FALCON FLYER
Back to School Edition
January 10, 2025
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Calendar
Tuesday, January 14
8:00 AM 8th Grade Give Me 20 Presentation
Thursday, January 16
4-8 PM OTMS PTO Spirit Night at Urban Air
5:15 PM 8th Grade Athletic Fair at BV North
6:00 PM 8th Grade Enrollment night at BVN
Monday, January 20-NO School
MLK, Jr. Day
11:59 PM Deadline to sign up for 8th Grade to PSAT 8 assessment
Thursday, January 23
8:30 AM School Spelling Bee in library
Principal's Message
OTMS Families,
I hope all of you had a wonderful "extended" winter break! We are looking forward to students returning to school and the daily routine of learning. A few important reminders:
- School starts at 7:51. Students can be dropped off as early as 7:00. If you arrive in the traffic loop after 7:45, it is likely your child will be late. As always, please prioritize safety.
- Daily attendance is critical for the academic success of students. Excessive absences to part or all of the academic school day may result in your child being truant. Please be sure to communicate all excused absences by contacting the school at 913-239-5401 or entering the absences on ParentVue.
- BV North enrollment night for our current 8th grade students is Thursday, Jan. 16. Please see below for important information.
- Current 6th and 7th grade students will be receiving information the week of January 20 regarding enrollment for the 25-26 school year.
Please note: beginning Wednesday, January 22, we will be making a small modification to our daily Wednesday bell schedule by moving all grade level flex classes to the end of the day. The purpose of this change is to create a common collaborative time to build and implement interventions as part of MTSS (multi-tiered system of supports). Initially this will have little to no impact on students other than the time they are going to flex. However, we look forward to the opportunities this adjustment will provide in supporting students academic and social/emotional growth. Please reach out to Dr. Stern if you have any questions or concerns.
Excited for a wonderful spring semester!
Dr. Trent Stern, Proud Principal
End of Quarter Information - Viewing Canvas Courses and Quarter Grades
Second quarter/first semester grades are now viewable in ParentVue.
Reminder: At the end of each quarter, courses in Canvas will conclude and will no longer be visible on the Canvas app. However, a concluded course remains visible through the Canvas website by selecting ALL COURSES and then PAST ENROLLMENTS.
Important dates for families:
Please note: The dates are subject to change based upon calendar updates or technology needs.
How do I view my child’s report card?
Log in on ParentVue.
Select the student’s name
In the left navigation bar, choose Report Card
Each new quarter, classroom teachers will publish the next quarter’s Canvas course. As courses are published, students and families will again be able to see current courses on the Canvas app and Canvas website. For Canvas parent resources, visit www.bluevalleyk12.org/canvas.
Boys Basketball-8th Grade
8th grade boys basketball season begins Monday, January 6th. Please see this link for detailed information from Coach Newell. This information will also be shared with any student interested in participating during a pre-season meeting on Monday, December 9th during FLEX time.
Please fill out the interest form as soon as possible, if interested. As always, the calendar is subject to change depending on the number of participants/teams and due to weather.
BVN Girls Basketball Youth Night
Attention Girls Basketball players! The Blue Valley North Girls basketball team is having a Youth Basketball Night on Jan. 14th! All Girls Basketball players are encouraged to come and watch the Varsity team compete at 7:00 pm. If any youth coaches want to email about bringing their youth team. I can have the team recognized at the game email Coach Ann Fritz, Head Girls Basketball Coach at Blue Valley North: afritz@bluevalleyk12.org
8th Grade "Give Me 20"
Parents of 8th grade students,
As part of the district’s suicide prevention program, we have an opportunity on January 14th to perform an activity with our 8thgrade students called “Give Me 20”. It is a program/ activity designed by two women in our Johnson County area who lost their children to suicide. The speakers will be Sylvia Harrell and BJ Thomas. It is designed to have students build a “Give Me 20” LIFEBOX in which students can go to when they are feeling sad, depressed, or blue. In the box will be meaningful activities for the students to complete and a meaningful letter that we are asking for parents or a family member to write that we can place in the box for the student to read. If you are unable to get the letter to us on time, you can add your letter when your student brings the box home. Please review and complete the google form that is provided at the link below. (NOTE THERE ARE 2 Sections of the GOOGLE FORM PLEASE HIT NEXT)
The presentation will happen at school on Tuesday January 14th, 2025 starting at 8am. Please check out this short news clip about the Give Me 20 program that was on the news. It provides a great explanation of the GiveMe20 program.
If you would like your 8th grade daughter or son to opt out of this activity, please let us know by Friday January 10th, 2025. If you have any questions, please call, or email Roxanne Quinn or Buomkuoth Lual. Thank you!
Roxanne Quinn, OTM School Counselor
913-239-5418
Buomkuoth Lual, OTM School Counselor
913-239-5417
8th Grade Families-Save the Date-Jan. 16
See below for information about enrollment night for 8th graders at BV North.
Optional 8th Grade PSAT 8 Assessment Information
We are offering an optional PSAT 8 assessment on Thursday, March 6th, 2025 at Hilltop Conference Center.
The time commitment for students is roughly 4 hours. This includes bus transportation to Hilltop, test set-up, testing time, and bus transportation back to Hilltop. Lunch will be available when students return to school, roughly between 12:45 and 1:00.
Blue Valley provides the PSAT8 for practice purposes, and there is another practice opportunity when students are in 10th grade. Please note that the high-stakes PSAT is an optional exam for high school juniors where exceptionally strong scores (scores in the top 0.5%) can qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Students test on their district-provided Chromebook and for those who sign up, we will remind you of these details closer to the test date.
If you would like your 8th grader to participate, please sign-up here. The deadline to sign-up is Monday, January 20th at 11:59 PM, as we have to roster students with the College Board.
OTMS PTO News:
PTO Calendar – upcoming events:
16 January: Urban Air – OTMS spirit night Fundraiser
3 February: Save the Date - Panera Restaurant Night 8am-8pm
28 February: Save the Date – FAN Night 6pm – 8pm
Spirit Night at Urban Air
Beat the cold weather blahs and have fun on Thursday, January 16th from 4pm – 8pm at Urban Air. Tickets must be purchased at the door and mention you are there for OTMS spirit night. Urban Air will donate 20% of proceeds back to OTMS! Bring a friend, have fun and support your school! Urban Air is located at 14401 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park.
Save the Date – Panera Restaurant Night
Come out and support the OTMS PTO on Monday, February 3rd from 4-8pm at Spin Pizza. Spin will donate 20% back to OTMS when you mention you are there for OTMS restaurant night! Use code ‘giveback’ when ordering online. Thank you for supporting PTO!
Save the Date - FAN NIGHT
FAN Night (Falcon Activity Night) is back! Our next event will take place on Friday, February 28th from 6pm-8pm
For those new to OTMS, FAN (Falcon Activity Night) Night is a student only event where students have a lot of fun in a safe environment! Drop your students off, go to dinner, and then come back to pick them up.
Students will enjoy a DJ, inflatable obstacle course, basketball, games, and more! Pizza, candy, and drinks are also available for cash purchase at FAN Night. Wristbands (for access to FAN Night) are $5 and will be sold at lunchtime the week of FAN Night and at the door! Hint: get your wristbands early to avoid the long line at the door!
Keep your eye out for ways to help – sign ups to volunteer and donate are coming soon! Want to be more involved? Email PTO at bvotmspto@gmail.com to help with this fun student event!
December Achieve, Believe & Inspire Recipients
Front row (left to right) Ryan Potter, Purvi Malinedi, Caitlyn Klein, Hayden Marley, Nolan Hannon, Tristen Classen
Back row (left to right): Zayn Parsons, Lukas Mooses, Ben Sutcliffe, Ayden Shino, Alysson Castro, Dr. Stern, Isaac Small
Math Lab
Is your student needing extra math support? Math Lab is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year both before school and after school. Attendance is taken at every session.
Morning Sessions:
Tuesday (7:10 – 7:40 AM ) in room 25 (8th grade hallway) with Ms. Hilligoss email: lhilligoss@bluevalleyk12.org
Thursday (7:10 – 7:40 AM) in room 9 (6th grade hallway) with Ms. Lintz
email: pjlintz@bluevalleyk12.org
Afternoon Sessions:
Tuesday & Thursday (3:15-4:15 PM) in the library classroom with Ms. Carter, Ms. Mills or Ms. Miller . Students must provide own transportation home and be picked up by 4:15.
emails: clcarter@bluevalleyk12.org , tmills@bluevalleyk12.org , mjmiller05@bluevalleyk12.org
Attendance Reporting and Notifications
Families can expect automated attendance messages by email, phone, and text if a child is absent and their absence has not already been reported by a parent/guardian. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to report an absence or reply to the automated email or phone message.
What is the purpose of attendance notifications?
We realize that students may occasionally need to miss school for planned absences, illnesses, and appointments. However, when a student does not arrive at school or unexpectedly misses a portion of the school day, we are concerned and want to make sure you are aware that your child is absent.
How can I get push notifications?
Families who would also like a push notification can download the ParentVUE app and manage their notifications. If a child has an unreported absence when a teacher submits attendance, then a push notification will immediately be sent to the parent/guardian's mobile device.
Interested in push notifications? Simply download the ParentVUE app (iTunes app store or Google Play), enable push notifications in device settings and select attendance notifications through in-app settings. Once the app is downloaded, these instructions will help you complete the set-up.
BVEF Innovative Educator Award
Do you know a Blue Valley educator who goes above and beyond to inspire, engage and innovate in the classroom? Help the Blue Valley Educational Foundation (BVEF) recognize their extraordinary impact by nominating them today for the BVEF annual Innovative Educator Award! This BVEF award recognizes two exemplary teachers (one elementary, one secondary) who creatively apply innovative teaching methods, foster critical thinking skills and ignite a passion for learning in their students. Honorees will receive a $1,250 grant for their classroom. To nominate a teacher, fill out the 2025 BVEF Innovative Educator Award form by Monday, February 3.
Student Handbook and Code of Conduct
Do you have questions about student expectations? These are outlined in our student handbook and our district's Code of Conduct. These documents are linked on our school website and available for students via Canvas. You may also click here for the district's current
Student Code of Conduct. Please reach out to school administration with questions.Safe School Reporting
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.