August 27, 2021
BK Alive
News and Information for BK Families
THIS NEWSLETTER CONTAINS A LOT OF INFORMATION, AND THE LENGTH OF THE NEWSLETTER CAUSES IT TO BE TRUNCATED.

LOOK FOR THE BLUE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EMAIL THAT SAYS "VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE" TO EXPAND THE EMAIL, OR CLICK HERE TO SEE ARCHIVED COMMUNICATIONS FROM BK.
**Next Week**
Monday 8/30 - Periods 1 -4
8:30 AM Start, 3:00 PM Release

Tuesday 8/31- Periods 5-7
9:00 AM Start, 2:45 - 3:15 PM Office Hours

Wednesday 9/1 - Straight 7 Schedule
8:30 AM Start, 3:05 PM Release

Thursday 9/2 - Periods 1-3
9:00 AM Start, 2:45 - 3:15 PM Office Hours

Friday 9/3 - Periods 4-7
8:30 AM Start, 3:00 PM Release

**Our Schedule doesn't fluctuate from the above very often. Only when we have a short week due to a holiday, teacher in-service, etc.**


Important Upcoming Dates

Friday, August 27th - Dedication and Blessing of Ysursa Field Guest Services Building and Dave and Patti Lachiondo Family Plaza prior to Eagle vs. BK Football game

Friday, August 27th - All School Dance hosted by Student Council on the new Lachiondo Plaza after the football game. Students need their student ID, a can of food, and $2 to enter.

Wednesday, September 1st - Virtual Back-to-School Night at 6:30 PM

Friday, September 3rd - $2.00 Jean Day

Thursday, September 23rd - All School Mass


A Note from Rich and Mike
Dear Bishop Kelly Families,

It was great to meet so many new families and to see many familiar faces (many for the first time in almost two years) on Wednesday at our Welcome Back BBQ! Thanks to our BK Parent Ambassador volunteers, BK Chef Bockenstette, VP of Finance Joe Fehringer, and our development and community engagement team (Tommy Steiner, Denise Brennan, Katie Kerby and Rachel Flachbart) who made it all happen! It seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves and made some new friends - the key to building community!

In this BK Alive we will provide our weekly update on our Instructional and Operational Plan, including COVID-19 data for our school, we’ll share initial results of the parent and faculty/staff surveys on the start of school, and inform you of a change in our Back-to-School format for next Wednesday evening.
BK 2021 - 2022 Instructional and Operational Plan
BK 2021-22 Instructional and Operational Plan
We would first like to thank our students, our parents, faculty and staff for the excellent work that we as a community are doing in executing our plan. Let’s continue to work “better together” and have another very successful school year by all measures. Our goal is to ensure a safe in person, face-to-face learning environment for our students and staff throughout the entire year.

As mentioned each week, a key value for us and critical to our school’s success with this plan is two-way communication that is transparent, respectful, timely and effective. Many of you have written with questions and concerns, especially around our mask policy. We appreciate your feedback and please know we do care deeply about the overall health of our students and staff, which includes physical, emotional, social and spiritual health. And we continue to be mindful of the strain on our health care workers and capacity in our hospitals from COVD-19. 

In this week’s leadership team Covid assessment meeting, we reviewed our COVID-19 data and trends, looked at parent and faculty/staff survey data (summary is below), discussed our plan for sports (teams and fans), and what is happening in our broader community around COVID-19. We then assessed our policies and determined if we need to adjust or make changes based on this assessment. 

Here are the highlights of that meeting:
  • COVID-19 at BK - we continue to track and publish our school data on BK.org daily. As of today, 8/27, we have had no students or staff test positive for COVID-19 this week and have 2 students and one staff member in quarantine.
  • COVID-19 data from the state’s COVID-19 dashboard in Idaho, Ada and Canyon counties shows cases remain high and are of concern. We are watching things closely. Here are the key data for this week:
  • Positivity rates have stayed about the same from last week with 12.8% overall in the state, 10.7% in Ada County and 15.7% in Canyon County. 
  • The 7 day average of cases/100,000 were below 10 in the state and locally in early July. For the state of Idaho they remain high but did drop in the past week from 36 last week to 32 this week. In Ada County they also dropped quite significantly from 40 to 22.5. Canyon County also dropped from 52 last week to 43 this week. 
  • Hospitalizations and ICU beds with COVID-19 patients have reached concerning levels in southwest Idaho, with some elective surgeries being delayed and talk about crisis standards of care being possible in parts of our state.
  • The FDA did give full authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Monday, 8/16, for individuals 16 years and older. We are hopeful this will encourage more students and families to be vaccinated.
  • While it has improved (thank you!), we remain concerned that so few of our students are following our recommendation to wear masks indoors at BK. We have decided to make some additional changes to masking in school when 3’ physical distancing cannot be maintained. Here are the changes:
  • When students (and trainers) are in the training room or nurse’s office, they must wear a mask.
  • For team masses in the St. Teresa Chapel, all students must be masked.
  • For BK sporting events and games, here is what we have decided to start the fall sports season:
  • There will be no limit on spectators
  • For indoor sports (volleyball and swim this fall), we ask that fans spread out with 3’ spacing in between family units. If 3’ cannot be maintained, we ask that those spectators wear masks. 
  • Players at indoor sports will be seated 3’ apart when not playing and sitting on the bench. If that cannot be maintained, masks will be required.
  • As a reminder, per Federal mandate, masks will be required for all players, drivers and coaches on all team busses while going to and from competitions.
  • We are requiring that all pre-game team dinners or gatherings take place outdoors this fall. We have invested significantly in outdoor tables with built-in seating to accommodate eating outside.
  • Masks will be required for all volunteers working concessions and indoor ticket takers. 
  • No outside food or drink.
  • No student re-entry. 

Our attendance remains high at 98% and we are very pleased with that. We are grateful for the students who are sick for staying home. 

Finally, based on our assessment this week, we have decided that we will not be further altering our mask policy beyond the items cited above nor implementing other mitigation measures at this time given no positive cases in our school, the low number of students and staff in quarantine, and our belief in our plan. However, we will continue to monitor our situation and be assessing each week if we need to make changes and will do so quickly if we feel it is warranted. 
BK Parent Start of School Survey
Thanks to the 450 of our parents who took the time to fill out the Start of School survey. Two-way communication and feedback are critical to our success as a school. While the survey just closed last evening, here are a few preliminary highlights from the parents survey:
  • 63% were “very satisfied” and 23% were “somewhat satisfied” with the start of school
  • 60% of BK students have been vaccinated and 7% partially vaccinated.
  • 43.4% of you feel we should be requiring masks indoors and 43.7% do not feel we should not require masks indoors, with 13% undecided.
  • Nearly 300 comments were submitted and we are in the midst of reading them all and categorizing them.

We also surveyed our faculty and staff with similar questions and a few additional questions that are relevant to them. Here are the highlights of the results from 82 of our faculty and staff:
  • 64% were “very satisfied” and 28% “somewhat satisfied” with the start of school
  • 86% of faculty and staff have been vaccinated and 1% partially vaccinated
  • 36% of faculty and staff feel we should be requiring masks indoors and 44% do not feel we should not require masks indoors, with 20% undecided.

We were very pleased with a couple of things from the survey: 1) Survey participation was high. Thank you! Given many respondents have multiple children at BK, we believe the 450 respondents represent around 65% of our families and students; 2) the high vaccination rates for students (67% full/partial) and faculty/staff (87% full/partial) are encouraging and we hope that even more will choose to be vaccinated with full FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Also, these high vaccination rates likely helped contribute to having only one positive student case (out of 946 students) and one staff case (out of 120 staff) in the first two weeks of school.
Virtual Back-to-School Night
In thinking about next Wednesday’s Back-to-School night, we reflected on what we were forced to do last year with no large gatherings allowed in the City of Boise. It turned out that we received many compliments from parents on how much they enjoyed the virtual experience. It was more convenient (did not have to drive or make carpool or babysitter arrangements), more of you could participate on your schedule, you received more content from teachers, it was a better use of time, easier on teachers and staff after a long school day, etc. What you did miss was the face-to-face interactions and seeing friends.

In weighing all these factors, including holding a large indoor event when COVID cases are high in our valley, we decided to do it the same way again this year - and do it even better! 

The live Virtual Back-to-School Night will be available at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, September 1st, on the BK YouTube channel. It will start with a state of the school address from Rich, followed by expectations of students and parents from Mike, and an invitation to all to attend the BK Foundation’s Winner’s Choice Auction from this year’s chairs, Kelly and Murray Lodge. You will then click through your child’s schedule and watch a 3-5 minute intro video and receive the course syllabus from each of their teachers. It will all be recorded so you can watch (and rewatch it ) at any time you wish.

In closing, thank you for choosing to send your children to BK and for your partnership in their educational experience! We are looking forward to seeing many of you at tonight’s Dedication and Blessing of the new beautiful Ysursa Field Guest Services Building and Lachiondo Family Plaza and the football game that follows against Eagle High School. Come join the BK community to cheer on our BK Knights in a tough season opener against the Mustangs, a perennial 5A power!
God bless,
Rich Raimondi
President
Mike Caldwell
Principal

Reflections from Father Vance
The beginning of a new school year always feels like a “hot mess.” It has always been this way in my experience, since I first walked into a high school classroom 30 years ago. Let’s just quickly examine some of the things that contribute to the mess. First, all of us have to adjust from a summer schedule to the more regular pattern of the school year. For me, that means going to bed earlier, and getting up earlier (good luck, right?). Second, many of the teachers have new classes, and they all have new students. Third, there is a group of both students and staff who are new to our community, and we deeply desire to welcome them and incorporate them into the work of this place as quickly as possible. Fourth, teams and activities are ramping into high gear as competitions get underway. Fifth, we are celebrating the great work of the “BK2020 Vision” Campaign, and dedicating the brand new Lachiondo Family Plaza at the entrance of Nick Ysursa Field. Did I miss anything? I’m sure I did, because I cannot include any of the changes, transitions, stresses and challenges that might be unique to your family! Now, add to these the ongoing stresses of the pandemic, and this explains why the beginning of the school year is such a “hot mess.”

The mess of the start of school is, however, undeniably exciting and holy. This school simply doesn’t make sense in the summer, with almost nobody around. It only makes sense when the halls are crowded with young people, and the buzz of both excitement and nervousness is palpable. We are only what we most deeply want to be when kids here are supported and challenged in all areas of their lives, and when we are able to commend each day, and indeed each moment of each day, to the overwhelming love of God for each of us individually, and for our community here at BK. So maybe a better description for the beginning of the year is “Holy Hot Mess…”
One of the highlights of the start of school for me has been gathering with the various teams and activities in the Chapel for Mass. What a wonderful way to begin the day, as through the Word of God in the scriptures and sharing the Eucharist together, we ask for the companionship of Jesus Christ in the hot mess of the day about to begin. I once saw a sign in an office that read “Bidden or not, God is here.” If there is one thing of which I am absolutely positive, it is that God is here with us at Bishop Kelly. God is with our students, our families, our staff, our alums and our whole community. God is here with us in the hot mess, and that is what makes it holy.
Bishop Kelly's student led rosary will be every Tuesday at 8:30 in the chapel. All are welcome. Students wanting to take a leadership role in leading a decade are to meet outside the chapel at 8:25. There is no need to sign up - just show up. All are welcome!
Action Item for Student Lunch Accounts
We need your help! If you are a returning family who uses MyPaymentsPlus to deposit money into your student's account online, please follow these steps as soon as you can. You will not be able to successfully deposit fund online unless you complete these steps. This only applies to returning families that used MyPaymentsPlus before August of this year.

1) Log into mypaymentsplus.com
2) You may not see any students, but click on "My Account" in the top menu.
3) Then choose Manage Students.
4) You need to click the "Delete" button to the right of each student.
5) Now you need to add the students back by clicking "Add Student" in the upper right of this screen. This process is the same as it was before, you need your student's ID number and last name to add them back to your account.

Please either contact the school or email helpdesk@bk.org if you need help completing this process.

Joe Wilsey | IT Specialist

Educational Outfitters and Mass Dress
If you have not yet ordered Mass Dress for your BK student, please do so ASAP!

The mandatory white oxfords with the BK Crest embroidered on them can be ordered from a local vendor, Educational Outfitters. If you need to go into the store to try on items, you will need to schedule an appointment on THIS SIGN UP form. Or, you can order online on the Boise Educational Outfitters website.
A Note from the Nurse
Welcome back to school for all new and returning students and their families. We have a lot of different things happening as we begin our year. One of the most important involves student health issues. Over the last few weeks I have sent out health care plans for those students that have significant allergies and other issues. These forms must be filled out and returned, along with the appropriate medications.

If your student will need to take any type of prescription medication during the school day, please download and print this Authorization for Medication Administration form, fill it out, and return it to me at school

If you have any questions regarding student health, please contact me at Bishop Kelly.

MaryLou Cunningham, RN, NCSN, MHS
Coordinator, Saint Alphonsus School Health Program
BK Activities
Fall Sports Information
Did you know that you can purchase tickets for BK Home Sporting Events online this year?







Ticket Prices:
General Admission - $6.00
BK Students with Activity Card - Free!
Non BK Students with Activity Card - $4.00
Senior Citizens - $3.00
Grade School Students - $3.00

Please remember that no outside food or drinks are allowed in Nick Ysursa Stadium or the Carley Athletic Center.

Students - Please remember that there is no re-entry into Nick Ysursa Stadium during football games.

Fans - Please maintain 3 feet of separation between family groups in the Carley Center Stands. If you cannot maintain 3 feet, please wear a mask.
BK Theatre Arts Fall Play Auditions
It’s time to shine! 

Auditions for our Fall play: Dracula, will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 31 and September 1 from 3:30 until 5pm in the Music Room. All BK students are welcome - no experience needed.

Auditioners should bring a pencil and their after-school schedule from now until October 31 - they'll need that information for their audition form.

Auditioners should be prepared to tell a 30-second joke.

For those who don’t want to perform but are interested in assisting, helping backstage or working on sound or lights, etc.: stop by auditions and fill out a contact form– we’d love the help!

Working on our BK production of Dracula just might be the most fun students will have at BK! 
Save the Date for the 2021 Winner's Choice Dinner & Auction
Mark your calendars for November 6, 2021 to kick up your heels at the Bishop Kelly Foundation's 45th Annual Winner's Choice Dinner & Auction, Knight's on the Range!

One lucky person goes home with a new automobile from The Auto Ranch Group.
Early RSVP by October 8th to be entered into a drawing for one Golden Ticket.
Only 250 will be sold!

International Travel Opportunities for BK Students
Bishop Kelly has several Spring Break trips planned for 2022!

Spring Break in Paris 2022
French students who are in French 2 and above are welcome to travel with Madame Ysursa to Paris during Spring Break. With an excellent tour guide, we will be visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc-de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, plus much more. Breakfast and dinner are included as well as lodging and transportation (flight, metro, bus). Let Madame Ysursa, room 111, know of your plans to travel or email gysursa@gmail.com. Still only $2999. Adults are invited as well.

For more information check out cityoflightstravel.com where you can sign up today !

Peru Spring Break 2022 Trip
We will be traveling to Lima, Machu Picchu, Cuzco, and Lake Titicaca. If visiting Machu Picchu is on your bucket list we are taking parents also. This trip is available for all current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. If you are interested please stop by my room 113 or any Spanish teacher to get a recommendation form. You will need two recommendations from two different teachers.

Students (travelers under the age of 23): $3,703 Adults (age 23 and over): $4,188 
Please visit our website to see more details.

Battlefields of Europe Spring Break 2022 Trip
Is traveling to Europe with Mr. Crump and Mr. Grant on your bucket list? Now is your chance! Mr. Crump’s Band of Brothers class is coming back in 2021-22 and with it another trip to Europe. See Amsterdam and Paris as well as several notable World War I and II sites like Verdun, Bastogne, and Omaha Beach with history teachers Mr. Crump (BK) and Mr. Grant (St. Joes). The tour is open to the first twenty-five students and families who want this unique experience. Send an email to Mr. Crump to get your name on the preliminary list, and check out This Explorica Webpage for more information and to register.

Japan Spring Break 2022 Trip
We will be traveling to Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, and Osaka. The tour includes a full-time tour guide, travel on the Shinkansen (bullet train), breakfast and dinner, and private transportation within the cities. All current Freshmen-Juniors that are interested are welcome to join [parents are also welcome but the price is different]. The trip price is $3900.00. For questions or more information, please see Mr. Harris in room 313 or email bharris@bk.org.

BK Parent Ambassadors
Bishop Kelly Parent Ambassadors are an important part of our school community. Throughout the year, we rely on these dedicated volunteers to build community here at Bishop Kelly.

Currently we need Parent Ambassadors to help with the Annual Welcome Back BBQ.

Parents are needed for food prep, serving food, grilling, set up, and clean up for our annual community building Welcome Back BBQ. There are also volunteer opportunities for students (set up and clean up) needing volunteer hours.


Additionally, we need donations of bottled water and cookies for the BBQ. Please bring cases of water, or 2 dozen store bought cookies to the front office anytime during school hours. Or, if you would rather, you can click here to make an online donation to the Kelly Pride Fund and designate your gift for the Welcome Back BBQ. Those funds will be used to purchase items for the Welcome Back BBQ.

School Photos and Ordering a Yearbook
School Photos
Everyone who pre-ordered school photos should be receiving them very soon in their English Class. When pre-orders are delivered, everyone who did not pre-order will receive a sheet with instructions and an individual student key that can be used to order prints online at ParkerPortraitsOnline.com.

Senior Yearbook Photos
Seniors can have their Tux and Drape photo taken at BK on October 13th, 2021 or they can submit a photo from an independent photographer. (Information about Tux and Drape Photos at BK will go out in September.)

Seniors should give this specification sheet to their photographer if they are submitting their own Tux and Drape Photo.

Ordering a Yearbook
Order your student’s yearbook before October 8th for the best price – $68.00. Prices increase throughout the school year, so order now and check it off of your to-do list.

Order Online at JostensYearbooks.com or call 1(877) 767-5217.

College and Career
Scholarship Opportunities:
The Heisman High School Scholarship, presented by Acceptance Insurance, extends the Heisman prestige to our nation’s most esteemed male and female high school seniors by recognizing and rewarding outstanding scholar-athletes who understand that the most important victories not only happen on the field, but in their schools and communities.

Elk Mountain Tents is looking to help out a stellar individual with an appreciation for the great outdoors who captures the adventurous spirit that has come to embody the Elk Mountain Tents brand. If that sounds like you, please apply! Or, if that sounds like someone you know, please share this opportunity with them!

College Visits with BK 
August
8/30 @ 11:25-12:00 Williams College (Virtual Visit) 

To attend, sign up using SCOIR or come to the Counseling Center

College & Career Fairs
Registration for the NACAC Virtual College Fairs are now open! 

Virtual Information Sessions 
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Date: August 31, 2021
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Who: All interested students and guidance counselors
What: Virtual question and answer session with some of our outstanding Midshipmen. This will be the perfect opportunity to learn about the admissions process and what it’s really like to attend USMMA.

NWHE Student Programs
The admissions advisors from Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Notre Dame and Washington University in St. Louis will share about their institution for a few minutes before responding to live and pre-submitted questions.
General Student Information Session
Sunday, Aug. 29
4:00 - 5:00 pm EDT

General Student Information Session
Thursday, Sept. 2
7:00 - 8:00 pm EDT

Virtual College Tours 

Student-driven virtual college tours 
Upcoming Catholic Community Events
Beloved Women of Idaho! 
You are invited to the Idaho Catholic Women’s Conference themed "Beloved". Join hundreds of women from across the diocese on Saturday, September 11 from 8 am to 4 pm at the Boise Centre. Our keynotes are national speakers Leah Darrow, Coleen Kelly Mast, and Sr. Mary Eucharista. We will also have Mass with Bishop Peter, Reconciliation, Adoration, a relic of St. Rita, a Mothers' Room for nursing infants, and a Catholic Market Place. Host homes and shuttles are available this year. Don't miss it! For more information and to register go to IdahoCatholicWomen.com or by phone at 208-484-0898.

Service Hours Opportunity
The Idaho Catholic Women's Conference organizers need young men to volunteer and help with registration that morning. (They are asking for young men to volunteer so young women can attend the conference!)

Be part of a TV studio audience!
The public is invited to attend live tapings of Dr. Ray Guarendi’s nationally syndicated EWTN television show, “Living Right With Dr. Ray”. The show is aired in 145 different countries and is coming to Boise. Guarendi is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, parenting expert, and media host. The programs will be taped at Our Lady of the Rosary in Boise and will include special interview guests from Idaho. Tapings are at 5PM & 7PM on Tuesday, September 28, and Wednesday, September 29. Reserve your FREE seat at saltandlightradio.com or call 208-344-4774.
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