Bear Essentials #25
February 3, 2021
Principal's Message
Dear Brown School Family,
I want to encourage everyone to visit the Black History Month section of the Bear Essentials each week during the month of February! Our high school Black Student Union (BSU) is leading the way. For over 20 years, Brown School students have celebrated Black history and culture at our annual Black History Program. This year it's going to look different for obvious reasons, but our BSU student leaders are working to ensure that our program is just as engaging and meaningful as in past years. Our BSU student leaders will be presenting the program to students in grade-level groups; performances shared with students will be previously recorded, but I'm excited that our BSU student leaders will be "live" emcees during the program. We are also planning on recording at least one of the programs and subsequently posting it to YouTube for our families and the greater community to see.
This week is National School Counselors Week. Please take a moment and let our counselors Christy and Pam know how much their work means to you!
Warm regards,
Dr. Angela, Principal
This Week's Essentials
Fourth and Fifth Grade Parents!
You are invited to attend a workshop on transitioning your child to middle school on Wednesday, February 24th at 6 pm. As you know, there are many obstacles to overcome and changes to adjust to when beginning middle school. Come hear Sara Castro Doherty and Pam Willison from our counseling office share what to expect and how best to prepare and support your child.
This workshop will be held virtually through Zoom:
Topic: Transition to Middle School
Time: Wednesday, February 24th PM Eastern Time
Join Zoom Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/95671545037?pwd=djY3aUVCQk9weTZtYXdNU1M3Ykpkdz09
Meeting ID: 956 7154 5037
Passcode: 65SRNP
Sara Castro Doherty, LPCC
Check out my website for extra resources during distance learning! - https://sites.google.com/jefferson.kyschools.us/brownmentalhealth/home
Black History Month
Our Black Student Union is planning a plethora of events for Black History Month. Be sure to check this section each week through the end of February! Other upcoming events include our Annual Black History Program & Awards, Racial Equity Book Readings, Book Awards, and Coffee & Conversation Sessions.
On February 5th at 10:00, the Black Student Union will be hosting a Coffee and Conversation meeting with Ashanti Scott as our guest speaker. Ashanti is a student at the University of Louisville who has a passion for improving the Louisville community and working to create an equitable, accountable, and just society. She has been a vocal activist in the Black Lives Matter movement and other important social justice movement. We are excited to host her and hope that everyone can come support this event. We are looking forward to having you!
The Black Student Union will be hosting Coffee and Conversation meetings throughout the month of February, so please feel free to contact any BSU board members for any further information. Our google meet code is: BSU2020. You can email our board members at: Maya Anderson, Aaliyah Cox, Malaysia Green, Ziona King, and Alexis Doe. There will not be a meeting on February 12th.
Tech @Brown
Problem: Your Chromebook is just not running right, or you think it could run better.
Solution: It is a good idea to occasionally clean up your Chromebook by power washing it, and no it doesn't mean use water! Powerwashing resets the device and installs the newest Chrome OS version, and makes it like it is brand new out of the box. This process is fast and easy to do, and all of your files are safe. Check out the video to learn how.
If you are having technical difficulties, please visit the Tech@Brown website it offers various ways to get help, and is linked off of our homepage under both PARENT and STUDENT.
Call or Text 502-398-3450, or visit https://bit.ly/browntech
Please Email Amy.Thornton@jefferson.kyschools.us with questions.
Weekly Columns
Backpack of Success Skills
What does a defense presentation look like?
Our Backpack Team
If you have any questions please contact us:
Grades 6-12 Backpack Lead, norah.wakefield@jefferson.kyschools.us
Grades K-5 Backpack Lead, amy.thornton@jefferson.kyschools.us
Check out our BACKPACK NEWSLETTER
Star Students
Please encourage your student to shine in showing off our school-wide expectations:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
Always Pursue Excellence
Family Resource Youth Service Center
Hello! I am Elona Mack, and I am Brown/Central FRYSC Coordinator. Need help? Your FRYSC is here to provide assistance. Click HERE for community resources.
Please contact me with questions or concerns.
Email: Elona.mack@jefferson.kyschools.us
Phone: 502-631-9146
Parent Teacher Student Association
We encourage Families to join the PTSA now, to stay involved in Brown School PTSA activities, fundraisers, teacher appreciation events, and more. Membership is an easy and affordable way to stay connected to your child's education and support the school.
-Become a PTSA member and get a window decal-CLICK HERE
-Attend the next PTSA Meeting - CLICK HERE
-Support PTSA fundraising efforts - CLICK HERE
-Read about our members - CLICK HERE
Walter Zausch, PTSA President
brownptsa.president@gmail.com
2021 PTSA MEETINGS
February 16, 2021, 5:30 PM
March 16, 2021, 5:30 PM
April 21, 2021, 5:30 PM
May 18, 2021, 5:30 PM
Counselors
CLICK HERE to visit the Counseling Corner. It's your one-stop-shop for answers to most of your questions K-12!
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELING (K-5) - from Christy Teague, Elementary School Counselor
From Christy Teague, Elementary School Counselor
christy.teague@jefferson.kyschools.us
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING (6-12) - from Pam Willison, School Counselor
Applications are now open for the Henry Clay Center's fully-funded, public-policy summer program - the High School Student Congress! This one-week program in Lexington, Kentucky is an ideal academic and professional experience for rising high school seniors (current juniors) interested in politics, government, leadership, and public service!
This year's program will be hosted at the University of Kentucky from June 14th to June 18th, 2021. Students will participate in a bipartisan policy development project, as well as hear from guest speakers, conduct leadership development activities, and enjoy site visits and other social and academic activities. Applications can be found on our website, www.henryclaycenter.org, and are available through February 22nd.
From Pam Willison, Middle and High School Counselor
pam.willison@jefferson.kyschools.us
Athletics
High School Winter Sports:
Our boys and girls basketball teams have begun playing games and our student athletes and coaches are working extremely hard to improve and stay safe. Our girls picked up a big win against Western Monday night. Both teams are in action this Friday against Portland Christian and Saturday against Shawnee.
Our bowling team will have its first match of the season this Thursday against Ballard. Our bowlers are looking forward to competing and anticipate a very good season.
Our swimming team is still working hard at practice and "making some waves" in the pool. We are currently working on our schedule and should be able to update our calendar with some swim meets very soon. Stay tuned!
**We are in need of more girls on our bowling and basketball teams. If any student in grades 7th-12th is interested in participating, please reach out to our coaches ASAP.
If anyone is interested in joining one of our winter sports teams, please reach out to the coaches as soon as possible. Anyone participating must have all eligibility forms completed. All paperwork can be found on the athletics page of mybrownschool.org, under eligibility forms. All paperwork must be completed, with the $20 insurance fee, before any student can participate. Insurance fees can be paid at: MSB Link HERE
A list of coaches are:
Boys Basketball- Jermill Bibb jbibb20@gmail.com
Girls Basketball- Josh Luttrell rja172307@gmail.com
Boys Bowling- Shawn Flynn- lisanshawn419@gmail.com
Girls Bowling- Joel Prestigiacomo- joel.prestigiacomo@jefferson.kyschools.us
Elementary and Middle School Winter/Spring Sports:
Elementary and middle school fall sports are postponed until we return to school.
Family Matters
Looking for a new platform to hear a story or a joke? Practice your listening skills with the Louisville Free Public Library's TeleTales. Call 502-916-990 to hear kid-friendly jokes, poems, and stories. Content is changed frequently and is available 24/7.
From JCPS Family Engagement:
Do you have a future engineer at home? U of L's engineering students are helping students K-4th learn about STEM at home. Visit their page for more information.
Action Needed
Problem: MANY Brown School families still need to complete the necessary forms.
Solution: We ask that all families please double-check that all required paperwork for every student in their household is completed as soon as possible.
Steps to complete forms:
Log in to the JCPS Parent Place
Select the "Complete Forms" icon
Ensure you have completed all required school forms
Take a look at optional forms and complete the FlipGrid form
**JCPS Parent Place is a different website from Parent Portal, which is for checking grades.
Did you move?
Did you get a new phone number or email address? Have you recently moved? In order to be able to reach you about your student, it is critical that we have the correct information on file. Please be sure to let us know of any changes to a phone number, email address, or emergency contacts. It is super simple! All you have to do is contact our Records Clerk, stacey.powell@jefferson.kyschools.us. This will ensure that you do not miss any important information from our school and the district.
You can also reach out to Stacey if you are unsure if your information is correct at 502-977-8246 or email stacey.powell@jefferson.kyschools.us.