Foreign Language Academy

Dear Panthers, It is with great sadness that I must inform you of the passing of our beloved middle school English Language Arts teacher, Evonne Shelly. Ms. Shelly passed away late this afternoon surrounded by her family. Ms. Shelly leaves behind a long legacy of academic success as seen through our scholars. Her excellence shown through in her daily teaching and love of our students. Her smile brightened our hallways. Her songs lifted our hearts. And, her passion inspir...ed our students to become phenomenal readers and writers, with 72% of 8th grade students achieving scores of Proficient and Advanced on our most recent state assessments. Ms. Shelly also inspired many a young lady on the basketball court, having coached our girls’ basketball team for several years. Just as in the classroom, the basketball court was a safe place to learn and grow, to reflect and improve, and most importantly to always put forth our best effort no matter the outcome. We ask that you please share this information with your student, should they have had contact with Ms. Shelly as a teacher or a coach. We will have the Crisis team at school tomorrow and Thursday to assist our students and staff with processing their grief. If you student is struggling with this information, please notify us so we can ensure that your student has access to our grief counselors. Please keep Ms. Shelly’s family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. We will keep you informed of visitation and funeral information as it comes available. Sincerely, Dr. Joell Ramsdell, Principal See more

We need your feedback as we take the next step in our Blueprint 2030 process. Help us shape goals for our schools by participating in our Thoughtexchange platform. Learn more: https://bit.ly/BP2030-Phase2 Necesitamos sus comentarios para dar el siguiente paso en nuestro proceso de Blueprint 2030. Estamos pidiendo a los miembros del personal, estudiantes, padres / tutores y otros que se unan a nosotros para brindar comentarios al participar en nuestra plataforma Thoughtexchange." Esta es una oportunidad para que nuestros interesados ofrezcan sus respuestas a preguntas sobre el futuro de nuestras escuelas. Aprende más: https://bit.ly/BP2030-Phase2

"We want everybody to come in and get the vaccine. In order for us to reach herd immunity, we know that we are going to need 75-80% of our community to go out and get the vaccine and get this virus under control." - Superintendent Mark Bedell

We're thrilled to announce our 2021 School Teachers of the Year! Join us as we celebrate these extraordinary public educators! Visit our website for the complete list of honorees: https://www.kcpublicschools.org//celebrate-our-2021-school

Help shape a great future for our students and schools by joining the District Advisory Committee (DAC) general body meeting by Zoom from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17! Learn more: https://www.kcpublicschools.org//help-shape-the-future-of-

We want to give every student an opportunity to lift their voice as part of our 2021 Sankofa Oratory Contest. What inspires you to reflect on your history and helps to provide direction for your successful future? Entries are due March 5. Learn more: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSf5-YUp-q4k-tSQM4/viewform

Nominate a KCPS classroom educator today for your school’s 2021 Teacher of the Year Award. This is your opportunity to shine a spotlight on the great teachers who work hard in our schools! Nominations for school Teachers of the Year will be accepted until 11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5. Each school-level recipient will be in the running for the district-level recognition. They will be honored on Thursday, April 8, during the 2021 KCPS Teacher of the Year Virtual Celebration, when the district winner and two runners-up will be announced. Learn more and nominate a KCPS teacher: https://www.kcpublicschools.org/about/teacher-of-the-year

The KCPS District Advisory Committee (DAC) will be hosting its first virtual meeting of 2021 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20. We hope all of our parents can join us! Learn more: https://www.kcpublicschools.org//first-district-advisory-c

We're suspending our "Meals On the Bus" deliveries today, Jan. 15, 2021, due to the winter weather. Instead, student meals are being distributed from 9AM-5PM via our curbside pickup program! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3bGlezx

We're continuing to offer no-cost COVID-19 testing for our students, families and staff on Tuesdays at Carver Dual Language and Fridays at Success Academy at Knotts! Stay safe! #NoMatterWhat, we're going to get through this! Learn more: http://bit.ly/KCPSCOVIDTests

"Meals On the Bus" deliveries will be reduced to Tuesdays and Thursdays starting on Jan. 19. Curbside pickup will continue every day school is in session. Learn more: https://www.kcpublicschools.org//new-schedule-for-meals-on

We want your feedback about possible changes to our academic calendar for the 2021-2022 school year. Provide your input and join the conversation today with our Thoughtexchange: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/#316596509/hub

Join Superintendent Mark Bedell for a KCPS LIVE conversation from 12-1PM today on Facebook and Instagram! http://bit.ly/3r69gVg

We have been planning and working through details to begin hybrid in-person learning on Nov. 9, 2020, for some of our students. This plan is still based on science and data. Students will return to school buildings only if COVID-19 positivity rates are declining consistently within our KCPS boundaries. Visit our website for more details: https://bit.ly/KCPS-ReEntry

Calling KCPS seniors and families, help shape the future of your country! Get #VoteReady and make time to register to vote before the Oct. 7 deadline. In partnership with NAACP, KCPS is hosting a Voter Registration Drive Thru on Sept. 30 from 3:00 6:00 pm at Central High. Everyone is welcome! Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/events/3366307630101222

Want to know more about what your student will be learning this year and how you can support at home? Need tips on accessing and using some of the technology? Join us for our first Parent University, Roadmap to Success: Navigating Curriculum & Technology, on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 pm. Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/events/2681577028782915

Join the conversation this fall! We are kicking off our first District Advisory Committee (DAC) and we want to hear from you. In addition to sharing helpful district and community resources, there will be an opportunity to provide feedback on how the school year is going so far and how the district can better support you and your student. DAC General Body Meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 pm. Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/events/342076747147911

We're partnering with Diversity Telehealth LLC to provide remote access to behavioral and mental health services for students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. KCPS students and families can now use the Thera-Link application free of charge. This HIPAA-compliant platform gives users access to wellness checks and social-emotional support and services by secure video and at their convenience. Learn more: https://www.kcpublicschools.org//new-partnership-provides-

We’re counting down to the first day of school! Join us for our Back2School Virtual Kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6:30 pm. Discover essential back-to-school information along with tips to prepare for the new school year. Plus, learn about resources and supports available for our KCPS families. https://www.facebook.com/events/3268543356546570/

We can all mark "Summerfest In A Hurricane" off our bingo cards! Despite the rain, we're still giving away backpacks with school supplies from 10AM-2PM today at Southeast High School, which is located at 3500 E. Meyer Blvd. No student health services will be available, though, due to the weather.

There's still time for KCPS families to register to get free backpacks with school supplies and access student health services at the Summerfest: Drive Thru Edition from 10AM-2PM tomorrow, Aug. 29 at Southeast HS! Learn more: https://www.kcpublicschools.org/summerfest

Get ready for the new school year! Join us Thursday, Sept. 3 at 6:30 pm for our Back2School Virtual Kickoff. Hear from Supt. Dr. Bedell and district leadership on essential back-to-school information. Plus, learn about resources, supports and tips to prepare for the school year. https://www.facebook.com/events/3268543356546570/

Our Board of Directors will be hosting their next meeting today. The executive session starts at 4:30 p.m. and the regular session is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Join the meeting by Zoom at bit.ly/KCPS-Board-Meeting8-26-2020 or by calling 816-418-1000 (Zoom ID: 969 2720 0768). The meeting can also be viewed at www.KCPublicSchools.org/Live.

We gave away about 1600 free backpacks with school supplies to our students during the first of our 2020 Summerfest: Drive Thru Edition events last Saturday! There's still time to register for our next Summerfest event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Southeast High School! Learn more: https://www.kcpublicschools.org/summerfest