February 8, 2012

Top Stories from LPS

Parent Teacher Conferences Next Week

Next week, Parent Teacher Conferences will be taking place in Liberty Public Schools.  If you have questions regarding conferences at your child's school, visit that school's website by clicking on their mascot in the column on the right.  Schools will be dismissing two hours early on Thursday, February 16, and will be closed on Friday, February 17.

Other LPS News to Know

School Board Candidate Forum

The Liberty PTA Council will host a School Board Candidate Forum on Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m. at the District Administration Center. Questions must be submitted in advance and can be emailed to Dorothy Gardner. Similar questions may be combined by the moderator. Deadline to submit questions for the candidates is February 23.  No questions will be allowed from the floor the night of the event. Liberty Public Schools debate students will moderate the forum. Please come and get to know the candidates who have filed to run for the available board seats in the April election.

Changes Coming to Blue Jay Junction

The Liberty High School Family and Consumer Science (FACS) department has been studying a variety of models which will better serve the FACS students enrolled in the Child Development program. The first renovation to the current structure entails a reduction of full-day services for all new enrollees in the preschool. Thus, new preschoolers enrolled for the 2012-2013 school year will only have access to a half-day program. The program will now be open to members of the community as well as LPS employees' children.  New students will be able to enroll for the hours of 8:30 a.m. -12 p.m.  The half-day program will not include lunch. 

Parents interested in the new half-day program may attend an informational meeting Thursday, February 23, from 6-7 p.m. at Liberty High School in the Blue Jay Junction classroom.  If you have questions, or would like more information prior to the February 23 meeting date, please contact Becky Gossett.

2012-2013 Kindergarten Enrollment Information

Enrollment for students who will be entering Kindergarten in Liberty Public Schools for the 2012-2013 school year will continue through March 26. You can enroll your child at the Student Enrollment/Welcome Center located at the District Administration Center, 650 Conistor Street, Liberty.  Enrollment times will be 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday - Friday.  If you have any questions, please call 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: Kindergarten Round-Up

Kindergarten Round-Up is for parents and their child and will take place March 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the school your incoming Kindergartner will attend. It is an opportunity for parents to receive information and children to enjoy activities!

Upcoming Events

LHS Blood Drive Tomorrow, February 9 

Have you or a loved one ever needed a blood transfusion? All blood in the Kansas City area is supplied by the Community Blood Center. The Center needs to collect 580 pints of blood every day and over 140,000 pints annually to meet the needs of our local hospitals. 

Last year, Liberty High School's annual blood drive supplied 493 units of blood to local patients. This year's goal is to supply a full day of the community's need with the LHS blood drive, the largest high school blood drive in the region! Donors will receive a free T-shirt, refreshments after their donation, and have the opportunity to save a life by donating. 

This year's Community Blood Drive will take place Thursday, February 9, from 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the LHS gymnasium.  Donors may come at any time or they may make an appointment online at www.esavealifenow.org and use Sponsor Code libertyhs.  For more information, please contact Rick Knowles at 816-736-6800, ext. 2019, or any LHS AP biology student. 

LHS Presents MEDEA

Liberty High School presents MEDEA February 9-11 at 7 p.m. in the LGIR. Tickets are available at the LHS attendance office and are $6 for adults, and $5 for students, children, and senior citizens.  You may also call 736-5340.  MEDEA is a Greek Tragedy written by Euripides, freely adapted by Robinson Jeffers.  Medea, a foreign princess and sorceress, is abandoned by her Greek husband, Jason, who has married the princess Creusa.  Medea takes terrible vengeance upon her former husband.

LHS Courtwarming February 13-17

Courtwarming week at Liberty High School is set for February 13-17. This year, we will be ELECTRIFYING the school with spirit! Check out the newsletter for details about all of the exciting events planned for the week. Please note: the Courtwarming dance will be held Friday night following the basketball game. Student Council members voted, and reached a strong consensus, to move the dance to Friday, due to the 4-day weekend. They also elected to take this opportunity to offer a casual atmosphere, rather than the traditional semi-formal theme. Student Council is hopeful this will create a new, exciting event that will appeal to all students. Additional details about the dance theme, attire, ticket cost, and behavior policies can be found in the newsletter, which is available at the LHS website by clicking here.

LHS to Host College Fair 

Liberty High School will be hosting a local college fair during Parent-Teacher conferences on February 13 from 4-8 p.m. Students and parents will have an opportunity to visit with representatives from colleges within an hour or so of Liberty. The University of Central Missouri, Avila, the University of Kansas, Northwest Missouri State University, Missouri Western State University, and Park University will be among the colleges attending.  All students and parents are invited to stop by the fair to learn more about the colleges and enter to win door prizes!  Liberty North High School families are also welcome to attend. If you have questions, contact LHS counselor Brenda Wiederholt.

LNHS Theatre Department Presents Oliver
 The theatre department at Liberty North will present its grand opening musical performance of Oliver in the new Liberty North Performing Arts Theater February 16-17 at 7 p.m. and February 18 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.  You won't want to miss this spectacular production that features the full technical capabilities of the new theater.  Oliver features a chorus of over 80 elementary and high school students working together to bring the stage alive!  Click here to access a ticket order form, which you can complete and mail in with your payment for your tickets. Don't delay, as we expect this grand opening production to sell out!

Pretty in Pink Event for Breast Cancer Awareness

A Pretty in Pink dinner, dance, and raffle will be held Saturday, February 25, from 6-9 p.m. at Liberty North High School. Half of the proceeds will be donated to Breast Cancer Awareness in Cindy Svehla's name. Cindy is a band teacher for Liberty School District who is battling breast cancer. The other half of the proceeds will go to the LNHS band. The cost to attend this event will be $10 for adults, and $7 for students and senior citizens, with a family discount (4 or more attendees) being offered for $40. Dress for the event is casual. You are encouraged to wear pink attire! Click here for more information, including a registration form.

LNHS Golden Girls to Host Dance Clinic

The LNHS Golden Girls dance team is offering a clinic for girls in grades 6-12 on Saturday, March 3, which will teach dance technique (according to appropriate level) and a variety of dance choreography (jazz, pom, and hip hop).  More information on the clinic can be obtained by clicking here.  A registration form for the clinics can be accessed by clicking here.

Student and Staff Recognitions

Model UN Team Takes Top Spot at National Conference

Congratulations to the Liberty/Liberty North Model UN team for another spectacular performance at the University of Chicago's Model UN conference this weekend.  Representing the delegation of Canada, Liberty students competed against other top schools from across the country.  In addition to discussing such diverse topics as nuclear proliferation, the rights of indigenous people, and drug trafficking, the students were able to meet with the Canadian Consulate and discuss Canadian foreign policy.  At the awards ceremony, the Liberty/Liberty North team was the most highly decorated team, winning 3 Outstanding Delegate awards, 5 Honorable Mention awards, and 2 Verbal Commendations. This is the third year in a row that Liberty has finished in the top ten and first year as the top delegation.  Advisors are Kurt Gates and Ellen Meade.

Award winners were:

Outstanding Delegate: Haley Brown & Haley Ferguson in the Organization of American States

Outstanding Delegate: Eric Luan & Mack Yi in Disarmament & International Security

Outstanding Delegate: Jaci Gilchrist in INTERPOL

Honorable Mention: Spencer Nelson & Bethany Nelson in the Historical Security Council

Honorable Mention: Spencer Everett & Scott Prewitt in the Special, Political, and Decolonization Committee

Honorable Mention: Dan Quarles in the World Cities Summit

Honorable Mention: Alex Bisges in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Honorable Mention: Brigitte Tripp in the Soviet Council of People's Commissars

Verbal Commendation: Raj Patel & Quinn Mars in the Food and Agricultural Organization

Verbal Commendation: Michael Hoppenrath in the G-20 Committee

Congratulations Speech and Debate Team!

Congratulations to the Liberty High School speech and debate team for placing 4th overall this past weekend at the Lee's Summit West tournament. The following students placed individually:

Meredith Graves -1st Original Oratory

Sami Cintron -1st Storytelling

Andi Tulipana - 2nd Prose Reading

Ben Anderson - 3rd Lincoln Douglas Debate

Caroline Abbott/Hailee Ames - 3rd Public Forum Debate

Lauren Wrigley/Hannah Protzman - 4th Public Forum Debate

LNHS Student Earns National Forensic League's Highest Rank
Brigitte Tripp, under the guidance of coach Sean Nicewaner, has earned the degree of Premier Distinction - the National Forensic League's highest degree of student membership.  This degree reflects sustained excellence in classroom activities, competition rounds, and service projects.  Congratulations, Brigitte!

Sapphires JV Dance Team Recognized

In last week's QuickNews, we told you about the Liberty High School varsity and junior varsity Sapphires winning big at the regional competition they attended on January 28.  A photo of the varsity Sapphires appeared with that announcement.  This week, we would like to run a photo of the JV Sapphires.  Again, congratulations to both the varsity and junior varsity teams on a great competition! 

JV members include:  Claire Crow, Tori Fowler, Megan Hansen, Brittany Holtzclaw, Madison Jones, Mackenzie Malicoat, and Sydney Mills.  The JV Sapphire coach is Kristen Guest. 

LHS amd LNHS Athletes Sign Letters of Intent
February 1 was National Signing Day for high school athletes across the country.  LHS and LNHS athletes who took part in the signings were:

Liberty High School

Payton White - Volleyball - Butler Community College

Kyle Bremer - Cross Country & Track - University of Missouri - Kansas City

Chelsea Ross - Softball - Oklahoma State University

Robby Henrichs - Baseball - Northwest Missouri State University

Logan Grace - Football - William Jewell College

Job Haynes - Football - Missouri Valley College

Kurt Petroll - Football - Missouri Western State University

Matt Santiago - Football - Missouri Valley College

Delaney Kiely - Soccer - Oklahoma State University

Taylor Schmidt - Soccer - Southwest Baptist University

Drew Dempsey - Soccer - DePaul University

Troy Hart - Soccer - Avila University

Liberty North High School

Michael Barrett - Football - University of Saint Mary

Jared Dotson - Football - Avila University

Max Jobson - Cross Country & Track - Pittsburg State University

Garret Loew - Basketball - Colorado School of the Mines

Reed Morton

- Baseball - University of Central Missouri

JD Williams - Baseball - Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

Bailey Barnett - Soccer - Blue River Community College

Megan Hummel - Volleyball - Avila University

QuickNews Video of the Week!

As advertised earlier in QuickNews, the Liberty North High School Performing Arts Theatre is scheduled to have its official grand opening next weekend with the performance of Oliver.  This week, we go behind the scenes of the new theatre with an interview and tour from LPS Director of Fine Arts Aaron Money.

(click the link below to view)

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

QuickNews Bulletin Board

Dates to Remember

Thursday, February 16, 2012
Parent-Teacher Conferences
(Early Release)

Friday, February 17, 2012
Parent-Teacher Conferences
(No Classes)

Monday, February 20, 2012

President's Day
(No Classes)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Board of Education meeting

(7 p.m./District Administration Center)

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