J. Graham Brown School
Bear Essentials
January 26, 2022, Issue #22
Principal's Message
Dear Brown School family,
Dr. Marty Pollio visited our school yesterday. As always, I was very proud to be able to show off our amazing teachers and innovative students. He didn't have time to visit all our new updates, but he did get to see our new Cubs Corner and spend some time in our Computer Science career pathway. He was also able to pop into a couple classrooms. Be sure to check out the photos from his visit.
We received some new flexible furniture that we ordered for Cubs Corner! (See photos.) I am hoping this furniture will encourage more collaboration and differentiation, and will just be more comfortable and fun for students.
We also received our furniture order for our new Ursa Innovation Lab! Ursa Innovation Lab is a space we are developing this year and will be fully launched for the 2022-23 school year. Ursa Innovation Lab will be a busy hub for our budding engineers and designers, and all students will have opportunities to visit the lab as part of project-based learning initiatives with their teachers. When our equipment arrives for the space, I'll show you some photos. On order, we have several 3-D printers, a vinyl cutter, poster printer, sewing and embroidery machines, power/hand tools, laptop computers, and other equipment. It is going to be a game changer as far as taking our Self-Directed Learning pillar of Innovation to the next level!
Love,
Dr. Angela
This Week's Essentials
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.
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
March 15, 2022
April 19, 2022
May 10, 2022
Support PTSA fundraising efforts, Read about Members, etc. - CLICK HERE
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
Robin Cash, Middle/High School Counselor / robin.cash@jefferson.kyschools.us
Counselors
Connect with us: 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 based on the student's needs and our availability.
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.
STAR STUDENTS grades K-2
STAR STUDENTS grades 3-5
ELEMENTARY (K-5)
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Scores posted now in Parent Portal
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+ at the end of January. Students that miss the lesson or do not have a study hall will be followed up within Feb. Please talk to your student about their mental health <3
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!
Repeat info:
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
Jostens has visited Juniors and Senior regarding class rings and ALL things GRADUATION: announcements, caps and gowns, and senior swag packages. Please ask your student to share that info with you. Senior orders are due March 1st. Starla will be at Brown on Friday, Feb. 4th to take orders or answer questions.
Juniors have been asked to request their free ACT prep book from the library - if they select the Main Library - Teens Norah will pick up for them. The state-mandated ACT test is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8th.
Athletics
Winter Sports:
Swim/Dive Team
High School diving had a great showing at the Sacred Heart meet on Friday 1/21 at UL. Daphne Powell finished an amazing 1st place and Maisie Smith finished 7th. On Saturday, Daphne went to Lexington and finished 16th out of 49 female divers!! Great job ladies!!
Our swim team did a great job at the Central Invite, and are gearing up for a postseason swim. Regional swim and dive will begin next week and we wish them all the best of luck. Go Bears!
Bowling Team
Our bowling team will begin regionals this week. Tonight (1/26) Nathan Shannon and Josh Saltsman will be at Ten Pin hoping to make State. Girls singles will be this Saturday and the boy's team event will be Sunday. Good luck Bowling Bears!
Archery
Archery will head to Sacred Heart shoot this Sunday, 1/30. Shoot straight Bears!
Basketball
Middle school basketball will celebrate 8th-grade night on 1/27 as it is their last game of the regular season, against Stuart. We are grateful to our 8th-grade winter athletes for all of their hard work throughout middle school.
High School basketball is gearing up for a busy rest of the season. Our boys will head to Hoosier gym (where the movie Hoosiers was filmed) to take on North Bullitt. If you don't have plans for Friday night head up and cheer us on. Girls and boys will be at Fairdale Saturday afternoon for competitive games.
Elementary Basketball/Cheer
The elementary basketball team will start their season this Saturday at a 10:00 game against Okolona. 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.
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
Middle School Cheer- Ally Cunningham- alexandria.cunninham@jefferson.kyschools.us
Alexandria.cunningham@jefferson.kyschools.us
Athletic Director- Matt Davis- matthew.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us
Family Matters
Join JCPS Family Engagement on Facebook LIVE this Friday, Jan 28 at 10am for our Parent Advisory Council info session to learn more about resources available for your family.
Apply now for the Evolve502 Scholarship, Jefferson County Public Schools seniors! You could earn an associate degree, workforce credential or up to 60 credit hours TUITION-FREE at Kentucky Community & Technical College System, including Jefferson Community & Technical College, or Simmons College of Kentucky! Get started today at https://evolve502.org/scholarship/
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
Chinese New Year
Tuesday, February 1, 2022, is Chinese New Year, but many families will begin celebrating this weekend. 2022 is the year of the tiger. The main Chinese New Year activities include 1) putting up decorations, 2) offering sacrifices to ancestors, 3) eating reunion dinner with family on New Year's Eve, 4) giving red envelopes and other gifts, 5) firecrackers and fireworks, and 6) watching lion and dragon dances.
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
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.
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