Blue Valley Northwest

Principal's Newsletter - December 20, 2024

Dear Husky Families,

As we reach the end of a very successful first semester, I want to express my gratitude for your continued support, enthusiasm, and dedication to our BVNW community. It’s an honor to support such a remarkable community of students, staff, and families who exemplify our pillars of passion, purpose, and pride each day.

Please take time over the break to relax, recharge, and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. Wishing you a season filled with joy, peace, and warmth.

We can’t wait to see you in 2025, ready for another fantastic semester!

Sincerely,

Leah Vomhof

BVNW Principal

New Information:

Personal Electronic Device Policy & Structured Expectations

As we get ready to launch another semester on January 6th, we appreciate your partnership. As you know, our staff has been hard at work this year implementing structured expectations for our school community along with how we teach and reinforce them in all settings.

Our structured expectations include language about our district’s personal electronic device policy. Students are expected to stow away their phone from bell to bell during each class and they may not take them out of the classroom if they leave to use the restroom in the middle of class. They may have them out during passing periods and at lunch.

Click here to read a few points about why structured expectations are important to our school.

ACT Prep Class - While not affiliated with or endorsed by BVNW, we wanted to let you know about a 2-session ACT prep class being held at Hilltop Conference Center the evenings of Jan. 29 and 30. Classes will meet from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. You can register here: http://actprep.info/bluevalleynw

State Assessments - State Assessments for sophomores and juniors will begin in April! More information to come. Please do your best to avoid scheduling appointments on these days so that testing is not disrupted. See “Important Dates” below for specific dates.

January Odd/Even/Traditional Calendar

Important Dates:

Monday, January 6th - First Day of 2nd Semester (for students)
Monday, January 20th - No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Saturday, February 15th - Sweetheart Dance
Monday, February 17th - No School, Presidents’ Day
April 2/3 - State Science Assessment (juniors)
April 3/4 and 9/10 - State ELA Assessment (sophomores)
April 8 - State Math Assessment (sophomores)

Athletics/Activites:

Scholarship for Athletics/Activities Seniors

In partnership with Capitol Federal Foundation, the KSHSAA will award True Blue Scholarships intended to support Kansas High School graduates in postsecondary efforts. This one-time scholarship is for students graduating during the 2024-25 school year. To learn more about this scholarship, please visit this website.

Message From the AD

Big news out of the BVNW Athletics Department!

Senior O-Lineman, Andrew Babalola was selected to play in the Navy All-American Bowl. This is one of the highest accomplishments a high school football player can achieve. Congrats to Andrew and his family! The game will be played in San Antonio, Texas

We are catching up on our Athletes of the Month. Congrats to the following!

October: Caroline Lee (Golf) and Jojo Arnold (Football)

November: Divya Subramoni (Wrestling) and Brock Heath (Football)

December: Sumaya Edwards (Basketball) and Keaton Humphrey (Basketball)

Over break, the Huskies will be all over the place competing! Check out our athletics calendar for up to date times and locations of all our events!

Follow @BVNW_Athletics for all athletics updates.

REMINDER: Per our EKL Rule, anytime varsity is competing a gate will be charged for the entire evening. For example, if C team plays at 4:00 and varsity plays at 7:00, there will be a gate. You will have to pay to get into the C team game. Again, this is an EKL Rule.

Message from the Activities Department

I hope that all of our students and their families can enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation over this break. We have an incredible community at Northwest, and you all work hard to support and celebrate our academics, activities, and athletics. I’m so grateful to be a Husky with you. Thank you for all you do!

Celebrations (We realize this is not a comprehensive list of everything going on around Husky Nation, but we’ll try to share some highlights each week!)

We had 22 vocalists make the All-State Choir! Congratulations to these students! We had the most students from any single school in the state of Kansas!
Good luck to our students who are competing at the state regional qualifier for debate this weekend!
Check out the December edition of Husky Headlines here! Thanks to the HH staff for their hard work producing this show!

Upcoming Events: Click here to view all athletic/activity schedules

Once you click the link, you can select specific schedules under the “view schedules” tab on the right side of the screen.

Repeating Information (already shared):

Reminder to Nominate a Husky Hero!

The Husky Hero Award is designed to honor the exceptional contributions and dedication of our educators at Blue Valley Northwest High School. This recognition seeks to spotlight educators who consistently go above and beyond in fostering a positive and impactful learning environment.

The nomination form is open to nominate your “Husky Hero!” Here’s the link: https://forms.gle/zj1Gi9gft1GTELrb7.

End of Semester Information - Viewing Canvas Courses and Semester Grades

At the end of each semester, 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.

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 semester, classroom teachers will publish their next semester’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.

Community Celebrations and Observances - to promote awareness and appreciation of our Blue Valley families.

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.

Students and parents are invited to attend a CAPS Presentation and Tour. This is a series of one-hour evening presentations at the CAPS building, which is located on Blue Valley School District’s main campus. There will be information presented by CAPS Administrators and Instructors, a question and answer session and a tour.

Students who plan to enroll in a CAPS strand for the 25-26 school year are highly encouraged to attend an open house to confirm their interest before enrollment. Due to the district’s new schedule repair policy, please ensure your student is confident in their enrollment selection of CAPS.

The Center for Advanced Professional Studies is a profession-based, immersive program with a college credit-bearing curriculum designed to provide junior and senior level students the skills they need to succeed both in the competitive college environment and in the twenty-first century global workforce. For more information, please visit our website http://www.bvcaps.org.

Where: Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS)

7501 W. 149th Terrace

Overland Park, KS 66223

913-239-5900

Last opportunity!

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM

NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Important Travel Outside of the U.S. Information

This important message is for any family or staff that will travel out of the United States during the school year. Please click here to read the restrictions and recommendations for Out of the Country travel. Blue Valley resources such as Canvas, Classlink, and school email are not accessible out of the country unless you have a personal device with a VPN on it.

School Picture Orders

If you would still like to order your student’s school pictures, use this link to both preview and order. You will need your student’s school ID number to preview or order.

Securly Parent Info—new location on BV website

The Securly Parent Information has a new home. It can now be found on the Technology Page. If you had created a bookmark in your files, please change it.

New URL: https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/Page/34492

JCCC Career Ready Information

Is your 10th or 11th grade student interested in exploring possible career pathways or a dual degree with BVNW and JCCC? If so, you are encouraged to attend a community wide event to answer your questions prior to February enrollment for 25-26 school year. Want to know more?

See Blue Valley Career Ready programs website.

Fire Science January 27th at 6:00 pm at the Fire Training Center at 12401 Hemlock
Dual Degree on January 22th at 6:00 pm at the JCCC in the Nerman Museum
Industrial Arts (Welding, HVAC, Auto, Construction Management, Plumbing, Welding, Electronic Technology) on January 29th at 6:00 pm at the JCCC CTEC building
Cybersecurity and Culinary & Hospitality on January 30th at 6:00 pm at the JCCC in the Wylie Culinary building

"Communication from the School Nurse and Athletic Trainer:

We have a new fax number for any and all medical records and documents. Please send these to our new fax number: (913) 239-3434

Father's Club

Dads and father figures, you are needed in the Father's Club at BVNW. Join a group of dedicated fathers who provide helping hands when and where they are needed to support students, faculty, and staff at BVNW!

With hands on help from other BV chapters and the senior leadership of Father's Club, BVNW members threw snacks, candy, and hot dogs to students at last weeks football game to help kick off this year's efforts.

Please contact Johnny Johnson, Father's Club chair, at jlj.johnson@aol.com for more information on how you can be involved.

The Femineer Program

The Femineer Program was created to empower K-12 female students to develop the skills and confidence needed to pursue majors and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. It has since expanded to include other under-represented individuals in these fields.

If you are interested in returning to the program, please fill out the application linked below, scan it and return it to the Femineer Program advisor Karen Stohlmann at khenderson@bluevalleyk12.org.

Femineer Program Application 25.docx