January 9, 2008

2008 BOND ISSUE KICK-OFF HELD LAST NIGHT AT SOUTH VALLEY JUNIOR HIGH
More than 200 parents and community patrons attended the 2008 bond kick-off event at South Valley Junior High on Tuesday evening. Patrons were entertained by a Liberty High School jazz trio, heard an overview of the bond issue, asked questions of Superintendent Phil Wright and signed up for volunteer committees.  Dr. David and Mary Sallee and Dr. Dan and Patsy Triplett will serve as honorary co-chairs for the campaign. For more information, go to www.liberty.k12.mo.us and click on Bond Issue 2008.  

CHANGES IN UPCOMING SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS DATES

The Liberty Board of Education normally meets the 3^rd Monday of every month, but the dates will change for the January, February and March meetings due to federal holidays and Spring Break.  Board meetings have been set for the following dates:

Tuesday, January 22

Tuesday, February 19

Thursday, March 13

All meetings begin at 7 p.m. at the Administration Center, 650 Conistor. 

MEALPAY PLUS UPDATE

Thanks to all of you for your patience during the registration and re-registration process for Mealpay Plus.  We have been in touch with the vendor, and they continue to experience some technical problems.  They hope to have the issue resolved soon. During the registration process some of you were charged a transaction fee.  There was a glitch in the system at the time you registered. Many school districts across the country pass the fee on to parents, but Liberty Public Schools has chosen NOT to pass the fee on to parents.  If you were charged a fee, the amount will be credited to your account.  Again, thank you for your understanding.

LIBERTY SPEECH AND DEBATE WILL HOST LARGEST TOURNAMENT IN THE STATE  THIS WEEKEND

Forty-four schools from all across the state will be at Liberty High School Friday and Saturday for the 3^rd Annual Blue Jay Invitational.  This is the largest tournament in Missouri with over 1000 students competing.  The tournament will use over 600 community judges. If anyone is interested in judging, please contact Sean Nicewaner or Cassie Price at 736-5340 ext 2237.

LIBERTY STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY CELEBRATION

William Jewell College will host the city of Liberty’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration with a program beginning at

10 a.m., Jan. 21, in John Gano Memorial Chapel on the college campus. The program is free, and the public is invited to attend; tickets or reservations are not required.  Dr. Gwendolyn Grant, nationally recognized speaker, psychologist and advice columnist for Essence Magazine, will offer the keynote address.

Campus and community leaders will be honored with the Martin Luther King, Jr. community service award. Recipients include Chris Carr, a senior international relations, history, and political science major and president of William Jewell’s UNITY Student Organization; Dee Rosekrans, director of community development for the Liberty School District; Kansas City civil rights activist Edith Haney-Galvin; and Rick Byers, athletic director at St. Pius X High School in Kansas City North. The program will also include a performance by William Jewell’s Concert Choir; a performance by Kychen Synk, an a capella group of Liberty High School students; and a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., performed by members of the Liberty High School Black Student Association.

Immediately following the program, a tree on the college’s quadrangle will be dedicated in memory of Dr. King. A free public reception will follow in the Yates-Gill College Union.

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 host its first Internet Safety Night on Jan. 15^th from 6-7 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 p.m., Jan. 17, 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

KLPS DEBUTS NEW STUDIO SET

In keeping with the popularity of extreme makeover programs on television, the KLPS Channel 18 main set received such a makeover during the winter break, thanks to Nealy Schmitz from Channel 9 news, KLPS Video Specialists Randy Miller and John Stratton and Broadcasting Teacher Chuck Zavos.

Earlier in the fall, Schmitz, husband of Shoal Creek Principal Michelle Schmitz and long-time cameraman at Channel 9, let LPS personnel know of the availability of at least one of Channel 9’s sets when the station moved into its new building. Through a series of events, KLPS Channel 18 became the proud owners of Channel 9’s former news and sports sets. Over the break, Miller, Stratton and Zavos tore down the old set and constructed a new news set and a new sports set, using the pieces donated from Channel 9.

The “reveal” happened the morning school resumed, Jan. 7, and was met with resounding approval from staff and students at LHS. Special thanks not only go to Schmitz, Miller, Stratton and Zavos, but also to Jason Breit and his crew who made two trips to the old Channel 9 location and moved all of the set pieces for KLPS.

LIBERTY JUNIOR HIGH WINS NATIONAL BROADCASTING CONTEST

Congratulations to Liberty Junior High’s own broadcasting team, KLJH/600 Seconds, for their win in the Student Television Network (STN)’s Fall National Contest:  The Student’s Choice Awards.  LJHS’s entry about this year’s Fall Festival won first place in the “Ceremonies” category.  Students Kaitlin DeJong, Matt Dye, and Samantha Wilson created the video. This is a national contest, and awards were based on the number of views and ratings for each video.  A special thanks to ALL those at LJHS and in the Liberty community who helped vote in the contest and propel them to the top!  To see the list of winners, go to http://208.74.28.234/page41434950.aspx.  To see the winning video, you can go to http://208.74.28.234/default.aspx?vid=2587.

MIDWEST HONOR BAND FESTIVAL AND HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL HONORS FOR SVMS STUDENTS
Nine students from SVMS have been selected to attend the inaugural Midwest Honor Band Festival and Symposium at UMKC Jan. 17-19^th, 2008.  This festival is designed to provide rewarding musical experiences for middle and high school band students and directors alike.  The festival will feature nationally recognized guest conductors and resident UMKC faculty in a busy schedule of concerts, master classes, and professional clinics.  The festival and symposium will begin at noon on Thursday, Jan. 17^th and will conclude by 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19^th.  The Midwest Honor Bands are comprised of students from Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Arkansas, and beyond.  Selection is based on band director recommendation, past achievements, and a balanced instrumentation.  The South Valley Middle School Band Director is Cindy Price Svehla.

SVMS band students selected are:  Kaitlyn Jantzen-clarinet, Rebecca Reed-Clarinet, Kathrine Kuhlmann-clarinet, Richard Adger-clarinet, Allie Vest-French Horn, Zach Brewer-Tenor Sax, Nick Smith-Bassoon, Daniel Franz-Oboe, David Roelofsz-percussion.

For more information on the festival and purchasing tickets for the performances, please call 816-235-2741.

LEGISLATORS LEARN ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM FROM LPS TEACHERS

Marty Kelsey, 5^th grade teacher at Manor Hill, and Lance Huebner, special services teacher at South Valley Junior High, have been invited to the state capital in Jefferson City on Jan. 31.  The two teachers will attend the Show-Me Techknowledge Day where they will spend the day in the Capitol rotunda showing state senators and representatives how they are using technology in their classrooms.  Mr. Kelsey will show his KMH broadcasting club, and Mr. Huebner will show our KSVJH broadcasting program.  Congratulations to Mr. Kelsey and Mr. Huebner!

LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL WINS FIRST INAGURAL CHESS TOURNAMENT
LHS held its first inaugural Christmas chess tournament Dec. 15, 2007.  Forty-four chess players participated in the K3 and K12 divisions. First place was awarded to Liberty High School, second place, Bechthold School, third place, Liberty Junior High and fourth place, Liberty Middle School.  Jonht Bechthold was the overall winner in the individual K12 division and Zac Schuh won the K3 individual division.  Contact Eric Greely Sr., or Kelly Joseph at Liberty High School for more information at 736-5340.  To view pictures from the event click on http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/news/photo-gallery/liberty-high-school-hosts-first-chess-tournament/100_3764.jpg/view

If you’re interested in your child learning how to play chess, the Liberty Kids Chess League is sponsoring a Liberty High School Chess Club Jan. 29^th , Feb. 5^th , 12^th , 19^th, and 26^th at Liberty High School from 6:30-8 p.m. The club is open to all kids from grades Kindergarten to grade 12. Pre-registration: Entry Fee: $5.00 per night or $20 per five-week session by January 25th via mail.

Onsite Registration: Entry Fee: $7.00 per night or $30 per five-week session. To pre-register online, send entry (using PAYPAL) to chessclub@powerpawn.net or mail your name, school, grade and a check to Ken Fee 1537 Baker St. Liberty, MO 64068. Make checks to Liberty High School. Awards will be given to the top 10 players in each section on Feb. 26th. Visit www.kcchess.org

for more information. Questions?  Call Ken Fee @ 816.835.7529 or email chessclub@powerpawn.net .

SUMMER ADVENTURE 2008 IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!

Mark your calendars for Summer Adventure 2008.  The program will run from June 9^th to July 2^nd.

FOR STUDENTS ENTERING KINDERGARTEN-8^TH GRADE IN THE FALL OF 2008 – Enrollment brochures containing details about the summer program and instructions for online enrollment will be available beginning the week of Feb. 25^th at Parent/Teacher conferences.  

FOR STUDENTS ENTERING 9^TH-12^TH GRADE IN THE FALL OF 2008 – Enrollment forms are now available at the Liberty secondary schools.  Brochures will be available at Parent/Teacher conferences in February. Parents may enroll online or by completing the form at the back of the brochure.  Enrollment deadline will be May 2^nd.