J. Graham Brown School
Bear Essentials
October 6, 2021, Issue #9
Principal's Message
Dear Brown School family,
I hope you had a fun, restful fall break and that your student is rejuvenated!
Our renovation is proceeding well. During the school day, contractors are working on renovations in our basement. The boys and girls locker rooms are being gutted currently. These are large areas, and after the renovation is complete we will have a girls locker room, a boys locker room, a visiting team locker room, and boys/girls restrooms that our classes that meet in the basement can use. Renovations are proceeding as well in the auditorium during the school day; this area has been gutted, too, as shown previously in this newsletter. Over fall break, work began on adding a second elevator to our building that will access the basement. The elevator will be accessed through the gymnasium. Furthermore, second shift contractors have been removing ceilings throughout the school, and hardware is being added to route new wiring. It's very exciting to come into school in the morning to see what has been accomplished by the crew the evening before.
Monday, October 11th will be Student-Led Conference Day. You have the option of coming into the school to do conferences face-to-face, or you may want to meet virtually. Either way, your student will be leading the conversation. Your student's teachers should have sent information about how to schedule a conference. If you have not heard from your student's teacher, please reach out to them right away. HERE is our staff directory to assist you with finding any needed email addresses. Any student without a formal conference scheduled with their teacher will need to complete their Student-Led Conference with their family at home; this is an important part of our Self-Directed Learning magnet program theme.
Love,
Dr. Angela
Quick Links
This Week's Essentials
Required - Device Agreement Form
Calling all parents! Only 89 Brown School students have their online Device Agreement form completed.
It is SUPER easy, and you can complete it online in just a few clicks. No login required!
Please complete the Device Agreement linked HERE for EVERY student in your household.
If you have questions, please call/text 502-398-3450 or email amy.thornton@jefferson.kyschools.us.
Student IDs
All middle and high school students will receive a new student ID during lunch on Monday, September 27th and Tuesday, September 28th. Students who have not had their picture taken for the ID can do so during lunch on the days listed above. Students are expected to begin displaying their IDs daily beginning on Monday, October 4th.
SBDM Update
Our next SBDM meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 19th at 4:00 PM. Meetings are being held in room 319. HERE is the draft agenda for the meeting.
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
Family Matters
Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership Fellowship
Sept 24th– Deadline for Families to apply for the 2021-2022 Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership Fellowship -designed to offer participants information related to Kentucky’s education system and key topics relevant today, to help increase success for all students. Learn more and apply here -https://prichardcommittee.org/cipl-application/
Who can apply? All parents, guardians, mentors, and other community members in any Kentucky county who support K-12 public school students and want to expand their capacity as citizen champions for education.
National Alliance on Mental Illness - Louisville Chapter
@NAMILouisville is bringing recognition to #SuicidePreventionWeek by offering free training thru Oct 31. It's easy to sign up for a 1hr online training at NAMILouisville.Org/QPR
Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)
ONE WEEK LEFT TO WIN a Courtyard Pizza Party for your Class!
Join the PTSA for just $5 and help your child’s class win a pizza party in the courtyard! The more members of your family that join, the better chance your child’s class has to win! The contest starts today!
Parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, middle and high school students, and any other family members may join for just $5.00 per person. Click here to join by October 10th.
JOIN THE 2021-2022 PTSA!
Open to all Parents/Guardians, Faculty/Staff, Students (5th grade+), or Grandparents. Join Here
Open to all Parents/Guardians, Faculty/Staff, Students (5th grade+), or Grandparents. Join Here
PTSA Meetings for 2021-2022, 6:00 PM
October 19, 2021
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
Membership Drive: SWAG BAG Drawing
Join the PTSA and earn a chance to win a J. Graham Brown School Swag Bag!
All new memberships through the end of October will be entered for a drawing of a gift bag of Brown School merchandise, clothing, and other goodies.
Parents, 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.
Reflections
Show us your creativity. Participate in Brown PTSA Reflections. Deadline is October 13!
More information: https://bit.ly/BrownReflections
Robin Cash, Middle/High School Counselor / robin.cash@jefferson.kyschools.us
Counselors
Tip of the week: Did you know you can view important documents such as Gifted and Talented Service Plans from Parent Portal? Just log in to your account and in the left toolbar select documents. Gifted and Talented Service Plans will be available for this school year by Oct 11th!
*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.
ELEMENTARY (K-5)
Counseling Lessons
Click HERE to view Miss Christy's Core Counseling Curriculum (CCC) Lesson schedule and lessons. Also, check out Miss Christy's Virtual Office for more resources.
CogAT Testing
The qualifying test for the Advance Program, the CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) will be given on October 21, 2021.
All students in grades 3 and 4 will take this test.
All 5th-grade students will also take this test unless they have been identified as Advance Program and Gifted/Talented General Intellectual category and complete the Opt-Out of testing form by 3:00 pm on Fri, Oct 8, 2021.
Any student in grades 6 and above had to sign up to take this test. Although the deadline has passed, you may still sign up for your child to take the test by emailing Christy Teague by 3:00 pm on Fri, Oct 8, 2021.
If your child is already taking Advanced level courses in middle/high school, the student is most likely already an Advance Program student and does not need to take this test.
Contact christy.teague@jeffersonkyschools.us if you have any questions.
MIDDLE/HIGH (6-12)
Mental Health Resources
We recognize that parents want more information, skills, or confidence to raise healthy kids. With the stress and long tenure of this pandemic, parents need more help identifying serious teen mental health issues. The district has a partnership with Operation Parent!
They provide:
Parent Handbooks (Topics include: Anxiety, Bullying, Screen Time, Alcohol and Drugs, Mental Health, Risky Relationships, and more)
MS/HS E-book (Click "Preview Handbook" above the price to view a free digital copy)
Monthly Webinars
College Connection
FREE Application
It is FAFSA time for all seniors! Everyone who anticipates they might attend a post-secondary institution of higher education needs to complete the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid.
Notice the word FREE! If you are asked to pay to complete it, you are NOT on the right site! Make sure you go to FAFSA.gov to complete your FAFSA ASAP! If you have questions or need additional information, THIS is a great site!
TIP: Take a minute to set your alarm on your cellphone for October 1st for the next 4-5 years, you complete the FAFSA every year you are in college!
Contact Robin.Cash@jefferson.kyschools.us or Norah.Wakefield@jefferson.kyschools.us if you have any questions.
Testing
October 21 - Advance Program Test (3rd & 4th Grade - See Counselor section for details)
COVID Testing
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.
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.
Athletics
Fall Sports:
Soccer
The Lady Bears soccer finished their season Monday night. They had a lot of winnable games canceled, but still finished tied for most wins in team history. We are proud of the hard work they had this year, all while having fun and making memories.
Boys soccer finished their season last night, in a close loss to one of the best teams in the State. The boys had an amazing season, winning 9 games, which is the most in program history. They beat a lot of larger schools and have turned heads around the soccer community. We are proud of all of their hard work and dedication and look forward to continuing to build the program.
Volleyball
High School volleyball continues to get better and shows a lot of improvement. They will take on Fairdale on Thursday and will be at home for senior night against Walden next Tuesday.
Middle school volleyball is also getting a lot better, losing a close game on Monday to Western. That game was back and forth and could have gone either way. They will be in action Wednesday 10/6 against TJ for 8th-grade night. Go Lady Bears!!
Cross Country
Middle and High School Cross Country has had some great showings in meets, and look for another one today, 10/6 at Louisville Champions Park. Hopefully, the rain holds out, but if not, the race will be moved to 10/7. Go Running Bears!
Elementary Cross Country had a great meet Monday at Charlie Vettiner Park. The distances continue to increase, but our runners are prepared and up to the challenge.
E Sports
Our school's very first ESports team will start their season today 10/6 by playing Super Smash Bro's. We can't wait to see what this team accomplishes and are very excited about the opportunity!
Bowling Team
Any student in grades 7-12 that is interested in joining the bowling team, should plan to attend a short meeting on Tuesday 10/12 in room 321, starting at 3:00.
Winter Sports:
Winter sports are getting ready to begin, with swimming and ESports starting very soon. Please reach out to the coaches listed below, in order to get more information. All student-athletes must 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
Swimming/Diving- William Kolb- wmkolb@gmail.com
Archery- Alex Murphy- alex.murphy@jefferson.kyschools.us
ESports- Andrew Boling- andrew.boling@jefferson.kyschools.us
Athletic Director- Justin Leonard- Justin.leonard@jefferson.kyschools.us
Middle School Sports:
Elementary and Middle School Spring Sports:
Boys Basketball- Jermill Bibb- jbibb20@gmail.com
Girls Basketball- Josh Luttrell- rja172307@gmail.com
Swimming- William Kolb- wmkolb@gmail.com
Golf- Barry Bridges- abbridges@aol.com
Athletic Director- Matt Davis- matthew.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us
Cultural Connections
JCPS Celebrates National Disability Awareness Month
In the month of October, JCPS celebrates National Disability Awareness Month. The theme for 2021, “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion,” reflects the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please visit Spark to learn more and access resources to help celebrate this month both in and outside of the classroom! Contact jasmine.drinkard@jefferson.kyschools.us with any questions.
Envision Equity Magazine
Read former JCPS student Cherish Wilson's poetry about her life, love, and struggles in the October 2021 edition of Envision Equity from the Diversity, Equity, and Poverty (DEP) Department.
Religious holidays in October:
Dussehra (Hinduism): October 15; Hindu students and employees may be absent on this day.
Mawlid al Nabi (Islam): October 18-19; Muslim students and employees may be absent during this observance.
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.