August 28, 2020
BK Alive
Weekly News and Information for BK Families
THIS NEWSLETTER CONTAINS A LOT OF INFORMATION, AND THE LENGTH OF THE NEWSLETTER CAUSES IT TO BE TRUNCATED.

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Upcoming
Next week at a Glance:
Monday, 8/31 - B Day, Freshmen/Sophomores/Counselor Recommended Students on campus, Juniors and Seniors Online
Tuesday, 9/1 - A Day, Juniors/Seniors on Campus, Freshmen/Sophomores Online
Wednesday, 9/2 - B Day, Juniors/Seniors on Campus, Freshmen/Sophomores Online
Thursday, 9/3 - A Day, Freshmen/Sophomores/Counselor Recommended Students on campus, Juniors and Seniors Online
Friday, 9/4 - B Day, Freshmen/Sophomores/Counselor Recommended Students on campus, Juniors and Seniors Online


  • Thursday, September 3rd - Athletic Competitions begin this week with JV Football against Emmett

  • Friday, September 4th - Varsity Football vs. Homedale

  • Monday, September 7th - Labor Day, NO SCHOOL

  • Thursday, September 17th - All School Mass (students will participate online in their classrooms, Campus Ministers will bring the Eucharist to them.)
A Message from Rich and Mike
Dear Bishop Kelly Parents,
 
We have had a very good second week of school as we continue to learn, adapt, and execute our Instructional and Operational plan. Thank you for your support, feedback, and partnership in making it possible for in person learning to be happening here at Bishop Kelly. It has been wonderful to reopen school and see so many students here on campus and online. Thank you for partnering with us to make this possible.
 
We are continuing in this BK Alive our new feature called The Week in Review/The Week Ahead. It is imperative that all of our communication with you, our BK community, is transparent, honest, two-way and frequent. We want to share with you what is going well, what needs attention and what adjustments we are making for the coming week based on what we have learned. We also want to remove any possibility of ambiguity and make sure it is clear to you what the week ahead looks like. 
 
It is important to remind all of us that the key to our plan being successful is its execution. Our students, parents and faculty/staff are overall doing a great job following the 3W’s (wear a mask, watch your distance and wash your hands) and making BK a very welcoming environment for all. But we are by no means perfect yet. That is why we will continue to make adjustments and set clear expectations for all. We need the consistent application of these policies and practices by all throughout the school community - faculty and staff, administration, students, and parents. And, in our BK Way culture, we have the freedom and expectation to kindly call out inconsistencies because we wish for BK to be a safe, caring and compassionate community. We like to think of the 3W’s as “Christian service in action”. We here at Bishop Kelly need to reflect the love that Jesus had for the world by taking steps to protect ourselves and others at all times.
 
Finally, we will be asking you this week to complete a short survey and provide feedback on how the opening of school is going for your student and your family, what is working well and what suggestions you have for improvements. Please complete this survey at your earliest convenience.
 
We continue to be grateful to all of you for your partnership in the learning experience of your sons and daughters.
 
God Bless,
Rich Raimondi
President
Mike Caldwell
Principal
What went well:
  • Having students and faculty/staff back on campus for in person learning for the second week. Students are delighted to be back in school and teachers love having kids in their classrooms.
  • Wearing of masks (and correctly) was exemplary by everyone. 
  • Seating and spacing in classrooms is working well
  • Our teachers (new, reassigned and returning) have really stepped up to the challenges of teaching during a pandemic. Thank you!
  • Over 30 parents volunteered once again to help in classrooms as proctors and at the Mini Knights Academy. Unbelievable support for our teachers and their families and partnership in the learning experience for our students - thank you!
  • Disinfecting classroom desks, tables, etc., at the end of each period improved with students bringing either a supply of disinfectant wipes for their desk or at the very least their own clean washcloth in a ziplock bag. 
  • Sports practices continue - over 500 students participating, safety protocols followed well. No known COVID-19 cases from sports at this time.
  • The second week of having only half the students on campus helped with seeing adjustments needed, education of students and getting protocols to start becoming habits
  • Teachers taking their classes outside for socially distanced “mask breaks” and to get to know students and for them to get to know each other, especially freshman and transfer students
  • Hybrid Students and Reverse Zoom teachers overall went well, with the support of our IT team and the sharing of best practices among faculty. This helped with technical and process improvements.
  • Staggering release times from classes during the 10 minute passing period continues to help relieve crowding in the hallways. In addition, having no lockers assigned assures the smooth flow of students to their destination.
  • Improved understanding by students and parents of our limited ability with restricted class sizes to accommodate schedule change requests. Counselors did their best and you were understanding and worked with us. Thank you. 
  • Enrollment continues to be very strong. 873 currently students enrolled (budget goal was 864) and we have 8 students on a waitlist and 12 in the application process.

What Needs Improvement 
  • Students responded well to the need for social distancing outside during lunch periods when masks are off. Still need to make some adjustments and we will be implementing some new protocols and staying with hybrid learning through September 4th.  
  • Some hallway congestion but less concerned given mask wearing and speed of transitions 
  • Students forgetting their name badges/ID cards. Please remind your students to bring and wear their name badges/ID cards.
  • Mixed classes in World Language, Science, Math and Performing Arts are challenging as teachers often have to teach half the students online and half in class. This is one of our motivations to bring all students back on campus beginning September 8th.
  • Integration of students on hybrid instructional plan on days when class is in session at BK
  • Students arrived too early for school and were crowding into Commons, Library, etc. We ask that students don’t arrive earlier than 15 minutes prior to class if/when possible and once they enter the school, they go directly to their first class period for the day. 
  • Some students are still congregating in parking lots after school. Asking students to wear masks until they get into vehicles and they exit parking lots, etc.
  • Lunch service improved through the week but still too much administrative overhead for our kitchen team and our families. We will be moving to full lunch service the week of September 8th.

COVID-19 Status
  • 2 known positive cases of BK students. No known faculty/staff positive cases.
  • Currently 36 students in self-isolation at home due to close contact with an infected student. They are receiving online instruction while at home through this Wednesday. No faculty/staff in self-isolation.
  • As mentioned in yesterday’s Just in Time communication, we have made the decision to continue utilizing the Hybrid Instructional approach through Friday, September 4th. What this means is that rather than have all students back on campus on September 3rd, we have moved that back to September 8th, the Tuesday after Labor Day. Thus, Freshmen and Sophomores will be on campus on September 3rd and 4th and Juniors and Seniors will be online.
  • Students will order their lunches online for one more week through this Lunch Order Form for the Week of August 31st. Please remind your student to fill out this form by Sunday afternoon. If your student has highly sensitive allergies we recommend they pack their own lunch at this time.
  • Beginning September 8th, we will provide full service lunches in a safe and distributed environment for students and kitchen staff. Students will not need to pre-order lunch.
  • For the protection of our Cafeteria Staff, we will not be taking money in the cafeteria. Please see below for instructions on how to easily add money to your student's lunch account.
The Plan for Lunch Beginning Next Week
mozzarella_cheese_pizza.jpg
As mentioned in our 8/27 Just in Time Communication, we will be adjusting our lunch period protocols. Here are the goals and strategies we will begin to implement this coming week:

Goals for our Lunch Plan
  • Minimize the spread of COVID-19 cases in our school community
  • Ensure sufficient spaces for students to eat while physically distanced during lunch period, in good weather and bad weather
  • Build community among our students, especially for freshmen and transfer students
  • Help meet students’ nutritional, social and mental/emotional needs 

Strategies to Accomplish the Goals
  • Educate students on the need to socially distance and stay in consistent groupings of 10 or less to minimize spread when there is a positive case in the school
  • Get students and faculty input before we proceed
  • Provide themed spaces/areas for students to build community, especially for those who are new to BK and/or may not have a friend group
  • Only have half the classrooms available each day for students, based on A or B and teacher prep
  • Minimize the amount of supervision teachers have to do during lunch period so they can also get a break during their lunch period

Beginning September 8th, we will have complete food service! In the kitchen/cafeteria we will be serving hot meal options. (i.e. pizza, chicken strips, pasta dishes, etc.) In the JKAF Commons inside the Father Wilson Science and Technology Wing we will be serving salads, sandwiches, and refrigerated grab and go items. In all locations we will maintain appropriate social distancing, traffic flow, and touchless payment to mitigate risk.

Procedural Expectations for Students During Lunch Period 
  • Students are allowed to eat in the following locations: 
  • Anywhere outside on the BK Campus other than the parking lots, in cars, etc. (Students are not to be in their vehicles during lunch)
  • In the Cafeteria, Common Spaces, In Hallways
  • In any “open door classroom” (approx ½ our classrooms during any given lunch).
  • Food should be either brought from home, ordered through the BK Cafeteria, or brought to school from parents/relatives. Students/parents should not have food delivered from restaurants or third party services such as Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc.
  • Students should be kind, inviting and welcoming to other students that may not have a group to eat with. Students that consider themselves as leaders will seek out those students to make them feel welcome. 
  • In order to minimize mixing of students, students must keep their lunch group size to a maximum limit of 10 students. The friends your student eats lunch with are considered close contacts. If one student in a lunch group is infected with Covid-19, the lunch group will be quarantined for 14 days. 
  • Students and/or groups of students should remain in one general location throughout the lunch period. Groups of students cannot congregate with other groups or wander around campus during the lunch period. 
  • Students should put on masks when not eating/ drinking.
  • Individual students and student groups are responsible for picking up their trash after lunch. All members of a group will be held accountable for leaving litter behind after lunch.

Touchless Lunch Payment
In order to protect our Cafeteria Staff we will not be accepting payment of any kind in the cafeteria or JKAF Commons. Parents, please make sure that you have money in your students' lunch accounts.

You can add money to your students' lunch accounts two ways:
1) Bring Cash or Checks to the Business Office at Bishop Kelly.
2) Online via the My Payments Plus system.


Freshmen and New Student Parents - in order to set up your My Payments Plus Account, you will need your student's Student ID Number. Your student should know their number, if they do not, they can look it up by logging in to Infinite Campus using their BK Google Account.

You can see the weekly lunch menu, access your My Payments Plus account, and apply for free and reduced lunches on the BK Cafe Page on our website.

Back to School Night - Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:00 PM
The “State of the School” Address at Back to School Night will be broadcast
starting at 6:00 pm and will remain available on the main BK Youtube Channel for later viewing.

Teacher Introduction Videos and each course syllabus will be available on the BK Website for asynchronous viewing starting on Wednesday evening. 
Daily Student Supply List
As a reminder, the following items should be carried by each student (in their backpack) on a daily basis when at BK.

  • Fully Charged Computer
  • Computer Charger 
  • Earbuds/ headphones
  • Supplies/ Books for Class (at least 1 expo marker)
  • Refillable Water Bottle (preferably with a straw)
  • Student Covid Kit
  • Disinfectant Wipes for Desks/ Tables OR Clean Washcloth in Ziplock
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Mask
  • Extra Mask
Attendance Q & A:
Q: When Should I Contact the Attendance Office?
Please use email to notify the Attendance Office if your student will be absent: attendance@bk.org

A: If your child will not be attending in person school during phase 3 - Students will learn virtually. Absence will be marked as VL, present but not on campus.  

If your child is not feeling well and is scheduled to be at school - Student able to learn virtually. Absence will be marked as VL, present but not on campus. 

If your child is not feeling well and is scheduled to be at school OR scheduled to learn virtually during the phase in period - Student unable to learn virtually. Absence will be marked as VA or DR upon notification. (i.e. Dr’s note)

If your child is awaiting testing or out for quarantine - will be coded as CO. Absence is excused. Attendance officer will coordinate with counselor and administration for academic needs based on each individual situation. 

When you do NOT need to contact the attendance office:

My child is in 9th or 10th grade and is scheduled to learn from home when 11th and 12th is on campus.  

OR

My child is in 11th or 12th grade and is scheduled to learn from home when 9th and 10th is on campus.

If your student is participating online, as scheduled per our phased reopening plan, they will have regular attendance taken by their instructor via Zoom.

Q: What are the Attendance Codes?

A:
VA - Verified absence  (counts towards attendance)
DR - Doctor appointment  (does not count)
VL - Virtual Learning  (does not count)
CO - Co-Vid Related Absence  (does not count)


Q: What is the procedure for checking out early?

**Attendance Change**

A: Students will not be released between 2:50 - 3:05pm on an "A Day" and between 2:15 - 2:30pm on a "B Day" (The last 15 minutes of the last period of the day) 
 
Students may leave before these times for verified appts i.e. doctor/dentist appts. by having a parent request a Permit to Leave (PTL) pass. A leaving early absence will be counted towards their 7 allotted absences per semester. Parents should email: attendance@bk.org either the previous day or by 9:30am on the requested day. Please do your best to schedule appointments after school hours or on a "B Day' before school starts at 9:15am or after 2:30pm. Students arriving late to class or leaving early disrupt the classroom.  
 
Students may pick up their PTL pass at the Attendance Office window before school, during passing periods or at lunch.
Parent Volunteers - Week 3
As part of our instructional plan, we anticipate a higher need for parent volunteers in the classroom if/when teachers are unable to teach on campus. Additionally, we are looking for some volunteers for the first three weeks who can help Teachers whose kids have not yet started in-person school.

Here are the descriptions of what we need:

Classroom Proctor- As a classroom proctor you will help manage 
classrooms whose teachers are teaching remotely due to being in the "Higher Risk" category for COVID-19. There will be two, four hour blocks available per class per day.

Mini Knight Academy- The Mini Knight Academy is something new we are providing for our employees with school aged children, who have to start school online, but have no place to go during the day due to both parents working. We need WEEK 3 volunteers who can make sure our children are staying on task, are able to help with small computer needs (like logging in), answer questions, etc. The age of the students range from 2nd grade to 8th grade. I would like to have at least two volunteers helping at all times. Mini Knight volunteers will need to commit to a four hour block from either 7:30am-11:30am or 11:30am-3:30pm on the same day(s) through September 4th. I promise, all of our kids are very well behaved!  

If you are interested in volunteering, please check out THIS WEEK 3 SIGNUP GENIUS and add your name.

THANK YOU!
Notes from the Nurse
Dear parents,

Welcome back to school! We are all committed to working together to provide a safe and nurturing environment for your student(s). In order to provide accurate care, it is important that the Nursing staff be made aware of any health condition that will have an effect on your student’s ability to function at school. If you have not already contacted your school nurse with this information, please do so. There
are a variety of care plans and forms available to keep everyone informed and on track. Food and other types of allergies are especially important to have on file, as well as any other condition such as diabetes, asthma, etc.

Thank you

MaryLou Cunningham, RN, BSN, NBCSN, MHS
Coordinator, Saint Alphonsus School Health Program
Parent Access to Infinite Campus
BK Parents will receive an access letter to Infinite Campus the week of August 31st. Information about how to access the new platform will be shared at our Virtual Back to School Night, and then letters will be emailed home.
Found Key
Look familiar? This key was found hanging on the fence by the Chuck Irvine Soccer and Lacrosse Field. If it's yours call the main office!
Online Ordering from the BK Spirit Store!
In order to maintain safe distancing AND be available for all your Spirit Wear needs, the Bishop Kelly Spirit Store will be offering online ordering for Fall Semester. A selection of items will be available each month, and you can order via email!

Please note, the actual BK Spirit Store will NOT be open during the lunch hour for additional items, and the Front Office staff will not have access to the store.

We're all getting really good at shopping online, right?
#256
BK Unisex Hooded Sweatshirt Drk. Gray
$36.00
#255
BK Unisex Hooded Sweatshirt Lt. Gray
$45.00
#146
Ladies Short Sleeved BK Strong T-Shirt
$15.00

#147
Mens Short Sleeved BK Strong T-Shirt
$15.00
(Not pictured, Same Design)
#141
Unisex Long Sleeved T-Shirt
$20


MASKS COMING SOON!
How to Order

*Order deadline: EVERY MONDAY      
*Order Pickup: EVERY FOLLOWING THURSDAY ONLY,
7:45 AM-8:15 AM OR 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Email bkspiritstore@gmail.com and must include:
  • Your Name
  • Contact Phone Number
  • Item # listed above
  • Size of Item (S, M, L, XL, 2XL)
  • Price

Method of Payment at Pickup: Exact Cash, Check to BKPA, Venmo @BKParentsAssociation, or Credit Card

Choice of Thursday ONLY Pickup Slot: AM or PM (see time period above) *BK Spirit Store volunteers are unavailable for other pickup days or times, and the front office staff does not have access to the store.

Thursday ONLY Pickup table outside in front of St. Teresa of Jesus Chapel. Please park, and walk up to pick up your order. Please do not park or leave your car unattended in the pickup lane.

THANK YOU for your cooperation as BK Spirit Store volunteers try to keep BK Spirit Store items available for our community.  

Looking for a Host Family for a BK Sophomore
We are looking for a host family for a returning BK International Student from China. He is a sophomore, and he has not left Boise since last fall. He is a good student, and likes swimming, playing basketball, and golf.

Host families receive $700 per month, possibly more upon discussion. For questions and detailed information contact Ying Donegan at (208) 853-8542 or ying@7eie.com.
We Need Your Pictures!
Building the yearbook this year is going to be challenging, to say the least! We are asking parents and students to regularly submit photos to help us cover events that actually do happen, and even things that your students are involved in outside of school. I can't guarantee that we will be able to use all of these photos, but it will certainly help us build our pages.

Photos can be submitted to the BK Yearbook Instagram Account @BKYrbook, or via email at Knightpix@bk.org. Please include a brief description with your photos!

Because of image quality on Instagram, we will most likely have to contact you directly to request an emailed copy of the photo. The only major photo guideline is that our publishing company doesn't allow for "hand signs" in photos, so just be aware of that. Thank you for helping us out, and please encourage your students to submit photos too!
Mark Your Calendar
LADIES-Registration is now open for the 2020 Idaho Catholic Women's Conference. Our theme is Brave, and our keynote speakers are Sister Miriam James Heidland and Heather Khym, two of the co-hosts of the Abiding Together Podcast; and Father Justin Brady of the Diocese of Boise. This will be a virtual conference and will include a virtual Mass, adoration, cameos from Catholic personalities, live chat and Q&A, virtual marketplace, and nine days of live, pre-conference online sessions in the Serenity Lounge. The date is Saturday, September 19th . The early bird price of $20 and discounted conference shirt orders last until Tuesday, August, 25. For more details and to register go to: www.IdahoCatholicWomen.com or call 208-484-0898.
Job Openings at Bishop Kelly
Bus Route Driver
Activities Bus Driver
Substitute Teachers
Substitute Kitchen Assistant
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