The Mill Valley High School Ladies Soccer Program hosted a free soccer clinic on May 4 for boys and girls ages 4 through 10. More than 300 children participated in the event and enjoyed working with the Lady Jaguars on the basics of soccer.

Although the event was free for children, parents donated items for a raffle which generated nearly $4,000 to support the soccer program. In the photograph: Lauren Gibson and Bri Franklin of Mill Valley High School are pictured with a few Jaguar Cubs at the free soccer clinic on May 4.

The students at Starside Elementary in De Soto are enjoying a new natural playground featuring products from nature. The play area, designed to encourage imagination, was created using a mix of stone, wood, and living plants. The playground can also be used by teachers as an outdoor classroom in an effort to creatively engage students in learning.

Funding for the project came from donations through the school's Parent/Teacher Association and grant programs. A local architect and parent, Doug Pickert, worked with third and fifth grade students at Starside to design the layout of the natural playground.

The Board of Education on Monday, May 7, approved a five year contract with k12 ITC, Inc., to manage technology services for the school district. The framework of this partnership will allow the district to control costs and realize estimated savings of $1.2 million over a five year period.

"Based on months of research, consideration of multiple internal and external solutions and a comprehensive assessment of all proposals, we believe k12 ITC will not only deliver reliable services, but will respond to and guide the instructional and technological growth of our school district," said Dr. Jessica Dain, director of professional and program development. "We are confident that through this partnership the district will overcome the challenges and adversity of the current state of technology and strategically position us to meet the needs of our students and teachers." The transition to the k12 ITC will begin in July 2012.

Outsourcing

While outsourcing technology services is a relatively new concept in public school systems, both large and small businesses and many private schools have long benefited from arrangements of this kind. Outsourcing as a service model, however, is not a new concept to public school systems. In fact, many school districts, from the very large to the very small, use this model to provide transportation services, food services, custodial/maintenance services, and construction management services. USD 232, for example, outsources transportation services to First Student.

How will students and staff benefit?

k12 ITC will deliver a customized service based on a hybrid model of cloud-computing and local resources. The hybrid delivery model allows the company to adapt to individual customer needs while capturing efficiencies and leveraging advanced deployment and virtualization technologies to realize additional cost savings. Some of the benefits for staff and students include:

· Helpdesk support with extended hours

o   Students and staff need a helpdesk they can rely on for support when working outside normal school hours.

o   One phone number to call for help

o   With k12 ITC phone support, users will have one number to call for help no matter the technology issue.

o   24/7 online helpdesk support

· Increased storage for home drives

o   Staff home drives (storage) will increase from 2GB to 10GB.

o   Student home drives will increase from 1GB to 5GB.

· Self-service, user-driven IT

o   Staff will use a self-service web portal to choose software and other resources without any intervention of the IT staff.

· Web 2.0 and social media

o   Explore the possibility of opening access to various Web 2.0 and social media tools for staff and student use.

o   Ensure adequate internet capacity for Web 2.0 tools, particularly video sites.

· Improved customer service

o   Timely status information regarding technology issues

o   Improve transparency by communicating technology decisions to staff in a consistent, easy to understand format.

· Access to newer technologies

o   Available software updates will occur frequently, enabling users to receive the latest software needed, when it is needed.

· Internet access to network files and applications

o   Utilizing the anywhere, anytime access service, network files and applications will be available from internet connected computers - including access from mobile devices such as iPads and Android tablets.

Who is k12 ITC?

k12 ITC, Inc. is a Kansas City based technology services company focused exclusively on K-12 school districts.It takes a customer-focused, holistic, quality approach to provide better service without compromise. Founded by a nationally award winning Director of Technology, the leadership team has a combined total of more than 50 years of experience in K-12 schools. The company has optimized technology services to provide:

· Technology design, process and service assessments

· Service solutions

· Staffing resources outside the bounds of a typical K-12 organization

· Expanded support offerings

· More efficient resource use through a shared services model

The school district will immediately begin working with the leadership team at k12 ITC to finalize and implement transition plans for technology services.

MVHS journalism program caps great year

A second place finish at the state journalism contest capped a great year for the Mill Valley High School journalism department. MVHS missed the state title by only four points, placing behind Blue Valley. Individual student results: Carly Granato, honorable mention in sports photography; Emily Johnson, honorable mention in editorial writing; Jill Applegate, second place in headline writing and third place in newspaper design; Katherine Beck, first place in yearbook design and third place in editing; Kelsey Floyd, first place in student life photography; Kristina Milewski, honorable mention in feature writing; Allison Mackey, second place in video news story; and Sarah Darby, first place in headline writing.

Also awarded at the state contest were the winners of the All-Kansas rankings, the highest awarded in the state. All three MVHS publications earned All-Kansas honors: the 2011 JAG, 2012 JagWire and the 2012 JagWire News Online. Only one other school in the state can make that claim. The journalism advisor is Kathy Hill Habiger.

De Soto High School senior Tessa Scott signed her letter of intent on May 2 to begin her collegiate rowing career at the University of Kansas.

>> Read more in The Green Pride.

Two nights from which to choose for busy parents   - May 9 at DHS, May 16 at MVHS

Students who plan to participate in a variety of sports and activities need to pass an annual physical to be cleared for participation. USD 232 is hosting two physical check-up nights to accommodate the families' busy schedules.

Who
Students entering grades 7-12 at LTMS, MCMS, MTMS, MVHS and DHS in the fall of 2012. Parents must either accompany their student in order to sign paperwork or send the signed paperwork along with their students.

What
The physical would be good for 2012-2013 school year activities. Doctors will complete physicals in private rooms, nurses will take blood pressure, and coaches will measure height and weight.

Cost = $20/physical ($10 will be donated back to the school.)

Physical forms must be completed for the following activities:

Baseball
Basketball
Bowling
Cross Country
Cheer
Dance
Football
Golf
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track
Volleyball
Wrestling

All Head Coaches will be in available to hand out information about their specific sport.

Event #1

Wednesday, May 9
5:30pm - 8:30pm
De Soto High School
35000 W. 91st Street, De Soto

Doctors:
Dr. Don Reith DC
Dr. Reid Ketteler DC
Dr. Prem Parmar DC
Dr. Kim Flaming DC
Dr. Fred Clarke
Dr. Matthew Lane DC
Dr. Chad Barnes DC

Event #2

Wednesday, May 16
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Mill Valley High School
5900 Monticello Road, Shawnee

Doctors:
Dr. Don Reith DC
Dr. Prem Parmar DC
Dr. Reid Ketteler DC
Dr. Kim Flaming DC
Dr. Alisa Anderson Joyce DC
Dr. Fred Clarke
Dr. Matthew Lane DC
Dr. Chad Barnes DC
Dr. Faith Peterman DC
Dr. Karl Wilan DC

Benefits

- One location
- All activity paperwork can be completed for the entire school year.

• Physical forms
• Emergency Medical release forms (EMA)
• Acknowledgement of Risk form
• Concussion form
• Code of Conduct form

- Partial cost of physical is returned to the school

Principal Luzenske puts on a sumo wrestling suit as a reward for students  

Students and faculty at Riverview Elementary are fighting back against cancer through education, fundraising, and games, including a sumo wrestling contest. The school participated in the American Cancer Society's new fundraising program, Relay Recess.  Designed for elementary schools to learn about the Society's patient programs and services and raise funds for the Society, Relay Recess gives students an opportunity to incorporate physical activity while learning about cancer prevention and early detection.

The school challenged the students to raise $6,000 to support the mission of ACS, which is to save lives by helping people stay well, get well, find cures, and fight back against cancer. Students exceeded the fundraising goal and donated $10,025.35 for ACS through various activities. Because the students did so well, they were treated to a sumo wrestling match featuring Principal Jennifer Luzenske (pictured on right) and Richelle Hodges, second grade teacher. Officiating the sumo match was Isaac Hodges (center), the school's physical education instructor.

"Students have fun while they raise money for the American Cancer Society," said Kara Philips, community manager for the Society. "They learn how the money they raise can help a patient to get to and from treatment through Road to Recovery, help a patient find a place to stay while receiving treatment at Hope Lodge, or how the money can help young cancer survivors pay for college through the Society's college scholarship program."

Third Grader Delaney Fields participated in Relay Recess and knows first-hand how hard it is to fight cancer. "A couple of people in my family have had cancer," Delaney said. "It's not easy for family members or the people who have had it.  It's just important to raise awareness and make sure that everybody knows how to stop it and cure it."

The Relay Recess program provides students, teachers, and administrators the opportunity to become superheroes in their own communities by celebrating people who have battled cancer, remembering loved ones lost, and fighting back against a disease that has taken too many lives.

The Relay Recess program also engages elementary school students in the fight against cancer through fundraising activities that support cancer programs and services in every community. In addition, it gives students the chance to get out of the classroom and have fun with entertainment and activities that reinforce what they have learned. Because the program is so flexible, it is different at every school and is an excellent opportunity to showcase unique qualities about your school and your community.

For more information on Relay Recess, contact Kara Philips at 816.218.7184 or email: Kara.Philips@cancer.org .

About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation's largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org .

De Soto High School hosted a college signing day for CJ Faddis, Holden Klamm, and Austin Ingram. The three student athletes received scholarships to play baseball for Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, KS. In a symbolic ceremony, they signed letters of intent in front of family and friends. Coffeyville Community College is part of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.

Faddis currently plays second base for DHS, Klamm and Ingram play outfield and pitch for the Wildcats.

The second grade students at Riverview Elementary hosted a musical program in March based on several children's books. They called it Music, Munchies, and My Favorite Books. Prior to the performance students and their families participated in a literacy event that showcased the books from the musical.

The purpose of the combined music and literacy night was to give parents an opportunity to learn more about the literature performed in the musical, to see what students are doing in the classroom, and to provide a social gathering to build a sense of community.

The families enjoyed a free dinner while students read to their parents. The cafeteria showcased posters and books created by students depicting the literary elements of the stories.  The musical was directed by Elaine Kellogg.