Principal's Message
Dear Brown School Family,
Please mark your calendar for our Thanksgiving Lunch on November 10th. Please see details below in the PTSA section. This is a great opportunity to enjoy a lunch with your Brown Bear or Cub!
Our brilliant journalism students have their first issue of the Bear Necessities student newspaper ready for you! They did a great job. Be sure to check it out.
We had lots of fun dressing in our costumes this past Monday. Several staff members and I dressed like Mario Kart characters. We enjoyed seeing your students' costumes as well.
I'd like to take a moment and recognize Jamie McMillin, our liaison with the J. Graham Brown School Alumni Association and a former teacher at Brown (1972-2001). Last night, our SBDM Council approved a proposal I submitted to name our Alumni Archives room in his honor. There is no one who loves our school more than Jamie, and he shows it by being here a few days every week by volunteering in the archives and working with our alumni to make an impact on our current students. I am so grateful to know him!
If you missed our PTSA Fall Festival last week, you missed out on an amazing night! Thank you so much to all the volunteers who made this event such a huge success.
There will be no Bear Essentials next week due to it being a short week. Don't forget to vote!
Love,
Dr. Angela
This Week's Essentials
The Bear Necessities Launch Edition
We are excited to reveal the first edition of the Online Digital Newspaper, the Bear Necessities. Click this link to read articles written by Brown students. Click on the Art tab/button to potentially see your child's artwork featured in the newspaper. The Bear Necessities of Brown have come to you. We hope you enjoy it!
Technology Spotlight
Mrs. Randi's 8th Grade ELA Classes
Randi's 8th grade ELA classes were able to visit the Ursa Innovation Lab to have a virtual author visit with Kentucky author and artist, Tauhid Bondia. Tauhid has just published his first graphic novel, Crabgrass, and shared with the students his process of drafting and revision. Randi's class has just finished reading Persepolis, a graphic novel, so this visit really shed light on what it's like to be both an author with words as well as with images. Tauhid's book is available at all bookstores and is appropriate for all ages, and Randi encourages everyone to buy it and support a local author!
Follow Tauhid on Twitter @7auhid and on Instagram @crabgrasscomic.
Illnesses
We have noticed an uptick in illness across all grade levels, especially in K-2. Students are getting sick with the flu, colds, stomach bug, and respiratory infections.
Please keep your child at home if they are sick or have a fever. JCPS policy states that students must be fever free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.
Staff will continue to remind students about washing hands whenever possible.
As an optional precaution, encourage your student to wear a mask while in class to help keep from bringing sickness home to the entire family.
Birthday Celebrations
Please keep the following guidelines in mind concerning birthday celebrations:
Classroom birthday celebrations are allowed in grades K-5
Numbers to keep in mind- 24 kids in K-2 in each class and 50 kids in 3-5 each grade level
Speak to your child’s teacher in advance to make arrangements for the date and time.
Treats must be store-bought with ingredients and nutritional information on the package.
Treats must be 200 calories or less
Find out what allergies or dietary restrictions children might have
Provide a replacement treat for kids with dietary restrictions
Must give any party invitations passed out at school to every classmate in the classroom or grade level.
Application Window Open
If your student is a current Brown School student and you wish for them to remain at Brown next year, you DO NOT complete a JCPS Application. Your student will automatically be reenrolled here, even if they are moving from elementary to middle or middle to high school.
JR / SR College Prep Visits
To stay in the loop of all of the upcoming Junior and Senior College Rep Visits, please visit the calendar linked HERE.
Scholarships—finding free money for college
Wednesday, November 2 at 7pm ET | 6pm CT | 5pm MT | 4pm PT
During this session students and families will learn key tips on applying for scholarships, how to create a winning scholarship essay, and more.
Unable to Attend? If you’re unable to attend on this date, go ahead and register—we’ll send you a link to the recording so that you don’t miss this valuable information.
Our free Scholarship Search connects students to scholarship opportunities based on their hobbies and interests. The database now has more than 6 million college scholarships worth up to $30 billion.
Plus, when students register, they can enter for a chance to win our monthly sweepstakes.
UPS - Everyone Counts on Thursday, November 4th
4th Street Friday This Week
Kroger - 1st Block on Wednesday, November 9th
JCTC Registration - Thursday, November 10th
Bellarmine - 2nd and 3rd Block on Friday, November 11th
Weekly Columns
Thanksgiving Lunch
All families are invited to join their students for Thanksgiving Lunch on Thursday, November 10th. The school provides a Thanksgiving Lunch and the PTSA provides the drinks and dessert. Tickets are $10.00. HERE is the lunch schedule so that you can plan what time to be here; if you have a middle or high school student, you will need to ask them what time they have lunch on Gold Days.
Basketball Concessions
Basketball season actually started last night at Brown and we had our first concession stand.
We need help to run the concession stand for all our elementary, middle, and high basketball games. We can't do this without your help.
Please sign up for a shift.
Sign Up Genius link
Thank you
We want to thank all the volunteers, teachers, staff, and PTSA members who helped make the Fall Festival a success.
Thank you to the vendors who donated auction items and also the families that donated to the classroom baskets.
We also want to thank all our families for attending.
We want your Feedback
We know that with every event this is room for improvement. We want to know what you liked and disliked about this year's Fall Festival.
What ideas do you have to improve it for next year?
Auction Items
Did you win an auction items at the Fall Festival. We have been contacting individuals by phone and email. We will be at the PTSA Office/Concession Stand this Thursday & Friday from 8:00 - 9:00 am and on Friday from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm.
If you are unable to make those times - please contact us via email to arrange a time.
PTSA Bear Bucks
If you ordered PTSA Bear Bucks and didn't pick them up at the Fall Festival - we will be contacting you to get them to you. If you have PTSA Bear Bucks left over - remember that you can use them at the Concession stand and for PTSA merchandise. If you have any of the regular plain tickets left over they can be turned into the PTSA for the equivalent of Bear Bucks by December 16th.
Athletics
Elementary Athletics
Basketball is going well and everyone seems to be learning a lot and getting better. We have 3 teams this season, so we are very happy with our number of players.
Cheer teams will hopefully start soon, but we will need a parent volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to justin.leonard@jefferson.kyschools.us or tara.davis@jefferson.kyschools.us
Middle School Athletics
Student Season Tickets are on sale now for $20 to all middle and high school athletic events. All students over 6 years old will need a ticket for games this year. There is no more free admission. Single game student tickets for middle school are $5 and high school are $7. The season ticket package includes $10 in Bear Bucks for anything in the concession stand PLUS an exclusive Brown Bears t-shirt. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Cross-country had a great ending with Oliver Zausch and Erin Rogers both having strong runs at the Kentucky State Championships. We look forward to watching their successes in years to come. It was a great season with a lot of improvement, fun meets and a great group of athletes.
Basketball is underway this week with the JV taking on Lassiter at home Tuesday night. The Varsity lost a close one to Kammerer in the jamboree at Ballard on Saturday but looks to rebound on Thursday when they take on Lassiter away.
Swimming has its first middle school meet this Friday from 4pm-10pm at Mary T. Meagher. Good luck swimmers!
Archery plans to start practices in early November. If you are interested in joining, please email coach Jennifer at jennbeanfest@aol.com.
Bowling has continued to work hard in practices and are ready for matches. They would still like to add some bowlers if anyone is interested. Any student in grades 7-12th that are interested, should reach out to coach Justin at justin.young2@jefferson.kyschools.us
*All eligibility paperwork must be completed and on file with the Athletic Director before a student can participate. All forms can be found on the school website. under forms and info.
High School Athletics
Student Season Tickets are on sale now for $20 to all middle and high school athletic events. All students over 6 years old will need a ticket for games this year. There is no more free admission. Single game student tickets for middle school are $5 and high school are $7. The season ticket package includes $10 in Bear Bucks for anything in the concession stand PLUS an exclusive Brown Bears t-shirt. Tickets can be purchased online here.
Cross country season is officially over and Oliver and Erin did a great job at State, both having a PR. Way to represent Erin and Oliver!
Archery plans to start practices in early November. If you are interested in joining, please email coach Jennifer at jennbeanfest@aol.com.
Bowling has continued to work hard in practices and are ready for matches. They would still like to add some bowlers if anyone is interested. Any student in grades 7-12th that are interested, should reach out to coach Justin at justin.young2@jefferson.kyschools.us
Basketball- Anyone interested in playing basketball should email the coaches. Boys- jbibb20@gmail.com or Girls- rja172307@gmail.com
Swimming has finished tryouts, but could always add a few more swimmers. Anyone that is interested in being on the team should email coach William at wmkolb@gmail.com.
*All eligibility paperwork must be completed and on file with the Athletic Director before a student can participate. All forms can be found on the school website. under forms and info.
Elementary Counselor
Christy is out right now. If you need assistance, please contact Robin, Cordia, or David.
On Nov 2nd, Robin, Cordia, and David visited 5th Grade Classrooms to discuss Mental Health Awareness. At the end of the lesson, students reported if they wanted to follow up with a member of our student support team. We, along with our intern Lucy, will make arrangements to follow up with students with concerns over the next few days.
Middle School Counselor
The end of the 2nd six weeks is this Friday 11/4, but grades are not posted until 11/16. Please check on your student's progress and contact the teacher or me if you have concerns.
We have been working on peaceful conflict resolution strategies in Middle School. Please talk to your student about seeking resolutions by using resources such as their own skills or their caring supportive adults. So many things can be resolved when we work together for peace!
High School Counselor
The end of the 2nd six weeks is this Friday 11/4, but grades are not posted officially until 11/16. Please check on your student's progress and contact the teacher or me if you have concerns.
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AP tests-Students that have not confirmed their AP test decision in the College Board system will not have a test ordered. Students who confirmed they would like a test, but did not return the paper with a parent signature are in danger of having their test cancelled. If you still have your AP Test Registration (dark pink paper), please bring it to the pedway no later than Friday, Nov. 4th.
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JCTC will return on November 10th to advise and enroll students for classes in January. Please have your student contact Norah for an appointment. Students that have not completed their application and been accepted by November 10th will have missed the deadline and will not be able to take dual credit classes in the spring of 2023. Students that took Fall classes that do not register for Spring classes will need a full course load at Brown, or they will need to enroll in our Work Based Learning Program. Students cannot leave school before 2:40 unless they are in an approved program.
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Juniors and Seniors: Transcript requests are most often done through Parchment. Students learn how to request transcripts via the parchment system in Junior Seminar with Norah. Please follow this procedure to ensure your transcript is sent and received correctly. Emailing is not secure and does not guarantee receipt by the college/university.
Mental Health Practitioner
Halloween has come and gone, and I hope your families had a great time celebrating this fun season in whatever ways you celebrate! This week I wanted to go over confidentiality, and the limits that it has for us here at JCPS. I have gone over this topic with our students here at Brown, but I find it is helpful for parents/guardians to understand as well! Some common questions I get about confidentiality are:
What does confidentiality mean?
Confidentiality means that any content/private information that your child shares in the confines of working with me remains private. I cannot release any identifying information to anyone without a parent/guardians written consent. This includes other providers (i.e. doctors, therapists) that your child may be working with.
Are there any exceptions to confidentiality?
Yes, there are a few exceptions to confidentiality. Like all other JCPS employees I am a designated reporter. This means that if I feel your child may harm someone else, may harm themselves, or are being harmed by someone else I am mandated by the state to report it to the proper authorities. Another exception would be if the child requests that I share information with another adult who is relevant to the situation (i.e. a teacher, counselor).
Can I withdraw consent to share information?
Yes, as the parent/guardian of your child you can withdraw consent for me to share information, as well as consent for me to work with your child at any time.
If you have any other questions about confidentiality, or my services in general please reach out to my email or call me at Brown at (502) 485-8216 ext. 2633.
Family Resource/Youth Services Center
I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. Comet and I like to dress up as an astronaut and a rocket. Well, he doesn't love it, but he tolerates it.
The holidays are right around the corner! If any family is in need of a Thanksgiving Day basket, contact St. Augustine Church at 584-4602. They will be taking sign ups through November 10 and baskets will be distributed on November 21.
If you have not completed all the required forms on Parent Place, please do so. To login to Parent Place, click, here.
The week of November 14th is Red Ribbon Week, more details in the next edition of Bear Essentials.
Star Students
Click HERE to watch the Star Students' Slideshow! We have so many amazing achievements of our Brown Bears from this past week!
Connections
SBDM Update
Here's what happened at last night's SBDM meeting!
Students Lia Mananandry and Rhaegan Hogue presented a proposal for a new club called “ Not Your Stereotypical Kids Club” which was approved by the council.
Dr. Parsons shared the Good News Report with the council:
The music department put on a wonderful Halloween Concert that was enjoyed by our students, staff, and parents.
The PTSA Fall Festival was a great success.
After a break due to COVID, Fireflies and Moonbeans are back!
Taylor Morris was named an honorable mention to the All State Girls HS Soccer Team.
Taylor Morris was named 1st Team All Region and Trista was named All Region Honorable Mention in Girls HS Soccer.
Oliver Zausch and Erin Rogers qualified for the state tournament in MS Cross Country.
Sophia Graham was featured in 300 for 300 and she has her own billboard!
Our theater department put on a great production of Welcome to Fourway: The Town that Time Forgot.
Lilly Mattingly, Kate Kelley, and Kamryn Bauman represented Brown at the MS All Stars Game.
Grant Stone qualified for the 26th District All Tournament Boys HS Soccer Team.
Trista Morris qualified for the 26th District All Tournament Girls Soccer Team.
Terrilyn Fleming received a $525 5x5 grant to bring the Squallis Puppeteers to our students in grades K-3, and a $350 5x5 grant to bring Flamenco Dancing to our theater students in grades 6-8.
Planning
The Council reviewed the School Report Card.
The Council reviewed the Vital Signs Analysis compiled by the Interdisciplinary Leadership Team as a part of our yearly review.
The Council reviewed a new Brown Behavior Flowchart developed by our Assistant Principals and Counselors.
Budget Report
The council reviewed the Flexible Budget Summary, School-Based Activity Accounts, and District-Based Activity Accounts.
Committee Reports
Dr. Parsons shared the Budget Committee report from October 31, 2022, with the council.
Dr. Mattingly reviewed the Curriculum & Instruction Committee report from October 26, 2022, with the council.
Dr. Parsons shared the Professional Development Committee report from October 10, 2022, with the council.
Dr. Parsons reviewed the Racial Equity Committee report from October 26, 2022, with the council.
Dr. Parsons shared that the Safety Committee has a meeting scheduled for today.
Mrs. Anderson reviewed the School Climate Committee report from October 17, 2022, with the council.
Policies for Review
The council approved the Attendance Policy.
The council approved the Emergency Management Plan Policy.
The council performed a first reading of Curriculum Responsibilities Policy (to replace Curriculum Policy).
The council reviewed the Anti-Bullying Policy.
The council reviewed the Budget and Spending Policy.
New Business
The council approved a request from Dr. Parsons to name the Alumni Center “The James McMillin J. Graham Brown Alumni Archives.”
Family Matters
College Fair
Interested in attending a college fair? Register for an upcoming one on 11/19 at 10 am at the JEB Enrichment Center. @JCPSKY students will meet with college representatives/community partners to receive advisement on college access and financial aid, scholarships, and more!
Cultural Connections
Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated November 2. On this day, it is believed that the souls of the dead return to visit their living family members. Many people celebrate this day by visiting the graves of deceased loved ones and setting up altars with their favorite foods, drink, and photos.
Read more HERE!