OMS Friday Knight Live
December 2, 2022
In This Newsletter:
- Final Makeup/Retake Opportunity for Yearbook Pictures
- 8th grade HS enrollment night
- Communities that Care Survey- parent/guardian action needed
- OMS Spelling Bee
- 2nd Semester Schedule Change Requests
- Parents Make the Difference December newsletter
- 8th Grade Celebration- message from PTO
- Upcoming Dates
Final Makeup/Retake Opportunity for Yearbook Pictures
Students who have not had the opportunity to have their photo taken for the yearbook have one final opportunity. You MUST have a reservation!!
Saturday December 10. 2022
9:00am - 2:00pm
SCH Photo
6224 Merriam Drive
Merriam KS 66203
This session is for:
• Students who were NOT yet photographed this school year.
• Retakes of any students needed.
• Any students who want to be photographed and place an order.
You may also have your pictures retaken. To be retaken, please fill out the retake form on the back side of your picture envelope and return your portrait package to the photographer on Makeup/Retake day.
Click HERE to make your photo makeup/retake reservation with SCH.
8th Grade Families: Mark Your Calendars
Communities That Care Survey- Action Step: Parent/Guardian Permission Needed
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.
OMS Spelling Bee Info
Registration is open for the OMS Spelling Bee. This is a student-only event held during school on Tuesday, December 13th @ 2:00 PM.
If your student is interested in participating in this year’s spelling bee, click HERE for additional registration information and directions.
Registration ends Friday, December 9th.
2nd Semester Schedule Change Requests
Schedule change requests for 2nd Semester (including 3rd and 4th quarter) are available to download today.
Forms will be accepted Monday December 5th - Friday December 9th by 3:00pm
Forms must be signed by parent/guardian
Requests may only be made for elective classes
Paper forms should be turned in to the Counseling Office OR emailed to bdcastle@bluevalleyk12.org
Please do not call regarding schedule requests; the request form must be filled out
Filling out a form does not guarantee a class change. Students will be notified of approved schedule changes. All forms must be turned in by 3:00pm on Friday December 9!
Click HERE for 2022-2023 2nd Semester Class Change Request Form
Parents Still Matter – December 2022 Newsletter
This great newsletter has many articles tailored for middle school families. Topics this month include sleep, school attendance, knowledge retention, reading for fun, after school time, and so much more!
Click HERE for the December 2022 newsletter
8th Grade Families- 8th grade celebration
Hello 8th grade families. It is time to start planning for the end of the year 8th grade celebration! This fun event involves a ceremony in the OMS gym, refreshments and an 8th grade only field trip.
In order to make this event memorable we need a committee. If you would like to help plan this fun 8th grade tradition, please click this link 8th Grade Celebration Committee
If you have any questions, please email us at oxfordmspto@gmail.com
Thank you,
Oxford PTO
Upcoming Dates @ OMS
December 20- End of First Semester; 10:50 a.m. dismissal
December 21-January 3- Winter Break!
January 4- 2nd semester begins
Helpful Repeated Information
* 22-23 Yearbook Information * MAKE SURE TO ORDER NOW
Please purchase your 22-23 yearbook as you pay fees for the coming school year. Yearbooks MUST be ordered in advance and extra copies are not available at the end of the year. Families may purchase yearbooks by logging into ParentVue and going to the Fee page. The yearbook will be listed under “Optional Fees” and will show as “YRBOOK Yearbook 22-23 OMS”. Yearbook orders will close in January 2023 and additional orders will not be taken. Please avoid end of the year tears and confusion and order today.
If you have multiple children at Oxford and are ordering a yearbook for each of them, please purchase one yearbook separately in each student's account (not 2 yearbooks in one student's account). Yearbooks are passed out on the last day of school in class and if a sibling has one child's yearbook it cannot be signed by friends.
Student text “Come Get Me”?
Parents and guardians, we need your help. If your student texts or calls you from their cell phone saying they don’t feel well and want you to pick them up — please tell them to go to the nurse’s office. The school tracks contagious illnesses, number of students out due to illness, and Nurse Piper watches for illness trends. Your student should only be calling you from the nurse’s office if they are going home ill.
Families, it is flu and cold season. Please keep your students home if they have (or in the past 24 hours have had) a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Holiday Resources
Social Worker Resource: Johnson County Christmas Bureau
The Holiday Shop will be available for Families December 2 - December 10. You must be a resident of Johnson County. Please see details and the application link below.
Click HERE for the flier and application link
OMS Traffic Line
Please follow the OMS traffic loop entering through the south entrance, going all the way through the loop and exiting through the south entrance. There are no left turns when the light is flashing. Cars must pull all the way down the line and students must exit on the building side of the car. Cars may not drop students off on Switzer or before they are on the building side of the line.
Thank you for your help in ensuring safety for all students and staff in our parking lot!
Safe Schools Reporting
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
Student Picture Gallery
The OMS website has a Student Picture Gallery showing everyday classroom activities, science labs, activities, clubs, athletics, and special events. Want to see the Pre-Engineering egg drop? 6th grade science project? Sept 22 Cross Country Meet?
Click HERE for the Student Picture Gallery and feel free to download your favorite shots!
Clubs and Activities
We have had requests for a listing of clubs and activities by day. We have had new clubs start (Welcome Anime Club!!) and several change days and times (Check Photography Club and Show Choir).
Click HERE for 1st Semester Club and Activity List by Day and Week
ASK Locations and Day Update
Our Academically Successful Knights (ASK) program is up and running for first semester! Students may come for homework help or a quiet place to work on assignments and projects. See the updated days and locations for ASK 1st semester.
Candid Photos for Yearbook and Website
OMS families we would love to have some candid photos of your student at games, meets, practices, etc..
Photos must be .jpg, .jpeg, or.png for inclusion on the website, the parent newsletter, and the yearbook.
Photos must be in focus
Please do not send multiple photos of the same pose, group, or action – we love variety!
Thank you for uploading photos directly to the yearbook google drive! Click HERE for the 22 23 Yearbook Photo Link
Securly at Home
Your child’s online safety, in the palm of your hand. The time to take action is now. We recognize that student safety and well-being in the online world is a shared responsibility between our schools and families, and with Securly - the district’s cloud-based filtering system - taking an active role in your child’s online safety has never been easier.
Click HERE to access the Securly Parent Toolkit to setup your parent portal and custom notifications.
OMS Building and Office Hours
Doors open in the morning for students at 7:15am – students will be waiting outside until the doors open. Students are to proceed to the Commons/Gym and they may not go to lockers or to classrooms. Students must be in their seats in their 1st period classroom by 7:51am. When the afternoon bell rings at 3:00pm students must leave the building unless they are at a supervised after school activity or practice. Office hours are 7:15am - 3:30pm.
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.
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