News You Can Use

25-26 SCHOOL CALENDAR

STUDENT AND FAMILY HANDBOOK

SCHOOL DAY - 7:30AM - 2:10PM Students are expected to be in the classroom and in their seat by 7:30am. School ends at 2:10pm and students should be picked up at that time. We do not have staff onsite to supervise children who are not picked up on time.

EARLY DISMISSAL: Students can be picked up for early dismissal BEFORE 1:45 p.m. After that, you will need to wait until the end of the school day before your student is released.

CHANGE OF TRANSPORTATION- The form will be turned off at 1:30 PM daily. We do not accept dismissal changes after 1:30 PM to ensure a safe, efficient and accurate dismissal process.

ABSENCE REPORTING FORM - It is no longer necessary for you to call the office on the days your student is absent. Please complete the Absence Reporting Form. We monitor the document each morning.

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PARENT CALENDARS (TRANSLATIONS)

HOW TO TRANSLATE DOCUMENTS

HOW TO TRANSLATE NEWS YOU CAN USE

JCPS is conducting the 2026 Comprehensive School Survey from January 12 to February 26.  This survey is important for JCPS to identify strengths and needs in our school and the district.  A paper copy will go home Monday with all students.  This survey can also be taken online at https://tinyurl.com/jcpsParentGuardian.  Please take the time to fill out this survey and give feedback on your students' experiences!  Thank you! 

EMERGENCY DISMISSAL AND STUDENT INFORMATION (MUST BE COMPLETED EVERY YEAR)

Please make sure to complete the Emergency Dismissal and Student Information google form each year. As personal information changes, we want to make sure we have correct information on file. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Instructional Fee Waiver Application (EBF) - If you believe that you will qualify for instructional fees to be waived, please apply at the following link: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application 

If you qualify after applying, you will receive a pink “Instructional Fee Waiver Request Form” to fill out and return with your student. If you have questions about applying, please email our bookkeeper, Rachel Clover at rachel.clover@jefferson.kyschools.us .

SBDM Sub-Committee Sign ups-If you are interested in participating on one of the four SBDM sub-committees, please sign up using the form linked here.

PARENT - Video: Parent Place

PARENT - Parent Place Account Setup and Forms

PARENT -: Online Registration & Form Process

Monthly Snapshot Update-JANUARY UPDATE

Attendance-help us improve our chronic absenteeism by ensuring your children are participating and submitting their NTI work.

Budget News

As promised, I am now sharing our Budget Allocations for transparency.  I have met with staff and SBDM members to explain what this mess actually means, so if you need clarifications or more information, please reach out to SBDM members.  I'm happy to share more detailed information for anyone who is really into budgets and/or spreadsheets, but the quick and dirty is we don't have enough money to maintain our current staff and/or programs and student support materials.  We are going into a deficit and will have to make some changes and cuts, undoubtedly.  I've linked some helpful budget document below for you should you wish to dive into them.  

HITE HISTORICAL BUDGET SHEETS-I have been adding to this document since I became principal to offer transparency in budgeting decisions as well as rationale as to how/when/why cuts have been made.  

2026-27 HITE SITE BASED BUDGET-This is our staffing budget based on our enrollment projections.  Homeroom teachers are calculated on a 24:1 ratio and Special Area teachers are calculated on a .14 x # of homeroom teachers formula.  If we lose enrollment, these numbers decrease, if we gain enrollment, these numbers increase.

2026-27 HITE ADD ON BUDGET-These are allocations provided to schools from the district.  As you can see, we get very bare-bones allocations.  For comparison, you can check out the list of ALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ADD-ON BUDGETS.  This is the section that really hurts us, at Hite, because we don't qualify for additional funding in the Needs Based Index and we aren't Title 1 or AIS.  

What YOU can do to support us during this time is SPREAD THE WORD that we have K-1 openings for the 26-27 school year.  Encourage neighbors, friends, family members to reach out and even attend an upcoming family event!  We will be creating social media posts and flyers to distribute to local pre-schools and daycares with information about how to enroll and the community we offer here at Hite.  Additionally if you know a multi-lingual family that may need information or support on enrolling their child, please have them reach out.  We are happy to help and understand that the language barrier is sometimes an issue for understanding the cumbersome process.  

Instructional Systems

MAP SCORE UPDATE-While the snapshot doesn't always paint the appropriate picture of our work, it does have great attendance and behavior information.  Check out our MAP score comparisons from Fall to Winter!  We are making huge gains and we attribute it the hard work of our teachers and support staff in implementing our MTSS Literacy System and our Math WIN lab.  These programs took a lot of work to get to where we are and we are going to do our absolute best to continue them, even if they have to be reduced.  

Partner with us in setting your child/ren up for success by allowing opportunities for literacy and math fluency development at home! 

Repeat Information

GIFTED and TALENTED, AP, PRIMARY TALENT POOL AND PRIMARY PROGRAM

Hi 4th and 5th Grade Families! We have all of our Enrichment, Primary Talent Pool and Gifted and Talented groups up and running at Hite! So thankful to have the opportunity to work with students in K-5 this year. If you are a parent with a PTP or GT student, or maybe you are trying to understand how this process works, check out this information below. I have tried to include some important things to keep in mind if you have questions about the identification process for Gifted and Talented specific to grades 4th-12th.

• ALL students at Hite in grades 4 and 5 are reviewed and evaluated for giftedness to start the school year in August. MAP scores and NNAT3 scores MUST be in the 96th percentile or higher to be considered for Gifted and Talented for an academic or intelligence category

• GT Placement is a rolling identification process, therefore MAP scores are reviewed again in December and April to determine if any 4th or 5th grade students meet the 96th percentile requirement.

• ALL 4th and 5th grade students are screened multiple times for Creativity/Divergent Thinking and Visual Arts within the first two months of school. These students most also meet the 96th percentile requirement.

• Once any students meets the district requirements for identification, teacher and parent recommendations must be collected. Meeting the 96th percentile requirement DOES NOT GAURANTEE a child will immediately be placed in GT. At least two more forms of evidence must be obtained that reflect students meets 96th percentile expectation.

• AP and GT are not one in the same. For more information related to Gifted and Talented OR the differences between GT and AP, please see the district Gifted and Talented website here.

This information was recently shared by JCPS regarding Gifted and Talented Identification Process. There are distinct differences between Primary Program, Primary Talent Pool, Advanced Program and Gifted and Talented. To help you see the differences, please refer to this chart!

HOMEWORK/MAKE-UP work policy-To get ahead of the curve, I'm sharing our Homework/Make-Up work policy in the event you anticipate absences in the upcoming weeks.

CLASS/TEAM NEWSLETTERS

As a reminder of how to interpret your child's report card grades, I'm linking the previously sent communication regarding standards based grading and report cards.

*ACCESS FOR ELLS TESTING WINDOW 1/5/2025 - 2/13/2025

The ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 test is an English language proficiency test. It is given in January through mid-February for English learner students in every grade. School Districts are mandated to annually administer a standards-based English language proficiency test to all Multilingual Learners (MLs).

• The assessment measures students' academic English language in four language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. 

• The Access For ELLS testing schedule can be found HERE.

• Students who will complete the testing have already been contacted. You should have received a testing information packet sent home in your students' backpack.

JCPS Advance Program(AP)

AP student identification has begun. More details to come soon.

*NAEP TESTING AT HITE February 26, 2026

What is NAEP?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called The Nation’s Report Card, is the largest nationally representative and ongoing assessment of what students in public and private schools in the United States know and can do in various subjects. Since 1969, NAEP has been a common measure of student achievement across the country in mathematics, reading, science, and many other subjects. Depending on the assessment, NAEP report cards provide national, state, and some district-level results, as well as results for different demographic groups. NAEP is a congressionally mandated project of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), located within the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. NAEP data are also used in special studies conducted by NCES. 

How is NAEP different from the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA)? 

Kentucky has its own assessment (Kentucky Summative Assessment-KSA), which is designed to provide individual student data about achievement based on different content standards, unique to Kentucky. NCES administers the same NAEP assessment in every state, providing educators, policymakers, and parents with a common measure of student achievement that allows for direct comparisons among states and participating urban districts.  

When will the NAEP test be administered at Hite? 

The assessment will occur on Thursday, February 26, 2026. The test takes approximately two hours to complete. The students will test in the fourth-grade classrooms and additional areas when needed.

Who will complete the NAEP test?

Randomly selected fourth-grade students will be selected by NAEP to complete either the Math or the Reading testing domains. If your student is selected to complete the test, you will be notified.

D​oes My Student Have To Take The NAEP Test?

No, the test is voluntary. If you do not want your student to take the NAEP test, please send a note/email to Mr. DuLaney at andre.dulaney@jefferson.kyschools.us

Envision Equity Newsletter

The Envision Equity January Newsletter produced by JCPS's Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Programs can be found HERE.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Mr. DuLaney for more information 

Email: andre.dulaney@jefferson.kyschools.us

Telephone:502-485-8267

I have made over 25 Good News Phone Calls this month acknowledging our students who are exhibiting Habit 5: Seek First to Understand Then To Be Understood.  Ask your children about Leader In Me and the Habits they are learning about daily in the classroom.

Hite offers layers of support for all students.  We have a Mental Health Practitioner and a part time Seven Counties therapist.  If you or your family has a social-emotional concern is at school or home and you feel an outside therapy might be a better fit. JCPS has partnered with Care Solace to make it easier for parents and guardians to find community-based counseling.

CareSolace

CareSolace Spanish

Amy Mayhugh

Amy.Mayhugh@jefferson.kyschools.us

CRISIS SUPPORT INFORMATION

January: Seek First to Understand, THEN to be Understood

We have kicked off the start of our year with learning the 8 habits of Leader In Me. I encourage you to talk to your students about which habits they've learned and examples of how they practice those habits at school. Push them to practice the habits at home and be part of the team at home to build independence and develop responsible habits. Ask your kids about our Leader in Me Star bulletin board!

1. Be Proactive (Emotional regulation and responsibility)

2. Begin with the End in Mind (Goal setting)

3. Put First Things First (Learn how to Prioritize your time and important aspects of your life)

4. Think Win-Win (balance courage with consideration)

5. Seek First to Understand, THEN to be Understood (give people your undivided attention)

6. Synergize (optimize another's strengths in conflict situations)

7. Sharpen the Saw (take care of yourself with rest, exercise, healthy foods, and mindfulness)

8. Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.

Field Trip Policy reminder

It seems there has been some misunderstanding and confusion regarding signing students out during field trips.  To ensure consistency, please refer to the field trip policy and follow the procedures when attending field trips with students.  This is not meant to inconvenience anyone, it is meant to ensure we have the proper documentation to release our liability in being responsible for your child's safety.  

Building Entry Procedures

In an effort to continually improve our policies and procedures to keep your children and our staff safe, we are implementing a change in entry procedures, at the suggestion and advice of JCPS Safety and Security.

Our current practice and policy is to ask EVERY person picking up a child (regardless of if we know them personally or not) to show their ID in order to verify that they are indeed listed and they are permitted to be picking up the child. This policy and practice is in place for the safety of your children, and while at times inconvenient, we appreciate your cooperation to ensure the safety of our children.

Moving forward, effective on Monday, November 24, 2025, ALL visitors entering the building will be asked to show their ID at the exterior camera before being keyed into the building. Again, this is an added layer of safety and security to ensure that ALL of our children and staff members are safe, not to inconvenience any of our school community members. We thank you in advance for your understanding, cooperation and partnership.

Please be advised that you will be asked to show your ID prior to being allowed to enter the building beginning Monday, November 24, 2025.

Respectfully,

Dr. Sheridan Barnett, Hite Elementary School

sheridan.barnett@jefferson.kyschools.us

Lunchtime Volunteer Opportunity

🥗Join the Hawk Helpers🍕

Hite is looking for caring volunteers to support our students during lunchtime and we call these everyday heroes our Hawk Helpers! Whether you're a guardian, caregiver, grand-friend, your presence in the cafeteria makes a big difference.

If you are interested in volunteering, please make sure you complete VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CHECK PRIOR to signing up!

What does a Hawk Helper do?

• Help supervise students to promote safe, respectful behavior while they eat

• Assist with seating and transitions so students can find their spots and move smoothly in and out of the cafeteria

• Encourage good manners and positive social interactions

• Support cleanup by reminding students to throw away trash and wipe down tables

• Report any concerns or incidents to a teacher or administrator

Thank you for being part of our Hawk Helper team!

January Sign Up        February Sign Up

Lunch Visitors

The question has been brought to us about bringing back the lunch visitor practice. Unfortunately we do not have the space and time to allow for visitors in the cafeteria. HOWEVER, one way we are able to allow for lunch visitors is for each grade level to plan for an outdoor picnic day a couple times per year. So please be on the look out for when your child's grade level is planning for an outdoor picnic, in which you will be welcome to join them for lunch on that day.

Background Checks 

https://apps.jefferson.kyschools.us/volunteer/

RACIAL EQUITY and CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS - We have 21 Home Languages spoken at Hite. Thank you, Mrs. Littles for putting this together so we can foster a sense of belonging for all of our students! Please ask your children what languages we've learned so far!

TRANSLATION FEATURES in GOOGLE

DEPARTMENT of EQUITY PROGRAMS newsletter-Check out the newsletter for what's happening in JCPS schools.

HITE EQUITY FEEDBACK LOOP

HOW TO TRANSLATE DOCUMENTS

HOW TO TRANSLATE NEWS YOU CAN USE

HOW CAN WE CELEBRATE YOU?

STUDENT BACKPACK ARTIFACT UPLOAD TUTORIAL

JCPS Rooms Information

Rooms is your one place for school messages, updates, and more! You can access Rooms via the web (including mobile web) or your district's mobile app. https://info.apptegy.com/for-parents-and-guardians

Board meeting agendas and minutes can be found on the JCPS website. I've linked here for your convenience. If you would like to watch the board meetings, they are live-streamed and archived on the JCPS Board of Education YouTube channel (also linked for your convenience).

We are a Community Eligible school so any school-aged child is eligible to get FREE breakfast and lunch. There are certain rules and guidelines in order for the lunch to be reimbursable. Students MUST take a fruit/vegetable, entree and milk (EVEN IF THEY DON'T PLAN TO DRINK/EAT IT). If they refuse, then the meal must be paid for. I realize this doesn't make sense, but grant funding often comes with rules. In order for us to continue to be able to offer free breakfast and lunch, we ask that you please speak to your children about the importance of following the guidelines. THANK YOU in advance for your help with this!

We are following the MVPA WEATHER GUIDANCE to determine if outdoor play is safe. This is for your reference.

Please bookmark the following:

HITE FAMILY FRIENDLY WEBSITE

NEW JCPS REQUIRED HITE WEBSITE

See what’s happening in the HITE FAMILY CALENDAR

Parent Portal- Instructions on how to update information in Parent Portal have been shared with the community.

Thank you to our SBDM Council Members for attending monthly meetings to develop and revise policies that best support our students, staff and families. We look ahead to next school year and bringing in our new council members. Monthly meetings will be held the last Tuesday of the month at 2:20 PM, with the exception of December for Winter Break.

25-26 school year Council Members:

Sheridan Barnett (principal)

Katelyn Bowling, teacher

Bridgett Buckner, teacher

Courtney Richardson, teacher

Annie Fisk, parent

Ashley Poore, parent

PARENTS, please send parent notes and/or doctor notes for absences to school in your child's Take Home Folder OR they can be emailed to Hite's attendance clerk at anne.balcom@jefferson.kyschools.us within 3 days after your child's return to school. The attendance clerk will always reply to your email to confirm receipt of note.

Excused absences are defined under ATTENDANCE/TRUANCY POLICY of the Student Support and Behavior Intervention Handbook (refer to pages 11, 39 and 40)

Hite Attendance Plan

Quick Guide for Attendance

Attendance Q&A (all languages)

Whole Day/Half Day Calculations for Attendance

REPORT STUDENT ABSENCE

We no longer accept phone calls or emails when reporting your child(ren)'s absence. Please complete the ABSENCE REPORTING FORM to report your child's absence each day not at school. PLEASE REMEMBER absences will NOT be excused unless a note is received by the attendance clerk. Completing the form is not considered a note.

Hite School Social Worker

DaNielle New, MSSW, CSW 

District School Social Worker  

Department of Pupil Personnel 

Jefferson County Public Schools 

(502) 754-6367

danielle.new@jefferson.kyschools.us 

SCHOOL OFFICE HOURS - 7:00AM - 3:00PM

Office Number 502-485-8267; Office Fax 502-977-8171

OFFICE STAFF:

Darci Cohoon, School Office Administrator - darci.cohoon3@jefferson.kyschools.us

Allyson Hensley, Secretary - allyson.hensley@jefferson.kyschools.us

Anne Balcom, Attendance Clerk - anne.balcom@jefferson.kyschools.us

Rachel Clover, Bookkeeper - rachel.clover@jefferson.kyschools.us

Kristy Smith, Media Clerk/Office Clerk - kristy.smith@jefferson.kyschools.us

Amanda Mendoza, School Nurse - v.amendo@jefferson.kyschools.us

Visitor Procedures

All visitors to the building must follow sign in procedures, state their business, and receive a dated ID badge.

• Valid Identification. A government-issued photo identification card (ID). If the visitor doesn’t have a photo ID, then two forms of identification will be required, e.g., social security card, medical insurance card, credit card, or vehicle registration. If this is a repeat visitor who entered previously with a photo ID and they are stored in the database; then only one form of identification is needed.

• Valid Visitor Badge. Visitor must wear a visitor’s badge on their outer garment. It must contain at minimum the visitor’s name, date and time issued, and preferably the name of the facility. JCPS employees should wear their JCPS issued ID card on their outer clothing.

Ana Reyes, FRC Coordinator

Phone: 502-709-8949

Email: ana.reyes2@jefferson.kyschools.us

HMFRC Schedule Hours: 8am - 4:30pm

Monday/Wednesday - Middletown

Tuesday/Thursday - Hite

Friday - Hite/Middletown (alternating)

HMFRC Food Pantry Request

Please complete this form to request assistance from the Hite/Middletown Family Resource Center Food Pantry. The HMFRC Food Pantry is made possible thanks to the support and

https://forms.gle/Yb9MD5xVvd4xadYJ7

julie.corbett@jefferson.kyschools.us

KINDNESS PODCASTS FOR KIDS

MENTAL HEALTH REFERRAL