Blue Valley USD 384

Message from the Superintendent 8-10-21 It was a great week in Blue Valley. Teaching and learning are going strong. Athletics/Activities have started. With all that we have going on with COVID, there are times when I celebrate the success of having a team on the court and/or field when other schools don't. During this challenging time, we are teaching the students to be RESILIENT, to bounce back no matter what challenges life throws at you. We are teaching them to be ACCOUNTABLE. To be responsible in all their actions. We are teaching our students to be MOTIVATED. To not let things stand in their way and to reach for what they want. We are teaching our students to be SUCCESSFUL. To find the good in every situation, to follow rules and respect others. We are teaching our students to be RAMS We are all doing the best we can with what we are navigating through. Everyone has their own struggles that we may not know about. Remember to have grace and flexibility. We are all in this together doing what's best for kids! It's a great day to be a RAM!! #RAMFAM

6th Graders are working together to find the GCF.

In person FCCLA Take aim conference so excited to be able to attend in person. The ladies are going to be fun to watch over the next 24 hours

Working her sewing portfolio, which starts with a skirt.

Students working on their college class medical terminology.

Consumer and personal finance class looking at different types of budget and what information one needs to know.

Today in Food Science an experiment. This is the first time in a while that we have offered a Food Science great opportunity to see what a career in Food Science would be like.

MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT 8-27-21 Good afternoon, Last evening, I was notified that a student at BVHS tested positive for COVID. The student is now quarantined at home and following protocols from the health department. The areas where the student has been have been cleaned and sanitized by our custodial staff. The Riley County Health Department was notified for guidance. We have been notifying parents if their student was a direct contact and needs to quarantine. When they come home, please monitor your students for symptoms and if they experience any, notify your doctor and get a test and let us know. Here is a list of the most common symptoms: Fever (100.4 or higher) Chills Muscle aches Fatigue Headache Sore throat Difficulty breathing Loss of taste or smell IF YOUR STUDENT HAS BEEN FULLY VACCINATED AND YOU ARE ASKED TO QUARANTINE, please provide a copy of the vaccination record to school and your student will be allowed to stay in school and wear a mask during the quarantine period or until symptoms present. If you are unable to show us the document the student will have to quarantine per the RCHD. You may also contact your healthcare provider where they received the vaccination and get a duplicate. If you have symptoms or get tested, please contact District Office 785-293-5356 and let us know immediately.

5th graders learning about the Branches of Government.

5th graders learning about the Branches of Government.

5th graders learning about the Branches of Government.

Message from the Superintendent 8-23-21 Hello Blue Valley Families, After having a conversation with our school nurse today, we felt it might be a good time to remind everyone about our mask recommendations and the benefit of wearing a mask at school. Again, these are currently recommendations and not required. The guidance we are sharing is intended to keep kids in school and keep them safe while here. We are doing our best to maintain 6 feet of social distance but that isn't always possible. With that in mind, if we are notified of a positive case, we use this guidance from RCHD to ensure safety. If a person is WITHIN 3 FEET FOR LONGER than 10 MINUTES, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE WEARING A MASK OR NOT, THEY ARE CONSIDERED A CLOSE CONTACT. They will be sent home to quarantine. Teachers are doing a great job of keeping small groups under 10 minutes to avoid possible exposure. If the student is WITHIN 3-6 FEET BUT WEARING A MASK, THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED A CLOSE CONTACT, BUT ALLOWED TO ATTEND CLASSES IF THEY ARE MONITORED DAILY FOR SYMPTOMS. If they become symptomatic they will be required to quarantine at home, and should get tested. If a person is WITHIN 6 FEET FOR LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES AND NOT WEARING A MASK, THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED A CLOSE CONTACT and have to quarantine. If a person is WITHIN 6 FEET FOR LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES AND WEARING A MASK, THEY ARE NOT CONSIDERED A CLOSE CONTACT and can stay in school. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call the school nurse, Emily Cassel at 785-293-5256.

Message from the Superintendent 8-23-2021 Good Morning, You are receiving this because we were notified that a student at BVMS was a direct contact of a person who tested positive for COVID. The student is now quarantined at home and following protocols from the health department. The areas where the student has been have been cleaned and sanitized by our custodial staff. The Riley County Health Department was notified for guidance. They advised that the students at school today are contacts of a contact and that we can proceed as normal and should monitor them for symptoms. When they come home, please monitor your students for symptoms and if they experience any, notify your doctor and get a test and let us know. If they get tested, they can’t return to school until you receive the results from your doctor. Contact your building office/administrator to get the student set up on remote learning for the time they are at home. Here is a list of the most common symptoms: Fever (100.4 or higher, Chills, Muscle aches, Fatigue, Headache, Sore throat, Difficulty breathing, Loss of taste or smell. If you have symptoms or get tested, please contact District Office 785-293-5356 and let us know immediately.

RAM Weekly Update - Community Edition - 8-20-21 This a way for me to share new information and/or update information that was shared previously. I am trying something new and will see how it goes. Happy Friday!!! #RAMFAM https://docs.google.com/document/d/13OnKHsLxn-l6_79rovBTyjfQA1UI7VgBEMVsmUkvNxA/edit?usp=sharing

Message from the Superintendent 8-19-2021. Good afternoon, You are receiving this because we were notified today that a student at the Blue Valley Preschool in the afternoon class was a direct contact of a positive COVID case on or before Wednesday 8-18-2021. The student is now quarantined at home and following those protocols from the health department. The areas where the student has been have been cleaned and sanitized by our custodial staff. The Riley County Health Department was notified for guidance. They advised that the students at school yesterday are contacts of a close contact and that we can proceed with school as normal. When students come home, please monitor your student(s) for symptoms and if they experience any, notify your doctor and get a test. It continues to be recommended that everyone wear a mask for personal protection. If they get tested, they can’t return to school until you receive the results from your doctor. Contact your building office/administrator to get the student set up on remote learning for the time they are at home. Here is a list of the most common symptoms: Fever (100.4 or higher), Chills, Muscle aches, Fatigue, Headache, Sore throat, Difficulty breathing, Loss of taste or smell If you have symptoms or get tested, please contact District Office 785-293-5356 and let us know immediately.

Important Updates 8-16-21. Hi RAMFAM! It was brought to my attention that the morning shuttle bus from McCormick to BVHS needs to be changed. Initially, we thought the 7:45 shuttle bus pick up for BVHS, BVMS and our 4 Preschool students would be adequate travel time. It was not. In order to get students to BVHS, BVMS and the Preschool on time the shuttle bus will be leaving at 7:40 starting Wednesday the 18th. Please have your BVHS, BVMS, and the 4 Preschool students at McCormick Elementary to catch the shuttle bus no later than 7:40am. Additionally, there are a few items that we feel needed to explain better. I have added links to this notification that should help clarify the BV Remote Learning guidelines for quarantined students and the updated Bus Sanitizing Procedures. Remote Learning Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CaxOMl8396Jw-WLpf9Hyc2lAfzFX6sU1OeaOBgVpIss/edit?usp=sharing Bus Sanitizing Procedures Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14ogOA6ImTyXgJqyLwuvgMAcLJWgloLZ6-pJkoN-LBGM/edit?usp=sharing Please let us know if how we can help you as we continue move forward. It is a great day to be a RAM!!! # BVSTRONG

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT. 8-16-2021 Good afternoon, You are receiving this because we were notified that a student at BVMS was a direct contact of an adult family member who tested positive for COVID on Monday 8-16-2020. The student is now quarantined at home and following those protocols from the health department. The areas where the student has been have been cleaned and sanitized by our custodial staff. The Riley County Health Department was notified for guidance. They advised that the students at school today are contacts of a close contact and that we can proceed with school as normal. When they come home, please monitor your students for symptoms and if they experience any, notify your doctor and get a test. It continues to be recommended that everyone wear a mask for personal protection. If they get tested, they can’t return to school until you receive the results from your doctor. Contact your building office/administrator to get the student set up on remote learning for the time they are at home. Here is a list of the most common symptoms: Fever (100.4 or higher), Chills, Muscle aches, Fatigue, Headache, Sore throat, Difficulty breathing, Loss of taste or smell If you have symptoms or get tested, please contact District Office 785-293-5356 and let us know immediately.

August 11th, 2021 Good morning Blue Valley Families, We have been diligently working to solve the District transportation problems. As you may know we are short route drivers and sub drivers. What you may not know is we have more students this year that we are working to transport to and from school. We have reworked routes to make sure students are being picked up and dropped off in a timely manner. We have routes that are close to an hour long. Additionally, the route that doesn't have a driver, we are piecemealing together with other staff who are willing to help. This is not a long term solution. As you know in a small district, every person does many jobs that are outside of the job that they were hired to do. We are stretched thin and have nobody left to ask for help, so I am asking for your help. Our enrollment is up this year and our buses are fuller than in previous years. With COVID we are limited to the number of students we can have on our buses with 2 per seat guidance that is the same as last year. All people riding the school bus for any activity must wear a mask because of the federal regulations for public transportation. In previous years, we were able to transport kindergarten students only, who lived inside city limits and the 2.5 mile transportation radius. The 2.5 mile transportation radius is the State regulation that tells us to pick up kids living outside of 2.5 miles away from the school. Those living inside the radius are not required to be picked up. Being a small district has its advantages and where we can accommodate some things we will, until we are not able to anymore. Last year, we were not able to transport Kindergarten students because of COVID restrictions. Under our current guidance, we are able to again accommodate only Kindergarten students who live inside city limits and the 2.5 mile transportation radius. This will not interfere with our preschool route. If our guidelines change at the state and/or federal level, we will change direction and do what must be done. The bottom line is, we need bus drivers, desperately. This problem is not unique to Blue Valley, as every district in our area and across Kansas have the same problem, not enough people to do all the jobs necessary to operate schools effectively. Everyone needs to know that our situation becomes more desperate if a driver becomes ill. We don't have subs to cover any bus route. This means, we may not be able to pick up and drop off your students until the route driver returns, leaving you to bring your child to and from school. We don't want that to happen. We have been seeking individuals to come work for us so we can operate at full capacity. We need individuals to drive routes for approximately 2 hours in the morning for pickup and 2 hours in the afternoon for drop off. We will pay for your training requirements including DOT physical, Drivers training and CDL license. We offer a starting monthly salary of $935, negotiable with drivers experience and proper CDL license and KPERS retirement. We also offer a single paid BCBS health insurance plan for drivers. We need SUB drivers to cover routes as needed and possible after school activities. Sub pay starts at $26 per day per route so if you drive morning and afternoon you will make $52 per day. Please call 785-296-5256 for more information. You may also find the application at USD384.org. Interviews will be scheduled quickly. Respectfully, John Cox Superintendent, Blue Valley USD 384

Message from the Superintendent 8-9-2021 Good morning Blue Valley!! I can’t believe we are so close to the beginning of school! Teachers returned to work today to get prepared for students to return. As a reminder, SCHOOL STARTS THURSDAY, AUGUST 12TH. You may drop your students off at school no earlier than 7:45 at McCormick Elementary or the BVMS/BHVS campus. Thank you for trusting us with your children! #BVSTRONG

Message from the Superintendent 8-8-2021 Hi RAMFAM, We just wanted to let you know the bus schedules are being developed and will be ready soon. With late enrollments, we a had to look at our numbers and make sure we have everyone accounted for on our routes. Once they are completed, your drivers will be contacting you with updated information and bus pick-up and drop-off times. This should be done by Tuesday late-morning at the latest. Please be patient as we work through this. We appreciate your understanding. #RAMFAM