The PTSA is hard at work planning for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year! Please see the below flyers for how you can join the PTSA and other ways to stay involved. We will be announcing more information about future meetings soon!

JCPS will host a Live Learning Session on Thursday, August 20th at 6:00 p.m. to discuss NTI 2.0 and to answer questions about the upcoming school year. The session will be live streamed on the JCPS YouTube Channel.

Stay connected with JCPS updates through a family perspective at @JCPSFamEngage. Like the page now for information about town hall meetings, resource updates, and best practices from parents just like you.

The official start date for high school fall sports is August 24th, and our athletic department and coaching staff are working diligently to ensure our practices will be safe for our student athletes and families. The KHSAA will meet on Thursday 8/20 to determine our next steps. We look forward to seeing our athletes back soon.

Any student entering grades 7^th-12^th, that would be interested in playing golf this year, please email abbridges@aol.com for further information.

High school soccer teams are currently conducting small group workouts. Any high school student that is not currently participating, but would like to, should reach out to our coaches to receive communication on plans for workouts and the season. Every student athlete will need at least an updated sports physical to participate in workouts and will need all eligibility forms to start the official practices. Our girls soccer coach is Josh Luttrell and he can be reached at rja172307@gmail.com. Our boys coach is Steven Phillips and his email is steven.phillips@bullitt.kyschools.us.

High school volleyball has begun small group workouts. These workouts will continue Thursday night at Seneca Park from 6:00pm to 7:30 pm. Our coach is Kathleen Mattingly and her email is Kathleen.mattingly@jefferson.kyschools.us and we encourage our student athletes to reach out to her for communication on workout plans and the beginning of the season. We hope to start official practices next week in the Brown School gym.

For our voluntary workouts prior to 8/24, all athletes must have an updated sports physical on file. On 8/24, all students will be required to have an updated sports physical, a notarized insurance form, a concussion form and a video form. There will be a $20 insurance fee, for our student athlete secondary insurance policy. All specific team fees are on hold at this time and may be collected in the future. All eligibility paperwork can be found on the athletics page of mybrownschool.org, under eligibility documents.

Middle school sports are still on hold at this time, but please continue to look for more information on our school Facebook page and through the weekly newsletter. We hope to have more information after the KHSAA and JCPS meet later this week.

Unfortunately, we have decided to cancel elementary cross country and soccer for the upcoming fall season. It certainly was a tough decision, but we do not feel we can safely hold practices or competition with our elementary students. Our students, coaches and families safety will always be our first priority and we hope to offer both programs next year or whenever we feel it is safe.

Good luck to all of our students as they begin classes next week. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Justin Leonard at Justin.leonard@jefferson.kyschools.us. GO BEARS!!

HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING

From Pam Willison, Middle and High School Counselor

*BRAND NEW ADVISORY GROUPS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH!!! Parents: Please see the letter above (or click the link below) about our new advisory plan for students. Included are links for students to choose their advisor. This new group will be beneficial during NTI days, as well as after we get back in the building. EVERY STUDENT should choose their advisor and become part of a group. If a student does not choose, we will choose for them.

Advisory Parent Letter

*Schedules will be viewable via the portal on August 17th. Send any scheduling questions to pam.willison@jefferson.kyschools.us . Please understand that options are limited but every request will be reviewed and considered.

*It's almost time for back to school! Even though we will start back in a whole new way, we are still planning for several upcoming tests. I'm sure it will happen one way or the other! Please review and submit the forms below if your student (Sophomore and Junior only) will be taking the PSAT test in October (plans include a possible move to a winter date) and/or the AP Tests in May (any high school student in an AP class) PLEASE CLICK BELOW:

PSAT Commitment Form

AP Test Commitment Form

*Google Classroom is back! I will use "Class of 2021-2027" to communicate with students in grades 6-12. If your student hasn't already joined, encourage them to do so. Codes will be shared with students, or send an email to pam.willison@jefferson.kyschools.us and I'll send a link.

*Visit the new Counseling Corner here. It's your one-stop-shop for answers to most of your questions!

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COUNSELING (K-5)

From Christy Teague, Elementary School Counselor

Visit Miss Christy's Virtual Office to learn more about your child's counselor and the services she provides.

Visit the new Counseling Corner HERE. It’s your one-stop shop for answers to most of your questions. We are here to support students and parents during our “new normal”. The best method of connecting with your counselor during NTI is via email.

CORE CURRICULUM COUNSELING LESSONS

Miss Christy will be visiting classes on a regular basis to teach Core Curriculum Counseling (CCC) Lessons. Lessons will focus on social/emotional wellness and helping each student to discover his/her own unique gifts/talents. This year’s theme for CCC lessons, formerly known as Classroom Guidance, is “Everyone is a Star. How do you shine now? How will you shine in the future?” The CCC Schedule for grades K-5 is coming soon. CCC Lessons will begin mid to late September to give teachers and students time to acclimate to NTI.

TESTING

Kindergarten ONLY:

• BRIGANCE, the Kindergarten screener, has been postponed by KDE. More information will be shared with parents as it becomes available to schools.

Grades 3-10 ONLY:

• The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), which is connected to JCPS's Advance Program, is typically given to students in grades 3-10 mid-October. All third grade students take this test. Students in grades 4-10 must sign up to take this test. Sign ups usually happen mid to late September. However, due to NTI, we are waiting for more information from the JCPS Testing Unit about how to proceed with this test this year. Information will be shared as soon as we know more from the Testing Unit.

PARENT RESOURCES

• Student/Parent Tutorials for Google CLICK HERE.

• Tips for Parents during NTI Activities CLICK HERE.

• COVID 19: Help Kids Manage the Stress of Social Distancing CLICK HERE.

• Additional Parent Resources CLICK HERE.

Think your child may need some extra social/emotional assistance during this uncertain time? Here are the steps to follow:

1. Email your child's School Counselor - christy.teague@jefferson.kyschools.us (grades K-5) or pam.willison@jefferson.kyschools.us (grades 6-12) - OR complete and submit the Brown NTI Counseling Support Request form.

2. You will receive an email or phone call back from your counselor or our mental health practitioner, Sara Castro Doherty, to discuss next steps with you.

MENTAL HEALTH

Interested in counseling services for your child? Re-enrolling your child in counseling for the 20-21 school year?

Sara Castro Doherty will be providing counseling services again this year for any child needing some extra assistance during this unprecedented time. Is your child frustrated with NTI, anxious about the current state for our world, struggling with isolation? If so then your child may benefit from some additional social-emotional support from our personal development counselor. Individual counseling sessions would occur via google meet weekly, biweekly, or monthly depending on the specific needs of your child. If you are interested please either email sara.castrodoherty@jefferson.kyschools.us or complete this counseling referral google form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZhHLd89FVRaaQj826UpXcPgoTVHJvVJUHyiIrmAbWubH3Og/viewform?usp=sf_link

FRYSC

P-EBT

The P-EBT deadline is extended to August 31. Families who get SNAP, KTAP, Medicaid + may not have not gotten P-EBT added to their EBT card or did not get a card should apply. Click here to apply.

If you need your child's state ID number, call 313-HELP. Our team can connect you to the right department to get that information.

What a crazy year 2020 has been! What new things has your child been able to accomplish despite the recent Covid crisis? There are lots of ways for our students to meet the Success Skills outside of the classroom. Want to know more? Reach out to Amy or Norah. 🎒

Our first sign up for Early Defenses is Sept. 25th. What better way to start off on the good foot than signing up for your defense? If you would like to defend early please email Norah today!

The rest of the defense dates will be announced after school begins. If you'd like to start working on your defense before then, please reach out to Amy or Norah. 🎒