Student Services / Counseling

Click here to view the Counseling Department Calendar. 

Find test dates, college representative visits, scholarship & financial aid application deadlines, opportunities and events, other key deadlines, and more, all in one location.

Enrollment begins in SME Counseling office:

1. Pick up an enrollment form (7:00 am - 3:20 pm)
2. Return completed enrollment form to SME Counseling
3. Meet with SME Computer Clerk to finalize enrollment
4. Pay with SME Bookkeeper (cash, check or credit card) or online in Skyward (credit card only) within 48 hours.

If you are unable to pick up an enrollment form or need assistance, please call 913-993-6630.

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Online courses - eSchool

Courses available:

(Note:  all grade levels listed are for the student's grade in the 2021-22 school year)

• Health (9-12)
• PE Fitness for Life (9-12) (May be taken only once during high school)
• Financial Literacy (10-12)
• Psychology (10-12)
• US History (11) (initial credit only)
• ELA 3 (11) (initial credit only)
• ELA 4 (12) (initial credit only)
• Art History (9-12)

All courses are available only to students currently taking courses at an SMSD school in spring 2021.

Details:

• June 1-July 27, with supervised final exam on July 27.
• Mandatory online orientation prior to beginning course.
• $180 per course
• Deadline to enroll is June 4.
• See additional important details and information on the eSchool website and in the eSchool info sheet.

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In-person courses - Summer Academy 

Courses available:

(Note:  all grade levels listed are for the student's grade in the 2021-22 school year)

• Intro to Art (9-12)
• Health (9-12)
• PE Concepts (9-12)
• Team Games (10-12)

Details:

• All courses will be at SM South HS
• Two sessions:
  • Session 1:  June 14-July 2
  • Session 2:  July 12-30
• Mon. - Fri., 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
• $170 per course
• Deadline to enroll in session 1 is June 7.
• See additional important details and information in the Academy brochure and on the Summer Academy website.

Intro to Art and Health require an SMSD MacBook and are available only to students currently taking courses at an SMSD school in spring 2021.

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Credit Recovery

Courses available at SM South HS (in person), $170 per course, same dates as listed above.

(Only for students who have previously taken and failed a course.)

• ELA 1, 2, 3, & 4
• 
Integrated Alg/Geom. 1 & 2
• 
Geometry
• Intermediate Algebra
• 
Algebra 2
• 
Biology

• Chemistry 1
• 
Physical Science

• World Reg. Studies
• 
US History

• Government

All courses require an SMSD MacBook and are available only to students currently taking courses at an SMSD school in spring 2021.

For credit recovery ONLY, use this Google Form as the first step to request enrollment. (Use only if the student has previously taken. but failed the course.)  Students should consult with their counselor prior to enrolling.

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Incoming 9th graders (current 8th graders):

In-Person Courses available at SM South High School:

• Intro to Art
• Health 
• PE Concepts 

(Note:  Intro to Art and Health require an SMSD MacBook and are available only to students currently taking courses at an SMSD school in spring 2021.)

eSchool (online) Courses available:

(Note:  all courses listed below require an SMSD MacBook and are available only to students currently taking courses at an SMSD school in spring 2021.)

• Health
• PE Fitness for Life  (May be taken only once during high school)
• Art History 

Various times available, all virtual.

The Shawnee Mission School District and Johnson County Mental Health are partnering to provide an important training for SMSD parents.

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer and is a three-step, life-assisting process to learn the warning signs of suicide, ask the tough questions, persuade someone to get further help and assistance, and make appropriate and timely referrals. You don’t have to be an expert in the field of mental health to learn these life-saving skills. 

If you are a parent in the Shawnee Mission School District, please consider joining us for this free, important training. For more information on QPR, visit: https://qprinstitute.com/

Juniors who took the ACT at SME on Feb 23rd:

• Scores are often rolled out in batches, not all at once. If you have created a MyACT account and still don’t see your scores, it should be added later,

• If you did not receive a paper on the day of the exam, with instructions on how to create your MyACT account, and would like to retrieve your scores,  you have two options:

1. Wait for the paper copy of your results to come in the mail.  ACT has indicated that they will have some instructions attached for use with MyACT

2. The other option:  go to www.myact.org and sign in as far as you can with the e-mail you put on the ACT answer sheet.  There will be a “contact us” hyperlink in the account somewhere.  Contact ACT and explain that you missed the deadline from the Feb 23rd ACT and would like to link to your scores.  You may need to plan on being on hold while they work through the solution.

Class of 2021:   

• Final Transcripts:

  • Final transcripts will not be available until after all grades are posted and confirmed. It is estimated final transcripts will be available by mid-June.

  • ​​​​A final official transcript will automatically be sent by mid-June to the college indicated in the Graduate Information form in Skyward (first item in this module). Therefore, students do NOT need to send another request for a final transcript to their counselor or to the registrar.

  • A senior may request an unofficial transcript for their personal use by emailing the SME registrar after June 1^st (Melanie Lowe, melanielowe@smsd.org)

• For all other transcripts (for example, fraternity or sorority), you must contact the SME registrar, Melanie Lowe.

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Class of 2022:

• Before requesting a transcript, you should always confirm first that your college or university actually needs and wants a transcript right now---many do not! If the school uses self-reporting for courses and grades, you'll just enter them yourself. Do not request that a transcript be sent now unless you're sure they want and need it.

• If you're sure the college needs a transcript, you may request it in one of two ways, depending on the application method you used for each particular college or university:

METHOD 1:
Use only if you are applying directly via a college or university's website:

1. Request through your Xello account, but only after you have contacted the SME registrar and signed a transcript release form. Only students may do this (parents are not able to request transcripts using their child's Xello account). Please allow at least two business days after you submit the request for your transcript to be sent.
    
2. In your Xello account:

   • To the right, click Request.

     • A banner at the top of the screen will indicate the request was sent..
        

   • Under the Application Checklist, find Transcript.

   • Under College Applications, select the institution to which you'd like your transcript sent.

   • In your Xello Student Dashboard, under Goals & Plans, click College Planning.

METHOD 2:
Use only if you are applying to a college or university via Common App or SendEdu:

1. You must contact the registrar first, to obtain and submit a transcript release form. (Keep in mind that many colleges do not require a counselor recommendation.
    

2. Invite your counselor in your Common App account and email your counselor to update her on your colleges and deadlines.

3. Your counselor will upload your School Report (which includes your transcript) to Common App and each college will download it when you submit your application.

4. If a college requires a counselor recommendation, let your counselor know immediately, but no later than a month before your application deadline. Your counselor will then send you a Google Form questionnaire.

5. Keep in mind that it may take several days (or even weeks, during busy times), for a college or university to download and match your transcript to your application file. This must be done manually, even with transcripts sent electronically. Your application status may continue to indicate they have not yet received your transcript if they haven't yet matched it to your file (even if it has already been sent by SME). If you have questions, first check with your college's admissions department directly.

For all other transcripts or questions about GPA:  

Please contact SME Registrar, Melanie Lowe, directly with questions: 
melanielowe@smsd.org

Please check our College FAQ and Financial Aid & Scholarships web pages, for frequently asked questions and lots of resources to help you through this process.

The counselor assignments have shifted slightly, to help balance caseloads.

Below are the new alphabetical assignments for each counselor, by student’s last name:

• A-EL:      Traci Ybarra, traciybarra@smsd.org
• Em-K:    Michele Burns-Grimes, micheleburns@smsd.org
• L-Re:       Susan Barr, susanbarr@smsd.org
• Rh-Z:     Brenda Tretbar, brendatretbar@smsd.org

Also, we are celebrating the recent marriage of counselor Michele Burns! You will see her name as Michele Burns-Grimes, but she can currently still be reached at micheleburns@smsd.org.

If you have any questions about a change in your counselor, please reach out and we’ll be glad to help.

Need help completing your FAFSA?   JCCC is offering the following FREE VIRTUAL event for all students and parents:

Tuesday, November 10^th, 2020 from 6:30-8:30 pm

RSVPs are required!  More event information, including RSVP can be found online: www.jccc.edu/freefafsa

SME is now using RepVisits.com to schedule virtual visits with college representatives!

View all virtual visits on our Counseling Calendar. 

• Only juniors and seniors may participate.
• Students should inform their teachers they will be missing class.
• Students are responsible for making up any classwork they miss during a visit with a college representative.
• Copy and paste the url listed in the calendar to join the virtual visit on the scheduled date/time.

Future exams (Saturday testing sessions):

Check the ACT and College Board (for SAT) websites for registration and updated information on future test dates. 

Click here for ACT Frequently Asked Questions (registration, MyACT account help, COVID updates, etc.) 

Test Prep:  New online testing resources from ZAPS / Doorway to College.

Beginning October 19^th, students and their families will be able to register for an AP exam on College Board and pay for test(s) on Total Registration.

• Registration will close after 2 weeks on Nov. 2^nd and a $40 late fee will begin. 
• Students enrolled in Macroeconomics for 2nd semester - Do NOT enroll or pay at this time. There will be an opportunity to enroll and pay without a late fee in February. 

• The fee for each exam will be $100 (plus $40 per exam for late registration).

• The testing schedule is listed on the College Board website below:   https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/exam-dates-and-fees
• There is a TWO-STEP PROCESS----both steps are required!  See more detailed information about the TWO-STEP PROCESS to enroll and pay in the daily announcements.

 

• Many colleges and universities are altering their admissions processes, requirements, and deadlines due to the coronavirus. You can use this searchable database to find details on individual colleges. It is being updated frequently.
   
• This COVID-19 resource was compiled by the Kansas Board of Regents and includes information on state universities in Kansas
   
• Some colleges and universities will not be requiring test scores for admission. Check the admissions website of the college you're applying to for the most up-to-date information.
   
• Read this recent article from the New York Times for juniors applying to selective schools.
   
• Please consult the SME College FAQ web page for more information.

​​​​​​See the Student Services Contacts website for email addresses. 

Your teachers should be your first point of contact with questions about grades. If you're having difficulty communicating with teachers or getting the information you need, send your counselor an email.
 

Free breakfast and lunch will be provided to all children ages 1 to 18 at four school sites in the Shawnee Mission School District.

Click here for details.

• Johnson County Mental Health Center Crisis Line: 913-268-0156
   
• Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255; Text: 741741
   
• Johnson County Resource Connection
   
• Youth Line Teen crisis helpline: Text TEEN2TEEN to 839863
   
• Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741
   
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
   

• SMSD Resources for Parents
  Includes a variety of activities to do at home, community resources, COVID-19 specific resources, and the SMSD PickUp and Go Meals information

• EverFi Family Portal: receive direct access to a library of digital courses. Simply enter your state and your child's school name to receive the full catalogue of age-appropriate courses for your child. 

Note:  This is NOT summer school information. Summer school information is above.

The following online courses may be taken in eSchool for INITIAL CREDIT (not credit recovery) in fall and spring, outside the school day.

Health (9-12), Fitness for Life (9-12), Art History (9-12), Financial Literacy (10-12), Psychology (10-12), ELA 3 (11), US History (11-12), ELA 4 (12). and Government (12).

• Courses are taken outside the school day and all work is completed entirely online.
• Fee is $180.
• Enrollment and payment are both done online. 
• All students must complete mandatory online orientation before they may begin the class.
• Check with your counselor before enrolling, to be sure you're in the correct class.
• Find the enrollment form and important details on the eSchool website.
• Fitness for Life may be taken only once.
• Check back in August for fall 2021 enrollment information.