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SubscribeEarlier this week, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens announced that students from duPont Manual High School took honors in the recent U.S. Chess Federation 2016 National K-12 Grade Championships. Several students earned individual honors and two teams from Manual placed third in the overall competition.
“I am extremely proud of what our students accomplished and the manner in which they represented our JCPS family in their recent national competition,” Dr. Hargens said. “What our students accomplished is impressive, and I congratulate them on their victories.”
Team Awards:
- Third place – 12th grade championship (Matthew McDonald, Keenan Bilyeu, Tommy Phan and Binu Godage)
- Third place – 10th grade championship (Michael Harris, Will Workman, Ruchira Sumansekara, Vidu Godage and Jackson Murray)
Individual Awards – 12th grade championship:
- Matthew McDonald – 10th place overall
- Keenan Bilyeu – Second place<1400 Rating
- Binu Godage – Second place<1200 Rating
- Tommy Phan – Second place<1000 Rating
Individual Awards – 10th grade championship
- Will Workman – First place<1400 Rating
The duPont Manual chess team has also won the state championship for three consecutive years and earned six titles since 2005.
Fairdale High School continues to hit benchmarks needed to shed its priority label, according to a state audit report made available last week.
The Kentucky Department of Education Two-Day Progress Monitoring Review looked at multiple reports and data, in-school observations and interviews to give the priority school feedback on improving student performance over the preceding two years. The report also outlined strategies to raise student achievement and improve conditions that support student learning.
Overall, the review team gave the school high marks for its curriculum, instructional design and assessment practices, rating it a 3 on a scale of 4 in 11 of 12 separate categories.
“I am not surprised by these positive external reviews,” said Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens. “The work happening at Fairdale is an example of what priority schools can do with the right leadership and right support. This is a school keeping students at the center of all decision-making, with all staff contributing on the continuous improvement journey.”
“I’m tremendously proud of our entire Fairdale High School family and the improvements that continue to be made,” said Brad Weston, JCPS assistant superintendent for Area 2 who served as principal of the school until last November. “This reflects not just how well the school is doing academically, but really how well we’re doing in recruiting, hiring and retaining dedicated teachers and staff.”
Brandy Corbin, Fairdale’s principal, said expectations for her students and staff are high – and the report shows both are hitting the right marks. “I see the dedication and work that happens every single day at Fairdale, and to see it reflected in an independent review is rewarding,” she said.
The report cited just one area as an improvement priority – teachers engaging students in learning. Dr. Marco Munoz, director of Priority Schools, said that’s an area that continues to challenge schools across the country. But he noted that Vision 2020, the district’s strategic plan, places an emphasis on deeper learning. “With that focus and direction, we have a clear road map on how we can engage kids and have ownership of the learning,” he said.
The report also indicated the school had satisfactorily addressed an improvement priority identified in the 2014-15 Internal School Review for Fairdale, related to developing and documenting common grading and reporting policies.
Schools in priority status are reviewed every two years by KDE. Fairdale received the shorter, two-day review which focused on the AdvancED Standard 3, Teaching and Assessing for Learning, because of its positive gains in recent years. A copy of the report is attached.
Mayor Greg Fischer, Neighborhood Place representatives, community members, and friends and family of Jane Charmoli today officially dedicated the new Charmoli Neighborhood Place at 200 Juneau Drive in Middletown.
Joining in the celebration were Dr. Donna Hargens, superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools, and Joe Hamilton, deputy commissioner for the Department for Community Based Services for Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
The Charmoli Neighborhood Place site replaces a Neighborhood Place location in the former Urban Government Center at 810 Barret Ave. The new location was renamed in memory of Jane Charmoli, one of Neighborhood Place’s founding champions.
Charmoli, who passed away in July 2015, spent her life as a public servant. She worked for the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) for 20 years as a teacher, and served as president of the Jefferson County Teachers Association board for two years. She also served as a liaison between JCPS and the city of Louisville.
Charmoli was known to insist that there could be no cookie-cutter service delivery; that each family’s unique situation requires a solution customized for them. She helped shape the expectation that a Neighborhood Place would meet those needs.
“For thousands of Louisvillians, Neighborhood Place offers easy access to critical services,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Jane Charmoli’s dedication to establishing the Neighborhood Place model leaves a legacy that will impact families for generations to come, and we’re pleased to honor her work and compassion.”
“Jane Charmoli loved JCPS — its students, its staff and its families,” said Dr. Hargens. “Jane was tireless in her efforts to connect families with the resources they need so that every child could be successful. She would be honored to have this new center named for her in the community she loved so dearly, serving the students and families she treasured.”
The Charmoli Center houses staff from multiple agencies — Louisville Metro Community Services, JCPS, Kentucky’s DCBS, and Centerstone (formerly Seven Counties Services, Inc.) — in one accessible location. Core services provided include:
- Financial and housing assistance with case management services
- Juvenile and school-related services
- Child abuse intervention and prevention
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Medicaid Assistance
- Substance abuse assessment
- A Dare to Care emergency food pantry
- Self-sufficiency programs
“DCBS is proud to be a partner in the Neighborhood Place network and to see the grand opening of the Jane Charmoli Neighborhood Place,” DCBS Commissioner Adria Johnson said. “The blended services that each Neighborhood Place provides are customer-focused, but the overall goal of the program is family well-being and safety, which mirrors our agency mission. The Charmoli location will fill a need of service for hundreds of residents in east Louisville.”
The Charmoli Center has ample, free parking and is accessible by several TARC bus routes. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
A total of eight Neighborhood Places, along with two satellite sites, serve residents across Jefferson County. Residents are free to seek services from any of locations.
To find Neighborhood Place in their area, residents may call 311 or 574-5000, or visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/neighborhood-place.
Today, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) launched a new online video series: “Ask a Nurse.”
Each month, nurse practitioners from JCPS Health Services will provide timely information on health-related topics as part of the video series and offer tips to keep students healthy. In the episode released today, nurse practitioners Mary Texas and Holly Walker discuss flu prevention and offer advice on how to minimize a student’s risk of contracting and spreading the virus. Topics such as food allergies, asthma, head lice and school health requirements will also be discussed in future segments of the Ask a Nurse series.
“We know that healthier students make better learners,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens. “The key goal of JCPS Health Services is to promote and support health and wellness across the district, and the Ask a Nurse series is just one more way our health services team can educate our students, families and the community about important health-related topics.”
“JCPS Health Services is excited to further connect with families, staff and the community about important health topics impacting our students,” said Anne Perryman, the district’s health coordinator. “We all play a critical role in promoting the health, wellness and learning for each child within Jefferson County Public Schools.”
The Ask a Nurse video series will be featured on the JCPS website homepage, the district’s Facebook and Twitter pages and the JCPS YouTube channel. Families are also encouraged to submit questions to Ask a Nurse each month by tweeting the JCPS Twitter page using the hashtag #JCPSNurse.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and the 15th District Parent Teacher Association (PTA) are encouraging Louisville families to “Take What You Can Tote” on Saturday, Dec. 10.
The annual clothing giveaway event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Clothing Assistance Program (CAP) building, 319 S. 15th Street. Each year, community members are invited to the CAP building to select gently used clothing for their children, other members of their family and themselves. While any Louisville family in need is welcome, the initiative specifically targets Louisville’s Zones of Hope neighborhoods: California, Newburg, Parkland, Russell and Shawnee.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Louisville community and the hard work of our 15th District PTA, hundreds of families are able to take advantage of this important program each year,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens. “An event of this size would not be possible without the community’s clothing donations and the help of community volunteers.”
“The generosity of our community and volunteers who help with this event is life changing to many of our families in the community,” said Heather Wampler, president of the 15th District PTA. “We appreciate every donation we receive and every volunteer who helps. Together we can make a difference.”
Families attending Take What You Can Tote may fill as many as four bags, which will be provided by organizers. Community members will be served on a first-come, first-served basis to select from gently used adult and children’s clothing.
While this clothing giveaway does not include school uniforms, CAP does provide new uniforms and gently used clothing to district families, by appointment, throughout the year. Families needing assistance should contact their child’s Family Resource and Youth Services Center (FRYSC) coordinator to make an appointment.
Each year, CAP serves thousands of families throughout the Louisville community. This event is made possible through the generous donations of local PTA clothing drives, community members, churches, and civic and social organizations.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) has named Wilkerson Elementary Principal Rina Gratz as its new director of early childhood programs.
Gratz, a 26-year veteran of education programs, is in her fifth year as principal of Wilkerson. Prior to that she served one year as the district’s priority schools manager, and previously held numerous positions at the state level coordinating Title III programs for English language learners and serving as a program consultant for primary education, K-3 literacy, equity and school improvement.
“It’s very gratifying to me that I have come back to my roots,” Gratz said. “My passion for education really began with my love for early childhood education. I’m excited to be coming full circle, and I look forward to working with the team to ensure our youngest students develop fully and are ready for kindergarten.”
“Rina’s experience in early childhood education will be an invaluable asset as we continue our efforts to ensure every child enters school with the skills they need to be successful,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens.
Gratz will stay on at the school until her replacement is named.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Philippines, a master’s degree from Fordham University and conducted her instructional leadership preparation at Eastern Kentucky University.
Autumn Geraghty, a functional mental disability (FMD) teacher at Ahrens Work Transition Program, has been selected as one of three finalists for the 2016 Kentucky Special Education Teacher of the Year Award. The award is one of the highest honors available to Kentucky’s teachers of students with disabilities.
Geraghty, who began her teaching career as an FMD teacher at Fairdale High School, has served as a Special Olympics coach in basketball and cheerleading and helped develop a Peer Tutoring program for high school juniors and seniors, some of whom are now teachers.
Geraghty said she developed a love of teaching as a young girl while helping in her mother’s classroom. “Each time I see a student reach a goal that they thought they couldn’t reach, their success motivates me to be a better teacher,” she said.
As a teacher in the Ahrens, she works with students ages 18 to 21, connecting them with employers, social contacts and community resources to help them transition to post-school adult life.
The recipient of the Special Education Teacher of the Year award will be announced Monday, Nov. 21 during the fall Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children conference being held in Louisville.
