - construction - continues to move forward and even though there have been inconveniences, students and staff adapted well to the constantly changing conditions.
have a number of other goals we plan to work on to improve on the successes of the past. These goals include (but not limited to): 1.
Educational programming for parents and students on the topics of underage drinking and drug use.
2.
Building a SME community of support for all school-sponsored activities with an emphasis on increasing positive school spirit. We need to change our image; where the focus of support is for SME and not the opposition.
for all of our students and athletes. We need to concentrate on supporting our own without creating situations where our attention shifts to “putting down” the opposition or their fans. We also need to find ways to increase student attendance at all events – currently, even our own students and athletes do not support each other very well.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are internal collaborative groups of teachers (in either their respective discipline or with colleagues in other disciplines) whose primary purpose is to focus on “student learning.” Working in 3. Begin a 5-year process of develop- harmony with colleagues at the middle ing and implementing Professional school level, PLC’s use recent and Learning Communities (PLC’s) with proven research in the area of effective a focus on “student learning.” teaching and common assessments to assure all students are progressing to a 4. Encourage all students to be inhigher level of individual learning. volved in at least one schoolsponsored activity whether through We know from years of research, when a school organization or through students are involved in school-related athletics. activities overall student academic perOur comprehensive program on the top- formance increases while student discipline issues decline in number and ics of underage drinking and drug use There is no doubt, we are very excited begins with a meeting of all parents and scope. In addition student involvement about the start of the new school year. in these activities strengthens the bond students (who plan to be involved in a With construction virtually behind us between the student and the school while school sponsored activity athletics and and the economic downtrends starting to organizations) in our new auditorium on enhancing the student’s interpersonal show signs of recovery, “it can only get Monday, August 24, 2009. After a short and communication skills. As such, we better.” Our focus on academic achieve- induction, parents and students will sepa- are looking at strategies to encourage ment will remain our number one prior- rate (parents remaining in the auditoand engage every student into a schoolity throughout the year. In addition, we rium, students moving to the cafeteria) sponsored activity. where each group will receive more inAs always, we are grateful for the supKey Dates: formation on both topics. The session port of our parents and the community. will close with both groups back in the Without the other half of education we Walk In Fee Payment auditorium. Our goal with these presen- would not be able to provide the kind of August 3 – 7:30am-2:30pm tations is to concentrate on how we can programming you expect and deserve. August 4 – 12n-7pm keep our kids safe. Thank you again and I hope to see and August 6 –7:30am-2:30pm meet more of you as we begin our secIn the area of building community supth August 17 – First Day 9 grade ond year together. port and school spirit our intent is to August 18 – First Day 10th-12th grades repair our tarnished reputation of how Karl R. Krawitz Ed.D we literally behave and act at events August 20 – Back to School Night Principal while building up attendance and support