Blue Valley USD 384

UPDATE FROM SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE 8-25-20 School Starts tomorrow the 26th!!! We are so excited!! With that come a few reminders or updates. Buses: If you ride the bus, your driver should have made contact with you with details of the route. Because of COVID and bus requirements, students that live in the City will walk to school or be a car rider. Preschool students should be dropped off by their parent/guardian unless arrangements have been previously made with the school. The doors open to the buildings at 7:45. Remember there will be a screening procedures in place when entering the building. Make sure to leave yourself plenty of time. See You Soon!!! GO RAMS!!

Reminder: MS/HS Virtual Open House @ 6:30pm tonight. Zoom Meeting Invite https://zoom.us/j/96915903326?pwd=OFJCK0dYZEZtTUh0bXk3cWdHUS9ydz09 Agenda https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TmYyEwENM2FASxRz0VQIPissEcvG0UWR/view?usp=sharing

Update from Superintendent's Office. 8-21-2020 What a week!!!! We survived it and are better for it. I wanted to let you know of some upcoming dates and activities: 8-24-2020 12-1 pm - MES Virtual open House 6-7pm - Kindergarten Orientation 6-7pm - MS/HS Virtual Open House 8-25-2020 6-7 pm - 5th grade Orientation Links for the meetings should have been sent out by the building administrator or teacher for these meetings. Hope to see you there!!! GO RAMS!!!

This is principal Marion Mazouch. I would like to invite you to a zoom meeting on Monday Aug. 24 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm to discuss first day procedures and new changes in the handbook. The zoom link will be sent out on Monday. Thanks for all you do for BV.

Update 8-19-20 - Hi Ram Families! I sent out a message yesterday that was long and not everyone received because of the requirements for posting. I apologize for that. Here is a link to the full document that was sent out yesterday. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yjLRycH3CpU0ztYEY5gP_TGjjVZ5h6XW/view?usp=sharing We are doing our best to send out information as quickly as we can and sometime the media gets the information out before we can. I appreciate the grace and forgiveness the BV RAM family has offered to everyone in the District during this stressful time. GO RAMS!!!

UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT 8-18-2020 Hello Blue Valley Families, I want to bring everyone up to speed. I have heard the rumors and false reports about COVID-19 as it relates to USD 384 Blue Valley Schools. In an effort to be as transparent as possible, I want to let you all know that we have had positive cases in our District. Those cases have been identified, tested, quarantined and all close contacts with those cases have been notified either by email or by phone. The Riley County Health Department has been contacted and given us guidance every step of the way. The District has identified areas of exposure and contact in each building. Our custodial staff continues to cleans and sanitize the buildings following recommended procedures. As we continue to work through a situation that changes daily, decisions are made everyday to make sure we are making school as safe and healthy as we possibly can. Our goal is to get school open and for it to be a safe environment for students to learn. We understand that this virus makes everyone uncomfortable at some level. I want to reassure you that we take this virus seriously, that we are as transparent as we can be in the moment and that information is being shared with the community as we can. With that in mind, because we can contact trace locations where cases have been in the buildings, we are closing those areas of our buildings so they can be cleaned and sanitized thoroughly. We will continue to have athletic practices as long as it is safe to do so. Coaches have been asked to continue with the safety protocols and procedures they have been using to ensure as safe an environment as we can have. If a student does not come to practice because of safety/health concerns, missing practice should not be held against them, but all KSHSAA guidelines for practices before playing will be met before the student athlete can participate fully. Please contact the coach to discuss any concerns you may have. We appreciate your continued support in this uncertain time. Thank you for allowing us to continue to serve the families or our amazing District. Go RAMS!!!

Welcome Back Teacher’s!!!!! Thank you to those involved in putting up the amazing sign for staff to see as they entered school for the first time in a while!! What a great start to the year!!

Hello Families, Sorry about all the messages. Please use this form to select the learning option that is best for your student(s). https://forms.gle/vV7MDkoMhNDYP4FY9

USD 384 Learning Options for 20-21 Here is a condensed version of the learning options for you to make the correct choice for your student. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z8votrAQByNeFkyQk6YlBUEUXnMCeG7i/view?usp=sharing Look for a message to select your option.

UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT 8-11-20 The USD 384 school reopening plan was approved but the Board at last nights meeting. Please use this link to read the full version of the plan. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ddPK5PJZeCzq8YatH_PR_4sSVK8COmC_/view?usp=sharing

UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT 8-5-2020 Hi Blue Valley Community, We are getting closer to the final reopening plan being submitted to the Board for approval on 8-10. The plan has been revised several times at this point as changes have occurred. Parents will have the option of an onsite learning model or a remote learning model. A Google Form will be sent out next week, once the plan is approved for parents to indicate the learning model they want their student(s) to start the 20-21 school year in. We will continue to follow all orders and guidance from KSDE, KDHE, CDC, and local and state orders. Blue Valley is committed to ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. GO RAMS!!!!

Superintendent Update - July 31, 2020 Dear USD 384 Families and Staff: Please take some time to read this Superintendent's Update for this week. It is too long to be place on Thrillshare so I have attached the complete document. (It is attached as a link at eh bottom of this post.) Thank you for your continued support as we work to reopen school. GO RAMS!! John Cox, Superintendent Blue Valley USD 384 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mdCWC2L48YGKBYR0VC6Zja8bNAX1LlKMLmnZnx-CNog/edit?usp=sharing

Hello Blue Valley Families and Staff, During a special Board meeting held July 30, 2020, the USD 384 Board of Education approved the recommendation to change the start date for the 2020-2021 school year from August 13 to August 26, 2020. Preschool will start on August 26th as well. The end date will be discussed at the August 10th Board meeting. There are many things that need to be taken into account before finalizing that date. If you would like to read more details, a document has been attached for you to review: https://drive.google.com/file/d/158TbIf2Dx2yCoNoWoG2GZcbQNVNaGqJr/view?usp=sharing

Hello! WOW!! The office is a buzz with phone calls wanting to know the start date for school and what it will look like. The Board meets on Thursday to decide. I know this is a stressful time for all of us and the unknown is probably the worst. The decisions that are being made will impact our schools, families and communities so we want to get it right. Thank you for being patient with us as we work toward getting our kids learning again. We have and will continue to do what is best for our kids. Thank you for the time you are allowing us to have to make this decision.

We had a great turn out for our District Site Council meeting last night. It allowed us to share our thoughts and get feedback on what the community needs from the us to make the transition back to school as smooth as possible. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We are all working through this together to do what id best for our kids! Go RAMS!!!

Online enrollment for USD 384 is now open. Instructions can be found on the school website at https://www.usd384.org/o/blue-valley-usd-384/page/online-enrollment--9.

Hello Blue Valley Community! I want to share some information with you concerning the steps we are taking to confront the challenges we are facing with COVID-19 and school starting safely. The USD 384 District Leadership Team (DLT) has met several times to review documents, listen to other professionals, and research material to develop a plan that will work for us, Blue Valley, to start school in as safe an environment as possible. From the day I started on July 1st, we have made progress planning for the 20-21 school year in an ever changing world. We have ordered sanitation/disinfectant supplies such as: paper masks, hand sanitizer stations for each classroom and common areas in all buildings, ordered thermometers for each building, bus and extras for activity screening where appropriate. The DLT attended the meetings to review the KSDE Navigating Change Guidelines. They reviewed procedures from Spring Continuous Learning Plan and started the process of creating the Blue Valley USD 384 Reopening Plan using the Navigating Change Guidelines. The plan that is being developed we believe will work for our schools, students, staff and communities. The plan is being developed to be in compliance with all requirements as set forth in Kansas Law, County Commissioner Regulations, County Health Officer Orders, Kansas Department of Education Guidelines and School Board Policy. We have requested input from parents, community members and staff to develop the best possible plan for school opening safely. Please know that this process is very fluid and all decisions can change on short notice, based on what the State and/or County agencies decide to do. There are rules and requirements that I know may upset some. If it is required by State and County Agencies we have no control and must follow them. Our DLT has looked at the documents and we are working to make sure we create a plan that works for our students, our schools and our community. I’m proud of our Staff and Board of Education for working through this challenge to make sure everyone is safe as we reopen school. I am excited to be in Blue Valley and excited to send my children to Blue Valley Schools. It is a great place to be! GO RAMS!!!

Good Evening Parents of USD384, We are sending out this parent survey to gather information about reopening school, It will help us get feedback on parent comfortability with sending your child(ren) back to school. Please be aware that we are developing a plan to reopen school in as safe a manner as we can. The Governor and Kansas State Board of Education are working through some details of what that will look like. We are excited to start school open when we are allowed to. Please take some time to complete this brief form. (1 form for each child) https://forms.gle/1fuXUU7PoqY5QWV17 Thank you for your time. Thank you for trusting us with the care and safety of your students. Thank you for supporting the USD 384 teachers and staff! GO RAMS!!!

Due to the recent announcements, we will be postponing online enrollment until we receive further guidelines about the start of school. Updates will be provided when enrollment is opening.

Hello Everyone, I am John Cox, the new Superintendent of Blue Valley USD384. Today, the Kansas State Board of Education approved the draft of guidelines for opening schools this fall. This afternoon, Governor Kelly announced her plan to delay the start of school until after Labor Day, approximately Sept 9th, to allow us to prepare properly for the reopening of schools. She will have specific mandates laid out in her Executive Order to be released on Monday the 20th. The district leadership team is preparing to meet and discuss the guidelines and come up with a plan that will help ensure a safe learning environment for everyone. Until our plan is finished, some things we can all do to slow and eventually stop the spread of COVID-19 is use good handwashing techniques, use the 6 feet social distancing guideline and use personal protective equipment (facemasks, gloves, etc) to keep us safe. Please know that the USD384 staff is preparing for the school year to provide a safe learning environment where every student can learn. We are making plans to follow applicable guidelines and mandates to ensure a successful return to school. Although no plan is perfect, we will always do what is best for our students and communities. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.