Notes & Quotes Bowling Green Independent Schools District Newsletter December 2013 2014-15 Academic Calendar Approved The Bowling Green Board of Education approved the 2014-15 Academic Calendar at the December 9 Board of Education Meeting. Option one of two was the most popular option among parents, community members and employees. Next school year, employees will report for the first day on August 4, and students will begin on August 6, with an employee workday on August 5 to meet federal and state training requirements. 2014-15 Academic Calendar The calendar must include the following: 175 School Days Opening Day for Employees August 4 4 Holidays Work Day for Employees August 5 4 Professional Development Days First Day for Students August 6 1 Opening Day Labor Day September 1 1 Closing Day Professional Dev. (No school for students) October 2-3 Fall Break October 6-10 Other Dates Considered: Election Day November 4 State ACT Days for Juniors March 3 & 17 Thanksgiving Holiday November 26-28 Memorial Day May 25 Winter Break December 22-January 2 WKU Fall Break October 2-3 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday January 19 WKU Spring Break March 9 - 12 President’s Day February 16 Professional Dev.(No school for students) March 12-13 For additional information about the 2014- Spring Break April 6 - 10 2015 calendar or the calendar selection process, Primary Election Day May 19 contact Jon Lawson, Director of Pupil Personnel Last Day for Students May 21 at (270) 746-2200 or jon.lawson@bgreen. Closing Day for Employees May 22 kyschools.us. February 16, March 12, 13 and/or May 22 may be used as make up days. Inclement Weather Communication Plan During the winter months, district service (text the word SUBSCRIBE In rare instances school may be administrators keep a close watch on to 68453), and the district website dismissed during the school day to the weather. If there is a possibility and Twitter account (@BGISD) will avoid afternoon weather conditions. for snow or ice, they spend late be used to post information. The If this occurs, a SchoolMessenger evening and early morning hours district will not make early morning Emergency Message will be sent checking road conditions, listening to phone calls to every household. The in an effort to contact parents as forecasts, and communicating with following media are also contacted soon as possible. The Emergency surrounding districts. Cooperative during inclement weather: Message will call all household efforts determine if the roads are safe phone numbers, send messages for our students and employees. Television: to all email addresses, and text If the decision is made to delay WBKO messages will be sent to text or close school, Bowling Green WNKY NBC 40 subscribers. City Schools will make every WTVF Nashville Ch 5 By law, school days missed due effort to notify parents, guardians, to inclement weather must be made employees and the community Radio: up. The 2013-2014 calendar lists as soon as possible. With few WKCT 930 am February 17, March 13, March 14 exceptions, the decision to delay or WKYU 88.9 fm and April 18 as possible make-up close school is made by 5:45 a.m., WCVK 90.7 fm days, and if necessary, others may before buses begin morning routes. WGGC 95.1 fm be added to the end of the school As soon as a decision is made, a WBVR 96.7 fm year in May. Please consider the SchoolMessenger email will be sent WKLX 100.7 fm possibility of make-up days as you to all parents and employees, a text WCLU 102.3 fm make vacation and/or graduation message will be sent to parents WUHU 107 fm plans. who subscribe to the notification BGHS Fall Sports #CreatingAwesome Bowling Green High School wrapped up fall sports adding new hardware to the trophy case and exemplifying the schools Twitter mantra, #creatingawesome. The Lady Purples Soccer Team finished the season 23-4 and with an appearance in the State Elite 8. The Boys Soccer Team earned a record of 21-5 and finished among the State Final Four. Girls Cross Country finished State Runners-Up and freshman Madisyn Peeples became the first Kentucky athlete to individually qualify in the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon. And finally, the BGHS Purples Football Team earned their third straight 5A State Championship and continue the longest current winning streak in Kentucky with 44 wins.

Band and Orchestra Students Recognized 11th and 12th Grade 7th and 8th Grade All-District Band All-District Band Kate Bigler Zaria Millan Holly Looper Nathan Briley Sonora Schuck Jillian Jackson Kate Hahn-Madole Jonathan Meredith Abby Potter Jessica Elson Andre Green (alt) Diane Appiasie Amanda Pate Cora Hurt 9th and 10th Grade The Bowling Green City Schools All-District Band Mariah Manalatos MacKenzie Wilson Rhys Wilson Annual Open House will be held Abigail Raley E.J. Shoulders Gabby Hak Trey Potter Thursday, December 12, 2013 Jocelyn Buster Caleb Goodman (alt) from 2:30 - 5:00 p.m. Amanda Salata Whitney Heard All-State Orchestra at the Aiden Steiner Ben Peterson (Viola) ShaMarkus Anders Carly Shoulders (Violin) Allie Fuller (alt) Yedarm Kim (Violin) Joel C. Brown Admin. Building, Suzanne Moore (Violin) 1211 Center Street 7th and 8th Grade Rachel Wulff (Cello) All-District Band The community is invited to attend. Nick Dobler Zayleah Robinson Eleazar Mendoza Jack Kelley Ryan Schallert

Correa and McCoy Earn National Board Certification Two teachers from Bowling assessment that typically takes one Green High School, Lisa Correa to three years to complete.” and Sandra McCoy, have As part of the process, teachers recently earned National Board build a portfolio that includes Certification after completing the student work samples, assignments, rigorous certification process and videotapes and a thorough analysis performance-based assessments. of their classroom teaching. According to the National Board Additionally, teachers are assessed for Professional Teaching Standards, on their knowledge of the subjects “National Board Certification is a they teach. voluntary assessment program Correa and McCoy are among designed to recognize and reward twenty-one current Bowling Green great teachers—and make them City School teachers to earn the Artwork by BGJHS students (from top): better. Certification is achieved NBCT distinction. Kate Eaves, Jany Cruz, and through a performance-based Edgar Carmona Santos. BGJHS Students Replace Textbooks with Techbooks As part of ongoing efforts to resources and save teachers engage students, Bowling Green valuable time. The programs also City Schools has partnered with include an assessment component Discovery Education to bring that measures students’ progress digital science and social studies and recommends individualized textbooks to teachers and students resources that reinforce classroom at Bowling Green Junior High. The instruction. Constantly updated to Discovery Education Science and reflect today’s changing world, the Social Studies Techbook™ series series allow teachers to incorporate feature model lessons, digital current issues and recent scientific content, and content creation tools breakthroughs into their curriculum. to support educators, engage Significantly less expensive than students, and prepare them for Principal Cinny West said, traditional textbooks and platform college, careers, and citizenship. “Students today do not rely solely independent, the Discovery Discovery Education, a division of on books to search for information Education Science and Social Discovery Communications, whose when common digital devices Studies Techbook series work with networks include Discovery Channel allow immediate access to endless any device, including iPads, tablets, and Animal Planet, is the leading materials. With the Techbooks, mobile devices, and laptops or provider of digital content for K-12 teachers are able to utilize content desktops, maximizing investment classrooms. similar to what is found in traditional in existing technology and lowering A complete digital solution textbooks, but with the resources to district costs. that replaces traditional textbooks, make curriculum more relevant to For more information about the the Discovery Education Science students.” Discovery Education Science and Techbook series feature compelling The Discovery Education Social Studies Techbook series and video, interactive text, digital Science and Social Studies other services and resources from simulations, virtual and hands-on Techbook series include detailed Discovery Education, visit www. labs, and an interactive glossary lesson plans and model lessons discoveryeducation.com. with animations, audio, and video. that facilitate the transition to digital Bowling Green Students Set to Spread the Red in January Bowling Green City Schools the game, students will have an completing their degree at WKU,” are excited to participate in the third opportunity to see the recently- shared Lady Topper Head Coach “Spread the Red Education Game” completed Hall of History and learn Michelle Clark-Heard.” at Western Kentucky University more about the WKU impact on the Modern Woodmen and on Wednesday, January 8, 2014. community. Russell Athletics are partners in The WKU Lady Toppers will host Superintendent Joe Tinius said, the Spread the Red initiative. All Georgia State in front of a crowd of “The Spread the Red game is one students attending the game will approximately 2,100 area school of many opportunities for students to receive a drawstring backpack from children, including Bowling Green attend events on the WKU campus. Russell Athletics which will include City students from grades 3-8. The partnership and working information from WKU Admissions, Details of the event were announced relationship Bowling Green Schools and students with perfect at a press conference on December have with Western Kentucky attendance, August – December, 3. University allows our students to will have a chance to win a $500 The Spread the Red Education have a glimpse of what happens savings bond courtesy of Modern Game will mark the culmination of a on a university campus at an early Woodmen. month-long program between WKU age, whether attending a theatrical The game has also been Athletics and local schools, creating performance, concert, visiting the earmarked on the WKU schedule a synergy between education Kentucky Museum, a technology as the NCAA “Pack the House” and athletics. Teachers will utilize competition or an athletic event. game. The national effort to build historical statistics, the WKU Lady Our students are learning about attendance includes a $500 prize Topper basketball schedule and the resources and experiences to winning schools to donate to a biographical information on student- they may have in their future at a nonprofit of choice. athletes as a learning mechanism, university.” Students, teachers and staff incorporating information into ”One of the really neat things involved in the Spread the Red history, reading, math and about this game is being able Education game will be admitted geography. Students will also learn to show the young people not free, and all other tickets to the the value of receiving a college only what our team is capable of game will be $1 each. education and the importance of doing on the court, but what they For more information, visit teamwork in achieving goals. At are working toward off the court: www.wkusports.com.