|
Dear Colleagues:
Last week you should have received an email from KDE sharing an opportunity for schools in your district to serve as a COVID-19 vaccination sites for students. Getting as many Kentuckians vaccinated as possible is a major step toward all of us returning to a more normal school year and life.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) has partnered with Wild Health, a Lexington-based healthcare organization that has administered more than 70,000 vaccines at college campuses and high schools across Kentucky, to offer Pfizer vaccinations to students at Kentucky high schools at no cost. Pending Food and Drug Administration approval of the Pfizer vaccine in children ages 12-15, these efforts can be extended to middle schools.
The vaccines can be administered on-site at schools during school hours. If you are interested in having your school vaccinated, please fill out this Vaccination Site Request Form. Students under 18 must have parental consent to schedule their vaccine appointment.
For more information, please see Wild Health’s website and Frequently Asked Questions.
You also can attend a Q&A session with Dr. Luke Murray, Wild Health’s director of COVID testing, on the following dates:
- Wednesday, May 12 at 10 a.m. and noon ET
- Thursday, May 13 at 2 p.m. ET
The Zoom link is here, the meeting passcode is 1.
I think this is a good opportunity if you are seeing an unmet need in your community for COVID vaccinations. Schools often are at the heart of their community and in some of our districts, our families are finding it hard to either locate a site that has the vaccine or get to the vaccination sites that now exist. This opportunity gives you a chance to serve your students by providing access to a vaccine that can keep them healthy, in their seats and learning when the next school year kicks off in the fall.
Also, please remember that we will be having a Superintendents Webcast at 2-4 p.m. ET tomorrow, May 11. Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Stephen Stack and Deputy Commissioner Dr. Connie White will be on to answer your questions. We also will have more information about the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, School Safety and Resiliency Act updates, school and community nutrition updates and more information about the Supplemental School Year Program and the Grant Management Application and Planning (GMAP) system.
You will be able to watch the webcast here and as always, you can ask questions through this Google Form for our webcast on May 11. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for all you continue to do for our students and schools.
Kind regards,
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner & Chief Learner
Reminder: Submit Kindergarten Funding Information by May 11
Superintendents were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding 2021-2022 school year kindergarten funding by May 11.
The Kentucky Department of Education needs to know if districts provided full-day instructional kindergarten in the past and if districts intend to provide full-day instructional kindergarten in the 2021-2022 school year. The form can be found at: https://forms.gle/RSLqjTLWeeHRMdVL9.
For more information, email Krystal Smith or call her at (502) 564-3846, ext. 4425.
School Report Card Finance Domain Closes May 14
The School Report Card Finance Domain is currently open, but it will close on Friday, May 14. More than 100 districts have yet to complete this process. Districts are required to validate/approve district-level financial data entered by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and calculate/enter school-level spending per student data.
This year, districts again have the option to enter a financial narrative to be displayed on the School Report Card. KDE strongly encourages districts to create a narrative. The short 750-character narrative will be displayed on the district’s financial transparency page under the header: “A message from the superintendent.” This narrative will give parents, community members and researchers a better understanding of the district’s financial picture, which cannot be gathered by looking at the data alone.
Finance officers were provided guidance on calculating spending per student data via email and the guidance also can be found on the KDE’s School Report Card Resources webpage. Additional guidance on entering the data and narrative have been provided to finance officers. Data entry must be completed by May 14.
For more information, email Jessi Carlton or call her at (502) 564-3930, ext. 2468.
Applications due Friday for 'Integrating Social Emotional Academic Development within the Kentucky Academic Standards for Mathematics'
The Kentucky Department of Education is offering a new professional learning opportunity: “A Roadmap to Integrating Social Emotional Academic Development (SEAD) within the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) for Mathematics - A Workshop for Teachers.” Teachers will receive a stipend for their participation in the workshop and for evidence of authentic artifacts aligned to the KAS for Mathematics and integration of social and emotional learning.
The goal of the workshop is to gain experience with resources focused on grounding instruction in the KAS for Mathematics. Resources to be covered include:
The workshop will consist of an introductory meeting in the summer and four sessions throughout the school year, where participants will showcase their learning of the KAS for Mathematics and SEAD through the use of authentic artifacts, interactive activities and other strategies (including the utilization of the Roadmap tool). The workshop will provide built-in time for teachers to intentionally think about, receive input on and make changes to their instructional practice by engaging in reflection and taking actionable next steps.
There are a limited number of spots available for the workshop. Teachers interested in this opportunity should apply using this form no later than Friday, May 14.
For more information, email kdemath@education.ky.gov.
Reminder about July 1 Deadline for Trauma-Informed Plans
Pursuant to KRS 158.4416, each local board of education must develop a plan for implementing a trauma-informed approach in its schools by July 1, 2021. At a minimum, the plan shall include strategies for:
- Enhancing trauma awareness throughout the school community;
- Conducting an assessment of the school climate, including, but not limited to, inclusiveness and respect for diversity;
- Developing trauma-informed discipline policies;
- Collaborating with the Kentucky State Police, the local sheriff and the local chief of police to create procedures for notification of trauma-exposed students; and
- Providing services and programs designed to reduce the negative impact of trauma, support critical learning, and foster a positive and safe school environment for every student.
Local boards of education may use their own discretion when determining the format, goals and procedures for their plans. Similarly, local boards of education may establish their own timelines for implementing and monitoring their plans.
KDE’s Trauma-Informed Toolkit provides resources to help identify appropriate strategies to address the required plan elements. A review of the requirements will be part of the May 11 Superintendent Webcast. For more information, email Christina Weeter.
|
