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.

• Schedules will be available to view in Skyward on July 25th. Beginning that same day, students will have ten days (until August 3rd) to request a schedule change ONLINE ONLY.

• Requests may only be submitted online using this Google Form, beginning on July 25th. We will not be able to make changes for requests submitted by email or phone.

• Deadline to submit a request is August 3rd.

• PLEASE OPEN THIS DOCUMENT for complete information.

• Prior to the schedule change request window from July 25-Aug 3, we are able to make changes to course requests for the following reasons:

  • Student is missing a prerequisite for a course that was requested

  • Student has failed a course and needs to include it in next year’s course requests

  • Course placement as determined by tryout, audition, application, or teacher recommendation.

• If you are considering a change and none of these reasons applies in your situation, please wait for the one-week opportunity in late July to request a change. There are no guarantees that requested changes can be made at that time. Space availability will determine what changes can be made.

• Course information and details, including descriptions, prerequisites and course lists for each grade level can be found on our SME Enrollment web page. 

Scores from the March 1st ACT @SME

Students received information for creating a MyACT account in Advisory in February.  Students must complete the MyACT account in order to view their scores, so it is critical that an account is created and non-test information is completed.  Students who already have a MyACT account should NOT create an additional account.

Additional information and instructions can be found in the Class of 2023 Advisory in Canvas.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Traci Ybarra, SME Counselor.

Future exams (Saturday testing sessions):

Check the ACT and College Board (for SAT) websites for registration and updated information on future test dates, scores, help with . Students must pay a fee to take an ACT or SAT on a Saturday. 

Click here for ACT registration, MyACT account help, COVID updates, etc.) 

Test Prep:  See options for free test prep on the SME Testing website.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

• 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:

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

(For Common App or SendEDu, see Option 2, below.)

1. Request your transcript 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 seven school 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.

OPTION 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. When you return your completed transcript release to the SME Registrar, she'll confirm whether you need a recommendation letter or not, and will then let your counselor know you need your transcript submitted via Common App or SendEdu. 

3. Invite your counselor in Common App or SendEdu. This will add you to your counselor's Common App account and allow her to upload your transcript. 

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

5. If a college requires a counselor recommendation, let your Mrs. Lowe (registrar) know immediately, but no later than a month before your application deadline. Mrs. Lowe will have you complete the College Information form and will then send you a Google Form questionnaire.

6. 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:  melanielowe@smsd.org

Graduates (alumni):   

• Final Transcripts:
  ​​​​A final official transcript was automatically sent 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.

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

After you have reviewed the information on our website, contact your counselor if you have additional questions or need to request a recommendation letter.

If you're concerned about your progress in one or more of your classes, please see the SME Student Assistance Flowchart. It provides the process for communicating and working with SME staff to devise a plan for improvement.

SME is now using RepVisits.com to schedule virtual visits with college representatives! (In-person visits are pending, based on COVID protocol at the time of the visit.)

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.

TENTATIVE:
Scores for tests taken by 9th, 10th & 11th graders should be available as outlined below:

All Grade 9:  PreACT - Score reports will be provided to students at school sometime in December. Details will be shared with students and parents as soon as we have them.

Grades 10 & 11:

• Locally-scored ACT (practice):  Score reports will be provided to students at school sometime in November. 
• PSAT:  Scores will be available on students' College Board accounts sometime in December or early January. If students already have a College Board account, they should not create a new one. (Check the College Board website for instructions if you forgot your user name or password.) Students who do not yet have a College Board account will receive instructions on how to create one when scores are available.

Enrollment for Spring 2022 eSchool enrollment is open!

**Enrollment must be done online by a parent or guardian in Skyward. Complete instructions for enrolling are on the SMSD eSchool website.

---IMPORTANT:  Please DO NOT PAY for the course until you've received a notification that your course selection has been approved. Approval will be sent by email within 72 hours of enrollment.

If you encounter difficulties with the online enrollment process please contact the eSchool office. 

**Mandatory Orientation Information:

AFTER you have completed enrollment, attendance at one of these meetings is mandatory for all students.   

• January 13, 2022, 6:00-7:00 p,m. @ SM West Cafeteria OR
• January 20, 2022, 6:00-7:00 p.m. @ SM East Cafeteria

DEADLINE:  Students must be enrolled and paid before the January 20th orientation begins at 6 pm.

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.
• Check with your counselor before enrolling, to be sure you're in the correct class.
• Fitness for Life may be taken only once.

Find additional important details on the eSchool website.

Please see the SME Financial Aid website and the SME Counseling Calendar for information and upcoming opportunities and events.

Real World Learning is here at SME!

College Now 

Concurrent Credit

Dual Enrollment

Career and Technical Training

Internship and Job Shadowing Opportunities

Students - interested in an internship next spring?  Fill out the internship application form to start the process. Please see Mrs. Merriman for additional details.

If you are interested in knowing more see the Real World Learning website or contact counselor Jodee Merriman at JodeeMerriman@smsd.org or 913-993-6661.

• 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. 

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

Your teachers should be your first point of contact with questions about grades.

Canvas should be updated regularly. Teachers will export grades from Canvas to Skyward twice per week.

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.

Click this link to see and hear more about SME!