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Mayor Greg Fischer reminded parents today that there are many free or low-cost options for keeping students active and engaged during Spring Break, which starts Friday (March 31) for Jefferson County Public Schools and runs through next week (April 3-7) for JCPS and most private and Catholic schools.
“From Spring Break camps, to family picnics in our parks, to library and recreation center activities like an African Drum and Dance Workshop, there’s no reason for kids to be idle next week,” the Mayor said. “There are lots of options for the kind of experiences that stimulate their brains, get their bodies moving and keep them occupied and engaged.”
JCPS “Literacy &” camps
Families with third- through fifth-graders in Jefferson County Public Schools still have an opportunity to sign their children up for JCPS’ “Literacy &” camps at five locations. The free camps combine reading with character-building activities such as chess, karate, hip-hop, photography and robotics.
Registration is underway, and space is available for up to 30 students at each of the five elementary school locations: Crums Lane, Engelhard, Rangeland, Maupin and Wheatley. The camps will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 3-7. To register a child, families may call (502) 485-3631.
Metro Parks and Recreation
From Monday to Friday, April 3-7, many Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation community centers are offering Spring Break camps, which generally run 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are fees, ranging from $20 to $80 a week, which cover field trips, as well as organized games and activities. Find more details at www.bestparksever.com.
In addition, the Parkhill Community Center, 1703 South 13th St., is hosting an African Drum and Dance Workshop from 10 a.m. to noon each day next week. A $30 fee covers the workshop and performance. Call 637-3044 for more information. And the South Louisville Community Center, 2911 Taylor Boulevard, is hosting a free Robby Valentine Spring Break Sports Camp Tuesday and Wednesday, April 4-5, from 1-3 p.m. for ages 8-16. Call 574-3206 for information.
Other Spring Break activities sponsored by the community centers include:
- Family Night Out Parkhill Community Center, 1703 South Thirteenth Street; 637-3044 Friday, April 7, 6-8 p.m. Free kickball, games and movies.
- International Movie Night, Beechmont Community Center, 205 West Wellington Avenue; 361-5484. Friday, April 7, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Fee: $5, includes popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones.
- Fun at the Park, Newburg Park; 456-8122. Wednesday, April 5, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free activities and cookout; ages 6-18.
- Skating and Gattiland Field Trip, Newburg Community Center , 4810 Exeter Avenue; 456-8122 For ages 10-18. Runs 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; $10 fee.
- Cornhole Tournament and Brunch Newburg Community Center , 4810 Exeter Avenue; 456-8122. Free for all ages; 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Louisville Free Public Library
The library kicks off Spring Break week with its “Super Silly Saturday” on April 1 at the Southwest Regional Library.
Join special guests Elephant and Piggie for an afternoon of fun activities, learning stations, and all kinds of silliness! The event also features special performances by musical guest Jim Gill and StageOne Family Theatre, and each child attending will receive a free book. This program is funded by the Jefferson County Community Early Childhood Council and Junior League of Louisville, and is suggested for preschool-age children and their families.
Here are some other library events for Spring Break week, planned in addition to regular story times at each of the library’s branches:
Saturday, April 01, 2017
- 10:15 a.m. STEM Saturday Iroquois
- 10:30 a.m. Lego Build Challenge Jeffersontown
- 11 a.m. Preschool Party: Earth Day! Newburg
- 3:30 p.m. Super-Silly Saturday! Southwest
Monday, April 03, 2017
- 2 p.m. Milo and Otis Main Library
- 2 p.m. Everyone Loves Cupcakes Storytime Southwest
- 2 p.m. Money as You Grow Book Club Western
- 2 p.m. Teddy Bear’s Picnic Jeffersontown
- 2:30 p.m. Tween Art Workshop St. Matthews
- 3 p.m. Robotics Throwdown Crescent Hill
- 6 p.m. Family Movie Night Shawnee
- 6:30 p.m. Girls’ STEAM Club Portland
Tuesday, April 04, 217
- 10 a.m. Game Day Middletown
- 2 p.m. Family Movie Time Main Library
- 2 p.m. Movie: The Princess & the Frog Southwest
- 2 p.m. Afternoon Movie: The LEGO Movie Jeffersontown
- 3 p.m. Digital Literacy Event Fern Creek
- 3 p.m. Western Writing Workshop Western
- 3:30 p.m. Guess Who: Book Edition Shawnee
Wednesday, April 05, 217
- 12:30 p.m. Lunch & Learn Fern Creek
- 1 p.m. Nature Camp/ Jeff Memorial Forest Shively
- 2 p.m. Doc McStuffins Dramatic Play Southwest
- 2 p.m. Lego Squad Main Library
- 2:30 p.m. Spy Lab Crescent Hill
- 3:30 PM Robotics Throwdown Shawnee
- 6 p.m. Perler Beads: Pokemon-Style Southwest
Thursday, April 06, 217
- 10:15 a.m. Brightside Kids Crescent Hill
- 10:30 a.m. Puzzle & Lego Day! Middletown
- 11 a.m. Minecraft Middletown
- 2 p.m. Fun in the Spring Day Sun Main Library
- 2 p.m. Money as You Grow Book Club Western
- 6 p.m. Family Fort Night Southwest
- 6 p.m. Thursday Night Theater: Freaky Friday Main Library
Friday, April 07, 217
- 10:30 a.m. Friday Dance Party: Silly Dance! St. Matthews
- 11 a.m. Brown Bag Storytime Main Library
- 11 a.m. Come Play Yoga Crescent Hill
- 1 p.m. Brightside Kids Newburg
- 2 p.m. Stories with Snakes Main Library
- 2:30 p.m. Dogs vs. Cats Family Storytime Crescent Hill
Saturday, April 08, 217
- 10 a.m. Bunnies, Bunnies, Bunnies Family Storytime Southwest
- 10 a.m. English Conversation Club Bon Air
- 10 a.m. Preschool Party Main Library
- 11 a.m. Tell a Story with the Magic Tree House Shawnee
- 1 p.m. Lego Lab & Movie Portland
- 2 p.m. Brightside Kids Main Library
- 2 p.m. Dia! Celebrate Diversity Okolona
The Louisville Zoo
The Louisville Zoo’s spring break camps are full, but families should keep in mind that the Zoo is a living classroom and a perfect place to keep young minds active, while parents get in a little exercise. The best way to visit for families is a membership, and the Zoo has many different packages, including a dual membership with the Kentucky Science Center. Learn more at https://louisvillezoo.org/member-benefits/
Attorney General Andy Beshear announced that his Office of Rate Intervention is recommending that the Public Service Commission (PSC) hold LG&E and KU to approximately one-third of the increase requested in recently filed rate cases.
The utility companies are asking the PSC for a $210 million increase in annual revenues.
Beshear’s rate proposal incorporates the testimony of five experts, including an engineer, and asks the PSC to reduce the rate request by $142 million.
Beshear’s Office of Rate Intervention serves as a watchdog for consumers in matters relating to health insurance, natural gas, water, sewer, electric and telephone rates. Under Kentucky law, the office is responsible for representing the interests of Kentucky consumers before governmental ratemaking agencies, concentrating on utility cases before PSC.
“My office clearly understands the need for utility companies to maintain their infrastructure to better serve ratepayers,” Beshear said. “In this instance, we view the requested increase by the utility companies to be excessive and are asking the PSC to take the appropriate action so that any cost passed to consumers isn’t crippling.”
Beshear’s office is also recommending that the fixed customer charge remain the same with no additional increase and eliminate the fixed charge “gas line tracker rider.” The charge as originally proposed was for a one-time, short-term recovery for a specific project. Now the companies want to use the tracker for long-term projects to enable them to collect construction expenses from ratepayers between rate cases.
Beshear is also recommending the PSC reject the proposed smart meter deployment, which will cost customers more than $350 million over the life of the meters.
“After careful review of the filings in this case, we find little support that smart meter deployment will benefit the ratepayers in any way,” Beshear said.
Other recommendations by Beshear’s office include:
- Delaying a smart grid project.
- Requesting the PSC reduce proposed transmission spending in an attempt to keep costs for customers down.
- Recommending a much lower authorized return for shareholders than proposed by the company.
A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for May 2 at the PSC in Frankfort.
It is a classic story of politics, intrigue, deception, betrayal and murder of a political leader. It is not a story of Washington DC but instead a classic tale of politics in ancient Rome.
Councilman David James (D-6) and other Metro Council members are kicking off a fourth year of “Shakespeare in the Parks” with a free production of “Julius Caesar” on March 30th at the Parkhill Community Center.
“Once again, Kentucky Shakespeare takes to the road around Metro Louisville to present the arts to many areas of our community,” says James. “Shakespeare in the Parks brings the arts to all areas of our city.”
Over 57 years, Kentucky Shakespeare, a not-for-profit charitable organization, professional theatre company, and the oldest free Shakespeare Festival in the United States has been offering free Shakespeare in Central Park in Old Louisville during the summer.
This year, “Shakespeare in the Parks” will bring an 85 minute, six actor version of Julius Caesar at 6:00pm at the Parkhill Community Center, 1703 S 13th Street.
“Thanks to Councilman James and the residents of District 6, we’re thrilled to also bring our free spring Shakespeare in the Parks to the Parkhill Community Center,” says Matt Wallace of Kentucky Shakespeare. “We are grateful for Councilman James and all he’s done to champion the arts in this city.”
This year “Shakespeare in the Parks” has a touring schedule of 23 locations in the Metro Louisville area from March 26th through May 19th.
For more information about Thursday’s “Shakespeare in the Parks” at the Parkhill Community Center, contact Councilman James’ office at 574-1106.
Metro Parks and Recreation’s Natural Areas Division, along with the Fairdale, Camp Taylor and Pleasure Ridge Park fire departments and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, will be carrying out a prescribed burn of approximately 7 acres in Jefferson Memorial Forest tomorrow afternoon beginning at 1 p.m.
The burn will be in the Scott’s Gap section of the forest, located in southwest Louisville. The area is bordered by Scott’s Gap and Blevins Gap roads, and the smoke from the fire may be visible to nearby residents and motorists who are traveling on Dixie Highway and the Gene Snyder Expressway.
Fire management of natural areas was a commonly-used ecological practice by Native Americans as a way to reduce non-native cool season grasses and re-establish prairie habitat.
The burn is expected to last from 90 minutes to few hours and will be monitored until completely out. A similar event is being planned at Iroquois Park’s Summit Field in south Louisville. Officials will monitor weather conditions and decide on the appropriate date for the second burn.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) will host its first “Celebrate Languages Week” beginning March 27, highlighting the benefits of students speaking different languages learning alongside each other.
With more than 130 languages spoken by students in JCPS, an average school day can sound like a symphony of speech. That blend of voices is music to the ears of Eli Beardsley, the district’s English as a Second Language (ESL) coordinator.
“Second language learners are another example of how our rich diversity strengthens the learning environment at JCPS,” Beardsley said. “Not only do they help students for whom English is their primary language to learn a new language, but they foster an understanding and acceptance of other cultures that will prepare our students to be successful citizens in a global economy.”
Throughout the week, schools will host events to highlight and celebrate the various languages spoken by students, including having students making morning announcements in their native language; welcoming students each morning with a world-language greeting; and promoting bilingual books in school libraries. World-language classrooms will also participate in poster contests.
In addition, some sites will hold schoolwide events to mark the celebration:
- ESL Newcomer Academy, 4018 W. Market St., Global Homecoming, Thursday, March 23, events during the day and open house from 3-5 p.m.
- Goldsmith Elementary School, 3520 Goldsmith Lane, International Festival, Tuesday, March 28, 6 p.m.
- Seneca High School, 3510 Goldsmith Lane, Cultural Extravaganza, Thursday, March 30, during the school day
- Semple Elementary School, 724 Denmark St., International Festival, Thursday, March 30, 6 p.m.
The District’s English Language Learner population – students born in other countries or raised by parents who speak another language – has boomed, growing by 30 percent over the past five years, to more than 8,100 in 2017. The number is projected to top more than 10,000 by the 2018-19 school year.
For more highlights on the District’s World Language programs, click here.
Michelle McKelvy, an English teacher at Ballard High School, has been awarded the Excellence in Classroom and Educational Leadership (ExCEL) Award. Representatives from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and from the award sponsors — LG&E and KU and WHAS11 — honored the teacher earlier this week during a ceremony at the school.
“Mrs. McKelvy stands out because of the heart and compassion she shows every student,” said Ballard Principal Staci Eddleman. “Every conversation she has with a student is validating and uplifting. If a student is having a hard time, she is the gentle ear they seek. If a student is proud of an accomplishment, she is the one with whom they share. In her words and actions she makes each child feel special.”
Praised by fellow educators for her ability to make an impact on Advanced Placement and Achievement Gap students alike, McKelvy was recognized by the District with a Golden Oar Award in fall 2016. She has presented and facilitated a number of discussions and professional development seminars, including “Building a Classroom Community” in 2015, “Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers” in 2016; and “Reeling in the Reluctant Reader” in 2016.
McKelvy works continuously to improve instruction through professional development opportunities, said Kerri Dixon, assistant principal. “Although she juggles an extremely demanding workload of a myriad of grade levels courses, she volunteers to lead the 11th-grade English Professional Learning Community so that this group can benefit from her expertise and collaborative knowledge.”
“Every school has one of those teachers who everyone knows do a great jobs,” said Library Media Specialist Laura Younkin. “Mrs. McKelvy is one of those teachers at Ballard. She will not teach her students just the basics of English and have them read novels. She will love them and they come out of her class better students and better people.”
As an ExCEL Award winner, McKelvy will receive a $1,000 instructional grant.
March Madness is in full swing with the Sweet Sixteen Round starting tonight. Even if the Louisville Cardinals losing to Michigan wrecked your bracket, or maybe it was Middle Tennessee or University of Rhode Island, there is still hope.
Tonight, the men start the Sweet Sixteen round of the tournament. Even if you are a Cardinals fan, you can still cheer on the Kentucky Wildcats in hopes that the tournament win comes back to the great state of Kentucky. The Wildcats will be televised on CBS tomorrow night at 9:39 PM. The full schedule for the Sweet Sixteen is as follows:
- #3 Oregon vs #7 Michigan – tonight, CBS 7:09 PM
- #1 Gonzaga vs #4 W Virginia – tonight, TBS 7:39 PM
- #1 Kansas vs #4 Purdue – tonight, CBS 9:39 PM
- #11 Xavier vs #2 Arizona – tonight 10:09 PM
- #1 UNC vs #4 Butler – tomorrow, CBS 7:09 PM
- #3 Baylor vs #7 S Carolina – tonight, TBS 7:29 PM
- #3 UCLA vs #2 Kentucky – tomorrow, CBS 9:39 PM
- #8 Wisconsin vs #4 Florida – Tomorrow, TBS 9:59 PM
If you just cannot bring yourself to cheer on the Wildcats, then rest assured that the Louisville Lady Cardinals are still in the tournament. As usual, the women’s tournament is usually a day behind the men. The Lady Cardinals will be in the Sweet 16 this weekend in hopes to make their third appearance in the final game and it would be the first win for the Lady Cardinals (and first win by a Kentucky college) since the tournament started in 1982. The schedule for the women’s:
- #1 Notre Dame vs #5 Ohio State – tomorrow, ESPN 7:00 PM
- #3 Washington vs #2 Mississippi – tomorrow, ESPN2 7:00 PM
- #3 Texas vs #2 Stanford – tomorrow, ESPN 9:30 PM
- #1 Baylor vs #4 Louisville – tomorrow, ESPN2 9:30 PM
- #3 Maryland vs #10 Oregon – Saturday, ESPN 11:30 AM
- #1 UConn vs #4 UCLA – Saturday, ESPN 2:00 PM
- #1 S Carolina vs #12 Quinnipiac – Saturday, ESPN 4:00 PM
- #3 Florida State vs #2 Oregon State – Saturday, ESPN 6:30 PM
