Principal's Message
Dear Brown School Family,
I recently met with our school newspaper staff to hear about their work creating a new website to publish their work. I am always in awe when I meet with students and they share their ideas. I love seeing our students grow in the Self-Directed Pillar of Innovation! I also love seeing our teachers grow in this area as well. Yesterday, some of our teachers took part in professional learning focused on using our new technology in the Ursa Innovation Lab. Be sure to check out the photos below!
There are a lot of events coming up! We have spirit days next week, so check below to start thinking of what your student can wear if they want to participate. (When my boys were young, they always asked us the night before!) The PTSA is coordinating a pot luck dinner for our teachers/staff working the Open House for Prospective Students on Thursday, so if you can contribute a dish it would be greatly appreciated! You can also buy advance "Bear Bucks" for the Fall Festival below, so take advantage of this opportunity to not have to stand in line the night of the event for tickets.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
This Week's Essentials
Yearbook Sale
Oh No! The yearbook is on sale for only $45 until October 30th! QUICK, don’t forget to purchase your yearbook now before Jostens bumps up the price. Times are changing and so is the yearbook! We have added 11 more pages to give us more space for sports and activities, and have added a 20 page supplemental! What is a supplemental you ask? It is more coverage of all the spring activities we have. Now pages about our spring sports, prom, junior ring ceremony, 5th and 8th grade promotion, and graduation will be mailed to you over the summer for no additional charge! So if you would love to have an additional 20+ pages of Brown School life, then go ahead and purchase your yearbook today at Jostens.com!
Make the most out of your memories and get a bang for your buck by buying one today!
Brown School Blood Drive
The Brown School Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday, November 2nd in the Auditorium from 8:00am-1:00pm.
Please click this LINK for more information and how to get registered. Every generous donation we receive can make a difference!
If you have any questions please email Kathy Wynn or call (502) 861-5834.
Elective Course Fees
We are having issues with My School Bucks and billing for electives. We have been in contact with JCPS and My School Bucks to repair the problems. Elective fees should be out soon. Please carefully review your student's statement once it has posted and notify kathleen.wynn@jefferson.kyschools.us if you have a billing error (such as being billed for a course your student is no longer enrolled in). It is much easier to remove an incorrect fee than it is to reimburse after it has been paid.
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.
Transylvania University will be here on Monday during 1st Block.
Jostens will be here on Tuesday for Junior Ring previews and Senior Announcements.
Technology Spotlight
Brown Staff
This week we are spotlighting our amazing Brown Staff who attended the Makerspace Professional Development in the Ursa Innovation Lab. Our teachers learned about all kinds of new technology such as: 3D printing, Lasercutting, Sewing, Button Making, Vinyl Printing, Podcasting and more! They even had time to plan an upcoming Project-Based Learning or unit activity that will have their students use the Ursa Innovation Lab to create something later in the school year. We love that our teachers always have a growth mindset and are willing to try new things! Check out their future ideas by clicking HERE.
SAFETY
We had a fire drill today and student behavior exceeded expectations!
ES Spirit Week
MS / HS Spirit Week
Weekly Columns
PTSA
PTSA Myth
You must have a child at the school in order to join the school's PTSA.
PTSA Truth
PTSA Membership is open, without discrimination, to anyone who believes in and supports the mission , purposes, and principles of PTA
Thank you!
Thank you to Alma Aldana, Ralph Tedesco, and Autumn Neagle for attending the Showcase of Schools and helping families know what the Brown School means to them. A parent's view of a school is the best way to get to know a school.
Dinner for Teachers Tomorrow
Tomorrow is open house for our prospective students. Our teaches and staff work that day and then have to be there for incoming students. We are hoping thanks to you we can help provide dinner for them. We are doing a salad and soup bar.
School Board Candidate Forum
15th District PTA is doing a school board candidate forum tomorrow at VanHoose Education Center, Stewart Auditorium. Brown School is in District 1 but you may live in a different district. Come by and get questions answered. Registration is suggested but not required - Register here
Fall Festival Information
The Fall Festival is only 9 days away and we can't wait to see all our families have fun and celebrating our together.
Did you know that Brown School is celebrating it's 50th anniversary? We have invited our alumni to join us in our Fall Festival.
How you can help before the event?
Most grades are doing a silent auction basket - help them by contribute something small. Click here is the list of grades and groups.
We are still collecting items for our silent auction. We will have some online and some in person. Here is our donation letter if interested.
Donate a bag of candy. One of our activities is a trick or treat for our kids. Donate some candy by sending it to the school. Just tag it for PTSA.
Donate a cake, cookies, or cupcakes for the cake walk. This can be homemade or store bought. Sign up here on our sign-up genius.
Sign up to volunteer for the event. We need to make sure that we have enough volunteers to run this fall festival. If we don't have volunteers for everything - we may have to cut some activities out. Sign up here on our sign-up genius.
Buy your tickets in advance - They will be waiting for you at Will call. Order tickets here.
Purchase PTSA Bear Bucks
What is a PTSA Bear Buck? It is our new system for families to use to pay for products by the PTSA. This means the fall festival, concessions, and merchandise. We are also planning on using these to incentivize our students through the year. Your student may bring home a PTSA Bear Buck for showing great school spirit or showing compassion to other students. The fall festival will have PTSA bear bucks in $1.00 and also 50 cent tickets for those games that are less. Order your PTSA Bear Bucks now to avoid the long lines. BTW - PTSA Bear Bucks do not expire.
Online Silent Auction
Our Online Auction is now live. We do anticipate adding a few more items to our online platform this week. So keep checking back.
PTSA FALL FESTIVAL ONLINE AUCTION
This auction does allow you to place a proxy bid. A proxy bid is where the system bids for each user up the the maximum price they enter. This is similar to eBay.
This online auction will close at 8:20 pm on Friday, October 28th. If you are the winner you will be notified by email at 8:30 pm. If you are still at the fall festival - then come to the PTSA Concession stand to pick up your item.
Our in person silent auction will have all the classroom baskets along with other items. That auction will end at 8:00- 8:10 pm.
Volunteers Needed
This Fall Festival will be a wonderful time for our entire Brown School Family.
However, to pull this off we could use your help. We want everyone to enjoy the festival so we need a few helping hands to make it a success. Please consider take a shift to help us make this event great!
Fall Festival Updates
We have 4 food trucks that will be there.
Flavors 8 - Wieners & Catering - Hot dogs
La Guerita Michoacana - Mexican
Dino's C-Food & More - Seafood & Chicken
Al Prince Food & Sweets - Mediterranean & Desserts
Stage with DJ & Student Performances - Schedule will be out next week!
We have 22 games and booths for our families to enjoy!
Athletics
Elementary Athletics
Cross Country had a great season and we are so thankful for our coaches, athletes and families. We are looking forward to next year.
Basketball tryouts will take place today (Wednesday) from 7:00pm to 8:00pm and Friday 3:15pm-4:30pm. Any student in grades 2-5 are welcome to join us.
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. 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 strong finishes in the JCPS High School Championships on Thursday. Personal Records were achieved by middle school runners Ethan Wright, Oliver Zausch, Erin Rogers, and Lucy Obrien. Next up for this group is the high school regionals in Goshen on Saturday at 2pm. Also in cross-country news, Oliver Zausch placed 49th and Ethan Wright 96th out of nearly 400 runners in the state middle school cross-country championships this past weekend in Paris, Kentucky.
Basketball- Anyone interested in playing basketball should email the coaches. Boys- jbibb20@gmail.com or Girls- rja172307@gmail.com
Swimming is starting up and they begin tryouts this week. Anyone that missed it and is interested in being on the team should email coach William at wmkolb@gmail.com.
Tennis competed in the JCPS Middle School Tennis Championship this week. Oliver Blount is the runner-up in the beginners singles tournament and Vivien Englund is the girls JCPS Champion!
High School Athletics
Volleyball season is over, losing in the district tournament to Male High School, ranked in the top 10 in the State. We are so proud of the growth all of our players showed this season. We are very thankful for Dr. Kat, our coach, and all the support our parents gave our team this season. We have a bright future ahead.
Cross country is ready to finish the season strong, with Regionals this Saturday at Creasey Mahan Park and then on to State in Paris, Kentucky! Go Bears!!
Archery will have an interest meeting on Monday 10/24 right after school in the auditorium, so any student in grades 6-12 that is interested in participating in archery, should plan to attend. If you cannot make the meeting, please email coach Jennifer at jennbeanfest@aol.com.
Bowling has begun practices and would still like to add some bowlers. 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
This month is Bullying Prevention Month. This month's Core Counseling Curriculum lessons with Miss Christy are titled, "Our Words have Power", focusing on the positive and negative, long-lasting impact that our words have on others and on ourselves. Words DO hurt. So, we need to THINK before we SPEAK to others and to ourselves.
The NNAT3 Gifted and Talented Screener that was going to take place today has been postponed due to technical difficulties. We will keep you posted on the rescheduled date.
VERY IMPORTANT: This information is for ALL grade levels. If you want your child to attend virtual or in person therapy appointments at school, the therapist MUST be on our district MOA list. If they are not on the MOA list, then you will need to schedule their appointments outside of school hours. This is a liability issue. To find out if your child's therapist is on the list, and to help us make sure your child has the proper space and supervision while they are having their appointment, complete the Student Support Request Form and check the box for approval of outside services. If this is all totally confusing to you, go ahead and complete the student support request form as well and we'll clear things up.
Check out Miss Christy's Virtual Office for more information about our elementary world.
Middle School Counselor
I have had a blast talking to middle schoolers this week during classroom counseling. 7th and 8th graders have been digging into conflict resolution and whoa, is it a topic! PLEASE continue to have heart felt and real conversations with your darlings about how to not just resolve conflict but how to also live with each other, especially those that we may not always like. Ask your 7th or 8th grader about F-R-B-H-M. 6th graders will be talking about empathy with me on Friday and I can't wait!
The NNAT3 Gifted and Talented Screener that was going to take place today has been postponed. Christy and I will keep you posted on the new date.
Finally, I'm reposting my post from last week about therapy appointments. Please reach out if this pertains to you! Thank you for all that you do!
VERY IMPORTANT: This information is for ALL grade levels. If you want your child to attend virtual or in person therapy appointments at school, the therapist MUST be on our district MOA list. If they are not on the MOA list, then you will need to schedule their appointments outside of school hours. This is a liability issue. To find out if your child's therapist is on the list, and to help us make sure your child has the proper space and supervision while they are having their appointment, complete the Student Support Request Form and check the box for approval of outside services. If this is all totally confusing to you, go ahead and complete the student support request form as well and we'll clear things up.
High School Counselor
Seniors that missed the Oct ACT have an opportunity for a makeup test that will occur between 10/25-10/28. Students that missed were emailed more info from Robin.
Students taking AP classes will bring home a physical PINK piece of paper for a signature from their supportive adult about testing in May. Students need to choose whether or not they will take an AP test, verify with their supportive adult that they are testing, AND go online to THEIR myap.collegeboard.org account to officially declare their decision. Failure to register online by 10/21/22 will mean a test will not be ordered. If this is their first AP class, they need to create an account. If they cannot get logged in to their existing account, THE STUDENT has to call the College Board. Students can contact their AP teacher or study hall teacher if they need help registering. Students taking exams will be directed to MySchoolBucks to make a payment. Payments vary depending on the tests selected to be taken.
DUAL CREDIT advising from JCTC will occur in 310A on 11/1 and 11/10 to sign up for Spring 2023. Information will be posted to Google Classroom Class of 20## for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Students interested need to contact Norah in 310A with questions.
Mental Health Practitioner
If you're anything like me, this time of year can be stressful with changes happening around every corner. Throw on top of that allergies, tests, and after school activities, and it can be a chore to make it through the day. During times like this I want to remind our families of my services, and how to get them.
Currently our process for obtaining services starts with:
Make a referral through our student support form. This can be filled out by you, your student, or even a faculty member. It is our current goal to check in with every referral within 1-2 days depending on need. Currently our students have taken to this process very well, and have sent in many requests for support in just the one month of school we've had!
Typically the next step is for the respective school counselor to check in with your student to ascertain their needs and how best to support them.
If we observe that your student may benefit from more regular meetings/support we will send home a permission form for services with your student. This can be for either individual meetings or group. In order for us to legally be allowed to meet regularly with your student we need these to be filled out and returned to the Student Support Center as soon as possible.
If you have any questions about services provided, or need assistance in filling out a support form feel free to reach out to me at david.rutledge2@jefferson.kyschools.us.
Family Resource/Youth Services Center
Comet had a great day on Tuesday, visiting with the 6th grade students. In the afternoon, he hung out with some of the high school students. He got lots of love and hugs!
Believe it or not, 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.
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
Cultural Connections
A great way to introduce yourself to someone new is to include your pronouns. For example, "Good morning. My name is Phillip and my pronouns are he/him." Click HERE to read more about sharing your pronouns.
Family Matters
Attention parents of seniors: Does your family need help with navigating through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid? JCPS is offering an information session.
You can join on Oct 25 at 5 p.m. for FAFSA Night! During this session, participants will learn about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Sign up at https://bit.ly/3dKRX9N #jcpsdep