Blue Valley Northwest

Principal's Newsletter - November 15, 2024

Dear Husky Families,

Thank you for another wonderful week!

As we head into the weekend, I encourage you to join us for Mamma Mia!, performed by our talented students. Info on tickets is below. It’s a show you won’t want to miss! And tonight, let's bring that same support to the football field as we cheer on our team in their game against Gardner.

Additionally, congratulations to the record-breaking number of BVNW musicians who qualified for all-district band, choir and orchestra! Their names are listed below. We are incredibly proud of the hard work of our students and teachers.

With Thanksgiving break approaching, let’s keep up the momentum this week. I encourage our students to make it a strong finish by putting forth their best effort and focus in the days ahead. Let’s make this week count! Only 17 more school days until 1st semester finals begin!

Thank you for all you do to support our BVNW community. Go Huskies!

Go Huskies!

Sincerely,

Leah Vomhof

BVNW Principal

New Information:

District Podcast - The Importance of School Attendance

In the latest Blue Valley Schools’ BV Unmuted podcast episode, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan is joined by Leah Vomhof (Blue Valley Northwest principal), Stacey Sperry (Prairie Star Elementary principal) and Dr. Cory Cox (Blue Valley North assistant principal) to discuss the importance of school attendance.

🎙️ To listen to the podcast episode, visit https://tinyurl.com/AttendanceBV.

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

SENIOR FAMILIES - Cap/gown/announcement Orders

Please place your orders for cap and gown and announcements using this link. You will click “Shop Grad Products.” The only required products are cap, gown, and tassel. These items will be distributed to students in the spring. Apparel and accessories come a few weeks after you order them. Orders are due November 22nd!

November Odd/Even/Traditional Calendar

Important Dates:

Nov. 11-17 - KSHSAA Athletics Buffer Week (no athletics practices)
Nov. 14-16 - Fall Musical: Mamma Mia!
Nov. 18 - First Day of Winter Practices
Dec. 18-20 - Semester 1 Finals (schedule below)
Jan. 6th - First Day of 2nd Semester!

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

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.

Athletics/Activites:

Message From the AD

Congrats to our state placers this fall season!

Doubles Tennis 3rd Place: Cammie Peng and Maryam Wambi

Single Tennis 10th Place: Maddie Abel

Cross country 12th and 15th Place: Jey Durham and Jacob D’Souza

Congrats to our All EKL Soccer Players:

1st Team: Cooper Burandt

2nd Team: Harry McKinney and Jake Banyas

HM: Andy Dowset, Evan Rangel, and Rogan Andersen

Congrats to our All EKL Volleyball Players:

1st Team: Morgan Sears

2nd Team: Marly Burbach

HM: Summer Anderson

Playoff Football:

BVNW will play Friday (11/15) @ 7:00 at Gardner Edgerton High School. Passes are not accepted. Tickets are $6 for K-12 students and $8 for 18 and older. The first 100 BVNW students will get in free thank you to the QB Club!

Pre-Purchase Tickets Here: https://gofan.co/event/2268979?schoolId=KS18105

Winter Sport Practice Information:

Girls Basketball:

JV/Varsity: Monday- Friday 3-5:15pm, Saturday 8-10am

C/Fresh: Monday - Friday 3-4:30pm

Contact Coach Cheadle with any questions!

Boys Basketball:

Freshman: Monday, Nov 18 - Wednesday, Nov 20 from 3-5pm BVNW South Gym

Sophomores-Seniors: Monday, Nov 18 - Tuesday, Nov 19 from 5:15-7pm BVNW Main Gym

Contact Coach Ihm with any questions!

Girls Wrestling:

All Levels: Monday - Friday 5:50 pm meet in fitness center next to wrestling room.

Contact Coach Latchman with any questions!

Boys Wrestling:

Frosh/Non JV/V Monday - Friday 3-4:30

Varsity/JV Monday - Friday 4:30-6:00

Contact Coach Orrick with any questions!

Boys Swim/Dive:

All Levels: 3:00 Pool

Contact Coach Farrington with any questions!

Bowling:

Tryouts are in December. More specific information sent out closer to that date.

Contact Coach Derks with any questions!

Message from the Activities Department

So many congratulations are in order for the Activities Department! It’s a great time to be a Husky!

Congratulations to the 113 student musicians selected this past weekend for the ECKMEA honor band, orchestra, and choir! This is an incredible number of students selected to these honor groups!
Also, big congratulations to the Huskies Debate Squad, who earned 1st place in sweepstakes at SMW this past weekend!
The National Journalism Convention was held in Philadelphia last weekend and our students had great success! Congratulations to Ashley Phelps, who won 1st place in Sports Feature Photograph of the Year! Other placers include the following: Reagan Wald, Lindsay Maresh, Lexi Jones, and Sydney Barnett!
There are still opportunities left to see the musical Mamma Mia this weekend! You can purchase tickets here!

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.

IMPORTANT ACTION ITEM “TO DO” FOR WINTER ATHLETES

FAQs:

If my child/athlete participated in fall sports, do I need to register again?

No. Once you register, you are done for the school year.

I can’t log in. How do I access my information?

Feel free to reach out to Mr. Richards or Mrs. Dubill and they can help

MRichards02@Bluevalleyk12.org or MJDubill02@Bluevalleyk12.org

Is this different from registering for school?

YES! This is NOT the same process. This is registering your student athlete for athletics/activities.

Do I need a physical for band?

Yes!

rSchool Registration Website:https://bluevalleysd-ar.rschooltoday.com/

KSHSAA Physical:https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/PDF/FORM-PPE.pdf

Helpful Instructions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GNYGOUOCf9QUCN893KOZJWKLh1mgDXYHDfVJxMfk22s/edit#heading=h.fy0q0hyrn6x

If your athlete is competing in fall sports, they are good to go: no action is needed.

Follow @BVNW_Athletics on “X” (formerly known as Twitter) and I also “tweet” athletic content from my account @richardsm620.

Repeating Information (already shared):

Senior/Graduation Information

Looking for senior information in another spot besides Mrs. Bakalar’s monthly emails? It’s on our website! Click here to be taken to the “Senior Information” part of BVNW's website (under “School Information” menu option).

Civility Policy

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.

Final Exams - Prearranged Absences

Final Exams will take place December 18-20. The detailed schedule has been previously posted and is listed below in the repeating information section. If your student anticipates being absent during this time period they will need to prearrange this through the Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction Mr. Aman. Students need to schedule a meeting through the Student Services Office to get all the proper arrangements made. Any late finals must be scheduled in advance through Mr. Aman and be completed before January 17, 2025.

ACT Prep Class

While not affiliated with or endorsed by BVNW, we wanted to let you know that there is an ACT prep class being offered at Blue Valley Hilltop Conference Center (7700 W 143rd St, Overland Park, KS 66223) on Monday, Nov. 25th. BVNW students register here: http://actprep.info/bluevalleynw.

"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.

College Financing Night

Tue. Nov. 19 | 4:30-7 p.m. | Regnier Center 101
Johnson County Community College
12345 College Blvd. | Overland Park, KS 66210

**Do not need to be attending JCCC 2025-26 to attend this event!
Campus map

The event will cover:

FAFSA® prep* (we’ll help students set up their Federal Student Aid ID)
Scholarship information
Community resources at JCCC
Other college funding options

*The 2025-26 FAFSA® form will be available December 2024.

Encourage students to RSVP today!

Questions? Please contact:

finaid@jccc.edu or 913-469-3840.

JCCC Financial Aid
jccc.edu/financialaid

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

Dates:

Wednesday, November 20

Tuesday, December 3

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM

NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

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

TICKETS NOW ONSALE FOR BVNW THEATRE'S PRODUCTION OF MAMMA MIA!

BVNW Theatre is excited to bring the global hit 'Mamma Mia!' to its audiences this November. With the toe tapping songs of ABBA making up the soundtrack, the cast, crew, and pit are eager to perform this musical comedy for their community! Get your tickets today!