www.jcpsky.netEqual Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Offering Equal Educational Opportunities

May 2012

Nov.-Dec. 2013

Jefferson County

PublicSchools

Elementary application

period starts Nov. 18

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Visit the district’s Elementary School Showcase—Nov. 16Staff members from all Jef-ferson County Public School (JCPS) District elementary schools and from many de-partments will be available to answer your questions at the Elementary School Showcase. It will be held on Sat., Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kentucky Interna-tional Convention Center, located at the corner of Third and Market Streets. The showcase will offer detailed information for

both parents and students. School administrators and teachers will be on hand to talk with you and your child. Key JCPS staff members will be available to talk about applying to schools, trans-portation, magnet and op-tional programs, the Eng-lish as a Second Language (ESL) Program, and the Exceptional Child Education (ECE) Program for special-needs students.You’ll get a free copy of Choices at the showcase.

Get answers to your questions about schools and programsThe guidebook also is avail-able on the Showcase of Schools page on the JCPS Web site at www.jcpsky.net.

Buster the Bus talks to showcase visitors.

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Mon., Nov. 18, through Fri., Jan. 10, is the online application period for JCPS elementary schools for the 2014-15 school year. The following students should apply during this period:• Students who are entering

kindergarten• Elementary students who

have moved• Elementary students who

want to apply to a magnet school, a magnet pro-gram, or Hawthorne El-ementary’s Dual-Language Spanish Immersion Op-tional Program

The online application form

Elementary school application period begins Nov. 18

and instructions will be available on the district’s Web site and at registration sites that will be located throughout the district dur-ing the application period.

If you don’t have Internet access, call 485-3323 for information on how to ap-ply.

Should you register before you apply to schools and programs?All students in kindergarten through grade twelve who have not previously at-tended a JCPS school need to register online with the district. After registration, students who are entering kinder-garten may apply online to schools in the elementary cluster that serves their home address as well as to magnet schools, magnet programs, and Hawthorne Elementary’s optional pro-gram. To find out which cluster serves your address, call the JCPS Demograph-

ics Office at 485-3050 or use the online SchoolFinder at http://apps.jefferson.kyschools.us/demographics/schoolfinder.aspx.Online applications also are accepted from older JCPS elementary students who have moved or who want to apply to a magnet school, a magnet program, or Haw-thorne’s optional program. These students do not need to register first.

How to registerStudents who are new to the district need to com-

plete their initial registration on the JCPS Web site (www .jcpsky.net) from any com-puter with Internet access. Computers are available at JCPS registration sites, which are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lam Build-ing (4309 Bishop Lane) and the ESL Office (1325 Blue-grass Avenue). Additional registration op-portunities, including a schedule of stops for the bus that serves as the JCPS Mobile Student Registration Site, will be announced on

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the district Web site when they are available. (If you don’t have Internet access, call 485-3323 for the latest information.)Overview of the registration process:• Go to www.jcpsky.net, and

click the green Register & Apply button in the upper-left corner on the homep-age.

• The online system will walk you through the registration process. At one point, it will ask for information on the parent/guardian who is complet-ing the registration. After you click Save Registra-tion, you’ll see a confirma-tion number. Write it down because you’ll be able to use it later to verify your identity.

• After you’ve completed all of the questions, you may print a copy of the record you’ve created.

• You then will need to take proof of address to a JCPS school or registration site, or you may scan your proof of address and e-mail it to addressverifica-tion@jefferson.kyschools .us. The proof of address may be a gas/electric or water bill issued within the last three months, a lease, a house contract, a pay-check or paycheck stub, or a Supplemental Secu-rity Income (SSI) or other government benefits letter that has your name and address on it.

• Students whose parents are moving to Jeffer-son County from another county or another state must provide proof of resi-dence in Jefferson County before registering.

For more information, call the Parent Assistance Cen-ter (485-6250) or send an e-mail to askstudentassign-ment@jefferson.kyschools

.us. Note: You may register your child for school regardless of im-migration status and/or a fixed, regular, and ad-equate night-time residence.

How to apply This is an over-view of the online application pro-cess for students who are entering kindergarten and older JCPS el-ementary students

who have moved or who want to apply to a magnet school, a magnet program, or Hawthorne Elementary’s Dual-Language Spanish Im-mersion Optional Program. (If you don’t have Internet access, call 485-3323 for information on how to ap-ply. Students who have not previously attended a JCPS school need to register with the district before they can apply.) You will need one of the following pieces of identi-fying information to apply to elementary schools and programs: — A JCPS Parent Portal username and password— A Parent Portal activa-tion key— A registration confirma-tion number

• Once you have the iden-tifying information, go to

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the JCPS Web site at www.jcpsky.net and click the green Register & Apply button in the upper-left corner of the homepage. The online system will walk you through the ap-plication process.

• Be sure to review the in-formation on your child in the system. If any of the information is incorrect, notify your child’s school or go to a JCPS registra-tion site. If the address is incorrect, you will need to provide proof of the cor-rect address.

• The online system will let you rank the schools in order of preference in the elementary cluster that serves your address. (Most JCPS elementary schools are part of 1 of 13 clusters.)

• You also may choose to apply to magnet schools and programs as well as Hawthorne Elementary’s Dual-Lan-guage Span-ish Immersion Optional Program.

Please note• Submitting

an applica-tion doesn’t guarantee placement in a school or program.

• Waiting lists are not kept from year to year.

• If you apply to a magnet school, magnet program or Hawthorne Elementa-ry’s Dual-Language Span-ish Immersion Optional Program, school staff may ask for additional informa-tion, such as a student work sample or a recom-mendation from a teacher or child-care provider. If a school asks you for the additional information, please reply promptly and send the information di-rectly to the school.

• Submitting more than one application will void the previous application. Sub-mitting false information will void an application.

• The online application lets you select a first and a second choice when you apply to a magnet pro-gram or school, but note that the traditional magnet schools, the Brown School, and the middle school

Mathematics/Science/Technology (MST) Program use a random-draw list if openings for new students are limited. Students will be included on the ran-dom-draw list only if they select these schools or the MST Program as their first choice. If openings are not limit-ed, students who selected the schools or the pro-gram as a second choice also will be considered for available openings.

• Students will be assigned to a school for the next school year before the end of the current school year.

• Students who are not resi-dents of Jefferson County will not be considered for placement in a school or program until all Jefferson County applicants have been considered.

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Elementary magnet programsJCPS elementary magnet programs provide a spe-cialized learning environ-ment (such as a Montessori school) or focus on a specif-ic subject (such as technol-ogy or health and fitness). Students who are accepted into a magnet program be-come a full-time student of the school that offers it. Students throughout the district may apply to many of the following programs, but some serve students from specific clusters. JCPS provides transportation for most students who are ac-cepted into a magnet pro-gram.

Academy for Excellence in Teaching and Learn-ing: Atkinson (districtwide magnet program) Communications: Breckin-ridge-Franklin (magnet pro-gram for Clusters 8 through 13) Environmental Studies: Cane Run (magnet program for Clusters 1 through 6) and Portland (magnet pro-gram for Clusters 7 through 13) Gifted and Talented: King (districtwide magnet pro-gram) Health and Fitness for Accelerated Learning: Wellington (magnet pro-

gram for Clusters 1 through 6) and Rangeland (mag-net program for Clusters 7 through 13) Institute for Creativity and Innovation: Maupin (districtwide magnet pro-gram) International/Cultural Studies and Language: Fairdale (magnet program for Clusters 1 through 7) and Goldsmith (magnet program for Clusters 8 through 13)Leadership Academy: Mill Creek (magnet program for Clusters 1 through 5) Mathematics/Science/Technology: Wheatley

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(districtwide magnet pro-gram) MicroSociety: Indian Trail (magnet program for Clus-ters 6 and 7) Montessori: Kennedy Mon-tessori (magnet program for Clusters 1 through 8) and Coleridge-Taylor Montessori (magnet program for Clus-ters 9 through 13) Preparatory Academy:

McFerran (magnet program for Clusters 4 through 7) Success for All Accelerat-ed Reading: Jacob (mag-net program for Clusters 1 through 5)Talent Development: Byck (districtwide magnet program)Technology: Roosevelt-Perry (districtwide magnet program)

Visual and Performing Arts: King (districtwide magnet program) Visual Arts: Rutherford (magnet program for Clus-ters 1 through 6) and Price (magnet program for Clus-ters 7 through 13)Waldorf-Inspired Pro-gram: Byck (districtwide magnet program)

Elementary magnet schoolsElementary students throughout the district may apply to the following mag-net schools, which are not part of an elementary clus-ter. JCPS provides trans-portation for most students who are accepted into a magnet school (except for the Brown School). International Baccalau-reate (IB) school: Young (3526 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.) Mathematics/Science/Technology school: Brandeis (2817 W. Kentucky St.)Performing arts school: Lincoln (930 East Main St.)Self-directed learning school: Brown (546 S. 1st St.) Traditional schools: Stu-dents are assigned to Audu-bon Traditional (1051 Hess Lane), Carter Traditional (3600 Bohne Avenue), Greathouse/Shryock Tradi-tional (2700 Browns Lane), or Schaffner Traditional (2701 Crums Lane) based

on their home address. The districtwide Traditional Magnet Program is available at Foster Traditional Acad-emy (Cluster 2) and Shelby Traditional Academy (Clus-ter 12). These six schools are part of the traditional education feeder pattern to Barret Traditional, Jeffer-son County Traditional, and

Johnson Traditional Middle Schools.Wilkerson Traditional (Clus-ter 2) and Smyrna Tradi-tional (Cluster 7) provide traditional education, but they don’t offer magnet programs and aren’t part of the feeder pattern to tradi-tional JCPS middle schools.

Dual-Language Spanish Immersion Optional ProgramHawthorne Elementary’s program is designed to pro-vide a daily Spanish immersion experience that pre-pares students to read, write, and speak proficiently in Spanish. The students (kindergarten through fifth grade) receive daily math and science instruction in Spanish. Other content areas are taught in English. Students also benefit from cultural enrichment in a Spanish arts class, which meets twice a week and com-bines the arts with Spanish language and culture learn-ing. Hawthorne’s program benefits both students who are learning Spanish as a second language and stu-dents who are learning English as a second language. In addition, the Hawthorne community is a dual-language community with an expressed appreciation of language learning and inclusion of diverse cultural experiences. Because this program is an optional program, transportation is provided only for Clus-ter 13 students.

JCPS is now accepting middle and high school applications

Veterinary science program receives national certification

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JCPS is now accepting online appli-cations for middle and high school magnet programs, optional programs, magnet schools, and high school Open Enrollment for the 2014-15 school year. Visit the JCPS Web site, and click the green Register & Apply button in the upper-left corner on the homepage. You also can complete the online ap-plication at registration sites at JCPS offices. The application period will end on Fri., Jan. 10.For more information on optional pro-grams, magnet programs, and mag-net schools, contact the JCPS Optional and Magnet Programs Office at 485-3323. For general information, contact the Student Assignment Office at 485-6250.

Tammy Wright, teacher in the Veterinary Science Mag-net Program at Central High School Magnet Career Acad-emy (MCA), has obtained certification of the school’s program from the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. Wright worked on the ap-plication process for about a year. The certification will give students in Central’s

Veterinary Science Magnet Program the opportunity to sit for the American Vet-erinary Association (AVA) exam and become AVA-certified. State laws prohibit students younger than 18 from work-ing in radiology, but an AVA-certified student will be able to work in a veterinary medicine clinic and become trained in film developing,

assisting restraint, and per-sonal safety. Seniors in Central’s magnet program are scheduled to take the exam this fall, and those who become certified could explore a variety of co-op partnerships. Wright is exploring partner-ships and opportunities with local agencies.

The middle and high school version of Choices is available on the JCPS Web site.

Vision: All JCPS students graduate prepared to reach their full potential and contribute to our society throughout life.

Mission: To provide relevant, com-prehensive, quality instruc-tion in order to educate, prepare, and inspire our students to learn.

Values: • Our students are cared for

and treated as if they are our own.

• Children learn differently.• What happens in the

classroom matters most. • The differences of each

are assets of the whole.• High-quality teaching is

the most powerful tool for helping students reach high standards.

JCPS vision, mission, and values• Leadership and innovation

are essential to prepare students for their futures.

• Talents and resources are used wisely to benefit stu-dents.

• Partnerships among schools, families, and community are important for the health and well-being of our students.

• Adults model integrity, respect, creativity, and ac-countability.

Library reorganization encourages students to read more books

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Students at Knight Middle no longer use the Dewey Decimal System to find li-brary books. Christen Priefer, the school’s library media specialist, has implemented a classifica-tion system called the Book Store Model and has reor-ganized the library’s hold-ings according to subject categories like those in a bookstore. Knight hosted a grand re-opening of the library in late September to introduce the new model to parents and community members. The library has about 4,600 titles, and students checked out at least 600 books dur-ing September, which is a greater number than in the past, Priefer says.

She points out that the Book Store Model seems to make more sense to students than the Dewey

Decimal System. “I think this helps them because it’s more genre-based and by topic,” Priefer says. The reorganization received significant support from the JCPS Library Media Services Department. Knight is the only JCPS mid-dle school that has switched to the Book Store Model, but it has been used in two of the district’s elementary schools: Atkinson Academy and Okolona Elementary. Library media specialists at those schools also have re-ported that students started checking out more books after the switch.

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Student named Constitutional Academy ScholarSeneca High student Asia Peeples was selected as a 2013 Bill of Rights Con-stitutional Academy Ford Scholar. During the summer, Asia attended the Bill of Rights Constitutional Academy in Washington, D.C. — an academy designed to edu-cate young people about the words and ideas of America’s founders, the liberties guaranteed in founding documents, and how our founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society. Asia was the only student selected from Kentucky, and she received a full scholar-

ship to attend the acad-emy. A student in Seneca’s Pre-Law Magnet Program, she was nominated by her teachers, Emily Fritts and Justin Cornell.

JCPS educators receive state Teacher Achieve-ment AwardsFarmer Elementary teacher Angela Pleasant was one of ten semifinalists for the 2014 Kentucky Teacher of the Year award, sponsored by Ashland Inc. and the Kentucky Department of Education. The semifinalists were se-lected from a group of 24 state educators named 2014 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Award win-ners. This group included

another JCPS teacher: Rita Cron at Atherton High. All 24 Achievement Award win-ners were honored during a ceremony on Wed., Oct. 16, at the State Capitol Building in Frankfort. Initial judging for the awards was conducted last August by a blue-ribbon panel of veteran educators. The judges considered the nominees’ teaching phi-losophies, experiences, and involvement in their respec-tive communities as well as letters of recommendation from peers, students, par-ents, and administrators.

KDE recognizes schools for work-ing conditionsThe Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has recognized several JCPS schools for the teaching conditions, school safety, and student achievement in their buildings. Carter Traditional Elemen-tary was one of ten schools selected for the KDE Win-ner’s Circle based on the results of the Teaching, Educating, Leading, and Learning (TELL) Kentucky Survey. It was administered to all public school teachers and principals in March of this year. The following JCPS schools were among the 50 Ken-

Asia Peeples was honored at a Jefferson County Board of Education meeting.

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Are you getting the e-mail newsletter?Parent Connection eNews is a JCPS newsletter that offers new, brief articles in a monthly e-mail. You can view the latest issue and sign up for future ones on the Parent Connection Web site.

tucky schools that received an honorable mention: Audubon Youth Develop-ment Center, Kennedy Mon-tessori Elementary, Lowe Elementary, Schaffner Tra-ditional Elementary, and Western High (Early College Program).Schools that received awards or honorable men-tions will be used as ex-amples of best practices for other schools across the state.

Teacher invited to Washington to dis-cuss national cer-tificationJeffrey Wright, physics teacher at Louisville Male High, was invited to attend an event at the U.S. Capi-tol in Washington, D.C., on Wed., Oct. 9. Wright met with members of Congress and medical professionals to discuss National Board Certification. The group explored how a fully scaled National Board Certification process could aid the nation’s teachers in the same way that a na-

tional board process has strengthened medicine. Wright served as a member of a moderated panel of Na-tional Board Certified Teach-ers who discussed how the National Board for Profes-sional Teaching Standards has helped them grow their teaching abilities. Wright also attended a dinner honoring the par-ticipating teachers, and he received complimentary registration to attend the National Board’s Teach-ing & Learning Conference in Washington, D.C., next March.

Principal selected for state councilThomas Aberli, principal at Atherton High, was re-cruited by the Kentucky Governor’s Office to serve as a high school principal member of the Governor’s School Curriculum, Assess-ment, and Accountability Council. The group typically con-sists of 17 members who are appointed by the gov-ernor, and only 2 of those positions are designated

for school principals. Ab-erli already serves on the Kentucky Education Com-missioner’s Principal Advi-sory Council, and he plans to continue contributing grassroots perspectives about education to inform and advise those who guide education legislation and reform.

Principal receives outstanding super-visor awardDavid Johnson, principal at Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP) High, has been honored with the 2013 Outstanding Supervisor Award by the Kentucky Association for College Admission Counsel-ing (KYACAC). The award is given annually to a supervisor or principal who provides exemplary support for his or her coun-seling staff members. John-son accepted the award at the KYACAC’s College Coun-seling Information Exchange Conference in Louisville on Fri., Sept. 6.

The answers to the seventh-grade science questions in the last issue of Parent Con-nection are 1. C. 2. A. 3. B. To review the questions, visit the newsletter’s Web site and select the October issue.The first parent to send the correct answers last month was Bettina Bard, mother of students at Field Elementary and Lincoln Elementary Per-forming Arts School. Other winners were Amanda Hart-man (Bloom Elementary) and Terri Adams (St. Mat-thews Elementary)This month, Parent Connec-tion offers a quick quiz with fifth-grade social studies questions. The first three parents who send the correct answers via e-mail and the first three who send the answers via regular mail will receive a free JCPS T-shirt. Please include the name of your child’s (or grandchild’s) school.The e-mail address is thomas.pack@jefferson.kyschools.us. The regular mailing address is Thomas Pack, Communications and Publications North, C. B. Young Jr. Service Center, Building 4, 3001 Crittenden Drive, Louisville, KY 40209.

You don’t need to write the questions or answers. Just send the question numbers and the letters for your an-swers. Or you may cut out this quiz and mail it.

1. The JUDICIAL branch of the government is re-sponsible for

A. making laws. B. suggesting laws. C. interpreting laws. D. carrying out laws.

2. In what area of the Unit-ed States would settlers

Quick quiz for parents

Are you as smart as a JCPS fifth grader?

have had the greatest need to conserve water?

A. Northeast B. Southeast C. Northwest D. Southwest

3. As a symbol of friend-ship, France gave Ameri-ca the

A. Liberty Bell. B. Statue of Liberty. C. Lincoln Memorial. D. Washington Monu-

ment.

Take the quiz, and you could win a JCPS T-shirt.