OMS Friday Knight Live

1. NO SCHOOL Monday, 1.20.25
2. New Semester- New Clubs and New ASK Schedule
3. Second Semester Course Fee Payment Open
4. Friday Knight Club 1.24.25
5. Parents Still Make a Difference Newsletter
6. BV Unmuted Podcast: Upcoming Legislative Session
7. 8th Grade Families- Future Husky Night
8. No Outside Restaurant or Fast Food
9. Save the Date: Spring Conferences
10. Coming Up @ OMS

There is no school Monday, January 20th for the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We will welcome our students back to school Tuesday, January 21st.

Please refer to the OMS website for the 2nd Semester Clubs and Activities. In addition ASK, after school homework sessions, have also changed. ASK takes place Monday-Thursday from 3-4 p.m.

Middle school course fee payment for the second semester is open and online now. Your ParentVUE login and password are required to pay course fees.

• Course fees are assigned based on your student’s enrollment. Some seventh and eighth grade exploratory/elective classes include course fees.

• Course fees are assigned for the first semester only.

Questions regarding fee payment should be directed to OMS bookkeeper, Andrea da Valinha Lopes.

adavalinhalopes@bluevalleyk12.org

913-239-5508

This month’s newsletter has articles on physical activity links to academic gains, how to talk about tough issues, note taking, family meetings, and more!

Click HERE for the January 2025 newsletter

We are excited to have our students attend this rescheduled event next Friday, January 24th!

Tickets: Purchase tickets in advance at this link: https://omspto.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/182520508 or send cash with your student that night. Online purchase goes through 11 p.m. Thursday, January 23rd. Families who have already purchased tickets do not need to purchase another ticket- students will pick up their tickets/wristbands before school Friday, 1/24, or at the event at 5 p.m.

Volunteer: Please consider volunteering for all or part of that night. Here is the link to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C44A4AE28A1F94-54097775-omsfriday. We appreciate your help and are looking forward to a great event!

Tickets include pizza, water, and lots of fun!

Students who pre-purchase tickets may pick up wristbands before school Friday morning.

Tickets may also be purchased with cash before school Friday morning or at the door at 5 p.m.

Important Information:

• Friday Knight Club is for currently enrolled OMS students only.
• FKC is from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
• Students will not be allowed to enter school until FKC starts at 5:00 p.m. due to supervision availability.
• Students may bring extra money to purchase additional snacks at the concession stand.
• Friday Knight Club ends at 7:00 p.m. Students must leave with a parent or guardian to ensure the safety of all OMS students. Yes, one parent or guardian may drive/walk multiple students home.
• Parents and guardians must be at Oxford by 6:50 to pick students up as soon as the event ends. We must ensure the safe departure of EVERY student and cannot leave until all students are safely picked up.

In the latest Blue Valley Schools’ BV Unmuted podcast episode, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan discusses the upcoming Kansas Legislative session and the district’s five priority positions with Board of Education members Gina Knapp and Jan Kessinger and Chief Financial Officer Jeremy McFadden.

🎙️ To listen to the podcast episode, visit www.bit.ly/BVPriorities.

February 3rd for Future Husky Night

8th grade families join us at Blue Valley Northwest High School to meet administrators, counselors, and teachers. Find out about elective classes and graduation requirements. Don’t miss this opportunity to find out about becoming the BVNW class of 2029!

Other important dates and times:

Monday, Feb. 3—BVNW counselors come to OMS during Hr. 1 to meet with all 8th graders to discuss enrolling for high school.

Wednesday, Feb. 19—BVNW counselors will come to OMS to meet with students individually to verify their class selections for 9th grade.

Parents/Guardians please do not bring in restaurant or fast food for your student for lunch. If your student is coming in late or returning from an appointment please have them eat lunch before they return to OMS. Restaurant/fast food is not allowed in the cafeteria.

It may be January, but we are already looking forward to connecting with our families at our spring conferences next month.

OMS Conferences are Wednesday, February 12th and Thursday, February 14th. There are both walk-ins and zoom options. Sign-ups for zoom conferences will be available January 31st in ParentVue. More specific information will be in upcoming newsletters.

Monday, January 20th- No School; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Friday, January 24th- Friday Knight Club 5-7 p.m.

Our Green Team is sponsoring a challenge to collect 1,000 pounds of plastic film to keep it out of our landfills and oceans. What is plastic film? Plastic grocery bags, soda case plastic wrap, bread bags, ziploc bags, newspaper sleeves, dry cleaning bags, and so much more!

Once the 1,000lb limit has been collected, it will be recycled into an outdoor bench for our courtyard!

Current Plastic Weight Turned In: 458 Pounds 1.16.24

Pull Tabs/Pop Tabs are being collected to help raise money for the local Ronald McDonald House. Pull those tabs from soda, vegetable, soup, fruit, tomato sauce cans and so many more!

Current Pop Tab Weight Turn In: 38 pounds 1.16.24

Click HERE for the OMS Student Made Recycling Video

Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, 6:30-10 p.m.

Join friends for a great adult night out with live music, a silent auction, a wine and bourbon pull and more! Proceeds from this annual fundraiser support music and performing arts programs throughout the district, and YOU can be part of the fun! Check out our new location at Fiorella’s event space in OP for a great over-21 night out. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and YOU choose the “Best of Blue Valley” live band when the competition wraps up at 10 p.m. Bands are made up of BV parents, teachers and staff and funds provide significant funding for performing arts programs including band, orchestra, choir, theater, debate and competitive speaking. Get tickets today at Event Details.

Can’t make it to the event in person? No worries! Visit Silent Auction to start your bid on incredible auction packages and see what your school submitted. Check back frequently as more items are added to the offerings every week. The auction will close on Friday, February 21 at 8:45 p.m. and you do not have to be present to win!

Bands:

Young Medicine- Lakewood Elementary

Modern Thieves- Mission Trail Elementary, Leawood Middle, Blue Valley North

KC Prime- Leawood Elementary and Leawood Middle

Hope to see you Friday, February 21, 2025, as we Rock the Valley for BV Schools!

You can also vote by donation for your favorite adult school-affiliated band, and the winner receives a $1,000 grant to their school of choice. The 2025 band names, order of performances and school representations are as follows:

PTO Concessions Help Needed

Can you help with concessions for home basketball games? Boys home game schedule is now loaded!

Click HERE for PTO Concessions sign up

PTO Memberships & Donations

The OMS PTO needs your donation! All donations help support staff needs and student activities. If you have not already given to the PTO this year, please click this link:

https://omspto.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/156152925. We appreciate your support!

If you have questions, please contact Debra Burgess at dhburgesskc@gmail.com Thank you!

OMS families, every school has procedures in place for the safety of our students and to provide the best learning environment for everyone. Each year we check and update our procedures on everything from forgotten lunches,no outside restaurant food, to visitors in the building. Please refer to our 2024 2025 Student Planner, our School Information or Families tabs on the OMS Website, or our Parent Reference Sheet for our How-To’s including:

• Reporting an Absence

• Dropping off forgotten homework, shoes,lunches, etc

• No outside restaurant food

• Visitors in the building

• Sports eligibility

• Lunch money accounts

• So much more!

• National Poverty in America Awareness Month - raises awareness about the struggles millions of Americans face living in poverty. It encourages learning about the causes of poverty, supporting those in need, and working to create solutions that promote economic equality and opportunity.

• World Braille Day - January 4 - a day to raise awareness and attention to accessibility for those with visual impairments and celebrate Braille's invention. This tactile writing system was invented in the 1800s by Louis Braille.

• Lohri - January 13 - celebrated primarily by Sikhs and Hindus, the festival marks the end of the winter solstice and harvesting of winter crops. Some families will sing and dance around a bonfire, exchange gifts with friends and family, and tell tales of bravery.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - January 20 - a day that honors the life and legacy of the civil rights leader. Some families will participate in a day of service to their communities.

• Lunar New Year - January 29 - celebrated by families of Chinese and other Asian heritages, some people celebrate with religious ceremonies honoring ancestors, giving and receiving red envelopes containing small amounts of money, lighting colorful lanterns, and eating traditional foods such as dumplings and sticky rice balls that symbolize family unity.

Have you listened to the BV Unmuted podcast about attendance? Hear our superintendent, a high school principal, high school assistant principal, and an elementary school principal on the difference attendance makes.

🎙️ To listen to the podcast episode, visit https://tinyurl.com/AttendanceBV.

We are thankful for the ongoing partnership and support we experience in our school community. Working together we ensure the best possible student experience allowing them to realize personal success. There are times, however, when issues arise which require our continued collaboration to resolve. Families may utilize the matrix linked on the district website to best address questions and concerns that may arise throughout the course of a school year. Finally, all staff and visitors should conduct their business free from intimidation, harassment, or bullying. The district’s Board of Education states expectations regarding civility within Policy 6341. Again, thank you for your partnership in helping to maintain a safe school community environment for all.

Low Income Energy Assistance Program applications now open. Flyers in English and Spanish

Click Here for English Flyer

Haga clic AQUÍ para ver el folleto en español

Angel Clothing Foundation - Angel Clothing Foundation is a non-profit that offers free Boutique style clothing sizes infant to 3XL. Clothing is distributed to low-income families in need, women leaving domestic violence situations, and the homeless. This includes clothing, shoes, and accessories for men, women, and children.

The store is currently open Wednesdays and Thursdays 9:00 AM-4:00 PM at (420 S. Kansas Ave., Olathe, KS 66061) with no appointment necessary. If you are in need of immediate emergency assistance 24/7, please call or text 913-208-5209. Donations and volunteers are always welcome.

Family Support & Resources: We know there may be times when unexpected circumstances present a hardship for families in our community. Blue Valley has resources within each school available to help students through challenging times, including counselors, social workers, school psychologists and building administrators. On the District website, the Student Well-Being page provides valuable information for families who may need support outside of what the school provides. We also want to make sure you are aware of a Family Support and Resources link under the Families heading on our school website. Information submitted on this form related to a specific situation and family need will be reviewed by the building principals and the school social worker. While we cannot guarantee that we can provide the requested resources, we will do our best to identify and recommend available support.

ASK (Academically Successful Knights), our after-school homework program, is a great way for students to get work done and get help before they leave school Monday-Thursday. We talked with our students this week about starting 2nd quarter strong. ASK is a great way to help!

Families of bus riders, please sign up for Durham Bus Services notifications. Get the information if your student’s bus is late or going to be in a different numbered bus. Click HERE for Durham’s Website and Textcaster Link

Blue Valley Schools is committed to promoting and fostering a safe environment in and around all our schools. We are continuously working to prevent, mitigate, respond to and recover from a wide range of situations. Please check out available ways to report safety concerns.

OMS Families, please share any candid photos you take during the school year This is for the yearbook so:

• No blurry or out of focus shots

• Upload a few shots (but no duplicates please)

• Please put in folder associated with your grade or event

• OMS events only

• .jpg or .png ONLY (no .HEIC)

Click HERE to upload photos for the 2024 2025 Yearbook

OMS has many clubs and activities before and after school. Look at our Activities page for clubs starting next week and check back often for updates. Click HERE for OMS Activities page

Click HERE for 24 25 Club Listing by Day

OMS families, every school has procedures in place for the safety of our students and to provide the best learning environment for everyone. Each year we check and update our procedures on everything from forgotten lunches to visitors in the building. Please refer to our 2024 2025 Student Planner, our School Information or Families tabs on the OMS Website for everything including:

• Reporting an Absence

• Dropping off forgotten homework, shoes, etc

• Visitors in the building

• Outside/restaurant food

• Sports eligibility

• Lunch money accounts

• So much more!

For students who do not receive bus transportation, families may fill out this form to see if other families near them are interested in arranging a carpool. Anyone who fills the form out will want to check regularly for new additions. Families who use this form will reach out to other parents and guardians on this form to arrange any carpools.

OMS Carpool Interest Form

Please help our OMS carline move smoothly by following the OMS traffic loop. All cars enter the parking lot through the south entrance and exit through the south entrance.

Parents/Guardians may NOT drop kids off in our south parking lot. This creates a safety hazard for staff entering and exiting the parking lot before and after school. Thank you for keeping our community safe!

Bell Schedules & Calendar / Bell/Class Schedules (bluevalleyk12.org)

OMS FAQs: student handbook, lockers, etc.

Building & Traffic Flow Map

OMS Staff Directory

Want to keep up on the latest OMS announcements and information? Check out the NEWS section on the OMS website. NEWS is located under the About Us tab.

Click HERE for OMS NEWS

Attendance Number: 913-239-5505

Mrs. Domoney, Principal: cdomoney@bluevalleyk12.org

Mr. Holsapple, Assistant Principal: jholsapple03@bluevalleyk12.org

OMS Calendar

OMS School Website

OMS Library Homepage