August 19, 2022

The energy around the building from our students and staff was incredible! We celebrated the beginning of the year with a great assembly full of school spirit and SW pride!

- Dr Tyler Alexander

Literacy is an essential skill for learning and life beyond K-12 education. As such, and in accordance with state policies around literacy and dyslexia, all Kansas schools will screen students in Kindergarten through 12th grade to determine if they are at risk of not reaching grade level benchmarks in reading. At the high school level, this screening for most students will be a brief measure taken in a classroom setting. If this were to indicate a possibility a student is not reaching grade level benchmarks in reading, additional brief measures could be administered. Families would be contacted if data indicated the student was not at grade level benchmarks. We welcome this opportunity to take a closer look at reading for the benefit of our students. Further, this information will support teachers in planning instruction and providing support when needed in reading.

Do you need a refresher on Canvas, (our learning management system for grades K-12), or are you looking to set up a new account? We’ve got you covered! Check out how to access or set up your Canvas Observer account as a parent, or review this Canvas Parent/Guardian Orientation. Remember, Canvas courses won’t appear until teachers publish them after the school year has started.

The following correspondence is in regards to families who have submitted participation packets via the new on-line platform. There has been a learning curve involved for all of us and we certainly appreciate the patience and flexibility families have shown. There have been several occurrences where the system itself has “crashed” which has prevented us from reviewing and approving pending packets in a timely manner. We want to ensure that students who have the appropriate paperwork submitted are able to participate on day one, August 15. We would like to create a system of checks and balances should the system “crash” again over the course of the next few days which again prevents us from reviewing packets.

We are asking that ALL FALL ATHLETES take a picture of each of the 4 physical evaluation pages required for participation and have them ready to show on their phone on Monday. Fall coaches will have a list of all athletes who have been approved. This way, if your son or daughter has submitted their packet but has been affected by the platform delay, they can simply show the pictures of their physical and they will be sent to the athletic office. We will personally review the physical for appropriate date & signatures and they will be permitted to practice. Families will still receive the final “approved email” once their packet has been reviewed in its entirety.

Thank you and again we sincerely appreciate your patience.

Parents of the Class of 2023,

It is time to start planning the Blue Valley Southwest 2022-23 yearbook, which will be distributed in May 2023. As the parent of a 2023 senior, you have the special opportunity to place a congratulatory tribute in the book for your student. Deadlines are as follows:

EARLY BIRD ($50 DISCOUNT) - 2 p.m. Aug. 26, 2022

FINAL DEADLINE - 2 p.m. Sept. 16, 2022

Please note that all materials (photos, message, and payment) will need to be received by the above dates to qualify for the discount or to reserve an ad space. There will be no exceptions.

Order form: https://tinyurl.com/bvswseniorads

Sizes, prices, and answers to FAQs: https://tinyurl.com/BVSWSeniorAds2023

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!

We want to share a testing opportunity with you that may be of interest to our juniors and seniors, especially those who want to enter the workforce right out of high school.

The ACT WorkKeys exam is designed so that employers can see what job-specific skills a future employee may possess. Specifically, WorkKeys measures a prospective employee’s abilities with regard to Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents. Click here for more information on what these tests contain.

WorkKeys will happen at Hilltop Conference Center on October 5, 2022, and is an opt-in testing event, meaning that students must sign-up to participate in this test. The test is paper/pencil. To learn more about ACT WorkKeys, please click here.

To sign up for ACT WorkKeys, please complete the Google Form, found here by Wednesday, August 24th. For those who enroll in WorkKeys, information will be sent out in mid-September.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Anne Kastelic (akastelic@bluevalleyk12.org).

ATTENTION Parents/Guardians

Enjoy a cup of coffee while the Counseling Team covers helpful topics related to our BVSW Students. September's topic will be: Navigating BVSW Resources

THE DEN will be OPEN for shopping on Back to School Night! Come and get your new Timberwolves gear! AUGUST 25th – located in the BVSW Commons!

*We are currently getting everything set up for the year – be on the lookout next week for our updated fall hours. #protectthepack

MNHS applications are open for another great year! Look at the poster below for more information. Scan the QR code or click on the link below to fill out the application. Applications are DUE on Friday, September 2nd.

https://tinyurl.com/bvswMNHS22-23

JCCC will be hosting two information sessions where we will discuss the process of Apply/Placement/Enroll/Pay to high school students and their parents. Representatives from several public universities in Kansas will be there to discuss transferability of coursework. Both information sessions will be held from 6:30 – 8 p.m. and no reservation is necessary. Not able to come in person? Join by Zoom at the same time.

• Aug 30 – JCCC main campus, Regnier Center 101, Capitol Federal Conference Room

• Sept 8 – JCCC main campus, Regnier Center 101, Capitol Federal Conference Room

Here are some important reminders for your College Now students:

1. Apply - NEW College Now Students apply for admission now if this is your first-time taking College Now courses. The application priority submission deadline is Aug 26 to guarantee your admission application will be processed before the enrollment deadline.
   
   
2. Upload Placement Documentation or Complete Placement Test if required. Students may place into many courses using their qualifying high school GPA, AP test score, ACT score, or may schedule an appointment to take the Accuplacer test at JCCC.

• For College Now Classes: Go to jccc.edu/CollegeNow and click See Class Schedules and Counselors to look up available courses for BVSW. If a prerequisite or test score is required for your class, it will be noted. Go to jccc.edu/CollegeNowTesting to upload your placement documentation or to schedule an Accuplacer test.
  
  
• For Quick Step Plus College Algebra: New this year, JCCC has expanded the ways that Quickstep Plus or College Now students may place into College Algebra! Go to jccc.edu/QuickStepPlus to view placement methods, upload placement documentation, or schedule an Accuplacer test.
  
  

1. Enroll – Enrollment in College Now classes will begin soon. You can view our class schedule online!
   
   
2. Pay – Payment is due at the time of enrollment. Excel in CTE courses are only available to residents of Kansas.
   
   

1. College Now/QSPCA Grant – Funding Quadruples!
   JCCC has received an additional $200,000 in grant funds that are available for our College Now and Quick Step Plus College Algebra students. Students must enroll and submit the grant application before the semester enrollment deadlines to be considered. If awarded, the grant will cover up to two classes at the full tuition rate. Deadline for enrollment and College Now/QSPCA Grant Application submission is Friday, Sept 16 by 5 p.m. for College Now and Friday, Oct 7 by 5 p.m. for QSPCA.
   
   

1. Check out the College Now website with FAQs to help answer all your questions.
2. Visit the BVSW Counseling Canvas for more information!

REGISTER @ https://forms.gle/5SJyMqX6XXPehznH7

Please contact Jody Buchman, jredbuchman@gmail.com, with any questions

Concessions Fundraising Opportunities

Is your Booster Club or Organization looking to raise money? We are offering a great way for BVSW groups to earn $$ by working concessions! We are providing this as an opportunity to BVSW Booster Clubs & Organizations to earn guaranteed $$ in lieu of applying for PTO Grants. Clubs will be signing up for the game/shifts as a group and then it is up to each club to fill the required number of spots with volunteers.

Booster Club Presidents' Council meetings/trainings will be held on (CHOOSE ONE):

• August 23, 6pm
• August 24, 9am

Each Club will need at least one representative to attend one of the trainings in order to signup for Fall Concessions.

For Parents: Join Class Facebook and Instagram Pages

Don't miss class-specific communications about school events and activities each week. Search for the following groups on Facebook and Instagram and join/follow:

Freshman: search for "BVSW 2026 Parents"

Sophomore: search for "BVSW 2025 Parents"

Junior: search for "BVSW 2024 Parents"

Senior: search for "BVSW 2023 Parents"

While you're at it, search for "BVSW PTO" and follow!

If you have any problems, reach out to bvswpto@gmail.com.

The PTO store is OPEN!

The PTO has a new website and a store filled with items you want to fill your cart with!

• Yard Signs & Activity Plates for your student
• Rally Flags
• Senior Paw Prints
• PTO Membership
• Invest in Southwest

Go check it out so you're ready to display your SW spirit!

All Activities and School Events can be found on the Eastern Kansas League website. Go to BVSW homepage, click on calendar, then click on the Eastern Kansas League website or click on the following:

https://www.easternkansasleague.org/public/genie/997/school/11/

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.