· Develop regular, two-way communication with your child’s teachers. Ask questions and share ideas and concerns.
· Educate yourself about the school’s expectations, curriculum, grading procedures, etc.
· Interact with the school administration and staff with a positive attitude and open mind.
· Talk to the school counselor about how to discuss tough topics with your child.
· Participate in workshops or find online information about child development or concerns that you have as a parent.
· Take advantage of family programs and resources at school.
· Participate in parent-teacher conferences and PTA meetings.
· At least three times a year, adjust other items in your schedule so you can attend and/or volunteer at extracurricular, school, and PTA functions, and visit your child’s classroom to get an idea of what happens during the day.
· Work alongside teachers and the community to address local issues. For example, speak up to keep physical education, recess, and the arts a part of the school day.
· Connect with others who share your concern for children and their education. Meet other parents in your child’s class. There is power in numbers.
· Help your child manage homework assignments and develop a routine for studying.
· Make time to talk to your child about his or her day, every day.
· Monitor the amount of time your child spends watching television.
· Know where your child is going, how he or she is getting there, and who he or she is going with.
Walk to School Day: For your child's health and safety
Programs that make it possible for students to safely walk or bike to school:
· improve child safety
· enhance student health
· improve air quality
· make communities more inviting
International Walk to School Day, celebrated on Oct. 8, is an opportunity to learn more about and lend your support to Safe Routes to School programs. Click here to find out what events are planned in your community and for event ideas to share with your school and PTA.
Federal funds are now available to each state department of transportation to establish Safe Routes to School programs. Learn what's happening in your state and how to get involved.
24 selected as teacher achievement award winners
The Kentucky Department of Education and Ashland Inc. have selected 24 outstanding Kentucky educators as recipients of the 2009 Ashland Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards (TAA). These teachers will now compete for the 2009 Kentucky Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced later this month.
The 24 winning teachers, listed by school district, are:
Bullitt County - Lisa Wathen, Freedom Elementary
Caldwell County - Jimmy Dyer, Caldwell Co. High
Christian County - Alvia Littleton, North Drive Middle
Clark County - Jan Horn, Shearer Elementary
Daviess County - Angela Gunter, Daviess Co. High
Daviess County - David Ruckdeschel, Daviess Co. Middle
Elliott County - Lonnie Laney, Elliott Co. High
Fayette County - Karen Gill, Henry Clay High
Floyd County - Sandra Stapleton, Allen Central Middle
Harlan Independent - Barbra Ledford, Harlan Elementary
Jefferson County - Anita Winstead, Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary
Jefferson County - Margaret Mattingly, Thomas Jefferson Middle
Letcher County - Stacy Isaac, Martha Jane Potter Elementary
Letcher County - Regina Donour, Letcher Co. Central High
Mason County - Amanda White, Charles Straub Elementary
Morgan County - Sabrina Back, Morgan Middle
Murray Independent - Holly Bloodworth, Murray Elementary
Oldham County - Craig Grimm, North Oldham High
Pulaski County - Jody Paver, Southwestern High
Rockcastle County - Melissa Singleton, Rockcastle Co. Middle
Scott County - Willow Hambrick, Royal Spring Middle
Shelby County - Thom Coffee, Shelby West Middle
Warren County - Jennifer Clark, Cumberland Trace Elementary
Washington County - Millie Blandford, Washington Co. High
All 24 teachers will be honored at a ceremony in Frankfort Oct. 22. Representatives of the Kentucky Department of Education, the Governor’s Office and Ashland will be on hand to honor the teachers and to recognize the Kentucky Elementary, Middle and High School Teachers of the Year. From that group of three finalists, the Kentucky Teacher of the Year will be named and will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition.
Ashland will present the 24 TAA recipients with cash awards and framed certificates at the awards ceremony in Frankfort.
Webb selected as deputy commissioner
Ruth H. Webb, staff counsel for the Kentucky House of Representatives, has been named deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Operations and Support Services by Kentucky Education Commissioner Jon E. Draud.
Webb will oversee KDE’s offices of Education Technology and Internal Administration and Support. She will provide guidance on technology, budgets, KDE facilities and administrative services.
Webb served as staff counsel at the House of Representatives during legislative sessions from 2000 to 2003, working closely with state budget and education legislation. She became a full-time staff member with the House in 2004. From 2000 to 2003, Webb also served as executive director of the Kentucky Institute for Education Research (KIER), an independent, non-profit agency created by statute to evaluate the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990. In her private law practice, she represented school boards and served as a contract prosecutor for the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board in teacher misconduct cases. She has served as a member of scholastic audit teams for the Kentucky Department of Education and was a member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, chairing its Lawyers for School Reform group.
She began her duties at the Department of Education on Sept. 16.
KHS receives enhancement funding for historical highway markers
Gov. Steve Beshear recently announced that the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) has been awarded $64,000 in Transportation Enhancement (TE) funding for the replacement and repair of damaged historical highway markers.
"Historical markers serve a very distinct and valuable purpose," said Gov. Beshear. "They help make travel in Kentucky an educational experience. If we allow damaged and worn markers to remain in that condition we are giving travelers the wrong impression. It should be clear that we actually do care about our heritage and it is our responsibility to see to it that Kentucky's rich and diverse story is not presented in a worn and indifferent manner."
With more than 1,900 markers in existence - some that date back to the origins of the program nearly 60 ago - upkeep is a constant concern. The TE funding, administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), will ensure that KHS has sufficient financial resources to maintain the appearance of the historical markers.
The Kentucky Historical Highway Marker Program, administered by the Kentucky Historical Society in cooperation with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, commemorates historical sites, events and personalities throughout the commonwealth.
Through the program, the wealth of Kentucky history is made accessible to the public as they travel along the state's roadways on markers that stimulate an interest in the history of local communities. The markers are on-the-spot history lessons that add drama and interest to the countryside for native Kentuckians as well as tourists.
Kentucky's signature Lincoln exhibition opens to the public Oct. 21
During the bicentennial commemoration of his birth, prepare to see Abraham Lincoln differently. Beyond the Log Cabin: Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln, the state’s signature Lincoln bicentennial exhibition, opens to the public Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort.
The exhibition, which will travel to two additional Kentucky venues in 2009-10, illuminates Lincoln's connections with Kentucky, the perspective his Kentucky friends and acquaintances provided his life and actions, and the inspiration his legacy continues to contribute to American ideals.
Through engaging imagery, artifacts and interactive activities, Beyond the Log Cabin presents the untold story of Lincoln's lifelong engagement with Kentucky and Kentuckians. Taking a broad view of Kentuckians' perceptions of Lincoln from the assassination to the current bicentennial commemoration, the exhibition explores the complex relationship between Lincoln and his native state, and features unique artifacts gathered from repositories and collections across the nation.
This exhibition will be on display at the Center for Kentucky History through June 6, 2009, and will then travel to the Speed Art Museum in Louisville for exhibition June 28, 2009, through Sept. 6, 2009. It will open at the Highlands Museum & Discovery Center in Ashland on Oct. 2, 2009, and remain on display there until Feb. 19, 2010.