-Message from the Principal

-Exciting updates at BVM

-Updated office hours

-School year drop off/pick up times and breakfast

-Register and pay course fees

-August 7th Cardinal Connections Day and make-ups

-August 15th- 6th Grade Orientation/New 7th and 8th Grade Students to BVM

-August 16th- 1st day of school for all students

-Class schedules

-Athletic and Activities Packet and rSchool registration and first days of practice

-Cell phone policy 23-24

-BVMS Positive Expectations Matrix

-Securly updates

-Bussing information

-Chromebook distribution

-PTO

-Fall calendar/first semester dates

-School Calendar 23-24 attached

-Student Handbook attached

Blue Valley Middle School Families,

The calendar is getting ready to turn to August and we are beyond excited to open the doors and welcome students back to BVMS. This communication contains an abundant amount of information. We will put a list of what the newsletter contains at the top of each flyer to allow you to quickly browse topics and access the information you need. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to serve this amazing community at Blue Valley Middle School as the Principal. I look forward to kicking off the school year with you and your students very soon. Thank you for taking the time to read/skim through back to school information and enjoy the final weeks of summer. See you soon! #WeAreCardinals

-Mr.Salsgiver

-Completely remodeled FACS room: All 9 of our middle schools this summer got a complete re-model. This is going to be such an incredible space for students. Pictures to come soon!

-New storage for Band and Orchestra: New storage lockers and cabinets have been installed in both our band and orchestra rooms.

-Re-imagined spaces: We have cleaned and re-envisioned many of our collaborating learning spaces throughout our building for more engaging and aesthetically pleasing environment for students.

-New front entry furniture: Coming this fall we have some new front hallway furniture to provide seating options for students.

-More exciting updates to come as we get them complete.

Starting on Monday July 31st, the BVMS office will resume normal operational hours. We will be open Monday-Friday from 7:30 - 3:30

Drop off: The gym doors will open for students to be dropped off at 7:15AM. Students being dropped off for school can enter through the silver double doors in the front loop. Students arriving by bus will enter through the single blue door in the back bus loop area. Students will sit in the bleachers until the 7:45 AM bell rings. When the bell rings students will head to their 1st hour class or lockers.

*Note* this dismissal time from the gym in the morning is a change from last year. We noticed students had extra time and were usually lapping around the school or congregating in areas where they didn't need to be at and having trouble getting to first hour on time. This will be a change.

Breakfast: If your student is eating breakfast at school they will sign out of the gym starting at 7:30AM and be able to eat breakfast. Only students that are eating breakfast will be allowed down in the commons in the morning.

Pick-up: When the 3:00 bell rings students should head to the front hallway to catch their ride or what for pick-up. Students riding the bus should head directly to the bus loop. The buses leave at 3:08PM.

*I will continue to send periodic email reminders to families who have NOT completed registration and fee payment for the upcoming school year. More details below:

Middle school registration for the 2023-24 school year is open and online now for current students and families. Registration is required annually and is the time to update your child’s information (phone, email, emergency contacts, health information, etc.) and pay fees. At this time, you have access to pay all required fees with the exception of course fees. Course fees will be assigned in August when schedules are completed.

Completing registration now confirms that your child will attend school in August and helps the district determine staffing/hiring needs in a timely manner. Thank you for providing important information and parent permissions as part of the registration process. For more information about registration, visit www.bluevalleyk12.org/registration.

Cardinal Connections Day: Monday, August 7th 8am-3PM

On this day students will have the chance to take their yearbook photo and set-up their locker. Students are welcome to set-up locker and leave school supplies in their locker for the start of the year.

Picture make-up will be during the school day on Wednesday, September 13th.

Set-up options below:

Locker set-up:

We know many families are still traveling at this time of year. If you are not able to attend on August 7th then you will have the opportunity on Monday, August 14th from 8am-Noon to drop in for lockers and then again on Tuesday, August 15th from 1PM-3PM after 6th Grade Orientation. If none of these times or dates work for you then please email me at bsalsgiver@bluevalleyk12.org to set up a time.

School Supplies: If you are ordered school supply kits from PTO those will be delivered directly to the school and they may not be delivered before August 7th. If they are not delivered before this date, we will send a message out to families and you have the opportunity to come up and pick up supplies before school starts and place into locker.

School Supply Lists: We have our school supply lists available here on our website.

I have also attached a pdf copy to this email. We have worked to communicate with the local Wal-Mart and Target to make sure they have copies. In the past there have been some differences on the lists published and we want to try and make things as easy as possible for families. Please do not stress about school supplies. We will be here to help and work with our families and students.

6th Grade Orientation will be from 7:51-10:00AM on Tuesday, August 15th.

Students can dropped off as early as 7:15AM and wait in gym. Please enter through the silver double doors to the gym. We will have signs out.

Optional* New 7th and 8th Grade students to Blue Valley Middle School will meet in the BVMS library from 9-10AM on this day.

The gym doors will open at 7:15 AM for drop off.

The first day of school is always exciting and a little bit hectic. Please allow for extra time when coming through the drop off line. We will have some grace with students the first several days as we know it takes awhile to get routines down. If you are pulling into the parking lot, we ask that you walk with your student to the cross walk area. Please do not drop off students on 163rd Ter by the grass. Safety is very important and we want to keep all of our cardinals safe. If you are dropping in the front loop, just a reminder of the speed bumps, they can be rough on your vehicles if driving quickly. Please take your time.

6th grade students will receive their class schedules at orientation on August 15th. 7th and 8th grade students will be able to access their schedules in Parent Vue/Student Vue on August 15th at 1 PM. All students will receive a paper copy of their schedule on the first day of school.

If you have and questions about scheduling concerns, please email your counselor.

All Grades Last Name A-L: Laura Engel lcengel@bluevalleyk12.org

All Grades Last Name L-Z: Danicia Sidener dksidener@bluevalleyk12.org

Students participating in athletics, dance and cheerleading will be required to upload a completed KSHSAA physical, dated after May 1, 2023, with a doctor’s signature, and complete all the necessary forms to be able to participate. This is a new form for the 23-24 school year. Be sure you take the new form to your doctor’s appointment, their office may not have the updated version as it was released on April 28th.

The Blue Valley School District has moved to an online format to submit all paperwork needed to be involved in athletics and activities at the high school and middle school levels. The online system can be accessed directly through the link below and will start accepting new forms on May 1st. If you have an existing account from the 22-23 school year you will need to login, upload the new physical forms, and update any information from the previous year.

https://bluevalleysd-ar.rschooltoday.com/

Students involved in KSHSAA activities that do not require a physical will need to complete the other required forms to participate. Middle school athletics include football, volleyball, cross country, cheerleading, basketball, wrestling and track. Middle school activities also include band, choir, and orchestra. Band, choir, and orchestra students need to complete forms online but DO NOT need physical paperwork. Although it will prompt you to upload a physical, you can upload a blank document in order to submit the forms.

Individuals will receive an email notification that confirms the online portion of activities/athletics registration. Students will be notified if they are successfully cleared to participate for the 2023-24 school year or if their registration is incomplete prior to the start of the fall season.

Practice Start Dates:

(In order for us to meet the KSHSAA requirements for team practices Cross Country and Football will have *OPTIONAL* practices on Monday, August 14th and Tuesday August 15th)

7th and 8th Grade Cross Country: August 14th at 3:15 PM

8th Grade Football: August 14th at 3:15 PM

8th Grade Volleyball: August 16th after school

7th and 8th Grade Cheer: August 24th after school

Questions about Athletics and Activities please reach out to our Assistant Principal Brooke Ash: bash@bluevalleyk12.org

The school day is an important academic, social and emotional learning environment. Cell phones and air pods create an interference in the school environment – yet we see the number of students with electronics at school continue to increase.

• This school year we will clearly communicate to students that cell phones are to be out of sight and turned off/silenced from 7:51am – 3:00pm.
• Air Pods and wireless headphones will not be permitted during school hours this year. Students can use wired headphones with their Chromebooks to complete class assignments and work.
• If a student has their phone out - or is using their phone without explicit permission from a teacher – the student will be asked to walk-it up and turn into the office. The student will be able to pick up at the end of the school day.
• Repeated issues will likely bring additional disciplinary action.
• If you have a critical or urgent message for your student, please call 913-239-5100 and our office staff will deliver the message.
• Any text messages received by your student during the school day can be read at 3:00 PM.
• Ultimately, we want our kids to be focused on the academic, social, and emotional learning we work hard to provide and limit the distractions that cell phones bring

• A courtesy phone is available in the front entryway for students to use between class periods or during lunch. Teachers also have phones in their classrooms. Long distance phone calls can only be made from the office phone.

• Thank you for help on this matter. We know student safety and security is very important and the ability to communicate with your student is important , however, the cell phone has become a major academic distraction throughout the day and we want the best learning environment for our students. Please reach out to me with any questions that you may have or to talk through a specific situation with your student. Email bsalsgiver@bluevalleyk12.org

Parents we want to share with you our BVMS Positive Expectations Matrix. Mrs. Ash and myself will be spending time speaking with students at each grade level during the first few weeks of school. We will be covering student handbook and our positive expectations matrix with students. Respect, Accountability, Achievement and Empathy will be four focal points for us at BVMS this year. A pdf copy is attached as well at the bottom.

6-8th Grade Opt-In Option for Securly Filter: The number one complaint this past year from parents has been student access to game sites during the school day. Parents can now choose to place their 3-12th grade students in the High Restrictions Filter Group by signing up here. The link has detailed information about the differences between the Default and High Restrictions Policies. *Educational Games sites used by curriculum will still be allowed.

Bussing information

1. Online registration is available on the website http://www.bluevalleydurham.com/. You may complete a registration form online and submit the registration and payment (if required) electronically. You may also complete a registration form online, print the form, and then mail it to Durham with payment (if required).

2. Registration forms are available on the Blue Valley School District website http://www.bluevalleyk12.org/transportation. Registration forms can be found on the right-hand side of the page under Useful Links. Please print the form, complete the information requested, and mail it with payment (if required) to Durham.

Questions about bus routes or transportation fees should be directed to Durham School Services at (913) 681-2492.

BVMS will PowerUp learning on August 15th. On this date, 6th graders will be given their district-provided Chromebook as part of Blue Valley’s 1:Learner initiative (one device, per one student). For more information, visit www.bluevalleyk12.org/PowerUp. 7th & 8th grade students who are new to Blue Valley will receive their devices the morning of August 16th

Please visit our PTO website for ways to get involved and give back.

https://bvmspto.membershiptoolkit.com/

-Back to School Night Tuesday, August 22nd from 6-8PM

-Monday, September 4th- No School Labor Day

-Tuesday, September 5th- No School Professional Learning Day EC-12th

-Fall Parent Teacher Conferences September 27th and 28th

-Friday, October 13th End of First Quarter -No School

-Wednesday, November 1st- No School-Professional Learning Day EC-12th

-Monday, November 20th-24th- No School-Thanksgiving Break

-Wednesday, December 20th last day of 2nd quarter- Early Release 10:50AM

-Winter Break December 21st-January 3rd: School resumes on Thursday, January 4th.