North Notes
Blue Valley North's Parent Newsletter - February 24, 2023
In this Newsletter …
- ACT Testing Day for Juniors ~ 2/28
- Sweetheart Spirit Week Info
- Boys Swim & Dive--STATE CHAMPS!
- Kudos and Celebrations
- CPR Bystander Training
- Bell Schedules
- Mark Your Calendar
- BVSD Blood Drive ~ March 5
Counseling Updates
Summer Programs
Senior Info ~ Class of 2023
Student Announcements
Athletic Announcements
Nurse Survey 2023
Medical Messages
Battle of the Bands ~ 2/25
Parent Announcements
Winter Activity Guide
Durham Bus Information
ACT Testing Day for Juniors --- Tuesday, February 28, 2023 No School for 9th, 10th and 12th graders
We are excited to share that the Kansas State Department of Education is once again paying for a full ACT for all 11th-grade students.
This year’s exam is on Tuesday, February 28. This is an opt-out testing event, meaning that unless you tell us otherwise, we will plan on testing your student on this day. All students test at their home school, and Blue Valley Academy students test at BVA.
Juniors will start school at 7:40 a.m. on February 28th, and will be dismissed after testing (roughly until 11:30 or Noon).
Please note that freshmen, sophomores, and seniors will not attend school on February 28th.
If you wish to opt your student out of the February 28th ACT, please contact Assistant Principal, Cory Cox, at ccox@bluevalleyk12.org. Mr. Cox can also answer questions you might have.
Sweetheart Basketball Game & Dance--February 24-25
Dance Ticket Sales
Dance tickets were sold during lunch this week but you can still purchase tickets with a credit card by clicking here . You can also bring cash or a check to purchase a ticket at the door. Tickets are $10 per person.
Sweetheart Basketball and Senior Nights -- BVN vs. BVSW
Tonight, the Girls' Basketball Team seniors will be honored before the girls’ game (game starts at approximately 5:30 p.m.) Our Cheer and Dance Team seniors will be recognized at halftime of the girls’ game. The Boys' Basketball Team seniors will be honored after the girls’ game and before their warmups (game starts at approximately 7:00 p.m.). Sweetheart honorees will be introduced during halftime of the boys’ game. Note that we will extend half time during each of the varsity games to honor our students.
Dance Details -February 25, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
The 2023 Sweetheart Dance will be in the BVN Commons from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Come out and enjoy a fun night of music and socializing.
Mustangs Swim and Dive Team are 6A State Champs! (new)
The team had a great come-from-behind victory to win the title, the first time to bring the first place trophy home since 2014!
Kudos and Celebrations (new)
Cheer Team
This past weekend the BVN Cheer Team traveled to Orlando, Florida, to compete in the UCA National High School Cheerleading Competition! They placed 14th out of 32 teams in their division! The girls had a great weekend and worked hard all year for this moment. Let's give a huge congratulations to these hardworking team on their outstanding performance!
Sydney Adams ~ Sydney Anderson ~ Lauren Austin
Josie Benskin ~ Abby Bleish ~ Stella Bliss
Betsy Bogdan ~ Rachel Braun ~ Gwen Chiaverini
Campbell Claflin ~ Chloe Costa ~ Kelli Gilgus
Sydney Glenn ~ Ella Herrold
Sophia Hernandez ~ Tilly Hopkins
Abby Jehlik ~ Rylee Madden ~ Marybeth Mathews
Kate Miller ~ Arielle Morgan
Kate Shisler ~ Sami Spiecker ~ Kayla Suazo
McKinley Van Slyke ~ Alyvia Whigham ~ Bethany Wilkie
Wrestling Team
Congratulations to the following wrestlers that qualified to the State Wrestling Tournament: Joel Vazquez, Wesley Dubreuil and Anthony Andrews.
The Bowling Team is headed to State and BVN has 2 State Bowling Qualifiers! Anass Alshobaki and Eli Nathan will be going to Wichita on March 3rd. There was some tough competition to qualify. The top 3 teams go to State. BVN was 6th of 12 teams. In addition, the top 6 boys not on qualifying teams go as individuals. The girls also did very well and their team was 6th of 12. Karmen Haylsett was VERY close making it to State and we are hoping she will qualify next year. All of the Blue Valley Schools were well represented.
Piano Musicians
Congratulations to BVN Piano Performers Emerson Harse, Karmen Hayslett, and Anjali Kambhampati! They performed at the KSHSAA State Piano Festival this past Saturday, and all three earned the highest rating of “1” for an Outstanding Performance. This is an incredible musical accomplishment – congrats Emerson, Karmen, and Anjali!!
BVN All-State Musicians
HUGE Congratulations to BVN’s INCREDIBLE 30 all state musicians! Earning All-State in music is the highest individual honor given to student musicians, equivalent to all-state in any sport. BVN’s 30 all-staters is a remarkable feat – one of the strongest showings in our Mustang History!!! Congratulations to:
All-State Choir Members:
Katie Beck
Eva Girard
Maggie Ruckman
Joslyn Selser
Noah Tarjan
Riley McConnell & Tess Moeller, alternates
All-State Orchestra Members:
Aaron Tseng
Adele Van Lieshout
Kayoko Thornton
Michelle Shin
William Suh
Benjamin Ding
Charles Peck
Ethan Franz
Etina Roelofs
Gabriel Decker
Hannah Kim
Isabella Glasow
Jameson Sayers
Johnathan Subramanian
Joshua Shin
Katelyn Page
All-State Band Members:
Devereaux Knight
Miles Kim
Nolan Call
Eddie Mu
Zengtao Xing
Max Zhang
Oliver Zhang
These all-staters travel to the state music convention this week to perform with their respective all-state groups. Wish them luck, and, again – congrats BVN musicians!!
Student-Athlete Signing Day on February 1
We honored many BVN student athletes at a ceremony on February 1, for taking their athletics and academics to the college level. Let's give a huge round of applause to the following students!CJ Smith will be playing tennis at Drake University. CJ is ranked top 130 in the nation and ranked 7th in Missouri Valley (5 states). He has played in the highest level junior USTA tournaments in Michigan and Florida and he has placed 2nd at high school state. Cj has received the Missouri valley Sportsmanship award and is the captain of our high school tennis team. He has participated in NHS and has been on the honor roll.
Merritt Gregory will be playing soccer at Truman State University. Merritt has received two scholastic honorable mentions for art, and 5 BVN art show awards including one “best in show” award. He has competed in the state track meeting and finished his high school soccer career with 8 goals.
Trenton Sandler will be participating in Track and Field at Louisiana State University. Trenton has been a three time all-state runner, two time national qualifier and he is looking to break multiple school records this spring. His goal is to find himself a spot on the Kansas top 10 all time list.
Blake Garrett will be playing baseball at Pittsburg State University. Blake has been a member of the National Honor Society and was a part of the 2020-2021 Basketball State Championship Team. He has been a two time varsity letter winner in basketball and baseball.
Jaxon Goldberg will be playing baseball at the University of Central Florida. Goldberg has been named all state football and a two time all EKL honorable mention for both baseball and basketball. He has been a four year letter winner for football, basketball, and baseball.
Adam Parks will be playing football at New Mexico State. He was named first team all EKL, first team all state, and was a finalist for defensive player of the year.
Alonzo Morgan will be playing football at the University of Northern Iowa. Alonzo lettered as a sophomore for football and track. He has been a two time all-state athletic in track and was awarded 2nd team all EKL in football. His junior year he received all state DB honors.
Anthony Andrews will be playing football at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Anthony has had many accomplishments on and off the field, the most important being his ability to keep it “real” all four years of high school.
Julius Jenkins will be playing football at Cornell College. He has had many accomplishments on and off the field including 34 solo tackles and 20 tackles for loss.
Noah Barber will be playing football at the University of Kansas. Noah has been a 3 year varsity starter for baseball and earned a starting spot on the football team his first year playing.
Blue Valley North Bell Schedules
Mark Your Calendar
Upcoming All School Events
All BVN events, activities, sporting events and additional calendar adjustments are found on the EKL calendar: www.easternkansasleague.org .
Click here for the 2022-23 Blue Valley School District Calendar.
February 24 - Schedule Change Friday/Odd Day with an Assembly
February 25 - Sweetheart Dance
February 27 - Schedule Change Monday/Traditional Day
February 28 - Tuesday: ACT Testing Day for Juniors only/No School 9th, 10th, 12th
March 1 - Odd Day
March 2 - Even Day
March 3 - Traditional Day
Blue Valley School District Blood Drive - March 5 (new)
Blue Valley School District is hosting a community wide Blood Drive on Sunday March 5 from 10:00-3:00. If you are eligible, please sign up to donate using the link below. All students 16 years and older are also able to donate and permission slip is below, encourage your student to give the gift of life.
Direct link to appointment schedule: https://donate.savealifenow.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/79813
Here is the digital version of the parent/guardian permission form for 16 year old’s. As a reminder, it will need to be printed out and in hand at the time of donation: https://www.savealifenow.org/donate-blood/high-school-programs/
Volunteer sign up for all schools:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GgdvvcenGbyZSpfbSPoOzFQpgWxFr7gbENNlp3qpHOI/edit?usp=sharing
Counseling, Academics & Testing
- Late AP exam registration and AP exam registration for 2nd semester courses is open until March 1st. More information can be found here - https://bvusd.instructure.com/courses/76177/pages/ap-testing
- Enrollment for the 2023-24 school year is wrapping up. Counselors have met with each student to go over their enrollment choices, and their enrollment form is viewable on Parentvue and Studentvue under Course Request. Clarification on the district’s new schedule change policy: Students who receive courses on their schedule that were listed as a primary or alternate choice on their enrollment form will not be allowed to request a change. Level changes and drops to a study hall will be allowed. Please contact your counselor with any changes to enrollment choices by February 24, 2023.
- Test scores from the October testing day were distributed during lunch before winter break. Those who didn’t pick up received their scores in advisory within the last few weeks. In addition, any student who also wants their test booklet may pick it up in Student Services before the end of the school year in May.
- Seniors needing mid-year transcripts for their colleges: pick up request form in Student Services
- Seniors should be sure to check regularly for new scholarships on Naviance -> College tab -> Scholarship Search.
- Senior college and career planning information - Counseling Canvas page/Senior College Planning
- Junior college and career planning information - Counseling Canvas Page/Junior College and Career Planning.
- Sophomore recommended Naviance tasks - https://bvusd.instructure.com/courses/76177/pages/naviance-10th-grade
- Freshmen 4 year academic plan information - Freshmen Four Year Academic Planning
- Check out School year and Summer Opportunities - Opportunities
- Visit the Counseling Virtual Calming Room
- Visit the Counseling Home Page to find additional resources or contact information for Counselors and other Student Services staff.
BVN Updated Schedule Repair Process -- 2023-2024
As you know, student course selection/enrollment for next school year is occurring at BVN, and we wanted to share a significant change with you for next year as a result of new district guidelines. We are sharing this with you now so that students prioritize the enrollment process they are going through, and carefully select their courses and alternates for the next school year.
Beginning in August for the 23-24 academic school year, per new district guidelines, Blue Valley North students will be able to make schedule “repairs” during the first three days of the Fall Semester if they meet the following conditions:
- The student completed a full schedule of course requests along with four alternates AND
- The student was placed into a class not listed on their original enrollment sheet
If the student's circumstance meets the above criteria, the student should reach out to their counselor during the scheduled repair window at the beginning of the semester.
Why change?
- We understand this is a shift from previous “schedule change” practices. However, the stability of the first week of school is essential to student success throughout the semester.
- The first phase of this transition began in December when the schedule change window was limited to 3 days before the semester started. This shift was overwhelmingly successful and allowed teachers and students to concentrate on learning on the first school day of the semester on January 4th. Counselors could also work with students on new enrollments and other student needs.
- Additionally, each school’s Master Schedule is built upon the numbers generated during our spring enrollment period. When significant changes are made in August, classes can become imbalanced, which may result in larger class sizes for your student.
Our continued commitment…
Each high school faculty has heavily invested in the enrollment process, ensuring that our students make informed decisions about their 23-24 schedule. Counselors will meet with all students to check that the classes they selected satisfy the student’s graduation credits and fall in line with their post-secondary college and career goals.
Enrollment for virtual summer courses opens Monday, March 20, 2023
Enrollment for Blue Valley Summer Programs opens March 20 and closes 4 p.m. April 3. These programs include virtual courses for credit, such as Business Essentials or Physical Education. Additional information about Summer Programs can be found at www.bluevalleyk12.org/summerprograms.
Seniors--Info for Class of 2023
Put Saturday, May 20 on your calendars! Graduation for the Class of 2023 will be held at 5:00 p.m. at the District Activity Center (DAC) at 135th & Switzer.
Parents should also plan to attend Class Day at BVN
on Friday, May 19, time TBA.
Senior Class Picture was taken on January 24--here is the link to purchase the photo print. Deadline to order is March 12, 2023.
- If you have not done so already, please order your Cap & Gown and any other graduation supplies you need as soon as possible. Seniors can check the list posted at Mrs. Miller's desk to confirm if they have or have not ordered. If not ordered yet, just go to www.Jostens.com or ORDER HERE! If your student knows they are not planning to participate in the ceremonies, there is no need to purchase the cap & gown--please have your student notify lkmiller@bluevalleyk12.org .
- Our diplomas have been ordered so that we have them in time for May graduation. If you did not complete the diploma form prior to our order, we used the name as written in ParentVue/StudentVue, confirmed by birth certificate on file.
- If you have not done so already, please click on the link and complete the Senior Transcript Form as soon as possible. This form authorizes the release of senior transcripts for college applications. Click here: Diploma/Transcript Authorization.
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For the most up-to-date info,
please bookmark our SENIOR INFO page!
Questions? email Mrs. Miller at lkmiller@bluevalleyk12.org
Student Announcements
CAPS Open House (new)
Curious about CAPS? Unsure what programs are offered and how they might support your long-term career plans? Wondering how you can fit CAPS into an already packed 4-year plan? Those questions and more can be answered during the CAPS OPEN HOUSE on Tuesday, February 28th from 12:00 - 2:30 p.m. This event is open to ALL high school students and parents. You can tour the building and meet with instructors and administrators who can help you plan your CAPS experience.
Cheer Team Try-outs
Interested in being part of the 23-24 BVN Cheer Team?! Mark your calendars: Tuesday, March 21st at 6:00pm for the Cheer Tryout Informational Meeting in the BVN Library. Please fill out this Google Form (https://forms.gle/AijVPoF8MFVpTdfo7) in order to receive updates. Questions? Please email Coach Shoemaker at pashoemaker@bluevalleyk12.org !
FCA Meetings
FCA meets on Wednesday mornings from 7:00 - 7:30 a.m. in the Little Theatre. Come for fellowship and fun! If you have questions, please email BVN teacher, Jason Jones at JJones05@bluevalleyk12.org .
Athletic Announcements
Spring Sports begin on February 27 - complete online paperwork/physical now!
Is your student participating in a spring sport: Baseball, Boys' Golf, Boys' Tennis, Girls' Soccer, Girls' Swimming and Diving, Softball or Track and Field? If yes, your student must have an athletic packet submitted before the student is authorized to participate in practice or tryouts. Athletic Participation Forms are all in an online format including a new physical completed, signed and dated May 1, 2022 or after, by a physician. Please get this completed now, as the deadline is Friday, February 24 by 3:00 p.m. If your student has been in another KSHSAA sport this school year, and already has their athletic paperwork on file, your student athlete is ready to participate. The online paperwork can be accessed directly through this link: https://bvnathletics.com/2022/06/30/new-online-physical-and-paperwork/ .
BVN Athletics' Questions?
Please contact Stevie Gibson, BVN Athletics Administrative Assistant, at (913) 239-3011 or SGibson@abluevalleykk12.org .
BVN Nurse Survey - deadline is February 24
Medical Messages
Need to speak with the nurse?
If you need to speak with BVN Nurse Amanda, please e-mail her at ajcollichio@bluevalleyk12.org to set up an appointment.
Disease and Symptom Exclusion Recommendations/Regulations 2023
Parents it is that time of year when Flu, COVID & stomach bugs pop up. To keep our school healthy, if your student is not feeling well and has symptoms of illness, it may be wise to keep them home and be sure they are not sick with flu or COVID.
If your student has a fever with or without symptoms, they must be fever free for 24 hours without the aid of medication (Blue Valley nursing standard is fever =100 °F or above.)
If your student has diarrhea/vomiting/rash they must be symptom-free for 24 hours without the aid of medication.
Thank you so much for keeping your student and our school healthy.
Need to update your student’s immunization records?
Please E-mail any updates to your student’s immunization record to Nurse Collichio at ajcollichio@bluevalleyk12.org, Thank you.
Did your student forget to take a daily morning medication before leaving for school?
If your student ever forgets to take a daily morning medication before coming to school, the parent may bring the medication to the school’s front office and the parent may dispense and give the student the medication. If the nurse is to give the medication it must be in the original prescription pill bottle accompanied by the signed physician’s medical order (https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/cms/lib/ks02212623/Centricity/Domain/4486/Medication-Authorization.pdf ).
Has your student been injured or had a concussion?
Send your medical orders or documentation to ajcollichio@bluevalleyk12.org and the nurse will communicate this with your student’s educational team.
BVN Nurse Page
For more information about the BVN Clinic, please visit the Nurse Page by clicking on this link: https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/domain/5461
Parent Announcements
You Are Invited to Battle of the Bands - February 25!
Battle of the Bands tickets are ON SALE NOW! Don't miss the best over-21 night of the year with live music, auction items, light appetizers, bourbon/wine pull, and MORE. This annual event supports music initiatives in our schools and will sell out FAST so grab your friends and family and get your tix today! Click here to get your tickets today!
Student Support After School Program
Officer Tony Latas, BVN Student Resource Officer, and Sean Birdsong, BVN Student Support Liaison, are running a Student Support After School program. This program is Monday and Wednesday, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. in room 602. This time is for students who are routinely waiting a few hours for rides after school, having any failing grades, and/or missing assignments that need to be completed.
This is also a good opportunity for students needing community service hours. If your student is interested in volunteering or you have questions, have your student see Officer Latas, Mr. Birdsong or any BVN Administrator. Thank you!
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.
ParentVUE URL updated -- Action Needed
Over the summer the URL for ParentVUE changed. Click here for the new URL: ParentVUE
Parents will need to have the new URL or they won’t be able to login to ParentVUE or request a password reset. The Blue Valley School District website and the BVN website have both been updated with the new URL so the parents can access the link from Parent>ParentVUE.
In addition, this also impacts the ParentVUE app. Parents will need to update their device to the correct link.
Student Digital ID Cards
Students have a digital student ID card on their phones. If you paid for a Student Activity Pass, it should say that on the ID and students will show this to get into games. They can save their ID on their home page on an iPhone, or it can be saved as a favorite page on an android phone. If students were absent on Picture Day or if they have any trouble loading the ID, they can come to Student Services for help.
Family Activity Passes
All Family Activity Passes and Adult Individual Passes have been distributed. If you purchase a pass after September 13, you need to contact Lori Freeman, BVN Bookkeeper, to obtain your cards.
Are you moving? Have you moved?
Please contact the BVN Registrar, Suzy Doherty, by email at sdoherty@bluevalleyk12.org .
Check out the Winter Activity Guide
Click HERE. This is a great way to see photos of the athletic teams & performing arts students, find out more about their coaches and directors, and read a greeting from the BVN Principal & the Mustang Club Presidents.
Additionally, please take note of the advertisements from our corporate partners and give them your business whenever possible. We thank them for their support of the Mustang Club and our Blue Valley North students.
Durham Bus Riders
Durham will continue to transport our bus riders in the 2022-23 school year. If you have questions, please call Durham at 913-681-2492 or contact them via email at admin6700@durhamschoolservices.com.
We are Mustang Proud!
North Notes is a newsletter for the parents and students of Blue Valley North High School. If you have questions, please contact Janet Roush, Assistant to the Principal, at JRoush@bluevalleyk12.org .
Office Hours are Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The office will be closed on Friday, February 17, due to evening conferences, and Monday, February 20, for the Presidents' Day Holiday.
Blue Valley North High School
BVN Twitter:
@MustangsBvn
@BVNOstroski
@TheKurle
@BVNCounseling
@MustangsOfBVN
@bvnnews
@BVNMustangsPBC
BVN Instagram:
@bvnmustangs
Email: Jroush@bluevalleyk12.org
Website: www.bluevalleyk12.org/BVN/
Location: 12200 Lamar Avenue, Overland Park, KS, 66209
Phone: (913) 239-3000
Facebook: facebook.com/BVNMustangs/
Twitter: @bvnnews