Blue Valley Northwest

Mrs. Gipple named BVNW Teacher of the Year Nominee

Congrats to Mrs. Heidi Gipple, BVNW psychology teacher, who is our Teacher of the Year nominee! She will move on to the next round of competition for who wins the Secondary Blue Valley Teacher of the Year (BVTOY). Good luck!

Mr. Hora named BVNW Horizon Award Nominee

Congrats to Mr. Cameron Hora, BVNW science teacher, who was nominated for the Horizon Award, recognizing him for his first year of teaching during the 23-24 school year. He moves on to the state of Kansas Horizon Award competition and we wish him luck!

Canvas Grade Updates

To inform students and parents about their academic progress in each course, Canvas Gradebooks for work submitted by Friday, September 6th, should be updated by the end of the day today, Friday, September 13th. Please check Canvas for details.

Here’s information shared in a previous newsletter about how to set up Canvas access for parents/guardians:

Canvas is our learning management system for grades K-12. Do you need a refresher on it, are you looking to set up a new account or need to remember how to get added as an Observer to your student’s classes? We’ve got you covered!

*IMPORTANT!* Check out how to access or set up your Canvas Observer account as a parent, or review this Canvas Parent/Guardian Orientation.

BVNW Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences will take place Monday,

October 21st - Thursday, October 24th. More details to come!

National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships. During junior year, some students take the PSAT/NMSQT.

The Selection Index Score from that test qualifies students for the National Merit Scholarship competition. Semifinalists are the top 1-2% Selection Index Scores of graduating high school seniors in the state.

These semifinalists will complete several additional requirements and apply to advance to the Finalist level of the competition before being considered for a National Merit Scholarship.

Congratulations to the following 11 BVNW students who were announced as National Merit Semifinalists this week!

Sydney Barnett

Daniel Cho

Alyssa Chowdhury

Gracie Cowman

Darren Hall

Nathan Lai

Aditya Parikh

Aarushi Rai

Krrish Sanjanwala

Pranith Surapaneni

Vincent Zheng

Some September Celebrations & Observances:

National Hispanic Heritage Month - September 15 to October 15 celebrates the history, diverse cultures, and contributions of those with Hispanic and Latinx heritage.

Hunger Action Month - dedicated to taking action to end hunger. The BV Food Pantry, located at Hilltop Conference Center, is available to all Blue Valley community members.

Suicide Prevention Month - recognized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Raises awareness of mental health and resources available to discuss suicide prevention and seek help. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 immediately or chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.

Constitution Day - The United States commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.

Middle School to High School World Language Credit Transfer

9th grade students and families only - This information is only for students who have completed the full MS world language sequence in a BV middle school and will seek to transfer two (2) world language credits to their HS transcript. To apply for the credit transfer, please fill out the form found here by October 11, 2024.

Do you have a question or concern? We want to help!

If you have a question or concerns, we want to help! Many times by starting at the building level, you will work with the person who is closest to the situation and will usually have the most information. If you feel further discussion is warranted, the following chart can be used as a guide for whom to call when questions arise on the most common topics.

• If you would like to order school pictures, you may place your order here.
  

• 9th grade families only - To apply for the world language credit transfer, please fill out the form found here by October 11, 2024.

• September 12th - Homecoming Pep Assembly

• September 13th - Crowning of Royalty at football game

• September 14th - Homecoming Dance, 8-10 PM at school

• Oct. 17 - School picture retakes/Senior last chance photos

• Oct. 21-24 - Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences

• Nov. 14-16 - Fall Musical: Mamma Mia!

September Odd/Even/Traditional Calendar

BVNW Daily Announcements

Our daily announcement format has changed this year. You can access our announcement document each day to see what’s going on at BVNW - click here.

Activity/Club Fair

Students participated in a virtual activity/club fair last week to see how they could get involved at Northwest. We offer so many great opportunities. Please encourage your student to get involved!

Student IDs

Your student’s 2024-25 ID is now accessible on their phone! Below please find the instructions to access their ID below.

Please note–all IDs will be digital this year, meaning we will only be printing hard copies of IDs if there are extenuating circumstances.

Students will need this ID to enter the building during school hours. We do not accept StudentVUE or Canvas accounts.

If you have any questions or problems, please encourage your student to stop by Student Services and see Miss Grace. We are working on troubleshooting some issues, so please be patient with us and watch for future communication.

Instructions to access your ID:

1. Click here to begin the process.

2. Follow the prompts to enter your name, student ID number, and create a password.

3. Save the URL for your ID in your phone or take a screenshot and save it to your phone.

BVNW News Website

Visit this link to see the BVNW journalists’ work featuring news, human interest pieces, personality profiles and opinion writings. You can also find photo galleries, reviews and games on the website - www.bvnwnews.com.

School Pictures

School Pictures were taken August 16th for grades 9-11! You may place orders here. Students who did not get pictures taken may have their pictures taken the morning of Thursday, October 17. This will also include seniors who did not get pictures taken over the summer (for the yearbook). All students must get their picture taken if they want it in the yearbook!

Code of Conduct

As we begin the school year, we would like to remind you to review the updated Blue Valley Student Code of Conduct.

Locker Checkout

Students don’t always elect to have a locker these days because they don’t carry textbooks. However, if your student would like a locker, they can stop by Student Services and see Miss Grace. She would be glad to assign your student a locker and provide them with the code.

The Kansas Apply Free Days will be held on October 7-9, 2024! During these three days, any Kansas resident, regardless of age or income can apply for free at any of our 7 public universities, 19 community colleges, 6 Technical colleges, and the 21 private member institutions of the Kansas Independent College Association. Eligible programs include general applications, certificate programs, associate degree programs, and bachelor degree programs. (Graduate programs or other mid-degree applications will not qualify.)

Refer to the 2024 Apply Free Days Application Instructions for detailed institution-specific guidance on completing applications for admission.

Stay up to date with weekly events by viewing all schedules by visiting the EKL Website: https://www.easternkansasleague.org/public/genie/997/school/9/

Message From the AD

Proud. Plain and simple. The administrators at BVNW are PROUD of our students and student athletes. We applaud our sportsmanship and how our students are conducting themselves on the playing surface and in the stands. Specifically, a group of seniors stuck around after the game on Friday night to help clean up the student section. That goes to show the PRIDE the kids are taking in their school. With all of this, we want to say “thank you” to you all for setting the standard for your students. We can’t wait to see our students continue to represent BVNW in a positive way at all our events. Go Dawgs!

Athletes of the Month:

Congrats to our August Athletes of the Month- Morgan Sears and Cooper Burandt!

Middle School and Elementary Student Attendance:

We ask that middle or elementary school students arrive and remain seated with an adult for the entirety of the game. Unsupervised students will be asked to leave with the adult they entered the game with by event security. There is no safe area for students to “play” during the game; no balls or other toys are permitted in the stadium.

Tickets and Stadium Access

Advanced tickets- Tickets are available for purchase prior to the game via GoFan. OR you can purchase tickets at the gate. Cash and credit are both accepted at the gate.

Student entry- ** for football games*** Students with activity passes should enter the stadium at the student line closest to the fence on the soccer stadium. It will be clearly marked. Student activity passes are no longer tethered to their student ID. Instead, students must use the GoFan app and have their activity pass accessed through that platform. Students entering at this gate can not use a BV Employee pass- students who have parents/guardians that are employees of the BVSD can contact our bookkeeper to receive a voucher code for their GoFan pass.

IMPORTANT! Within the GoFan app, patrons will be asked to click through 2 separate screens to validate tickets and passes. This must be done in front of the ticket taker at the gate and NOT in advance while walking up.

Sportsmanship

Our BVNW student leaders work hard in the stand to maintain a lively and respectful student section. Please follow our students’ lead and be respectful in all moments of competition. A national shortage of referees is real- we want officials to choose to come to Blue Valley Northwest, so out ability to host games is not impacted. Even if you disagree with a call, please respect our officials’ time and investment in our community and keep your comments courteous.

Food and Drink

There is no outside food or drink allowed in the stadium. All reusable water bottles must be emptied before entrance. A single sealed water bottle is permitted for each person attending. Additionally, we’d like to remind our community alcohol is prohibited anywhere on campus.

We are looking forward to a great fall sports season and can’t wait to see the home stands full of BVNW fans!

GoFan Student Tickets

Please click the link to purchase a student pass for $40 -

https://gofan.co/app/school/KS18098.

National Honor Society Invitations

Invitations to juniors/seniors who qualify for NHS were sent via email on August 29. Please encourage your students to check their email. A qualifying GPA is 3.5 and above (GPAs do not round), and applications and teacher references are due Friday, September 13th.

KCTV5 High School Star of the Week

We are actively searching for outstanding high school students who excel in various areas outside of athletics. Whether it's choir, debate, math club, culinary club, or any other noteworthy achievements, we want to shine a spotlight on their accomplishments and share their inspiring stories with our audience. Students will feature in My KC Live’s "High School Star of the Week" segment every Friday at 9am.

To nominate a student from your high school, simply submit their photos or videos through our website: https://www.kctv5.com/lifestyle/living-kc/high-school-star-of-the-week/

SCHOOL-SPONSORED ACTIVITIES/CLUBS/SPORTS

Website: https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/bvnw
Location: 13260 Switzer Rd, Overland Park, KS 66213
Phone: (913) 239-3400