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Principally Speaking

By Patricia Alexander & Derrick Hartley

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.~ Helen Keller

A BIG SHOUT OUT of THANKS goes to our PTA and the many parents and staff that volunteered to help make the school carnival a success! This is just one of many examples of how our PLE community … parents, students, staff, businesses community and organizations come together to create successful events such as our school carnival. THANK YOU goes out to each person who played a part in making it a success!

Synergy is everywhere in nature and isn’t anything new BUT it doesn’t just “happen.”It’s aprocess and you have to practice to get there.Habit #6—Synergizewill provide you with thefoundation of getting there by helping you celebrate differences and then helping you find the“High Way,” the art of CREATIVE COOPERATION.

In basic terms, synergy means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If the sum “1+1 = 3” seems familiar, this is what it’s about. Covey tells us that when properly understood, synergy is the highest activity in all life. He draws a parallel to nature where synergy is everywhere. “If you plant two plants close together, the roots comingle and improve the quality of the soil so that both plants will grow better than if they were separated”.

The essence of synergy is to value and respect differences, to build on strengths and to compensate for weaknesses. Covey shares that many of us haven’t actually experienced synergy in our family lives or in other interactions. We’ve been shaped into defensive and protective communications or into believing that life or other people can’t be trusted. Therefore, we have a tendency to not open up to this highly effective principle which “requires enormous personal security and openness and a spirit of adventure”.

Principal (Cont’d on page 2)

Principal (cont’d from page 1)

Getting to Synergy – Action Plan for working together

First – identify the problem

Second – try to see the problem from another’s perspective

Third – Share your ideas and listen to other’s ideas

Forth – Brainstorm – create new ideas and options

Fifth – High Way – find the best solution.

The next time you have a disagreement or confrontation with someone, attempt to understand the concerns underlying that person’s position. Address those concerns in a creative and mutually beneficial way.

Congratulations goes out to our recent Optimist Award recipients…

For January: Kindergarten- Gavin Warner, 1st grade-Gia Harmon, 2nd grade-Corbin McGuire,

3rd grade-Emily Mickelson, 4th grade-Delaney Clark, 5th grade-Logan Nault, 6th grade-Carleigh Hasty.

For February:Kindergarten-Gavin Evans, 1st grade-Cooper Shull, 2nd grade-Ayesha

Bhatti, 3rd grade-Alyssa Stephenson, 4th grade-Raddiyyah Zabihullah, 5th grade-Maddy Myers,

6th grade-Morgen Sumler.

At this time we would like to recognize our PAWSitive leaders…

For January: Kindergarten-Sidney Marr, Blake Mathis, Gavin Straley, 4th grade-Dylan Huff, Eric Potts, Alexis Prier,5th grade-Leah Haskell, 6th grade-Taylor Harrison.

For February: Kindergarten-Will Grist, 1st grade-Aidan Smith, 3rd grade-Jordy Urbina,

4th grade-Kelly Johnson, 5th grade-Aryn Hull, 6th grade-Jace Vendelin.

We would also like to recognize the following students whose writing and/or illustrations were selected as winning entries in our District Young Authors Conference. This is a writing competition which is sponsored by our local International Reading Association as a way to recognize up and coming young authors and illustrators in our District:

Authors: Kindergarten - Evie Swiss, First Grade - Piper Miller, Third Grade - Kolbe Poos, Olivia Harmon, Yash Padhy, Bowen Bush, Makya Clayton, Fourth Grade - Caya Vendelin,

Sixth Grade – Logan Hopson

Artist: Second Grade – Brylee Johnson, Third Grade – Olivia Harmon, Fifth Grade, Gavin Mears, Sixth Grade – Jace Vendelin

We just updated our school wide score board and are excited to share with you are current results:

Reading Fluency

September 75 – students had met the end of year reading fluency goal or 13%

January 299 -students have met END of year target or 53%

Math Fluency

September 20 - students had met the end of year math fluency goalor 3.5%

January 304 - students have met END of year target or 54%

Our building goal is for 80% of our students to reach the 50%ile for reading fluency and math computation fluency by the end of the school year. We cannot accomplish this goal without your support at home. Please take time to read with your child at least 4 out of 7 days during the week and spend 10-20 minutes on math 4 out of 7 days to help your child accomplish our building fluency goals. If your child has already met the reading and math fluency goal. Ask your child what goal they are working on to stretch themselves.

Principal (Cont’d on page 3)

Principal (cont’d from page 2)

This time of year the weather is very unpredictable so it is important to watch the news with your child so they are prepared for the weather each day. We do go outside if the wind chill is 20 degrees or warmer!

Spring is just around the corner March 14 – 23. Following spring break we will gear up for our building Leadership Day on April 24th . Details for this day are located on our building website under the documents link.

The end of the year will be here before we know it and students will have an opportunity to display their knowledge on the statewide assessment. We will work with students in grades 3-6 to familiarize them with the online format of the Missouri Assessment Program. Our District testing window is April 8th through May 8th. Look for specific building testing dates coming your way soon. We greatly appreciate you scheduling appointments around these dates.

Board of Education approves
April 7 no-tax-increase bond issue

Designed to benefit all students and schools, expand nationally
recognized program, protect investment in facilities and save money

The Lee’s Summit R-7 Board of Education unanimously approved placement of a no-tax-increase bond issue on the April 7 ballot. The $40 million issue includes:

  • Construction of a new Summit Technology Academy / Missouri Innovation Campus
  • Numerous school improvements in the areas of classroom instruction, safety and security, health and wellness, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) renovations and special education
  • Playground safety upgrades to all elementary schools’ soft play areas and replacement of deteriorated play equipment
  • Maintenance projects at numerous sites designed to protect the district’s investment in its school facilities.

The no-tax-increase issue was reviewed by the district’s Citizens’ Advisory Committee, Business Roundtable and PTA Council with each group providing feedback on the recommended components.

Principal (Cont’d on page 4)

Principal (cont’d from page 3)

New Summit Technology Academy / Missouri Innovation Campus

A major portion of the bond issue would include construction of a new Summit Technology Academy / Missouri Innovation Campus with Lee’s Summit R-7 funding approximately $17.5 million of the $40 million issue. Thanks to a partnership with the University of Central Missouri (UCM), the school district and university are planning to construct and operate a shared facility. Under the plan, R-7 will pay approximately 40 percent of the new school with UCM paying the remaining 60 percent. Based on the agreement, Lee’s Summit R-7 will be the sole owner of the school which will house Summit Tech / Missouri Innovation Campus (STA / MIC) as well as UCM programs currently located in the UCM Summit Campus. UCM will pay for their space through a rental agreement.

The shared facility would reduce operating expenses for the R-7 School District, allowing the district to move STA / MIC from leased space into a building owned by the school district. The R-7 School District has leased space for Summit Tech at a favorable rate due to a tax abatement for a local business center that dates back to the late 1990s. This low-cost lease will expire when the business facility comes onto the tax rolls in 2018, and R-7 officials have been looking for an alternative that will be both more affordable and designed specifically for the growing educational programs. Due to the anticipated increase in rental costs with the expiration of the tax abatement, it is estimated that construction of the shared facility would save approximately $9 million for the school district over the next 20 years.

School improvements

Approximately $5.44 million within the bond issue would fund improvements at numerous R-7 schools. Elementary improvements include Greenwood Elementary ADA access and gym renovation; Hazel Grove Elementary kitchen renovation; Longview Farm Elementary concrete at kindergarten wings; Lee's Summit Elementary health room renovation, drop-off lane and kitchen renovation; Meadow Lane Elementary track upgrade/repair and basement renovation; Mason Elementary gym expansion, classroom renovation, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) access; Pleasant Lea Elementary health room/office renovation;

Principal (Cont’d on page 5)

Principal (cont’d from page 4)

Prairie View Elementary north gym isolation; Richardson Elementary additional parking; Trailridge Elementary restroom sink replacement; and Underwood Elementary cafeteria renovation.

Middle school improvements include Bernard Campbell student entry doors replacement and locker painting, Pleasant Lea locker replacement and Summit Lakes sound system. High school improvements include Lee’s Summit High School science classrooms renovation, Lee’s Summit North entry re-design (safety/security) and Lee’s Summit West restrooms/concession area for baseball and softball area. Special-education projects include Highland Park Elementary life skills classroom restrooms and Miller Park Center upstairs renovation, gym floor upgrade and kitchenette.

Close to $17.06 million in maintenance projects included in the bond issue were identified with the help of school principals and an architects’ audit. These numerous projects would impact each R-7 school. Also included are playground safety upgrades to all elementary schools’ soft play areas and replacement of deteriorated play equipment at each site. Other maintenance projects targeted for schools are flooring, carpet, ceilings, painting, roofing, paving, mechanical, doors, windows, FOBS, backflows, water sanitizing and masonry.

Construction schedule

If the bond is endorsed by at least four-sevenths of R-7 voters, construction on the Summit Technology Academy / Missouri Innovation Campus would begin soon after the election with the new school opening in August 2017. The school improvements and maintenance projects would also begin soon after the election with the majority of projects complete by either fall 2015 or fall 2016.

For more information, visit the district’s bond issue web page at:

Are you registered to vote in the April 7th school election?

Deadline is March 11

If you are not already registered, the deadline to register to vote in the April 7 election is March 11. Jackson County voters may register at all area City Hall offices, all Mid-Continent Public Libraries, the Jackson County Election Office near the Independence Square and any Missouri license bureau. Cass County voters may register at most city hall offices including Lake Winnebago, any public library, the Cass County Election Office and any Missouri license bureau.

For more information, call the Jackson County Election Board at (816) 325-4600, the Cass County Election Office at (816) 380-8108 or the Kansas City Election Board at (816) 842-4820. The Jackson County Election Board also has a website with more information located at Cass County’s website is Kansas City’s website is

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