September 1st, 2023

The Blue Valley Board of Education approved updates to Board Policy 3500 - Behavior and Discipline at the August 14, 2023 Board of Education meeting. As part of this approval, there is a Student Code of Conduct document. We ask all families and students within our school community to review the contents, policies and procedures within this Student Code of Conduct.

Administrative actions taken as a result of a violation of the code of conduct are determined following proper investigation, review, and/or consideration of the age/grade of the student, context, and situation in which the behavior in question occurred. The scope of authority of the Blue Valley Student Code of Conduct applies at all times when students are on school buses or other vehicles used by the district to transport students, school district property, or engaged in official school activities. Additionally, this code of conduct applies to any student whose conduct at any time or place has a direct and immediate effect causing substantial disruption impacting the order of school operations and/or the sense of student and staff safety that exists in the school or school-related environment.

Students at BVSW have been made aware of behavioral expectations in Advisory classes by reviewing and electronically signing the student handbook.

Each month, Children's Mercy will offer a free online educational event to provide parents and caregivers a chance to connect with Children's Mercy Kansas City experts on a variety of topics. Each event will include information about a specific topic followed by questions from attendees submitted via chat. Each event will be presented monthly at 12:00 noon. Webinar topics will include: healthy eating, financial resources, anxiety and depression, kids’ safety and more! In order to participate, participants will need access to the internet and a phone/tablet/computer. These webinars are free, but registration is required. If families cannot attend virtually at noon, the webinar will be recorded and posted on the Powering Families homepage for later access.

These webinars are free, but registration is requried. Once you have submitted your registration, you will be emailed the link to join the event.

Upcoming sessions:

• Healthy Eating & Lifestyles - Recording Available!
• Supporting Your Child through a Mental Health Crisis - Tuesday August 29, 2023 12-1pm
• Kids and Internet/Social Media - Wednesday September 20, 2023 12-1pm
• Preventing Unintentional Childhood Injuries – Tuesday October 24, 2023 12-1pm

To access the full list of recordings, view all upcoming webinar topics, or register for a session, visit the Powering Families webpage.

Blue Valley is pleased to announce that we will partner with GoFan for all athletic passes and individual high school event tickets for the 2023-24 school year. Fans can purchase passes or tickets online through their high school’s GoFan page. This new pass and ticket process allows Blue Valley to operate a more efficient and professional ticket gate while elevating the fan experience.

Purchase athletic pass/ticket today

We are excited to have your families come to support our high school activities and athletics this school year. It is great to see the entire community at these events. It is imperative that our parent community partner with us as we work to encourage a positive atmosphere for our high school games or events.

• Sportsmanship/officials: We want to give our student athletes the opportunity to play as many games as possible and we need officials to make those games happen. With a local and national shortage of officials, we want to make sure officials continue to choose to work Blue Valley events. The number one way we can create a welcoming environment is for spectators, coaches and student athletes to be courteous and respect the official’s decisions.
• Tailgating: Tailgating before games has become a tradition for many students and families. We love to see our community gathering together to enjoy food and tailgate games in our parking lots. As a reminder, alcohol and tobacco are not allowed on district property including parking lots. Outside food and drink is not permitted inside the gates except for unopened water bottles. Please visit the concession stands and support our school groups!

Thank you for your help in making our district events a great experience for all who attend. We hope to see your family cheering for our Blue Valley teams this school year.

Matt Ortman

Director of School Administration, Athletics and Activities

Blue Valley School District

This important message is for any family or staff that will travel out of the United States during the school year. Please click here to read the restrictions and recommendations for Out of the Country travel. Blue Valley resources such as Canvas, Classlink, and school email are not accessible out of the country unless you have a personal device with a VPN on it.

As seen in the annual assessment notice shared last week, there are some changes to student assessment in Blue Valley this Fall. As a result, you may notice a change in some of the tests your student is being asked to take this year. Here is a little more detail on these changes.

We have replaced our previous reading screening assessment, the SRI with the Fastbridge FASTtrack reading assessment. The benefits are:

• Fastbridge testing provides comparable student results with fewer questions.
• Teachers get information that is easier to act upon.
• Fastbridge is endorsed by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE).
• Families will get a printed student report.

Additionally, KSDE has changed the requirements for high school reading screening. Starting in Fall 2023, districts must screen:

• 9th graders in the fall
• New students
• Students whose scores from the previous test indicate below level performance

Testing Day will be on Wednesday, October 4th. Click HERE to access Testing Day Information including how to sign up for your desired test. The deadline to sign up is August 22nd at 11:59pm.

Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will engage in testing. Seniors will have testing opportunity or a future-ready activity.

The XC Team invites you to participate in our upcoming fundraiser at Fajita Pete's on Wednesday, September 6th. Plan an easy grab and go dinner this night and help support your 2023 XC Teams! Please remember to include "BVSWXC" in all orders -- either via phone, app or website. Fajita Pete's is donating 20% of all net sale proceeds to our program.

If you have never tried Fajita Pete's before, we recommend ordering one of the family meals: Fajitas for 4, La Familia, Small Familia or The Trio. These are all great values for families.

How to Order:

1. Place your order now, and pick up Wed, Sept 6th (pre ordering will help the restaurant keep up with demand)

2. Order online at www.fajitapetes.com , use the Fajita Pete's app, or call the store at 913.361.7700

Fresh Fajitas Catered & Delivered - Fajita Pete's

Order Now Rewards See Bundles See Deals View Menu

www.fajitapetes.com

3. Make sure you include "BVSWXC" in the SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS box on the order form online

4. This is an entire day event! If you're unable to make dinner, then order from here for lunch or an office occasion and the restaurant will honor the fundraiser too!

We appreciate your support for our program! Go Timberwolves!

The rankings are in and BVSW is #13 high school in Kansas according to U.S. News. Key ranking metrics of college readiness & state assessment performance speak to the district’s commitment to life readiness for all students.

Blue Valley is the only district in Kansas to have more than one high school, let alone all high schools, ranked in the top 15. Way to go, TimberWolves!

The student’s group policy will be applied to their 1:1 device 24/7. Any requests to change group policy should be made through a BV CARE Technology Support ticket. *See below a page for each group (HS, MS, Elem).

Parents and Teachers may use Securly Classroom & Securly Home apps to customize additional blocklists or internet pauses as desired. Parent Securly information page.

All traffic leaving campus on the east side, must make a left or right turn at Quivira Road. It is illegal to go straight across Quivira, into Glad Acres. I have attached diagram to assist.

Matthew Buelt

Police Officer

SRO-Blue Valley Southwest

City of Overland Park

12400 Foster Street
Overland Park, KS 66213

Parents: Don’t forget to pre-order your 2024 yearbook when registering your student. Cost is $50 and you can order online through Synergy ParentVue. Deadline to order is Jan. 10, 2024. This is the ONLY way to ensure you will receive a yearbook in May. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Senior parents: please be aware that the final deadline to submit yearbook senior ads is Friday, Sept. 15 at 2 p.m. No ads will be accepted after this date. Please note that you must submit ALL materials (form, photos, message, payment) to meet the deadline.

Sizes, prices, and answers to FAQs: https://tinyurl.com/BVSWSeniorAds2024

Ready to order? Click here: https://tinyurl.com/bvswseniorads

Interested in earning college credit for your honors/AP Class?

1. Apply – First time College Now students to apply for admission early if this is their first-time taking College Now courses. The application priority submission deadline is Aug 25 to guarantee their admission application will be processed before the enrollment deadline.

1. Upload Placement Documentation or Complete Placement Test if required. Students may place into many courses using their qualifying high school GPA, AP test score, ACT score, or may schedule an appointment to take the Accuplacer test at JCCC.

• For College Now Classes: click HERE for a list of eligible classes from JCCC. If a prerequisite or test score is required for your class, it will be noted. Go to jccc.edu/CollegeNowTesting to upload your placement documentation or to schedule an Accuplacer test.
• For Quick Step Plus College Algebra: JCCC has expanded the ways that Quickstep Plus or College Now students may place into College Algebra! Go to jccc.edu/QuickStepPlus to view placement methods, upload placement documentation, or schedule an Accuplacer test.
  
  

1. Enroll – College Now enrollment is now open. Students can view BVSW course codes online.
   
   
2. Pay – Payment is due at the time of enrollment; students will NOT be dropped by JCCC if they do not pay. Excel in CTE courses are only available to residents of Kansas. If you have a student who is being charged for an Excel in CTE eligible course, please email me so that we can get it corrected. Residents of Missouri will be charged tuition.
   
   

*College Now/QSPCA Grant – Funding Available!
JCCC has received $245,000 in grant funds that are available for our College Now and Quick Step Plus College Algebra students. Students must enroll and submit the grant application before the semester enrollment deadlines to be considered. If awarded, the grant will cover up to two classes at the full tuition rate. Deadline for enrollment and College Now/QSPCA Grant Application submission is Friday, Sept 15 by 5 p.m. for College Now and Friday, Oct 6 by 5 p.m. for QSPCA.

https://bvswpto.membershiptoolkit.com/story/366224

BVSW PTO is ready to kick off the 23-24 school year! We have merged our previous Membership and Invest in Southwest programs into a new, multi-level donation program called SUPPORT SOUTHWEST! See our website for details on each of our five levels of giving which include perks such as t-shirts, unlimited free popcorn and more!

Class of 2027 Parents: Welcome to BVSW! We have two spots available for the Community Spirit Committee/2027 Parent Facebook Administrator. If you are interested, please email BVSWPTO@gmail.com.

www.BVSWPTO.org

Want to include something in our Friday newsletter during the school year?

The deadline for submissions to the Friday weekly newsletter is Wednesday 11am. Any fundraisers must be pre-approved before they may be added to the newsletter. Fundraiser questions, contact Kim Rich at KARich@bluevalleyk12.org.

https://bvswpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home

Instagram: bvswpto

Facebook: BlueValleySouthwestPTO

Twitter: BVSW_PTO