Top Stories from LPS
Upcoming Calendar
December 18, 2015 - End of First Semester
December 21, 2015 - January 1, 2016 - Schools Closed for Winter Break
January 4, 2016 - Teacher Workday, No Classes
January 5, 2016 - Classes Resume
Board of Education Election Information
Liberty 53 School District will accept declaration of candidacy from any person interested in running for a position on the Liberty School Board in the April 5, 2016, election. Persons interested may file at the Liberty Public School District Administration Center located at 8 Victory Lane, Liberty, Missouri.
 
Filing will begin on December 22, 2015, at 8 a.m. and will continue during the district's regular business hours, which are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.  Candidates should enter the building through the east entrance doors.  Filing will not occur on days that the school district's offices are closed due to inclement weather.  Filing will not occur on the following holidays when the school district's offices are closed:  December 24, 25, 31, 2015, and January 1, 18, 2016.  Filing will end on January 19, 2016, at 5 p.m.
 
There are two positions available with three-year terms.
Coffee with the Community Thursday, December 17
Join us Thursday, December 17, at 10 a.m., for our next Coffee with the Community. Trey Katzer and Tracey Kracht will present an interesting, informational session, keeping us in the loop on Technology Integration within Liberty Public Schools.  Join us at the LPS District Administration Center (3rd Floor Board Room), 8 Victory Lane, Liberty.
LPS to Host Holiday Open House Friday, December 18
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Liberty Public Schools will celebrate a successful semester while also wishing everyone a happy holiday season by hosting a Holiday Open House at the District Administration Center, 8 Victory Lane, on Friday, December 18.  Several elementary music groups will be performing throughout the day, beginning at 9:30 a.m.  Performance times for each school are below.  LPS Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Tucker will be in attendance, along with other special guests.  Performances will take place on the 3rd floor of the DAC in the Board Room.  Community members are encouraged to attend this fun event!
 
9:30-10 a.m.      Lewis and Clark Elementary
10-10:30 a.m.    Lillian Schumacher Elementary
10:30-11 a.m.    Alexander Doniphan Elementary
11-11:30 a.m.    Kellybrook Elementary
11:30-12 p.m.    Warren Hills Elementary
12-12:30 p.m.    Ridgeview Elementary
1-1:30 p.m.        EPiC Elementary
1:30-2 p.m.        Shoal Creek Elementary
LPS News to Know
Major Saver Cards Now Available
Liberty School District Foundation is once again partnering with Liberty elementary and middle schools to raise funds through the sale of Major Saver Cards.  Cards cost $15 and feature discounts at 20 Liberty businesses - including Price Chopper, Blanc Palette, and the Liberty Community Center. Proceeds from the sale of the cards benefit both the participating schools and the Foundation; in fact, last year $60,000 was raised, half of which was gifted right back to the schools!  The Foundation uses the other half of the money raised to fund innovative learning projects throughout the entire District - projects like the Maker Spaces at Lewis and Clark, Manor Hill, and Heritage Middle School, as well as the summer reading mail pal program at Ridgeview, and financial support for STEM learning equipment and supplies to enhance PLTW curriculum.
 
Cards may be purchased from elementary or middle school students online or via the Major Saver app available on both Google Play and iTunes through December 16.  Visit the Foundation's website for more information!
Northland CAPS Open House
Will you be a high school junior or senior for the 2016-17 school year? Do you enjoy working with students from other districts and business partners from the real world of work? Are you eager to solve real problems in a fast growing business outside of the high school walls?  If so, join us at 6 p.m. for the Northland CAPS Open House on December 9 or the Open House on January 20, Gladstone Community Center, 6901 N. Holmes St., Gladstone. You will be able to talk with other students currently enrolled in Northland CAPS, visit with instructors, and learn more about the program.  
Strands for the 2016-17 school year include: Engineering/Advanced Manufacturing, Global Business/Entrepreneurship, Global Logistics and Transportation, Medicine and Healthcare,
and Technology Solutions.  
Seating is limited, so if you're interested, you may want to sign up now.
December 9:  Click here            
January 20:  Click here     
For more information, click on this link: www.northlandcaps.org or call 816-977-8111. 
Staff/Student Recognitions
LHS Students Selected to UMKC Honor Band
Congratulations to the following Liberty High School students on their selection to the UMKC Midwest Honor Band Festival and Symposium:
 
Clarinet - Abigail Bavuso and Jackson Sterling
Percussion - Jacob Fullinwider, Rebecca Hollar, Peyton Smith
 
Students will participate in clinics/rehearsals and perform in concert on Sunday, February 14, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
LHS All-State Band and Jazz Band Achievements
Congratulations to the following students on their achievements at the Missouri All-State Band and Jazz Band auditions held December 5th.  
 
Kaitlyn Ritter - 11th Chair All State Band Honorable Mention, Flute
Benjamin Tervort - All State Jazz Band Honorable Mention, Bass
Zachary Garland-Foster - 2nd Alto Saxophone All State Jazz Band 
 
Zachary also earned the 2nd Tenor Saxophone chair in the All-State Jazz Band and was named the Baritone Saxophone alternate in the All-State Jazz Band.  He chose the 2nd Alto Saxophone chair.  Zachary will perform with the Missouri All State Jazz Band at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 30, at Tan-Tar-A Resort.  Conductor for the group is John Clayton, bassist with the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra.  
Congratulations LHS Orchestra Students
Congratulations to all Liberty High School orchestras who auditioned for All-State Orchestra. You represented us with pride!  Let us specifically congratulate Cecelia Cook, viola, who will be performing with MMEA All-State Orchestra at our music convention in January.  Additional 
kudos to Zoe Moody, 2nd alternate viola, and Bryce Lindaman, 1st alternate cello. This is a high honor! The conductor of the 2016 All-State Orchestra will be Douglas Droste from Ball State University. The program for this year will include:  Brahms-Academic Festival Overture, Copland-Four Dance Episodes and Marquez-Danzon No. 2.
A Great Day for LNHS All-State Band Auditions
It was a great day for our Liberty North Eagles at All-State Band auditions on December 5 with over 1,000 students trying out for a chair in the 112-piece band.  Liberty North had 13 total students eligible to audition by way of first making All-District Band. The following LNHS students received All-State Band honors:
 
Kylah Bateman, 11th Chair Clarinet
Joe Angles, 1st Alto Clarinet
Andrew Stockmann, 3rd Percussion
Mitchell Sidden, 21st Honorabe Mention Clarinet
Joe Angles, 17th HM Clarinet 
Joe Angles, 2nd Contra Bass Clarinet
Joe Angles, HM Bass Clarinet 
Cooper Smith, 1st HM Tenor Sax
Kaylee Kappler, 3rd HM Bassoon 
Kala Hughes, 2nd Alternate Trumpet
 
This is the largest number of students from Liberty North to receive All-State Band honors in any given year over the school's 6-year existence. Students making All-State Band will attend the Missouri Music Educators Convention at Tan-Tar-A Resort in January, rehearse as part of the All-State Band for 3 days, then present a concert on Day 4. This year's conductor is Colonel Larry H. Lang, director of the United States Air Force Band. Liberty North band students are under the direction of Shane Fuller, Micahel Dragen, and Cindy Svehla. 
LNHS Scholar Bowl Teams Have Terrific Showing
Congratulations to the Liberty North Scholar Bowl varsity and junior varsity teams for a terrific showing at the Lee's Summit North Bronco Classic on Saturday, December 5.  Both teams earned 5th place finishes in their respective divisions and finished with 4-1 records for the day. Team members include Elliott Yoakum, Kaylee Chase, Sarah Myers, Chris Seward, Chase Mason, Nishat Shah, Juan Covarrubius, Anna Haynes, Rachel Hawk, Zoe Darnell, Neiko Chacon, Braydee Chu, and Thomas Philpot. Teams are coached by Rosemary Camp and Mary Coogan, with special assistance from Spencer Fish. 
LNHS Teacher Wins Award
Fabian Gomez Gonzalez (pictured with wife, Kristen) was awarded the New High School Science Teacher Award by the Science Teachers of Missouri at a ceremony held December 3 in Kansas City at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Area Convention. This award is given to teachers in their first three years who have distinguished themselves in the classroom through innovative teaching and the ability to engage students in course content.  Fabian is in his second year of teaching at Liberty North and is a former Liberty High School graduate.  
Upcoming Events
LHS Sapphires Host High School Dance Competition
This Saturday, December 12, the LHS Sapphires and Larkspur Dance & Choreography will be co-hosting the Kansas City Classic Dance Competition for area high school dance teams. Forty dance teams in the metro will be performing throughout the day in the new fieldhouse at Liberty High School.  Solos, duos, and ensembles will run from 8-10 a.m.  Team competitions will run from 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.  The varsity Sapphires will perform jazz at 11:39 and pom at 3:57. The junior varsity Sapphires will perform their pom routine at 1:54 and jazz at 4:00.  Come out and support your Liberty Sapphires!   
LHS Annual Financial Aid Night
Liberty High School will host its annual Financial Aid Night on January 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the LHS Little Theater.  Parents of seniors are encouraged to attend this informational meeting, which will cover details about the Liberty Local Scholarship Program, as well as tips for completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  The general program will conclude at 7:15 p.m., followed by an optional Q&A session with a financial aid expert. Immediately following this event, our Wellness Night will be held in the Library Media Center from 7:15-8:30 p.m.  Additional details on both events may be found on the LHS Counseling website.  Should you have more questions, contact Melanie Prince, LHS Counselor.
LNHS Hosting Youth Basketball Camp
The Liberty North men's basketball program will host a youth camp and parent clinic on December 12 from 9-11 a.m. at the Liberty North Fieldhouse.  Players will be instructed by current players and coaches.  Parents will receive information about age appropriate skills and drills.  We look forward to seeing players in Grades K-7 and their families on December 12! Questions should be directed via email to Head Coach Chris McCabe, or by calling 736-5519.
Information may be found online at: 
Winter Volleyball League
Liberty Juniors is offering a winter volleyball league for those in 3rd-7th grades.  Liberty Juniors provides skill training and develops fundamentals, while offering a game-like atmosphere. The league will meet at Liberty Middle School on Sundays from 3-4:30 p.m., beginning January 17th, and will be 8 sessions long. Cost is $90, which includes a team t-shirt.  Deadline for registration is January 13th.  Openings are limited for this session, so please complete the registration form by clicking here as soon as possible.  Please contact Erica Bruggemann if you have any questions. 
TSA Day Out Wednesday, December 30
Liberty High School's Technology Student Association (TSA) is hosting a TSA Day Out for all students currently in Kindergarten through 6th grade.  This one-day event on December 30, from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Liberty High school, will provide a full day of fun activities for students, while parents get a break to take care of any end-of-winter break needs or just get the kids out for some great activities.  For $25, students will have 7 hours of games, experiments, an engineering movie, and lots of fun.  A snack will be provided during the movie, but a lunch will need to be brought from home.  All proceeds will go toward helping the 50 TSA students travel to State and National competitions in various Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields.  (Sign up quickly, as our spring camp filled every spot!)  To register your student, please email dboden@liberty.k12.mo.us for more information and the registration form.
District/Community Events
Liberty Community Health Action Team
Would you like to be more involved in the health and happiness of your child? Join an LCHAT (Liberty Community Health Action Team) taskforce!  Liberty Public Schools is part of a coalition of public and private organizations, including Clay County Public Health Center, Liberty Hospital, and the City of Liberty, working to improve the health and wellness of the community as a whole. We need active parents who have the drive to impact the health of our youth. Contact LCHAT Project Coordinator, Kate Lesnar, 815-595-4213, to find out more. You may also visit the LCHAT website.
HMS PTA Hosts Holiday Shopping Mart
Heritage Middle School PTA will host its first Holiday Shopping Mart on Saturday, December 12, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be over 90 vendors selling a variety of crafts and products. There will also be activities for younger children, including a Children's Village for making mom and dad a special gift, face painting, and other holiday fun. Entry is free, and concessions will be sold. There will also be a raffle contest to win an Apple iPad mini! Tickets may be purchased now at the HMS front office or on the day of the event. 
QuickNews Bulletin Board
In an effort to make our Liberty Public Schools e-newsletter, QuickNews, a concise publication in which subscribers may read in 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 be transferred to our QuickNews Bulletin Board, which is located on the LPS website provided at the link below. In addition, the Bulletin Board may include announcements not meeting the criteria to be placed in this publication. The addition of the QN Bulletin Board allows them to now be publicized. This bulletin board will continuously be updated throughout the week, and announcements will remain until they expire by date. To access this page, simply click here. 
 
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© 2015 Liberty Public Schools
8 Victory Lane, Liberty, MO 64068
816.736.5300