J. Graham Brown School
Bear Essentials
February 16, 2022, Issue #25
Principal's Message
Dear Brown School family,
Our performing arts department was trained yesterday on the use of our new programmable LED theatrical lighting. They'll be able to control the fully dimmable work lights, can lights, house lights, aisle lights, and blue lights from the mezzanine, backstage, or the console. The console can be plugged into two locations - backstage and the sound booth. We have 33 color changing LED can lights - eight in each of three stage ceiling raceways and 9 in the house ceiling cat walk. Our teachers will be able to pre-program nine different looks that can be easily accessed by pressing a button during a performance.
Be sure to ask your student about their visit with Farmer Steve! It's been a crazy winter, and our students deserved to pet baby animals and goats! Farmer Steve was here all day yesterday and today. I hope your student enjoyed themselves.
You may have been wondering how our school would be impacted if the JCPS Board of Education decides to change start times for schools. Dr. Pollio reassured me on our visit that there would not be an impact to Brown as long as we are not being provided school bus transportation. Our school hours will remain from 8:00 AM to 2:40 PM.
Love,
Dr. Angela
This Week's Essentials
SBDM Update
Here's what happened at last night's SBDM meeting.
Dr. Angela shared a Good News Report.
Public Comment
Dr. Angela shared a Budget/Staffing Update
Dr. Angela shared a Personnel Update. We currently have the following positions on the JCPS Joblist: Mental Health Practitioner, Nutrition Services Assistant, and two 2nd Shift Custodians.
Vital Signs Data Analysis
Dr. Angela shared the Kentucky Impact Survey Results
The council received
The council reviewed these budget reports: Flexible Budget Summary; Activity Accounts: District-Based; School-Based
The council took this action on these policies:
Approved the By-Laws
First Reading of Travel Policy
First Reading of Writing Policy
First Reading of Assignment of Students to College Level Courses
Mental Health Practitioner
We wanted to make all families aware that last week our Mental Health Practitioner Damon Cobble resigned his position. Dr. Angela has already sent the job vacancy to JCPS and it is now posted for applicants. She hopes to work with our hiring committee to have the position filled soon. In the meantime, our counselors, Robin Cash (6-12) and Christy Teague (K-5) will be providing mental health services to students.
If you know of a person who would be great for this position or any other position we have open, please share THIS JOB POSTING with them. We are also hiring a nutrition services assistant and two 2nd shift custodians.
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.
PTSA Meetings for 2021-2022, 6:00 PM
Our meetings are in person at the school, or via Zoom, CLICK HERE
March 15, 2022
April 19, 2022
May 10, 2022
Support PTSA fundraising efforts, Read about Members, etc. - CLICK HERE
NEW: Staff Appreciation Brunch
Let's show our Brown School Staff how much we appreciate them with a day of potluck meals! We need your help with donations of breakfast/ lunch / beverages and accessories to make it special. If you or your student want to send in a special note to accompany your donation, it will make it even more special. For example, "Salad donated with love from the Smith Family, Jo Smith 3rd Grade."
It's been a tough couple of years for Students, Families, and Staff. We've all endured immense challenges and appreciate school more now than we ever knew was possible.
This special effort will mean so much to our wonderful staff who work so hard to create a nurturing environment for our children. It will brighten up a dark month as we head into glorious Spring!
When: Monday, February 21st (breakfast drop off between 7:15 and 8:00 and lunch drop off between 10:30 and 11:30).
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090a49a8aa2ba0fb6-jgraham
Thank you!
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.
Visit 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
Sticker Contest Ends Friday
The PTSA will be purchasing stickers for all Brown School students but we need your help designing them. We’re asking students from each level (elementary, middle, and high) to submit their sticker design to Dr. Shawna Stenton (Shawna.stenton@jefferson.kyschools.us) no later than noon on Friday, February 18th. You will then vote to determine the design of the stickers to be given to students at each level this spring. Thanks and good luck!
Robin Cash, Middle/High School Counselor / robin.cash@jefferson.kyschools.us
Need Student Support?
To connect with a member of the student support team complete THIS SUPPORT REQUEST FORM and we will assign a student support staff member to meet with the student as soon as possible.
Counselors
The next STAR STUDENT Announcement will be this Fri, Feb 18, 2022! Take a look at the Past Star Students.
ELEMENTARY (K-5)
Need to talk to the Elementary School Counselor? Click HERE to see how.
MIDDLE/HIGH (6-12)
TESTING: Juniors will be taking the ACT on March 8. While we know all of our students are so much more than a number, this allows us to identify how we can best support our students to be ready for college so they have every opportunity to further their education. We have partnered with the Louisville Free Public Library to give every junior access to free test prep materials. Please encourage all of our junior students as they prepare!
Repeat info:
Mental Health Check-in lessons happened in Grades 6 & 7 Math classes and Study Hall for Grades 8+ this week. Students that miss the lesson or do not have a study hall will have a follow-up in late February. Please talk to your student about their mental health <3
Advance Program Process For students in grades 3-10 who took the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) in Oct as a qualifier into the Advance Program. Packets were given to students last week with important information for parents about the next steps in the Advance Program and possibly Gifted/Talented (General Intellectual-category) for their child. Please click HERE for a brief outline of the next steps.
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Scores are now posted in the Parent Portal.
Robin will be visiting classes in late February to discuss scheduling courses for next year. Many opportunities are available such as new electives, UPS, Dual Credit, Career Pathways, and Work-Based Learning. Start thinking about which classes and/or programs will best enhance your educational experience!
Cap & Gown and Junior Class Rings
Our Jostens Rep, Starla, will be at Brown this Friday to take orders for Caps and Gowns and Junior Class rings. She will be in the Counseling Suite from 9am 10am. You can make your orders online HERE. Ask your Junior and Senior students to share the packet they received at school.
If you have questions please reach out to Norah.Wakefield@jefferson.kyschools.us
Cultural Connections
World Day of Social Justice
The United Nations World Day of Social Justice is Sunday February 20. The 2022 theme is Achieving Social Justice Through Formal Employment.
The global pandemic has devastated the income of many, especially those who relied on income from informal work. Most of these workers lack opportunities for formal employment, access to social protections, and employee-related benefits and are far more likely to be in poverty.
Learn what is being done, how you can get involved, and attend a global virtual event on February 21 to address this issue at the UN World Day of Social Justice website.
Athletics
Winter Sports:
Swim/Dive Team
Daphne Powell represented Brown School Dive in the State meet this past weekend in Versailles, KY. Daphne made it to the Finals (top 20 divers) and placed 13th in the State! Way to go, Daphne!
Archery
Archery will finish out their season on 2/26 at the Manual and Atherton shoots. Its been a great season and are thankful to coach Jennifer and all of our student archers. Good luck on the 26th Bears!!
Basketball
Our middle school girls basketball team came up short in the Final 4 of the City Championships. They had a great season and we are so proud of the girls on all they accomplished. The future is bright for this team!
High School basketball got a clean sweep over St. Francis last week, winning the JV boys, varsity girls and varsity boys games. They will be in action Thursday at Portland Christian and Friday at Seneca, before district tournament play next week.
Elementary Basketball
The elementary basketball team got a huge win over Minors Lane last week, with everyone on the team playing great. They will play Bloom Elementary this Saturday at noon. The game is at Brown, Go Bear Cubs!!
*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.
Spring Sports:
Spring sports will get underway in the next few weeks, so please contact the coach t get more information. All student athletes must have all eligibility paperwork complete before they can practice or participate. All paperwork can be found on the athletics page of mybrownschool.org, under eligibility documents.
High School Spring Coaches:
Baseball (7th-12th)- Jake Amettis - jacob.amettis@jefferson.kyschools.us
Softball (7th-12th)- Amanda Gravens - amandaggravens@yahoo.com
Track- Jelly Green- william.green@jefferson.kyschools.us
Tennis (7th-12th)- Matt Davis- matthew.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us
Athletic Director- Justin Leonard- Justin.leonard@jefferson.kyschools.us
Elementary & Middle School Winter Sports:
Boys Soccer- TBA
Girls Soccer- Josh Luttrell- rja172307@gmail.com
Track- Jelly Green- william.green@jefferson.kyschools.us
Athletic Director- Matt Davis- matthew.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us
Family Matters
Make sure to check out some exciting summer camp opportunities !
Stay up to date on resources and information for your family by following JCPS Family Engagement on social media.
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
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.
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 Quarantine Procedures
Please note that JCPS continues to follow our previous guidelines on students for quarantine due to COVID. Although the CDC shared new guidance, we are awaiting protocols from the Kentucky Department of Public Health to determine how the state might require schools to implement any new rules. Until we receive this from the state, we will continue to follow the existing guidance of a ten-day quarantine for those who test positive. Please review the current guidelines below.
For students who test positive, they will quarantine for 10 calendar days starting from the day after either the positive test or the onset of symptoms, whichever comes first.
For students who are identified as close contacts of individuals who have tested positive, they will quarantine for 10 calendar days starting the day after exposure. These students will have the opportunity to participate in the Test to Stay program, which would enable them to return to school with a negative COVID test from the previous school day.
If and when procedures are updated, the district and our school will communicate accordingly.
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
If you have questions please reach out to Matthew.Davis@jefferson.kyschools.us .