May 1, 2020
BK Alive
Weekly News and Information from Bishop Kelly
BK Alive is emailed each week on Friday with information for BK Parents. Please read this important information, as it is our primary method of communication with our families.

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Just In Time Information - May 1st, 2020
Dear BK Parents and Students,

We hope you are all staying safe and healthy. We wanted to update you on four things in this BK Alive/JIT:
  1. Final plans for our BK Class of 2020 graduation
  2. Our plan to reopen part of our school next week for those students in need of assistance
  3. Some clarifications on the final three weeks of school
  4. Our efforts to connect with parents.

We will close with some thoughts on Mary, mother of Jesus, from our Chaplain, Fr. Vance.
BK Class of 2020 Graduation!
We have made the decision, based on Governor Little's “Rebound Idaho” plan for opening up the state and a survey of our seniors and their parents, to focus on a live, traditional graduation on June 20th. There is no other date being considered - the BK Class of 2020 graduation is June 20th! There will not be an additional celebration on May 23rd.
If the state does enter Stage 4 in the "Rebound Idaho" plan on June 13 as the Governor has laid out, where “gatherings of more than 50 people, with appropriate physical distancing and precautionary measures” are allowed, we will be able to have graduates, their families, and a limited number of guests attend. If Stage 4 is delayed, we will limit the attendees to just seniors and possibly parents. If the state regresses further, we will have a virtual ceremony on June 20th. In all scenarios it will be broadcast live to those not able to attend. We will likely make the determination of which scenario we will have on June 13th, when Stage 4 of “Rebound Idaho” is scheduled to begin.

Baccalaureate Mass will be the night before - June 19th - at 7:00 pm, at a location to be determined. Attendance will be the same as whatever scenario the graduation ceremony will be the following evening.

We are excited to honor and celebrate this incredible Class of 2020 on June 20th. There are many things planned for the coming weeks leading up to June 20th - individual senior yard signs, senior scholar video, family/graduate photos, senior tribute video from faculty and staff, slide deck for each senior, senior “lip dub” video, customized BK bandannas for face coverings, and “Teacher’s Choice” awards and more. Stay tuned …

Opening up a part of BK for students in need of assistance.
We have made the decision to not fully reopen Bishop Kelly for the remainder of the spring semester. Most teachers, students and classes are in a good rhythm and the health risks, the potential benefits and the effort required are not worth moving forward for the final three weeks of school.

We recognize, however, that there are students struggling with virtual learning and many have not fully engaged and/or have gotten behind in assignments. We thus have developed a plan to open up a part of our school for the next two weeks at prescribed times for those students in need of assistance. We have worked with Central District Health and have received a letter of authorization for a limited school re-opening for those students in need. 

Here are the key elements of the plan:
  • We will invite students who are in need of assistance to come to BK. They must meet certain criteria established by our Administration, Counselors and Student Support team. Should you believe your son or daughter is in need of this help, please contact Mrs. Hutchinson (chutchinson@bk.org) who will discuss your student’s situation/needs, review the criteria and make a determination.
  • Students who are sick or have a fever will not be allowed to attend
  • No one will be forced to come. It is an optional opportunity
  • We will have one large room with 10 six foot tables located just off the main entrance to the school.
  • There will initially be up to 9 students and 1 supervisor in each session. Each student will have their own table. Tables and chairs will be disinfected and will be appropriately distanced. 
  • If more than 9 students are in need at any one session, we will utilize another room with the same protocols.
  • Students and supervisors will be requested to wear a mask but not required to wear a mask.
  • Students will enter and exit through prescribed doors and must sanitize his/her hands before entering the classroom. 
  • Students will work, using their own PC for 2 to 3 hour increments. If they need a PC we will provide one for them that has been sanitized.
  • Tables and chairs will be disinfected after each session. 

Finally, we are preparing a drop off/pick up plan for yearbooks, athletic uniforms, books, locker contents, etc. It will be announced in the coming week. 
Final three weeks of school.
As previously mentioned, We will be continuing our A/B Block Schedule through the end of next week. Teachers have been instructed that no additional work or assignments should be assigned beyond the week of May 4th-8th. This doesn’t mean students will not have work to do. The time after May 8th should be used to complete previously assigned work, review for exams or to take exams. (AP and BK Exams)

During the last two weeks of school from May 11th through the 22nd, we will still have a structure that will allow classes to meet, but we are leaving it up to the teacher’s discretion on whether or not they will require student attendance the remaining two weeks. In addition to AP Exams, the last two weeks may be used for teachers to review with students, help students get caught up, facilitate a final assessment, and/or for teachers to work one on one with students as needed to help them finish the semester successfully. 

On our weekly schedule document , we have included a link to a spreadsheet that shows every class period for every teacher from May 11th - May 19th. We are calling this the "Final Two Weeks - Attendance Guide." This spreadsheet shows which of your student's classes are required, which are encouraged but optional, and which classes are not meeting in a live, virtual format.

There are four tabs on this document that cover each meeting block over the last two weeks of school. Please have your student go through this document so that they are clear on what the attendance expectations are for each of their classes.

As a Reminder, you can find all of this information in the Virtual School FAQ's document which lives on the Just In Time Blog .
Connecting with our Parents
Our leadership team has thoroughly enjoyed the nearly 500 phone conversations we have had with BK families over the past week or so. We still have around 100 families to connect with, so don’t worry if we haven't connected with you yet. Our goals are simple - to see how our families are doing during this COVID-19 crisis, and to gather your feedback, answer questions, and address any needs that parents and students are having with virtual learning or other areas (financial, physical, mental or spiritual well being, etc.). 

It has been comforting to know most all our families are doing well. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive on the school's response to COVID-19, the virtual learning experience for their students, our communication, and the fact that we are calling during this time to just see how you are doing. A few follow up items have come up that the team has responded to. Special thanks to Tim Brennan, Tom Shanahan, Joan Colleran, Vern Bauer and Fr. Vance who have done most of the calling. And thanks to our incredible parents who have made time for the calls, given us important feedback, and who have provided us with such encouragement, gratitude and hope during these challenging times. We look forward to connecting with all of you by the end of next week and will summarize in a future Just in Time what we have heard and what improvements we will make based on your feedback.

Mary, Model for our Faith - a Reflection from Father Vance
This morning, in a ceremony streamed live and now archived on our BK Spotlight YouTube Channel, we crowned the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with beautiful flowers in the new “Our Lady’s Garden” here on campus. In doing this, we matched the Bishops of the U.S. and Canada, who also today consecrated their respective countries to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church. May is traditionally the month given to concentrating and reflecting on the deep faith of Mary, even in the midst of the uncertainties of her, and her precious family's, life. What a wonderful model she is for all of us in our uncertain times, because she shows how powerful the humble trust that God is at work for the good, even when it might not seem like it, can be. Mary is also our most powerful intercessor, ushering our prayers to the feet of her Divine Son, and advocating with God Himself on our behalf. In Catholic tradition, we never pray TO Mary, but we should regularly pray TO God THROUGH her, asking that we might imitate in our lives the trust, humility and quiet strength that she showed so clearly in hers. As a deeply traditional Catholic prayer asks: Pray for us, oh Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

We would like to encourage you to stop by Bishop Kelly to visit Our Lady’s Garden anytime. The roses are starting to bloom and we could always use extra help managing the weeds to keep it beautiful.

Please know you and your families continue to be in our prayers. We hope and pray you have a relaxing, safe and peaceful weekend!

God bless,
Rich Raimondi
President
Mike Caldwell
Principal


Virtual School Schedule
NEXT WEEK April 27 - May 1
Monday - 8:45 AM Announcements, 9:00 AM Start - Periods 1-4
Tuesday - 8:45 AM Announcements, 9:00 AM Start - Periods 5-7 and Office Hours
Wednesday - 8:45 AM Announcements, 9:00 AM Start - Periods 1-4
Thursday - 8:45 AM Announcements, 9:00 AM Start - Periods 5-7 and Office Hours
Friday - 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Workday with office hours from 9:30 Am to Noon.

The Virtual School Schedule through the end of the year can be found HERE on the Calendars page of BK.org

Knights of the Week
Each week Bishop Kelly faculty and staff nominate students, and students nominate faculty and staff, who have demonstrated the BK Way attributes of Faith, Safe and Caring Place, Academic Excellence, Activities, Honor, Generosity, Community, and Partnership.

Congratulations to this week's Knights of the Week!
Nickole Major
Activities

Nickole has been an excellent student in my class by participating in all of the online and offline activities that were assigned.  She has gone above and beyond performing multiple physical activities in support of her class.  She truly is an inspiration to me and all of her classmates.
Logan Dean
Community

Logan has been a great addition to our school. He is genuinely interested in what is going on in class. Logan helps build strength in our community with his engaging personality in class and sharing his passion for fishing with his peers and teachers after class. I would like to thank Logan for his continuous efforts to stay engaged and finishing this year strong!
Katie Yowell
Faith

Katie is quiet, kind and generous.  I could have nominated her for Safe and Caring Place, Honor, Generosity, or Academic Excellence. I chose Faith.  Her faith is quiet and expanding dynamically.  It is from her faith that she chooses to treat others with true dignity and respect. Even during this online time, she still manages to show her faith.
Faculty or Staff of the Week
Mr. Wes Worrell
Academic Excellence, Safe and Caring Place, Generosity, Activities

  • He's always cheerful and awesome to be in the presence of.

  • Mr. Worrell is always there for his students and makes his students' enjoyment his number one priority.

  • He is kind, and he cares for us.

  • Mr. Worrell is very kind and is one of the most flexible teachers out there.

  • Mr. Worrell always teaches something new that seems complicated in an easy and concise way making it easy to understand. He also holds high expectations of everyone making it so everyone tries in his class.

  • I am nominating Mr. Worrell because he is awesome. He has great things for us to do during quarantine. 

  • He is always helping in any way he can always making class positive and fun and very forgiving as well as generous and he deserves to win.

Bishop Kelly Parents Association
As soon as the stores open back up...ya'll run out and get those teacher appreciation gifts like ya'll did that toilet paper.

Parents, it's that time of year. Staff appreciation week is May 4th - 8th. With coronavirus, this event is much different than in years past. However, we know we all want to show our appreciation for Bishop Kelly's staff more than ever before.

How will we recognize our teachers virtually this year? BKPA's plan is to send a gift card to every BK staff member. We are asking parents to donate to the Kelly Pride Fund noting the donation is for "Staff Appreciation". ALL donations will be split among staff in the form of a gift card.

Let's show BK Staff just how appreciative we are of their hard work in keeping our kids engaged and educated online during these trying times.

Thank you all for your support,
Bishop Kelly's Parent Association - BKPA
P lease make your donation by Wednesday, May 6th!
BK Sports Physicals
St. Luke's physicians are asking BK to wait to determine the date, if any, that our annual Sports Physicals clinic can take place. We will keep you posted!

in the meantime, your athlete is welcome to go to their regular doctor for an annual sports physical. If you choose to go that route, please remember to print out this BK Health Examination and Consent Form, and take it with you for your doctor to fill out.

All Sports Forms, as well as instructions for uploading documentation can be found on the Athletic Forms page of BKAthletics.org.
BK Plant Sale!
MAP Testing for All Incoming Freshmen
Due to the current situation, we will be cancelling all incoming MAP testing for math, as well as the ELA writing sample. MAP testing will continue in the fall for all Freshmen and Sophomores.  

Math placements for incoming Freshmen will be made using grades, previous math classes, teacher recommendation and conversations with counselors.  

Spanish Placement assessments for incoming students will be held at a later date. Stay tuned!
Scholarship Opportunity for Bishop Kelly Seniors
Each year Bishop Kelly is able to award the John Reilly McDevitt and Bridget Berkey Teater scholarships to students planning to attend a college or university in Idaho (public or private). One will be awarded to a male student, and one to a female student. Financial need is taken into consideration, but is not the sole determining factor in these scholarships. These are one-time awards of $2,500 each.

Please download, print, and return this completed APPLICATION FORM to Mrs. Crum at mcrum@bk.org by May 8th.
Job Openings at Bishop Kelly
Substitute Kitchen Assistant
Activities Bus Driver

Important Links
Contact BK
  • Front Office: 375-6010
  • Fax: 375-3626
  • Business Office Manager: 947-1209
  • BK Development Office: 947-1325
  • BK Foundation Office: 323-4789

To add, remove, or change your email address, or to remove your name from our regular mailing lists, please contact Chrissy at  cbeckner@bk.org .
Bishop Kelly High School | (208) 375-6010 | www.bk.org