OMS Friday Knight Live
January 21, 2022
New in this newsletter:
- OMS Counseling Corner
- Course Fees for 3rd Quarter/ Second Semester
- 8th Grade Field Trip Information 2.11.22
- Conferences... save the date 2.16 & 2.17
- Opportunity for Guardians... Screen Sanity Summit
- Save the Date: 5th Grade Families Enrollment Night
- Blue Valley Resource Fair 2.10.22
- Yearbook order deadline 1.31.22
- PTO Upcoming events: Trivia Night & Fortnite Duos Tournament
- Shoe drive ends Jan. 31st!
- Online scheduling for COVID PCR Testing
- Questions or Concerns? Who to Contact
Thanks to our families for sending love and positive notes to our staff this week!
Counseling Corner
Next week, OMS counselors will be coming into 6th and 7th grade classrooms to discuss suicide prevention with our students. We will be using the Signs of Suicide program to deliver this message. Through this program, we discuss warning signs to watch for and ways to support peers who might be at risk. When we talk to our students about suicide prevention, we teach our students to ACT: Acknowledge – Care – Tell, if they have concerns for a friend. In addition, we encourage our students to identify a trusted adult that they can talk to – both in and outside of school – if they have a concern for themselves or for a friend.
If you have any questions about this lesson, please contact your student's counselor: Jill Gouger (students with last names A-K) or Allyson DiNitto (students with last names L-Z).
Course Fees for 3rd Quarter/2nd Semester
Third quarter and second semester course fees have been loaded to ParentVue. Please check for new fees and pay online if possible. If you are sending cash or a check (made payable to OMS) please send to the office in an envelope with your student’s first and last name. Exact amount please.
Middle school course fee payment for 3rd quarter and second semester is open and online now. Your ParentVUE login and password are required to pay course fees.
Course fees are assigned based on your student’s enrollment. Some seventh and eighth grade exploratory/elective classes include course fees.
Course fees are assigned for the first semester only.
Questions regarding fee payment should be directed to Christina Fowles, OMS Bookkeeper. clfowles@bluevalleyk12.org / 913-239-5508
8th Grade Field Trip Information February 11, 2022
The 8th grade class is invited to participate in a field trip to see “The Auschwitz Experience” at Union Station on February 11. A scholarship has been awarded to cover the cost of entry for all students! The trip cost is $10 to cover bus transportation. Students will need to bring money for lunch. Please read the communication from the 8th grade teachers regarding the field trip.
Parent chaperones are needed! Please email MMTrimble@bluevalleyk12.org if you are available to ride the bus and stay the entire trip.
ALL permission slips and transportation money must be turned in to Mrs. Trimble or Ms. Anderlik by Friday January 28th (checks made payable to OMS and cash in an envelope with student name).
Family Conferences 2.16 & 2.17
Mark your calendars!
Conference sign up for Zoom conferences will be available February 4th. *More information to come.
Wednesday, 2/16:
3:15 - 8:15
Thursday, 2/17:
- 7:00 - 5:00
Opportunity for Guardians: Screen Sanity Summit
FACT: Adolescent screen time has nearly doubled since the covid-19 pandemic began.
Don’t miss this event to understand how to help your child!
JANUARY 19, JANUARY 26, FEBRUARY 2
START is excited to announce the (first ever!) Screen Sanity Summit, a unique three-part series that will bring parents together to discuss one of today’s most pressing topics—digital health.
The event will feature exclusive content from START’s Screen Sanity Group Study, including topics that cover every age and stage of digital parenthood. Expect to hear from experts in the digital field, have rich conversations with parents like you, reflect on the role technology plays in your life and leave with realistic tools for improving your family’s digital health. While content is designed for adults, the Screen Sanity Summit will provide practical ways to talk to your kids about everything from smartphones to social media.
START is proud to partner with Church of the Resurrection, for bringing the inaugural Screen Sanity Summit to life. If you are unable to attend in-person in Kansas City, we invite you to join us virtually via Zoom at: https://www.westartnow.org/screen-sanity-summit-cor
5th Grade/Incoming 6th Graders Enrollment Night
SAVE THE DATE!!
Current 5th graders and their parents/guardians are invited to Oxford for a welcome and middle school enrollment event on February 22, 2022.
There will be 2 sessions: 4:30pm Last Names A-K and 6:00pm Last Names L-Z. Each session will be followed by self-guided tours of the building.
Come meet Principal Domoney, Assistant Principal Holsapple, and your counselor. We can't wait to meet our new KNIGHTS!
* Yes, if you cannot attend your assigned session you may attend the other session.
Blue Valley Resource Fair
The Blue Valley Special Needs Resource Fair is returning (with safety precautions) on Thursday, February 10, 2022 between 5:00 - 8:00 PM at Hilltop Conference Center. Please take a look at this flyer for more information. There will be many representatives of camps, recreational opportunities, therapies, equipment, adult/transition services, financial/legal services, and so much more. The Special Education Advisory Council appreciates your support.
2022 Yearbook Order Deadline
Order your 2022 yearbook now! Orders will close January 31, 2022 -- there will not be extra yearbooks ordered for purchase at the end of the year. Order through ParentVue by going to Fees, scroll down to Optional Fees, select 22 YRBOOK, and checking out. The cost is $25 per book.
Please avoid end-of-the-year upset and tears and Order Now!
Questions? Contact OMS Bookkeeper, Christina Fowles. clfowles@bluevalleyk12.org / 913-239-5508
OMS PTO Trivia Night and Silent Auction
Please join us for the biggest fundraiser of the year for OMS, our Oscars Themed Adult Trivia Party, Fri, Feb 25th from 6-10 pm. The cost is $35pp. There will also be a Silent Auction, to include parties hosted by OMS parents that you can bid to attend. We hope to see you there.
Sign up today! Trivia & Silent Auction Sign Up Here: https://omspto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/172648
OMS Students and Families: Mark Your Calendars for a Fortnite Duos Tournament
Battle it out in a giant Fortnite Dual among all of your friends, Sun, Feb 6th from 1-4 pm. The cost is $35pp. Feel free to invite your friends from other schools to attend as well. Parents can join in on the battle, or meet up for the simultaneous Parent Mixer right next door in the Vivo restaurant, where there will be an acoustic band and appetizers (drinks purchased on your own). We look forward to seeing who the Fortnite Champion is!
Sign up today! eSports Event Sign Up: https://omspto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/172696
Oxford Middle School Shoe Drive... there's still time to donate! Jan. 31 deadline!
Oxford Middle School will be collecting used shoes thru the end of January. Clean out that closet and donate shoes you've outgrown or never wear and drop them off in the bins inside Oxford! All shoe sizes are being collected...from baby to adult.
Online scheduling and registration now available for COVID-19 Testing
Throughout this school year, Blue Valley’s priorities have been the safety of our students and keeping students in school and in-person as we know this is critical to their long-term success and well-being. MAWD Labs offers a local COVID-19 testing option available through a Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) grant provided directly to MAWD Labs.
New! Online Scheduling and Registration for MAWD Drive-In Testing Clinic
The MAWD Drive-In Testing Clinic now can accept online appointments and registrations.
- Step 1: Book an appointment online (up to 6 people per appointment/car)
- Step 2: If you have not done so already, create an online account for parent/guardian. Please note that to login into the account in the future, username is the parent/guardian email address.
- Complete a form for the child needing COVID-19 testing and submit. Create forms for additional household members by clicking “Add Individual.”
- Receive a QR code via email for each family member needing testing. Keep this code as it will need to be shown upon arrival for each appointment.
- Call (913) 239-4371 and leave a message if you have questions. Calls will be returned in the order received.
- Due to the high volume of testing, only current household members of Blue Valley students and staff are eligible to test at the MAWD Drive-In Testing Clinic.
MAWD Drive-In Testing Clinic: 14950 Newton Drive, Overland Park, KS 66223 (Northwest of CAPS on the Blue Valley School District Campus)
- Hours of Operation
- Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Friday 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Sunday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
- Inclement Weather Schedule
- The MAWD Drive-In Testing Clinic will be closed whenever school is cancelled for inclement weather.
- MAWD Drive-In Testing Clinic will operate on regular hours if there is an emergency closing for other reasons, such as high staff or transportation absences.
Additional information about MAWD’s Drive-In Testing Clinic is available on the district website. General COVID-19 resources from Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, community testing locations and vaccine information from Children’s Mercy can be found on the district website.
Questions or Concerns? Who to Contact
Do you have a question or concern? We want to help.
If you have a question or concerns, we want to help! Many times by starting at the building level, you will work with the person who is closest to the situation and will usually have the most information. If you feel further discussion is warranted, the following chart can be used as a guide for whom to call when questions arise on the most common topics. https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/domain/5629
Helpful Repeated Information
ASK After-School Homework Help This Semester
6th Grade
Mon.= Brown rm. 14
Wed.= McBride rm. 12 *math
Thurs.= Mullin-Mall rm. 6
7th Grade
Tues.= Collins rm. 20
Thurs.= Burns rm. 21 *math
8th Grade
Mon.= McKee rm. 43
Tues.= Flanders rm. 41 *math
Wed.= Anderlik rm. 44
Community Resources from Ms. Jayne, our social worker
Helpful Tips for Families... January Newsletter
OMS Office Hours and Outside Wait Times
This is a reminder the OMS office does not open until 7:00am. Students will be waiting outside until the front doors are unlocked. Student will wait in the front entry foyer until they enter the building at 7:15. Families, please do not drop off students before 7:00am.
In the afternoon, the office closes at 3:30pm. Please make sure that you and your student have made after school pick up plans before they leave for school in the morning.
Library Has Limited Number of Chromebooks
Every student needs to bring their chromebook to school fully charged every day.
The library has a very limited number of chromebooks to loan to students whose chromebooks are malfunctioning. If your student does not have their own chromebook, there is a possibility that there may not be one available for them to use during the day. Any chromebook that is borrowed must be returned at the end of the school day.
Attendance Reporting and Notifications
Families can expect automated attendance messages by email, phone, and text if a child is absent and their absence has not already been reported by a parent/guardian. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to report an absence or reply to the automated email or phone message.
What is the purpose of attendance notifications?
We realize that students may occasionally need to miss school for planned absences, illnesses, and appointments. However, when a student does not arrive at school or unexpectedly misses a portion of the school day, we are concerned and want to make sure you are aware that your child is absent.
How can I get push notifications?
Families who would also like a push notification can download the ParentVUE app and manage their notifications. If a child has an unreported absence when a teacher submits attendance, then a push notification will immediately be sent to the parent/guardian's mobile device.
Interested in push notifications? Simply download the ParentVUE app (iTunes app store or Google Play), enable push notifications in device settings and select attendance notifications through in-app settings. Once the app is downloaded, these instructions will help you complete the set-up.
Student Photo Loop
Student Picture Gallery / Student Photos 2021 October - December (bluevalleyk12.org)
OMS Clubs Information
The slide show is updated regularly and is now on the OMS website here: Activities and Athletics / Activities (bluevalleyk12.org).
Is your child absent today?
Families must notify the attendance office every day when a student is absent. If your student leaves school because they are ill, HIPAA regulations prevent our nurse from notifying attendance for the reason why a student is going home. If your student is not going to be at school please use “Report an Absence” on ParentVue or call the attendance line at 913/239-5505. Please do not email teachers, counselors, or the administrators about absences.
Monitor student devices at home
For the Latest Announcements and Information
Want to keep up on the latest OMS announcements and information? Check out the NEWS section on the OMS website. NEWS is located under the About Us tab.
Coming Up @ OMS
February 16 & 17- Conferences
February 18-21- No School
February 22- School Resumes
March 10th- End of 3rd Quarter
March 11-21- SPRING BREAK
March 22- School Resumes; Beginning of 4th Quarter
Contact Us! We Are Here To Help!
Attendance Number: 913-239-5505
Mrs. Domoney, Principal: cdomoney@bluevalleyk12.org
Mr. Holsapple, Assistant Principal: jholsapple03@bluevalleyk12.org