Education notes
Awards/honors
▪ Wellington Elementary is one of three statewide winners in the 2016 KYReads Summer Reading Pledge, held in conjunction with the annual CCSSO/MetaMetrics Chief’s Summer Reading Challenge. Each school will receive a one-year subscription to an online resource provided by companies that partner with MetaMetrics.
The Kentucky Department of Education shares information about the annual challenge with school librarians, who then promote it at their sites.
The other winners were middle schools in Jefferson and Calloway counties. Notably, Kentucky was No. 1 in the nation in summer reading pledges.
▪ On Sept. 23, third- and fourth-grade students at Garth Elementary School were treated to a visit from Mike Acord, principal clarinetist with the Lexington Philharmonic. For the second year in a row, Garth was selected to participate in the Teaching Artists Residency, which is a grant sponsored by Toyota. Through this residency, the philharmonic provides three visits from teaching artists, tickets to their annual Music Builds Discovery Concert, a chamber ensemble performance for the entire school, and an instrument petting zoo.
Miscellaneous
▪ The Equity Council in Fayette County Public Schools, which advocates for all students regardless of their background or circumstances, is accepting nominations for membership. The deadline is Oct. 31.
The council monitors and advises the school board on issues of fairness, access and barriers that might keep a child from learning or a teacher from teaching. In its membership, the council seeks people from all walks of life who want to help create a collaborative culture among the schools, the district and the community that supports learning for all students.
For a nomination form, go to Fcps.net/media/2214082/equitynom16.pdf. For questions, contact Darryl Thompson, acting senior director for Equity, School Support and Community Engagement, at 859-381-4103.
▪ The birthday eligibility cutoff for kindergarteners in Fayette County Public Schools has changed, effective for 2017-18. Starting next fall, per state regulations, any child who turns 5 on or before Aug. 1 may enroll in full-day kindergarten. The previous birthday cutoff was Oct. 1.
This month, parents of a child who exhibits high levels of academic and social/emotional aptitude may request early-entrance screening if their child will turn 5 between Aug. 2 and Oct. 31, 2017. Children will be screened in November and December, and placement decisions for 2017-18 will be made by February.
The deadline to apply is Nov. 1. For an application, go here.
For a printed copy of the form, call 859-381-4741. Then mail the completed application to Fayette County Public Schools, attn. Shavonna Ross, IAKSS Room 206, 1126 Russell Cave Road, Lexington, Ky. 40505.
This story was originally published October 10, 2016 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Education notes."