North Notes
Blue Valley North's Parent Newsletter - April 5, 2024
Tuesday, April 9, School begins at 7:35 - Mark Your Calendars!
A Message from Your Principal
Hello, Mustang Community,
As we begin the fourth quarter, the district has determined the last day of school for students for 2023-24. Assuming no unforeseen circumstances cause us to cancel school, staff and families can plan on May 24 as the last day for students in grades K-11. Students in the early childhood programs will have their last day on May 23.
High school finals will occur May 22–24. You can see the specific schedule in the section “Parent Announcements” in this newsletter. For more information or to subscribe to the district calendar, visit www.bluevalleyk12.org/calendar.
Have a great weekend!
Students leaving early or absent all-day?
Tardy OR Leaving early for an appointment?
- Write a note (student's name, ID#, reason, date & time of pick up, sign it, list your cell #). Your student should give it to the attendance office (in main office) on their way into BVN.
- With 2 hours notice, email attendancebvn@bluevalleyk12.org with these details.
- Last resort, with 2 hours notice, call the attendance office at 913.239.3001.
- DO NOT enter appointments in ParentVUE or it will be counted as an all-day absence.
All DAY Absences reporting
- Enter your student's all-day absence in ParentVUE.
- Email attendanceBVN@bluevalleyk12.org with the details noted above.
- Last resort, call BVN attendance office at 913.239.3001. Please know there can be up to 70 VM messages and it takes several hours to listen to them and process your request.
STUCO request for Prom Donations - deadline April 18
Junior and Senior Parents, STUCO is looking for gift card donations to serve as raffle prizes during Prom, which takes place on April 20th. If you’re interested in helping STUCO, please contact , Abby Cornelius (acornelius@bluevalleyk12.org) or Paige Shoemaker (pashoemaker@bluevalleyk12.org), the Class of 2025 sponsors. The deadline is Thursday, April 18th. Thank you!
Kudos and Celebrations
Let's give the Girls Track 4x400m Relay Team of Audrey Brown, Alli Kneller, Emma Ramboldt and Delia Gregory a shoutout this weekend. They broke the Shawnee Mission South Relays 4x4 record this Saturday with a time of 3:53.84.
This currently stands as the 2nd FASTEST 4x400 EVER in Kansas Track and Field HISTORY!! (3:53.0 is the all-time state record…Watch out)
This is quite an accomplishment and it is only their 2nd meet of the year. There is a video of them running on Instagram @BVNORTHTF. THEY ARE MOVING!!
Blue Valley North's Ann Fritz led the West basketball team in the girls McDonald's All-American Game on April 2 in Houston, TX, at the Toyota Center. ESPN2 broadcasted the game where our very own Ann Fritz and Mike Hilbert coached some of the top high school basketball players in the nation during the game! This was a HUGE honor, and we are so proud that these phenomenal professionals represented Blue Valley North on the national stage.
Counseling Department
BVSD COLLEGE FAIR | BVSD College Fair at Hilltop on Tuesday, April 9th starting at 6:00 PM. All students are invited to swing by!
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.
AP TESTING | AP Testing will be May 6-17 and all tests will be at Hilltop. Communication will be coming to families via email during the last week of April. Please go to BVN Counseling for information about AP Exam Dates.
Bell Schedules and Schedule Changes
Mark Your Calendars
April 9 - Even Day Tuesday with NO Late Arrival
April 19 - NO SCHOOL / Professional Development for Teachers
May 22-24 - Final Exams
May 24 - Last 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.
Student Announcements
Cheer Team Tryout Information (new)
Interested in trying out for the 24-25 BVN Cheer Team? Please fill out the following Google Form to gain information about the 24-25 Cheer Season and upcoming tryouts on Friday, April 26th! BVN Cheer Tryout Interest Form
Questions – Reach out to Coach Shoemaker at pashoemaker@bluevalleyk12.org.”
Streaming on District Devices (new)
In an effort to reduce distractions in the learning environment for all of our students, beginning on March 19, 2024, all high school students will have streaming services blocked on district devices (examples include: Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video etc.). YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music will still be allowed.
Seniors--Info for Class of '24
The Graduation date for the Class of 2024 has been announced! Mark your calendar for May 19th at 1:00 p.m. Commencement will be held at the Switzer District Activity Complex, 135th & Switzer in Overland Park.
*In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will move indoors to the BV West gymnasium, same date & time.
ASL Interpreter Available by Request
If you or a guest plan to attend class day or graduation and need an ASL interpreter, please email Lisa Miller at lkmiller@bluevalleyk12.org by April 15. Please note that graduation will be livestreamed with live captioning.
Order your cap & gown now from jostens.com. Seniors can check the list at Mrs. Miller's desk to see if they still need to order their cap & gown. Please place your order ASAP--April 8 is the deadline!
IF YOU ORDER:
- Senior items: (like shirts, hats, keychains, etc.): they will be shipped to your home
- Announcements: they will be shipped to the school and seniors will be notified when to pick them up --Jostens expects to have a distribution table set up at lunch on March 25.
- Cap, Gown & Tassel: they will be shipped to the school and handed out at grad practice in May
ACTION NEEDED: Please click on the link below and complete the Senior Transcript Form. Please complete as soon as possible. This form authorizes the release of senior transcripts for college applications. Click here: Diploma/Transcript Authorization
Questions? Email Mrs. Miller at lkmiller@bluevalleyk12.org and bookmark our Senior Info page.
Project Grad 2024
Project Grad is a long-standing tradition at BVN and provides a safe, alcohol-free, drug-free environment following Commencement for the entire senior class. This year’s PG event will be hosted at Chicken N Pickle-OP May 19 from 7PM- 11PM.
ORDER YOUR PROJECT GRAD TICKET TODAY! Please visit this link to order your ticket for Project Grad at Chicken N Pickle May 19th at 7p.m. Ticket includes games, food, prizes and a FREE senior class t-shirt!
https://bvnpbc.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/277632
For more information about Project Grad, including ways to help with donations or volunteer opportunities, please visit this link: https://tinyurl.com/BVN-Project-Grad
Or reach out to us at: bvnprojectgrad24@gmail.com
Parent Announcements
2024 Kansas State Assessments
All Sophomores and Juniors will begin taking the 2024 Kansas State Assessments next week. Below is the schedule of when students can expect to take content-specific assessments in their respective classes. This information will also be communicated to them directly from their teachers.
To access their Kansas State Assessments, students will need to enter a personalized username and password, which is located on a prepopulated registration ticket. This ticket will be emailed to your student's BV email address. Students will need to find and open this email to access their username and password on testing day.
Lastly, students will use their school-issued device for the Kansas State Assessments; please ensure that your student restarts and charges their device the night before each assessment to help alleviate any issues that may arise.
If you or your student have questions regarding the Kansas State Assessments, please feel free to contact Dr. Cory Cox, Assistant Principal Curriculum & Instruction, directly.
Final Exams Information
Schedule of Final Exams -- May 22-24
The Spring 2024 Final Exam Schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 Hours 1 & 2 Finals
7:35-8:55 am Hour 1
9:05-10:25 am Hour 2
Thursday, May 23, 2024 Hours 3, 4 & 5 Finals
7:35-8:55 am Hour 3
9:05-10:25 am Hour 4
10:35-11:55 pm Hour 5
Friday, May 24, 2024 Hours 6 & 7 Finals
7:35-8:55 am Hour 6
9:05-10:25 am Hour 7
Testing is an integral part of the curriculum. Summative final exams are required at the end of the semester in every course that is taken for credit. The staff of BVN has developed a finals schedule that is most conducive to students doing their best on the tests so we can truly assess what students have learned. Finals are given on assigned days.
Any deviations from the schedule must be approved by Dr. Cory Cox. If your student is unable to attend any of their finals, have your student pick up an Alternate Finals form from the Student Services office. Please email Dr. Cox (ccox@bluevalleyk12.org) with an explanation of the reason your student will need to be absent on any of the above dates.
Important Travel Outside of the USA 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.
Online ATHLETIC PASSES and Individual Event Tickets
Fans can purchase single-game tickets online through the GoFan app, as well as Student or Family Athletic passes. (This Athletic Pass takes the place of the former Activity Pass that was sold through ParentVue.) Here is the BVN GoFan link: Blue Valley North High School Events and Tickets by GoFan
Are you moving? Have you moved?
Please contact the BVN Registrar, Ann LaGrange, by email at ALLaGrange@bluevalleyk12.org.
Nurse Notes
Immunization News
Graduating 12th grade parents: All graduating 12th graders will receive a complete copy of their immunization profile that was on file with the school. This document is very vital to hang on to. It is recommended that this immunization profile is kept with important documents such as social security cards and birth certificates.
Attention Raising 11th grade parents: all 16-year-old students in 11th grade for the 2023-2024 school year are required to have their updated booster of MCV4 meningococcal immunization before the start of the school year on August 16, 2023. 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 April to all parent/guardians of students who are not compliant with the Kansas State required immunizations.
Click on this link to review these recommendations:
Disease and Symptom Exclusion Recommendations/Regulations 2024
Thank you so much for keeping your student and our school healthy!
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.
Community Celebrations and Observances (new)
Some April Celebrations & Observances:
- National Arab American Heritage Month - recognizes the achievements and contributions of Arab Americans to society, culture, and American history.
- Eid al Fitr - April 10th - marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. Some families will celebrate the “Festival of Breaking the Fast” by joining in communal prayer and meals, visiting family, gift-giving, and charity.
- Day of Silence - April 14 - a national, student-led demonstration where LGBTQ+ students and allies take a vow of silence to protest the silencing and discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in schools.
- Passover - evening of April 22-30 - a Jewish holiday commemorating the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt. Some families will observe the holiday with a special meal, called a Seder, eating foods of symbolic significance and reciting traditional prayers.
Mustang Club Spring Activity Guide
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/abmr/
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!
Our parent community has been integral in contributing to our status as one of the best high schools in the state of Kansas and a leading high school across the nation.
Please support The Mustang Club (previously known as BVN Parent Booster Club). The Mustang Club financially supports BVN's extracurricular activities (as our version of a traditional PTO/PTA), and over the last 7 years, The Mustang Club has granted over a half million dollars to support our school’s extracurricular activities, organizations, and athletic teams. We could not provide the depth and breadth of opportunities that are available without your participation through membership and donations of your time.
The Mustang Club needs your support! Membership is down and volunteers are in short supply. Here are some options for you to consider:
- Become a Mustang Club member at one of the five membership levels;
- Purchase spirit wear from The Mustang Club website (www.bvnmustangs.com);
- Volunteer on a Mustang Club committee to support a specific event or cause; and
- Take advantage of one of the many sponsorship opportunities available for those of you affiliated with companies that want to support BVN financially.
- We would love for your company to be featured in our Activity Guide. It is printed 3 times each year and would be a wonderful way to promote your business to the North community. Email mustangactivityguides@gmail.com now! To see last year's spring guide, click here.
- Show your love and mustang pride for your student by purchasing a Spirit Ad in the Activity Guide! go to www.bvnmustangs.com on the Order form page.
You can find everything you need to know about The Mustang Club & membership at www.bvnmustangs.com. As you know, this organization is completely run by parent volunteers so every dollar donated goes to benefit BVN students. Additionally, the organization is a 501(c)3 so your contributions are tax deductible.
Thank you for your support and consideration and GO MUSTANGS!
Durham Bus Riders
Durham will continue to transport our bus riders in the 2023/2024 school year. If you have questions, please call Durham at 913-681-2492 or contact them via email at admin6700@durhamschoolservices.com.
We are Mustang Proud!
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 .
The BVN Main Office is opened Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Blue Valley North High School
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