December 2, 2022

Please do not send your student to school if they have vomited in the last 24 hours or for temperatures of 100.0 or above. This will help decrease the transmission of illness amongst students and staff. If they vomit or have a temperature of 100.0 or more, they will be sent home from school.

For any questions, please contact klseuferling@bluevalleyk12.org or call 913-624-2013

Please join us in supporting Southwest families in need by donating gift cards this holiday season. Click the link below to sign up for as many gift cards as you are able to donate. Please bring the gift cards in a sealed envelope to the BVSW Main Office by December 14th. Every gift card makes an impact, and we are so grateful we can count on our community to make this the best holiday season yet!

https://bit.ly/HolidayHeroesBVSW

• Please be aware transcripts will not be sent over winter break. If you have a January 1 deadline, please request transcripts by December 16th.

All registered Blue Valley voters will have an opportunity to vote in a no tax rate increase bond election in January 2023. Bond projects include investments in facilities, safety and technology that will benefit staff and students for years to come.

Here are a few ways to learn more about Bond 2023.

• Listen to a podcast: Take time to listen to two 15-minute podcasts about Bond 2023 & Facilities and Bond 2023 & Safety.
• Watch a video: Watch a short video that breaks down how bond funds can be used. Want to learn more? Watch an informational video that highlights the opportunity to invest in facilities, safety and technology projects through Bond 2023.
• Review the Bond 2023 website: The Bond 2023 website includes information about voting, answers to frequently asked questions and more.

Register to vote: All registered Blue Valley voters will automatically receive a mail ballot around January 11. Not a registered voter? Register online.

Current Blue Valley students in 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades are invited to take the Kansas Communities That Care student survey in January 2023.

Blue Valley has participated in this survey for many years, and continued participation allows our staff to understand yearly trends, measuring the effect that our prevention and responsive programming has on our students.

The Kansas Communities That Care student survey is offered by schools across Kansas and is supported by Greenbush Education Service Center and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. The survey is built on a framework of prevention to support effective, evidence-based strategies in Kansas communities. The survey is voluntary, and parents or guardians must complete a form granting permission for their student to take the survey.

Questions for the Kansas Communities That Care Survey (KCTC Survey) can be found on the district website under “useful links.” Questions are related to substance use, school climate, bullying, depression, and suicide. The survey is completely anonymous, and no identifying student personal information is collected. The Blue Valley School District receives data summarized by school and our overall district results.

Permission for the Kansas Communities That Care survey can be entered in ParentVue until December 16, 2022. For questions related to the Kansas Communities That Cares survey please contact Mindy Wells, Coordinator of Student Support Services at mmwells02@bluevalleyk12.org or Adam Wade, Director of Academic Achievement & Accountability at awade@bluevalleyk12.org.

Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering is excited to start a new cohort of Femineers this 2022-2023 academic year. 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 joining the program and have the qualifications, please fill out this application, scan it and return it to the Femineer Program advisor Karen Stohlmann at khenderson@bluevalleyk12.org

Ignore the deadline on the application form - the deadline has been extended. Any questions, please contact Karen Stohlmann at address above!

Femineer Program

Seal of Biliteracy for Seniors

Seniors received information about the opportunity to earn the Seal of Biliteracy via email communication November 28. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please review the Seal of Biliteracy website for detailed information. If you would like to participate, the Seal of Biliteracy Student Intent Form must be submitted by the end of day Friday, Dec 16, 2022.

Parents: Don’t forget to pre-order your 2023 yearbook when registering your student. Cost is $50 and you can order online through Synergy ParentVue. Deadline to order is Jan. 11, 2023. This is the ONLY way to ensure you will receive a yearbook in May. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

• Spring Play - Mark your calendars for the hilarious murder mystery 'Musical Comedy Murders of 1940', March 2-4th. Auditions start next week - sign up and get all of the details at the Black Box call board.

• Advertising/Sponsorship - Do you own a local business? Please consider showing support of our theatre department by becoming a playbill sponsor. There are several opportunities remaining. You can sign up HERE.

• Social media - give us a follow on social media:

FB - @BVSWBBBC

IG - @bvswbbb and @bvswtheatre

Twitter - @bvsw_bbb

Performing Arts 22-23

Need to drop a course? All course drops must be completed by dropping the course online through MyJCCC or by emailing registrar_office@jccc.edu to obtain a schedule change request. JCCC does not allow courses to be dropped over the phone once the semester has begun.

First up, the comfy ELLA BELLA Crewneck; perfect for the cold weather! Second, calling all swimmers! All Swim & Dive gear must be ordered by the 20th! Don’t forget to follow us on all socials, @bvswden and check out our website!

High school can come with its ups and downs. The BVSW Counseling department will be discussing strategies, problem solving, and offering support in regards to helping teenagers today. Come join the BVSW school counselors on Tuesday December 13 at 7:30 AM in the library for Coffee Talk

An opportunity for your student to request a second semester schedule correction will be available beginning December 7th through December 9th. This will be the only time your student can request a change to their second semester schedule. More information will be made available to your student through our Counseling Canvas page in the weeks to come!

For more information, check out this link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ue7NlgqxGIZNlWyR65Fg1uTY9YwGhi2mZh3caVgXUBI/edit?usp=sharing

1. For security reasons the district blocks all inbound/outbound connections to/from foreign countries. This is due to the high number of cyber security attacks that take place against the District’s network on an hourly basis. For this reason the District cannot provide technical support or assistance to those students or staff that choose to take their Blue Valley device out of the country.
2. The District does NOT recommend taking any Blue Valley device out of the country:
1. Students and Staff will not be able to access necessary systems such as Canvas, employee online, and/or email.
2. The District cannot fully secure, monitor, or keep live inventory of the device while it is out of the country.
3. The District cannot provide remote support or full security updates for the device while it is out of the country.
3. If students or staff feel that they have a critical need to access the District’s Network from outside of the country, they will need to do so on a personal device only, and they would need to install and use a VPN client on their personal device. The VPN must display an IP address inside the United States.
1. The District cannot make recommendations or provide technical assistance with the installation and/or use any VPN client on any personal device.
2. Students and staff must understand that there is no guarantee of successfully connecting to any of the District’s internal systems while using their personal device in or out of the country.
4. Parents will still be able to access their Canvas Parent account from outside the country, it is not housed on a BV server it should connect without any issues.

We take every precaution we can to ensure that the Blue Valley Network remains safe and secure!

BVSW Support Time - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X0TnTV7vdpylobr9kmi7FsDjlNQHCJa4/view?usp=sharing

Math help -- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pgEfozVsAJtmRdgHFv6eRtwFgPKul_kE/view?usp=sharing

Reading lab -- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1viEXrqnOi6MYlkMILdWqM5GTiIGiK7-9/view?usp=sharing

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: https://bvswpto.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer

• Holiday Gift Bags for BVSW Staff

If you signed up to fill a holiday gift bag, they are ready to be picked up in the office!

YOUR PTO AT WORK!

This fall, the PTO has already given out close to $10,000 in grants -- $4775 to Booster Clubs & Activities and $6322 to BVSW teachers and staff! (Stay tuned for a full list soon!) This is where your PTO dollars go -- directly to your kids and their teachers/staff. Now is a great time to buy your PTO membership and Invest in SW!

NEXT PTO MEETING

The next meeting is December 6 @12:30 in the Conference Room. All are welcome!

Just a reminder, due to testing in all the classrooms - no passes will be delivered, students are not allowed to leave unless it is during passing period!

Deadline to Order: December 4th!

Click link to order - https://www.bvswden.com/sw-business

Activities - School Events - Even/Odd Schedule - Go to BVSW homepage, click on the "BVSW Calendar Link" there you will find the schedule for the day or month view.

Newsletters may also be found on our BVSW website - About Us - News

Check out the official student media of BVSW: https://www.bvswnews.com/

Want to include something in our Friday newsletter during the school year?

The deadline for submissions to the Friday weekly newsletter is Thursday noon. Any fundraisers must be pre-approved before they may be added to the newsletter. Fundraiser questions, contact Kim Rich at KARich@bluevalleyk12.org.