Jefferson County Public Schools
April 2012
Global spotlight shines on YPAS percussion premier (page 2)
New tracking system will help reduce ride time (page 4)
The South’s gonna do it again (page 5)
Are you as smart as a JCPS high school junior? (page 14)
www.jcpsky.net Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Offering Equal Educational Opportunities
Global spotlight shines on YPAS percussion premier One student dipped a gong in a tub of water as a second student played it. Another student turned a crank to operate a wind machine from Actors Theatre of Louisville. The mallets that several other students were using were a blur as they played sixteenth note triplets with amazing accuracy across marimbas, vibraphones, and xylophones. These were just a few of the instruments that the Youth Performing Arts
School (YPAS) Percussion Ensemble used last month to play a piece by an internationally known composer—a piece that no one had played before. The performance “put us on the map—globally,” says Todd Parker, director of the ensemble. Other groups will use a recording of the YPAS performance as a reference, and Parker set a worldwide standard for everything from the way instruments are arranged on stage to the types of mallets the students used. The YPAS group performed “Hurtling Through Space … at an unimaginable speed” by David Maslanka. About a year ago, the 15-mem-
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ber percussion ensemble played an older piece that Maslanka had written called “Crown of Thorns,” which has always been one of Parker’s favorites. “Just to have a group of young people capable of playing the piece was a gift,” he says, “but digging into the musical score as a conductor made me realize Maslanka’s genius on a new level.” Parker e-mailed the composer and told him about the YPAS group. Maslanka agreed to write “Hurtling Through Space” especially for them. They raised funds through private donors to pay for the commission. Maslanka, who usually writes for college and pro-
fessional performers, wondered if he should make the new piece a little easier to play than his other compositions, but Parker told him to “write like you always write� and assured him that the YPAS group had both the ability and the commitment to perform the piece well. Maslanka got to see for himself how well they play when he visited YPAS for the final rehearsals and the concert. A video of the performance is available on the JCPS YouTube channel at www. youtube.com/user/jcpsweb.
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New tracking system will help reduce ride time Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is implementing a new bus management system that will “allow us to optimize the routing of our buses to improve efficiency by reducing ride time and distance traveled,” says Mike Mulheirn, JCPS executive director of facilities and transportation. The system will track buses in real time, pinpoint their locations, log bus stop arrivals, and plot the most efficient routes. “This system will be invaluable during major traffic delays, bus breakdowns, closed streets, and severe weather,” Mulheirn says. The new system combines bus-tracking technology from Kenwood Corp. with 4
routing technology from U.S. Computing Inc., which works with several large school systems, including the 300,000-student Las Vegas public school district. Because U.S. Computing already worked with JCPS to develop a new Bus Finder that was launched at the start of the school year on the district Web site, JCPS will save time and money during implementation of the bus management system. (The Bus Finder, available at http://transportation. jefferson.kyschools.us/BusFinder/, lets you enter your address to find bus stop and bus number information.) JCPS also has worked with the Greater Louisville Inc.
logistics subcommittee, which reviewed the plan for the new bus management system and concluded that it will meet the district’s needs and that the cost— about $1.75 million—is justified. Consultant Dr. Gary Orfield recommended a similar system last fall when he presented a report on improving student assignment to the Jefferson County Board of Education. The district started initial implementation of the new system in January. Installation of global positioning system (GPS) technology on school buses began in March to start collecting travel time data throughout the remainder of the
2011-12 school year. The goal is to have GPS fully implemented for the start of the 2012-13 school year.
The district’s Transportation Department will use initial features of the routing technology to help plan routes
for the opening of school, and full implementation is scheduled for spring 2013.
Educators from three schools listened to “The South’s Gonna Do It Again” at the start of a meeting last fall. The Charlie Daniels song is now a rallying cry for the staffs at Southern High, Knight Middle, and Blue Lick Elementary, who are working together to boost student achievement and educational pride in the southern part of the county.
communication between all three schools.”
Also, Hibbard talked to Knight middle schoolers about the transition to high school, and Blue Lick fifth graders attended a pep rally with Knight students, who got them excited about starting sixth grade.
The South’s gonna do it again
Knight Principal Faith Stroud and Southern Principal Bryce Hibbard came up with the idea while they were attending Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Turnaround Training last summer. Stroud says the principals discussed “the importance of working together for a united goal of increasing student proficiency in the Okolona community.
At a joint professionaldevelopment (PD) session in the fall, educators from the schools talked about strategies they can use to boost the number of students reaching Proficiency. Hibbard told staff members that the key to success is not only asking “How are we going to improve as individual schools?” but also “How are we going to improve as a community of schools?” Since the joint PD session, the schools have worked together in numerous ways— both small (Knight loaning tables to Southern so juniors could take the ACT) and large (Blue Lick and Knight coordinating a joint Spring Fling).
“I am trying to instill community pride in the students,” Stroud says. She’s planning a transition camp for the sixth graders, and she’s working with Southern to help develop a ninth-grade transition camp. Staff members from all three schools will meet to share student data before the end of the school year, and they’ll work together to provide extra help for students who need it.
“We then realized it was important to include Blue Lick Elementary and Principal Melody Raymond in the conversation because a majority of the students who attend Blue Lick feed into Knight and the majority of students who attend Knight feed into Southern. “The administrations felt that it was important to be intentional in building collaboration, cooperation, and
Three principals—Melody Raymond, Faith Stroud, and Bryce Hibbard—and their staffs are working together to boost student achievement in the southern part of the county. 5
Up close and personal
Comets, meteroids, and moon rocks All JCPS sixth graders study the solar system, including its meteoroids, asteroids, and comets. Thanks to funding from a GE Foundation Developing Futures in Education grant, many students also get to take a field trip to the Challenger Learning Center to experience a comet up close. Or teachers can send their students on a mission called Return to the Moon, which lets them examine the topography and analyze rock samples. Launched in January 2011 at the Academy @ Shawnee high school, the Challenger Learning Center is a hightech facility that provides realistic space shuttle and mission control experiences. Students work as astronauts, scientists, and engineers. The missions are simulated, of course, but
they provide authentic encounters with science and technology.
On the Rendezvous With a Comet mission, for example, students calculate the coordinates for launching a probe to collect data. They also conduct experiments— such as testing the air and water on board—that are similar to the experiments that have been conducted by real shuttle crews. “Students rarely get to experience hands-on simulations to the level that the Challenger explores,” says Meyzeek Middle teacher Kelly Bailey. “It can be hard to keep them challenged and engaged, and this is the type of educational experience that helps them rekindle their love of learning. Many of my students walk away thinking of space exploration as a career.”
JCPS teachers participate in intensive PD sessions to learn the best ways to coordinate classroom lessons with the simulated missions. “The students are constantly making connections between the field trip experience and our classroom inquiry activities,” says Meyzeek teacher Kelley Radke. The Challenger Learning Center also offers an afterschool program focusing on robotics and a summer camp that gives students a chance to build rockets. For more information, visit www.clcshawnee.org.
Foundation funding helps students master math and science Funding from the GE Foundation, the philanthropic arm of GE, supports the Challenger Learning Center field trips and many other initiatives and activities throughout the district.
The foundation gave JCPS the first Developing Futures in Education grant of $25 million in 2005. This funding allowed the district to implement world-class math and science curricula at every grade level. In 2010, the GE Foundation began a second phase of collaboration with JCPS by 6
providing a $10.5 million, four-year extension grant. It enabled the district to build on previous efforts by focusing heavily on improving instruction, engaging parents, providing PD for principals, and supporting extensive teacher training. The efforts contributed to dramatic increases in
student math and science proficiency. According to reports released in the fall, 90 of 150 JCPS schools increased the percentage of students scoring Proficient or Distinguished in math; 71 schools increased the percentage in science. Overall, the district gained in the percentage of stu-
dents scoring Proficient or Distinguished in math and science at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. All three levels also reduced their percentage of Novices. For more information on the GE Foundation’s grants, visit www.jcpsky. net/Projects/GEMSI/index. html.
Magnet program spotlight
Institute for Creativity and Innovation A partnership with Spalding University, innovative teaching, small classes, and a focus on individual interests and learning styles are the hallmarks of Maupin Elementary’s Institute for Creativity and Innovation, a districtwide magnet program.
Second and third graders can choose their own weekly Personal Interest Classes. Choices include LEGO Engineering, Elementary Robotics, Technology Wizards, Instrumental Music, Environmental Studies, Digital Art, Quilting, Dance, Drama, and Team Sports.
“We meet the needs of every child,” says Principal Terri Davenport. “Whatever interest they have, we tap into that.”
When young students select their own classes, they’re more likely “to put enthusiasm into their learning,” says Carolyn Connor, Maupin’s magnet program coordinator.
The Creativity and Innovation Program gets kindergarten and first-grade students interested in education not only through lessons in core subjects but also through a musical approach called Rhythm and Reasoning. As young students learn to play handbells, rhythm instruments, and keyboards, they develop their creativity, critical-thinking, and memory skills—and they increase their attention spans.
Maupin also offers Hydroplane Hype, a program taught by a professor at Spalding University. As students design, build, and demonstrate their own hydroplanes, they learn teamwork and problem solving.
a schoolwide showcase. Through a partnership with the Spalding School of Social Work, fourth graders can participate in the Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders Program. Fifth graders can take problem-solving classes taught on the Spalding campus by both university professors and Maupin teachers. Maupin also offers a range of after-school programs, including art, drama, piano, yoga, chess, cooking, foreign language, and technology classes. Parent participation is encouraged. A video overview of Maupin is available on the JCPS YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/jcpsweb.
Maupin fourth and fifth graders get ready for middle school. The students select research topics connected to core content and develop innovative projects that are displayed at 7
Students lead parent-teacher conferences By Patricia Chapman, Price Elementary School Administration Manager (SAM) During the parent-teacher conferences at Price Elementary, students in the third through fifth grades proudly led their parents through the first part of the conferences. The students started off by reading a personally crafted letter that welcomed their parents. One student’s letter stated, “I cannot wait to show you my work that I am proud of.” After sharing their letters, students introduced their parents to their assessment binders, which included samples of their work and test data. Each student selected two pieces of work to review more thoroughly with their parents. In advance of the confer8
ences, teachers prepared a self-reflection sheet for each student that presented their grades in each subject area. The students added their own comments to the sheet. One column asked whether the student thought the grade received reflected his or her personal best. The second column focused on the question “Why or why not?” Students were also encouraged to set longrange goals for themselves. After showing parents their work and talking about grades and goals, the students turned the conference over to their teachers. The teachers offered clarification where needed and answered parents’ questions. As might be expected, some students were very comfortable and excited about
leading their own conferences. Others needed more encouragement. All of the students had opportunities for a dress rehearsal on the day before the conferences. Several Price staff members visited with each third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade student to discuss what they were going to cover during their conferences. The students did well at leading their conferences, and parents were appreciative of the effort. The overarching objectives of student-led conferences were to engage students and parents in talking about their grades to facilitate students’ communication and presentation skills and to give students a greater feeling of accountability for their work. We believe that these objectives were accomplished.
Emphasize key kindergarten concepts at home Kindergarten is an exciting time when parents can’t wait to hear about what happened at school—and kids are often eager to share the details. Take this one step further by practicing your child’s newfound skills. You and your child can: • Make alphabet flash cards. Write each letter on two cards—in lowercase on one and in uppercase on the other. Then go
through the cards, naming letters and sounds. • Sound out words. Say a word and have your child identify the first letter and its sound. Work on last letters, too. • Read daily. Afterwards, talk about what you’ve read. See if your child can retell the story in his own words. • Rhyme together. Pick a simple word and see if your child can think of a word that rhymes. • Count. Practice counting to 100 and writing numbers from one to 30. Sort large numbers of items (such as crayons) into categories (such as colors). • Write. Keep a journal with
your child. Model important skills, such as starting with a capital letter and ending with a punctuation mark. • Discuss concepts. Point out colors and shapes. Use a calendar to teach about days, weeks, months, and seasons. Reprinted with permission from the April 2012 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Early Childhood Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2012 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: S. Long, “Ideas for Reinforcing Kindergarten Skills at Home,” Wayne County Schools, www.waynecountyschools.org/ Page/6338.
Nominations accepted for Ky. Teacher of the Year Nominations are now being accepted for the Kentucky Teacher of the Year Awards sponsored by KDE and Ashland Inc. Parents, students, and other educators can nominate any full-time public school teacher with at least three years of experience. Judging will occur in August, and as many as 24 teachers will be honored with the Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Award. Additional interviews and site
visits will be held for nine semifinalists in September. Two of the three finalists will receive $3,000. The Teacher of the Year will receive $10,000 and will represent Kentucky in the national competition. You can submit a nomination on the Kentucky Teacher of the Year Web site (www.kentuckytoy. com) simply by entering the teacher’s name and a brief explanation of why he or she should be selected.
Last year, Atkinson Elementary teacher Elizabeth Ann Fuller was named the Elementary Teacher of the Year.
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Students earn 109 art awards Students at JCPS middle and high schools earned 109 of the 154 Gold Keys awarded in the Louisville Metropolitan Region of the 2012 National Scholastic Art Awards. The competition accepted entries from public, private, parochial, and homeschooled students in eight Kentucky and five Indiana counties. Presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the awards are the nation’s longest-running and larg-
est recognition program for teens involved in the visual arts. According to the alliance, Gold Keys are presented only to works “demonstrating the highest levels of originality, technique, and personal vision.”
JCPS students earned Gold Keys in Ceramics and Glass, Comic Art, Design, Digital Art, Drawing, Fashion, Mixed Media, Photography, Printmaking, Art Portfolio, and Photography Portfolio. The winners are students at Ballard High, Barret Tradi-
tional Middle, Brown School, Butler Traditional High, duPont Manual High, Eastern High, Highland Middle, Jeffersontown High, Louisville Male High, Noe Middle, Olmsted Academy South, Pleasure Ridge Park High, and Waggener High. An online magazine featuring the award-winning works is available on the JCPS Parent Connection Web site at www.jcpsky. net/Pubs/ParentConnection/ welcome.shtml. Self Portrait by Darius Henderson (Highland Middle), Category: Drawing
Paradise by Jaelin Rifkind (Waggener High), Category: Printmaking
Mr. Satisfaction by Travis Strobl (Ballard High), Category: Sculpture 10
Bug Eye Effect by Michael Cox (Jeffersontown High), Category: Drawing
Mary by Shelby Willock (Pleasure Ridge Park High), Category: Printmaking
Southwestern by Moriah Mudd-Kelly (duPont Manual High), Category: Art Portfolio
Puppet Lady by Maha Jabbar (duPont Manual High), Category: Sculpture
Have you reviewed your child’s ILP? Sixth- through twelfth-grade students throughout Kentucky are required to complete an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) every year. JCPS students use the online Career Cruising ILP Tool to record their academic achievements, extracurricular experiences, college and career interests, and life goals. The online tool also offers career exploration activities, college searches, and scholarship and financial aid information. You can use the Parent/ Guardian ILP Tool to: • View the information your child has entered in his or her ILP. • Record your own thoughts and comments. • E-mail your comments to your child’s advisors. • Explore your child’s career interests. • Explore educational opportunities after high school. • Assist your child with financial aid and scholarship searches.
Parents and students can log on to the ILP tool from any computer with Internet access. All students are required to have a parent review their ILP each year in the sixth through twelfth grade. To access your child’s ILP, you’ll need a username and password, which are available from your child’s school. Follow these simple steps to log on: 1. Go to the JCPS Parent Portal Web page.
2. On the portal page, click the green Parent Portal Acceptable Use Policy link to read the terms. 3. Click I agree to accept the terms. 4. Click the red See my student’s career interests (Career Cruising) button. 5. Enter the username and password you received. For more information on the ILP, contact your child’s school.
Your child’s ILP is available through the Parent Portal on the JCPS Web site.
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Male High student serves on first statewide student council
Male High junior Natalie Fahrbach was one of only eleven students selected from school districts statewide to serve on the Next-Generation Student Council, a new group formed by Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. The council is meeting with the commissioner and KDE staff, both in person and virtually, to discuss how decisions made at the state level affect students and to provide feedback on issues relevant to Kentucky schools.
eration Student Council because “it is a way for me to make a difference. I will be able to discuss ideas with other high school students on how we can improve education in Kentucky. “Being the only one selected from Jefferson County is unbelievable.” Students in grades ten through twelve throughout Kentucky were invited to apply to the council. KDE staff reviewed the applications and selected students based on how well they communicated their ideas and goals.
The first meeting was held on Feb. 28 in Frankfort. Students who are not graduat“In this changing education climate, students are becoming more concerned about ing seniors will be invited to reapply for the the direction of public education,” says Male council for the 2012-13 school year. High guidance counselor Jill T. Crutcher. Student named Spirit of Commu“Natalie is a voice for her peers and educa- nity Awards Finalist tors on issues that impact student learnDuPont Manual High student Jamie Doctrow ing.” was among only 234 students nationwide Natalie says she applied for the Next-Gen- who were named Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Distinguished Finalists. The awards honor young people for exemplary volunteer service. Jamie cofounded an organization called New Beginnings that has raised more than $1,500 to help support premature and sick infants. She held bake sales, cookbook sales, and yard sales to raise money to buy rockers for Norton Hospital. Her initiative was inspired by the premature birth of her sisters.
Natalie Fahrbach 12
The Spirit of Community Awards Program was established in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists are selected by an independent judging panel, which evaluates nominees on criteria that include personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact, and personal growth.
Since its inception, the program has recognized more than 100,000 young volunteers nationwide at the local, state, and national levels.
Meyzeek video earns top national awards
February on CTE Student Leadership Day in Frankfort. All three students are members of the entrepreneurship class led by Eastern business and information technology teacher Willie Morgan.
A video by Meyzeek Middle eighth graders earned first place from online viewers and third place from a panel of judges in a national contest sponsored by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
The students created a catchy song to express the contest theme, which focused on the importance of learning a foreign language and the how the five “Cs” are involved: communication, community, culture, connections, and comparisons. The students on the winning team were Neha Srinivasan, Joan Mathews, Erin Kidd, Avani Kabra, Divija Sharma, Kaycie Polk, and Samantha Simswere. The video is available at http://actflvideocontest. org/?p=250. The students’ teacher is Meyzeek Spanish instructor Juan Hernando. This is the third consecutive year in which his students have reached at least the finalist level in the national video competition.
Ashley Carneal, Katrice Frazier, and Georgia James
Mark your calendar
Apr. 9–13 Spring Break Apr. 14 ACT May 4 No school for students—PD Day for teachers Eastern High students Georgia James, May 5 SAT Ashley Carneal, and Katrice Frazier earned May 7–11 Teacher and School Food Service third-place honors in the first Kentucky As Employee Appreciation Week sociation of Career and Technical Education May 8 Teacher Appreciation Day (CTE) Entrepreneurship Event. May 8 15th District Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Awards This statewide competition was designed Banquet to give CTE students real-life experience May 22 No school for students—Primary in developing business plans and seeking Election Day funding. May 28 No school for students— Memorial Day The Eastern students earned the award for May 30 Last Day of School their plans to sell Break Time Bites, which Many students in grades three through twelve are cinnamon and cream cheese sugar will take state tests during the last 14 instrucrolls. The students split the third-place tional days of the school year. Watch for more prize of $500, and they were honored in information in the next Parent Connection.
Eastern students earn state entrepreneurship award
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Are you as smart as a JCPS high school junior? The answers to the eighth-grade social You don’t need to write the questions or studies questions in the last issue of Parent answers. Just send the question numbers Connection are 1: C, 2: B, 3: B, 4: D. and the letters for your answers. Or you may print out this page and mail it. To review the questions, visit the newsletter’s Web site (www.jcpsky.net/Pubs/ ParentConnection/welcome.shtml) and select the February issue in the archive. The first parent to send the correct answers was Phylllis Morton, grandmother of three students at Jefferson County Traditional Middle. Other winners were Darcie Taggart (Coleridge-Taylor Montessori Elementary) and Jennifer Nalley (Eisenhower Elementary). This month, Parent Connection offers a quick quiz with eleventh-grade math questions. The first three parents who send the correct answers to the Parent Connection office 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. Phyllis Morton and grandchildren