Jaguar Journal
November 6, 2020
Here is your weekly update from the JUNGLE!
Here is your weekly update from the JUNGLE!
ALL SCHOOL NEWS
Traditional Bell Schedule for all students on Monday, November 9th
Community Service Update
As you may recall, two years ago we shifted away from the National Presidential Service Award and its tracking and recognition functions. For 2019-2020, we continued to allow students to submit hours to the school for building recognition as we phased out the award focus. As we move into 2020-2021, we have shifted our focus as a district. Moving forward our goal is to engage and celebrate students in school-wide or team/club-based service opportunities. Blue Valley West will no longer have students submit personal volunteer service hours and there will not be a service award given to our students from the school.
We will focus on the quality of volunteer service rather than mere quantity, the sole focus of the current program. What is meant by “quality of service” is found in those characteristics of service that more and more colleges and universities are interested in as follows:
The service reflects the student’s passions
The depth and reach of impact; not just the number of hours completed
Degree to which the student interacted with and led their peers
How much of what the student accomplished was independently sought and self-fulfilled as opposed to just being a requirement to fulfill.
This does not mean students should not continue to find ways outside of school to serve their community. As students look forward to college and career, engaging in service that reflects their passions and has community impact is valuable and important. We strongly encourage students and families to continue to serve in the community. Blue Valley West has a student club that is dedicated to service-LEO Club, and beyond that several of our other groups, programs and teams have service opportunities embedded in their typical team and group activities. Please also keep in mind, many of our honor societies do have a community service component as well. Those individual organizations will share their expectations and methods for collecting hours.
As a school we will find opportunities to celebrate those organizations and the accomplishments in the area of community/volunteer service by utilizing pre-existing assemblies and ceremonies. We value recognitions/celebrations at the school level in front of all peers-and feel they are more meaningful for students.
Hybrid Calendar for November 2020
Picture Day for Virtual Students, Senior Last Chance, and retakes
November 19, 2020
Time: 3-7pm
Location: Hilltop Campus in the Burr Ridge and Lone Star rooms
Click here to schedule your appointment.
ACTIVITY NEWS
Leo Club
Do you enjoy helping others in the community? Do you want to meet and volunteer with new people? If so, please plan on attending an informational meeting for Leo Club on Monday, November 16th at 3:30pm over Zoom. Click this link https://tinyurl.com/bvwleo to join the GroupMe where more information will be provided. New and returning members must attend this meeting in order to join Leo Club this school year.
Business Clubs
Interested in Business? DECA & BPA will have their kick-off meeting on Wednesday, November 11th at 4 p.m. on Zoom! To join our Canvas Club Course & access Zoom, please click here.
This club is open to all students who have an interest in business! Questions? Email Mrs. Dark acdark@bluevalleyk12.org.
Debate Shout Outs
Iowa Caucus Debate Tournament Results:
Zakariya Ahmed and Supta Das—2nd place team! Undefeated in prelims!
Samuel Wang and Puneet Bagga—Octofinalists
Kevin Xu/Naman Badkul—Quarterfinalists (JV)
Special shout out to Sai Pradhan, who went undefeated debating BY HIMSELF in JV! (The rules don’t allow individuals to qualify for elims, but he was the #1 seed).
Science National Honor Society Applications Are Open!
All SciNHS members must meet the following:
Be a junior or senior in a science class OR
Be an underclassman in an AP science class
Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0
Have a science GPA of at least 3.5, and submit verification
To apply, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/RecDMB4R4xWfsGwB6. All applications are due on Friday, November 6th by 11:59 pm. Email questions to: bvwscience@gmail.com or RStrecker@bluevalleyk12.org
BV Femineer Information
Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering is excited to start a new cohort of Femineers this 2020-2021 academic year. The Femineer Program empowers K-12 female students to develop the skills and confidence needed to pursue majors and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) 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 . The application due date November 20, 2020.
Senior Checklist
Please read this checklist weekly as it is continuously being updated as information becomes available. Here is your Senior Checklist Class of 2021!
Yearbook TO-DO List
Senior Ad 20-21 must be purchased by due November 20
Photos and messages are also due November 20.
Email material to bvwyearbook@gmail.com if you are having difficulty with the Herff Jones site.
ATHLETIC NEWS
Winter Sports Begin November 16th
Believe it or not, winter sports are just around the corner! November 16th is the first day for boys and girls basketball, wrestling and boys swim and dive. If you are interested in participating and did not compete in a fall sport, you must complete and return the required Participation Packet prior to the 16th. The packet can be picked up in the office at West or downloaded from the BV West athletic website - www.bvwestjags.com.
Jaguar Girls Basketball 2020-2021
All BVW girls interested in playing basketball this year are invited to a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 3:30 pm. The Zoom Meeting ID is 937 611 2115 and the password is bvwphy. Information about tryouts, practices, what to wear/bring, physicals, school information forms, and the program in general will be discussed. Please click here for more information.
Jaguar Wrestling Information
Anyone interested in joining the Boys or Girls Wrestling teams this season needs to attend a Zoom Pre-Season informational meeting on Monday Nov. 9th at 3:30pm.- https://bluevalleyk12.zoom.us/j/97342187126
- Meeting ID: 973 4218 7126
- Passcode: Jaguars
There will be a lot of important information given out regarding the start of our season. First practice is Nov. 16th.
Boys Basketball Tryouts
All BVW Boys interested in playing basketball this year are invited to a Student- Athlete Zoom Meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 11th at 6:00 pm. Click here for more information.
COUNSELING NEWS
Please check our Counseling Canvas page weekly as this page is continuously being updated.
ACT Prep Program
High School Students Opportunity to Earn College Credits
The College Now program provides high school students the opportunity to earn college credits through concurrent enrollment while completing their high school requirements.
Virtual College Rep Visits
Every year admissions representatives from colleges across the country come to Blue Valley West to meet with students and provide information about their institutions. This year these visits will be occurring but they will be held virtually. All college rep visits can be found in Naviance under the colleges tab. At the moment we have 40 visits scheduled and more are added daily. Please sign up in Naviance to attend any session you are interested in.
BVW PTO UPDATES
The PTO engages in a number of fundraising endeavors each year and allocates those funds to better the overall school experience. By far the greatest disbursement of these funds each year is in the form of 3 grant cycles. These grants are only possible through your PTO Membership and Invest in West donations. Learn more about PTO Grants here.
This fall the PTO approved the 1st grant cycle and a total of $6,774.00 was awarded to assist BVW students with the following items:
Boy/girls swim and dive teams received $2,213 to purchase equipment to record and immediately play back performances
Dance Team received $3,961 to purchase new uniforms. This is normally purchased by the school but due to the expanding dance program they are in immediate need of more uniforms for the 20/21 year
Lift and IR program received $600 for UV light sanitizers that will clean the devices the students use on a daily basis
Upcoming Fundraisers:
Wednesday, November 18th, from 4PM to 8PM, at Lion’s Choice 10313 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66212 Check out this flyer!
Tuesday, December 1st, at Jose Peppers 143rd & Metcalf (details to follow).
Click here to Invest in West by becoming a PTO member or single contributor!
Successful students make successful schools— which make thriving communities. Everyone benefits when you support students!
Blue Valley West High School
Email: bluevalleywest@bluevalleyk12.org
Website: http://www.bluevalleyk12.org/BVW
Location: 16200 Antioch Road, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: 913-239-3700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westjags