ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE TOGETHER

February 5, 2016

In This Issue

Teacher of the Year

#Boone2020

Elementary

Middle School

High School

Alumni Spotlight

Movie Screening

GED Changes

Early Childhood Fair

Preschool Screening

Kindergarten Registration

Alumni Registration

Looking for Alumni Success Stories

Quick Links

Boone County Schools

Boone County Education Foundation

Early College

Free/Reduced Lunch Online Form

Employment Opportunities

Board of Education Meetings

Community Education Classes

Alumni Registration

Rotary TEACHER OF THE YEAR Nominations

The Florence Rotary Club has applications ready for Teacher of the Year awards. The application process has been streamlined this year. To do the application on line click here. The application deadline has been extended this year to March 11th, 2016. The awards will be presented on Monday, April 18th, 2016 at the Airport Hilton at noon.

The Boone County School District 5-year Strategic Plan is focused on "Career, College, and Life" readiness for all students. The plan was developed using the input of parents, educators, and other stakeholders collected at numerous community meetings. #Boone2020 is an exciting new social media campaign designed specifically to promote dialogue and transparency around the goals and details of the strategic plan. We want to engage in a two-way dialogue with you and give you opportunities to learn more about innovative teaching and learning going on in Boone County Schools. This week we take you to Yealey Elementary School.

World Class Education

Sensory Box

Yealey Elementary

5th grade students Mariah Mendenhall, Andrew Zdarsky, Lyndsey Baker and Amberly Turner (pictured above) wanted to create something to benefit special education students in their school. So they met with an occupational therapist and physical therapist at Yealey to identify areas of need for these students. They came up with a project that is not only fun but purposeful. They call it the Sensory Box. It is a tub filled with rice and toys with a sensory list on the front listing all the toys inside. The idea is for the student to reach inside and try to find a specific toy on the "Find It" list. For instance the Find It list includes items of different colors like: a yellow jewel ring, blue noodles, a rubber ducky, a car, a bouncy ball, action figures and ships.

The students went to the Northern Kentucky Makerspace to use tools to cut holes big enough to fit small hands and arms in the lid of the tub. Andrew and Mariah say they used their math skills for calculations of circumference and diameter. Lyndsey and Amberly say it was critical that their measurements were accurate to print protective grommets on a 3-D printer. These are the smooth green circles you see in the pictures used as protective coverings over the holes in the lid of the tub.

Asst. Princpal Katie Hiatt

Lyndsey says their first concern was what kind of material to fill the box with. They thought about the pros and cons of sand or a slippery substance like gel but ultimately settled on rice. It is a real world project that allows these students to be problem solvers. The main problem they were attempting to solve here is to provide a way to expose students highly sensitive to touch to items that slowly increase their comfort level of the feel of certain items in the world we live in. A side benefit is the Sensory Box also helps build the students strength and muscle tone in their fingers, hands and arms. Yealey Assistant Principal Katie Hiatt says the project was all the students idea and that the only input she had was to keep material costs down. Mariah Mendenhall, Andrew Zdarsky, Lyndsey Baker and Amberly Turner are now known around Yealey Elementary as The Toy Makers.

SCHOOL BOARD NOTES

School Board Recognition Month

Kentucky joins other states marking the month of January as School Board Member Recognition Month. Boone County Schools honored their board members: Maria Brown, Karen Byrd, Ed Massey, Bonnie Rickert, Steve Templeton, and student representative Michael Henry for their commitment and positive contributions to our students and schools. Judge Executive Gary Moore presented a proclamation to honor this recognition.

Former Chair Bonnie Rickert

Additionally a small token of our appreciation was given to Bonnie Rickert for her leadership and commitment to the students, staff and Boone County Community as the 2015 Boone County Board of Education chairperson.

Joe Hamelin

Break The Mold

BCS District bus driver Joe Hamelin is January's Break The Mold recipient.

Joe is the first and the last person to see our children each day as he delivers them safely to and from school. His attitude and disposition set the tone for the learning that will occur in classrooms all across our district. As a special needs van driver for elementary children, Joe makes each trip an experience to remember! He interacts with students in a professional and loving manner that quickly gains him respect that can often times be difficult to earn. Using a creative approach, Joe is able to transform a simple task like putting on a seat belt into a fun competition to see who can do it first. In an effort to collaborate with our district-wide Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) that is used throughout every school in Boone County, Joe implements positive reinforcement and rewards to be earned for cooperative behavior. He establishes an environment where rules are followed, out of understanding and appreciation rather than directives. He senses each child's mood when he/she gets on the bus and builds from there; always providing a consistent, positive experience for each individual on his bus.

Joe's balanced and cooperative approach to finding solutions contributes significantly to the District's image of being a great place to work. He is a true student and exemplifies the meaning of a life-long learner.He also understands the impact technology has on learning and embraces innovative ways to utilize it to its maximum potential. Joe exercises judgment and independent actions within limits of authority and responsibility; seeks additional responsibilities; voluntarily starts projects; is creative, innovative and proactive. Congratulations to Joe Hamelin!

Parent Power Award

The Boone County Board of Education has established the Boone County Schools Parent Power Award to recognize parents who have had, or continue to have, a significant impact on the advancement, growth and/or development of Boone County Schools, especially as their engagement/involvement directly impacts their child/children. Congratulations to the following parents:

Boone County High School

Shannon Steffke

Mary Cochran

Conner High School	Lesley Wainscott
	Taylor Moore

Cooper High School	Tonya Karn, Monica Day, Sabrina Ishmael, Donna Klotz, Kate Moore, Kelly Earick, Steve Stricker, Kristie Stricker, Rachel Stewart, Greg Stewart, Susan Taylor, Ben Taylor, Radha Murthi, Katie Priar, Sarah Newman
Ryle High School	Regina Rich, Theresa Rhodes, Teresa Shanley, Mary Erickson, Angie Deatherage

BCS Certified Food Service Employees

During the last 2 year food services has made a concerted effort to provide for every school nutrition manager and the central office staff, the training required to achieve the Level 1 certification from the School Nutrition Association. This is in addition to the rigorous training required yearly for every staff member. Some of these staff members have chosen to utilize those classes to apply for certification. The following staff members have earned certification or credentials demonstrating their hard work and passion for child nutrition.

Level 1 Certification					Level 3 Certification
Debbie Reed - MES					Karen Johnson - Child Nutrition Coordinator
Sarah Hayden - LES
Dawn Schwamb - TES					Credentialed School Nutrition Specialist
Maria Cable - SES					Barbara Kincaid - Director
Beth Cox - Administrative Assistant
Holly Buchanan-Assistant Director

Debbie Roland-CHS
Tina Haley-RAJMS

What's for Lunch tomorrow?

Want to know what is on the menu for lunch at school tomorrow. You can go to the district website and see your child's school menu online at www.boone.kyschools.us/ go to Quick Links on the left and scroll down to Online Lunch Menus.

Gray Middle School Tech Team

Gray Middle Tech Team First Lego League Robotics team performed and presented their Recycling Innovation Project before the School Board.

ELEMENTARY

Stephens Elementary

This is art teacher Katlin Combs after school Art Club at Stephens Elementary. These 4th and 5th grade students are working on a special project called Stars of Hope for children living in terrible conditions in Haiti. Each student has been given a wooden star that they can decorate with a personal message of hope painted on it.

The children that these Stars of Hope will be given too are called Restaveks. Restavek is a system of domestic servitude for Haitian children. Because many parents in Haiti cannot afford to take care of their children they put their children into domestic servitude. The children are expected to receive food, housing and an education in exchange for doing housework. However, many Restaveks live in poverty, do not receive an education and are exposed to emotional, physical and sexual abuse. In the U.S. the equivalency is child trafficking and modern day slavery.

These Stars of Hope will be going to Haiti this summer with another teacher who will be visiting the region. She will attempt to give as many Restavek children as possible a Star of Hope, giving them reason to hope. Stars of Hope is a project of the group New York Says Thank You. Boone County School Board member Ed Massey sits on the Board of Directors of New York Says Thank You. New York Says Thank You grew out of the tragedy of 9-11. Mr. Massie says they desire to give back to all communities that have suffered some kind of devastation with encouragement and love. Learn more about them by clicking here.

Katlin Combs Art Club meets once a week every Tuesday after school.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

RA Jones

Congratulations to RA Jones teacher Todd Hanley! Mr. Hanley is now a Master Teacher for Project Lead The Way. A Master Teacher PLTW certification is not easy to come by and requires dedicated experience and extensive study of PLTW. Mr. Hanley has been teaching a total of seven Project Lead The Way classes at RA Jones this year; 4 in Design and Modeling, 1 Robotics and 2 in Medical Detectives. Principal Tony Pastura says next year the plan is to add another PLTW teacher as well as a PLTW computer science course. RA Jones is well on its way of becoming known as a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) middle school in Northern Kentucky.

Master PLTW
Teacher Todd Hanley

HIGH SCHOOL

Boone County High School

This Saturday February 6th at 7 p.m. BCHS will present it's first student-director play. Senior Carson Kruml will make his directorial debut as well as starring in the show,along with junior Amanda Nelson. Gruesome Playground Injuries is a contemporary play that portrays the relationship between two young people as they grow up and fall in love. Admission is $5.00.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Daniel Chumley

Congratulations to 2011 Cooper High and ATC graduate Daniel Chumley. While studying at Boone County Area Tech Center he took Truck Technology courses and was involved in the Skills USA competition that led to his current career and job security. Chumley earned first place in ATC's local Skills USA competition, first in regional and first in the state for Diesel Technology on the high school level. After graduation he finished 27th in the national competition. Placing first at state earned him several scholarships to tech based schools. He accepted and attended Lincoln Tech in Indianapolis. Chumley graduated from Lincoln Tech with an honor diploma in Medium and Heavy Duty Truck Technology in 2012. Since then he has held jobs at Ohio Cat and Travel Centers of America (TA) servicing semi-truck and trailers. All the while Daniel kept pursuing further training and certifications in Automotive Service Excellence.

Last year Daniel Chumley landed a job as a Fleet Mechanic for the City of Covington. He services ambulances, police cars, and a fleet of vehicles and equipment used by the Covington Public Improvements Department. He is ASE Master Certified in Advanced Diesel Engines, Medium and Heavy duty trucks and is one automotive ASE certification away from becoming Master Certified in automotive. Chumley says Covington has provided him with a great salary, benefits, healthcare and retirement program. He is also proud of his Boone County Schools education that help him arrive in his dream job.

If in the future a man named Daniel Chumley ever works on your vehicle you will know it is in the competent hands of an ASE Certified Master Technician who is a Boone County Schools graduate. Congratulations Daniel Chumley on your accomplishments!

GED CHANGES PASSING SCORE

You may have earned your GED and not know it. If you took the GED and received a score of less than 150 but 145 or greater you have passed! In Kentucky the passing score for high school equivalency is moving from 150 to 145. Read more about it here.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION AND ORIENTATION

Parents, please click here if you have children who will be 5-years-old on or before October 1, 2016.

12TH ANNUAL TRI-STATE DIVERSITY CONFERENCE

Allan G. Johnson, renowned White American author and novelist, will open A Healthy Perspective on Diversity: Progress, Partnerships, and Possibilities, the 2016 Tri-State Diversity Conference. Johnson's presentations will address issues of race and gender.

The Tri-State Diversity Conference is held annually for educators, health and social services professionals, community outreach leaders, social marketers, employers and supervisors, human resource staff, government managers, and any others wanting to foster greater diversity and cultural understanding within their workplaces and communities. Hosting the conference are The Ohio State University, Purdue University, the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University. Click here to learn more.

ALUMNI REGISTRATION

We would like to keep you up to date on things happening in the district since you graduated. If you are a graduate of the Boone County School District please click on Alumni Registration in the

Quick Links block above on the left and sign up.

CAREER NEWS

We are looking for former graduates of Boone County Schools to tell us their stories of professional career success after graduating from this district. If you are one of those students or if you have a son or daughter with post college graduate successes that should be celebrated, please email your story and a j.peg-only picture of yourself or your former student to bcbe@boone.kyschools.us. Important: the subject line must read: For Alumni Spotlight. We will post it in the Alumni Spotlight section of this school district newsletter.