Don't forget to join the PTSA this year! See the below flyers for info on how to join. The PTSA is hard at work planning for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year! We will be announcing more information about future meetings soon!

Did you know that 177 families helped our school's PTSA earn over $1300 in just 4 months by shopping at Kroger? You can help by linking your Kroger card to our school's community rewards program by

Remember to do your part for your community by completing the U.S. Census by September 30th.

Reminder: If your family needs a break from screen time, try the Louisville Free Public Library's curbside pickup of book bundles. It's a great way to grow a love for reading!

P.S. Adults can order book bundles too!

High School Fall Sports:

Our golf and cross country teams have begun practice. If any of our students in grades 7th-12th would like to run cross country, please email coach Dave Jaggers at dave.jaggers@jefferson.kyschools.us or coach Ben Kolb at bennet.kolb@jefferson.kyschools.us.

High school soccer teams are currently conducting small group workouts. Their first official practice will be on 9/8, with their first match slated for 9/14. 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 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 continued small group workouts. These workouts will continue Thursday night in our school gym 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. Their first official practice can take place on 9/7, with the first match on 9/14. All eligibility paperwork will be required before attending a workout.

All eligibility paperwork can be found on the athletics page of mybrownschool.org, under eligibility documents. There is a new Covid Waiver that must be completed, and at this time, please email Justin or the coach in order to get it. The Covid waiver will also be available at each workout.

Middle School Fall Sports:

A message from JCPS middle school athletics:

We understand how difficult the last several months have been for our student athletes, coaches and families. The uncertainty that surrounds everything from athletics to school to everyday activities has caused a lot of stress. The health and safety of our student athletes, staff and coaches is at the core of everything we do here at JCPS. With that in mind, I am sorry to have to inform you all that all JCPS MS Fall Sports including Football, Golf, Volleyball, Cross Country and Field Hockey will be postponed for the 2020 season. Given the guidelines that have been established due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, as well as the move to full NTI for at least the first 6-weeks of school, it makes it very difficult for us to be confident that we will be able to keep everyone safe during activities related to sports, including practices and regular competitions at this level. We will try again with winter sports on October 5 including Archery, Cheer, Dance, Swim and Boys and Girls Basketball. We realize this may be devastating to many of you, especially our 8th graders. While we can't host any practices or competitions at this time, we do encourage our student athletes to continue their training and workouts. We will know more in the Winter about what the go forward plan for middle school sports may look like. Coaches are encouraged to continue to keep in touch with student athletes via phone, text, email or Zoom meetings. We hope you understand that this decision was not an easy one, but it is necessary. Your continued patience and understanding as we navigate this new world together is appreciated. Stay safe and be well. We hope to see you all soon.

Robert E. Vinegar, Specialist, CMAA

JCPS Athletics & Activities

Elementary Fall Sports:

All fall elementary sports have been canceled this year. We will keep you updated for future elementary athletic opportunities.

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

*September 2, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

In the coming days we will provide a virtual Mental Wellness Presentation to students in grades 6-12 which is a mandate for all middle and high school students in the state of Kentucky. This year’s focus is on mental wellness and how students can make their mental health a priority. After the presentation, students who indicate that they want to speak to someone will be contacted by the school counselor or mental health practitioner for individual support if needed. We also want you, as parents, to know how to access help for your child. The schedule of presentations for each level is below.

Tuesday, September 8: Grades 8-12 during Study Skills

Wednesday September 9: Grades 8-12 during Study Skills

Thursday, September 10: Grade 7 during Erin’s class

Monday, September 14: Grade 6 during Cindy’s class

We encourage you to talk with your child about the presentation or about their thoughts regarding mental wellness. Keeping an open dialogue will allow them to feel safe and help them communicate openly when they need to talk. During these stressful times, try some of these techniques with your child to support them:

• Find healthy, fun creative outlets that you enjoy and make them a priority (ex. Reading, journaling, baking, exercise, playing games, drawing, etc.).

• Rituals are important and can help keep things “normal” while we are all social distancing. Some examples are: maintaining a time to get up, go to bed, eat, school work and making sure there is time for downtime and peer interactions.

• Simple breathing exercises (ex. Take a deep breath in, count to three and then slowly let your breath out). Helping children learn how to manage stress and anxiety through breathing or mindfulness is a strategy they can use throughout their life.

• Listen to calming music. There are apps that you can get for your computer or phone that already have calming music you can access, such as “Calm” or “Headspace”. Take a look at some of the ones offered and find one that is best for you and your child.

• Peer and social interactions are still important and can help your child maintain some sense of normalcy. Scheduling time with friends through social media, online game play or just time to talk to one another can offer social support and improve their mental wellness.

• Schedule a time to talk with your school counselor. We are still here for you and your child!

• Check out these additional tips from National Experts on mental wellness!

• Don’t forget about yourself! All of these strategies are adult friendly and can help you as parents/caregivers as well! Remember, your mental health matters too.

While it’s important to talk to students about what’s going on in the world, it’s also important not to overwhelm them with too much information about the pandemic. Assure them that it will pass, but it may take a while before we are back to normal. As a parent, if you need any help or support while talking to your child about mental wellness, please do not hesitate to reach out to your school counselor.

Sincerely,

Pamela Willison, Brown School Counselor

*The Bellarmine Center for Community Engagement has initiated a new program entitled, Bellarmine Pathways: Knights Lighting a Path for College, which is focused on connecting current Bellarmine students with local high school students to help share their live experiences and the success skills necessary for college. Bellarmine students will lead virtual evening sessions via Microsoft Teams with groups of approximately 10 high school students to discuss the following topics:

1. Financial Literacy and Wellness in College

2. Personal Identity on a College Campus

3. Time Management and Organization in College

4. Effective Communication in College

5. Study Skills in College

6. Health and Wellness in College

7. Student Involvement in College

8. Major and Career Exploration

Register online at www.bellarmine.edu/ce/register. Under the “CE Youth” tab you will see the Pathway to College course. Select from the two course formats:

Option 1: 8 Wednesdays / October 7 – November 25 / 6 – 8 pm / $39

Option 2: 4 Tuesdays & 4 Thursdays / October 20 – Nov. 12 / 6 – 8 pm / $39

The deadline for registering is Thursday, October 1, 2020.

If a student has a financial barrier, please contact etodd@bellarmine.edu for a coupon code. The mission of this program is for Bellarmine and Jefferson County high school students to connect directly and allow a space for authentic dialogues on the expectations of college. We want all interested students to have access to these mentorship talks and resources.

*The last day to ask for schedule changes is Tuesday, September 8. After that date, no schedule changes will be allowed until the beginning of second semester.

*In order to prepare for testing this school year, please review and submit the forms below if your student (Sophomore and Junior only) will be taking the PSAT test in October (we WILL be testing in person on October 14!) 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

***A note about paying test fees: We are changing our online fee collection partner, and as of now, it is not up and running yet. Check back here or on the Counseling Corner for dates when fee collection will start!

*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. Students who joined last year are already members; all other students should have received an invitation to join the class.

*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

Miss Christy's TIP of the Week: Next time you ask your child how he/she is doing, try this instead.

On a lighter note....click HERE.

Miss Christy's Virtual Office is growing! Check it out to stay in the "know" of what's happening each month (slides 1-2), along with some extra themed slides, including Miss Christy's Happy Place (slide 3). This Virtual Office is a fluid, ever-changing, growing slide deck. As the school year progresses, so will this slide deck. Feeling stressed out with too many things to do and not enough time to do them all??? Check out Slide 3. Miss Christy's Happy Place is sure to help. Click on each of the items around the room to reveal ways to relax our brains that fits a multitude of interests, including games, art, drawing, music, etc. A little secret...if you click on the flute, you will hear Miss Christy playing her flute to a beautiful song - sure to calm the most stressed out human (child or adult).

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

The best tip to helping your child be successful with the backpack and their defense is: ENCOURAGEMENT!! We believe that every student is capable of meaningful and rigorous work. The defense just showcases that. Remind your child that they will be successful because they have already done the hard work. They are now just "showing off".

Our Class of 2025 is on FIRE!! They have filled up the spots for early defending on the 25th.

Mark your calendars! Our next defense dates are: Oct. 9th and Oct. 23rd.

Do you have questions? Reach out to Amy or Norah. 🎒