OMS Friday Knight Live

1. Thanksgiving Break: No School
2. Thank You OMS Families for Your Generosity
3. Schedule Change Requests for 2nd Semester
4. Math Competition Open to OMS Students
5. Social Worker Resources
6. OMS PTO News
7. Green Team Challenge Updates
8. Coming Up @ OMS

We wish all of our families a Happy Thanksgiving next week! There is no school Monday, November 25th-Friday, November 29th.

We will welcome our students back to school Monday, December 2nd.

Thank you OMS for your generous donations and time:

• For the Harvesters Food Drive; we collected 4 barrels of food and paper products!

• For the Book Fair volunteers

• For the PTO Trivia contestants and auction donations

• For the 6th grade math parent volunteers

• For the Staff Soup lunch items

• For the continued stretchy plastic (160 pounds so far) and can tab collections (21 pounds so far)

Schedule change request forms for 2nd semester (both 3rd and 4th quarters) will be available starting Monday December 2 from the Counseling Office. The counseling office will have a list of open elective classes. The form must be completed, signed by parent/guardian, and returned by Friday December 6 at 3:00pm to the Counseling Office. Phone and email requests are not accepted.

The Blue Valley West Math Honor Society (Mu Alpha Theta) is excited to announce that the 8th Annual Blue Valley West Middle School Math Competition will be on December 5th, 2024 from 3:30-7:00 PM at Blue Valley West High School.

This competition is open to all middle school students in grades 6-8, from any school in Kansas and Missouri. Elementary students may compete, please note they will be grouped with 6th grade students. Attached is a flyer containing important information regarding the competition, such as the registration process.

Click here for BVW Math flyer

Information about gift and food programs for November and December.

Click HERE for Johnson County Holiday Resources

Tips for Managing Your Mental Health During the Holiday Season: 10 practical ways to protect yourself leading into a busy — and sometimes difficult — holiday season. You can download your free holiday mental health guide to start preparing right now!

Bidding is open for the online auction!

Check out all the wonderful auction items for the OMS PTO fundraiser. Auction items include:

• Wine and cheese tasting at Total Wine
• Top Golf and Chicken N Pickle gift certificates
• Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Liquor Store gift cards
• Charcuterie gift set
• Wine and liquor gift set
• Front row seats for OMS Concerts
• Lunch with the Principal
• Two-night stay at Linn Valley Lakes lakefront home
• and more!

To Bid, click here: https://app.galabid.com/omspto/items

All proceeds will go toward OMS Staff Grants this school year. Bidding ends on Sunday, 11/24/2024, at 10pm. Click the link to see the auction items and bid:https://app.galabid.com/omspto/items?fbclid=IwY2xjawGkjm9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaQUiCMxgAczLHcWM1kBYXyYT_jE24_KufmhvgETjRPEXWf24EBfnvIetw_aem_TVrTiF2o-kilTldME44g0w

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!

Concessions: Sign up here to be a concession volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044FAAAD28A57-51004840-weneed#/

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

Families are invited to attend this public event Wednesday, December 4th at the Olathe Mill Creek Campus. Please open attachment for more information.

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: 160 Pounds 11.22.24

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: 21 pounds 11.22.24

Click HERE for the OMS Student Made Recycling Video

November 25-29- No School

The week of Dec. 2-6, OMS counselors will be coming into 6th and 7th grade classrooms to discuss suicide prevention with our students. We will be using the Signs of Suicide program to deliver this message. Through this program, we discuss warning signs to watch for and ways to support peers who might be at risk. When we talk to our students about suicide prevention, we teach our students to ACT: Acknowledge – Care – Tell, if they have concerns for a friend. In addition, we encourage our students to identify a trusted adult that they can talk to – both in and outside of school – if they have a concern for themselves or for a friend.

If you have any questions about this lesson, please contact your student's counselor: Jill Gouger (students with last names A-K) or Allyson DiNitto (students with last names L-Z).

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.

Some December Celebrations & Observances:

• International Day of People with Disabilities - December 3 - a day to celebrate the achievements and contributions of people with disabilities, promote an understanding of disability issues, and mobilize support for the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of people with disabilities.

• Bodhi Day - December 8 - commemorates the day that the historical Buddha experienced enlightenment. Some Buddhist families will practice meditation, study the Dharma, chant Buddist texts (sutras), and share a traditional meal of tea and cake.

• Christmas - December 25 - a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Some Christian families will celebrate by attending church services and exchanging gifts.

• Hanukkah - evening of December 25 - evening of January 2 - an eight-day Jewish festival of lights. Some Jewish families will celebrate by lighting a Menorah and eating foods cooked in oil.

• Kwanzaa - December 26 - January 1 - a seven-day African-American holiday celebrating culture, family, and community. For some, celebrations may include song, dance, storytelling, and a large traditional meal.

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