December 19, 2007

LIBERTY EARNS PRESTIGIOUS “DISTINCTION IN PERFORMANCE” AWARD FROM THE STATE

District officials learned yesterday that Liberty Public Schools has earned the state’s prestigious “Distinction in Performance” award for academic progress and achievement during the 2006-2007 school year.   State education officials announced yesterday that a total of 294 school districts qualified for the annual recognition, which is determined by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  Last year, 235 districts qualified for the award.  The Distinction in Performance award is based on the 14 academic standards that are now used in the accreditation of all public school districts.  The standards are based on scores from the state mandated MAP tests, graduation rate, attendance, ACT scores, and other indicators.  K-12 districts had to meet 13 out of 14 standards, including all of the MAP-based measures. Liberty met 14 out of 14 standards. 

This is the fifth year in a row that Liberty Public Schools has received this honor.  Congratulations to the administrators, teachers and students for their hard work and the support of our parents!

DR. MARVIN WIPPICH REMEMBERED BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Funeral services were held this morning for Dr. Marvin Wippich at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Liberty.

Dr. Marvin Wippich, the husband of Dr. Barbara Wippich, passed away on Sunday morning.  Barbara was a former principal at Franklin Elementary, and is the Executive Director of Assessment/Elementary Education.  

Memorial contributions can be made to Hillcrest Transitional Housing of Clay County, 216 South Jewell, P.O. Box 17, Liberty, MO 64069.  Please continue to keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.

MEALPAYPLUS IMPORTANT INFORMATION – PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF CHANGES IN PROGRAM!

Meal payPlus will be upgrading online enhancements and features in the next couple of weeks. In addition to a new state-of-the-art parent support center, you will have the ability to view pending and confirmed payments. Due to the system upgrades, each parent will need to register or re-register their account on www.mealpayplus.com  after January 1, 2008. PLEASE DO NOT REGISTER OR RE-REGISTER BEFORE JANUARY 1^ST. Instructions on how to register are listed on the Web site.  All account balances and deposits made through MealpayPlus before the end of the year will reflect on your new account.  Don’t forget to reset your Low-Balance Email reminders and Auto Replenish payments.  These settings will need to be re-activated on your new account.

For those parents not familiar with the system, MealpayPlus allows parents to go online to manage your student’s meal account.  It allows you to make deposits, view account balances at no cost, and even create settings to auto-replenish your account or receive free reminder emails when the balance is low.  We will send you a QuickNews sign-up reminder after the first of the year!

SUPERINTENDENT INVITES PUBLIC TO HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

Superintendent Phil Wright extends an invitation to you to attend a Holiday Open House at the Liberty Public Schools Administration Center, 650 Conistor, Friday, December 21, 2007, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.  Students from the following schools will perform tomorrow:  South Valley Junior High School Band at 11:30 a.m.; Lillian Schumacher Elementary Choir at 11:55 a.m.; Manor Hill Elementary First-Grade Student Choir at 12:30 p.m., Ridgeview Elementary at 1 p.m.; Kychen Synk at 3 p.m.  Come hear our talented students and meet the superintendent, school board members, and staff. 

RIDGEVIEW TEACHER AND STUDENTS FEATURED ON FOX 4 ON FRIDAY

Margie Manion’s 3^rd grade class will be featured LIVE on the FOX 4 Morning News Show, Friday, December 21, at 8:20 a.m. and 8:50 a.m.  The four-minute segments will feature Mrs.  Manion’s “easy tips for baking cookies with your kids.”  Thanks to FOX 4 for choosing Liberty Public Schools and to Mrs. Manion and her students for showcasing our district.

MANOR HILL’S FIRST INTERNET SAFETY NIGHT
Do you know what a wiki, blog, or avatar, are?  Have you ever heard of or been to YouTube, Runescape, MySpace, Facebook, or Xanga?  If you answered no to any of these, you should consider attending the upcoming Internet Safety Night.   Manor Hill will be hosting its first Internet Safety Night on January 15^th from 6:00-7:00 p.m.  Parents who attend Internet Safety Night will learn about some of the dangers that students encounter online as well as simple strategies to help keep their kids safe.  There will also be a brief discussion of district resources that are available to students and parents online.  All LPS parents are welcome to join us this evening.

FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION NIGHT SCHEDULED

Parents of the Class of 2008 are invited to attend the Financial Aid and Scholarship Information Night, 6:30-8:30 p.m., January 17, 2008, at Liberty High School.  Topics will include Applying for Grants and Loans with the Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Application Process for Local Scholarships.  The evening is sponsored by the LHS Guidance Department.  If you have questions, please email kshaffer@liberty.k12.mo.us or nlaven@liberyt.k12.mo.us

MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHER GIVES SVMS STUDENTS A FEW POINTERS

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher and Excelsior Springs High School graduate, Shaun Marcum, stopped by South Valley Middle School this week and offered a few hitting and batting tips.  SVMS Physical Education/Health teacher Andy Schneider grew up with Marcum and invited him to the school.  Marcum visited the school Tuesday and Wednesday, playing an indoor game of ball with 7^th grade PE classes.

ATTENTION: PARENTS OF ALL THIRD GRADE STUDENTS

Last month, the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team from William Jewell College partnered with M&I Bank to teach 3rd graders in Liberty Public Schools four 30-minute lessons on financial literacy:  spending, saving, investing, and donating.  M&I Bank has provided each 3rd grader a savings bank in the shape of a cow. Your child’s custom “Moolah” cow bank is waiting at M&I Bank in Liberty to be picked up!  Please bring your Money Farm certificate to the bank before 12/31/07 to cash in on the complimentary gift of this special savings bank.  Your child’s social security number is also necessary to open an account. This is a limited time offer, so act quickly.  Happy Holidays from the Money Farm team.

LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TALKS WITH PRESIDENT BUSH AT WHITE HOUSE

Mallory Hamilton, a junior at Liberty High School, was one of twelve students from around the country selected by the White House to meet President Bush and discuss drug and alcohol issues facing teens.  Mallory was part of a roundtable discussion where she and the other participants sat and talked with the president about teen drug use.  Mallory is a part of Youth With Vision, a regional drug-use prevention group. Mallory is a strong advocate for preventing teen and alcohol use.  Learn more about Mallory’s trip, and her meeting with the President at: http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/401484.html  See her picture with the president at http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/news/photo-gallery/liberty-high-school-student-meets-president-bush

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TALENTED STUDENTS

Congratulations to the Varsity Scholar Bowl Team for their impressive 1^st place finish at the North Kansas City Tournament on Saturday, December 8.  This victory earned Liberty a berth at the National Academic Quiz Tournaments High School National Challenge to be held in the spring.  Team members include Spencer Fish, Allie Kline, Cameron Kieffer, Alison Tatum, Alex Dobson, and Lucas Mobberley.  Coaches for the program include Rosemary Camp, Lindsay Frey, Mary Coogan, and Alison Schultz. 

Congratulations to Liberty High School Orchestra members Alison Tatum and Joseph Tatum for their successful audition for the Missouri All-State Orchestra. Bryce McDonald was selected as the first alternate in the bass section, as well. Alison and Joseph will be rehearsing and performing with the orchestra in February at the Missouri Music Educators Conference at Tan-Tar-A.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST TO BENEFIT LIBERTY ROBOTICS TEAM

Come and join in the fun at a Pancake Breakfast by Chris Cakes and a Silent Auction, Saturday, January 5, 2008, from 8 a.m. – noon at Liberty High School.  The all-you-can-eat breakfast/silent auction is a fundraiser for Liberty Robotics Team 1764. The auction will feature a wide assortment of items.  You can purchase tickets at By the Book on the square.  If you have questions, please contact libertyrobotics@student.liberty.k12.mo.us

RECYCLE YOUR CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Liberty Junior High School PTSA is  simply asking you to protect the environment by donating your used/old DVD movie(s)/video game(s), portable DVD player(s), laptop/notebook computer(s), MP3 player(s), video game console(s), digital camera(s), digital picture frame(s), and portable navigation & GPS device(s). Sorry we are unable to take computer monitors or desktop computers.  100% of the proceeds will help fund Liberty Junior High School PTSA programs.  Please drop the items off at the LJHS office recycle box. Thanks for your help. Questions? Contact Jerri Griffith, griff64068@yahoo.com