December 14, 2011

Top Stories from LPS

Board Candidate Filing Begins December 20, 2011

The annual Liberty Public Schools Board of Education election will take place on April 3, 2012, when Charlene Armitage's seat and Mattie Ransom's seat will be open.  Each will be three-year terms.  Filing for these positions will begin Tuesday, December 20, 2011.  If you have any questions, please call Sandra Cockrum, Board secretary, at 736-5301. 
 

REMINDER:  Holiday Break Begins December 21, 2011

First semester classes for students in Liberty Public Schools conclude on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.  This year's holiday break will begin on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 and continue through Tuesday, January 3, 2012.  The second semester for LPS students will begin on Wednesday, January 4, 2012. 

This will be the final QuickNews e-newsletter for 2011.  QuickNews will next be delivered on Wednesday, January 4, 2012.  Everyone at LPS would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season! 

2012-2013 Kindergarten Enrollment Information

Enrollment for students that will be entering kindergarten in Liberty Public Schools for the 2012-2013 school year will take place from January 3 - March 26, 2012.  You can enroll your child at the Student Enrollment/Welcome Center, located at the District Administration Center (650 Conistor Street, Liberty, MO).  Enrollment times will be 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday - Friday.  If you have any questions, call 816.736.5310.

WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU TO ENROLL:

• 2 proofs of residency (2 utility bills - gas, water or electric only OR lease agreement OR house contract)
• Your child's state-issued birth certificate
• Your child's immunization record
• Your child's social security card
• Names/phone numbers for emergency contacts

Your child must be 5 years old on or before July 31, 2012, to enroll for Kindergarten.   

Save the Date:  Kindgarten Round-Up

Kindergarten Round-Up, for parents and child, will take place on March 27, 2012, at 6:30 p.m.  This event will take place at the school your incoming kindergartner will attend and is an opportunity for parent information and activities for your child.

Other LPS News to Know

Rosetta Stone Makes Special Offer to LPS Residents

Liberty Public Schools has partnered with Rosetta Stone to make available online subscriptions that can be used for one full year of access for up to five levels of Rosetta Stone in the language of your choice!  More information on this offer can be accessed by clicking here.  This program is being offered at a highly discounted rate of $89 per learner. 

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Bridges in the LPS Academic Services Department at 736-5321.  You will need to respond by Monday, December 19, 2011, to take advantage of this opportunity!

Coffee with the Community Set for December 15

Join Liberty Public Schools for its next Coffee with the Community on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at the District Administration Center, located at 650 Conistor.  This month's topic will focus on the LPS Academic Services Department, led by Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Colleen Jones.  The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and is expected to be concluded by 10 a.m.  To view webstreams of Coffees with the Community from earlier this school year, click here.  We hope to see you here on December 15!

Blue Jay and Eagle Hoops Televised

Both Liberty High School and Liberty North High School boys basketball teams will be featured in the Metro Sports HyVee Shootout this week.  Tonight, Liberty North faces Blue Valley Southwest at 7 p.m.  Then on Saturday, the Liberty Blue Jays meet St. Thomas Aquinas at noon.  Games will be played at Avila University and can be viewed LIVE.  Meto Sports can be found on Time Warner Cable Channel 30 (standard), 1310 (HD), and 310 (digital).

Upcoming Events

ACT Plan Results for LNHS

Liberty North High School parents are welcome to attend a session to receive their sophomore's ACT Plan results on Monday, December 19, at 6 p.m., in the LNHS Performing Arts Theatre. Chris Mitchell with ACT will be reviewing the results with parents. This is a great time to pick up your student's test scores and get information on how to read them. Contact Dana Combs at LNHS for more information.

LNHS Youth Dribblers Information

There is still another opportunity to attend a Liberty High School Boys Basketball Youth Dribblers session.  This will take place on Saturday, December 17 from 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. at LNHS.  The session is $10, with the option of buying a t-shirt.  Check out our website for more details.

Student and Staff Recognitions

LPS Dominates Speech and Debate Event 

Liberty Public Schools dominated the Raytown South Novice tournament last weekend.  Liberty High School and Liberty North tied for 1st place in sweepstakes out of 27 schools.  The following students from Liberty North placed:

1st, Duo Interp- Emma Allman/Claire DeVry

1st, Prose- Kenny Tran

2nd, Poetry- Kenny Tran

3rd, Duo Interp- Lauren VanNess/Krystal Stotts

4th, Foreign Extemp- Robert Trout

4th, Student Congress- Charlie Roberts

4th, Policy Debate- Kendall Stockard/Nat Davis

4th, Lincoln Douglas Debate- Kenny Tran

4th, Public Forum Debate- Dylan McCloskey/Jacob Ewing

5th, Humorous Interp- Emma Allman

6th, Original Oratory- Taylor McCloskey

The Varsity competed at the Raytown tournament and the following students placed:

1st, Student Congress- Josh Todtfeld

2nd, Student Congress- Dan Quarles

3rd, Public Forum Debate- Dan Quarles/Emma Barry

6th, Original Oratory- Jessica Pittman

The team also Competed at the Dowling Catholic tournament in Des Moines, IA.  This tournament boasts 80 schools from 10 different states. 

This year the Humorous Interp champion was Tori Citro from Liberty North. 

LHS Speech/Debate Results

The LHS Speech and Debate team traveled to Raytown and Raytown South High Schools for the Last Blast Invitational.  The novice team tied for first place overall with Liberty North.  Individual awards are as follows:

Ben Anderson (2nd, novice US extemp and Lincoln-Douglas debate)

Anna Davis (3rd, novice US extemp)

Victoria Gomez (3rd, novice original oratory)

Katie Corum (3rd, novice dramatic interpretation)

Mallory Pinson (4th, novice US extemp)

Meredith Graves (3rd, varsity original oratory)

Angie Chaney (4th, varsity Lincoln Douglas debate)

Katie Corum/Ben Anderson (5th, novice duo interpretation)

Olivia Bisges (5th, novice original oratory)

Kelsie Daniels (5th, varsity dramatic interpretation)

Stefanie Flood (6th, prose reading)

Chase Chapman (10th, student congress)

Nyshele Posey/Olivia Bisges, Cheyenne Miller/Stefanie Flood, Chase Chapman/Mallory Pinson, Jamie Sullivan/Riley Peek (novice policy debate CO-CHAMPIONS)

A select group of debaters also traveled to West Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the Dowling Catholic Paradigm, a national circuit tournament attended by teams from throughout the Midwest.  Julie Staszko and Monica Gehrig made it to the semi-finals round of public forum debate, and placed 3rd out of 89 teams.  Jessica Gehrig and Jimmy Sitzman placed 4th in public forum debate. Gehrig received a third place speaker award while Sitzman received a second place speaker award out of the 178 speakers.  Congratulations to the entire Liberty speech and debate team on their success during the first semester!

All-District Band Members Selected

Congratulations to the following high school students from Liberty High School and Liberty North High School that were recently selected to perform with the Kansas City Metro #3 All-District Band (pictured L-R):

Steven Untch (Trumpet), Lizzy Soper (Piano), and Nick Smith (Bass).

LPS Students Perform in All-District Band

Band students from South Valley Middle School, South Valley Junior High, Liberty Middle School, and Liberty Junior High participated in the grades 7-8 Kansas City Metro #3 All-District Honor Band at Staley High School on Saturday, December 10.  Students included:  Boone Evans, Aaron Burson, Thomas Connor, Jacob Goodman, Dustin Hall, Riley Payne, Kylah Bateman, Riley Kirtley, Kaylee Kappler, Elizabeth Ruark, Kala Hughes, Tyler Miller, and Jenna Edens.  The conductor of this group is Lori Hutton.  Congratulations!

QuickNews Bulletin Board

In an effort to make our Liberty Public Schools e-newsletter, QuickNews, a concise publication in which subscribers can read in a timely fashion, district/community announcements will be advertised in the main QuickNews section for a maximum of two weeks.  After this period of time, announcements will then be transferred to our new QuickNews Bulletin Board, which is located on the LPS website provided at the link below. In addition, there are other announcements that have, in the past, not met criteria to place in this publication.  The addition of the QN Bulletin Board will allow them to now be publicized.

This bulletin board will continuously be updated throughout the week, and announcements will remain until they expire by date.

http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/news/quicknews/quicknews-bulletin-board

LPS Mission  

Through our collective best, we do whatever it takes to inspire and equip every learner to find their voice and realize their unlimited potential.

LPS Vision 

As stewards of discovery, we will embrace innovation to instill a passion for life-long learning that will best serve our nation and the world in the 21st century.

LPS Core Values 

· Learning is our priority

· Respect is our norm

· Excellence is our expectation

· Collaboration is our culture

· Integrity is our foundation

What's Included in this Issue

Other LPS News to Know

Upcoming Events

Student/Staff Recognitions

QuickNews Bulletin Board

Dates to Remember

Monday, December 19

Board of Education meeting
(7 p.m.)

Tuesday, December 20
End of First Semester

Wednesday, December 21

Winter Vacation begins