Principal's Message
Dear Brown School family,
We are hiring a computer teacher. If you have at least a bachelor’s degree, we can help you earn your teacher certification! Apply at THIS LINK. Even though the job posting doesn't close until 8/27, I plan on pulling all the applications by this Friday to screen them for interviews. So if you are interested, please apply quickly!
Brown is an amazing magnet school with brilliant and compassionate students. We have awesome digital resources such as:
Every student has a Chromebook assigned to them that they can take home.
We are opening a brand new Makerspace with 3D printers, a laser cutter, VR technology, and more!
We have brand new fiber optic ethernet and wireless!
Every classroom has a new smart panel.
Our building just went through a $54M renovation. We have great parent support and a positive, energized staff. Come work with us!
We are also hiring a custodian! The position isn't posted yet. However, you should be able to use the same link above to see the custodial vacancy when it is available. I think it should be on there later today. Please apply or share with anyone who may be interested.
Love,
Dr. Angela, Principal
This Week's Essentials
School Meals
For the past two years we have been able to provide free meals to all JCPS students due to USDA Waivers for our program. Those waivers have now expired and for the 2022-23 school year we must return to our traditional meal pricing under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program at the following Non-Community Eligibility Schools: J. Graham Brown School, Greathouse/Shryock, Norton Commons, Dunn Elementary, Louisville Male High, Norton Elementary, duPont Manual High, Lowe Elementary, and Stopher Elementary.
The price of your child’s breakfast and lunch meals at these schools will be based on their eligibility status. Students can charge a reimbursable breakfast and/or lunch but cannot charge a la cart. There is no charge for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Student Meal Price:
Elementary Breakfast: $1.75
Middle & High School Breakfast: $1.85
K-12 Lunch: $2.80
How Can Your Child Qualify for Free or Reduced Meals?
1. Qualify by Direct Certification (DC) based on information shared by the state each month. Children who receive KTAP, SNAP, and some Medicaid recipients and other children in their household automatically receive free meal benefits. Foster, homeless, migrant and runaway children are also directly certified for free meals. Households will receive a letter and/or an email notifying them that their child qualifies.
2. Parents can apply online for free and reduced priced meals at www.MySchoolApps.com .
3. Complete a paper meal application from your child’s school and return to your school’s cafeteria or in the pre-paid envelope.
How Do I Add Money to My Child’s Account for Meals and a La Carte Purchases?
Money can be deposited to your child’s account by providing check or cash in the cafeteria serving line. Parents can also set-up a student meal account on www.MySchoolBucks.com , or download the free mobile app. You can also view cafeteria purchases, check account balances, and receive alerts when your child’s balance gets low.
We look forward to serving your child this year. If you have any questions please call Nutrition Services at (502)485-3186.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Email Curtis Moss with questions
Traffic Report
LMPD visited the corner of Second and Chestnut to watch how the alley works. They received several reports of illegal parking on 2nd Street of people parking in a lane of oncoming traffic. They plan to do random popups to cite anyone doing this.
The suggested route is turning right from Second Street onto Chestnut. If you drive so that the YMCA is on your left, turn left in the turning lane on Chestnut, pass the alley and turn right on First Street, then turn right on Broadway, which will then let you turn right on Second Street to put you into the flow of traffic parents are using to turn onto Chestnut. This also allows the traffic pattern in the area to be minimally disrupted.
Monkeypox
Monkeypox cases in Louisville remain low but keep yourself safe.
Late last week, the U.S. government declared monkeypox a public health emergency.
In Louisville the risk of monkeypox to the general public is low. There have been 8 cases. Three individuals are in active isolation. Five individuals have recovered.
The U.S. supply of monkeypox vaccine is extremely limited. The CDC provides vaccines to state health departments who then allocate the vaccines to city and county health departments. The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) has been allocated 100 doses to vaccinate documented close contacts of someone who has tested positive. As the vaccine supply increases, it will be made available to healthcare providers to offer to patients who meet the eligibility criteria. We have implored our state and federal officials to get more vaccines for our community.
There are several actions individuals can take to reduce their risk of exposure, including getting vaccinated.
If you are having symptoms or think you have been exposed:
Please see your healthcare provider or visit an urgent care center to see if you should be tested and treated.
Please isolate at home until you can be seen.
Wear a face mask to your appointment and make sure any lesions are completely covered.
When you arrive, please tell the provider that you are experiencing symptoms consistent with monkeypox.
Have additional questions? Call the KY Monkeypox Hotline at (844) 520-6670.
Email Tamika Carr with questions
Suzuki Program - Grades 1- 5
Brown School offers a unique opportunity for students to learn how to play the violin as early as 1st grade. The Suzuki program is for any students in grades 1-5. The Suzuki method focuses on learning to play the instrument first, then reading music later. This approach requires the Suzuki students to listen to Suzuki repertoire to learn the music. The Suzuki students will have two required performances, a day recital in December, and an evening recital in the spring.
All Suzuki students in grades 1-3 will play violin. Suzuki students in 4th and 5th grade can choose to play violin, viola, or cello. All students will need a playable instrument. There is a limited number of instruments available for rental. Instrument rental is a one-time payment of $40.00. Instrument rental is on a first come first served basis. The student will play violin if there aren't enough violas or cellos. An instrument can also be rented from a local music store if there aren’t enough.
The students will have class for 30 minutes, twice a week on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. Classes occur during the students’ resource class. Therefore, if they decide to join the Suzuki program they will not attend 30 minutes of their resource class (P.E., art, Spanish, or general music) twice a week.
It is simple to enroll in the Suzuki program. All you have to do is submit this Google Form. I will collect rental fees at a later date. Enrollment ends on Friday, August 26, 2022.
Please email me at Tamika.carr@jefferson.kyschools.us if you have any questions.
Family Tech Help and Ideas
If you are ever needing guidance to help your child with Google Related Tools (Docs, Classroom, Slides, etc.), please use this Guide to help you: Parent/Student Google Tutorials. It is filtered by a particular Google App or Chromebook topic in case issues arise at home.
If you are ever needing Tech Help please email our new Digital Innovation Coach and School Technology Coordinator, Drew Paige.
Tall Tweets Digital Photo Collection
Tall Tweets - Turn your Google Slides presentations into GIFs (a Moving Picture SlideShow) with Tall Tweets.
Take pictures using the Chromebook Camera and upload one picture per slide in Google Slides. Change Untitled Presentation to Family Photos 2022 (or whatever you would like). Then, I changed the File > Page Layout > Custom > 8.5 x 11. Next, I adjusted the size of the pictures to fit the entire page layout. Lastly, I uploaded the slides presentation to Tall Tweets by allowing access to your Google Slides account.
After uploading your slides to Tall Tweets, set the GIF Image Width type to '1200.' Additionally, decide how many seconds you want each slide to be shown (I did 3 seconds). Next, click "Create GIF." A pop-up will say 'GIF created.' Click the Save button below the image preview of your new digital picture to receive a copy of your GIF that you can upload or copy/paste wherever you want!
Weekly Columns
Peace Park Beautification
Thank you to the volunteers who helped with this past Sunday's beautification at Peace Park. We had 10 adults and 4 youth who helped plant flowers and mulch the planting area at the corner of First & Muhammad Ali and under the welcoming tree inside of Peace Park. On Monday, we dropped off new balls, jump ropes, hula hoops and chalk to the park for our students. These supplies were donated last year through our Amazon wish list and we will continue to add new equipment thought the year.
PTSA Updates
PTSA is working on updating our website. Here is our redesigned website - More changes to come.
We are working on our getting our Fall Enrichments set up to start after Labor Day - stay tuned for more information.
We are working on our calendar but we do have the all Fall Festival's date. Fall Festival is Friday, October 28th.
We are still looking for chairpersons and two Vice Presidents. The descriptions were located in last week's Bear Essentials.
We have new merchandise coming in the next two weeks. We will update it when it is stock and put it on our MemberHub Store. Here are the three new shirt designs that will be available.
Athletics
Elementary Athletics
Cross Country has their first meet next Monday at Charlie Vettiner. Our runners can't wait to get out there and compete.
Soccer started their season this past Saturday and had a great time. The Blue team beat Francis Parker 3-1 and the Gold team fell short against Whitefield but showed a lot of Promise. They will be back in action this Saturday at KCD. Blue will take on Portland Christian Gray at 8:00am and our Gold team will face KCD 3 at 8:50am.
Middle School Athletics
Tennis: Our tennis coach has been hired but is still on-boarding at JCPS and should be done soon! Matches start on September 8th and practice will start next week on Tuesday, August 23rd at 5pm at Stansbury Park. Practices will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Paperwork and sports physicals need to be completed before our athletes can practice. Here is a link to all of the paperwork: MS ATHLETIC PAPERWORK. If your student is interested in playing, even if you have already emailed, please fill out this TENNIS INTEREST FORM.
Volleyball: Our Middle School volleyball team is ready to start matches! The season kicks off next week with the Brown Bears at Conway on Monday 8/22 and then at home vs. Grace James on Wednesday 8/24. Here is the complete match schedule: LINK.
Cross-Country: Cross country has started and our first meet is the Fleet Feet Relays on Saturday 8/20 at Charlie Vettiner Park. The JCPS Middle School meets will kick off on Tuesday 8/23 at Moore. Practices will now be at 3:30 at Joe Creason Park. Here is the meet schedule for this year: LINK.
High School Athletics
Soccer has started out the season strong and its going to be a great season. The girls 3-1 after beating Fairdale last Thursday 10-0 and Presentation 10-0 on Monday. They will head to Holy Cross on Friday. The boys are 3-0 after Monday nights 11-1 win over Francis Parker and Tuesday nights 9-0 victory over Southern. They will also head to Holy Cross on Friday night. Go Lady Bears and Bears!!
Volleyball played their first match of the year on Tuesday 8/16 at Moore. The girls played great and are much improved from last season. They will play again on Thursday 8/18 at JTown and Monday 8/22 at the All A at Highlands Latin.
Cross country has started and our first meet is the Fleet Feet Relays on Saturday 8/20 at Charlie Vettiner Park. The JCPS Middle School meets will kick off on Tuesday 8/23 at Moore. Practices will now be at 3:30 at Joe Creason Park. Here is the meet schedule for this year: LINK.
Golf kicked off their season with an 18 hole match in the Flyer Invitational. Ethan Perry led the way with a 91 and Josh and Caleb Williams did a great job in their first 18 hole match. They are back in action this Thursday against Atherton at Cherokee and then they will be back at Cherokee next Monday in an open match.Type Here
Student Support Team
Elementary Counselor
We are halfway through the first full week of school! Your kids are doing great! It's been a great start to the best school year yet! You are doing the right thing by looking closely at our Bear Essentials weekly newsletter. It contains lots of answers to your questions. Taking a few minutes to read this important document each Wednesday will go a long way in lowering your stress level about returning to school, and you will be more informed about upcoming events. For even more information related to all things elementary, please check out Miss Christy's Virtual Office.
Middle School Counselor
Life in the middle is in full swing at Brown. Schedules are for the most part finalized at this point. No schedule changes will occur after this week, so if you have any further request remember to have your child use the Schedule Change Request Form and we'll do the best we can. Also, don't forget to use the Student Support Request Form 22/23 to speak to myself or anyone else on our team. I've created a Middle School Counselor Classroom where you can go to find my classroom lessons, important information, and send me a message. Oh, and here is my new Ring Central # in case you need to call: 502-754-0974.
August 30th through September 1st I will be visiting classrooms to discuss Suicide Prevention. This is a district wide mandated lesson that all school counselors in JCPS have to provide to all students, however, I know this can be a very difficult and triggering subject. If you have any concerns or questions about what I will be teaching, do not hesitate to reach out. The NAMI Louisville Parent Suicide Prevention Video is another resource that our district provides for parents. Again, call, email, or message me and we can discuss your thoughts.
I have really enjoyed getting to know your children these past few days. Please continue to encourage and demonstrate for your kiddos ways to be kind and respectful to themselves and others. Take care!
High School Counselor
Students are being conferenced with during study halls and can request a conference regarding their schedule by completing the Schedule Change Request Form (also posted in their Class of 202# google classrooms).
We are so lucky that every junior and most seniors are enrolled in a Seminar style course with Norah Wakefield and she is reviewing transcripts to make sure all students are pursuing a rigorous and manageable course load and on track to graduate!
In the next few weeks, a Mental Health Awareness/Suicide Prevention Lesson will be delivered to all students. Please encourage an open dialogue with your student so that when they need help, they know where to turn.
To request a meeting with someone on our student support team, complete THIS FORM! A team member will get back to you as soon as one is available.
Resources available 24/7 for emotional support:
If you are in Crisis (ANY painful emotion, for which you need support), text LOU to 741741. Within minutes, a crisis counselor will text you back to start a conversation.
If needed, you may call the Suicide Prevention Hotline @ 1-800-273-8255.
Mental Health Practitioner
We made it through the first week! Adjusting to new schedules is always hard, I know I have had to adjust my own sleep schedule to get back into the swing of things for the school year. However, building a consistent schedule can be one of the best coping strategies to help us adjust to new situations. One of the most important parts of our schedule that we often ignore is sleep. It is recommended that children get 8-12 hours of sleep a night. Getting the right amount of sleep can help improve memory, reduce illness, and improve mood. If you or your child are struggling with finding the right sleep schedule, here are some recommendations:
Get off of screens at least an hour before bed time
Dim the lights in the room your child is trying to go to sleep in
Limit caffeine intake, especially in the evening
Do a quiet activity, such as read a book
With a solid routine and enough sleep you and your child will be adjusted to their school schedule in no time!
Family Resource/Youth Services Center
Our new FRYSC Coordinator, Tara Davis starts on August 20th!
Connections
SBDM Update
If you haven't signed up for a committee yet, please do so. Sign up HERE before 2:00 PM on Friday, August 19th. All interested students, parents, relatives of students, staff, and community members are eligible to join. Meeting dates/times will be determined by committee members at the first meeting. All committees will have a virtual meeting option.
Family Matters
Test Prep
Are you wondering how to prepare for ACT & SAT exams? Check out free resources at the Louisville Free Public Library.
Cultural Connections
Make plans to attend Louisville's World Fest. CLICK HERE for all the details!