PSE Weekly Howl

Join friends for a great adult night out with live music, a silent auction, a wine and bourbon pull and more! Proceeds from this annual fundraiser support music and performing arts programs throughout the district, and YOU can be part of the fun! Check out our new location at Fiorella’s event space in OP for a great over-21 night out. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and YOU choose the “Best of Blue Valley” live band when the competition wraps up at 10 p.m. Bands are made up of BV parents, teachers and staff and funds provide significant funding for performing arts programs including band, orchestra, choir, theater, debate and competitive speaking. Get tickets today at Event Details.

Can’t make it to the event in person? No worries! Visit Silent Auction to start your bid on incredible auction packages and see what your school submitted. Check back frequently as more items are added to the offerings every week. The auction will close on Friday, February 21 at 8:45 p.m. and you do not have to be present to win!

You can also vote by donation for your favorite adult school-affiliated band, and the winner receives a $1,000 grant to their school of choice. The 2025 band names, order of performances and school representations are as follows:

Young Medicine- Lakewood Elementary

Modern Thieves- Mission Trail Elementary, Leawood Middle, Blue Valley North

KC Prime- Leawood Elementary and Leawood Middle

Hope to see you Friday, February 21, 2025, as we Rock the Valley for BV Schools!

It's time for our February session (2/27) of the PSE STEM Club for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders! We will dive into the exciting world of science, technology, engineering, and math through fun, hands-on activities that challenge your student to think outside the box. Our session will run from 3:45 - 5:00pm with Mrs. Bonner and Mr. Ramsey. Reminder that these sessions are dependent from one another. You must sign up for each individual session to attend STEM club.

Pick up will be at 5pm in front of the building. Parents/Guardians must pick up in person - carline is not an option for this event.

Join us for the 2nd annual PSE Basketball Shootout on Thursday, March 6th! Register your teams in your PTO membership toolkit—prizes for each division winner.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Incoming Kindergarten Information

We are so excited to start the process of welcoming our Kindergarten families for the Fall of 2025. Children who reside in Blue Valley Schools and turn 5 years of age by August 31 are eligible to attend kindergarten that school year. If you live in the PSE boundary area and will have an incoming Kindergarten student this fall, please click on this link to pre-register:

Pre-Registration form Kindergarten 25.

More information will be shared with you at the end of February, including welcome videos, online registration instructions, and information about Kindergarten Kick-Off on April 11.

Please pass this message/link on to neighbors who might not have a student in our system and might not yet receive our weekly emails!

Kindergarten Kick-Off: Friday, April 11th

You are invited to our upcoming Kindergarten Kick-Off event at Prairie Star Elementary (PSE)! Students will experience the kindergarten classroom with teachers, and guardians will tune into valuable information regarding registration and school preparation. We are excited to welcome our newest group of Wolves on Friday, April 11, 2025.

Kindergarten Round-Up: Sessions | Friday, April 11, 2025

We will have two sessions that will last about an hour; you may choose one to attend by selecting a session. Please use the following sign-up genius to pick your session.

Kindergarten Kick-Off

Session 1: 9:00 AM- 10:00 AM

Session 2: 10:30 AM-11:30 AM

At PSE, our staff is ecstatic and ready to welcome your children into our family--we look forward to meeting you soon!

Best,

Stacey Sperry

If you are interesting in K Camp, please read the smore below. Thanks!

https://secure.smore.com/n/8quxf

FINAL CALL FOR YEARBOOK PURCHASING

Don't forget to buy your 2024-2025 yearbook! Reminders went home Friday. If you are unsure if you have purchased one you can check by logging in to the PTO website: https://prairiestarpto.membershiptoolkit.com/home and looking under "New Forms" on the main page. If you have questions, please email prairiestaryearbook@gmail.com.

YEARBOOK PICTURES SOS

Do you have pictures of school-related events like field trips, parties, concerts, Wolf Walk, PTO fundraisers, community service or general class fun??? Submit on our yearbook site: https://photos.jostens.com/MWUKX7 Please do not submit private playdate or non-school party pictures. Thanks in advance for your help!

BAND “Try-It " NIGHT by Appointment!

You and your student are invited to participate in our Band Try-It Night by Appointment where you can meet your band teachers, try instruments, and get excited for band in 6th grade!

March 5 at PSMS

Sign-Up HERE for your Band Try-It Night Appointment!

We look forward to meeting you - See you soon!

Questions? Let us know:

Julia Janda: jjanda@bluevalleyk12.org - BVMS, PSMS, BVH

Paul Aubrey: paubrey@bluevalleyk12.org - PSMS

Mark Adair: mjadair@bluevalleyk12.org - BVMS

Paul Bessetti: pbessetti@bluevalleyk12.org - BVH

BV South Area Band Team

“Want to help?! We’re looking for 2 parents to join our coaching team! Flexible commitment- you don’t need to attend every practice. Contact Laura or Mallory if for details!”

Each year the Prairie Star PTO offers two scholarships to graduating seniors who are PSE Alumni

The 2025 deadline to apply is midnight on Friday March 28th

The first scholarship is in honor of Dr. Laura Swartz, the very first Principal of Prairie Star Elementary. The scholarship amount is $1,000.00 and will be awarded to a 2025 graduate of one of the five Blue Valley High Schools who attended Prairie Star Elementary for at least one year and intends to major in Education.

Application: https://prairiestarpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/319779

Deadline: Friday March 28th

The second scholarship is a general PSE PTO scholarship for those alumni displaying the virtues valued at Prairie Star Elementary. The amount of $1,000.00 will be awarded to a 2025 graduate of one of the five Blue Valley High Schools who attended Prairie Star Elementary for at least one year.

Application: https://prairiestarpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/319780

Deadline: Friday March 28th

This winter has brought an unprecedented number of inclement weather days — eight so far — exceeding the five built into our 2024-25 school calendar. While keeping our students and staff safe remains our top priority, we must also ensure we meet the state’s required instructional time. To put our district in the best position to meet these requirements and maintain our long-standing goal of ending the school year by Memorial Day, we are making the following adjustments:

• Friday, Feb. 28 – The scheduled elementary teacher professional collaboration day will now be a school day.
• Early March high school late start changes – There will be no late start on March 4, 6, 11 or 13. School will begin at the normal time on those dates.
• Friday, April 25 – The scheduled professional learning day will now be a school day for all students.

It’s back and better than ever! Want to rock out at the Country Music Awards? How about a trip to Napa or a family vacation to the Virgin Islands? BVEF is selling ONLY 300 raffle tickets at $100/ticket and the lucky winner has their choice of one of eight amazing packages. You can enter as often as tickets are available! Proceeds support our students and educators, and the winner will be drawn live on Facebook at the end of day on March 4. Check it all out here and good luck! Welcome!

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.

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.