🐻 April 15, 2026 | Issue #33 🐻
🐻 April 15, 2026 | Issue #33 🐻
April 16 - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Safety City
Gifted & Talented Committee Meeting
PTSA Board Meeting
April 17 - Moonbeams & Fireflies Field Trip to the Louisville Zoo
Pee Wee Prom (K-2 4:00-5:30, 3-5 5:30-7:00)
April 21 - 1st Day of Ridvan
April 24 - Earth Day Celebration
Spring Show
April 25 - Spring Show
MS Orchestra Field Trip to Cedar Point
April 25-26 - Senior Field Trip to Chicago
April 27 - Budget Committee Meeting
PD Committee Meeting
SBDM Council Meeting
April 29 - 9th Day of Ridvan
Hip Hop Into Learning Field Trip
April 30 - Junior Awards & Promotion Ceremony
Shoebox Derby Float Parade
MS Thurby Party
April 30-May 1- HS Lock-In
May 1 - Oaks Day (No School)
We have received funding for our summer camp! We will have a limited number of spots for students to attend an academic summer camp June 8th - 26th for middle/high and June 10th - 26th for elementary at the Brown School. Students may attend one, two, or three weeks from 8 a.m. to noon, and receive instruction in reading and math to help prevent summer slide in grades K-9. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, but families will be responsible for their own transportation.
Camp spots will be filled by invitation first, but for any remaining spots, families can put their name on the consideration list here, and will be filled on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please reach out to Sarah (6th-9th) or Lisa (K-5th) with questions at sarah.yost@jefferson.kyschools.us or lisa.billings@jefferson.kyschools.us
This Friday, April 17 is Pee Wee Prom for students grades K-5.
4:00-5:30 K-2
5:30-7:00 3-5
Remember to accompany your child to Pee Wee Prom and wear Sneakers to dance the night away.
When: Thursday, April 30th from 7:00pm - 7:00am
We’re excited for our Brown School Spring Lock-In, a beloved tradition for students in grades 9–12!
Students will spend the night at school, hanging out with friends in the gym and lobby areas (upper floors will be closed).
Students can bring:
Tents (must be visible inside)
Gaming systems, board games, or card games
Inflatable mattresses, blankets, and snacks
More Snacks!
Additional details:
Separate designated sleeping areas for boys and girls.
Students may leave early if picked up by a parent or guardian.
Late arrivals must have prior permission from the supervising adult
A permission slip and $20 fee (at the door) are required; proceeds support the Biology Pine Monutain Trip.
Permission Slips will be available in room 328 starting next week.
We’re also looking for adult chaperones with current background checks. If you’d like to volunteer for part or all of the night, please contact Dr. Kat (kathleen.mattingly@jefferson.kyschools.us)— we’d love your help!
The goal of the Lock-In is to have fun, build community, and enjoy time together in our “second home.”
Thanks!
We are looking for parent volunteers to help with setup and cleanup for Prom 2026 on May 9th, 2026, at the Sawyer Hayes Community Center. Set up will be 5 pm - 7 pm and clean up will be 11 pm -12 am.
All decorations and supplies will be provided—we simply need helping hands to make the evening a success for our students. Any time and assistance you can give would be greatly appreciated.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Dr. Kat (kathleen.mattingly@jefferson.kyschools.us)
Curtis needs about 20 volunteers from various grade levels to help with our reunification drill. This will take up to an hour of your time. If chosen, Curtis will call or email you with the date, time, and instructions.
What is a Reunification Drill?
A reunification drill is a practice scenario that schools conduct to rehearse securely reuniting students with parents or guardians during any type of evacuation. These drills test the procedures for locating, verifying, and releasing children to authorized adults, ensuring an orderly process that avoids panic and reduces potential chaos in a real crisis.
If you have time between 10 AM - noon in April, please fill out this form this week.
Softball Wins All-A 7th Region!- High School Softball won the All-A 7th Region yesterday. They will go on to the state tournament in Owensboro on 4/25 and 4/26. Congratulations to all the player and coaches Amanda and Courtney and thanks for all the support from the families. All-A Championship Instagram Post
Middle School Track:
Congratulations to the Middle School Track Team on another great meet! In the Girls 100m, JaMariyah Render PR'd with a time of 14.89. In the Boys 100m, Terrance Brown finished 26th with a time of 13.38, and Raymond Ford PR'd with a time of 14.68. In the Girls 200m, JaMariyah Render finished with a PR time of 32.82. In the Boys 200m, Terrance Brown PR'd with a time of 29.11, and Raymond Ford PR'D with a time of 30.76. Raymon Ford placed 21st with a 10'11". The time and energy spent on the track is showing, great job, runners!
High School Track:
High School Track had an all-girls ' team for the JCPS #3 Meet hosted by Male High School last night.
In the Girls' 100m, Chloe Middleton PR'd with a 14.95, Erin Rogers had a 15.60, and Zacaylah Thompson PR'd with a time of 15.81. In the Girls' 200m, Chloe Middleton PR'd with a time of 30.21, Erin Rogers finished with a time of 31.90, and Zacaylah Thompson PR'd with a time of 33.33. The girls finished 8th in the 4x100 with a PR'd time of 59.56. Nina Devine PR'd with a time of 1:18.40 in the 400m, a 3:36.43 in the 800m, and a time of 8:23.34 in the 1600m. Raya Jones finished 3rd in Shot Put with a distance of 27'4".
GREAT JOB RUNNING BEARS!!
Field Maintenance Help- If anyone has a company or has an aerator we can use for our athletic field, please email matthew.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us.
Churchill Downs Fundraising/Volunteering- If you have signed up to volunteer to do concessions for Churchill Downs, please be on the lookout for information about days, times, etc. on the email you provided on the Google Form. There are not a lot of schools our size that have this level of support from parents and we really appreciate what you are doing for our athletes.
Communication- If your child is playing a sport at Brown, it is critical that both you and your athlete (if they have a phone) have an Eventlink account and follow your team calendars. Your "Contact Points" need to be your phone number and email. This is where you will check your schedule and receive announcements (cancellations, changes, etc). If a coach needs to be contacted, students can email the coach (go to www.brownbearsathletics.com and click on Athletic Department) or the athlete can ask their parent to call or text the coach. If you need the coaches phone numbers, please email them or me and I will email it to you. To join our Eventlink for team announcements and calendars please open these INSTRUCTIONS. Please make sure you search for the "J. Graham Brown School." This is how you will receive messages from coaches and game updates. Practice and game schedules can also be found on www.brownbearsathletics.com
Brown Athletics Website- For up-to-date information on Brown Athletics and everything you need to know about Brown Athletics (practices, announcements, photos, game information, how to join sports at Brown, merchandise, etc.) please visit www.brownbearsathletics.com. A lot of questions can be answered by checking the "More" section of the webpage.
Spring Sports Fees Due Now- Fees that are not paid will be put as an obligantion on myschoolbucks next week. This spring these are required to be paid and fee waiver status does not apply to after school activities. If you would like to bring a cash or check, have your athlete bring it to the athletic director office of the Welcome Center. Please pay as soon as possible. Spring Sports Fees Links
Social Media Assistance- Coach's and AD's would love your assistance in getting photos and results from games so that we can post them on Instagram. Most of our sports posts are on Instagram because our students are on it and it does not take up too much of the school's Facebook page. If you have a good photo from a game, meet or match or a result or individual accomplishment, please email it to an AD.
Fencing- JCPS is requesting us to find the number of students at Brown that participate in Louisville Fencing. If your student currently participates there, please let email matthew.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us to let us know.
MS Girls Basketball- There will be a middle school girls basketball meeting after school Thursday from 3:00-3:20 in the lobby with Coach George. This is for next year's 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls.
Middle School Flag Football- Our team needs a few more players. We are doing great, but with a few more, we can really have some success. If your athlete is currently not playing a sport OR you are playing a sport but not sure if they have time, let us know and we will see what we can work out.
Middle School Baseball Announcement- If your 5th, 6th or 7th grader is interested in playing middle school baseball this fall, please fill out this form so our coach can begin planning: 2026 Baseball Interest Form
Brown School Booster Club- Join the Brown School Athletics Booster Club! They are planning fun events and ways our parents and community can help support Brown School Athletics.
Booster Club Informational Flyer
Brown Bears Athletics Instagram- Please follow brown_bears_athletics on Instagram.
Kroger Rewards- Please add Brown Athletics to your Kroger Rewards Program. It does not take away from your gas points and really helps out our athletic programs.
Join us Thrusday in the Counseling Suite on the third floor for our PTSA meeting. Free Parking in the garage - just buzz in at thw walkway. Meeting starts at 3:30 pm.
We will be discusing the upcoming Move-A-Thon, Teacher Appreciation Week, and Elections.
If you are interested in mental health services for your student outside of the school setting, we are able to make referrals for you through Care Solace. If you are interested in my services with your student to start off the school year please reach out to me via the student support form and I will be happy to talk with you and find the best services for your student. I am hoping to do more groups this year, so if you have an idea that you think would benefit your child feel free to reach out!
Check out J. Graham Brown School's Student Support Team's (SST) Website:
For Elementary parents:
Important Highlights include:
Student Recognitions including Star Students!
Small Group Counseling and Individual counseling opportunities for students with our UofL counseling Intern under Miss Christy's supervision
permission forms will sent to parents to sign and return to Miss Christy by this Fri, Apr 17
I've been visitning classrooms this week to give students an overview of what next school year will look like in the middle and to go over potential elective options. By the end of the day tomorrow all 5th-7th graders will have access to the Elective Request Form for their grade level for next year. This form will remain open for submissions until the last day of school and students can edit their responses until then as well. I will send out the google form and corresponding slide show that I made for the students next week to parents. Ms. Robin will visit 8th grade classrooms tomorrow to prepare for high school scheduling. Please remember that course offerings are subject to change and that I will do my best to meet all the needs of all the students.
In addition to scheduling, all the middle school students were greeted by me first thing Monday morning with a talk about the 3 goals we are all focusing on until the end of the year. Please ask your darling about these 3 goals and help encourage them to lock in and focus on joy. Thanks!
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Scheduling 8th grade for Brown High School:
Robin is visiting Andrew's Social Studies classes on April 17. We are waiting on JCPS to make scheduling in IC available to students and hope they can choose classes in real time tomorrow. We have pre-loaded required courses that everyone will take and will discuss the options available to freshmen in Andrew's.
Students who are enrolling in a school outside of Brown will need to discuss their course requests with their new school, but they will still gain information about general Kentucky high school requirements from Robin tomorrow.
Scheduling: Friday, April 17 Students in current Grades 9-11 will receive a video to guide them through scheduling basics. Robin is meeting with students in person on the following dates:
April 20-B2 English 2
April 21-G1, G2, and G3 Junior Seminar
G4-English 2
April 22-B1 and B3-English 1
April 23-G2 and G3-AP Seminar
G2-English 1
On April 24th, Jefferson Community and Technical College will be at Brown to work with students that need additional guidance.
One component of students registering for dual credit at Jefferson involves a parent completing a virtual consent form. This text message or email can look like phishing if you are not expecting it. I will encourage students to complete enrollment while they are home with their adults so you can complete it in real time.
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Unfortunately the budget for Dual Credit has been cut at the state level for the 2026-27 School year. Students in the Class of 2027 & 2028 can take TWO Work-Ready (aka CTE) classes next year and ONE total General Education Class.