Blue Valley Northwest
Principal's Newsletter - May 7, 2021
In this Newsletter . . .
- Message from Dr. Amy Pressly
- May calendar | Bell schedule
- Contact school nurse to report student COVID information
- Yearbook distribution will be May 14 for seniors and May 19 for non-seniors
- Riley Beach selected as KMBC Channel 9 Athlete of the Week
- Register for Husky Headstart Math Workshop Aug. 10-11
- DECA banquet to be held May 11
- Muse Magazine 2021 is out! Check out all the student talent BVNW has to offer!
- Important update regarding Activity Participation Fee
BVNW's graduation is Saturday, May 22, 8:30 pm at SWIDAC
- Dr. Pressly's recommended reading for parents
- Counseling updates - New teen health resource | Girls Sunflower State Info | Parent and student resources | AP Exam info | College Planning: Junior Checklist; Senior scholarships | ACT/SAT; test dates; test prep, ACT scores
- PBC News - Staff appreciation | Join the board | Volunteer
- Stay up to date with official student media!
Message from Dr. Pressly
Dear BVNW Community,
As we continue to roll through the month of May, we are starting to wind down the school year and have gotten to have several celebrations this week. We got to recognize our Blue Valley Education Foundation Sunflower winners and the nominators who submitted essays about the winners. To hear who the nominators and winners are from BVNW, please watch this video from the Blue Valley Education Foundation. Sunflower Ambassadors. These individuals were presented their medallions this week. We are proud to have them represent our husky family.
For the first time in school history our journalism students are the Kansas 6A state journalism champions! Congratulations to all our journalism students for their hard work and dedication. It has not been an easy year to cover school events with so much cancelled or changed. In addition to the team state championship title, we have several students who are individual state champions as well. Congratulations to Bella Rinne, Cecilia Monroy-Harris, Sabrina San Agustin and Camryn Dillavou for earning individual state championships!
We also delivered six “36” jerseys this week. We also presented two other jerseys last month. Normally we present these at an all-school assembly but since we don't have assemblies this year, the administrative team visited the classroom to present them to our students. To earn a “36” jersey, a student must earn a perfect score of 36 on the ACT. Students earning jerseys this week are: Genevieve Ansay (2021), Daniel Cheng (2022), Anusha Gampala (2022), Naomi James (2021), Renee Liou (2022), Shaurir Ramanujan (2021), Nihith Ravikanti (2022), Younggi Moon (2022).
Finally we were just notified of the current juniors who will be receiving recognition in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. This recognition is a result of their performance on the PSAT in October 2020. Please help me congratulate these young people: Daniel Cheng, Evan Clark, Elizabeth Cross, Eli Dougan, Ian Fletchall, Anusha Gampala, Viraj Lakhotia, Andrew Lin, Renee Liou, Hunter Long, Younggi Moon, Saisharan Narayan, Nihith Ravikanti, Aiyan Sanjanwala, Ethan Shah, Ryan Toon, Adarsh Veeerapaneni, Varsha Venkatesh, Max Xu and Julianne Zheng.
The BVNW Huskies Chess Team are the 2021 Team State Winners in the K-12 section. The team members include Alex Gibson (12) Caleb Johnson (12) Rahul Kumar (9), Rohan Kumar (10), Lucas Liang (12), Ankith Sheshappa (10) and Sameeth Sheshappa (9). In addition to the team state title, Ankith and Sameeth also took first and second place individually. Ankith will be the Kansas representative at the National High school championship tournament to be held in August.
Finally, congratulations to our We The People Team who competed at the national competition (virtually) last weekend. The team did an outstanding job of representing BVNW and the state of Kansas.
The DECA and FBLA State competitions have also happened and we have several state champions from that competition. Please help me congratulate the following students who earned a 1st place at the state competition: Lillian Li, Sneha Jacob, Vedha Penmetcha, Jack Nitz, Nick Wood, Katelyn Foster, Richa Laddha, Jessica Kim, Ethan Hunt, Tanay Dunthuluri, Tanuj Dunthuluri, Shreyas Krishnan, Daniel Cheng, and Sai Narayan.
Some of our students are still having trouble getting to school on time. Just a friendly reminder that school starts at 7:40 on odd days and at 8:25 on even days. These start times will remain the same for next school year so encourage your student to arrive to school on time!
Finally, we have quite a few students that have negative accounts on their lunch accounts. Please take a few minutes to check your student’s account and make sure that it’s not in the negative. All seniors must have cleared up any negative lunch account by Thursday, May 21st or a hold will be placed on their account. A hold on an account would mean that a student would not receive his/her diploma at graduation.
Have a great weekend!
Fondly,
Dr. Amy Pressly
Proud Principal
May in-person calendar
Upcoming Key Calendar events
- May 14 - Senior yearbook distribution
- May 18-28 - AP Exams
- May 18, 19, 20 - Senior final exams
- May 20 - Grades 9-11 yearbook distribution
- May 21 - Class Day/Senior Awards Ceremony - 8am
- May 22 - BVNW Graduation - 8:30pm SWIDAC (Rain date: 5/25, 5:30pm
- May 26, 27, 28 - Final exams (Grades 9-11)
- May 28 - Last day of school - 1/2 day (Grades K-11)
Full School and Sports Calendars
_____________________________________________________________
Contact school nurse to report student's COVID information
HOW TO CONTACT: You can email the nurse at rjimlay@bluevalleyk12.org or call the main number (913-239-3400) and select the option to speak to the nurse.
Yearbook distribution will be May 14 for seniors and May 19 for non-seniors
SENIORS: Yearbook distribution for seniors will be Friday, May 14 during Academic Support Time. Students who purchased a yearbook will be able to pick theirs up from a yearbook staff member that day. All seniors must have a photo ID in order to pick up their book. If a student did not purchase a book, they may purchase a book from Mr. McCrossen during the distribution time for $50 cash as long as there are any extras available. They will be first come, first served.
ALL OTHER STUDENTS: Yearbook distribution for non seniors will be Wednesday, May 19 during Academic Support Time. Students who purchased a yearbook will be able to pick theirs up from a yearbook staff member that day. All students must have a photo ID in order to pick up their book. If a student did not purchase a book, they may purchase a book from Mr. McCrossen during the distribution time for $50 cash as long as there are any extras available. They will be first come, first served.
No yearbooks will be distributed during class time. Students must take care of picking up their yearbook before or after school, if they don’t pick it up during regular distribution.
Riley Beach selected as KMBC Channel 9 Athlete of the Week
Congrats to Riley Beach a Senior on BVNW's Track team for being selected as the KMBC CHANNEL 9 Athlete of the Week. Channel 9 recognized her on the news on May 6. Watch here
In addition to the valuable leadership Riley provides her teammates; it is her commitment to training that has brought out several of the top performances in Kansas. She is currently undefeated this season in her races.
Riley's season PR's of 4:58 in the 1600 and 10:53 in the 3200 are the current best in KS. Her 800 performance of 2:18 is currently ranked 3rd in KS; 1st in 6A. Keep up the great work, Riley!
-BVNW Track and Field Coaches
Husky Headstart Math Workshop Aug. 10 - 11 - Register now
Math Workshops
August 10th – 11th
Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Precalculus & Calculus
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Geometry & Honors Geometry
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Blue Valley Northwest High School will offer a summer workshop in math focusing on reviewing pre-requisite skills for Algebra 1, Geometry, Honors Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus AB. Register now!
DECA Banquet is Tuesday, May 11 at 6:00 PM in the PAC
It is time to celebrate our DECA chapter! Join us while we highlight this year's successes, hand out State awards, recognize ICDC qualifiers, and announce our new BVNW DECA officers! All DECA students and 2 additional family members are invited.
Muse Magazine 2021 is out! Check out all the student talent BVNW has to offer!
Every year Muse members put together a new edition of Muse magazine, BVNW’s literary arts magazine, to hand out to all the students in April. Take a look through this digital version and appreciate the hard work of the contributors who submitted their work, as well as the staff who selected pieces to be published and put it together. If you haven’t gotten the hard copy of the magazine yet, get yours now before it runs out in Room 109! Check out the digital version of Muse Magazine now and see all the wonderful student talent BVNW has to offer!
Important update regarding Activity Participation Fee
Please check to make sure you have completed paying your student’s Activity Participation Fees (APF) for the 2020-21 school year. Remember, this is a fee charged at the time of registration to all students in grades 6-12 and goes toward the support of activities in middle and high schools. The Activity Participation Fee supports the existence of these programs and allows students the continued opportunity to receive the valuable experiences that these programs offer. The Activity Participation Fee includes all sports, activities, clubs and other supplemental contract items that support student activities.
Take a moment to log in to ParentVUE to confirm you have paid your child’s Activity Participation Fee.
Activity Programming Fee questions?
For information on the fee, including the purpose and use of funds, please see the Participation Fee section on the district’s website.
BVNW's graduation is Saturday, May 22, 8:30 pm at SWIDAC
Blue Valley will transition to outdoor graduations for the class of 2021. All graduations will be held at the district’s Switzer Activities Complex (SWIDAC), 135th & Switzer. The centrally-located complex is well situated to host large-scale events and athletic competitions.
Blue Valley Northwest 2021 graduation is:
Saturday, May 22
8:30 pm
(Rain date: Tuesday, May 25: 5:30 pm)
The district will live stream graduations to provide an alternate format for those who are not able to attend. It is our goal to honor and celebrate the Class of 2021 with as much normalcy as possible while still upholding health and safety guidelines. We will provide more detailed information, including any attendance guidelines, as we near graduation.
Dr. Pressly's recommended reading for parents
With some extra free time over the last few months, Dr. Pressly has been able to catch up on her reading pile. Each year she recommends some new titles to parents/guardians that give them ideas and suggestions regarding raising a teenager in today’s society. The following four books are worth a read if you are looking for some ideas.
Counseling News - May 7
New Teen Health Resource!
It is time to change the way we think about health. Your brain, body, and emotions all play a part in maintaining a healthy lifestyle! As a teen, it can be difficult to navigate certain aspects of health. This guide will give you the facts and provide you with easy steps you can take to live a healthy life physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Girls Sunflower State information
This year, American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Sunflower Girls State will be held virtually June 7-11, 2021. High School students having completed their junior or senior year are eligible and the registration deadline is May 15. Overland Park ALA Unit 370 would love to sponsor those who have an interest in attending ALA Sunflower Girls State. For additional information, contact Mr. Geiger in the counseling office or check out the website - http://www.ksgirlsstate.org/.
Parent & Student resources:
Check out a favorite BVNW counseling department resource for college admissions and many other teen topics!
AP EXAMS
AP exams will be administered May 18-28 following the College Board’s Administration 2 testing modes. All students registered for an AP exam received an email from Total Registration with more information and details. This information is also on BVNW Counseling Canvas course. Please contact Nancy Hadley with questions.
Previously taken AP test score access: here
COLLEGE PLANNING INFO
Juniors
In an effort to help you navigate your junior year, counselors have created a checklist for you to review. If you have additional questions after working through the listed items, contact your counselor.
Seniors
Scholarships – There are scholarships listed in your Naviance with March/April deadlines.
ACT/SAT
SAT vs. ACT Which should you take? Or Video
Parent Booster Club News - May 7
A message from your PBC President
Hello Husky Family!
STAFF APPRECIATION:
Thank you to Kim Grosdidier for all the great work that went into this year’s Teacher Appreciation week this spring. Thank you also to all the parents who signed up to help supply treats and goodies for the Staff during Load the Lounge.
During this challenging year – it was more important than ever to show our appreciation to our Teachers and Staff and with Kim’s vision and leadership along with the wonderful Parent volunteers of the BVNW community – we were able to provide:
- A Scooters Coffee Bar
- Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n Bake Pizzas
- Crumbl Cookies
- Treats and Snacks
Well done Kim!
JOIN THE BOARD:
Yes – I AM BEGGING! Please consider taking a co-chair role for the 2021-2022 school year. If you are interested in serving on the Parent Booster Club Board as an Executive or a Committee Chairperson, please email President Jeanna Repass at: bvnwboosterclub@gmail.com .
The PBC will have a number of roles that will be open after the 2021-2022 school year and our current volunteers would like to train the next set of volunteers. YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO DO IT ON YOUR OWN! The current Board will train you and walk with you through the year so that your transition will be smooth and seamless.
- President/Co-President: If you are a current Sophomore or Freshman Parent and would like to be the Co-President next year, you would train with Jeanna Repass for a full year before taking the reins. The Parent Booster Club is a GREAT organization that NEEDS YOU!!!
- Concessions: We will have a VP of Concessions and a Concessions Manager position open after next year. You can train for a year under our current volunteers for this important and FUN role on the PBC Board and for our School!
- Hospitality: You can train with our current Hospitality Chair who will graduate after next year. This is one of our best opportunities to show our Husky pride and spirit when we provide hospitality to guest officials, coaches, sponsors and judges who visit our school.
Other open positions:
- Husky Golf Tournament
- Homecoming Chair/Co-Chair
As always, I am humbled to serve, grateful for you all and honored to be the President of the Parent Booster Club here at Blue Valley Northwest!
Our challenges present opportunities and I know we are all up to meet the moment because we are #OneNW!
GO DAWGS!
Jeanna Repass
Proud PBC President
Stay up to date with official student media!
Blue Valley Northwest Information
Email: bvnw@bluevalleyk12.org
Website: http://www.bluevalleyk12.org/bvnw/
Location: 13260 Switzer Road, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: 913-239-3400
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bluevalleynorthwest
Twitter: @BVNW
BVNW Inclusion Statement:
Blue Valley Northwest values every individual and the diversity they bring to our community. Everyone shall be treated fairly in language and in action without regard to race, religion, national origin, financial status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. We, students, parents and staff will hold each other accountable to this mission.