Jaguar Journal
January 13, 2023
Here is your weekly update from the JUNGLE!
ALL SCHOOL NEWS
Quarter 3 News
Welcome to Quarter 3, Jags! Start your semester off right, and take a look at our Quarter 3 news here.
Enrollment Information
Important Enrollment Information
This week, the BVW Counseling Team presented to 9th-11th-grade students. Enrollment presentations included:
Overview of the enrollment process and resources.
Consideration of course selections in the context of whole-life needs and commitments.
Description of honors/on-level options in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Highlight of elective options.
Please take some time to explore the BVW Enrollment Canvas. This Canvas page includes many helpful resources and activities.
Viewing an unofficial transcript & graduation status
Counselors will be able to answer questions during Advisory and AST on January 24th and 26th.
Enrollment cards are due in room 315 on Jan 27, 2023 at 3:00 pm.
2nd Semester Course Fees
Course Fees for 2nd Semester
High school course fee payment for second semester is open and online now. Your ParentVUE login and password are required to pay course fees.
Course fees are assigned based on the master schedule and your student’s enrollment.
Course fees are assigned for the second semester only.
If your student dropped a course after the course drop deadline, they are responsible for paying any fees associated with that course.
Questions regarding fee payment should be directed to the bookkeeper.
Parent Volunteers Needed!
Attention all parents. The PTO is looking for parents to assist with coat check. This is to give our students attending the dance a place to check their coats, handbags, and those hard to dance in high heel shoes. Please sign up to help us give our students a great dance experience. Please use the link below.
Sweetheart Dance: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0948ACA72CA5FAC07-coat
Sweetheart Dance Tickets- Enchanted Forest
Join us for a magical evening in an enchanted forest during our annual Sweetheart Dance!
Tickets are now available! Pre-sale tickets are $10/person and change to $20/person on the day of the event. Purchase tickets here.
Planning on bringing an outside guest? Please carefully follow the guidelines, download or pick up an outside guest from the main office. Outside guest forms are due March 1, 2023 at 4pm.
To purchase, click here.
Pre-Medical Seekers Meeting
Upcoming Pre-Medical Seekers Club meeting will be help on January 19, 2023 during AST.
KCTC Student Survey
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.
Assessments and Academic Success
BVW Science teacher Heather Hall is highlighted as an example of using a student's formative assessment data to inform instruction in this edition of the district’s Learning Connection story. Blue Valley assessments are divided into two buckets: formative and summative. Formative assessments, described as assessments for learning, provide teachers with information on how they can help a student grow. Summative assessments, characterized as assessments of learning, occur after instruction takes place. Check it out here.
Activities and Athletics Message
Blue Valley Families,
We are excited to have your families come to support our high school activities and athletics this school year. It is great to see the entire community at these events. It is imperative that our parent community partner with us as we work to encourage a positive atmosphere for our high school games or events.
Sportsmanship/officials: We want to give our student athletes the opportunity to play as many games as possible and we need officials to make those games happen. With a local and national shortage of officials, we want to make sure officials continue to choose to work Blue Valley events. The number one way we can create a welcoming environment is for spectators, coaches and student athletes to be courteous and respect the official’s decisions.
Tailgating: Tailgating before games has become a tradition for many students and families. We love to see our community gathering together to enjoy food and tailgate games in our parking lots. As a reminder, alcohol and tobacco are not allowed on district property including parking lots.
Thank you for your help in making our district events a great experience for all who attend. We hope to see your family cheering for our Blue Valley teams this school year.
Fostering a Safe Environment
As we move into a new semester please share the following message in your upcoming family newsletters:
Blue Valley Schools is committed to promoting and fostering a safe environment in and around all of our schools. Through the convergence of physical and intellectual security measures, we are continuously working to prevent, mitigate, respond to and recover from a wide range of emergencies. Please check out available ways to report safety concerns.
SENIOR NEWS
Cap and Gown Payment Due
Seniors, thank you for your cap and gown sizes. Herff Jones has now placed our order! You can make the payment for your items at the following link.
Once your order is complete, please save your receipt to refer to once Graduation season arrives. Cap and gowns will be distributed at Class Day rehearsal on May 18, 2023.
Senior Video Photo Submissions
Seniors, please carefully read the guidelines for submitting your photos for your senior video. We are very excited to see you in there!
See attached instructions here.
Announcement Orders
Graduation planning is in full swing, and if you are interested in ordering your senior’s graduation announcements, please order asap. You can view announcement packages here. Announcements will be delivered and distributed at BVW after Spring Break on March 29-30.
Class of 2023 Senior Year Events & Checklist
Click here to view deadlines, important information, upcoming events, and your to do list!
Counseling
Pre-ACT 9
PreACT 9 score reports for freshmen were handed out through advisory classes. If you took the PreACT9 and did not receive your test score, please stop by to see Ms. Landa in the counseling office and she will be able to assist you.
PSAT 10/11 Scores
PRACTICE ACT 10/11 SCORES
Students in grades 10 & 11 who took the Practice ACT can now access their scores online. Instructions on how to access scores can be found in the document attached here.
Social Media Updates
The BVW Counseling Department is now on social media! Please follow us to stay up to date on important information.
Facebook - Blue Valley West Counseling (Links to an external site.) –
Instagram - @BVW_Counseling (Links to an external site.) -
Twitter - @BVWCounseling
The Parent Seat: Beyond the Scoreboard
BVW Boys Golf
Any young man interested in trying out for the BVW golf team please fill out the Google form. Any questions please email Coach Aaron Anderson at aanderson@bluevalleyk12.org
Boys Volleyball Meeting
Join us for our upcoming meeting!
PTO NEWS
Please consider joining our PTO - we have open positions and will be needing to fill many key leadership roles next year. Get involved now so you are poised to help us in future years!
Purchase a BVW Yard Sign for your student
Celebrate your student's sport, club or activity with a BVW Yard Sign! Check out the BVW PTO Website for all of the details to order!
Amazon Smiles
Donate to Blue Valley West High School PTO, at no cost to you! Simply shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/48-1246215 (add Blue Valley West High School PTO as your charity) and AmazonSmile will donate to Blue Valley West High School PTO, at no cost to you. Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to Blue Valley West High School PTO —no fees, no extra cost.
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