April 7, 2020

Dear JCPS Families,

We’re back in school! We know your children are excited to be getting back in touch with their teachers and classmates as we resumed the 2019-20 school year today using Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI). Teachers are busy communicating with students and each other, figuring out new technology and preparing lesson plans for the next few weeks of school at home. But, most importantly, they are understanding, flexible and ready to support your child in whatever way they can to make the NTI learning experience as positive as possible. With that in mind, here are a few updates from JCPS:

• Families who successfully requested Chromebooks should receive them by the end of the week or the beginning of next week. We have mailed about half of the approximately 20,000 computers we’ve approved for distribution to families in the Free or Reduced Lunch or Exceptional Child Education (ECE) programs. We will be contacting ECE families to make sure they have a Chromebook or other computer in the home to participate in on-line individual therapy sessions as well as school work. We are still developing a plan to distribute internet hot spots to ECE families who need them.
• If your Chromebook hasn’t arrived yet or you don’t have a computer in your home, there’s no need for concern. Your child will still be participating in NTI through hard copies of Choice Boards which have several grade-specific exercises for students to do. They can be picked up at any of our more than 60 Emergency Food sites. The Choice Boards can also be accessed on your cell phone at:  https://apps.jefferson.kyschools.us/orchard/JCPS-Choice-Board-Portal. Teachers will be reaching out to students this week with more directions for all learners.
• Beginning next Wednesday, April 15th, full printed packets of academic exercises will be available at the food sites in addition to the Choice Boards.
• Visit this website if you need technical support or have other IT questions.  
• You can find your child’s school, teacher and schoolwork by clicking here. This is a very important website for you and your child to find. The main JCPS NTI page is here: https://sites.google.com/jefferson.kyschools.us/jcps-nti/home 
• Many of your children have already heard from their teacher(s). If students have questions about NTI schoolwork and don’t communicate in some way with a teacher by the end of this week please reach out to the teacher. If you don’t have any luck, leave a phone message at your student’s school and someone will return your call. 
• Our teachers are working hard, adapting and learning new things as they’ve prepared for the first days of teaching from home to students at home. Janine Hogan is a 1st grade teacher at Maupin Elementary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5bSlIu4RSc&t=5s.
• Thank you for making #WeAreJCPSatHome a trending topic today on social media!  If you are not following us on social media, be sure to keep up with all things JCPS on Facebook (Jefferson County Public Schools), Twitter (@JCPSKY), and Instagram (@JCPSKY).

We hope these frequent emails are answering most of your questions, keeping you up-to-date on what’s going on at JCPS and how it will impact your child during this unique time in our history. Please be smart, stay healthy and encourage your child to do their best now that they are back in school (from home).