REQUIRED FORMS FOR PARTICIPATION
ALL students that wish to participate in extra curricular activities are required by the district to annually complete and turn in a physical examination/parent-consent/medical-information/concussion-fact-sheet form. Due to the way that these forms have been condensed into one singular form they are no longer available on-line through the high school's website. Forms may be picked up at the Brandon Valley High School Office and Brandon Valley Middle School Office. All students must have completed paperwork turned in to the BVSD Activities Office prior to participating in their activity; it is the district's policy those students that have not completed/turned in all required paperwork will not be allowed to participate (attend practices or competitions) until all forms are in.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE SEASON
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If your student/participant has a medical condition (i.e. asthma, severe allergic reaction requiring an epi-pen, etc.), for their safety during practices and games please make sure that your student has a set of all necessary medication(s) (i.e. rescue inhaler, epi-pen, etc.) that is clearly marked with their name that can be kept with the team medical kit throughout the season. All unused medication(s) will be returned to the student at the conclusion of the season.
All necessary equipment (except for shoes) is provided by the Brandon Valley School District. Participants must use the equipment provided to them by the school; students are not allowed to use their SD Junior Football equipment or other outside equipment while participating with BVMS football. If a family wishes to purchase their own helmet for their participant, this must be cleared by the athletic director, Bill Freking (bill.freking@k12.sd.us or 582-3211). If a student wishes to use their own mouth-guard or chin-strap, that is permitted; however, mouth-guards and chin straps are provided by the school.
Practice is held every day after school (unless otherwise noted or cancelled) from 3:30 pm until approximately 5:20pm at BVMS. We ask that all students be picked up or be walking/biking home at the conclusion of practice. If there is an early dismissal from school we will not practice that day. Practices on Wednesdays will be finished by 5:00-5:10pm to allow those students with Wednesday night activities to meet those obligations.
The coaching staff realizes and understands that there are times where a participant may have medical appointments or dental appointments that conflict with practice. These absences are considered excused absences and we would kindly ask that if your participant has an appointment you please contact the coaching staff and let them know as soon as possible. Participants with unexcused absences (i.e. skipping practice) may see their participation in games shortened; participants with an unexcused absence will have their parent(s)/guardian(s) contacted by a member of the coaching staff; two or more unexcused absences the participant will have a letter sent home, their parent(s)/guardian(s) will be contacted by the coaching staff, and the participant may be dismissed from the team.
Students will be transported to and from away contests via school provided transportation. The coaching staff strongly encourages our participants to ride the bus home with their teammates at the conclusion of games; however, there WILL be a sign out sheet with the coaching staff following the completion of games during the 2024 season. If you wish to transport your child home from an away contest, you must sign your participant out with the coaching staff. Students are not allowed to travel from game sights with other families unless permission has been obtained from the BVSD athletic director, Bill Freking (this is for extenuating circumstances).
Due to the weather during late August and early September there may be days where practice restrictions will be put in place by the district's athletic director and our training staff to help ensure the safety of all participants.
The coaching staff will be sending home information regarding parent sign-up for the Remind texting/messaging service. This free service allows the coaching staff to quickly communicate with all parents in the event of unexpected schedule changes, cancellations, reminders of practice times, and notifications when the team is close to returning home from away games. This information will be sent home with your participant and we kindly ask for your participation. If you have a smart phone you can sign up to get push notifications by completing the following steps: on your i-phone or android device, open your web browser and go to the following link: rmd.at/mrrees and then follow the instructions to sign up for REMIND (you will be prompted to download the mobile app). If you do not have a smart phone, or to get text notifications the the message: @mrrees to the number 81010. Please note that Remind is our fastest method of communicating with all our families.
The philosophy of the BVMS 8th grade football team is inclusion and participation. BVMS 8th grade football plays two games (an A-game and a B-game) against our opponents. All participants will play in one of the two games scheduled against our opponents. During the B-game participants typically substitute in as whole groups for series on offense and defense. Since series length varies, some groups will be on the field more or less than others during any one particular game; however, the coaches will work to ensure participation by all players during each game. During the season participants may move between teams (A and B) depending upon player development and decisions by the coaching staff to maximize team and individual success and participation.
The BVMS 8th grade football team includes participants of varying degrees of size, skill, and experience; players may be asked to play different positions than they have previously played in the past if the coaching staff believes it is in the best interest of the team and its success. The coaching staff will work to put all participants in the best possible positions for team and personal success.