North News December 8, 2025

Office Hours 7AM - 3:30PM

913-993-6900

Attendance Hotline (24 hours)

913-993-6945

Website: https://smnorth.smsd.org/
Location: 7401 Johnson Drive, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: 913-993-6900
Twitter: @SM_NORTH_HS

December

12/19 - Early Dismissal

12/22- 1/02 - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

January

1/05 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Workday

1/19 - NO SCHOOL - MLK day

1/20 - NO SCHOOL - PL day

School Events

A comprehensive schedule of our events can be found here.

North Community,

The first week of December was not what I was expecting, even if you gave me 100 guesses! We made it through the week, and I sincerely appreciate your flexibility during the whole mess. Our kids were great at adjusting to the different schedules we threw at them, and did a wonderful job during our Elective Showcase on Thursday, and our Individual Plan of Study work on Friday. We have two weeks left in the first semester, and it is time for our students to lock in to the Bison Standard and finish the semester strong!

Schedule this week

We will run a normal schedule this week! Students will go to all of their classes on Monday, followed by block schedules on Tuesday-Friday. Thursday is our last late start of the semester. Next week, we will run a special Finals Week Schedule.

Data Report

This past week, we ran our data report for the first week of November. Our progress on our goals can be found in this link. The positives are that our discipline and attendance data are trending in the right direction. An area of improvement is increasing the % of students passing 6+ courses. I am confident that a strong push in the last two weeks of the semester will help us in that direction!

School Events

We are looking forward to a great week! Winter Sports will start competition this week, and we also have an orchestra concert on Wednesday. A comprehensive schedule of our events can be found here.

Let’s have a great week! Go Bison! WE ARE NORTH!!!

Bison Standard Staff Members of the Week- If you would like to nominate someone for the Bison Standard Staff Member of the Week, please complete this form. Our award winner this week is Ryan Burroughs. His nominator said “He is amazing teacher and lets us learn from our mistakes and is really chill in class and lets us finish work whenever we have time.”

Students of the Week

• Elite of North- Our award winner this week is Kathryn Russell. Her nominator said: “Katherine excels across many areas here at SMN: in the classroom, in the performing arts wing, and as a conscientious classmate.”

• I AM NORTH- Our award winner this week is Deborah Ahenkorah. Her nominator said: Deborah works incredibly hard in my class. She makes sure to come in during Seminar or stay after school whenever she needs extra work. It has proven to help because she is excelling now in class. She is confident in her understanding and it has been so fun to watch her grow as a student! I am excited to see how well she is doing at the end of the year.

• Heart of North- Our award winner this week is Greyson Mercer. His nominator said “Grey is an awesome student and classmate to his peers! He actively participates and encourages others around him.”

Congratulations to Alex Tarwater. Their artwork won 3rd prize in the digital category at the Merriam Community Center High School art show. Alex’s work was one of 12 recognized artworks out of over 400 entries.

The multiple ensembles hosted at BVHS inspired excellence into all who attended! Special shout out to our North students who participated:

Julian Fabela & Max Perchellet - ECKMEA District Red Band

Juliana Fetzer - ECKMEA District Blue Band

Nathan Silva - ECKMEA District Gold Band

Gregor White - ECKMEA District Jazz Band

Also, we want to celebrate our very own Ed Tovar for receiving the Outstanding Young Music Educator Award presented at Saturday’s performances. This is a very prestigious honor and it is so well deserved! We are very fortunate to have Mr. Tovar in our corner!!

Registration is NOW OPEN for the 12th Annual SMN Trivia Night

Be a part of the fun on Saturday, January 24, 2026, from 6:30pm to 10:30pm! Join us at St Pius X Church (5500 Woodson Rd, Mission, KS) for costumes, competition, and a whole lot of cheer!

The team registration fee is $320 – this includes ONE mulligan* (free answer). Teams are a MAX of 8 people. *Additional mulligans (one per round) will be available at the event for $20 each

**This is an adult-only event – no one under age 21 will be permitted**

As always, we will give $100 of your team's registration fee to the SMN team/student group that you designate! All other proceeds will benefit SMN PTSA and the SMN All-Activities Booster Club to support students and staff at North.

We will contact team captains in January to get your Team Name, a list of your team members and your designated group for the $100 grant.

TEAM REGISTRATION IS ONLINE ONLY using the link below. The DEADLINE to register your team is January 16, 2026 - there are limited slots available so don’t wait!

https://shawnee-mission-north-booster-club.square.site/

RAFFLE ITEMS NEEDED!

Do you have a favorite business that you would contact to donate an item or gift card? Are you willing to team up with a friend to create a gift basket? Donate an item to our raffle and the business or individual(s) will be promoted at the event! Items are needed no later than January 16, 2026.

If you have an item to donate, contact SMN PTSA at smnorthptsa@gmail.com with information about the item. If needed, we can provide you will a donation letter from Shawnee Mission North for tax purposes.

The 12th Annual SMN Trivia Night is co-sponsored by SMN PTSA and the SMN All-Activities Booster Club. All proceeds will be used to support SMN students, staff, and programs!

For SMN Booster Club news & updates find us on...

Facebook https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=403968853023402

Twitter https://twitter.com/SMNorthBooster

North Pride!

Maureen Kronawitter

Corresponding Secretary/Membership

Health Partnership Clinic at SM West Update:

• Beginning next week, the clinic will be staffed every week and available for appointments on a new day
• Beginning 10/15, the clinic will be open on Wednesdays from 8:30-12:30
• We hope this new day will allow you to more easily refer students who are sick, and the hours will help families not have to fight the drop off crowds.
• You will soon be receiving small wallet cards with info to hand out—in English and in Spanish. This is what they will look like:

“Attendance Calls – What You Need to Know

Getting automated calls about your student’s absence, even after reporting it? Here’s why.

Once a student reaches 10 absences, any absence moving forward will be marked unexcused and will result in an automated call unless documentation is provided.

We send two calls daily: one in the late morning and one in the afternoon. If a call is missed, it may be repeated.

You may receive a call if your student:
• Misses one or more periods
• Misses over half a class period
• Misses a full day that is considered unexcused

To excuse your student, please call the Attendance Hotline: 913-993-6945

College Admissions - Rep Visits – 1st Semester Visits

College admissions representatives have started to schedule 1st semester visits with juniors and seniors interested in attending their schools. Students need to be in good standing and have permission from their teachers to attend these meetings. Open the link to sign up. https://forms.gle/Ds6FETjnHFJRjocL7 . Check frequently for any rep visits added throughout the semester. Contact Pam Morris in Student Services with any questions.

Boys Basketball

JV/Varsity swept Pittsburg Saturday afternoon. Both teams won handily with 40-point victories. Varsity won 63-23 and had 4 players in double figures. Next up is the home opener vs JC Harmon on Friday, 12/12.

Girls Basketball

JV/V won their home opener vs Wyandotte HS on Thursday evening. The varsity girls won 54-28.

The girls JV/V traveled to Pittsburg, Kansas. The girls played tough but had a rough 3rd quarter and came up short 55-68.

Registration is NOW OPEN for the 12th Annual SMN Trivia Night

Be a part of the fun on Saturday, January 24, 2026, from 6:30pm to 10:30pm! Join us at St Pius X Church (5500 Woodson Rd, Mission, KS) for costumes, competition, and a whole lot of cheer!

The team registration fee is $320 – this includes ONE mulligan* (free answer). Teams are a MAX of 8 people. *Additional mulligans (one per round) will be available at the event for $20 each

**This is an adult-only event – no one under age 21 will be permitted**

As always, we will give $100 of your team's registration fee to the SMN team/student group that you designate! All other proceeds will benefit SMN PTSA and the SMN All-Activities Booster Club to support students and staff at North.

We will contact team captains in January to get your Team Name, a list of your team members and your designated group for the $100 grant.

TEAM REGISTRATION IS ONLINE ONLY using the link below. The DEADLINE to register your team is January 16, 2026 - there are limited slots available so don’t wait!

https://shawnee-mission-north-booster-club.square.site/

RAFFLE ITEMS NEEDED!

Do you have a favorite business that you would contact to donate an item or gift card? Are you willing to team up with a friend to create a gift basket? Donate an item to our raffle and the business or individual(s) will be promoted at the event! Items are needed no later than January 16, 2026.

If you have an item to donate, contact SMN PTSA at smnorthptsa@gmail.com with information about the item. If needed, we can provide you will a donation letter from Shawnee Mission North for tax purposes.

The 12th Annual SMN Trivia Night is co-sponsored by SMN PTSA and the SMN All-Activities Booster Club. All proceeds will be used to support SMN students, staff, and programs!

For SMN Booster Club news & updates find us on...

Facebook https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=403968853023402

Twitter https://twitter.com/SMNorthBooster

North Pride!

Maureen Kronawitter

Corresponding Secretary/Membership

Friends of Shawnee Mission North -

You can earn $$$ for your favorite group at North by attending Booster Club meetings. We offer Attendance Grants to any SMN club, group or team that sends a parent, student, or sponsor/coach to our meetings. If your team or group has a representative attend at least 4 Booster Club meetings a year, we will give your group a $100 grant - attend 6 meetings and receive a $200 grant!

BE A VOLUNTEER!

Assist with SMN Booster Club Spirit Wear Sales - no experience necessary!

Multiple shifts are available for each event. Click on the corresponding link below to learn more and sign-up!

Thursday, Dec 4 – In the cafeteria during lunch

Friday, Dec 5 - In the cafeteria during lunch

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4EAFA62FABF58-60454019-booster

More dates to come soon for Basketball Game Spirit Wear Sales

DID YOU KNOW… Each year the SMN All-Activities Booster Club supports student clubs, groups, and teams by funding grant requests from coaches and club sponsors for expenses that are not funded by the school district? Since our organization began, we have given OVER $250,000 in grants to student organizations & teams at North! We raise funds for our grants through our spirit wear sales, memberships, Annual Trivia Night & Annual Golf Tournament.

At the November Booster Club meeting, we awarded the following grants…

SMN Administration – Building Culture

· $1,150 for We Are North hallway wall graphic.

SMN Administration – Building Culture

· $1,000 for SMN Bison wall graphic.

Wrestling

· $320 for ankle bands needed for matches.

DON'T FORGET TO STOCK UP ON NORTH GEAR!!

SHOP 24/7 AT OUR ONLINE STORE…

https://shawnee-mission-north-booster-club.square.site/

For SMN Booster Club news & updates find us on...

Facebook https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=403968853023402

Twitter https://twitter.com/SMNorthBooster

North Pride!

Maureen Kronawitter

Corresponding Secretary/Membership

To Join PTSA: https://smnorthptsa.givebacks.com/shop

To learn more: https://smnorth.smsd.org/families/pta

Rolland Studios

To order photos

https://rollandonline.hhimagehost.com/V2/Home/LoginConsumer?EK=275008