J. Graham Brown School
Bear Essentials
December 1, 2021, Issue #16
Principal's Message
Dear Brown School family,
On Tuesday, December 14th, our SBDM Council will be doing a second reading on revisions to our School Space Policy. This is the policy that designates one of our student restrooms on the third floor as a gender neutral restroom. We are excited to be considering adding a second gender neutral restroom on our first floor that I hope will be approved at that meeting. This will enable our LGBTQ+ students and their friends in basement and first floor classrooms to more easily access a restroom without having to travel to the third floor. Additionally, this will enable us to have a gender neutral option for students during special events, such as lock-ins. The restroom location being considered is a new multi-stall restroom that we received during the renovation that sits outside Cubs Corner. If approved, this restroom will be available to students when we return from winter break.
Love,
Dr. Angela
This Week's Essentials
Book Fair
The book fair is here through December 8th!
To keep crowds to a minimum, we will run the BOOK FAIR a little differently but will give everyone plenty of chances to come up and see us. We are asking for LOTS of parent volunteers (From setup to run it during the day, to tearing it down). Please sign up HERE to help us out.
For additional information or to inquire about assisting us with our Brown School Book Fair, please contact amanda.klakamp@jefferson.kyschools.us
Utility Assistance
The Fall Subsidy Phase of LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) began Monday, Nov. 1st, and the appointment system is now open.
Eligible residents (Jefferson County residents within 150% of the federal poverty guidelines) can set up a drop off appointment by calling 502-991-8391 or online at louisvilleky.cascheduler.com
Louisville Metro LG&E Assistance is available for eligible residents who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.
If you're behind on your Louisville Water Company or Louisville MSD bill due to the pandemic, assistance is available! Apply at https://louisvillewater.com/CovidFunds or visit your local community ministry. Call 211 to locate your nearest ministry. Read more.
Parent-Teacher Student Association (PTSA)
WE NEED OFFICERS/COMMITTEE CHAIRS!
We have the following openings for Officers and Committee Chairs for the PTSA.
Vice President, Ways and Means (1) - Fundraising
Vice President, Ways and Means (2) - Fundraising
Secretary
Merchandise Chair
Concessions Chair
Enrichments Chair, Spring 2022
If interested, please email Shawna Stenton, or Membership VP here. New Officers and Committee Chairs will be either be appointed or elected in a special election.
JOIN THE 2021-2022 PTSA!
Parents/Guardians, Staff, middle/high school students, and even grandparents are eligible to join the PTSA and enter the drawing. Membership is only $5.00 and benefits our school in so many ways.
Click here to join.
All new memberships through the end of November will be entered for a drawing of a gift bag of Brown School merchandise, clothing, and other goodies.
Membership Drive: SWAG BAG Drawing
CONGRATS TO BRAD NUSS for being our September Winner for the Swag Bag Drawing.
Join the PTSA and earn a chance to win a J. Graham Brown School Swag Bag!
Announcing our new Merchandise Site!
All new merchandise will be fulfilled by our third-party partners and will ship directly to you.
To visit our new site... click here
PTSA Meetings for 2021-2022, 6:00 PM
Our meetings are in person at the school, or via Zoom, CLICK HERE
November 16, 2021
December 14, 2021
January 18, 2022
February 15, 2022
March 15, 2022
April 19, 2022
May 10, 2022
Support PTSA fundraising efforts, Read about Members, etc. - CLICK HERE
Robin Cash, Middle/High School Counselor / robin.cash@jefferson.kyschools.us
Counselors
Tip of the week: See graphic above regarding a school choice workshop provided by the Louisville Urban League.
Connect with us: To connect with a member of the student support team complete THIS FORM and we will assign a student support staff member to meet with the student as soon as possible based on the student's needs and our availability.
We Will, We Will HELP YOU - a song to remind students/parents that we are here to help!
ELEMENTARY (K-5)
Click HERE to view Miss Christy's Core Counseling Curriculum (CCC) Lesson schedule and lessons.
Also, check out 21-22 Elementary World for more resources.
MIDDLE/HIGH (6-12)
Students only have 3 weeks left in the semester. Be extra kind to your student as they work to submit all work and prepare for exams before winter break. Teacher grades will be submitted in early January then posted to transcripts. Seniors can request their mid year transcripts be sent via parchment.com. Make sure you click "hold for grades" and your transcripts will be sent mid January.
College Connection
Make plans to attend our first parent workshop with KHEAA. Steve Held will be visiting from 8-11 on Dec. 7th to help with all the college things - FAFSA, Scholarships, etc. Reserve your spot today.
We have lots of College Reps visiting our seniors in seminar class. Ask your senior what we're doing.
Athletics
Winter Sports:
Swim/Dive Team
High School swimming picked up a big win at the Central invite on Tuesday 11/30. Both girls and boys both placed 1st and did a great job! They will be back in action Saturday in the Fern Creek meet.
Middle School swimming with be back at the JCPS meet on Friday night, looking to build on their great meet 2 weeks ago. Good luck swimming Bears!!
Bowling Team
Our bowling team continues to improve, while taking on a very tough schedule. They will beheading to the Manual Tournament on Saturday. Go Bears!
Archery
We have our first match of the season on Saturday at PRP, both our middle and high school students will be shooting. Good luck Bears!!
Elementary Basketball/Cheer
The elementary basketball team has started practice and are looking forward to playing games beginning mid-January.
Cheer will begin soon and we will send out information as we set a date for tryouts and practice. We can't wait to get started!
Basketball
Middle school basketball is headed to Shawnee tonight, 12/1. We are looking for a few big wins, but know our players will give their best efforts.
High School basketball will be in action Friday night at home against Atherton. All students will get free entry and a free hot dog and drink. Come cheer us to victory!
All student-athletes must complete weekly Covid testing and have all eligibility paperwork turned in before they can participate. Those forms can be found on the athletic page of mybrownschool.org, under eligibility documents, or in our main office.
High School Winter Coaches:
Boys Basketball- Jermill Bibb - jbibb20@gmail.com
Girls Basketball- Josh Luttrell - rja172307@gmail.com
Bowling- Justin Young - justin.young2@jefferson.kyschools.us
Cheer- Aruna Keswani - aruna.keswani@jefferson.kyschools.us
Swimming/Diving- William Kolb- wmkolb@gmail.com
Archery- Jennifer Pasewalk - jennbeanfest@aol.com
ESports- Andrew Boling - andrew.boling@jefferson.kyschools.us
Athletic Director- Justin Leonard- Justin.leonard@jefferson.kyschools.us
Elementary & Middle School Winter Sports:
MS Boys Basketball- Jermill Bibb- jbibb20@gmail.com
Girls Basketball- Josh Luttrell- rja172307@gmail.com
Elementary Basketball- Shawn Wilson
shawn.wilson@jefferson.kyschools.us
Swimming (grades 6 & up) William Kolb- wmkolb@gmail.com
Cheer- Ally Cunningham- alexandria.cunninham@jefferson.kyschools.us
Alexandria.cunningham@jefferson.kyschools.us
Athletic Director- Matt Davis- matthew.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us
Family Matters
JCPS is accepting applications for our Winter Break Literacy & Coding program starting on 12.20.21. This program is designed for JCPS students in grades 3-5!
To register, please visit:
https://forms.gle/8Q7gVT5ZZh7p2WTTA
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
Cultural Connections
Want to learn more about Culturally Responsive Teaching practices? Check out this information from Brown University!
Culture is central to learning. It plays a role not only in communicating and receiving information, but also in shaping the thinking process of groups and individuals. A pedagogy that acknowledges, responds to, and celebrates fundamental cultures offers full, equitable access to education for students from all cultures.
Culturally Responsive Teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning (Ladson-Billings,1994).
Some of the characteristics of culturally responsive teaching are:
Community
CONTACT TRACING | Families will be notified if their student is a close contact with a COVID-19 case through text messages and email. If you are not already receiving JCPS text messages and emails, please text the letter "Y" to 67587. If you have any further questions, please reach out to your school directly to update your contact information, including your cell phone number and email address.
Click here or above to learn more about this new notification process.
COVID Testing
Drive-Thru Testing Option
Our 22 drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites for JCPS staff, students, and families are open from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m Monday-Friday every week. Doss High School, Highland Middle School, Meyzeek Middle School, and Newcomer Academy are NEW sites starting this week. SphereDX, the testing company, highly recommends pre-registering to ensure you will be tested. Click here to register. Please be sure you enter the correct information like name and birthdate, or your test results won't be available.
Weekly Testing at Brown
Families, please make sure to complete all of your required forms in Parent Place. That includes the weekly voluntary COVID-19 diagnostic screening testing form. More than 10,190 students are now signed up for this opportunity!
Please make sure to complete the form to indicate whether you would like your child to participate in the voluntary COVID-19 testing at Brown if you haven't already.
Click here to complete a student consent form.
Lost and Found
Here is a slideshow of items currently in the Lost and Found located in the lobby. Please look through it if your student has any missing items. LINK
CLEP TESTING PROGRAM
CLEP (College Level Examination Program) Now Available to All Brown Students
Click the link to learn about the CLEP testing lab located at Brown. This is an opportunity for our students to earn college credits for what they already know. CLICK HERE