North Notes

Your student's course selection was completed in January. The next step to assure your high school student is ready for the upcoming school year is registration and fee payment. It opens the 2nd week of July. You will receive a detailed email from BVN when it is ready for you to proceed.

Registration gives families the opportunity to update their information. Every year, parents need to update the health, media, and technology consents, and if their are changes, they can update their emails, etc. All parts of registration must be confirmed even if there are no changes. Please consider adding both parent and student cell phone numbers, as we are increasingly using our mass communication tool to text important information.

SENIOR Parents: Please check the option to "Allow Mailings" so that you will receive all the info from our vendors for grad products (cap & gown, yearbook portraits, commencement images, etc.).

Fee payment also opens the week of July 8th.

Thank you for watching for an email from Blue Valley North the week of July 8th!

If you have moved or plan to move over the summer, please contact the BVN Registrar, Ann LaGrange, by email at ALLaGrange@bluevalleyk12.org. Thank you!

Your student’s senior year is quickly approaching — a great way to honor them is purchasing a senior ad in the 2025 yearbook! The ad is a way of recognizing the memories, achievements and hopes you have for your child’s future. The attached flyer is full of information to help you gather materials for your student’s senior ad. Be sure to check past yearbooks for ideas!

If you have any questions, Northern Light staff is here to help. You can reach out to us at bvnseniorads@gmail.com.

ALL rising seniors will need to get a portrait photo taken by Rolland Studios this summer. They will be set up to take senior portraits at Hilltop during June and July. Please be watching your mailbox at home for a letter from Rolland Studios. This mailing contains your pre-assigned appointment time for your senior portrait to go in the yearbook. All appointments are at the Hilltop Conference Center, and your student will need to take $10 for the session fee. Once you receive your appointment time, if you cannot make it to your appointment, you can reschedule on their website: www.rollandkc.com. Note: You can use the photographer of your choice for images in your senior ad, but only a Rolland Studios photo can be used in the senior portrait section of the yearbook.

NOTE: If you do not receive the card from Rolland in the mail, your ParentVue / StudentVue account is most likely set to not allow mailings from outside vendors. Please consider changing this setting when completing your registration in July. Senior year has many items that will be mailed or emailed to you by outside vendors (cap & gown info, photos from the commencement ceremony, etc.) You won't want to miss these mailings! Watch for the registration email to come from Blue Valley North this summer for instructions.

Please view the Counseling Canvas Page under “College and Career Planning” for more information regarding the college application process.

Lauren Kopitas, BVN Senior, was selected the 2024 Free Spirit Scholar from the state of Kansas. Freedom Forum, a national nonprofit dedicated to fostering First Amendment freedoms for all Americans, is hosting its annual Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference June 22 through June 27 at its headquarters at The Wharf in Washington, D.C. Each year, the selective academic and scholarship program equips some of the most passionate, curious and brightest students across the United States with access to leading journalists in Washington who share valuable insights and career-defining experiences.

Freedom Forum enlists the help of high school journalism educators throughout the country to recruit applicants and promote this important program. Prospective applicants are required to submit work samples, letters of recommendation, student transcripts and essays about their interest in journalism, as well as the qualities they possess that make them “free spirits.” Each student selected for this year’s conference will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice.

“In each of these scholars we see the imagination to dream, the courage to dare and the capability to do great things,” said Jan Neuharth, chair and CEO of Freedom Forum. “This year’s talented group of scholars will learn about the relevance of the First Amendment, the importance of a free press and its critical role as a cornerstone of democracy.”

Congratulations to Lauren for being chosen for this outstanding opportunity!

If your student is a rising junior for the 2024-25 school year, and taking A.P. U.S. History, please to the the BVN website > click on Library and it will take you to the BVN Library Media Center website. The A.P. U.S. History Summer Assignment will be posted there.

The format of the summer assignment is similar to what you will be required to complete for each unit of study starting in August. In addition to question requirements, choose a notes format to take notes as you listen and read to help you prepare for your first exam. If you have any questions about these assignments, please contact us immediately at jsmajda@bluevalleyk12.org, Mr. Smajda, and ebenson@bluevalleyk12.org , Mrs. Benson.

All answers must be typed using complete sentences in paragraph format. It is required that you use your own words while incorporating specific examples into your answers that you can evaluate and analyze as part of your response. The assignment is divided into 7 days as a suggestion, but you can complete the work in whatever time frame works for you. The work is DUE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS! Turnitin and the new AI Plagiarism Checker will be used to prevent plagiarism and/or shared or recycled answers. Plagiarism and/or any use of AI will result in a zero for all participating parties and a level change out of the course.

Are you a student who is in the class of 2025 or class of 2026 and have a 3.5 GPA or higher? Are you interested in being a candidate for National Honor Society induction in the fall? If so, please read on. Students need 40 hours of community service from January 1, 2024 through September 30, 2024. These hours must come from non-profit 501c3 organizations. We will not count hours such as walking dogs, babysitting a neighbor, helping someone move, tutoring, volunteering at country clubs etc. Students should already be on x2VOL, the platform that tracks hours, and should be recording and verifying hours on this online platform. An individual from the organization must verify hours with an email that is from a .org email address. Look online for opportunities that are posted on the x2VOL website. If you are questioning if hours count as community service, please contact Mrs. Cornelius and Mrs. Stein to get prior authorization.

Information will be sent out in the fall. But, tentative dates for the initial information meeting is Wednesday, September 19, at 3:00 p.m. in the PAC and Thursday, September 2,0 at 8:00,a.m. in the PAC. Attendance at one of these two dates is mandatory! We will hand out all information to students at this meeting. Other than community service hours, students are not working on anything else before this meeting.

Mandatory induction practice is Monday, November 4, 2024, at 7:00,a.m. and Mandatory Induction Ceremony is Monday November 6, 2024 at 6:30..pm. Family is welcome to attend the induction ceremony! Mark your calendars!

Feel free to reach out to Ms. Cornelius (acornelius@bluevalleyk12.org) or Mrs. Stein (sistein@bluevalleyk12.org) with any questions. Thanks!

Click on this link for all NHS information:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tc2fEZe4ZDztC5ljcr7u2GZn4O_rIkbH/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117665179597290868537&rtpof=true&sd=true

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES | There are a ton of summer opportunities available to students! Information about summer programs such as Girls Who Code, Boys State, Girls State, US Sentate Internships, Pre-College Summer Programs, Science Days, and more! These opportunities can be found on the BVN Counseling Canvas page under Job Opportunities and Community Service.

We have recently been alerted of a mistake/omission in the 2024-2025 Course Description Guide that was shared with all BV 8th Grade families during High School enrollment in January.

The omission: All music classes were left off of the listing of courses which fulfill the 1.0 Fine Arts Graduation Requirement.

Rest assured that all music classes fulfill this Fine Arts Requirement, and most are repeatable for credit to fulfill any of the 6.5 credits of required electives.

The district is working to fix the error in the CDG. For your reference, here is a list of all courses that satisfy the fine arts credit.

If your child would like to enroll in a music class, or if you have any questions about fitting music classes into their schedule, please reach out to your assigned counselor. Our counseling staff is wonderful and will adjust schedules to ensure students get to experience the excellent music courses offered at Blue Valley North.

BVN Counselors:

Terri Newman (TNewman@bluevalleyk12.org): Last Names A-Co

Catalina Donnelly-Vazquez (CNDonnellyVazquez@bluevalleyk12.org): Last Names Cr-He

Catie Bosch (CBosch@bluevalleyk12.org): Last Names Hi-Mi

Linda Hardy (LKHardy@bluevalleyk12.org): Last Names Mo-Sh

Amanda Levin (Alevin@bluevalleyk12.org): Last Names Si-Z

July 4 - Fourth of July Holiday / BVN is closed

August 7 - New Mustang Night for Freshmen & Parents

August 12 - Freshmen Orientation

August 13 - First Day of School

Upcoming All School Events

All BVN events, activities, sporting events and additional calendar adjustments are found on the EKL calendar: www.easternkansasleague.org

Click here for the 2023/2024 Blue Valley School District Calendar.

Immunization News

11th grade required vaccine clinics DHE will be hosting over the summer. There will have 4 clinics in Olathe and 2 clinics in Mission. DHE will provide 7th and 11th grade required vaccines at all clinics.

Attention: Rising 11th grade parents

All 16-year-old students in 11th grade for the 2024-2025 school year are required to have their updated booster of MCV4 meningococcal immunization before the start of the school year. Please E-mail any updates to your student’s immunization record to Nurse Collichio at ajcollichio@bluevalleyk12.org. Students who are not compliant will be excluded from school starting August 16, 2024.

Exclusion letters will be mailed at the end of May to all parent/guardians of students who are not compliant with the Kansas State required immunizations.

Refer to Link regarding requirements: https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/Page/34370

Updates for the 2024-2025 School Years

If your student needs to keep medications in the health room at school, please be prepared for next school year with updated medical orders from your child’s physician. These orders must be updated for each new school year. Authorization For Medication/Procedure To Be Administered At School. Please have medical orders faxed to 913-239-3038.

Need to speak with the nurse?

If you need to speak with the nurse, please e-mail ajcollichio@bluevalleyk12.org to set up an appointment.

Please take a look through the BVN Mustang Club's new Spring Activity Guide! Here is a link to the on-line edition:https://anyflip.com/qzkqi/ecij/

This is a great way to see photos of the athletic teams & performing arts students, find out more about their coaches and directors, and read a greeting from the BVN Principal & the Mustang Club Presidents. Please take time to see the advertisements from our corporate partners and give them your business whenever possible. We thank them for their support of the Mustang Club and our Blue Valley North students. Enjoy!

If you would like a printed copy of any of the 3 Mustang Activity Guides from 2023-24, just stop by the front office this summer. Office hours are Mon-Thurs, 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The Mustang Club needs several vital roles filled for the upcoming 2024-25 school year. Please, please consider helping, or even better, recruit a friend to do a job together! Without your help, it is not possible to continue providing the same level of support to our BVN students.

Are you looking to become more involved at BVN and make a difference for the kids and faculty? The Mustang Club is looking to fill the following positions:

BOARD POSITION: VP OF FUNDRAISING

This rewarding position focuses on various fundraising efforts through ancillary projects to the general membership drives. One main project includes renewing current advertisers and collecting payment for new advertisers, in our Activity Guide. Creation of the Activity Guide is done by a BVN staff member, not by this Board Member. Most of the efforts for the Activity Guide occur during the summer. Any other fundraising projects, like percentage nights at local restaurants/retailers, that the Board decides on, would be facilitated through this Board Member. Attendance at 4-5 Board Meetings a year would be required.

COMMITTEE POSITION: CONCESSIONS STEP UP

Learn the ropes from the current Concessions Chair and help manage BVN concessions. Fun opportunity to work with student and parent volunteers and help raise funds for student activities! This person(s) would become the Concessions Chair for the 2025-2026 school year.

COMMITTEE POSITION: BUCKAROO BRACELET CHAIR

The new Buckaroo Bracelet replaces the Ticket Tees of old! This person would coordinate the sales of the Buckaroo Bracelets to our feeder middle schoolers to allow them entry into high school athletic events. This project is solely done in the summer and then it is over for the year.

COMMITTEE POSITION: SENIOR TILES CHAIR

This person works with school administration to send out communication to seniors/parents to order a senior tile. Payments are made through the Mustang Club website. Once deadline is over, this chairperson submits the senior tile data to our tile manufacturer and edits the proofs. This project happens after the start of 2nd semester and is very easy!

COMMITTEE MEMBERS: BUCKAROO BASH

Buckaroo Bash is BACK for the Fall of 2023! We need several people (grab some friends!) to be on the Buckaroo Bash committee. This committee is forming now as we need to start planning for this fantastic BVN Parent Party, which is our biggest singular fundraiser!

PLEASE CONTACT HEATHER GLENN AT bvnpbcpresident@gmail.com if you are interested in helping out with any of the above positions!

Thank you for your consideration!

Durham will continue to transport our bus riders in the 2024/2025 school year. If you have questions, please call Durham at 913-681-2492 or contact them via email at admin6700@durhamschoolservices.com.

North Notes is a newsletter for the parents and students of Blue Valley North High School. If you have questions, please contact Janet Roush, Assistant to the Principal, at JRoush@bluevalleyk12.org .

Summer hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

BVN will be closed on Thursday, July 4, in honor of The Fourth of July. Day.

BVN Twitter:

@MustangsBvn

@BVNOstroski

@TheKurle

@BVNCounseling

@MustangsOfBVN

@bvnnews

@BVNMustangsPBC

BVN Instagram:

@bvnmustangs

Email: Jroush@bluevalleyk12.org
Website: www.bluevalleyk12.org/BVN/
Location: 12200 Lamar Avenue, Overland Park, KS, 66209
Phone: (913) 239-3000
Facebook: facebook.com/BVNMustangs/
Twitter: @bvnnews