Knightly News

Monday, April 20:

Student Council 8:05A
YES! (Equity) Club 3:45P
Boys Soccer Practice 4:00P

Tuesday, April 21:

Sources of Strength 8:45A
Rabbit Hole Design Challenge 8:45A
State Testing Award Celebration 8:45A
Lego Club 3:45P
Rabbit Hole Design Challenge Meeting 3:45P
Boys Soccer Practice 4:00P

Wednesday, April 22:

Junior Board Final Presentations 7:30A
Chess Club 3:45P
Boys Soccer Practice 4:00P
PTA General Meeting / 6th Grade Parent Info Night 6:00P

Thursday, April 23:

Jazz Band 3:45P
Boys Soccer Practice 4:00P

Friday, April 24:

Principal's Advisory Council 8:45A
Rabbit Hole Design Challenge 8:45A
Sources of Strength Fun Walk 8:45A
Team 8-4 Fun Friday! 8:45A
Boys Soccer Practice 4:00P

April is flying by! Thank you all for your hard work on the State Assessment—our students did a great job showing what they’ve learned so far!

In 8th-grade ELA, students have selected SQUIRE books that focus on the theme of resilience. As they read, they will track how their main characters demonstrate resilience throughout the story.

Kansas State Assessments: We concluded the state assessments this week––thank you all for your hard work!

If a student was absent during the Kansas State Assessments, they will be pulled for make-ups on 4/20, 4/21, 4/22, and/or on 4/23 during late start.

MAP and IReady: We will conclude assessments for the year with the NWEA Map in Reading and iReady in Math. The ELA MAP assessment will take place during Knight Time on April 27th and 28th, with make-ups for absent students occurring April 29th-April 30th.

iReady testing will take place April 29th-May 4th during math classes. Make-ups for absent students will take place on May 5th.

Peer pressure is real… and in middle school, it can show up in ways you might not expect.

Missing school because “everyone else is,” feeling embarrassed to show up late, or staying home because a friend is… all these moments can add up.

But here’s the truth:

Showing up = showing strength.
Real friends support your goals, not hold you back.

Families, this is a great time to start conversations at home about friendships, confidence, and making positive choices—even when it’s hard.

Students, be the one who leads in the right direction. You never know who might follow your example.

Let’s continue to build a school community where showing up is the norm and supporting each other is even stronger.

We’re almost there – just a few more weeks…Keep up the great work! We’re proud of you and you should be too!

Hello families! We are students in Sources of Strength and we are here to announce a spirit food night at Chipotle. The strength our group has been working on is Family Support. This fundraiser will encourage people to sit down and eat with their family, and IHMS Sources of Strength gets to keep 25% of the earnings! This is very fun to eat with friends and family, and have a fun night! So remember on May 6th, come with your children for a fun-filled night at Chipotle! Spread the word!

MAY 6TH CODE: TBK8Q8Q

YES! Club

YES! Club is dedicated to creating a school community where every student feels seen, valued, and included. Through student voice, leadership, and action, members work to promote respect, empathy, and a strong sense of belonging throughout our school.

Recently, club members participated in a field trip to the Center for Academic Achievement, where they connected with YES! Club students from across the district. During this experience, they engaged in learning sessions led by Shawnee Mission high school students. They learned how to be “upstanders” rather than bystanders in situations involving bullying or harassment, as well as the value of empathy. They also took part in collaborative activities that highlighted the importance of teamwork and inclusion.

Back at school, students led a week-long campaign recognizing inclusive behaviors among their peers, helping to shine a spotlight on the positive actions that build a stronger community.

Currently, members are preparing a professional development session for teachers and staff, where they will facilitate roundtable discussions to share student perspectives and promote an inclusive school culture.

We are proud of the leadership of our YES! Club members continue to demonstrate as they help make our school a place where everyone belongs.

Friday, May 1 | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

In partnership with the PTA, 8th graders will attend a field trip to Main Event. Students will participate in activities such as bowling, laser tag, mini-golf, and more, and lunch will be provided.

Note: Students must have no out-of-school suspensions during 4th quarter in order to attend.

Knight Time teachers will hand out the field trip permission slips during Knight Time on 4/20, and permission slips will be due on 4/24. Please be on the lookout for these permission slips from your student!

We’ve made a few updates to the Indian Hills calendar. Because we didn’t need to use all of our inclement weather days, the end of the school year has been moved up, which means some of our year-end events have also been adjusted.

Please note the following important dates and events:

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 – Band Concert (rescheduled) 7:00 PM
Monday, May 18, 2026 – Yearbook distribution, assembly, and signing event during the school day
Monday, May 18, 2026 at 6:30 PM – Knights of Excellence, followed immediately by the 8th Grade Dance
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 – Last day of school; Color Run and early dismissal at 1:45 PM
Friday, May 22, 2026 – Last day for teachers

We appreciate your flexibility as we make these adjustments and encourage you to mark your calendars accordingly. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Garmin is excited to be hosting our Engineering Day Camp again this summer for incoming freshmen and sophomores in high school. This is a great opportunity for students who have an interest in engineering. Our engineers put in so much effort to make this an impactful experience, and we are excited to be hosting another group of campers.

Students can apply here: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/EngDayCamp/

Junior Board final presentations will be Wednesday, April 22 in the IHMS library. Students should plan to arrive at 7:30 a.m. Parents can enter through the front doors and go to the library at 7:45 a.m. The presentations will begin at 8:00 a.m. and should wrap up around 10:00 a.m. For more information, please click HERE.

We know many families have students at both the elementary and middle school levels. Due to the recent change in the last day of school, and the rescheduling of Knights of Excellence, we understand this has created a conflict for some families with elementary events scheduled for the same evening. To better support your ability to attend both, Knights of Excellence will now begin at 6:30 PM. Thank you for your flexibility as plans shift.

Knights of Excellence is a special evening to celebrate our 8th grade students and all they’ve accomplished during middle school.

Event Details
Date: Monday, May 18
Time: 6:30–7:30 PM
Location: Shawnee Mission East Main Gym
Student Arrival: 6:15 PM

During the ceremony, we will recognize students for participation in activities, athletics, and academic growth. Students receiving specific honors will be notified ahead of time. All students will be recognized and will walk across the stage together at the end. After the ceremony, students can pick up their awards packet in the hallway outside of the gym.

Directly after the ceremony, students will move to the auxiliary gym for an 8th grade celebration with a DJ and photo booth, as well as Chick fil A provided by PTA.

End Time: 9:00 PM (promptly)

We look forward to celebrating this milestone with your family!

Remaining Important Dates:

Tuesday, April 21 – Knight Time: Zoom meeting with fabricator
Tuesday, April 21 – After school until 4:30 PM
Friday, April 24 – Knight Time
Tuesday, April 28 – After school until 4:30 PM
Monday, May 4 – Field Trip - During the School Day (afternoon)
Monday, May 4 - 4:00-7:30 - Evening Reception for participating students and families

Be sure to reserve free, timed tickets - details on this attached flier.

Please reach out to Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Ballard, and/or Mrs. Ferreyra with any questions.

SafeHome Donation Drive

IHMS Sources of Strength students have organized a donation drive for SafeHome (Johnson County’s only domestic violence shelter) to practice our collective strength of Generosity. Please see the list of most needed items and donate if you can! We truly appreciate the support. Donations will be accepted in the IHMS front office through Friday, April 24th.

On May 2nd, at 10:00 AM in the Shawnee Mission East cafeteria, the SME Female Athlete Club will be hosting our Hygiene Kit Packing Event for female athletes! This is an event open to girls from Indian Hills and Shawnee Mission East that participate in various sports to come together to pack hygiene kits, while also getting the chance to meet the Varsity coaches from the different sports at East. The hygiene kits will be sent to girls attending the Hoops 4 Her basketball empowerment camp in Kenya this summer!

Use the link below to sign up for the event or volunteer to bring supplies: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49ADAD28ABF5C07-63272238-smefemale

Please contact Serafina Kessler at 443-827-1967 or finakessler@gmail.com with questions!

Knightly News