Please remember to park in appropriate locations when dropping off or picking up your student.

Please DO NOT PARK in the Forefront Dermatology parking lot or the Murphy Law Offices parking lot unless you have an appointment with them. Their lots are private business lots and are unavailable to use.

We understand that parking locations and places are difficult during drop off and pick up, but we also strive to be a good neighbor to our surrounding businesses.

• Please avoid stopping vehicles in the driving lanes on First Street. This blocks traffic and creates a dangerous situation for students attempting to access these vehicles. Please only stop in spaces at the curb. Please note that middle and high school families may utilize the length of First Street to pick up students. There are numerous building exits along First Street that will allow students to safety enter vehicles parked along the curb.

• When crossing streets, please use crosswalks and cross when signals indicate it is safe to do so. Crossing at other points presents a danger to pedestrians.

• Please avoid parking and/or driving through neighboring businesses. Picking up students in these areas presents a danger because our staff members are unable to supervise those areas. Also, these businesses may tow vehicles parked there without permission.

• To minimize traffic and congestion along First Street, if picking up students in-person at the gym door along Muhammad Ali Blvd, please park on the Second Street side of our school building. This should minimize the number of vehicles in the front of the building and limit the number of pedestrians walking there as well.

• Please do not idle your car while you are waiting for your student.

Thank you for attention to these items as we work together to make dismissal as safe as possible for our students and families.

As you may know, students in grades 6-12 will receive a new student ID this school year. To make our IDs as current as possible, we are taking new pictures of all 6th-12th grade students. Starting next week, students will have the opportunity to visit the cafeteria each morning from 7:30-7:50 to have their picture taken for their new student ID. A schedule will be shared with dates students can report for their picture. These dates will be specific to grade level and student last name.

Many of our middle and high school students who walk or ride TARC may have additional safety concerns. As your family considers these issues, please review the JCPS Student Support and Behavior Intervention (SSBI) Handbook. Many commercially sold personal safety products are considered to be unsafe to possess at school. The SSBI Handbook identifies specific items that should not be brought into school. Students in possession of these items are subject to disciplinary action. If you have questions or concerns, please contact school administrators.

Additionally, all families should review the SSBI Handbook for policies related to student behavior, consequences, due process, and student rights. The SSBI Handbook can be accessed at the link below.

2021-22 Student Support and Behavior Intervention Handbook

Students in grades 6-12 may utilize a personal electronic devices during the school day, in accordance with the school's Personal Telecommunications & Electronic Media Devices Policy. Some important reminders from that policy are listed below.

• Personal electronic devices must be on silent at all times.

• The use of any electronic device in the classroom is at the discretion of the teacher.

• The use of the camera, audio recording, and video functions are prohibited at all times, unless part of a defined instructional activity.

• The use of an electronic device in common areas (hallway, cafeteria, etc.) is allowed, but using external speakers is prohibited. Students may use a single ear bud for sound but must be able to hear any staff directions.

Use the link below to access the complete policy.

Personal Telecommunications & Electronic Media Devices Policy

We should have our school fees updated in the system by noon on Friday, September 3rd. At that time, all student scheduled should be finalized, so fees should be accurate. Please look for an update in next week's Bear Essentials! Families are encouraged to pay online at MySchoolBucks, but we can also accept a check made out to the school.

We want your partnership and collaboration! Please sign up for one of our SBDM committees! Some committees may be holding their meetings virtually, and chairpersons will work with the committee members to determine meeting dates/times. Parents, teachers, staff, students, and community members may participate on committees. Signups will end at noon on Friday, August 27th. Click HERE to sign up!

If you were on a committee last year, you must sign up again to participate on the committee this year. Due to our bylaws, we are not able to add anyone to a committee after the signup window closes.

Budget Committee – has the responsibility of overseeing the general fund budget. A yearly budget is presented to the council as well as recommend budget adjustments if needs or available funds change during the year. This committee must adhere to state and district guidelines.

Curriculum and Instruction Committee – will review, gather, discuss, examine, and determine what practices (involving curriculum, instruction, assessment, and instructional tools) are best for students at the J. Graham Brown School. Input regarding the development of a school schedule and integration of technology to meet instructional priorities may be addressed in this committee.

Professional Development Committee– creates a plan for professional development that supports school needs. This committee studies requests for professional development, looks at problem areas as reflected by the planning committee, reviews the CSIP and then recommends a plan to council, which shall include professional development for the school council, in accordance with district and state timelines.

Racial Equity Committee - is responsible for supporting the school in eliminating racial bias and achievement/opportunity gaps. This committee will analyze SBDM policies and school practices to determine the impact on demographic groups, disaggregate Comprehensive School Survey and achievement data, contribute to the school’s equity monitoring processes, and recommend next steps.

Safety and School Climate Committee – is responsible for investigation of safety concerns for the school including evacuation plans, facilities, and school community issues. The safety committee is also responsible for before/after school and school-sponsored activities.

Here's what happened at our SBDM meeting on Tuesday, August 17th:

• Shawn Wilson was elected vice-chair and Stephanie Eilers was elected secretary.

• The council approved the Minutes of the Meeting of July 15, 2021.

• Dr. Kat the school Vision and Dr. Angela shared a Good News Report.

• There were no speakers for Public Comment.

• The council reviewed their Caseload Updates

• Dr. Angela shared that Committee Signups are taking place.

• Dr. Angela shared the Feedback from our EMPT

• The council reviewed these budget reports:

  • Flexible Budget Summary

  • Activity Accounts: District-Based; School-Based

• Dr. Angela conducted a consultation for hiring 7th/8th grade social studies teacher.

• The council revised and approved EMPT Goals

• The council reviewed/received/signed Email Notification Agreement, Proof of Receipt of “Your Duty Under the Law” and “Managing Government Records”

• Dr. Angela reminded council members about SBDM Training Zoom Face-To-Face, Online and background checks.

Due to COVID-19, it is possible that students may have to quarantine at some point during the school year. A quarantined student is one who has been exposed to COVID-19 and has been told by a medical professional to quarantine as a result.

According to state regulation, students may be counted as present during the quarantine period as long as they are receiving the equivalent of six hours of daily instruction. This does not have to be 100% synchronous instruction, but should include interaction with a teacher during the quarantine period. Please see below for the language from KDE:

Quarantined students (quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure or isolated due to a positive COVID diagnosis) may be coded with an Attendance code of “Quarantined Receiving Services” that is mapped to Absent – Exempt. Students so-coded, must continue to receive daily instruction virtually. This does not have to be 100% synchronous instruction but should include interaction with a teacher during the quarantine period. Pursuant to KRS 158.060(3), except students in shorter primary programs or with disabilities, the district must provide at least the equivalent or six hours of daily instruction.

In order to keep students connected to their classrooms, students will have asynchronous work. This work will either be provided by the classroom teacher or the district resource teacher team (see more details below, this list is being updated through the end of the day today - not all teachers are listed right now). The district resource teachers will provide the required synchronous instruction for students. There will be a combination of synchronous lessons focused on the priority grade level standards and the district resource teachers will provide “office hours” to support students.

These Brown School teachers will be providing asynchronous work to students:

Jacob Amettis

Heather Anderson

Tamika Carr-Briggs

Matt Davis

Kate Duff

Terrilyn Fleming

Christi George

Andrew Gray

Neysa Jones

Jason Linden

Jessie Magee

Torri Martin

Dr. Kat Mattingly

Mike Moreland

Curtis Moss

Alex Murphy

Stacy Pendleton

Joel Prestigiacomo

Laura Sebastian

Randi Skaggs

Stacy Von Roenn

Norah Wakefield

These Brown School teachers prefer that students complete asynchronous work assigned by JCPS resource teachers in the district Google Classroom:

Andrew Boling

Dr. Mike Brame

Tina Densford

Stephanie Eilers

Jennifer Funk

Cindy Garwood

Gregory Grazette

Ryan Hudson

Tyler Jones

Samantha Priest

Erin Vachon

Laura Viergutz

Nichele Washburn

Logging in

Students will go to www.classroom.google.com and choose the appropriate “JCPS Google Classroom” for their grade level. When a Brown School student is quarantined, our staff (Mary Frances Landenwich and/or Amy Thornton) will support the family by assisting in logging into the “JCPS Google Classroom”.

Students who Choose not to Participate during the Quarantine period

Students who choose not to participate in QRS or do not receive the equivalent of six hours of instruction will be marked as either absent excused or absent unexcused.

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) for grades 3 and above:

The CogAT will be given mid-October 2021. This is the qualifying test for JCPS Advance Program. This year, all 3rd and 4th grade students will take this test. Therefore, students in grades 3-4 DO NOT need to complete the CogAT Signup Form. All students in grades 5 and above who want to take the CogAT must complete/submit the signup form to SIGNUP to take this test. Only a specific number of tests for grades 5 and above will be ordered based on the number of students per grade level who complete/submit the signup form by the deadline of Wed, September 1, 2021.

Complete the CogAT Signup Form ONLY if your child is in grade 5 or above and wants to opt in to take this test. Those students would include students who are not yet identified as Advance Program and/or did not earn a score of 24 or higher on the CogAT to also be identified as Gifted/Talented (G/T) in the General Intellectual category of G/T.

Deadline to complete/submit the CogAT Signup Form (only for students in grade 5 and above) is Wed, September 1, 2021.

Tip of the week: We are now 10 days in! Check in with classes on Infinite Campus and Google Classroom. Double check the right teacher, right block, right grades. On the upper left corner, click the "hamburger" icon (3 horizontal lines). You will see a drop down with a "to-do" option. You can select that to see items you have not yet addressed! Parents can have their students "invite" them to view the class for home support.

We are so excited to share our new Counseling/Student Services Suite with everyone. This area is still under construction, but we are beginning to settle in. Our location on the pedway is a hub of student support including Krista (Counseling Clerk), Ramandan (ECE Specialist), Elona (FRYSC), Damon (Mental Health Practitioner), Christy (Counselor Grades K-5), and Robin (Counselor Grades 6-12).

Elementary School Students

Our students are off to a great school year so far! Miss Christy, the ES Counselor, will be visiting classrooms very soon to introduce herself and share what she does in the school and other counseling related services offered. Students are doing a fantastic job of following safeguard regulations which include wearing masks in public places (classrooms, hallways, anywhere in JCPS building/school, and/or common areas unless actively eating or drinking), frequently washing hands, using hand sanitizer, and social distancing. Great job!!! Also, just a reminder to always read this newsletter and other communications from Dr. Angela and other Brown staff to keep on top of all the great things happening at our school. Another great resource to help keep you in the know is checking out Miss Christy's Virtual World that shares current and upcoming events, resources, weekly Star Students, and much more.

Middle and High School Students

*Google Classroom is back! Robin will use "Class of 20##" 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 in study hall or English classes the first week back. These google classrooms roll over each year and information that is relevant both school-wide and class specific (i.e. the form to request a class change for everyone or scholarships for seniors) will be posted there! You don’t want to miss out!

*Remind.com will be used for short, time-sensitive updates. Codes for Remind class groups will also be shared the first week of school.

*Schedule change request: The window has closed for schedule change requests for the fall semester. If requests were not honored it was often due to there being no available seats on a roster. Different grade levels and classes have different class sizes. Robin will continue to process requests sent before 8/24 if possible. Students requesting E-school style classes should be enrolled within the next week.

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)

Christy Teague, Elementary School Counselor, christy.teague@jefferson.kyschools.us

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING (6-12)

Robin Cash, Middle and High School Counselor, robin.cash@jefferson.kyschools.us

There is an in-person SBDM meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 17th at 4:00. It will tentatively be held in room 201. HERE is the tentative agenda.

Be sure to check out our SBDM page on our school website!

Fall Sports:

The heat got us again this week, but our soccer teams are excited for the All "A" tournament this weekend. The girls will take on KCD on Friday evening at KCD, while the boys will travel to Whitefield to take on the Wildcats. If the boys win, they will play KCD on Saturday night at St. Francis of Goshen. The girls and boys championship games will be Monday at St. Francis.

The boys soccer team kicked off their season against Walden and had a big 9-1 victory. Ali Alkhabi led the way with 4 goals, but it was a great team effort. Go Bears!!

High School volleyball is showing tremendous progress and won their first match of the season against Southern's JV team. Each game they are getting better and we are excited about the the rest of the season.

Cross Country has been practicing hard (when the heat index is in our favor) and they are excited to run against some other schools in September.

Elementary cross country will have their first meet of the season on Monday night at Charlie Vettiner.

Golf has the week off before our 8/31 match at Charlie Vettiner!

High School Fall Coaches:

Cross Country- David Jaggers- david.jaggers@jefferson.kyschools.us

Girls Soccer- Josh Luttrell- rja172307@gmail.com

Boys soccer- Steven Phillips- steven.phillips@bullitt.kyschools.us

Volleyball- Kathleen Mattingly- kathleen.mattingly@jefferson.kyschools.us

Athletic Director- Justin Leonard- Justin.leonard@jefferson.kyschools.us

Middle School Sports:

Elementary and Middle School Spring Sports:

Cross Country- Cross Country- David Jaggers- david.jaggers@jefferson.kyschools.us

Golf- Barry Bridges- abbridges@aol.com

Volleyball- Anna Obryan- ajobry01@gmail.com

Athletic Director- Matt Davis- matthew.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us