March 2010— 2010—Published OnOn-line Monthly Shawnee Mission Public Schools East Lancers 51 Years
Lancer Newsletter Shawnee Mission East High School www.smsd.org/schools/smeast
Despite Financial Woes Hitting Public Education Our Commitment to Deliver Quality Education Will Not Change Key Dates:
Message from the Principal
3/2 LATE START, 9:40am 3/2 PTA General Meeting, 11:30am 3/4 College Connection, 7-9pm 3/10 AP Registration Deadline 3/12 EARLY DISMISSAL, 1:10pm 3/15-3/19 NO SCHOOL, Spring Break 3/22 NO SCHOOL, Improvement Day 4/2-4/3 Used Book Sale 4/6 LATE START, 9:40am 4/6 PTA General Meeting, 11:30am 4/10 ACT Test Date 4/17 Earth Fair 4/19 8th Grade Athletic Orientation Night, 7pm 4/20 EARLY DISMISSAL, 1:10pm 4/21 Parent-Principal Coffee, 9am 5/4 LATE START, 9:40am 5/4 PTA General Meeting, 11:30am 5/14 Senior Day 5/17 Graduation 5/24-5/27 Final Exams
By now, most everyone is aware of the financial situation in the state of Kansas and the negative impact additional cuts in funding will have on public education. In a recent e-mail communication sent out to high school administrators from the organization United School Administrator’s Association of Kansas, the alarm was sounded on how desperate and extensive next year’s cuts in education are going to be for every school district in the State – including Shawnee Mission. The message indicated that state legislators are becoming more and more “numb” to the continuous stream of school district superintendents who parade to Topeka to speak openly about the concern. The organization indicated the time has come to mobilize the parents, community members, business leaders, and other taxpaying patrons in an effort to have their voices heard. Despite these financial woes, it important for the students and the community to know SME teachers and support staff are committed to providing the highest quality of education possible. We are committed to excellence, and we are committed to your students. We will not waiver in the job we know we must do. Sure, there is going to be a lot of anxiety and frustration along the way; nevertheless, we must persevere through these difficult times. In essence, we need to make our financial adversity our ally. We cannot point fingers of blame or hold other variables responsible. In addition, we simply cannot feel sorry for ourselves and pass that feeling on to our students or show it in our teaching. We will have to be more creative and even more innovative in how we deliver knowledge in the classroom. Our attitude will remain positive and focused. As much as I speak to our commitment to educational quality, you should know others will respond to this commitment, productivity of staff, and the achievement of students with the following question: “If educators can do more with less, then why are we funding education at previously higher levels of support?” This kind of attitude by legislators or the general public could be more devastating in the future than this original impact is having right now. If this occurs, the quality of education will erode across the State
and affect every school district in Kansas. Sustaining the future means we must treat education as a priority if we expect our children’s children to have a future where there is progressive opportunity for all, regardless of the profession they choose. When and if we get through this current financial crisis, I hope Topeka and others remember the commitment given by those who rose to the challenge without sacrificing quality in the process. SME has a proud tradition of excellence and one we should protect for future Lancers. Please join with others, whether you a member of PTA, East Fund, Booster Club, or just a concerned parent, and take a few minutes to invest in a phone call, letter, or e-mail to our representatives in Johnson County as well as to other representatives in state of Kansas. In your words of communication, stay away from emotional phrases and focus on the obligation we have to our children. The road ahead is filled with fog and the unknown. The one thing you should not worry about is the quality of education your child will receive at SME.
Upcoming SME Performances Choir Events 3/5 Masterworks Concert (Choraliers) Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral 3/9 District Choral Festival (Choraliers) 4/5 Pre-Festival Choir Concert (no Freshman) 5/12 Spring Concert SME Auditorium at 7pm
Theater Events 3/1 A Celebration of Dr. Seuss, 6pm, Little Theatre 3/5 Frequent Friday production will be presented by director Patrick Barry at 3pm in the Little Theatre 4/2 Frequent Friday production presented by directors Dawn Selder and Delaney Herman at 3 pm in the Little Theatre. 4/5-4/6 The Repertory Theatre class will present original one act plays at 3 pm in the Little Theatre.
Band Events 3/31 District Band Concert at 7pm 5/4 Band/Orchestra Concert at 7pm
Orchestra Events 3/10 Collage Concert 7 pm 4/6 SM District Large Ensemble Festival (Symphony Orchestra) at 7 pm at SM South 4/8 Ensemble Festival at Blue Valley Northwest 4/24 Solo Festival at SM East 4/27 Spring Fling; East Orchestra Festival at 7 pm in Gym 5/4 Band/Orchestra Concert at 7pm If you know of a performance that should be included in this feature, please contact Joan Beahm at jmbeahm@hotmail.com or 913-341-3725.
Heads up, Lancer fans! In May a student committee will present the Bill Crow Lancer Spirit award to the graduating senior who has shown positive support for Lancer athletics and activities. Bill Crow graduated from SME in 1992, and although he was wheelchair-bound, he did not let it stop him from attending games, meets, and plays; and enthusiastically supporting students even when the team was losing. After his passing, his classmates created a scholarship for a current East graduate who exemplifies the kind of Lancer that Bill Crow was. All East graduating seniors are eligible for this honor.
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From the Nurse For the 2010-2011 school year, all students will require 3 Hepatitis B vaccines and 2 Varicella Vaccines. Johnson County Health Department (JCHD) will be offering varicella (Chicken Pox Vaccine) to all adolescents ages 10-18 free of charge (regardless of insurance) beginning Feb 22 through a grant. JCHD has tentatively planned to be open the week of spring break every day except for that Friday until 7 PM.
Book Fair March 8-12 / Cappuccino Day March 9 Many of you are already familiar with Scholastic Book Fairs, but now the company has a new book fair targeted for high school students. Scholastic asked SM East and SM Northwest to test the new line. We have scheduled the fair for March 8-12 so students can pick up good reads for spring break! On Tuesday, March 9 Peggy Miller will provide Cappuccino drinks for students during the fair. Cost is $1.00 each. Jane Wetzel and Stephanie Low will head up the volunteers to help with Cappuccino Day. All the profits will go to purchase new books for the library! Please encourage your student to come to the library and enjoy these events!
Rock ‘n’ Read On Friday, February 26, Mr. McKinney and Mrs. Detrixhe read Green Eggs and Ham from rocking chairs to classes in the back of the library. Students sat on the floor and enjoyed the story in English and Spanish as part of our Read across America and Dr. Seuss’ birthday celebrations!
Borders Benefit Card The library recently received a gift card to Borders from the Borders Benefit Days in November. This card will allow us to stretch our budget by a couple hundred more dollars to purchase more new titles! Thanks a million to all those who participated!
SHARE News Thanks to all of you for your cans of soup for the Souper Bowl of Caring. The Chiefs, SHARE and the SME Football team worked together to collect over 600 cans of soup at SME. It was great fun to have KC Wolf help us at drop off one morning.!!! SHARE, Stuco, The Coalition and the coffee shop teamed up to collect over $3,500 to give to Heart to Heart International to help with their relief efforts. What an amazingly generous community we live in!!!!!!! We plan to work together to plan additional help for Haiti. The President’s Volunteer Service award information and application are available online at www.smeshare.org. The application must be turned in by April 1. Due to a facilities conflict, the Annual SHARE Garage Sale has been rescheduled to Oct. 16. It’s never too late to volunteer! Please have your student come by the SHARE office, room 463, e-mail me at PatKaufman@smsd.org., or call me at home 913-677-1839 or at SHARE 913-993-6820. Pat Kaufman, SHARE
President’s Volunteer Service Award Here’s a chance for your student to be recognized! The President’s Volunteer Service Award This a national program to recognize students who demonstrate outstanding service to their community, nation or abroad during the 12 – month period between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010.
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Both SHARE hours and other volunteer hours conducted independently may qualify. For most SME students, age 15 or older, the awards are: GOLD: 250 or more hours of service SILVER: 175 – 249 hours of service BRONZE: 100 – 174 hours of service For those SME students who will not have turned 15 by April 1, 2010, the awards are as follows: GOLD: 100 or more hours of service SILVER: 75 – 99 hours of service BRONZE: 50 – 74 hours of service A variety of volunteer services qualify. Fundraising for community services and faith – based service can be included. Activities must be unpaid. Travel time and actual work time on volunteer trips counts.
SME Choirbooster News During Spring break, March 13 – 20, the SME Choraliers will travel to Vienna and Salzburg, both in Austria and to Prague, Czech Republic. They will perform five format concerts and several informal arranged performance in beautiful and historic spaces, and will get a taste of the history and musical heritage of these three magnificent cities. State Choral festival will be coming up in April. Our Pre-Festival Concert will be held on Monday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the Dan Zollars Auditorium at SME. All choirs sing EXCEPT Concert Choir (Freshmen). See our website for details, www.smechoirbooster.com Our final Choirbooster membership meeting of the school year will be held Wednesday, April 2, at 7:00 p.m. in the Choir Room. Please join us at this important final meeting to hear bout choir year-end activities, election of new officers for 2010-2011, etc.
Theatre News
The following do not qualify for volunteer service hours:
Frequent Friday productions will be presented March 5 by director Patrick Barry and April 2 by directors Dawn Selder and Delaney Herman at 3 pm in the Little Theatre.
Fund-raising for sports teams, choir, plays, etc., from which the student benefits,
The Advanced Repertory Theatre class will present A Celebration of Dr. Seuss on March 1 at 6:00 pm in the Little Theatre and will take their production on tour to several elementary schools March 2.
Court – ordered community service, Sleeping or entertainment time after you traveled to the volunteer location. Forms are available online at smeshare.org and in this newsletter. Award applications and log forms may also be picked up outside the SHARE office room 463. Questions? Contact SHARE advisers Pat Kaufman or Lesley Multer at 993-6820 or eamulter@smsd.org or PTA rep Jan Roach at 649-1981 or Lamonter@swbell.net. All forms are to be returned to the SHARE office (Attention: Lesley Multer) by April 1, 2010. Also, you may email the form to Lamonter@swbell.net or post mark it by April 1, 2010 to Jan Roach, 4409 West 82nd Street, Prairie Village, KS 662085036
SME Newsletter - March 2010
The Repertory Theatre class will present original one act plays April 5 & 6 at 3 pm in the Little Theatre. If you’d like to join Theatre Boosters, please contact Pat Latshaw at platshaw@kc.rr.com or 341-5725. Information is also available at www.smetheatreboosters.org.
SME Newsletter Publication Guidelines • The SME Lancer Newsletter is published monthly (electronically) during the school year except for a combined November/December edition. • Deadline for submissions is the 1st Friday of each month with newsletter distribution occurring on the last Friday of the month. • Submissions in Word are preferable. You may also send articles in other word processing formats or graphically as a pdf or jpeg. Electronic submissions are best, but hard copy material can be placed in the “Newsletter” folder located in the PTA mailbox. • Your submissions may be edited due to space considerations. • Questions? Contact Heather Royce, SME Associate Principal at 9936600, earoyce@smsd.org; or Joan Beahm, PTA Newsletter Editor at 3413725, jmbeahm@hotmail.com.
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Counseling Office News— News—www.smecounselor.org Registration for AP Exams ENDS Wednesday, March 10th The Advanced Placement Program What is it? The Advanced Placement Program includes college-level coursework taught within a high school. By taking the AP exam, a student has the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced standing at many colleges and universities. Which colleges accept AP exam results for college credit? Over 90% of 4-year colleges in the U.S. provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying scores. Go to www.collegeboard.com to determine which colleges participate in the AP Program and the scores required for college credit or advanced standing. On the website, type a college name in the “College Quickfinder” box, click on “AP” in the menu at the top and then scroll down until you have reached the section on AP.
Who may take the AP exams? Students who have been preparing for the exam by taking the corresponding course may register for and take the exam. Course enrollment is not required for testing but students who have prepared for the exam by taking the course score much higher.
What is the cost and how does a student register for the exams? Each exam costs $86.00. Students may register for the exams in the Counseling Office by paying the exam fee and filling out the correct form. Registration started Monday, February 9th and ends Wednesday, March 10th, 2010. College Board and the State of Kansas provide a reduced exam fee for families with acute financial need.
When are the exams? The exams are only given over a two-week period of time each year. The dates for 2010 are May 3-7 and May 1014. Administration of each exam is assigned a specific morning or afternoon during those ten days. These assignments are made by The College Board and are followed nationwide. Questions? Additional information about the AP Program or exams may be found on www.collegeboard.com and/or by contacting Deanna Griffey, Counselor, at 993-6635 or eagriffe@smsd.org. You can find a the schedule on my Web Back Pack at http://www4.smsd.org/SMECounselors/html27558.htm.
Prep Headquarters (Prep HQ) Juniors: Don’t forget to register on PrepHQ. PrepHQ gives you a central location to manage college planning, and share your progress with counselors and parents. Explore colleges, scholarships, summer program opportunities and much more! Next year we will use PrepHQ to send your transcripts electronically to member colleges. If you need help registering contact Stephanie Blackmer, Registrar, in the Counseling Office or pick up a registration reference guide in the Counseling Office. The Choices workshop at Johnson County Community College is designed for second-semester high school juniors, high school seniors and traditional-age college students. It can help you make satisfying educational decisions that support your career and life goals. You will be introduced to: Self-Assessment - Gain an understanding of your occupational interests and how those interests can fit into the world of work - Discover your personality strengths and see what the effects of each preference are in work situations. Occupational Exploration - Use the Career Services Department's extensive resources to investigate career choices - Practice brainstorming to come up with new career options and possibilities - Assess realistic expectations for yourself - Identify barriers and support systems. SME Newsletter - March 2010
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Counseling Office News— News—www.smecounselor.org The Choices workshop in 2010 is now free of charge to high school second semester juniors and seniors. Students may enroll for the Choices workshops by calling the Career Services Center at 913/469-3870, in person in the Career Services Center located on the second floor of the Student Center or online at www.jccc.edu/careerservices (click on Enroll and Pay – NO COST). Choices Workshop Schedule (see https://secure.touchnet.com/C20110_ustores/web/ store_cat.jsp?STOREID=1&CATID=3 for dates) Want help planning your future? Check out the Kansas Career Pipeline at www.kansascareerpipeline.org for information on careers, majors, colleges, job opportunities and more. If you’d like to take their self assessments, see the SME Counseling office for the required “Batch Codes”
SCAM ALERT – Testing Materials Parents and students need to be alert for scams involving “absolutely guaranteed” or “must have” test preparatory materials that will guarantee scholarships or a student’s acceptance to any college in the nation. Recently an SME parent contacted the Counseling department asking about a great deal on SAT/ACT test materials that had been offered to them over the phone. These “guaranteed” materials were only $175 and would insure the student’s successful acceptance to any college. Happily, this parent declined the offer and checked with their student’s counselor. The counselor called CollegeBoard, publishers for the SAT, and was informed that CollegeBoard has never called potential customers in order to sell their test preparatory materials. The CollegeBoard’s materials can be purchased on their website at a considerably reduced price than was quoted to the parent. Please be alert to such bogus offers. The adage “let the buyer beware” continues to be worthy of our attention. ——————————————————————————————————————————————--
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Lancer Athletics
Jim Ricker, Athletic Director
SM East Master Calendar and Athletic Schedules At Your Fingertips You can always get the SM East activities calendar on a daily basis. Just go to www.smsd.org and then go to the tab that says “parents”. In the drop down menu, select “schools”. On the right hand side under high schools, select “SME”. When the web page opens, click on the calendar icon on the home page. You will be able to see activities taking place here at East. You can also access the calendar of athletic events. Go to www.smesports.com. Click on the “calendar” tab and the calendar should open up. This calendar contains up to the minute listings of all SME athletic events for the entire school year. Make www.smesports.com a favorite on your computer.
Physical Exams for the 2010-2011 School Year Before an athlete can practice or try out, we must have a physical exam on file. Only one physical exam is required for participation in athletics, cheerleading, and drill team for the entire 2010-2011 school year. The exam must take place on or after May 1, 2010, and must be signed by an MD (medical doctor), DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine), DC (chiropractor), or RPA (registered physician’s assistant). A physical may be performed by an RNP (registered nurse practitioner), but the physical must be co-signed by a physician. An athlete will not be allowed to practice or try out unless it is co-signed. Specific forms may be obtained from the office at SME or downloaded from www.smesports.com. This is a KSHSAA requirement.
Annual Sports Physical Exam Night Once again, there will be a sports physical exam night here at SM East this May on a date that has yet to be determined. Please watch for an announcement or check the SM East calendar.
8th Grade Athletic Orientation Night at SM East – Monday, April 19 Monday, April 19, 2010 is the 8th Grade Athletic Orientation Night for current 8th graders and their parents. If you have an 8th grader who will attend SM East in the fall of 2010, this is an informative and interesting evening. The event will start at 7:00pm and will take place in the SM East Gym. The orientation will provide the athletes, cheerleaders, and their parents the chance to meet the head coaches and receive information on tryouts, camps, and expectations. Additionally, information regarding KSHSAA, academic guidelines, and required paper work will be provided. Parents will also have the chance to learn about opportunities to become involved in the All-Sports Booster Club. If you have an 8th grader or know of someone who does, please don’t miss this educational event. For any further questions, please contact the Athletic Office at 993-6602.
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SME PTA SME PTA SME PTA SME PTA SME PTA Nominates Officers for 2010-11 School Year The PTA Nominating Committee has nominated the following slate of officers for the 2010-2011 school year. According to the PTA bylaws, the slate will be officially put into nomination at the March 2 PTA meeting and will be voted upon at the April 6 PTA meeting. The PTA officers will be officially installed at the May PTA meeting. President Elect
Cathy Handy
Treasurer Corresponding Secretary
Karen Bailey Deb Schneider
Recording Secretary VP Programs VP Membership
Lisa Lowe Denise Clark and Mary Schrock Molly Danciger
Nominating Committee: Melissa Anthony, Julie Norton, Mary Petrow, Joan Beahm, Kelly Kendall, Shelly Kirkpatrick, Lori Rose, and Sally Dannov-Chair
Volunteers Lend a Hand for SME Snow, ice and freezing fog have not been able to keep SME PTA members down during our precipitation-heavy winter. Here’s a quick glimpse of the hard work parents are doing at SME. Thank you to: Mary Lucas: for a touching and inspiring program for the February PTA meeting on lessons our parents have taught us and how parents are impacting students’ lives when they don’t even know it. Denise Clark and Alison Coulson: for arranging for Mary’s presentation and a special Valentine PTA meeting in February. Sally Dannov: and her most excellent nominating committee for their hard work in identifying and recruiting a great slate of candidates for the 2010-11 PTA executive board. Ellen Murphy: for coordinating the PTA Reflections Contest at SME and providing our students with an opportunity to showcase their artistic talents. Kristin Riott and Suzanne Henley: and their committee for arranging another helpful Parent Principal Coffee with a chance to connect with SME and learn tips and ideas for getting your students back on track. Julie Foster: for arranging for scrumptious seasonal treats and nourishment for many, many winter meetings. Becky Johnston: for coordinating a sweet night at Culver’s as a benefit for the PTA.
Be Sure to Attend the Final PTA Meetings of the Year March 2, 11:30 am Village Church. College Readiness….And We Aren’t Talking About Academics (program by Dr. Krawitz) April 6, 11:30 am at Village Church. A panel of SME Seniors will be part of a discussion with time for questions from the audience about their experiences at SME. (invite your friends with 7th and 8th graders) May 4, 10:00 am at Village Church. Installation of New Officers and recognitions.
Reflections Contest Winner Announced We have a first-place winner for the Reflections contest. Charlie McGraw, a senior, submitted his piano solo, "Song for Neena,". His entry will soon be judged in the District competition.
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PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD Application and Log of service hours NAME: ___________________________________________________________________________________ NAME PREFERRED ON CERTIFICATE: ________________________________________________________ STREET ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________________________ PHONE: ______________________________
E-MAIL: __________________________________________
AGE as of 4/1/2010: _____ GRADE: _____ TOTAL HOURS 4/1/09 – 3/31/10: ___________ LOG OF VOLUNTEER HOURS April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010 Date(s)
Volunteer Service Description
Organization name / Contact Name / Phone (for verification)
Hours
Please complete and return to SHARE office (room 463) by April 1, 2010 or mail to Jan Roach, 4409 West 82nd Street, Prairie Village, KS 66208-5036 with a postmark of no later than April 1, 2010. Contact Pat Kaufman or Leslie Multer 913-9936820 or eamulter@smsd.org or Jan Roach at Lamonter@swbell.net with questions. Feel free to attach additional pages of log hours if necessary.