J. Graham Brown School
Bear Essentials
February 9, 2022, Issue #24
Principal's Message
Dear Brown School family,
The past month has been one with a lot of uncertainty, but now that it seems that we are on the downward trend of the latest Covid surge, I'm hoping we can all get back into a routine. I'm hoping that if we can keep our staff healthy we will be able to remain in-person for the rest of the school year.
I have some very exciting news to share! Our school is receiving an additional $250,000+ in funding from JCPS in staffing and allocations for the 2022-23 school year.
We will be hiring an additional School Counselor for our middle school. (We currently have one School Counselor who serves all students in grades 6-12; the current counselor will serve high school only next year.)
We will have a full-time School Technology Coordinator to handle all our student devices and manage our new Innovation Lab.
Our ECE Implementation Coach position will be full-time (previously part-time). This will allow this person to oversee our 504 Plans as well as our Individual Learning Plans.
We will receive an additional $48,600 in funding.
I am grateful for the investment JCPS continues to make in our school.
Love,
Dr. Angela
This Week's Essentials
SBDM Update
Join us for the next SBDM Council meeting at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, February 15th. The meeting will be held in the library. Please enter the school through the pedway.
Agenda
Opening Business
Agenda Approval
Approval of the Minutes of the Meetings of January 18, 2022
Sharing of the Vision
Good News Report
Public Comment
Planning
Vital Signs Data Analysis
Kentucky Impact Survey Results
Committee Reports
Budget Committee Report (2/14)
Curriculum & Instruction Committee Report (2/10)
Professional Development Committee Report (2/14)
Racial Equity Committee Report (2/7)
Safety & School Climate Committee Report (2/2)
Budget Report
Flexible Budget Summary
Activity Accounts: District-Based; School-Based
Policies for Review and REAP
Second Reading of the By-Laws
First Reading of Travel Policy
Review of Writing Policy
Review of Assignment of Students to College Level Courses
Old Business
SBDM Council Training Verification
Adjournment
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.
School Newspaper
Please read the Bear Necessities, a student publication that gives students the opportunity to share their voices on current events.
Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) ~ 8th-12th Grade Students
Kentucky students may earn money for college through the KEES (Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship) program. ​Students who try to get the most from high school by studying hard and making good grades (2.5 GPA or higher) can earn scholarships for college or technical school​. The better students do in high school, the more they will earn toward college scholarships. ​Students receive bonuses for doing well on the ACT​, ​SAT​, ​and for students who qualify for the Free and Reduced Meal program​, on the Advanced Placement (AP​) ​exams. For more information about the specifics of the KEES program, visit www.kheaa​.​com​.
The KEES scholarship funds are assigned via the qualifying student's social security number. ​To be eligible to receive earned KEES scholarship funds, a copy of the student's social security card is needed.
If you have not already done so, you need to submit a copy of your student's social security card to the Records Clerk. You can scan and email a copy to our Records Clerk HERE, or make a copy into the office in a secure envelope marked "Records Clerk". If you are unsure if the school has a record of your student's social security number and want confirmation or have any questions, please email Stacey Powell and she will respond accordingly.
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
February 15, 2022 (Zoom only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86024247269?pwd=NnhZZXFIeGhSUkc0dGZ4Wkc3Q25LQT09)
March 15, 2022
April 19, 2022
May 10, 2022
Support PTSA fundraising efforts, Read about Members, etc. - CLICK HERE
Congratulations to Our Homecoming Royals!
Your PTSA was thrilled to provide the crowns for our Homecoming Celebration. Congratulations, Royals!
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
High School Entries Needed! Sticker Contest Ends Next Week
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
Help us celebrate National School Counseling Week this week (February 7-11)!!! We are here for YOU!!!
No STAR STUDENTS last Friday due to Snow Day. The next STAR STUDENT Announcement will be this Fri, Feb 11, 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)
Mental Health Check-in lessons are happening 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 February. Please talk to your student about their mental health <3
Repeat info:
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 yesterday and today 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 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!
Transcripts for seniors need to be requested on parchment.com for mid-year reports!
We are creating the schedule for next year and at this time we need to make sure we offer the right number of sections of the right classes! Please complete the survey based on your current grade level (use your JCPS email):
College Connection
A representative from the JCPS Everyone Counts program will be in the Senior Seminar class to discuss the options for UPS. All seniors are invited to attend on Wednesday, Feb. 23rd, beginning at 8:10.
If you have questions please reach out to Norah.Wakefield@jefferson.kyschools.us
Cultural Connections
Black History Month
Our Black Student Unions (MS and HS) have several events planned to celebrate Black History Month! Each morning, students are sharing important facts with the student body via the PA announcements. Additionally, there are several Coffee and Conversations being held throughout the month that brings together engaging speakers and our brilliant students. Our culminating activity is our 27th Annual Black History Program. This year, we will hold three separate programs for each level (elementary, middle, and high) in order to facilitate social distancing. This will be our inaugural event in our newly renovated auditorium!
If you have questions please reach out to our BSU sponsor Neysa.Jones@jefferson.kyschools.us
Athletics
Winter Sports:
Swim/Dive Team
Regional Swim eneded this past weekend with our swimmers doing an outstanding job! Ian Diankov finished 13th in the 200 freestyle, 14th in the 100 breast and 16th in the 100 Fly. In the 100 yard backstroke: Micheal Stenton finished 12th, Jackson Skeeters finished 13th and Jackson Parry fisnished 15th. Boys took 8th in the 200 medley relay and10th place in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Girls took 10th place in the 200 Freestyle Relay and in the 200 medley relay. Shelby Geraghty too 14th in the 100 fly and in the 200 individual medley. Great job to our Swimming Bears!
Bowling Team
Congratulations to Nathan Shannon, who finished 13th in the State in the State Bowling Championships yesterday. We are so proud of you Nathan and thank you for the amazing 4 years of representing Brown Bowling!
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
Girls middle school got a big win on Monday 2/7 against Moore and will move on to the Elite 8 of the City Championships. They will take on Farnsley at 5:00 tonight (2/9) at Farnsley. Go Lady Bears!!
High School basketball will take on St. Francis on Friday 2/11 at St. Francis. JV boys will play at 5:00, varsity girls at 6:30 and varsity boys at 8:00. Good luck Bears and Lady Bears
Elementary Basketball/Cheer
The elementary basketball team will start their season this Saturday at a 10:00 game against Minors Lane. Go Bears!!
*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.
Middle and High School Track Meeting
Any student in middle or high school that is interested in participating in track and field, should plan to attend a quick interest meeting in room 321 on Thursday 2/10 at 3:00.
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 !
February is Black History Month & The Louisville Free Public offers book discussions, film screenings, history talks, storytimes, exhibits, and more for patrons of all ages. Please visit LFPL.org/BlackHistory more details.
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.
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 .