McCormick Elementary

IMPORTANT 12-14-21 This message was sent to the MS/HS groups. I wanted everyone to have access. "No middle school and high school basketball practice tonight due to high winds. No FCA meeting tonight also due too high winds." We are keeping a close eye on the weather. If needed we will keep the students at the schools until the storms pass. I will send out alerts needed in the next hour or so.

***** Important Message Please Read**** 12-13-21 Mask wearing in USD 384 is no longer required effective immediately. Mask wearing is still recommended and highly encouraged. Please review the updated Pandemic Plan and review the areas highlighted in yellow for updates. https://docs.google.com/document/d/19EdHYPkwGypuNG-D2HVm_HOycTaQ8wMps-dKGkLTF7g/edit?usp=sharing

12-13-21 - Hello Blue Valley Community, Your input is needed. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey on how the district can better use funding we get as part of the the American Rescue Plan also called ESSER III. Thank you in advance for your feedback. https://forms.gle/m92pjytChwcnqJxw9

Good Morning Ram Fam! We would love to pack the gym tonight with BLUE! Come out to support the HS basketball teams against Onaga and do some early (or last minute) Christmas shopping. The students of MES, BVMS, and BVHS have done a great job of creating and donating items for baskets. We have something for everyone! Dog Lovers, Movie Night, Game Night, Baking, and BBQ baskets. There will also be a 50/50 raffle by the MES STUCO. There will be taco salads and soft tacos being served at the concession stand by the HS Girls basketball team! All proceeds from the evening will go to help the Montgomery family with medical expenses from a recent accident. JV Boys will tip off at 4:45 p.m. in the Old Gym followed by 2 quarters of C-Team. Varsity Girls will begin in the New Gym at 6:00 p.m. followed by Varsity Boys.

****Message from the Superintendent***** 12-2-21 Good afternoon, I wanted to follow up about the concert tonight and the student’s wearing masks during the concert. I watched the rehearsal of each grade today and some songs were clear, and some were not. I asked Nurse Emily to come over and watch and advise on this as well. In order to give the kids and parents the best experience possible, we came up with a compromise on when to mask and when to not mask. While the kids are singing or speaking, they may take their masks down so they can be heard. When they are resting or waiting to perform, their masks will be up covering their mouth and nose. Bringing their masks down to perform is optional. Thank you for your continued support. See you tonight at the show! #RAMFAM

Important information from Kansas COVID Workgroup for Kids Here is information addressing parent questions about COVID vaccines in children. Please open the link to gain access to the document. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LSUP1LdxxxUgorRb1th20UE8CjSdBL-q/view?usp=sharing

Please join the Blue Valley Big Blue Dream Committee for an Informational Meeting concerning the construction and fundraising of a new baseball and a new softball fields. When: Friday, November 19 at 6:00 p.m. Where: Blue Valley High School Old Gym and Streamed Live Online (platform TBA) The online platform where the meeting will take place will be announced on Facebook @BVBigBlueDream https://www.facebook.com/BVBigBlueDream later this week. IF you are not on facebook please reply to this email and an email will be sent to you with directions on how to stream the meeting live. The BV Big Blue Dream Committee is in partnership with the Blue Valley Community Foundation, Blue Valley Ball Association and Blue Valley USD 384. ***Masks are required in the USD 384 school buildings.

Update on Testing Day 1 - 11-16-21 Good morning everyone! Its a great day to be a RAM!!! We started testing students today to return to school. There have been a few glitches but it appears that this is going to work out well for everyone. Please make sure you read through the documents being sent out. They are meant to help answer questions that we have already received. We will continue to update the documents as needed and share them accordingly. That you for being flexible and giving grace. #RAMFAM https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vcZ18OU7TTzUilFkqYUMUAyVDvLOJKuQ4Dw_PWV4tQc/edit?usp=sharing

Update on the Update sent earlier. 11-15-21 Just to clarify, “Test to Stay and Learn” starts tomorrow. Anyone who has been in quarantine for SCHOOL close contact can start daily testing tomorrow at 7:30 am. Emails have been sent to parents whose students qualify for PCR testing to schedule times for testing . Please have consent completed prior to arrival if at all If your child is not in quarantine, they do not need tested.

****UPDATE FOR COVID TESTING**** 11=15=21 Hi RAMFAM!!! Just wanted to remind everyone that we start "testing to stay" tomorrow Tuesday 11-16-21 @ 7:30 in the morning @ the middle school. Please enter through the south door (old math room). Make sure you preregister to speed up the process. Get tested, if a negative result you get to stay at school. If positive, yo return home. Consent forms are required by all students. Please make sure you have everything you need when you get here. Please see this document if you have questions. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NQ-fo_AOROokagPXXB5E-fDVhN3pMdg8izkvzlYc9O8/edit?usp=sharing

****IMPORTANT UPDATE******MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED EFFECTIVE MONDAY 11-15-2021***** In an effort to make this concise and provide all the information, use this link to access updated information about our mask requirement that start tomorrow 11-15-21, FAQ's about our testing procedures and busing related issues. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NQ-fo_AOROokagPXXB5E-fDVhN3pMdg8izkvzlYc9O8/edit?usp=sharing

Hi RAMFAM! I need to correct an error on my previous message. The HS Homecoming Parade time for Friday starts at 2:00 pm. I miss spoke and announded the start time at 1:30. That is when the students line up. Sorry for the confusion.

~BVHS Homecoming Schedule~ We will be holding Powderpuff and Spikefest on Friday Oct. 1st starting at 9:25am. Please come watch. Live streaming is available. The Homecoming Parade starts @ 1:30p.m. The parade course will be around the BV Campus and through Randolph. #RAMFAM #BVSTRONG

9-23-21 Hi RAMFAM!! I am sending out this message to get everyone geared up for Blue Valley Site Council Meetings. If interested in Site Council complete this survey and we will be in contact. https://forms.gle/zdGJmWHJdEzsu44h7 Please submit it prior to October 1st by 5:00pm. #RAMFAM

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.

***Message from the Superintendent, August 1st, 2021 Please use the link below to read about our Blue Valley mask wearing recommendation for the start of the 21-22 school year. While we realize this is a tough discussion topic, we hope that everyone knows we are making decisions that are in the best interest of the students, staff and keeping our schools open during another challenging time. Thank you for support as we start school!!! Go RAMS!! #RAMFAM #BVSTRONG https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XnEKwx7W89C_eYBbhOf7lGk9BuLslUMk/view?usp=sharing

REMINDER: Enrollment for the 21-22 school year is still open! Instructions can be found at https://www.usd384.org/page/online-enrollment If you have any questions, please call the district office or email enrollment@usd384.org.

Hello Blue Valley Families, The summer has gone by so fast. I can't believe we are talking about enrollment already. School starts August 12th! The enrollment portal is now open on our webpage. Please enroll your children in PowerSchool using the instructions at https://www.usd384.org/page/online-enrollment. This year we are requesting that you complete the Household Economic Survey (HES) that the State is using instead of the free and reduced application that was used in the past. By completing this form, it helps the district qualify and receive additional State funding that we otherwise won’t get if the form isn't completed. If you qualify for free or reduced, your school fees may be reduced by half or at no charge with the exception of the school computer technology fee for grades 8-12. (This fee covers the insurance cost for repairs and/or replacement of damaged technology.) Please return the HES form by Friday July 23rd, 2021. No fees will be charged at enrollment. Fees will be determined based on this application. After review, an invoice will be emailed to you for payment through our online payment center.

Message from the Superintendent July 7th , 2021. ***Important - Parent Feedback Requested**** Please take a couple of minutes to read the information and complete the 3 question survey at the bottom of the message. The survey will close on Monday July 12th at 4pm. The District is gathering parent feedback on using a bus location tracking app. Parents would be able to access the information on the app and be able to locate their student(s) bus during the route as well as be able to set alarms for when they get close to their designated bus stop. (Parents would have to set it up to make it work properly.) Depending on the services purchased the cost of the application and initial fees could be approximately $8200 up to $15,500 for the full package. We are looking at the base package of $8200 for cost effectiveness. It would include the tracking portion, hardware to be installed on the buses, and a basic bus safety and maintenance portion. There are annual fees associated with it from that point of approximately $5000 at today's cost. Is this a service that you as a parent of a Blue Valley USD384 student would value and want? Is this service something that you would be willing to pay a $56 per person per year transportation fee for. The fee would help purchase the equipment and maintain the annual costs? The fee would only be incurred by parents that have students who are on a dedicated route. The fee would not include shuttle routes or activity/athletic transportation. https://forms.gle/voViaZCFZtpZLwdy6

We are celebrating our reading accomplishments today with a party in the park!