District News

It’s been a goal of hers since fifth grade, and all her hard work and dedication has paid off. Sofia Sileo, who just finished her sophomore year with iLead Academy, has been accepted into and will attend the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in the fall.

The Gatton Academy is a residential program for bright, highly motivated Kentucky high school students who have demonstrated interest in pursuing advanced careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Housed on the campus of Western Kentucky University, students take college classes, engage in faculty-led research, and have the ability to study abroad.

The goal is to enable Kentucky's exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment which offers advanced educational opportunities, preparing them for leadership roles in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Each year, The Gatton Academy admits approximately 95 Kentucky sophomores, based on standardized test scores, their GPA, responses to essay questions, personal interviews, extracurricular activities and recommendations. Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, students enroll in The Gatton Academy and live in a uniquely dedicated Gatton Academy residence hall.

Taking courses offered by WKU, their classmates are fellow Gatton Academy students and WKU undergraduate students. At the end of two years, Gatton Academy students will have earned between sixty and seventy-two college credit hours in addition to completing high school. Academy graduates may choose to stay at WKU or transfer to other universities to complete their bachelor's degrees.

Sileo, who is the daughter of Michele and Daniel Sileo, hopes to pursue a career either in mathematics and engineering or in the medical or biomedical field.

As a young man, Dale Yerian planned to become a doctor.

“I came to the realization that I didn’t want to be around sick people all day,” Yerian said with a slight chuckle. “So, after the first two years of college, I switched from pre-med to education.”

It turned out to be the better option for young Yerian, who, at the age of 72, is nearing the completion of his 50^th year in education, as well as a second retirement.

 “It takes courage for someone to come in day after day for 50 years as an educator,” said Henry County High School Principal Shannon Sageser. “Dale exemplifies the true meaning of a professional educator.  He has seen so many changes over time and still has found a way to connect with students.”

In 1972, Yerian earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Eastern Kentucky University, majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. He later earned Master’s degrees in Science Education and Educational Administration, also from EKU. He is certified to teach any of the sciences from grades 7-12, and carries both an elementary and secondary certification to be a principal or a supervisor of instruction.

Second grade students at Eastern Elementary School are now part of an elite group – that of published authors.

Students in Carmen Moore, Sarah Lyons and Kristian Banta’s classrooms collaborated with Student Treasures Publishing to write and illustrate a class book. Students moved through the entire publishing process, from rough drafts to editing to submitting final versions of an illustration page and an information page about an animal of their choice. The books are full of information and original artwork about panda bears, jaguars, great white sharks and more!

Today, Banta and Moore presented the books to their students in a surprise reveal. Thanks to parent and teacher purchases and donations, each student will be able to take a book home.

“We are so excited for them and cannot wait to see the look on their faces when they see their published book for the first time,” Moore said before the event.

The library absolutely buzzed with excitement as students received their copies, found the pages they had authored and illustrated and began sharing with each other.

“This is my page,” Katie Peed said excitedly. “I drew this hippo!”

Similar conversations took place at each table as students were eager to show their teachers, principal and peers their published work.

A copy of each book will also be catalogued into Eastern’s library offerings so it can be checked out by other students. There are already plans to use the book as an instructional tool for other classes, like writing book reviews.

Experts project that there will be 10 billion people on earth to feed by 2050. Farmers will have to feed those 10 billion people with less land than they're using today to feed 8 billion.

“If that doesn't get a conversation started about how science can help achieve that goal, I don't know what will, because if death and taxes are the only two certainties, I'm not sure where ‘Everyone needs to eat’ fits in because they definitely do,” said Henry County High School teacher Steve Martell. “Just getting the students to realize that this is a problem that is going to be up to their generation to solve, and it's not a one-and-done solution, is a big part of the challenge.”

It’s just one of the reasons why Martell, who’s been teaching for 11 years now, chose to be involved with a professional development opportunity called Nourish the Future. Nourish the Future is a national education initiative developed by science teachers for science teachers to inspire a network of educators to foster critical thinking, connect students to modern agriculture, and provide sound science-based resources that meet teachers’ and students’ needs in the classroom.

Henry County High School science teacher Jessica Elliott is one of 95 teachers who were recently awarded a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) research grant from the Society for Science that will enable her students to engage in independent research. The grant, valued at $1,000, provided a collection of equipment that students will be able to check out in order to conduct their own scientific research projects.

“Students will need to think of something they want to investigate outside of school,” Elliott said. “Then they will collect their data and present it to me for extra credit.”

Elliott said most of the equipment is geared toward the study of living things. Included in her award are: four Arduino Starter Kits, an open-source hardware and software platform that helps students get started on learning about electronics; two PocketLab Voyagers, a pocket-sized laboratory that enables students to conduct research from anywhere to explore physics, weather, climate studies and engineering topics; four trail cameras, along with SD cards and batteries that will allow students to conduct many types of research remotely — from surveying local flora and fauna and animal behavior to monitoring conservation challenges, changes in biodiversity and even observing how humans are impacting local wildlife; and four water monitoring kits, portable kits to support students who want to investigate water quality and contamination.

“I’m super excited to give students an opportunity to do some independent scientific research,” Elliott said. “They will be able to develop a question about the world around them, and then determine the best way to figure it out.”

At the February Henry County Board of Education meeting, HCPS board members agreed with the superintendent’s recommendation to make masking OPTIONAL in our school buildings. The recommendation is rooted in the rapidly declining community and school COVID incidence rates.

Effective Monday, February 28, masks will be optional for staff, students and visitors in our buildings. New CDC guidance issued late on Feb. 25, also allows us to move to masks optional on our school buses as well.

The February HCPS Board of Education meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 5:15pm in the cafeteria at New Castle Elementary School. This is a change from our normal start time of 6pm.

Henry County children from birth up to their fifth birthday can now be register to receive one free book each month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Children who enroll will receive one free book each month from the time they register until their fifth birthday.

Thanks to a collaboration of Henry County Public Schools, Eminence Independent Schools, the Henry County Public Library and Kasselmann Family McDonald’s, along with financial support from the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood and the local Community Early Childhood Council, children can receive a specially selected, age-appropriate book each month through the mail.

The Imagination Library, which launched in 1995, had humble beginnings by serving Dolly Parton’s home county in East Tennessee.

“Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. The new program gave each child a specially selected book each month,” according to the Imagination Library website. “By mailing high quality, age appropriate books directly to their homes, Dolly wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.”

The Henry County Middle School Academic Team recently competed in the Governor’s Cup, earning a commanding first-place finish in District 30! In addition to their first place showing for the overall competition, HCMS also placed first in quick recall and had several players with top five finishes in their respective competitions.

Future Problem Solving:  Clark Willis, second place; Hayden Mattingly, third place; and Bryden Everhart, fifth place.

Science: Reese Morgan, first place; Logan Marsh, third place; and Hayden Mattingly, fourth place.

Social Studies: Clark Willis, first place; Reese Morgan, second place; and Olin Inscore Essick, fifth place.

Language Arts: Olin Inscore Essick, first place; Marley Cobb, second place; and Henrietta Schneider, fifth place.

Arts and Humanities: Logan Marsh, third place; and Henrietta Schneider, fifth place.

Composition: Henrietta Schneider, third place; and Marley Cobb, fourth place.

Congratulations to these students and to their coaches for an outstanding performance in the District 30 Governor’s Cup!

​Due to staffing shortages, the increase in COVID positive cases and quarantines throughout the district and the potential for inclement weather, Henry County Public Schools will use NTI days Thursday, Jan. 20, through Monday, Jan. 24. These will be NTI Days 1, 2 and 3. Students should use their packet to find each day's learning activities, or visit our website, henry.kyschools.us, and click on "NTI Schoolwork" under Quick Links, where there are also some basic instructions. Teachers will be available to assist students on NTI days during normal school hours.

Henry County Public Schools will be closed for a snow day Thursday, Jan. 6. The timing of the winter weather predicted to begin midday tomorrow, coupled with a driver shortage, led us to determine the safest course of action was to close for the day, as an early dismissal is not feasible for our short-staffed transportation department and also creates issues for many of our parents. While closing school before any snow hits the ground may seem overly cautious, the safety of our students and staff are always our top priority and we did not want to put our bus drivers, students, student drivers or parents in a potentially dangerous situation.

This is a SNOW DAY, and students will not be asked to complete any assignments today. Please be safe and enjoy the day! 

In light of the recently released Kentucky Department of Public Health guidelines regarding K-12 COVID management, Henry County Public Schools has revised our policies to reflect those changes. Please remember that HCPS still requires masks on our buses and in our facilities, so please send your student to school with a mask each day. This requirement allows us to follow these new exposure and quarantine guidelines.

Also, please let us know about any positive COVID test results or exposures by notifying your school’s health services assistant, who can help you understand these guidelines and provide a return-to-school date for you or your student.

Henry County High School students will soon experience a new feature when they move through the cafeteria line at school.

Thanks to a grant from the Dairy Alliance, HCHS will become only the second school district in Kentucky to use bulk milk dispensers instead of individual milk cartons. HCPS was awarded a full grant for the equipment, which is valued at about $12,000.

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 4, HCHS students will be able to choose white or chocolate milk, filling 8-ounce cups with the milk of their choice. Placing the machines at HCHS made the most sense to Anna Lusk, HCPS Director of School Nutrition.

“Some elementary students are still eating in their classrooms, and I didn’t think younger students could navigate the walk from the cafeteria back to their rooms with cups of milk on their trays,” Lusk said. “The high school affords us more space for the dispensers and I thought the older students could handle carrying their milk.”

Lusk said there had been complaints daily about bad tasting or smelly milk. Many times, the milk cartons are not sealed well, which leads to curdled, stinky milk.

“The milk for the dispensers comes in 5-gallon bags, which eliminate that problem,” Lusk said. “Also, the dispenser will ensure that the milk is kept at a very cold temperature. So, we’re happy to offer a better product for our students.”

Lusk hopes that offering this improved product in the cafeteria line for breakfast and lunch will increase student participation, and also put a nutritious option on more students’ trays.

In anticipation of the potential for bad weather this winter, Henry County Public Schools would like to explain what our policy will be this year with snow days.

Last year, we were routinely learning from home and did not have traditional snow days, but rather used Non-Traditional Instruction days (NTI) and kept learning from home rather than have snow days that would then need to be made up at the end of the school year.

Henry County Public Schools feels our best form of high-quality instruction is in-person for all students. Not all families have sound or consistent internet access or the necessary support at home to allow learning to continue virtually on a random snow day.

Right now, the last day of school for students should be Friday, May 20. This gives us the flexibility to call several snow days and make up those days at the end of our calendar while still finishing school before June. However, if we are experiencing a high number of snow days (think ice storm or several inches of snow) and it is hurting our educational momentum and/or the learning process, we will prepare students to learn at home. If that is the case, we are allowed to use up to 10 NTI days, which will not have to be made up.

We thank everyone for adapting and doing what was necessary during the winter of 2020-21 to keep school going. This year, a snow day is a snow day unless notified in advance. So, when that first accumulation comes rolling in and we are playing it safe with our students, staff, buses and facilities, have fun! Let your kids turn off that alarm, wrap up under some warm blankets and then build a snowman. They’ve earned it!

Would you like to serve in a leadership role for your child's school?

Each public school in Kentucky has a site-based decision making (SBDM) council that meets monthly with a mission to improve student achievement. The traditional SBDM council is made up of the school principal, three teachers and two parents.

Henry County Public Schools seeks to recruit a minority parent council member for Henry County High School as well as Henry County Middle School.

If you are the parent of a current middle or high school student who is interested in volunteering for one of these leadership roles, please contact Shannon Sageser for HCHS at 845-8670 or Andy Buchholz for HCMS at 845-8660. You can also reach out to district Director of Student Services Zach Woods at (502) 845-8600. A reply by Dec. 10 would be much appreciated!

Let’s work together to make this the best school district it can be.

Beginning Nov. 30, all Henry County athletic events will transition to online ticketing for home contests. This will include all regular-season high school and middle school events. You will be able to purchase tickets to all of our home events through the link below. 

https://gofan.co/app/school/KY6172

Notes:

• You will be able to purchase tickets right up until game time. You will redeem when you arrive at the gate. 
• We will still have a cash gate option for those who do not have a smartphone. 
• Anyone 12 and under will not need a ticket.
• Note that many other schools have completely gone away from cash gates so plan accordingly if you plan to travel to away games this season.
• Details for purchasing tickets to postseason events, classics, and holiday tournaments will come at a later date. Costs and ticket purchasing options will likely vary for these events.

In order to help us continue to improve our overall education technology efforts, Henry County Public Schools has partnered with BrightBytes to assess our use of technology for learning. Our aim is to have 3rd through 12th grade students, parents and teachers/administrators take the survey.  

Click HERE to begin.

That Owen Coombs is enjoying his first year of preschool at the Henry County Early Childhood Center (HCECC) may seem ordinary to some, but to Owen’s parents – it’s nothing short of a miracle.

In March of 2020, Owen was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. It had already consumed one of his kidneys and spread to his lungs when doctors found it. Owen fought – and fought hard - through a variety of chemo and radiation treatments and just eight months later, achieved remission.

There is a 50% chance that Owen’s cancer will return. His parents monitor him closely for any signs of reoccurrence and he undergoes routine medical scans and tests. His next set of scans will be in late October.

“We try to live each day to the fullest, because as parents, we know he could be taken at any moment,” said Justin and Tara Coombs. “His cancer could return silently without us knowing until his routine scans show it.”

Despite the uncertainty of his health, Owen begged his parents to allow him to attend school and with the approval of his oncologist, Owen now loves being in Mrs. Roberts’ and Miss Joy’s class at the HCECC. As a token of solidarity, the Coombs’ provided t-shirts for Owen’s class to wear to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every student in the class and Owen’s two teachers all wore their shirts today to support Owen and raise awareness for childhood cancers.

When Rebecca (Ashby) Heady accepted a job at Henry County Middle School a few years after she graduated high school, she had no idea she’d still be working with the school district three decades later. After over 30 years with Henry County Public Schools, Heady will be retiring at the end of this month.

“It was time to focus on my health, my family and my home. There is just something inside of you that tells you when it is time to make a change and I finally listened,” Heady said. “I feel like I have given a great deal of myself over the years to this school system through love, sweat and tears, literally.  Being a graduate of Henry County, I feel proud to have been an employee of HCPS of 30-plus years.”

Becky, who graduated from Henry County High School in 1988, began her career with Henry County Public Schools in 1991 as a library aide at Henry County Middle School. After two years in that position and one year in the computer lab, she settled into her role as the attendance clerk at HCMS. After a couple of years working with the special education department at HCMS, she assumed the role of school secretary for the school. Seven years later and with a change in school leadership, she moved back to being the attendance clerk at HCMS, a position she held for eight years before moving the Board of Education to serve the district’s special education department as its administrative assistant; the position she currently holds.

Commonwealth Credit Union (CCU) supplies Henry County High School with its financial literacy curriculum for seniors. Last Wednesday, they also provided a donation to the school of eight outdoor picnic tables and four trash cans that will be used to create seating in the courtyard as one of its 70 Acts of Service.

“Henry County High School is one of the top schools in our financial education program and we thought this was a great way to acknowledge their efforts to provide their students with the financial knowledge they need as they transition into adulthood,” said Mary Handiboe, CCU Financial Education Supervisor. “We are excited that we are able to make this donation to reward them for fostering financial literacy in their young adults.”

Pictured from left to right are: Michelle Robinson, CCU Financial Education Representative; Mary Handiboe, CCU Financial Education Supervisor; Hannah Wampler, CCU Marketing Coordinator; Sarah Murphy, CCU Shelbyville Assistant Branch Manager; Shannon Sageser, HCHS Principal; Richie Robbins, HCHS Behavior Interventionist; and Kevin Webster, HCHS Assistant Principal.

Senate Bill 1 (SB1) removed the Kentucky Board of Education’s universal mask mandate for all Kentucky’s schools, meaning the decision to “mask or not” now falls to each district. At this time and in light of the high incidence rate in our community (103.6 as of Sept. 10), the Henry County Public Schools Board of Education has decided to continue to require students, staff and visitors to wear masks in our facilities and on our buses.

Since school began, we have routinely had between 150 to 200 students in quarantine on any given day, and currently have 30 positive cases among our students. We also currently have five staff members in quarantine with three positive cases. It is not prudent at this time to remove one of our primary mitigation strategies in this fight against the spread of COVID.

Because the state has handed this choice back to the districts, it means that moving forward we now also have increased flexibility to make the best decision possible for our students based on our own localized community spread and internal COVID cases and quarantines. We can choose to lift the mask requirement once our numbers have reached safer levels. We routinely review the number of positive cases and quarantines, and we believe the preventative measures we are taking, including our mask requirement and the newly implemented test-to-stay strategy, will work to reduce the spread of COVID in our district.

Thank you for partnering with us as we do all we can to keep our staff and students safe and to maintain in-person learning.

Dear HCPS Families, 

Thank you for all of your support in helping Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) keep students healthy during this time. We appreciate your willingness to work with our school nurses and health assistants in following our COVID protocols.

While we know that nothing we implement alone will be 100% effective in stopping the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, we are striving to implement as many strategies as we can. We continue to encourage handwashing, vaccination to those eligible, social distancing whenever possible, disinfecting of surfaces, appropriate mask wearing and keeping your students home if they have any COVID symptoms. When layered together, each of those practices becomes more effective in reducing the spread of this virus and keeping our kids healthy and in school. 

Proactive COVID Testing: Strategies to KEEP STUDENTS in SCHOOL

Today, HCPS is introducing another strategy toward this effort. Beginning next week, Wild Health Laboratories will be providing free COVID-19 testing to our district. Please note that this testing is by parental consent only and is NOT mandatory or required. Testing will always be optional and can be refused by the student at any time, for any reason.

The COVID-19 tests will be administered using an anterior nasal swab - this means the swab would be inserted just inside the nose and will not be invasive or painful in any way. There will be two types of testing offered, rapid testing (results in about 15 minutes) and PCR (polymerase chain reaction, which has a turnaround time of 24 hours). All testing requires a signed parental consent form. Testing strategies include:

A familiar face will be the next leader of Henry County Public Schools.

Dr. Jim Masters, a former principal of Henry County High School, was named the next superintendent of HCPS at a special meeting of the Board of Education Wednesday night. Most recently, Masters filled the position of the Director of K-12 Curriculum and Instruction for Franklin County since 2012. From 2008 to 2012, Masters was the principal of HCHS.

“My fondest memories as an educator were at Henry County High School,” Masters said. “It was the most wonderful experience I’ve had in education, because we all came together as a team and improved the school so much over the span of four years and it was due to the amazing staff, students and community.”

Before leading HCHS as its principal, Masters worked with the Kentucky Department of Education as a Highly Skilled Educator, and was an assistant principal at Georgetown Middle School. Masters began his career in education in 1997 as a social studies teacher and basketball coach at Second Street Middle School, Danville High School, Tates Creek High School and Western Hills High School. The first-time superintendent brings a wealth of experience to the position.

“I bring the experience of continually improving schools, and that’s only possible through forming great relationship and building trust,” Masters said “A strong leader has the ability to listen to the needs and wants of others and bring people together for a common cause.”

The Henry County Public Schools Board of Education recently recognized Henry County Middle School Principal Andy Buchholz as he was named the Kentucky Music Educators Association District 5 Administrator of the Year. Buchholz' passion project is to provide an opportunity for every sixth-grader to be involved in a music class like chorus, band, guitar or percussion. Congratulations! Thank you for all you do to open up the world of music appreciation to our students!

Last year’s pandemic and school closures were detrimental to the mental health for many and it led countless students to feel disconnected and even isolated from the peers and caring adults at school.

This was clear to the staff at Henry County High School who surveyed students last year. The results indicated that students were in need of social-emotional support and mentoring.

Leadership at HCHS including Principal Shannon Sageser, Assistant Principal Kevin Webster, Behavior Interventionist Richie Robbins, Director of Guidance Barney Sutley, Guidance Counselors Emily Grimes and Shelby Mings and Library Media Specialist Rachel Burgin, created a mentoring program to address the needs of their students.

“When students were given a survey in September 2020 to determine students' needs and what resources they need, we found that nearly 50% of HCHS students were struggling to identify at least one adult at HCHS with whom they felt they could trust and have a relationship,” Grimes said. “In a literacy survey given to students in February 2021, 20% of student respondents specifically stated in a fill-in-the-blank portion that they would like to receive mentoring at HCHS.”

Each day of school presents challenges for students – academically, socially, emotionally and behaviorally. One Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) administrator is being recognized for her ability to meet all those needs.

Amy Treece, principal of Campbellsburg Elementary School (CES), was recently named the Principal of the Year by the Kentucky School Counselor Association and will be honored at the KSCA Awards Dinner during their annual conference in September. Rebekah Murphy, the school counselor for CES, nominated Treece and was “ecstatic” when she heard she won the honor.

“She does so much to emphasize and promote social and emotional learning at CES,” Murphy said. “It drives Ms. Treece's leadership decisions and efforts. She models what it looks like to place emotional needs first because she understands that many students need their emotional needs met before academic needs can be their focus.”

Treece pointed to her team at CES for concentrating efforts on social and emotional learning.

“We have put such an emphasis on the social emotional needs of students at CES,” Treece said. “I am so thankful for a school team that sees the value in educating the whole child. This has definitely been a priority for us.” 

The location of next meeting of the Henry County Public Schools Board of Education has been CHANGED. The August monthly meeting of the Henry County Public Schools Board of Education will be held on August 16 at 6pm in the commons area of Henry County Middle School. 

Henry County Public Schools is complying with the executive order issued by Governor Andy Beshear on August 10, mandating universal masking regardless of vaccination status, in Kentucky schools. All students, staff and visitors will be required to wear a mask in all HCPS buildings and on our buses for the duration of the mandate, which is currently 30 days.

In addition, the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) has passed a legally binding parallel regulation that mandates universal masking in school buildings and on buses for up to 270 days or unless the Department of Public Health or CDC recommend a lifting of these mandates. We are legally required to follow this as well.

It was important to us to welcome all students into our schools to begin the year. We were respectful to students who did not wear masks the first few days of school and did not make this a disciplinary issue for those students.

Beginning Monday, August 16, we do expect all students entering our schools or riding our buses to fully comply with the mask mandate, excluding those with a medical exemption. We want all students in our community to be in school and working with our caring adults, but we will no longer be able to allow students, parents or visitors to enter the buildings or buses without a mask. This is not negotiable at this point. If a student refuses to wear a mask in our school buildings, we hope to respectfully conference with the student to resolve the situation, provide them with a mask and allow the school day to continue for that individual. If a student refuses to comply with the mandate, he or she will be sent home. The student can return the next day with compliance.

Please welcome Brad Wooten, school psychologist, to Henry County Public Schools.

Brad, who is a licensed school psychologist, comes to Henry County with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and an Educational Specialist degree from Murray State University. He practiced school psychology for six years in Clarksville, Tenn., and completed a one-year internship in Martin, Tenn.  He also worked for vocational rehabilitation under the supervision of a psychologist in graduate school along with being a graduate assistant.  

Brad is originally from Kentucky and wanted to relocate back to his home state. He chose Henry County as the district he wanted to serve.

"I read and heard good things about Henry County and decided to apply and felt good about a final decision after the job was offered to me,” Brad said. “I look forward to being back in the Bluegrass State and working with the school district and community to create an environment where our students can thrive.”

Brad believes his role as a school psychologist focuses on advocacy.  

“My role is to advocate for all students by making sure both their social-emotional needs and academic needs are met and to facilitate team discussions on how to best meet the overall educational needs of students including addressing any mental health concerns,” Brad said. “I hope to work with all stakeholders to ensure that not only are our students' educational needs met, but that their mental health needs are met as well.”

After receiving the Guidance for K-12 School Operations for In-Person Learning released by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and Kentucky Public Health on Friday July 16, 2021, and in consideration of the recommendations it contained, Henry County Public Schools has developed its Safety Plan for the opening of the coming school year. All initiatives of this plan will be implemented in order to create a safe and healthy in-person learning environment in which our students can be successful.

This plan contains prevention strategies that can be modified and/or strengthened as the situation evolves. All decisions regarding our COVID protocols are SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME based on community positivity rates and new or additional requirements from the state or other governing organizations. HCPS will rely on data provided by Kentucky Public Health to track COVID incidence rates and community transmission rates by county (https://govstatus.egov.com/kycovid19) and use the color scheme of county incidence rates (green, yellow, orange and red) to determine an appropriate level of response. We will also track all instances of positive cases and exposures among our staff and students, also using that information to adjust our prevention strategies as needed.

At Monday night's Henry County Public Schools Board of Education meeting, Interim Superintendent Sonny Fentress recognized HCHS and iLead Academy student Daniel Brooks, who has been accepted into the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics.

The Craft Academy, located on the campus of Morehead State University, is a dual-credit residential high school for academically exceptional students. Craft Academy provides students with a postsecondary residential experience to complete their junior and senior years of high school by enrolling in college courses. The Craft Academy's purpose is to meet the unique educational needs of academically gifted and talented high school juniors and seniors in the Commonwealth. The academic rigor of the Craft Academy challenges students to excel at their highest level through project-based STEM+X courses and hands-on learning experiences, with emphasis on innovation, design and creativity, and civic and regional engagement. The cost of tuition, housing and a meal plan at Craft Academy are free for Brooks, who said he intends to pursue a career in engineering.

Campbellsville University’s 35^th annual Excellence in Teaching Award Program recently honored 205 teachers throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 72 districts and/or private schools.

Although the ceremony wasn’t in person, a video was sent to each recipient with a welcome from Dr. Lisa Allen, Dean of the School of Education, who thanked them for the job they do and their impact on students in the coming years.

Henry County Public Schools were honored to have three of its teachers recognized at the Excellence in Teacher Award Program. They are: Lisa Rose, Campbellsburg Elementary School; Becky Wright, Henry County Middle School; and Andrew Shearer, Henry County High School.

ESSER Community Input

Henry County Schools is seeking feedback from parents, students, employees, and community members to assist in developing its plan, and specifically the use of these funds.

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act was signed into law. The US Department of Education is providing an additional $121.9 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III Fund). These grants will be awarded across each state to provide local educational agencies with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.

Districts must reserve at least 20% of their ARP ESSER money to measure and address the impact of lost learning time with evidence-based interventions. Those interventions must respond to students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.

New in this round of funding is a requirement for school districts to include “meaningful consultation” with stakeholders in their spending plans.

Stakeholders wishing to participate in this process should complete the district’s survey by June 30, 2021.

Please click here to complete the survey: https://forms.gle/zp2v9qbdQvre1MDWA

The Henry County Board of Education is seeking an outstanding educator with leadership skills capable to extend the momentum of excellence in Henry County Schools for its next Superintendent. A screening committee, mandated by Kentucky Revised Statutes, will be formed to screen applicants and make a recommendation of a slate of candidates to the Henry County Board of Education.

The screening committee is made up of various stakeholder groups including one minority member chosen by Henry County Schools’ parents.   Kentucky law provides that “‘minority’ means American Indian; Alaskan native; African-American; Hispanic, including persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central or South American origin; Pacific islander; or other ethnic group under-represented in the school.” The committee member chosen must be ofminority status regardless of the minority status of the child. 

There will be a total of six meetings where attendance is very important. Those dates are July 13 and 20, as well as August 3, 17, 18, and 26.  Ample consideration should be given to parent nominees who embrace confidentiality and the entire Henry County School District.

Nominations will be accepted and an election will take place to select a minority parent.   All Henry County Schools’ parents/guardians are eligible to vote.  The nomination deadline is July 2, 2021 at 4 p.m.  The voting will be open via electronic vote through Infinite Campus from Tuesday, July 6 to Thursday, July 8 at noon.

If you are a minority parent and would like to be nominated for the search committee, or if you would like to nominate a minority parent, please contact Mary Sharp at the Henry County Board of Education at mary.sharp@henry.kyschools.us.  

The family of the late Donnie Tipton was recently presented with a tree planted in his honor by Henry County Public Schools. Tipton, who passed away just over two years ago, served as a dedicated member of the Board of Education for 26 years. The tree, a Cherokee Princess Dogwood donated and planted by Eric’s Curb Appeal LLC, will stand near one of Donnie’s favorite places – the football field of Henry County High School where he loved to watch his grandson play football. A final touch will be a memorial marker at the base of the tree. Pictured at the dedication are board member Steve Dent, Superintendent Terry Price, Donnie’s grandchildren Jaden Noel and Jake Noel, and his daughter Jennie Tipton Noel. Attending in spirit was Donnie’s wife, Kathy Tipton.

At Monday night’s Henry County Public Schools Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Terry Price recognized HCPS and iLead alum Jack McCoun, who completed the Gatton Academy in 2020.

The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky is a residential program for bright, highly motivated Kentucky high school students who have demonstrated interest in pursuing advanced careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Housed on the campus of Western Kentucky University, students take college classes, engage in faculty-led research, and have the ability to study abroad.

The goal is to enable Kentucky's exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment which offers advanced educational opportunities, preparing them for leadership roles in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Each year, The Gatton Academy admits approximately 95 Kentucky sophomores, based on standardized test scores, their GPA, responses to essay questions, personal interviews, extracurricular activities and recommendations. Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, students enroll in The Gatton Academy and live in a uniquely dedicated Gatton Academy residence hall.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households. If your household is eligible, you can receive:

• Up to a $50/month discount on your broadband service and associated equipment rentals
• A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)

Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household. To receive the connected device discount, consumers need to enroll in the EBB Program with a participating provider that offers connected devices (not all service providers offer device discounts). The service provider will provide the discount to the consumer.

The program will end when the fund runs out of money, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency, whichever is sooner.

For more information or to apply, please visit www.getemergencybroadband.com.

Sonny Fentress will serve in the role of interim superintendent while the district begins working with the Kentucky School Board Association and a local search committee to hire a new superintendent.

Fentress was the superintendent of Anderson County schools for 20 years and has served as an interim superintendent in 12 schools districts since he retired in 2005, making Henry County lucky no. 13.

“My primary objective as an interim superintendent is to keep the educational process for all students moving forward, and do that by working closely with the staff, principals and teachers,” Fentress said. “And also to make sure we’re following all the rules and regulations we’re supposed to.”

Fentress will assume the role of superintendent on July 1, immediately following the retirement of current Superintendent Terry Price on June 30. Fentress will serve the district as long as he is needed. His last stint at Garrard County lasted an entire year, which Fentress admits is rather unusual. While the Board of Education optimistically hopes to name a new permanent superintendent in mid-September, Fentress said he will fill the opening until a new hire is found.

In the midst of a global pandemic, two Henry County High School students attending iLead Academy – Joshua Rankin and Skyler Tillman - earned not only a high school diploma this May, but also an Associate’s of Science degree from Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC).

Both are also certified in Autodesk Inventor, an engineering CAD software.  Josh is also certified in Python, one of the top three computer programming languages, and was the state champion for Digital Music Production for the past two years of the Technology Student Association (TSA) state conference. 

“Their determination and grit to achieve this first college degree while in high school is what helped them work through difficult virtual classes. They are a part of the third graduating class of the iLEAD Academy to earn an associate degree in high school,” said Jenna Gray, the director of iLead Academy. “As they transfer to a four year university, they will enter with enough credits to be considered a junior in college.”

Henry County Public Schools Superintendent Terry Price recently visited with each of our district retirees to present them with a token of appreciation and express gratitude for their years of service. Today we honor Mary Jo Brown, Sherry Breeding and Carmen Pigram.

Mary Jo Brown

Mary Jo has been an employee of HCPS for 24 years, having served as the cafeteria manager at Eastern Elementary for the past 18 years. She previously worked in the cafeterias of New Castle Elementary and Henry County Middle schools.

In her retirement, Mary Jo hopes to spend time with her grandbaby and just enjoy each day.

“I’ll miss my girls and the kids. It makes our day to see their smiling faces coming through the line,” Mary Jo said. “I’ve certainly enjoyed it; not as much during COVID, but I enjoyed it then too because I knew we were feeding kids.”

Henry County Public Schools is pleased to announce that our School Nutrition Department will offer FREE summer meals to ALL children in the county up to age 18 beginning Monday, June 7.

The School Nutrition van will run daily Monday through Thursday making several stops throughout the county. The van will stay at each stop for approximately 10 minutes. Please note, arrival times are approximate, but we will do our best to stay on schedule.

Locations:

• Cowboys in Pendleton – 9:30am
• Campbellsburg Baptist Church – 9:50am
• Michael Brent Playground (new park), New Castle – 10:10am
• Osage Apartments – 10:25am
• Henry County Public Library – 10:50am
• Pleasureville Fire Department – 11:10am
• Eastern Elementary School – 11:30am

Monday through Wednesday, children will receive one breakfast and one lunch. On Thursdays, children will receive a weekend bag with four breakfasts and four lunches. Meals are provided to any child up to age 18; they do not have to be enrolled with HCPS. Children are not required to be present to accept meals. We do ask only one meal per child per location, please. No duplicate meals are allowed.

Summer meal service begins June 7 and will continue through July 29, with the exception of the week of July 5.

If you have any questions regarding our Summer Meals program, please call (502) 845-8600.

We were notified by North Central Health Department that the FDA will likely approve the use of the Pfizer COVID Vaccine for ages 12 and up as early as next week.  With this change, they have asked HCPS to once again gauge interest in a local vaccine clinic for students aged 12 and older.

If you would be interested in having your age 12+ student participate in a local COVID vaccine clinic, please click the following link and complete the short 3-question survey:

https://forms.gle/u7NGZMHnsD2n88KQA

Responses must be submitted by Monday, May 10, 2021.  Participation is completely voluntary and this survey only indicates your interest in a local vaccine clinic for your student.   More information to follow.

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment at a site that has vaccine availability now, please visit https://govstatus.egov.com/ky-covid-vaccine to check vaccine availability and to schedule appointments.

The April Board of Education meeting will be held on April 19 at 6pm at Henry County High School media center, which is a change of location. The public is welcome to attend. Please plan to wear a face covering and practice social distancing if you attend. Thank you!

Note: The Henry County Early Childhood Center was recently "spotlighted" by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) for its efforts to deliver services to its students during the mandated school shutdowns. Here is the article that was published by KDE:

Amid the mandated Coronavirus closure in Fall of 2020, preschool teachers and service providers at Henry County Early Childhood Center (HCECC) quickly shifted their mode of instruction by providing age-appropriate at-home activities, creating Google classrooms and scheduling teletherapy sessions.

When KDE guidance advised that schools could bring limited numbers of students into the building during the shutdowns, HCECC principal Stephanie Melton immediately knew which students should receive small group in-person instruction and already had a plan in place. The first day of school for HCECC was originally scheduled to be on Sept. 2, and small group instruction began just one week later on Sept. 9. Those services were also offered during the second shutdown of this school year, just before Thanksgiving. Small groups reconvened on Nov. 30 and continued through our scheduled winter break with all students returning in January 2021.

Kentucky Senate Bill 128 has been approved by both chambers of the Kentucky General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear. This bill, also referred to as KY SB 128 and known by some as the “redshirt” or the “do-over” bill, allows K-12 students currently enrolled in public or non-public schools to request to use the 2021-2022 school year as a supplemental year. Students who choose this option can retake and/or supplement coursework already completed.  Elementary and middle school students are a little different than high school students.  If an elementary or middle school aged child is not successful there are other options best suited for those grade levels and will be handled at the individual school level.

Our district wants to take this opportunity to share some of the facts related to this bill so that you can make an informed decision about whether you would choose to have your child request to use the supplemental year. These requests must be submitted to the board office using the Google form linked below by April 23, 2021. The student and/or parents may rescind this request by May 1, 2021.

Click on link here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1a2Y__Y2NarTE_Gj9Seeo_2ze-7ICy3dyngntAM_3EnI/viewform?ts=60748668&edit_requested=true

Beginning April 1, Henry County Public schools will adopt the recently released guidelines regarding temperature checks for students, staff and visitors into our buildings.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), in consultation with the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH), has updated the flagship Healthy at School guidance based on the latest information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Temperature screening expectations have been changed to state that only symptomatic students and staff need to be screened for fever.

“Routine temperature screenings prior to school or bus entry are not required. Students or staff who exhibit symptoms of illness while at school should have their temperature taken as part of a physical assessment completed by school staff.”

While daily temperature checks are no longer required, families are still asked to monitor their child daily for symptoms, and to not send them to school if they are having any COVID-related symptoms. Please refer to the COVID Decision Tree (found on our website henry.kyschools.us under COVID-Related Info) for exclusion criteria. Students with a temperature greater than 100.4 degrees should follow the isolation criteria as described in the Healthy at School guidelines.

Please contact our Health Services Department at 845-8621 with any questions.

In order to help us continue to improve our overall education technology efforts, Henry County Public Schools has partnered with BrightBytes to assess our use of technology for learning. Our aim is to have 3rd through 12th grade students, parents and teachers/administrators take the survey.  

Click HERE to begin.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to have both our A and B hybrid students from the middle and high schools finally coming together again on March 22. That means all of our in-person students will be attending Monday through Thursday, with a virtual learning day on Friday. It is my hope that bringing our students back together will lead to their academic success, as well as aid in their age appropriate social and emotional health. Our Online Learning Academy students, those that chose that option, will continue their studies at home until the end of this school year.

This has been a trying time for everyone, and I see this start back as a light at the end of the tunnel.  After 31 years in education, this feels as if we are starting from day one. And all the excitement is rejuvenating! 

The Henry County Early Childhood Center is now scheduling head start and preschool screenings for the 2021 - 2022 school year!

*Do you live in Henry County?

*Do you have a child that will be 3 or 4 years old on or before August 1?

*Would you love your child to attend school next year?

If you answered yes to these questions, please use this link https://forms.gle/UyETTKBQ7b2mDP8p6 to schedule your child for a screening today. We are currently scheduling for April 30 only. Once the April 30 appointments are filled, appointments will open on May 14.

Screenings are Friday, April 30 and May 14, 2021 at the Henry County Early Childhood Center, by appointment only. The Early Childhood Center is located on the campus of New Castle Elementary School, 182 South Property Rd, New Castle.

PENDING WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS, Henry County Public Schools intends to offer limited meal pickup to ALL students and any other child up to age 18 who is not enrolled with HCPS on Friday, Feb. 19, at the following locations from 12 to 1pm:

• Henry County High School

• Campbellsburg Elementary

• Eastern Elementary

• Cowboys in Pendleton (look for the school vans)

We will provide 5-day meal boxes, as well as milk, for each child. If we feel conditions are too unsafe to provide this service, we will post to our social media pages as soon as the decision is made. If you have questions regarding our meal services, please call 502-845-8600.

This year, Family Resource and Youth Services Centers (FRYSC) across the state are being recognized during the week of February 8-12.  State leaders are working on legislation to make the second Wednesday of every February the annual FRYSC Day in Kentucky, with this year’s celebratory day falling on Feb. 10. At Henry County Public Schools, we are incredibly fortunate to have a team of caring staff members serving our families, students and the entire community.

“I cannot tell you how fortunate we are as a district to have the ladies that we have servicing our students, families, teachers, schools, and so on,” said HCPS Superintendent Terry Price. “There is so much that they do I cannot even begin to try to guess all of the various avenues they serve.” 

Renata Ingram and Chastity Tuggle of the Henry County Family Resource Center provide services, support and programs to all our elementary school families, while Debbie Hartford of the Henry County Youth Services Center serves our middle and high school families. The two offices frequently collaborate on programming that directly benefit all our students. Here is a quick, but by no means complete, look at just a few of the services and programs they offer.

Henry County Public Schools is excited to announce that the first dose of the COVID vaccine will be administered to our staff members next week. In order to accommodate the mass vaccination event, we will close to in-person instruction on Thursday, Feb. 4. All students will learn at home virtually on this day.

We have appreciated your support, flexibility and cooperation throughout this pandemic. Providing these vaccines is a huge step forward in getting things back to normal while continuing to offer added protection and safety to our staff and students.

All HCPS employees who requested the vaccine have been provided an appointment. In total about 240 employees throughout the district will receive a vaccination.

We will likely announce another NTI day next month to administer the second dose after we receive confirmation of receipt of the vaccinations. Please know we are working under the constraints of receiving, storing and administering the vaccine as well as the time and administrative constraints of our vaccination provider.

Thank you in advance for your continued collaboration as we do everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our staff, students and families, and that we work hard to ensure our ability to hold in-person instruction.

We appreciate our Board of Education members who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a quality education for our students. Thank you to Lori Abney, Danney Chisholm, Miranda Clubb, Steve Dent and Tony Whaley. We are grateful for your service to Henry County Public Schools!

There is a new addition to Kim Patterson’s preschool class at the Henry County Early Childhood Center. Sophi the dairy calf has been virtually adopted by the class through a program called Discover Dairy and will present lots of learning opportunities for the school year.

Bringing animals into her class is nothing new for Patterson, although it is usually in person. Last year it was a lamb named Sven, whose adventures provided the material for a book. This year, the class learned how to bottle-feed twin sheep. A pair of water turtles happily inhabit an aquarium in the classroom. Patterson says each year presents new opportunities to bring nature into the classroom.

“Children are naturally curious and they like to learn about their environment. For the past 10 years I have researched and implemented the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education,” Patterson said. “I teach using nature and the outdoors because children learn best when they are engaged in hands-on developmentally appropriate activities that are open-ended using materials that promote creativity and incorporate the five senses.”

We sincerely hope that you are enjoying Winter Break, and join with us as we look forward to the coming New Year! We are incredibly excited to welcome students back into our classrooms beginning Jan. 5. Our staffs are busy preparing to receive your students and we’ll be following all the Healthy at School guidelines, which include, but are not limited to: requiring face coverings, practicing social distancing, encouraging hand washing, utilizing hand sanitizing stations, restricting outside visitors, increasing cleaning protocols, and routinely sanitizing our buses and buildings.

In order to keep our students and staff as safe as we possibly can, we ask that you do not send your child to school if he or she is exhibiting any symptoms of COVID, or other contagious and infectious illnesses. Because we are required by the state to report COVID data, we do still need our families to let us know of any positive test results or exposures within your household. Also, your assistance in reporting positives and exposures as quickly as possible will help us effectively conduct contact tracing to mitigate the possibility of spread in our classrooms.

Henry County Public Schools students will return to in-person learning on Jan. 5, 2021. Preschool and elementary students will attend Monday through Thursday. Our middle and high school students will return to in-person learning using the A/B hybrid plan. If your child is a part of the Online Academy, they will continue learning virtually. All students will continue to learn at home on Fridays.

When we return to in-person classes on Jan. 5, there are a few things we need to remember:

• All the Healthy at School guidelines are still in place, including wearing a face covering, hand-washing and social distancing.
• Since our first re-opening plans were developed, the CDC issued new recommendations regarding quarantine periods, which the Kentucky Department of Health adopted. The new guidelines shorten the quarantine period for an exposure. Please see the attached images for more information.
• Families are still required to report a positive COVID test or COVID exposure to their school’s health services assistant. This will assist us in doing our own contact tracing, and fulfill the requirement that those incidences are reported to the state.
• PLEASE, do not send your child to school with symptoms. Err on the side of caution and keep your student at home. Consult with the school’s health services assistant on when your child can safely return to school. Please see the attached image for more information.

As you probably have heard from the governor, even though most of Kentucky’s counties are in the “red” category, there must be a plan for getting students back in the classrooms in a healthy and safe manner.  Recent guidance from the Kentucky Department of Education has been modified to include information for school districts to consider when doing so. It is my number one goal to provide the best and safest education possible for our students. The situation we are in is not ideal and kids are suffering - academically, socially and emotionally.  As a school district, we must do what we can to assist all of our students.

Based on the current information and discussions with district leadership, Henry County Public Schools students will return to in-person learning on Jan. 5, 2021.  Our middle and high school students will return to in-person learning using the A/B hybrid plan.  If your child is a part of the Online Academy, they will continue learning virtually. All students will continue to learn at home on Fridays.

Students enrolled in agriculture classes at Henry County High School (HCHS) are all expected to complete a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE), but not all apply for or receive grant monies to support their projects. This year, two HCHS students received grants to jumpstart their SAE’s.

According to HCHS agriculture teacher and Future Farmers of America (FFA) sponsor Lindsey Davie, SAE’s should teach students to keep good records, complete required forms accurately and further their career goals. Davie serves as a mentor to students, helping them select and complete their SAE’s and find opportunities to showcase and promote their projects.

“They have to do an SAE, they might as well make it an investment into their future. I tell students to apply for an SAE grant if they can think of a way to turn $500 into $1,000 or $1,500, they should apply for the grant,” Davie said. “Aside from the money, they gain career skills, financial skills and time management skills.  Each SAE is specifically designed to benefit that student and what they want to do in the future.”  

Today, Henry County’s incident rate for COVID-19 is resting at 62.9, which is close to the highest we have had as a county.  Based on the current Executive Order by the governor, Henry County Public Schools will NOT be returning to in-person learning next week, the last week of school before our scheduled winter break.  As you may have heard via news outlets, the governor is developing a plan to allow for a return to in-person classes in January. 

However, any ideas or plans have NOT been communicated by the Commissioner of Education nor the governor to Kentucky school superintendents, which does not help me communicate to you what additional requirements we will be asked to meet in order to make this happen.  Should additional information become available regarding a return to in-person learning in January, I will communicate this to you as soon as possible.  

All students will continue virtual learning the week of December 14.  Targeted assistance groups will continue next week as planned. Meal boxes will be available this Friday, Dec. 11, and again on Friday, Dec. 18, from 11am to 1pm at Campbellsburg, Eastern and New Castle elementary schools as well as Henry County High School, and from 4 to 6pm at Campbellsburg and New Castle elementary schools.

There have been some inquiries as to why our buses are currently transporting students when our buildings are closed to in-person instruction. Schools are allowed to have small group targeted instruction for a portion of the day at 15% building capacity based on the governor’s and commissioner’s last Executive Order in closing in-person instruction. 

There are specific guidelines surrounding how students are selected for targeted small group instruction.  According to the Kentucky Department of Education, these targeted services could include activities such as: “evaluation, necessary hands-on experiences (career and technical education), mental health or academic counseling, occupational, physical or speech therapy, or targeted remediation or tutoring.” Students who are considered the most marginalized and have complex needs were the first group to receive targeted instruction. 

HCPS worked with schools under the 15% capacity rule to create very small intense targeted instruction groupings at each school. These groupings were created by each school based on individual student needs; the selection was not randomly made.  For the next two weeks these groups will continue. Following winter break, schools may rework those groups based on need and capacity availability. 

All students will continue with virtual instruction until otherwise notified based on any new information from the Commissioner of Education, Governor Andy Beshear, or local and state data.

To follow up regarding how the recent changes in contact tracing will affect Henry County Public Schools and how you can help as we move forward:

Previously, contact tracers from the health department would contact a COVID positive individual and interview them to determine anyone they had potentially exposed.  They would then reach out to each individual and recommend the state directed quarantine.  If any of these individuals were students or staff of our school system, we were then notified and provided with a school or work note for that individual.  Additionally, they then followed all of these individuals throughout their quarantine to see if they developed symptoms and then provided the school system with a note when they were released to return to in-person learning for students or work for employees.

It is important to note:

• Contact tracers will no longer be reaching out to anyone that is directly exposed to COVID and outside of Henry County are often not even reaching out to the COVID positive individual due to current caseloads.
• The "job" of contact tracing, as outlined above, is now the sole responsibility of the COVID positive individual and individual facilities, businesses and schools.
• While public health agencies can mandate quarantines, individuals, facilities, businesses and schools cannot.  

As we move forward in our current educational world and all of the challenges we face, Henry County Public Schools elementary students will NOT be returning to in-person learning on December 7, 2020 according to the governor’s Executive Order. 

In a meeting with the Commissioner of Education today, he reiterated what the governor’s order covered; one being the status of our county.  The order states that if a county is still in the red category, no in-person learning can take place.  Today’s county incidence rate is 48.7 and we need to be at 25 or below.  Yesterday’s state totals of reported COVID cases were over 4,100 which is extremely high for a one-day total.

Again, I will evaluate mid-week, every week, to discuss a return to in-person learning if requirements are met.  I will be notifying the school community and parents each week so that plans can be made for child care, etc. 

Henry County Public Schools will continue to provide meals to students as noted in the current schedule that can be found on our website [front page] as well as on social media.  Should you have additional questions, please feel free to call our board office at 502-845-8600 or your child’s school.

Please periodically check our media outlets to be informed.  Information is added and/or changed frequently. Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) was recently notified of changes in the health department’s contact tracing program that we want to pass on to you.  Effective immediately, the health department will no longer be reaching out to individuals that have been exposed to COVID positive cases.  Instead, the health department wants us to identify contacts within our buildings and provide those contacts with information regarding the recommended quarantine period.

Based on these changes, HCPS will continue to follow the guidance of the CDC and local health department regarding the quarantine recommendation following a COVID exposure.  If you think that your school-age child(ren) has been exposed to COVID (as defined by closer than 6 feet for longer than 15 minutes in a 24-hour period), it is essential that you report that information to your child’s school immediately.  Our district nurses will then share information with you regarding the recommended quarantine period and when your child may return to in-person classes. Until that return date, students are excused from in-person attendance but can still participate virtually. Additionally, as previously outlined, families are also required to notify their child’s school within 24 hours of a positive COVID case within your household.   

As we strive to minimize exposure and spread of COVID-19, please know that the expectations and directives for HCPS staff are the same as for students.

If you have any questions regarding this change in policy, please feel free to reach out to our Health Services Coordinator, Melissa Jeffries, RN, at 845-8621.

Data is recorded on days when school is in session. Therefore, the next report provided will be dated Nov. 30.

Beginning the week of Nov. 30, Henry County Public Schools will provide a week’s worth of meals to ALL students and to any other child up to the age of 18 who is not enrolled in HCPS. Each meal box will contain seven breakfasts, seven lunches and one gallon of milk.

In order to prepare, we ask that each family that wishes to receive weekly meals complete the attached Google form (https://forms.gle/QcmqR2dX1KXBdeceA). We only need ONE form per family. Please complete this form NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT MONDAY, NOV. 23 so that we can plan accordingly. There will NOT be any meal pickup or deliveries the week of Nov. 23 due to the holiday.

There are no requirements or prerequisites for families to meet in order to receive meals. Our School Nutrition Department happily provides these meals at no charge so that our students continue to receive two nutritious meals each day, as they would if we were physically attending school. Please do not feel as though you are “taking away” meals from another family; we want to provide for ALL our families and would love to have full participation.

In accordance with the Executive Order from the governor, Henry County Public Schools will transition to at-home virtual learning for all students beginning Monday, Nov. 23, 2020.  The order contains the following stipulations regarding the return to in-person instruction:

• Middle and High School ONLY:  The first date that Henry County can resume in-person learning will be January 5, 2021.  Prior to this return, I will continually and consistently be studying the state and local data as well as the status of our students and staff when finalizing a return date.
• Preschool and Elementary ONLY:  The first date that Henry County can resume in-person learning will be December 7, 2020.  I, along with district leadership, will be studying the data and status of the state and Henry County.  This date should be considered a tentative return date.  More information will follow closer to this date for preschool and elementary-aged students and their families.

The board of directors of the Kentucky School Boards Association annually funds two $2,500 scholarships for eligible Kentucky high school seniors to attend any two- or four-year accredited college or university. Eligible students are those who would be the first members of their immediate families (parents, guardians, siblings) to receive a degree from an institution of higher education.

The nominees from Henry County Public Schools, who have already won a local scholarship from the Henry County Board of Education, were recognized at the November Board of Education meeting. The nominees, pictured with Assistant Superintendent Chelsey Tingle, are Emma Morgan and Joshua “Trevor” Hardin.

As of the writing of this message I can say that our district and internal health numbers are looking great. Again, understand that I am continually checking on our county's percentage as well as those of surrounding districts. Given all the data, which includes the county map incidence rate, information from our local health department and data from our District Health Report and HCPS Health Services Department, Henry County Public Schools will continue in-person instruction until the collective data indicates otherwise or unless directed by public health and/or state government.

The health precautions, PPE, planning, and organization in place at HCPS is paying off for the district. We are seeing that most reports of positive cases of COVID and ensuing exposures and quarantines are coming from outside of the school district in the form of community spread. I urge families, please monitor what is occurring on time spent outside of the school day.

Thank you again for your cooperation, collaboration and support.

District and individual school report cards for the 2019-2020 school year are now available for your review on our website, www.henry.kyschools.us, or by clicking this link: https://www.kyschoolreportcard.com/organization/5584?year=2020

During the 2020-21 school year as Henry and other counties continue to deal with COVID, we have been granted unlimited Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) days. NTI days allow students to learn from home if necessary, and those at-home learning days will count toward our required minimum of 170 instruction days per school year.

This helps us if we are forced to temporarily close our buildings due to an outbreak, and in turn prevents us from having to make up school days into the summer. We have also used these days this year on Fridays across the district. On these Fridays, students learn from home and that allows for additional cleaning precautions to take place, and provides additional time for planning and communication for teachers who are working with both in-person and online learners.

This winter we will use NTI days when school is cancelled for weather. On any day that in-person school is canceled for weather, all students (in-person students and Online Academy learners) will continue their classwork at home. As teachers foresee issues of severe winter weather, they will prepare their students for the possibility of working from home. If the district experiences a surprise weather event, all students will function much as they currently do on Fridays.  

Henry County Public Schools and New Castle Elementary School recently celebrated the retirement of Glenna Barnett. Glenna began her career with HCPS as a substitute instructional assistant, then was hired to a full-time position in 1994 at New Castle Elementary, where she finished her career earlier this school year. Glenna teared up when she said she missed her "home," but is grateful to dedicate more time to her artwork. She misses her coworkers and students very much and wishes them all the best! On hand to thank Glenna for her dedication and loyalty were NCES Principal Phillip Guthrie and HCPS Superintendent Terry Price.

In order to help us continue to improve our overall education technology efforts, Henry County Public Schools has partnered with BrightBytes to assess our use of technology for learning. Our aim is to have 3rd through 12th grade students, parents and teachers/administrators take the survey.  

Click HERE to begin.

There were no new positive cases or quarantines to report from Oct. 30, but there were two staff and one student released from quarantine.

It was brought to our attention that our District Health Report could have been confusing for some. Please note the report reflects SINGLE DAY DATA - new data received for that specific day only.

In an effort to make this information more understandable and comprehensive, the report now includes current cumulative numbers dating back to Oct. 26. 

If you have any questions concerning our student health policies or our reporting practices, please feel free to contact our Health Services Department at (502) 845-8621.

This communication is to let our students, staff, parents, guardians and community know that Henry County Public Schools monitors COVID-19 information on a daily basis.  Please find information below regarding how decision-making occurs regarding in-person and at-home instruction (Online Learning Academy and/or Non-Traditional Instruction) during COVID-19. 

1. WHO will work collaboratively to make decisions regarding Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI)?

• Superintendent Terry Price and the administrative team
• Mr. Price will consult with all HCPS Board of Education members regarding decisions and their rationale.
• District Health Coordinator Melissa Jeffries, as well as the North Central District Health Department (as needed)

Henry County Public Schools continues to provide meals to ALL our students, whether they are physically in school or learning virtually at home. Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 27, HCPS will be providing new and exciting take-home meal options that we know our students will enjoy!

Meals are frozen and there is a suggested menu with recommended heating instructions included in each box. The contents of the box will change weekly on a four-week rotation. Breakfast items this week include cereal, waffles, a Cinnamon Toast Crunch bar, a maple breakfast square and a peach loaf. Side items will be fruit cups, graham crackers, a cheese stick and juice, along with milk. Lunch entrees this week are pizza dippers with marinara sauce, penne pasta with meat sauce, cheesy chipotle chicken with Spanish rice, chicken nuggets and pancakes with sausage. Side items are green beans, a bread stick, cornbread, black beans, broccoli, mixed vegetables and tater tots, along with fruit cups, applesauce and milk.

We have been made aware that there is some confusion regarding our attendance and participation policies, especially as it pertains to your student being absent on a scheduled in-person day of school.

For safety purposes and legal requirements, schools must take daily attendance on scheduled in-person days for all students. On in-person days, if your student must be absent for any reason, the school still initially marks that student for an unexcused absence. As in previous years, students have up to five parent notes they can use for the year to excuse absences. Schools also accept doctor’s notes. During this time of COVID, the school will accept notes from the North Central District Health Department for cases of quarantine as well.

On Monday, Sept. 28, Henry County Public Schools Superintendent Terry Price, along with district leadership, reviewed Henry County Middle School’s enrollment numbers for in-person classes and chose to move HCMS to an A/B schedule, much like Henry County High School.

In-person enrollment numbers for the sixth grade specifically would make it nearly impossible to social distance students in classrooms, during transitions and meals. With the safety and health of our students, staff and families in mind, the decision was made to implement the schedule change when we return to in-person instruction on Oct. 12.

We know that this is not an ideal situation; however, in order to meet state and public health guidelines for a safe return, we felt this was the best and safest option for all involved.  As with all of our reopening plans, we will continue to monitor conditions and review guidelines in order to make the most informed decisions regarding student and staff safety and health.

We greatly appreciate your support and cooperation as move through this highly unusual school year. We look forward to the return of in-person learning and will provide updated information to you as needed and as it becomes available.

When Henry County Public Schools returns to in-person learning on Oct. 12, there will be a few change to the way we provide meals to both in-person and Online Academy students.

In-Person Students

In-person students will receive a free breakfast and lunch each day they are at school. Each Thursday, elementary and middle school students will be given an opportunity to take home a meal bag with a breakfast and lunch inside for Friday. At the high school, students who attend Monday and Tuesday will have the opportunity to take a meal bag home at the end of the day on Tuesday which will provide a breakfast and lunch for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. HCHS students that attend in-person classes on Wednesday and Thursday can collect a meal bag at dismissal on Thursday that contains a breakfast and lunch for Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

Locked away in a safe at Henry County High School for 25 years, messages written by students from the 1995-96 school year have been waiting to be passed along to the Class of 2021.

To mark the installation of a new “state-of-the-art” computer lab at HCHS, students wrote letters to future Wildcats, which were then placed into a time capsule. The letters discussed trends of that decade and the technological advancements the school had recently made.

“You may find our technology lacking;” read a cover letter addressed to today’s students in the capsule, “however, we are very proud of the new computer lab which was installed this year.”

The letters and capsule were an assignment given by then HCHS business teacher Denise Perry. Perry, who later became an administrator with Henry County Public Schools, had taught business classes like shorthand and keyboarding on IBM Selectric typewriters before teaching a computer class on old Apple IIC computers in a modular trailer parked between the high school and middle school. She created the assignment when the district chose to build a computer lab and equip it with the best technology offered at the time.

As of October 12, 2020, Henry County Public Schools will no longer be providing regional internet services using our Wi-Fi “hot spots” on district buses.

The decision was made due to low usage rate as well as the need for the district to have all buses running when we return to in-person instruction on October 12.  There will be a possibility, based on need, for students to receive a mobile mi-fi unit through their individual school.  Mi-fi units are individual “hot spots” for internet access if you are a virtual learner.

Again, we thank you for your support and understanding as we continue with our district plan to bring students back for in-person instruction/learning.

Dear HCPS Community,

Please read this letter with your child(ren) and reflect on the ways in which each of you can do your part to help make this the best school year possible given the constraints of the current pandemic. Because in-person instruction is best for most students, we are putting our best efforts into making this option available for families. For those who need distance learning, we are providing a solid educational experience through the Online Learning Academy. It is our hope that by implementing the Online Learning Academy and A/B high school schedule, both of which allow for lower classroom numbers, we can safely continue in-person instruction for those who choose that option. We know that no matter which learning model you choose, this year will be like no other.

We all need to work together to make the best of one of the most challenging situations many of us have faced.

Personal responsibility will be essential to successfully navigate the upcoming school year. We need parents to emphasize to their students the importance of following health and safety expectations. In our experience, students typically rise to the occasion when the important adults in their lives ask them to modify their behaviors.

Here are the ways that parents can help:

Henry County Public Schools will offer in-person classes when we return from Fall Break on October 12.  Before we can reopen our schools to students, state and CDC guidelines require detailed planning from schools including a provision that masks will be worn at all times, that there will be limited seating in classrooms and on buses, and many more. As a result, our schools need to be exact with our numbers for expected in-person students. When you enrolled your student(s) this summer, you chose either in-person instruction at school or online learning at home for your student(s).

If you have changed your mind regarding your student’s placement for instruction this year (between in-person classes at school or online learning at home), you must contact your student’s school with that change NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, SEPT. 18 at NOON. After that point, our numbers will be finalized so that we can move forward with our final planning, and we will NOT add additional in-person students until the end of the first semester (January 22, 2021). If you have additional questions or need more information, please contact your school.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration!

HCHS Students: There are a lot of HCHS teachers and staff who want to help you this school year! Can you identify them all in these pictures? Let us know how we can help you! As a team we created "we are" statements because we are dedicated to helping you!

The fan and attendance guidelines for all Henry County athletic events were developed following the guidelines provided by the KHSAA and school and local health officials. Refusal to follow the guidelines or any unsportsmanlike conduct can lead to suspension of the athletic event or removal from the facility. These guidelines are subject to change as information regarding COVID-19 changes. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding during these different times as we get our athletes back on the field. 

Please contact contact Stuart Dill at stuart.dill@henry.kyschools.us with any questions.

It has been brought to our attention that not everyone has the ability to complete the required Household Income Form that was recently sent out in Word format. In an effort to make it user friendly for all of our families, you can now complete the form via this link https://forms.gle/8yPNwxZrNcFF6AaG7 and submit it online. Please remember that you only need to submit one form per household. If you have already submitted the Word document that was sent previously, you DO NOT need to complete this form. If you are a family that is direct certified (i.e. receiving food stamps) you DO NOT need to complete this form. If you have any problems or questions please contact the Board of Education at 502-845-8600. Thank you for your continued cooperation during this time.

Henry County Public Schools is pleased to announce a change to our current meal program. The USDA recently announced that we can revert back to the guidelines of the Summer Feeding Program which we were operating under in the spring and summer.

The change means that HCPS can now serve a breakfast and lunch to ANY child from birth to 18 years of age each day Monday through Friday. Henry County School Nutrition is partnering with the Henry County Public Schools Transportation Department to provide these meals to all children in the county beginning Sept. 3 through October 2 (with the exception of Sept. 7, Labor Day).

Some of our schools will serve as meal pickup locations, and we also offer mobile pickup locations on WiFi-enabled buses in areas of the county with poor internet connectivity. Meals can be picked up from New Castle Elementary School, Henry County High School and Eastern Elementary School from 10am to 1pm (also a change from 10am to noon), Monday through Friday. Mobile bus locations for meal pickup Monday through Friday include: Pleasureville City Hall, Cowboys in Pendleton and Turners Station Christian Church from 9am to 12pm; Lockport Baptist Church Pavilion from 9:30am to 12pm; and Campbellsburg Baptist Church from 9:30 to 10am (meal delivery only, no WiFi on this bus). Under extreme extenuating circumstances, we may be able to offer limited home delivery. To request home delivery, please call Anna or Ellen at 845-8600.

If you have questions about our meal program, please call HCPS’ School Nutrition Department at 845-8609. Thank you for the opportunity to serve your family in this way.

As many of you know, Henry County Public Schools is preparing to be healthy at school when we do return to the classroom for in-person instruction in October. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, all staff and students in first grade and above will be asked to wear a mask unless they have a medical condition that prohibits them from doing so. While wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of COVID-19, we understand masks may be forgotten, lost or damaged during the school day and require replacement. We also know this pandemic has impacted so many Kentucky families who may not have the resources to provide a mask to their child each school day, and we must try to reduce additional barriers from keeping our kids safe. This is why we are excited to share Coverings for Kids, an initiative by First Lady Britainy Beshear and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman.

Coverings for Kids seeks to collect mask donations – handmade or otherwise – to provide to Kentucky schools at no cost. Donations of child and adult size masks will be accepted. These donations will help our students, faculty and staff remain healthy at school at the time of their return.

ALL Henry County Public Schools students kindergarten through 12^th grade will start school VIRTUALLY on August 26, regardless of whether you chose in-person classes at school or the Online Academy at home during the registration process.

In accordance with the recommendation from Governor Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Education, we will offer in-person classes at school beginning Oct. 12, along with the Online Academy for at-home instruction.

Parents will have an opportunity to modify their choice of instruction in late September, prior to our scheduled Fall Break from Oct. 5-9.

If you have questions or need additional information, please call your school or the Henry County Board of Education at 845-8600.

Henry County School Nutrition is partnering with the Henry County Public Schools Transportation Department to provide meals to Henry County students while all our students are learning at home to begin this school year. Meals will be provided to all students enrolled in Henry County Public Schools from Wednesday, August 26, through Friday, October 2 (with the exception of Sept. 7, Labor Day).

At this time, federal and state regulations say we MUST return to the protocols of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) just as we would for a routine school year. We will be using your child’s lunch number the same way we do during a normal school year to track the number of meals we provide. WE WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT IF THESE REGULATIONS CHANGE TO THE SUMMER FEEDING PROGRAM (SFSP). If that were to happen, we will operate under the guidelines we used to provide meals during the spring and summer months.

Administrators from Henry County Public Schools recently received invaluable training from a nationally known expert in the field of education, Mike Rutherford.

Rutherford, a former high school chemistry teacher, coach and middle school principal, provides high-value training and development experiences for educators through this work as a teacher, speaker, author and consultant. His work focuses on high-performance teaching and learning, leadership development, creating and leading team-based organizations and results-based improvement.

HCPS provided the training in response to teacher surveys from last year.

“We saw the need for improvement in the area of providing feedback, based on those surveys. That, coupled with Hattie's research on the positive impact feedback has on a student's academic success, led us to bring in the well-known expert in the field of feedback,” said Assistant Superintendent Chelsey Tingle. “Rutherford’s practices provide growth evoking feedback and coaching to teachers. The tools he developed create a toolbox for administrators to effectively and confidently use when talking with teachers.”

Tingle said the training will continue throughout the year so administrators can increase their skill sets and ultimately improve quality of instruction by providing effective feedback to their teachers. 

A Message from Superintendent Terry Price

Based on the recommendation of Governor Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Education, Henry County Public Schools will begin the 2020 school year solely with online instruction.

We will start all of our students with online learning, beginning August 26. The Governor recommended we not hold in-person classes until Sept. 28; however, that is just five school days prior to our scheduled Fall Break. We feel it is in the best interest of our students and the continuity of their learning to plan for in-person classes to begin after our break, on Monday, October 12.

You will receive further instruction from your schools in the coming two weeks regarding Chromebook and schedule pickup and other information related to the start of the school year. Events that have already been announced will still take place as scheduled. Please check your school’s Facebook page or call the school if you have any questions.

The reopening plans developed by Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) have been approved by the North Central District Health Department (NCDHD). HCPS provided its community with a series of eight reopening plans focusing on different areas of operations, including Online Academy, transportation, meals, cleanliness, student health, student safety, and attendance.

“I think your documents look good,” said Dr. Stephanie M. Lokits, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC,

Director of Nursing with NCDHD. “You seem to cover most of the major areas including when the students will be expected to wear masks, when temperatures will be screened and when you will be sanitizing, etc.”

Those plans can be reviewed by our families on the district website under the tab called, “Reopening Plans 2020-2021 (https://sites.google.com/henry.kyschools.us/reopeningplans/home).” They include a decision tree that outlines action items to be taken if a student or staff member experiences a COVID symptom, is directly exposed to the virus or tests positive for COVID.

“I think your documents are congruent with the current guidelines and are a great plan to get your students back in the classroom,” Lokits added.

Brittany Jones, a Nutrition Department employee at Campbellsburg Elementary School (CES) who had previously been named the Kentucky School Nutrition Association (SNA) Employee of the Year, recently learned she had also been named the SNA Southeast Regional Employee of the year, an accolade that covers nine states. Because the Coronavirus epidemic cancelled both the state and national conferences at which Jones would have been honored, CES Cafeteria Manager Toni Jackson organized a red carpet recognition program at the school to acknowledge Jones’ accomplishment. “I’m truly thankful,” Jones said of the award and the program, complete with gift baskets, balloons and flowers. “I’m very grateful.”

Please enjoy this virtual celebration of our 2020 Henry County High School graduates!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G1e_VcqCoL73GuLXHxCW0kXOu2x8aQSh/view?ts=5ec7df1e

Between preparing healthy meals for students, adhering to strict nutrition standards, navigating student food allergies, and offering service with a smile, school nutrition professionals are true heroes.

On Friday, May 1, we will celebrate the 8th Annual School Lunch Hero Day! School Lunch Hero Day is a chance to showcase the difference school nutrition professionals make for every child.

Never before has the time been more right to recognize the efforts of our own "school lunch heroes" who have truly gone above and beyond to make sure our children are fed during the Coronavirus pandemic. Please take the time to send a kind word of appreciation to the Nutrition Department staffs throughout HCPS by commenting below or visiting/messaging/liking/following the Henry County School Nutrition page (https://www.facebook.com/Henry-County-School-Nutrition-193162747833870/.)

A Message from Superintendent Terry Price, April 20, 2020

Today, Governor Andy Beshear conducted a conference call with all school superintendents to discuss the completion of the 2019-2020 school year. In this call, Beshear recommended that schools should not meet in person again this school year. In accordance with that recommendation, Henry County Public Schools will continue its Wildcat Days (Non-Traditional Instruction) program until the last day of the school year, which will be officially decided at the Board of Education meeting this evening. In order to meet the required needed instructional hours, it appears that our last day of school will be May 15.

We will continue our free meal program through the end of May, providing a nutritious breakfast and lunch to any child in Henry County 18 years of age or younger every day. Weekly meal pickups are currently held every Monday from 10am to noon at Campbellsburg Elementary, Eastern Elementary, New Castle Elementary and Henry County High School.

A Message from Superintendent Terry Price, April 2, 2020

We are so proud of the work you have done at home in the first three weeks of our school closure. We understand that this transition to an online or packet format of instruction has been difficult for some, including teachers, students and parents. We appreciate your resolve and your determination to press forward. Your work is important, your effort matters and your time and collaboration is appreciated!

I also want to recognize the dedication of our administrators, teachers, transportation staff, food service staff, custodial staff and central office staff.  These are some of the most dedicated people I have ever worked with in 30 years in education.  We are here for our kids, we love our kids, and we miss our kids.

I know this message is lengthy, but please take the time to read it in its entirety as all the information it contains is incredibly important as we move forward with this school year.

Henry County Public Schools recently named its Teachers of the Year from each school. They are:

• Henry County Early Childhood Center – Lauren Comer, speech language pathologist
• Campbellsburg Elementary School – Julie Powell, reading interventionist
• Eastern Elementary School – Lori Cobb, third/fourth grade
• New Castle Elementary School – Ashley Miller, special education
• Henry County Middle School – Rebecca Wright, Summit language arts
• Henry County High School – Holli Hunt, social studies                        

These teachers will be honored at a reception on March 19, at which time the overall Teacher of the Year for Henry County Public Schools will be named. Please check our Facebook page next week to learn more about each nominee.

Marley Cobb, a fifth-grader in Mrs. Marshall’s class at Eastern Elementary School, was selected as the county winner in the 2019-2020 Grandparent of the Year essay contest sponsored by AARP Kentucky and the Kentucky Retired Teachers Association (KRTA). Marley wrote about her grandmother, Marjorie Wainscott.

Students from across the state submitted essays answering why “My Grandparent Should be the AARP Kentucky Grandparent of the Year” to their fifth grade teachers, who then selected a school winner. As a county winner, Marley received a framed certificate and her essay will be entered into district competition against other surrounding county winners. District winners will then go on to compete in the state finals. In a recognition ceremony the “Grandparent of the Year” and student are honored at the annual KRTA Convention in Louisville in April. The state winner also received a cash award of $100.

In addition to student health, Henry County Public Schools also takes the wellness of our staff very seriously.

In conjunction with our new wellness program, the Health Services Department recently invited the Henry County Health Department into the district to perform biometric screenings for all HCPS employees. Staff members had important health screenings that included their blood pressure, height/weight, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

The service was completely free, and staff members received immediate results and confidential counseling regarding their results. Nearly 180 employees district-wide took advantage of this program and can use this valuable information to help manage their overall health and well-being.

A huge thank you to the North Central District Health Department for coming in and providing these valuable screenings.

Jacob Kommer had just turned 40 and he was miserable. He weighed 360 pounds, took nine different medications, and he was a spectator watching his own life pass him by.

But in January of 2019, Kommer, a teacher in the Henry County Public Schools’ Center for Educational Options (CEO), decided once and for all to lose the weight and change his life. In the past year, Kommer lost 125 pounds, cut his prescriptions in half and gained a completely new outlook on life.

“There were a lot of things that went into motivating me to get me started,” Kommer said. “There was an alumni football game at my high school. I was in such bad shape, there was no way I could have even attempted to practice with them. That was one of the first reasons.”

National School Counseling Week 2020 is Feb. 3-7. The week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), highlights the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and the tremendous impact they can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

Every day this week, Henry County Public Schools will recognize each of its school counselors on our social media pages. Join us in thanking these invaluable assets to our schools for the incredible work they do with our students.

Since he retired from teaching in 2010, Steve Dent has been busy spending time with his family and friends, enjoying his grandchildren, attending sports events, and working in his shop. But when a position on the Henry County Board of Education became available, Dent viewed it as an opportunity to be of further service to the school district and his community.

“I still have a desire to work with the students, faculty, and staff to continue improving our school system,” Dent said. “In this new role I hope to become a school board member who promotes student learning and achievement, helps all faculty and staff, and supports positive policy for the advancement of our district.”

At Thursday night's Henry County Board of Education meeting, the Board honored the family of the late Donnie Tipton, who had served on the Board for over 26 years, with a wall plaque, and announced that a tree with a memorial plaque would be planted near the entrance of the football field in honor of Donnie's love of HCPS' football programs. Superintendent Terry Price presented the plaque to Jenni Tipton Noel, Donnie's daughter. Tipton was also given her father's name plates from his time with the Board.

The art of letter writing will not be lost on Clay Williams’ fourth grade students at Campbellsburg Elementary School. Although it may look a little different now – switch out pen and paper for a keyboard and screen - students are learning how to converse with others through civilized correspondence.

Every Wednesday morning, Williams’ students are excited to read the latest letter from their pen pals. They started with students in an urban New Jersey elementary school, and have since added a California classroom. Having pen pals in geographical areas so different from Campbellsburg has provided opportunities to talk about cultural differences in both classrooms.

“We received letters from New Jersey first and we talked about what we like to do. Some of the boys said we like to go hunting,” Williams explained. “Shortly thereafter I received an email from the teacher in Jersey who said his class had quite a bit of discussion about that. One New Jersey student asked, ‘Do you hunt for food, or is there another town you can go to for a grocery store?’”

Sean Reeder, Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) psychologist, said he knew he didn’t want to be a teacher, but that he wanted to find a way to invest in future generations as many had invested in him during his education.

“At any point in my educational career from elementary school through college, I can name specific teachers, counselors, principals, etc. that invested, encouraged, and pushed me to make it to the next level. Without those individuals, I do not believe I would be the person I am today,” Reeder said. “I had an interest in psychology from a high school class so when I took psychology courses in college and as I learned more about the field of school psychology, it seemed like an appropriate fit.”

Six years after taking on the role of school psychologist for HCPS, Reeder’s choice was validated when he earned the 2019 Regional Best Practice Award for the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) through the Kentucky Association for Psychology in the Schools. OVEC is comprised of 15 districts, and Reeder recently represented the organization as its regional winner and as one of the eight regional candidates for the state award. Reeder said that he was both humbled and surprised to learn of his award.

It is with great sadness that we share the arrangements for long-time Henry County Public Schools Board of Education member Donnie Tipton. His dedication to our schools and his staunch advocacy for our students will be greatly missed. Tipton served on the Board of Education from January 1993 to November 2019, nearly 27 years. We are so very grateful for his service to our district. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.

http://prewitts.com/donnietipton.html

You are all invited to attend a very special musical performance. Henry County Middle School will participate in a national event celebrating young students’ very first performance and transformational power of music making by hosting the Annual First Performance National Day of Celebration concert event with a beginning band concert.

 The Music Achievement Council created the First Performance National Day of Celebration to celebrate, honor and encourage the early achievements of music students across the United States, providing a platform for budding musicians to showcase their newly acquired musical skills in a public setting.

Henry County Middle School invites parents and community members to attend the Annual First Performance National Day of Celebration concert on Nov. 12, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the John Smith Auditorium at Henry County High School where you will hear first year musicians present a program of what they’ve learned in their first weeks of being band students.

Many thanks to the North Central District Health Department (NCDHD) and Henry County KY-ASAP for providing a free informational session on e-cigarettes, vaping and teens Monday night. Sara Badham and Miranda Burgin, both registered nurses in community education and outreach with NCDHD, supplied adults in the community with invaluable data regarding the alarmingly escalating trend among middle and high school students.

The workshop for adults was held in conjunction with informational sessions among all Henry County Middle School students being offered this week at school.

One of the few rainy days of the season couldn’t wash-out or dampen the spirits at Henry County Middle School Traditional Academy’s family workshop on Saturday, Oct. 26. Participants totaled up their water usage footprints, learned about water conservation practices and constructed a rain barrel to take home!

The workshops are free thanks to a grant from the Kentucky River Water Authority. If you missed this one, contact Mrs. Elliott at HCMS about the Nov. 6 workshop. (jessica.elliott@henry.kyschools.us)

After reading “The Outsiders,” Henry County Middle School Summit seventh-graders culminated the unit by enacting mock trials against characters in the novel.

Students accepted roles of either accused characters, witnesses, prosecution or defense attorneys and jury members as they decided the fate of Ponyboy Curtis, Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade in relation to a murder.

Through the process, students demonstrated their knowledge of the book and then applied that knowledge to the following learning objectives:

Five Henry County High School students represented our district well today as they volunteered at a Re-entry Simulation at the HOPE Center. We applaud Kimberly Hayes, Morgan Montgomery, Maggie Whaley, Annie Kent and Autumn Pyles for their service to the community today.

This eye-opening activity, a collaborative effort between Tri-County Community Action Agency and the Department of Corrections Division of Re-entry Services, is meant to illustrate the challenges incarcerated individuals may experience when they are released from custody.

Students, teachers, administrators and parents please take a few minutes to complete the BrightBytes survey.  Your answers will help us improve the use of technology for teaching and learning in Henry County Schools!

The survey window opens on Monday, October 21, 2109.

BrightBytes Survey

Image courtesy of Blue Coat Photos

Today, the Kentucky Department of Education released the results of last year's statewide accountability assessments.

The website, kyschoolreportcard.com, contains a great deal of information about our district as a whole, and on each of our five schools. It also provides a new 5-star rating system, for an "at-a-glance" snapshot of each school's performance.

In summary, here's how our schools were rated using the new system:
Henry County High School - 3 stars
Henry County Middle School - 3 stars
New Castle Elementary School - 2 stars
Eastern Elementary School - 3 stars
Campbellsburg Elementary School - 3 stars

In addition, all of our schools have been classified as "Other," meaning none require intervention or assistance by the state in regards to academic performance.

The Kentucky Center for School Safety announces Kentucky Safe Schools Week for October 20–26, 2019. This year's theme is “Our Safety Story!”

Every school has its own cast of characters weaving the fabric of its own Safety Story. Our schools are composed of students/staff who are a host of likely characters with a variety of interests and talents.

We ask that you join us across Kentucky, each and every school, as we embrace unity, kindness and empathy to enhance "Our Safety Story." Take the pledge to be Strong, Awesome, Friendly and Encouraging to be SAFE. http://www.kycss.org/sswpledge/

After two students were killed and 14 others shot by a classmate at Marshall County High School in January of 2018, Kentucky’s legislators passed laws aimed at curtailing the possibility of it ever happening again in the Commonwealth.

Senate Bill 1, passed in March of 2019, requires schools to make several changes in regards to safety, all of which should minimize the opportunity for a large-scale incident of that nature to be repeated in a Kentucky school. Those measures reduce the risk of an external or internal threat. Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) has committed additional resources and instituted policies that align with the requirements of the legislation.

Henry County Public Schools are at our most successful when the school, its students, our parents and the community work together in all aspects of education. This, of course, includes academics, but also safety.

Our school system in cooperation with the Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS) and Kentucky Homeland Security encourage you that when you “See Something” that concerns you about a school safety issue or student, that you “Say Something” so that the school system can intervene on behalf of our students.

Students at Henry County High School will celebrate football homecoming the week of Sept. 9. Throughout the week, students will have opportunities to earn points for their class by participating in a variety of homecoming activities like dress up days, float decoration, pep rally activities, and attendance at home athletic events. 

This year’s overall theme for the week is “Rock the Rebels,” as we prepare for Friday night’s football game against the Owen County Rebels. Each day carries its own theme, as well.

Unseen forces have impacts on structures of all types. The paper tower unit in Andrew Shearer's engineering class at Henry County High School is designed to allow students to explore how torque (twisting force) and compression can impact a structure (racking). 

The safety of our students is always a top priority, and provisions for new safety policies that will be implemented in our district in response to Senate Bill 1 will increase our already stringent practices that provide for the safest learning environment possible for all our students and staff. While the new legislation enacts a number of changes to increase security in our schools, the bill specifically addresses entry into school buildings and a district’s response to threats made against a school, among other issues.

William Logan Marsh, fifth grade student at Campbellsburg Elementary last school year, was a national runner-up in the 2019 National Rural Education Association (NREA) Foundation Essay Contest in the Grades 3-5 Division.  Marsh wrote an essay about this school as a project for his then fifth grade teacher Jessica Bizianes, winning a $100 prize.

The NREA was originally founded as the Department of Rural Education in 1907. Through the years it has evolved as a strong and respected organization of rural school administrators, teachers, board members, regional service agency personnel, researchers, business and industry representatives and others interested in maintaining the vitality of rural school systems across the country.

OVEC Head Start in Henry County still has slots available for 3 YEAR OLDS for the 2019-20 school year. Apply ONLINE today or call (502) 845-0990 to schedule an appointment!

For more information, visit OVEC Headstart on Facebook.

Please mark your calendars with these important back to school dates. The first day of school will be August 14, while the first day of preschool at the Henry County Early Childhood Center will be August 21.

• Henry County Early Childhood Center Open House – August 19 from 4-6pm
• Campbellsburg Elementary School - Open House August 8
  • Kindergarten 5:30 – 6pm, 1st – 5th grade 6 – 7pm

Because technology is now such an integral resource used in every classroom, Henry County Public Schools teachers embrace the opportunity to learn all they can about technology tools that can enhance the learning experience for their students. But some teachers take it a step further and choose to share their knowledge of proven resources with other educators.

Henry County Middle School will be represented well at the upcoming KyGoDigital conference by language arts teacher Courtney Guthrie and math teacher Johnathan Rogers, who will both be presenting at Bellarmine University on July 30.

She’s knows most of the children’s names. She greets the kids each day with a smile and a word of encouragement, and makes sure they all get a nutritious breakfast and lunch.

These are just a few of the reasons why Hillary Snyder, a cashier and cook at Campbellsburg Elementary School, was named the School Nutrition Association (SNA) 2019 Employee of the Year for the state of Kentucky. The Employee of the Year award recognizes non-managerial school nutrition employees for the contributions they have made throughout their school nutrition career.

Having been notified just days ago that she won, Snyder is still coming to terms with the magnitude of the recognition.

When Dwayne Powell returned to the classroom after a short break from teaching, things had changed.

“Everything was on Google,” Powell, a teacher at Henry County High School, said. “Everything I did had to be submitted on Google. So I was kind of forced to learn it.”

But Powell chose to embrace the new technology, has transitioned to a near paperless classroom, is pursuing Google certification and has been chosen to provide a presentation on Google Sites at two different conferences over the summer.

From left to right, Henry County High School students Gracie Brent, Maggie Whaley, Kimmie Hayes and Chaney New recently became ambassadors for the Central Kentucky Council on Youth Leadership during the 2019 Youth Salute.

The Council helps young people grow into responsible adults by encouraging, recognizing and developing leadership. Youth Salute recognizes outstanding high school juniors who maintain a high scholastic average and demonstrate leadership abilities. The program involves them in seminars and workshops specifically designed to further develop their exemplary leadership skills.

UPDATED

Middle and high school students will be turning in their Chromebooks and chargers for summer storage on the following schedule.  Please make sure Chromebooks are fully charged.

* Juniors who attend the ATC or JCTC during the morning will turn in theirs on the afternoon instead.

** Seniors who either Co-Op or attend ATC or JCTC in the afternoon will turn in theirs with the Juniors on Monday morning.

A large team of participants from Henry County High School (HCHS) recently competed in the state Technology Student Association events held in Louisville. Several of the teams and individuals performed well, but two teams won first place awards for their entries.

The Animatronics team, consisting of Dawson Allen, Jacob Behmke and Will Potts, were tasked with creating a display for a museum of natural history.  The display required the use of lights, sound, gears, sensors and hydraulics. The team created a jungle scene complete with a running stream that represented the habitat of the Eastern Green mamba.

When students in Tara McMahan’s community service class were approached with an idea to raise money to benefit two Henry County Public Schools families in need, they were immediately on board.

“We collected money for the people who wrecked on 146 because we knew that they needed money to pay for their medical bills,” said student Morgan Wilson.

Students sponsored a Penny War between the classes at Henry County Middle School, raising about $850, which will be split equally between the two families involved in a tragic accident in Highway 146 in March that resulted in the death of a Henry County High School student. Other children involved in the accident attend New Castle Elementary School and Henry County Middle School.

Students in CEO (Center for Educational Options) were recently challenged to reflect on their sense of place and community with a painting project brought to them by Suzanne Banta, the youth services librarian with Henry County Public Library.

Banta first showed students a TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” in which African novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

“We then discussed the single story of Henry County and how that affects our lives,” Banta said. “For the painting project, I gave students an outline of the county to transfer to canvas and then asked them to paint something inside the county that depicts community for them and represents why they can be proud of where they’re from.”

The Henry County Public Schools Fine Arts Program invites you on an adventure “Into the Woods.”

The musical, a mish-mash of fairytale stories and characters from Cinderella to Jack and the Beanstalk to Rapunzel, provide a glimpse into the daily lives of the fairytale characters.

“Audience members will experience all the emotions that each character feels right along with them, from anger to sadness, betrayal to heart break, joy to excitement, and many more,” said co-director Ashley Sweeney. “Each audience member will leave with a deeper love for their favorite childhood fairytale character as they see them brought to life right before their eyes.”

Henry County Public Schools is pleased to announce its 2019 Governor’s Scholars participants. Congratulations to Maggie Whaley, Sydney Bastin and Jada Medina (alternate).

The Governor’s Scholars Program is a summer residential program for outstanding high school students in Kentucky who are rising seniors. The program originated in 1983 as a result of Kentucky leaders’ concern that the state’s “best and brightest” were leaving the Commonwealth to pursue educational and career opportunities elsewhere without fully understanding the potential of their talents at home. Students who are selected attend the program without charge.

Research shows that approximately 60 percent of youth in the United States have exposure to some type of trauma and could experience mental health issues as a result. A new program at Henry County High School aims to provide opportunities for students in need to reach out to an unlikely, but very natural resource – other students.

The mission of Sources of Strength, a heavily researched intervention program, is to “provide the highest quality evidence-based prevention for suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse by training, supporting and empowering both peer leaders and caring adults to impact their world through the power of connection, hope, help and strength.”

The Harlem Wizards are coming to Henry County High School to play a team of teachers, staff and alumnus from the district on Wednesday, April 24, from 7 to 9 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Proceeds will benefit the Henry County High School senior class for Project Graduation.

Here’s all the ticket information:

When Campbellsburg and Eastern Elementary Schools PE teacher Leah Klempner runs the Boston Marathon next week, she will have hundreds of her students cheering her on!

An avid runner, Klempner wanted to create a lesson that would not only engage her students, but get them excited about building physical activity into their daily lives. So she challenged them to help her get to the start line of the marathon by running the number of miles from each school to Boston. She named the assignment, “Run to Boston.”

Students, teachers, administrators and parents please take a few minutes to complete the BrightBytes survey.  Your answers will help us improve the use of technology for teaching and learning in Henry County Schools!

BrightBytes Survey

Image courtesy of Blue Coat Photos

Andrew Shearer’s advanced engineering students at Henry County High School were tasked with designing a rotating and oscillating arm that needed to be able to pick up blocks and move them to a specific location.

They needed to incorporate previous learning, especially the simple machines units, to create their machines that worked with hydraulic controls. They worked in teams of three to complete the design process, from sketching through testing. Problem solving, group communication, time management and creativity are all pieces of this complex assignment.

The final task was a head-to-head competition of time and control that tested all the work they have accomplished. The overall big idea is for them to be able to recognize the influx of automation in the manufacturing sector in which several of them may eventually be employed.

For the past couple of weeks eighth grade students at Henry County Middle School discussed modern history through a blend of informational reading and personal accounts, using a text set based around the events that happened on September 11, 2001.   Discussions were held based around central ideas, summarizing key details, the root and origination of ideas and their importance, as well as the lasting impact of the event and the impact it has yet to come.  

The week of Feb. 18 is national Future Farmers of America (FFA) Week. All week long, FFA students at Henry County High School will participate in a number of activities, including fun games in the cafeteria during lunch, a special event at the county clerk’s office, an invitational competition and a parliamentary demonstration for the Board of Education. The FFA students’ week will culminate with the Farm Machinery Show, followed by the annual Greenhand ceremony where FFA members gain initial entry into the organization.

Throughout the week, all students at HCHS can participate in dress up days to mark FFA Week. Tuesday’s theme asks students to dress patriotically in honor of “’merica.” Wednesday is “Going Hunting for an Ag Job” day, so students are asked to wear camo or bright orange. On Thursday, students can don green or red to show their respective support for “John Deere vs. International Day.”

Henry County Public School administrators are studying John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership led by Superintendent Terry Price. Mentorship is one of the most powerful tools for developing strong leaders. Maxwell has taken his expertise and life-time of experience in the field of leadership and created a list of the essentials to developing great leadership.

Whether they chose sessions in dance, flag or rifle, participants in the first annual Henry County Color Guard Clinic all came away with new skills, and maybe a few new friends.

That was the aim of the clinic, according to Johnathan Rogers, the Henry County Marching Band Color Guard Director.

“There aren’t many opportunities for students in our area to learn from experts in the field to refine existing skills or develop new skills,” Rogers said. “It also gave them a chance to get to know other color guard members near them and to maybe develop relationships with them to build a supportive community.”

Get ready to pack your bags! The Henry County High School Wildcats are going on a road trip for basketball homecoming.

This year’s homecoming season, themed “Send the Rockets Packing – Road Trip 2019,” will consist of dress up days, hallway decorating, a boys’ volleyball tournament and many pep rally activities.  Each event leading up to the pep rally offers participation points for students who get involved. The class with the most points at the end will win the coveted spirit stick.   

During the winter months several factors come into play that could delay the start of school or cause school to be closed all together.  One such factor is the wind chill on a given day.  On particularly cold mornings we continuously monitor the National Weather Service and local media outlets and closely monitor overall weather conditions. 

There are two possible scenarios that come from the National Weather Service: A Wind Chill Advisory and a Wind Chill Warning.  The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio defines the two as the following:

• Wind Chill Advisory:  Wind Chills between -10 and -24 degrees and at least a wind of 10MPH or higher.
• Wind Chill Warning:  Wind Chills -25 degrees and below with at least a wind of 10 MPH or higher.

Media Specialist Rachel Burgin’s senior library aides at Henry County High School recently spent time with students in Katie Johnson’s classes at New Castle Elementary School. Each aide worked in small groups at individual learning centers.

Each learning center had a book for the seniors to read aloud and an activity for the kids to do utilizing Makerspace tools. Students made art, stories and animals out of play-dough, programmed ozobots, and used snap circuits. Students left with a keepsake bookmark made by the HCHS seniors using a wood burning kit.

Although he admits to a little white lie 15 years ago, Henry County Middle and High School band director and music teacher Chip Anderson doesn’t regret telling it.

“A former principal, Mr. Weid, met with me and said he’d like me to teach more classes at the high school because at the time I only taught one class,” Anderson said. “I suggested guitar class. Mr. Weid asked me if I played guitar, and I lied through my teeth and said, ‘Yeah, sure I play guitar…kind of.’”

The next fall Anderson offered guitar class at HCHS and welcomed about 12 students into the band room. An accomplished musician who plays several instruments with varying degrees of proficiency, Anderson chose to teach guitar because he thought the instrument would have a wider appeal and would be more accessible for HCHS students.

After reading “A Christmas Carol,” teachers at Henry County Middle School wanted their seventh grade students to be inspired and reminded of the themes that run throughout the play; hope, forgiveness, second chances and charity.

The theme project assigned to correlate with this unit allowed students to create artistic representations of those themes to express them in ways that words simply can't. In turn, students hope their art will inspire members of the community to be philanthropic.

For several years, school districts have been invited to participate in student banner displays at the Kentucky School Boards Association Conference in February.

Kim Ross’ art students at Henry County High School took on the challenge of creating a banner depicting this year’s conference theme of “Kentucky School Boards: Educate. Equip. Empower.”

This year’s banner, created by Sara Yount, Olivia Croucher and Anna Frazier, will be displayed at the conference as an  important reminder to attendees of the primary focus of this state’s schools – learning and learners.

Click through to see the banner or visit our Facebook page.

The Henry County High School Fine Arts Department is excited to announce the cast list for the 2019 spring musical INTO THE WOODS.  The directors were impressed with the more than 40 students who auditioned, many for the first time. 

Please join Director Ashley Sweeney and Assistant Director Sharla Whitt in congratulating the cast listed below.  Mark your calendars now to join them for performances April 26-28, 2019.  Tickets will go on sale in March. (Click through for cast list…)

The 2019-20 school calendar received preliminary Board approval at the December 17th monthly meeting. Final approval will be in January but we wanted to post this calendar as anticipated for our families that have to submit their 2019 vacation days before the end of the 2018 calendar year.

On-demand writing, a section of the state assessment that provides students with a prompt and asks them to write an appropriate response, is often practiced by our students, then graded by their teachers. Recently, several schools, including HCHS, have recruited volunteers - teachers, administrators and students who have demonstrated mastery in on-demand writing - to "live score" student work.

Volunteers sit one-on-one with students, reading their work and providing real-time feedback on how well they responded to the prompt, demonstrated organization and idea development, practiced sound grammar, and if they remained focused on their audience and purpose throughout the writing piece.

Having a focused conversation on their writing with someone other than the teacher helps students develop a better understanding of how their writing might be scored during the state tests and by implementing on a growth mindset - how to improve their writing skills with every prompt.

Want a photo with Santa? It’s not too late.

Henry County High School teacher Phil Allen, a photographer for ten years, wanted to do something for local kids during the holiday season.

A friend suggested using his skills for charity. On Dec. 15, Allen will be taking photos of local children with St. Nick in exchange for new toys for less fortunate kids.

Several Henry County High School seniors learned of an opportunity to graduate from college with work experience, completely debt free. Shelly Martin, a human resources recruiter with UPS Airlines' Center for Employment Opportunities, spoke to the group Friday about UPS' Metropolitan College and Earn and Learn programs.

The Earn and Learn program provides up to $5,250 in tuition reimbursement at approved post-secondary institutions for UPS employees. The Metropolitan College partners with JCTC and UofL to provide full college tuition at those institutions to part-time UPS night shift employees, plus up to $65 per class for books or software. All while being paid anywhere from $10 to $13 per hour for three to five hours per night, three to five nights per week.

Students who choose to enroll through these programs can pursue any major, are not required to work at UPS past graduation and open themselves up to opportunities to advance with UPS if they decide to continue working there.

For more information, visit jobs-ups.com/earn-and-learn or metro-college.com.

Take the Be Incredible Pledge against bullying!  CLICK HERE

In an effort to help our families understand changes made to the state's accountability and assessment system, Assistant Superintendent Chelsey Tingle provides the following summary: 

Parents often read their children a bedtime story, but when Mom is an astrophysicist and Dad works for NASA, they want to share not only their love of reading with their children, but also their love of math.

That mom, Laura Bilodeau Overdeck, launched Bedtime Math in 2012 with a website and a playful daily math problem for kids to do with their parents, much like a bedtime story. When parents responded positively to her idea, she wrote a series of books. She used the profits from those books to develop a free after-school math club that provides complete kits full of materials and supplies for four eight-week sessions of fun math for elementary school children.

When Melissa Hitt, a special education teacher at Campbellsburg Elementary School (CES), heard about the free program, she knew it would be a great resource for CES students.

Shelby Johnson currently serves as a district-wide social worker for Henry County Public Schools, servicing all three elementary schools, as well as the middle and high schools.

Johnson graduated from Henry County High School in 2013, then earned a Bachelor’s degree in social work from Eastern Kentucky University. She recently gained her Master’s degree in social work from Campbellsville University, where she also completed a number of hands-on internships in a variety of settings. She is currently pursuing her certification for social work, which will lead to her license after she completes the required number of supervised hours in the field.

Over the summer, teachers at Henry County High School created a new mission statement for the school: “Our mission at HCHS is to create an environment where our students become effective citizens through learning and building relationships in our school and community.”

Recently installed signage, donated to the school, displayed in various places throughout the campus reinforce that statement.

“To promote our mission, one of the building blocks is to create a sense of place,” said Principal Shannon Sageser. “That is, to create an environment of pride.”

Note: This article appeared in the Aug. 22 edition of the Henry County Local. Reprinted here with permission.

Like many football teams across the nation, the Henry County Wildcats have a tradition of wearing their game jerseys on game day. This year the Wildcats are extending the tradition to include teachers.

“Wearing the jersey symbolizes unity and brotherhood between the players,” HCHS Coach Matt Wright said. “This year the players decided they wanted to recognize faculty members who have made a difference in their lives. On Thursday mornings of game weeks, a group of players will give their jersey to teachers or faculty members who have made an impact on them in their time here at Henry County. It is a small token of gratitude for what they have done.”

If you have ever made a motion or voted yea or nay, you’ve dabbled with Robert’s Rules of Order, a system of procedures intended to ensure meetings are held in a fair and consistent manner.

Jagger Rice, a sophomore at Henry County High School (HCHS), has done much more than dabble with Robert’s Rules – he’s mastered them. After winning the parliamentary procedure competition at the regional and state level with HCHS’ Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), on July 1 Rice became the first HCHS student in recent history to win the national championship in Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure.

ATTENTION PARENTS:

Don't miss the opportunity for your child to participate in two health care programs provided by HCPS Health Services. Return the forms you received with your initial enrollment packet or ask for extra copies at your child's school. Completed, signed forms - front and back - must be received no later than Aug. 31.

Quality Care for Kids (vision screening and hearing screening form) provides FREE complete eye exams or screenings and hearing exams or screenings regardless of insurance coverage. Parents will not be billed.

School Smiles (green form) enrolls children in the school dental program. A licensed dentist provides on-site dental care primarily for students who do not have or do not see a regular dentist. This program bills insurance, but offers assistance as needed.

For additional information, please call Health Services at (502) 845-8600, ext. 8621.

Henry County Public Schools would like to thank all of our staff, parents and students who made our first day of school such a wonderful day for all involved.

We are excited about the learning, memories and successes we will experience this year and are grateful to all of you and our community for playing such an important role in each.

Click the "Read More" tab to see a few pictures from our first day back at school. For even more photos, please see each school's Facebook page.

On the strength of her background as a classroom social studies teacher and as a guidance counselor, Judy Rice has been named the new director of the Center for Educational Options (CEO), the alternative school for Henry County Public Schools (HCPS).

Rice holds a bachelor’s degree from Kentucky State University. She attended graduate school at the University of Louisville where she earned a master’s degree in counseling and completed her Rank I certification for teaching.

Because we value the opinion of our students, staff, parents and community members, we ask that you take a few minutes to complete this survey about Henry County Public Schools.

Your response by June 8 would be much appreciated and will provide us with invaluable information that will help us serve you better. Thank you in advance!

Survey

At times they agreed, but on certain issues they were impassably divided. Much like our own Congress, students undertaking a mock session of legislation in Jim Hook’s American Studies classes at Henry County High School learned just how wide the bipartisan aisle could be for our elected officials.

Based on resources provided by the Bill of Rights Institute, the week-long activity first separated students by party affiliation. Representatives from each party were asked to write bills addressing issues about which they were passionate. Those bills were then introduced in committee; some were passed while others died. Each political party then met to decide the party’s position on each bill before it came up for a vote on the House floor.

Enjoy a much loved children's story as it comes to life on the stage of the John W. Smith Auditorium at Henry County High School.

"Charlotte's Web - The Musical" will be shown Friday, April 27, at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, April 29, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets, available at the door of each performance, are $4 for children 5 and under, $6 for general seating, and $10 for reserved seating.

You’re never too little to make a big difference.

Kindergarten students at Campbellsburg Elementary School have been learning about recycling and how trash can be reused to create new items. It’s part of a problem-based learning unit using science and math.

Registration for incoming 2018-2019 Kindergarten students begins Monday, April 9^th, 2018. Incoming students will report to the assigned elementary school (assigned based on home address) to complete the registration process.

To mark the International Day of Happiness March 20, the guidance department of Henry County High School asked students there to share ways they can make the world, community, their family and the school a happier place.

The walls of the Henry County Courthouse are now adorned with a patriotic piece of local art.

A depiction of an American flag with the names and images of Henry County veterans was created by Henry County High School senior Abigale Hunter for the annual Veterans Day program at HCHS earlier this year.

She decided to find a home for her artwork, and the Henry County Courthouse readily agreed to accept her gift.

A Resolution of the HENRY COUNTY Board of Education in support of Kentucky public education

WHEREAS, the Board holds sacred the value of public education and possesses a unique perspective on its power to shape and change the future for children and families; and

WHEREAS, we join our counterparts across the state with one voice to call for recognition that Kentucky public schools are vitally important and worthy of support, celebration and appreciation; and

RAISE AS MUCH AS $6000 FOR HENRY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

Earl Floyd Ford, Carrollton, is bringing Ford Motor Company’s Drvie 4 UR School program to New Castle in an effort to raise up to a maximum donation of $6,000 for Henry County High School (HCHS). For every person who test-drives a new Ford vehicle at HCHS on Saturday, March 24, Ford Motor Company will donate $20 to the HCHS Class of 2018. The proceeds will go toward funding Project Graduation.

The Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles recently met with school nutrition directors in the region to discuss the federal regulations placed on schools by the USDA that make it difficult to stay compliant while ensuring financial soundness and at the same time, feeding school children healthy, tasty meals.

The Harlem Wizards are coming to Henry County High School to play a team of teachers, staff and alumnus from the district on Wednesday, April 25, from 7 to 9 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Proceeds will benefit the Henry County High School junior class.

Henry County High School sophomores and eighth-graders from Henry County Middle School recently had a chance to meet with more than 40 community members representing a variety of occupations.

The event, Operation Preparation, helps students learn more about career choices they might pursue.

Henry County Public Schools’ first priority is to ensure that our students are safe.  Any and all threats made against our schools or students will be taken seriously.  All threats are investigated by the district and local law enforcement.

A reminder that Kentucky has adopted new immunization requirements that will affect all students for the school year beginning on or after July 1, 2018.

During the winter months several factors come into play that could delay the start of school or cause school to be closed all together. One such factor is the wind chill on a given day. 

On particularly cold mornings we continuously monitor the National Weather Service and local media outlets and closely monitor overall weather conditions. There are two possible scenarios that come from the National Weather Service: A Wind Chill Advisory and a Wind Chill Warning. The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio defines the two as the following:

Middle and high school students:  HCPS would like your feedback on your experience with the Chromebooks this year.  Please take a moment to complete this short survey.  CLICK HERE

The tentative 2018-2019 School Calendar is slated to be approved at the January 18th Board meeting.  View it HERE.

In Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” the character of Scrooge transforms from a miserable curmudgeon into a generous benefactor after being visited by three ghosts.

Henry County Middle School seventh-graders may not have had such a dramatic transformation after reading the book, but all were decidedly impacted by the assignment teachers Rebecca Wright and Megan Mattingly created for them.

Henry County High School would like to congratulate the following juniors for being selected as Henry County High School’s Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) candidates for 2018: Rebekah Huff, Gabriel Hughes, Ethan Lyle, Abigail Lyons, Camryn McManis and Lydia White.

Good luck to all at the state level of competition in this prestigious program.

With the financial support of a grant from the WHAS Crusade for Children, Henry County Public Schools has added another resource to the district in a continuous effort to meet the needs of students.

Samantha Behmke recently joined the staff as the district social worker. With eight years of experience in the field of social services, primarily working with children and families, Behmke brings not only a wealth of knowledge to the position, but also a heart for Henry County’s students. That love began years ago when Behmke served as the school secretary at Eastern Elementary.

Work on the 2018-2019 School District Calendar is underway and we want your input. Please give us feedback over the next two weeks by completing a brieft survey.  The survey will close at noon on November 30th.

BEGIN SURVEY

There are superheroes walking the halls of Henry County High School.

Media Specialist Rachel Burgin wanted to find a way to recognize students and staff who have gone above and beyond for someone else’s benefit, who work hard and have overcome obstacles or who take measures to make positive changes at HCHS.

One student was surprised to learn the government took money out of her paycheck. Another bemoaned the high cost of child care. One student wisely deposited his supplementary income into a savings account.

All involved got a dose of what life would be like as adults through lessons learned at the Reality Store today.

Students, please take a moment to take the following survey regarding the current lunch options at school!

Begin Survey

Shared from the Reagan Leadership Summit Speaker Highlight

Kelsey Sanders is a senior at the University of Kentucky completing a double major in Psychology and Political Science. She hopes to move back to Washington DC after she completes her undergrad and attends law school.

Throughout her college career, she has had three internships which included: Lexington Mayor, Jim Gray’s senate campaign, United States House of Representative John Yarmuth, and the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office.

Richie Robbins, the director of behavior at Henry County High School, spends a great deal of his time dealing with negative behaviors. Recently, Robbins chose to embark on a project that would bring attention to positive behaviors at HCHS.

The week of Oct. 30, Henry County High School will celebrate “College Application Week in Kentucky” – a week-long endeavor that focuses on helping our seniors take the next step in college-career readiness and apply to one of Kentucky’s community or four-year colleges or universities, and for other grades to prepare for this big step. 

The ultimate goal for HCHS is post-secondary success, whether it be the world of work, the military, or college. Join our efforts by talking to your students about your own college, career and military experiences.

At the high school, a number of speakers will address students throughout the week, teachers will decorate their doors and encourage students to participate in the following dress-up days:

• Monday – Dress like a college student
• Tuesday – Dress like your future career
• Wednesday – Dress for success!
• Thursday – Hats off to college and career
• Friday – Spirit Gear

Students at New Castle Elementary School have marked Safe Schools Week with dress-up days and related lessons to combat bullying. The theme of this year’s week, “Get Involved and Get it Solved to Stop Bullying,” was reinforced each day.

On Sept. 18, the Kentucky Department of Education recognized 10 public schools from across the Commonwealth for outstanding teaching and learning conditions. These “Winners’ Circle” schools were recognized for their effective teaching and school leadership practices and will be shared as models of best practices across the state. We are proud to announce that one of the 10 winners was Henry County High School, through the Carroll County Area Technology Center, from Henry County Public Schools!

The Winners’ Circle schools were selected based upon the results of the 2017 Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) Kentucky Survey which was administered to all public school teachers and principals in March of this year.

“My congratulations to our 2017 TELL Kentucky Winners’ Circle Schools. With their participation, these schools have discovered the power to unlock information on critical teaching and learning conditions and harness it as part of the ongoing improvement planning process,” Kentucky Commissioner of Education Stephen Pruitt said. 

“Henry County High students serve as models at the local school level as well as being participants at the Carroll County Area Technology Center,” HCPS Superintendent Terry Price said. “It is important that we build leaders in our students and build capacity in our teaching staff.”

School, district and statewide results of the TELL survey, as well as the New Teacher Center’s Preliminary Findings, Guides, and Tools for Using the Data, can be viewed at www.tellkentucky.org. The intent of this work is to provide schools, districts and the state with data that can be used to enhance school improvement efforts.

COMING SOON at Henry County Middle School and all elementary schools - ATTENDANCE CHAMPIONSHIP BELTS!

You can't win the belt if you don't show up for the match! Be a top contender - be a top attender!

Good attendance is so important to learning. Principals at each elementary school and the middle school will soon reveal their respective plans to encourage attendance with this fun, friendly competition between classes and schools.

Winning classes and schools will receive our coveted attendance championship belts designed by Affordable Signs and Apparel.

Jim Hook was in the fifth grade when it happened.

“I remember it more clearly than any other day in my life so far,” Hook, now a teacher at Henry County High School, shared with his students on Sept. 11 during a lesson on that tragic day in American history.

This is a great eclipse resource put together by science teachers around the country.. check it out!

Please read Mr. Cooper’s heartfelt message to Henry County and wish him well on his new adventure!

Henry County Public Schools will welcome three new principals to its elementary schools this year. Amy Treece will lead at Campbellsburg Elementary. Angela Denny was recently named the principal at Eastern Elementary. New Castle Elementary’s principal will be Austin Hunsaker.

The new assistant principal at Henry County High School is Kevin Webster. Webster began his teaching career at Owen County High School as a special education teacher in 2000 and most recently served as a social studies teacher and Response to Intervention (RTI) coordinator.

Webster holds a bachelor’s degree from Centre College, a master’s degree in education from Union College and completed his principalship program from the University of the Cumberlands. At Owen County, he has served as the boys golf coach, civics club sponsor, head baseball coach and assistant coach to the baseball and basketball teams.

 Webster said he looks forward to making a positive contribution to Henry County High School and the community.

“As a teacher and future leader, my personal philosophy has always been to make kids think and grow, both personally and educationally,” Webster said. “My personal vision is that all students will leave my classroom or school knowing more than when they came to me, able to think for themselves and form justifiable and defendable opinions, to be better people, to discover success, have the opportunity to lead, and to be better citizens so our community is a better place to live.”

Henry County Public Schools is pleased to announce that Niki Whitaker has been named the district’s Director of Special Education.

Whitaker previously served the district as a high school guidance counselor, college and career readiness coach and special education teacher. She has worked in the district since 2005. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville and two master’s degrees, one in teaching and one in school guidance counseling, both from Spalding University.

“Special education is not only my roots as an educator, it is my strength and I have found myself drawn to the area throughout my career,” Whitaker said. “I’m very excited to take the next step in my career and to maintain the integrity of the program at its existing high level with the team of professionals we have in the district.”

Henry County Early Childhood Education Center finished the year on a high note when it earned a combined score of 6.7 out of a possible 7.0 on the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS). Scoring a 5 is considered “good” and anything above that is “outstanding.”

The ECERS evaluation rates each classroom’s space and furnishings, personal care routines, language and literacy, learning activities, interaction and program structure.

Amy Johnson’s classroom scored a 6.88, the highest in the state. Kristi Nicholson’s classroom scored a 6.56.

“District is to be commended for creating a bright, warm, welcoming and clean environment. Both facility and furnishings create an enhanced setting for teaching and learning,” according to comments provide by the evaluator.

The Kentucky Association for Career and Technical Education recently announced that Henry County High School is one of 24 high schools or career and technical/technology centers in the state to be recognized for its students’ high achievement in attaining Career Readiness.

At Henry County High School, 74% of its graduates were Career Ready for the 2016-17 school year.

In 2017, new criteria were established with the Office of Career and Technical Education to determine the recognition.

31. Top 40 school based on completion percentage or top 40 school based on preparatory percentage.

32. At least 55 percent of all graduates enrolled in CTE reached Career Readiness status.

33. Had at least 80 percent of all graduates enrolled in CTE.

Schools achieving both top 40 qualifiers will be presented with gold recognition. The balance will receive silver honors at an awards program in Louisville later in July.

Engineering rocks at iLEAD Academy this summer with our 2nd annual STEM Summer Learning Camps.  There will be hands-on projects, team building games, electronics and biology! Sign up on our webpage at www.iLEADacademy.org or by phone at 502.732.3090, or email at lmckinney@ovec.org.  Limited spots are available. Open to grades 3 through 8 for a cost of $80.  Price includes consumables, t-shirt (early registrations), lunch and snacks. Read the camp flyer.

The Henry County Board of Education met on May 16, 2017 and unanimously voted to select Terry Price as the next Superintendent of the Henry County Public Schools.  

Continue reading to learn more about Mr. Terry Price.

Parents: please read the attached letter that give important information about the popular Netflix series, "13 Reasons Why" and its sensitive subject matter.  The safety and well-being of Henry County students continues to be our top priority and as always, contact us with any additional concerns. Thank you.

On May 16, 2016, it was discovered that student personal information had been electronically stored by a third-party vendor in a location accessible to users of the Kentucky Education Network.  There is no evidence that the personal information was viewed or taken, but the potential for access did exist. HCPS prefers to err on the side of caution, so we have notified parents and guardians via the U.S. postal service on measures they can take to protect their child’s identity. Please see the attached letter for more information about this incident.

iLead Academy is holding its 1st Annual Elementary STEM Camp this summer! Please see the attached flyer for details. Open to all 5 Districts! Limited to the first 30 applicants! Early registrations are due June 17th in order to recieve a free t-shirt with paid registration.

Henry County Public Schools Athletic Director, Todd Gilley, was awarded the Father Harry Jansing Athletic Director of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Athetic Directors.  Congratulation Coach Gilley!!!

Lt. Governor Jenean Hampton speaks with the Henry County High School Future Business Leaders of America Chapter.

http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/features/2016/04/students-take-the-lead-at-new-regional-career-academy/

The Henry County High School Wind Ensemble (Concert Band) earned a distinguished rating at band festival this weekend. They also qualified for the state festival with straight 1's (a perfect rating).

 They've worked diligently for this honor.  Congratulate the HCHS Band for this outstanding honor.

A huge thank you to our Campbellsburg Elementary robotics team, our HC Middle STLP students and our iLEAD students for representing us so well at STLP State today! A very special congratulations go to Adam Porter and Zach Rankin for placing 1st in the UK Computer Science competition!!

Have you ever considered a career or a retirement job in Transportation.  Henry County Public Schools is looking for the right individuals to join our Transportation Team.  Fulltime and Part-time jobs available.  Driver's starting wage is $13.67 hr.  Paid training, insurance and retirement available.  Open Interviews will be given for those interested after the meeting.

Tickets for Gilbert & Sullivans' "The Pirates of Penzance" are now on sale.  Get your tickets now at www.ticketpeak.com/HCPSfinearts

 The show runs from April 21 to 24 at Henry County High School.  Thursday-Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 3 pm.

 The Pirates of Penzance is a hilarious show that has been delighting audiences across the globe since 1879.  You may be thinking this is a stuffy old English show, but I assure you it is full of merriment and laughter from beginning to end!

Austin Howard, HCHS senior,  is a dedicated and hardworking Early College student. He has worked with the Early College team to promote the program; visiting his home campus to share his experiences and encourage others to invest in college while still in high school.
He is thinking of majoring in computer science, education or maybe both. While attending as a full time student with JCTC he remains active in his high school academic team. Austin has received acceptance letters to Yale, Stanford and Center College for fall of 2016. No matter where he decides to go, JCTC will be well represented by this young man.
 

The Henry County Board of Education voted to amend the 2015-16 School Calendar at its March meeting.  The amendment will make the last day for Henry County students Friday, May 20, 2016.  Henry County High School Graduation Commencement will be held Friday, May 20, 2016 at 8:00pm.

Read how Henry County Middle School and Counselor, Kim Lineman, are helping students prepare for important college and career decisions in this feature article of the Kentucky Teacher.

Kindergarten and 6th grade Middle School students are required to have health documentation for school entry. If you have a child entering one of these grades for the upcoming school year, following is the list of documents that you will need.

Congratulations to our elementary students for performing so well at the Regional Governor's Cup this past Saturday, March 12.  Pictured are Kennedy Brown from NCES (third in math and first in composition), Trinity Crow from EES (first in Future Problem Solving), Parker Bowles, Bodey Lyons, Luke Lyons and Meg Golden from CES (second in Future Problem Solving), and Reagan Morgan from CES (second in social studies).

Please help us support Love the Hungry, Inc. by making a donation through our page. The process is fast, easy and secure. Thanks so much for your support... and please dont forget to send this page to any friends you think might be interested in donating!  Click on the following link to donate.

http://donate.lovethehungry.org/HenryCounty

If you are interested in volunteering at the event please contact Kadi Bumann at leokadia.bumann@henry.kyschools.us or call 502-845-8670 ext.7403. 

Teachers and Students are encouraged to take a digital learning survey located HERE.  Thank you for your input!

The Henry County Public School district is beginning the process of strategic planning and would greatly appreciate your feedback.  All responses are completely anonymous.  Thank you for your time and input!  Click here to get started.

12 HCPS students participate inKentucky Music Educators Association Conference for All-State Choir.  This is a huge honor, and it is very exciting that we have this many students from Henry County participating.  Congratulations for this awesome distinction!!!

 James Aldridge, Kendra Norton, Emma Woods, Morgan Montgomery

Luis Limones, Caleb Potts, Bree Heightchew, Abbi Warren, Whitney Rodgers, Jessie Archer, Miranda Bramblett, Kera Merritt

“Parents, if you are interested in learning more about all the different ways Henry County High School students can earn college credit while still in high school, please come to our informational meeting on Monday, February 1st, at 6:00 p.m., in the HCHS media center.  There is an option for everyone – from full-time at JCTC Carrollton your senior year  (Early College = a full year of college credit) to a “hybrid” model (spend ½ the day at HCHS, the other ½ at JCTC) to dozens of classes offered for dual (college and high school) credit right here on the HCHS campus every day.  Get a jump on college at a fraction of the cost while completing your high school graduation requirements!”  

Congratulation for Cameron Johnson, HCHS Senior, for being selected to play in the 2016 Border Bowl.  Jason Spencer, Head Coach for the Wildcats, was  selected to coach special teams in the annual Bowl game.

The Border Bowl is a non-profit organization established to promote high school football in Kentucky and Tennessee.  The objective is to provide an All-Star Game featuring the top players in Kentucky and Tennessee.   This game allows players to have the opportunity to play, practice, and battle it out for the rights to the border.  It also allows high school seniors an opportunity to gain additional exposure and, perhaps, earn a scholarship for college.  Each player must be nominated by his coach.  All player profiles are reviewed by a panel of coaches from their home state to field the best possible team.  

Players selected for the Border Bowl are treated as All-Stars from the time they check into camp until they leave for home.  Each player receives a personalized jersey, food, and lodging for the entire time at camp, insurance for all activities, a sweat suit, t-shirt(s), honors banquet ticket, a Border Bowl Ring, and the opportunity to meet numerous former NFL, CFL, and NCAA coaches.

Congratulations to the KEA Student Empowerment Contest VISUAL ART winners from Fifth District!

 The contest theme was, "My school is a great public school because I can...."

  Their artwork will be displayed in the Capitol Annex in Frankfort, Kentucky NEXT WEEK! (Jan 18-22)

Pictured from left to right: Holly Hosey (Henry County), Shayla McGuire (Henry County)

The Board approved the 2016-2017 School Calendar on 12/21/2015.  Click here to view the calendar.

October 19^th – 23^rd is National School Bus Safety Week.  Henry County Public Schools will be using this opportunity to bring greater awareness to students of the importance of bus safety.  We want to first recognize those individuals who are the front line of bus safety.  They are our bus technicians, drivers, monitors and administrative staff who work tirelessly to provide students a safe ride to and from school and other school activities.  Statistically, there is no safer way for a student to travel than on a school bus.  We should all take a moment during this time to thank them for what they do.

Pledge to be a School Safety Superhero!  This year's Kentucky School Safety Week focuses on building-up the self-esteem of the students in your school, while working toward an environment free of Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment and Conflict.   From Superman to Captain America most Superheroes started with problems or issues and turned their uniqueness into a power or force.  They used their power for the  betterment of society.  The campaign highlights the word SUPER and qualities  necessary to be a SUPERHERO at school. S-Strong, U-Understanding, P-Powerful, E-Encouraging and R-Respectful, by using these character words to teach and describe our students, they can become School Safety Superheroes!

See the attached for various community events for Henry County Parents, Students and Families.  Click here to read more.

The Campbellsburg PTSO and the Sophomore Class at Henry County High School are sponsoring a Color Run on September 19 on the HCHS campus.  For more information and registration for the race, contact Campbellsburg Elementary at 845-8630.

Nine Henry County Freshman attend Regional Career Academy.

http://on.whas11.com/1TO2sbi

Henry County Public Schools has switched its calling system to IC Messenger.  The new system will allow for some additional features that we did not have before.

As printed in the Henry Count Local, May 13, 2015

First class chosen for iLEAD school

BY CHRIS BROOKE

Nine Henry County students will join the first class at the iLEAD Academy, the regional career academy focusing on technology, math and advanced manufacturing that launches in the 2015-2016 school year.

HCMS students and staff give helpful advice for doing your best on the K-PREP test!

When:  May 16 from 10-3
Where:  Henry County High School
Why:  Fundraiser for The Class of 2016

The Class of 2016 will receive $20 for every person up to 300 that come and test drive a car.  No purchase necessary.  We will have vendors, and The Smoke Doctors will be serving food.  We will also have mechanics here who will look at peoples cars, and we will make $10 a person for this. 

The Henry County Middle School Site Based Decision Making Council is in the process of selecting a principal for next school year.  The site based council would appreciate your input about the characteristics important to you in your next principal.  Please complete the suvey at the following link. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C8XVYPG

Thanks for you input.

The New Castle Elementary School Site Based Decision Making Council is in the process of selecting a principal for next school year.  The site based council would appreciate your input about the characteristics important to you in your next principal.  Please complete the suvey at the following link. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WW7Z6F7

Thanks for your input.

Don't miss the HCPS Theatre production of Grease.

Tickets for the musical Grease are now on sale!  Performances are April 23-25 at 7 pm and April 26 at 3 pm.

 Tickets are available through our tickets website, http://www.ticketpeak.com/HCPSfinearts

or by visiting the box office Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays after spring break from 3:30 to 6:00 pm.

The HCMS Energy Team has been busy the last two months educating our staff and students about energy efficiency and conservation practices within our school. Based on data collected from observations and staff surveys, we think our project is a success!

Congratulations to the following students for winning at the State STLP Championship for their video productions!

1st Place in PSA, "Underaged Drinking"

• Izabelle Miller, Editor/Videographer
• Justice Kirk, Actor

2nd Place in Feature, "Vamp and the Falcon"

• Frankie Taylor, Actor
• Bo Wagner, Actor
• Rachel Vegh, Actor
• Terralynn Smith, Editor/Videographer

1. Runners will start with a caution flag. They will need to keep the flag somewhere in their waistband so a zombie has the opportunity to grab it. 
2. Runners will collect a new flag each time they lap. After collecting the flag, the runner must put it in their waistband so the zombie has an opportunity to grab it. 
3. A runner may not hold onto their flags during the race.
4. A runner must stay on the paved path in order to complete the 5K. 
5. If a zombie takes their flag, the runner may still continue to run the race. 
6. The goal is to get through the race with all four flags. 
7. The color of the flag signifies the lap the runner has completed:
   • Lap 1 - Pink
   • Lap 2 - Orange
   • Lap 3 - Green

With two successful shows under their belts, the dedicated members of Henry County’s Theatre Downstream are excited to announce their next project “It’s Complicated: An Evening of One Acts About Life, Love and Other
Important Things.”

Kindergarten Registration for the 2015-2016 school year will take place at each elementary school the week of April 13 – 17.  You may register your child any time between 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM.  On Thursday, April 16 you may register until 6:00 PM.  If you have questions regarding the registration process or documents that you need to have with you in order to register your child, please call the elementary school your child will be attending. 

Congratulations to Henry County High School and grant writer Rachel Burgin for securing over $21K to fund technology to support literacy!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Campbellsburg Elementary Academic Team
District Runner-up
Also Received the Sportsmanship Award
Quick recall - 2nd place
Future Problem Solvers - 1st place
Jacob Cummins -3rd place math
Reagan Morgan – 3rd place social studies and 1st place language arts
Holly Hosey – 5th place arts and humanities and 5th place written composition
Brianna Ward – 1st place written composition
 
 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  HCHS Choral students continue to excel. All 11 Solos and Ensembles representing Henry County High School just received Distinguished ratings.   Click more to see the names of these outstanding students.

The Juntos Aprendemos  chapter of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica would like to congratulate Jasmine Blade for being elected to State office this weekend at the convention.  This is a great honor for our school and our young chapter of SHH.  Please congratulate Jasmine as well as Devon Haberman, who ran a good campaign for vice president but came up short in a close race.  Felicidades to these outstanding students!

The cheer clinic hosted by the Henry County High School cheerleaders has been cancelled.  There is no reschedule date at this time.

You are invited to the 1st Annual Spring Zombie Attack 5K sponsored by the HCMS Sharpen the Saw Committee!  Attached is the registration form for the event or you can pick one up in the middle school office.   March 10th is the deadline for registration forms in order to receive a T-shirt on the day of the race, however you will still be able to register the day and receive a t-shirt post race.

Please download, print and send in your registration form with payment.

On Tuesday, March 3rd all juniors will be taking the ACT.  The test will begin at 8:30 and will end around 12:15.    The ACT is a national test that students can use when applying for technical, business, community and 4 year colleges.  Students can also receive bonus KEES money for college based on their ACT score.  This test will indicate whether your child has met benchmark and is college ready.  This is an important test for your child and a great opportunity to take the test for free.  We need to make sure all juniors are here on Tuesday, March3rd and that they arrive on time.  Please make every effort to make sure your child is in attendance on March 3rd.  If you have any questions about the ACT please contact Mrs. Rice. 

Our scheduled 8^th grade job shadowing opportunity is still occurring on Monday, February 23^rd. There is a copy of the job shadowing assignment on the middle school web-site under the document section of Mrs. Lineman’s web page. Paper copies will be available in the front office all day Friday. If neither of these options is acceptable, we will make accommodations to the assignment upon the students’ return on Tuesday. Late permission forms that did not get turned in due to this week’s cancellation can be held onto and turned in upon return as well. Any further weather issues for Monday, please use your best judgment and we will work with students and parents on alternative opportunities.

Henry, Trimble, Carroll, Owen, and Gallatin Counties plan to open  regional high school (iLead Academy) in the Fall 2015.  Read full story from press conference from press conference in Frankfort.  Click on the link below to read more

http://www.ksba.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=5U0BPI&dasi=3G32

New Castle Elementary took the challenge - help us win the “People’s Choice” award for $8,000.  Watch our video “NCES, Thinking Strategies” and vote for us every day Jan. 19 – 30, 2015.  Click HERE to vote.

Auditions for the spring musical, Grease, will be after school Tuesday and Thursday of next week (Jan 13 & 15).

4th and 5th graders may audition for chorus parts. There are no major roles for younger students in this show. Elementary students MUST have a parent at the audition and will be required to sign an agreement prior to the audition. Students should prepare a small portion (12-24 measures) of a song from a musical. Auditions will start at 3:40 and audition time slots are first come, first served.

There will be a JCTC Early College Informational Meeting on February 3 at 6pm in the Henry County High School Library.  This meeting is for any current junior that is interested in the Early College program for their senior year.

Henry County Public Schools is currently receiving Requests for Proposal on network cabling upgrade projects.  The RFP and associated forms may be obtained online at HERE or at the Henry County Board of Education, 326 South Main Street, New Castle, KY 40050.

The Henry County High School cheerleaders won 1st place in the large division at the 8th region cheerleading competition on Saturday.  The girls will travel to Lexington to compete in the state competition on December 13.

Please help us to celebrate the 3rd annual food drive by Smoke Doctors.  November 22, 2014 12:00pm -3:00pm at 2914 Lagrange Rd., New Castle

Bring 3 cans of ffod and receive a pork sandwich, bag of chips and a drink for FREE!!!!!

Canned food will be donated to the Henry County Family Resource Center

New Castle Elementary 5th grade students visit the University of Louisville. 

When:  Saturday November 15

Time:  Registration begins at 8:30am

           5K Fun Run at 9:00am

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 6:30pm in the HCHS Auditorium

Click here to take the LEAN pledge to STOP the bullying!  Let's make Henry County green on the statistics map during Safe Schools Week, October 19-25!

Interested in becoming a school bus driver?  Call Kevin Whitt at 845-8624
 

The Kentucky FFA Foundation announced today that five Kentucky FFA Chapters have been selected to receive “Better Days Through Better Ways” grants to help combat hunger and food insecurity in their local communities. The grants were made possible through the generous support of the Mulhollem-Cravens Foundation.

Henry County Middle School and Eastern Elementary were recently designated as Energy Star Schools.  This label places them in a group of the top school buildings in the nation for energy efficiency.  Henry County High School and New Castle Elementary received the designation in 2012

Students are now able to install Office 365 ProPlus on up to 5 personal devices.  Nearly every platform is available including mobile devices. Click to read more!

November 20-23, 2014

John W. Smith, Jr. Auditorium, Henry County High School Tickets available at www.ticketpeak.com/HCPSfinearts

HCPS has reconfigured the early release / common planning time for staff for the 2014-15 school year. There will be only 5 early release days, but school will be dismissed 2 hours early. The first day for early dismissal will be next Wednesday, August 20. Buses will run 2 hours earlier, and parents will need to arrange for pickup or supervision of their children 2 hours earlier.

The dates for the rest of the year are September 17, October 22, February 4, and April 22. While allowing the same amount of planning time for staff, we think the new structure will cause fewer disruptions for families.
 

The Kentucky Department of Education is seeking applicants for the Next-Generation Student Council.  All student in grades 10-12 are encouraged to apply.  Click to learn more about this opportunity!

Congratulations to Micah Lineman, Terralynn Smith and Rachel Vegh for winning the Student Production Award from The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Their documentary won first place short form non fiction. Ceremony takes place in Columbus, Ohio on August 2, 2014

Congratulation to the Henry County Public Schools Transportation Department for being named Most Improved Transportation Department in the Commonwealth of Kentucky by the Kentucky Department of Education. Accepting the award are Kevin Whitt, Director of Transportation and William Mahoney, Assistant Director of Transportation.

Kristin Walls, meteorologist from WHAS 11,  spoke to  4th grade students at Campbellsburg Elementary about tornado and thunder storms, how hail forms and safety precautions to take during severe weather.

    Animals for Learning is a wonderful experience for both the high school students and the sixth graders. It gives both of these age groups the opportunity to interact with animals in a fun and educated way. The high school students prepare a presentation that involves an animal and connect it back to sixth grade core content. I know for a fact that these sixth graders won't go back to the middle school saying they learned nothing! The teens are giving excellent presentations and the sixth graders are giving them their utmost attention. In the Ag shop the types of animals varies all the way from the everyday house dog, to the cows outside and strangely even a hedgehog. Throughout this day I'm excited to say that Henry County's agriculture pride has shown through! These teenagers have so much passion for this and they are getting an amazing chance to share it with the sixth graders.

I'm proud to say 2014 Animals for Learning was a success!

Thanks,

    Whitney Jeffries

    Animals for Learning is a wonderful experience for both the high school students and the sixth graders. It gives both of these age groups the opportunity to interact with animals in a fun and educated way. The high school students prepare a presentation that involves an animal and connect it back to sixth grade core content. I know for a fact that these sixth graders won't go back to the middle school saying they learned nothing! The teens are giving excellent presentations and the sixth graders are giving them their utmost attention. In the Ag shop the types of animals varies all the way from the everyday house dog, to the cows outside and strangely even a hedgehog. Throughout this day I'm excited to say that Henry County's agriculture pride has shown through! These teenagers have so much passion for this and they are getting an amazing chance to share it with the sixth graders.

I'm proud to say 2014 Animals for Learning was a success!

Thanks,

    Whitney Jeffries

The latest edition of the HCPS Newsletter is out!  Read more here.

Students from the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky visit Henry County High School.

Girls on the Run is a 24-lesson curriculum that combines training for a 5K (3.1 miles) running event with lessons that inspire girls to become independent thinkers, enhance their problem solving skills and make healthy decisions. All of this is accomplished through an active collaboration with girls and their parents, schools, volunteers, staff, and the community. Campbellsburg Elementary School finished the season yesterday with the 5K at Keenland in Lexington.

Kindergarten and 6th grade Middle School students are required to have health documentation for school entry. If you have a child entering one of these grades for the upcoming school year, following is the list of documents that you will need. 

The School Smiles Dental Program will be visiting Henry County Public Schools in the Fall!  Click to read more...

 The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project Board of Directors and staff has selected New Castle Elementary School’s Energy Team as National Elementary Rookie of the Year. The team, composed of fourth-graders, is led by co-sponsors Ms. Becca Gilbert and Mrs. Amanda Vinova.  The student members are Celia Berry, Lizzie Brown, Bryce Ganschow, Jasmine Lemus, Elliot Raymer, Kiera Randall and Ashley Rankin.  The team will attend the NEED National Recognition Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. in June.

The Henry County High School Senior Service group, HC Doggie Days, hosted an adoption drive on April 26^th at the Henry County Public Library. The goal of the drive was to get as many dogs adopted from the Henry/Trimble County animal shelter as possible and also to raise money and supplies to donate to the shelter.

Jackson Jeffries, Jacob Buckley, Morgan Miller, and Gavin Black were recognized at the April meeting of the Henry County Board of Education for being selected to participate in the 2014 Governor's Scholar Program.

Eminence Rotary Club - Donates Dictionaries to Eastern Elementary 3rd Grade Students.

The HCHS Greenhouse is officially open.  We are open Monday through Thursday 9am to 3pm, Friday 9am to 5pm, and Saturday 9am to 2pm. 

Henry County Middle School and Eastern Elementary students represented our district at the Student Technology Leadership Program state competition on April 22.  Congratulations to Lydia White from HCMS and Seth O'Nan, Carleigh Peyton, Madison Sampson, and Grace Adams from EES for their winning performance!  Click to find out more.

Eastern Elementary School held its Recess Relay April 11, 2014, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society.  Fundraising efforts included profits made from concession sells during District Governor’s Cup, classroom penny drive, and selling ACS’s “Walking to Celebrate feet” with honoring survivors and remembering those lost.  The total raised for The American Cancer Society was $765.62. 

There will be a “Super Saturday” offered in the HCHS Media Center on April 19th from 9-12. There will be free breakfast and some other free items to help you succeed!  Bring your parents and your W-2s and we will fill out the FAFSA Forecaster to get you comfortable with the process AND it will give you an estimate of how much money you may receive for school!  So sign up outside of the office or the College and Career Center!  If you have any questions or need a different time, see Mrs. Tingle. 

The Judy Lea Benefit will be held Friday April 11^th in the Henry County Middle School commons area at 6 pm.  It is an family friendly evening of great food where someone else does the cooking and cleaning up, silent and live auctions for those competitive spirits, and entertainment.

All money raised goes back to help the kids in Henry County. .

Tickets for the spring musical, Annie Get Your Gun, are now on sale.  Show  times are Thursday, April 24th-Saturday April 26th at 7 pm and Sunday, April 27th at 3 pm.  Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.ticketpeak.com/HCPSfinearts  or by coming to the High School Box Office Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 3:30-5:30 pm.  Tickets are assigned, so get yours early for the best seats!

Preschool Screenings for children who will be age 3 or 4 by October 1st are taking place on April 18th, April 25th and May 2nd.  Please call 845-8600 and ask for Amy to make an appointment for your child to be screened. 

Kindergarten registration will take place during the week of April 7 – 11.  Parents may register their kindergarten child at their perspective school during regular school hours (8:00 AM – 4:00 PM) any day that week.  On Thursday, April 10th the schools will be taking registration until 6:00 PM.  If you have questions please call the school office.

Henry County Middle School Students participate in Kentucky United Nation Assembly (KUNA).

The HCHS Beta club presented Karen Wilson of the HC Youth Service Centerwith a $400 donation.  The club raised the funds through a 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  Beta participates in several community service projects throughout Henry County such as polar bear plunge, Christmas Child, and a Thanksgiving food drive. 

As part of the Senior Service Process for Life 101 this year, Social Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ have been created by and are being maintained by individual service groups.  Using these sites will make it possible for students to share information quickly and to reach a broader audience as they work to raise awareness and gain support for their individually-selected causes and organizations.

Sarah Abney, Morgan Brent, Luke Lyons and Rachel Topp, members of the Campbellsburg Elementary Future Problem Solving Team win district championship.  Good luck in Regionals.

Campbellsburg 5th grade students give presentation to the Henry County Board of Edcuation on how the 7 Habits of Highly Effective people have impacted them as students this year.  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are a part of the Leader in Me program being implemented at all Henry County Elementary Schools this year.  The Leader in Me program will be implemented at the Henry County Middle School and High School next year.

HCHS students received Delegation of Excellence at KUNA.  Ally Warnersmith, HCHS Sophomore won outstanding delegate, the HCHS display was second runner up out of 74 countries, and their proposal won Outstanding Proposal for the convention.  The last two are particularly exiting because they are both firsts for HCHS.  Also, the Outstanding Proposal is only given to one proposal and there were 74 presented during the event.  The competition was steep.  Students had a great time and really were outstanding representative of HCHS.  To learn more about KUNA go to http://kyymca.org/kuna

Congratulations to Sydney Bush, Samuel Bush, and Jacob Behmke for placing 2nd in the regional Robo Rumble in Jefferson County on Saturday, March 8.  They will represent HCMS at the state STLP competition on April 22!

Congratulations to Melissa Jeffries, HCPS School Nurse, for being named the 2014 Kentucky School Nurse of the Year by the Kentucky School Nurse Association.

Kindergarten registration will take place at each elementary school the week of April 7 - 11, during school hours. On April 10th the school will be open until 6:00 PM to accommodate parents who need to stop in to register after school hours.

Henry County elementaries were featured in the recent issue of Kentucky Teacher with our involvement with Leader in Me.  Click here to read more!

HCHS students receive accolades at Solo and Ensemble Festival.  They are:

Congratuations to the following HCMS Students for excelling at the KMEA Central KY Regional Solo and Assessment Event.

Have you ever Considered Driving A School Bus?  Do you have what it takes to be a School Bus Driver?

Henry County Public Schools  is looking for the right people to join our Transportation Team.  Come to an information meeting on Thursday, March 20^th at the HC Middle School @ 6pm and find out what it takes to become a School Bus Driver.  Hear from some Driver.  Hear from some Drivers, Driver Trainers and the Director of Transportation on the challenges and benefits of a career or retirement job in Pupil Transportation.

Congratulations to Sharai Smith for winning the Henry County Spelling Bee last night!!!!! 
 
Sharai will be representing Henry County at the Ford Motor Company Derby Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 15th in Louisville at the Spalding University’s Kosair Shrine Club Ballroom.  The top five finishers receive savings bonds, and the winner gets to ride the Winner’s Float in the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. 
 
Please congratulate the other HCMS representatives on a job well done.

Henry County Public Schools will be dismissing 2 hours early today, Friday, February 14.  All after school events and evening athletic events are cancelled.

The Henry County Youth Services Center is hosting a formal dress, shoes, and accessories drive for Cinderella’s Closet.  Cinderella’s Closet is a program that makes girls dreams come true by providing dresses, shoes, and accessories at no charge to make prom a beautiful event rather than a missed opportunity due to financial issues.

New Castle, KY February, 12, 2014 – Today, HCHS announced that its libraryprogram was awarded a grant from Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT). Inrecognition of the efforts of HCHS  in education, the grant will provide book setsfor the HCHS book club and English classes as well as new audio books to promote literacy.

The grant is part of Target’s ongoing efforts to build strong, safe and healthy communities across the country. These efforts include Target’s long history of giving 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million every week. As part of this commitment, Target is on track to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015 to help kids learn, schools teach and parents and caring adults engage.

 “At Target, we are committed to serving local communities where we do business,” said Laysha Ward, President, Community Relations, Target. “That’s why we are proud to partner with Henry County High School as we work to strengthen communities and enrich the lives of our guests and team members.”

Staff: Rachel Burgin, Austin Hunsaker, Chelsey Tingle, Katie Johnson and Richard Hardy

Students: Tori Lainhart, Lauren Griffith, Abby Wiseheart, Alexis Sutherland, Veyda Gonzalez, Breanna Heightchew, Kailey Reynolds, Amber Young, Amy Young, Megan Marlette, Abbey Hyde, Cassie Purvis, and Steven Bramblett

The Henry County High School Cheerleaders are hosting a cheer clinic for children ages 5-12. The clinic will be held on Saturday, March 1 from 9-12. The cost is $25 which includes a cheer, chant, dance, t shirt and snack. All proceeds go to the Henry County High School cheerleaders. Registration forms are now being accepted and will be accepted at the door.

Henry County Public Schools will be dismissing 2 hours early, Tuesday, February 4, 2014.  Icy conditions are forecasted for Henry County between 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm this afternoon.  A two hour early dismissal will have our students home and buses of the road prior to the inclement weather arriving in our area.   

The Academic Team had an outstanding showing at Districts this week. Congratulations to the students who qualified for Regionals! Click below to read more.

The first rehearsal for Annie Get Your Gun is Monday, February 3 from 4:00-6:00.  Click below to view the cast list.
 

The January "Your KHEAA College Connection" is posted on kheaa.com. You can get to it by clicking on http://www.kheaanews.com/YourKHEAACollegeConnection/. The following articles are found in this newsletter:
 

Congratulations Henry County Middle School Academic Team!!!

For winning districts!!!!!

Good luck in Regionals!!!

For individual and event results --- Read More

Henry County High School

Fill Out the FAFSA Night

Tuesday, January 7, 2013

6:00-8:00pm

Click for more information

Henry County Public Schools will be in session January 2, 2014 and January 3, 2014 to make up for the two days that were missed in December 2013 due to inclement weather.

The Henry County High School VIP-PTO meeting will be on Wednesday, January 8th at 5:30pm in the HCHS Media Center

Megan Klempner, Chief Financial Officer, for the Henry County Public Schools earns School Financial Management Certification from the Gatton College of Economic, Executive Education Center at the University of Kentucky.

James Wundrak and Anna Jo Aldridge were awarded a $500 First Degree College Scholarship from the Henry County Board of Education.  James and Anna are pictured with Harold Bratton, Chairman of the Henry County Board of Education.

Cait McClure receives recognition at the Henry County Board of Education meeting for receiving her National Board Certification.  Ms. McClure is pictured with Harold Bratton, Chairman of the Henry County Board of Education.

The Henry County Middle School and High School Bands invite you to joinus for our annual Christmas Concert on Tuesday, December 17th at the John Smith Auditorium at the Henry County High School. It's a wonderful way to get some holiday spirit and support your students. Hope to see you there! 

Campbellsburg 5th Graders, Share the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with the Eminence Rotary Club. The 7 Habits is the core part of the "Leader In Me," program being implemented in all three Henry County Elementary Schools.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TfFQVNrGQA&feature=youtu.be

Jenna Day, Miss Kentucky, visited Eastern Elementary School to discuss thefollowing topics related to Leader in Me:

1. Sharpening Your Saw
   • Nutritional eating
   • Daily exercise
   • Reading to constantly be growing
   • Loving others instead of being “me” focused.

2. Beginning With the End in Mind

She discussed making goals to reach college readiness.  Ms. Day is a University of Kentucky; students in Mrs. Banta’s class learned about choosing a major, cost of college, college class sizes, and why she chose UK.

Many students, teachers, and parents participated in the 3rd Annual 5K Turkey Trot at Eastern Elementary on Saturday, November 16.  Congratulations to all participants.

K thru 5th Grade Open:

1st. Keegan Kurtz Campbellsburg

2nd. Ella White New Castle

3rd Ben Becerra

Check out the opportunities to participate in these programs:  Governor's Scholars, Governor's School for the Arts, and Governor's School for Entrepreneurs

Campbellsburg Elementary students honored veterans through song, stories, and applause.

Several Veteran's, their family members, and other community members honored our Veteran's at the 13th Annual Veteran's Day Program at HCHS.

Students from Campbellsburg, Eastern and New Castle Elementary enjoyed "Jack & the Beanstalk" a one act children's opera at the HCHS auditorium.

Henry PTG set to meet on Thursday, September 26 and Thursday October 21 from 5:30PM to 7:00PM on Affordable Care Act

Seven Counties Services and the Family Resource and Youth Service Centers of the Henry County Public Schools will be holding two meetings of the Henry County Parent Training Group at the Henry County Public Library at 172 Eminence Terrace on September 26 and October 21 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm on the Affordable Care Act.

On October 1st at 6pm, Henry County High School will host the very first HCHS VIP—PTO meeting in the media center.  (Very Important Parents—Parent Teacher Organization)  This is a very exciting step for our school.   Please mark your calendars.

For the 28^th Year, Henry County High School will host its annual regional college fair on Thursday, September 12 from 9-11a.m. in the gymnasium.

Good luck to the Henry County High School Band in their competition at the Showcase of Bands at Shelby County High School,  this Saturday, September 14.  Their performance is scheduled for 1:15pm.  Go Wildcat Marching Band!

Energy improvements to greet students, staff returning to two Henry Co. schools; middle school no longer "an energy hog" with upgraded HVAC system.

Henry County Local, Eminence, Aug. 7, 2013

In order to gain valuable feedback from Kentucky students and to engage student leaders in learning by doing, Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday created the Next-Generation Student Council. This group meets with the commissioner and Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff, both in person and virtually, to discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Kentucky and provide feedback - from a student perspective - on critical issues impacting Kentucky students and schools.

Grant boosts OVEC efforts to prepare Henry County’s youngest students for school.

The Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative’s (OVEC’s) Community Early Childhood Council (CECC) got a $50,800 boost today in their work to prepare Henry County’s youngest students for school along with children in Gallatin, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble counties.

The first day of school for Henry County Students is Wednesday, August 7, 2013. Click on the following link to see a list for back to school activities for each school.

Henry County Middle School will be having Cheerleading tryouts on June 24th from 12:00pm until 4:00pm and June 25th from 12:00pm until approximately 6:00pm. Tryouts will be held at Henry County High School. Sixtth, Seventth, and eighth grade students for the upcoming school year are eligible. Any questions call 845-8660.

 New Castle Elementary School hosted College and Career Days, Monday and Tuesday, May 20 and 21, 2013.  Pictures attached:

If you missed it last week, click on the following link to see the district's latest newsletter.   http://www.getresponse.com/archive/spowell/10788016.html

Take time to thank a teacher this week for making a difference in your life or the life of one of your children.

Take a free test-drive and Ford Motor Company will donate up to $6000 to the Junior Class of HCHS.  This Saturday, May 11th, 2013 from 10:00am to 6:00pm.  The event will take place at the high school.  There will also be food, games, and fun for the family. 

Every Child Ready to Read Workshop for parents and children from birth to 5 years old will be held on April 16, 2013 from 6 pm to 7 pm at the Henry County Library.

Tickets for HCPS Theater's production of Lionel Bart's OLIVER! are now on sale.  Tickets may be purchased in advance be visiting the Box Office 3:30-5:00 Monday-Friday or by visiting www.ticketpeak.com/hcpsfinearts. 

Box Office will be open 30 minutes prior to show time on performance days.  Performances will be April 25-27 at 7 pm and April 28 at 3 pm.  Doors will open NO SOONER than 30 minutes prior to performances.  Buy your tickets now to guarantee a great seat!

Congratulations to our STLP students for competing at STLP state on March 28th.  Click to find out who our winners were!

Henry County School's bands performed at the KMEA 5th Region Festival on March 27th and did well. 

HC Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Bands...

Henry County Public Schools Superintendent Terry Price recently announced his upcoming retirement, effective July 1, 2021.

Price has served as the superintendent for four years following one year as the assistant superintendent. Price began his career in 1989 as a sixth grade teacher at Eastern Elementary School. After five years there, he transitioned to Henry County Middle School to teach English. He then spent 20 years as an administrator in Bullitt County schools.

When he was hired by the board as the incoming superintendent, outgoing Superintendent Tim Abrams felt as though the district would be in very capable hands.

“Terry is well prepared to lead Henry County Public Schools,” he said at that time. “He is a strong instructional leader who will ensure the district continues to improve student achievement. The challenge to innovate instruction and prepare students for the changing world in which we live will be at the forefront under his leadership. Most importantly, Terry will always put kids first when making decisions.”

HCHS senior Michael Soto is one of 38 high school students across the Commonwealth to be nominated by U.S. Senator Rand Paul to attend a U.S. service academy. Soto was nominated to attend the U.S. Military Academy.

"A very rewarding aspect of being a United States Senator is the opportunity to nominate young men and women from across the state to attend our nation's prestigious service academies. I commend each of these students for their dedication and desire to serve in the United States military, and I wish them the best through the remainder of the selection process. I have no doubt the students will proudly represent the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the services academies," Paul said in a statement.

HCPS Superintendent Terry Price pointed out that simply to be nominated in this way was quite an accomplishment.

"You should be very proud of this nomination and include it on your resume in the future," Price told Soto during a recognition at Monday night's Board of Education meeting. "We are certainly very proud of you and wish you the best as you prepare to graduate from high school and move toward your future career."

Let me begin by saying how proud I am of our students, both virtual and in-person, who are doing their best to keep up with their school work in these trying times.  We have been back for two full weeks of in-person instruction and students are doing an outstanding job with their classwork, as well as complying with all of our required protocols to be able to attend in-person. 

As of the writing of this update, if things do not drastically change and I am not directed otherwise, I have no plans to cancel in-person learning for the remainder of this school year.  Our district continues to fare well in light of COVID and state numbers, thanks to our students, staff and community for doing their part to stay healthy and safe. I hope that you continue to refer to our district COVID Decision Tree to understand our health protocols for positive cases and quarantine situations. 

Families, I ask that you do your best to provide an appropriate face covering for your in-person students.  We will always provide a student with a mask if they do not have one; however, the district is running low on available masks, and I ask for your help in this area. 

Henry County Public Schools is pleased to announce that Kinsey Chambers has joined our team as the Director of Special Education.

Chambers earned a Bachelor’s of Health Science in Communication Disorders and a Master’s of Science in Communication Disorders, both from the University of Kentucky and a Specialist in Education degree from the University of Louisville. She has also obtained Principalship and Director of Special Education certifications, is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and holds a Clinical Certificate of Competence, the SLP equivalent to national board certification for teachers.

Chambers most recently worked with Jefferson County Public Schools as a speech language liaison and previously served that district as a speech language pathologist. She has 13 years of experience in the field.

“I am excited to get to know the outstanding staff here at Henry County Public Schools and form genuine relationships with kids and families here,” Chambers said. “My goal for all students is that they graduate with the tools they need to be successful in life.”

As we work hard to develop our plans so that we can provide more detailed information regarding the coming school year, we must ask for your assistance.

Please take a few moments to enroll your student(s) on any device using our new online registration through the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus. One of the questions you will answer when you complete the process is whether you are choosing in-class instruction (Traditional) or at-home learning (Online Academy).

For some of you, this is a difficult decision to make at this time. We completely understand. Please select the option that best suits your family at this time. You can always change your mind before school starts as the situation with the pandemic changes.

We can’t develop some aspects of our plans without preliminary numbers. It would be of great assistance to us if you could complete the online registration as soon as possible, but not later than August 1.

Having concluded our 2019-2020 school year in an unprecedented fashion, we must now focus our full attention on reopening schools for the 2020-2021 school year. We have been closely following the situation and developing guidelines and have dedicated a great deal of time, effort and thought into what we can do as a district to protect our students and staff as we bring everyone back to school. This will be the first of several communications that you will receive over the next months concerning our opening.

First, let me once again thank you for your support of our school system during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Schools have wrapped up the school year with some great virtual events for students, several drive-by and drive-thru parades, and creative grade level promotion activities  These have been trying times for everyone and it is seemingly continuing at different levels.  I will be updating you throughout the summer with information I receive from the Commissioner of Education as well as from Governor Beshear as it becomes available.

Henry County Public Schools will provide free meals to ALL children in Henry County 18 years of age or younger during the time of our school closure, beginning Tuesday, March 17 through Friday, April 3. One lunch and one breakfast will be provided per child each day, regardless of school enrollment, economic status, race, national origin, sex or disability. Please be aware the meals, prepared and packaged at Henry County Public Schools by nutrition department staff to ensure food safety, may contain wheat, egg, dairy or other food associated allergies.

We have established several sites throughout the county at which meals will be handed out (see list below). If you are unable to collect a meal from one of these sites, please complete the linked Google form (https://forms.gle/kkPzL3zFSzZ6yQUs5) or call 845-8600 to request delivery. Meals must be picked up and taken off site, congregate feeding will NOT be allowed.

Please note: Sites and times are subject to change as we continually assess need. We will provide updates to this list as needed through our website and social media pages.

Look for a Henry County Public Schools school bus to set up a Cats Café Stop at these locations and times (all times are A.M.):

The Henry County Board of Education is seeking applications for appointment to fill a vacancy on the Board representing District 4. This appointment will be effective until January 1, 2021.

Responsibilities include: setting policy to govern the District; hiring/evaluating the Superintendent; and levying taxes and adopting the District budget. Board members must:

• Be at least 24 years old and a Kentucky citizen for the last three years;
• Be a registered voter in the particular District of the vacancy;
• Have completed the 12^th grade or have a GED certificate;
• Meet all other legal qualifications (KRS 160.180); and
• Complete required annual in-service training.

Applications are available at the Henry County Board of Education, 326 S. Main Street, New Castle, KY  40050 or online at https://www.henry.kyschools.us/docs/district/bdvacancyapplication.pdf?id=31117 .  

Mail applications to Terry L. Price, Superintendent, ATTN:  BOARD VACANCY, 326 S. Main Street, New Castle, KY  40050.  The deadline for applications is January 17, 2020.   For questions, please call  (502) 845-8612.

It’s that time during the school year when high school seniors are faced with the daunting inevitability of “adulting.”

Henry County High School English and Life 101 teacher Jerilyn Vaught worked with Media Specialist Librarian Rachel Burgin to create a project-based learning unit that would help students recognize and develop some of the skills they’ll need in the next phase of their lives.

“The whole process allowed students to practice not only technology and literacy skills through research and reflection, but also real-world skills of breaking down complicated tasks into simple steps, setting deadlines, and figuring out how to prioritize,” Burgin said.

Making the transition from elementary to middle school can be daunting and riddled with self-doubt. That’s exactly why Renata Ingram, director of the Henry County Public Schools Family Resource Center, began offering a support and development group about seven years ago.

Girls Empowered and Motivated to Succeed (GEMS) is offered to all fifth grade girls at each elementary school in the district over the course of the school year. The group meets after school one day each week for five to six weeks, enjoying guest speakers, crafts, physical activity and lots of affirmation.

Students, teachers, administrators and parents please take a few minutes to complete the BrightBytes survey.  Your answers will help us improve the use of technology for teaching and learning in Henry County Schools!

BrightBytes Survey

Image courtesy of Blue Coat Photos

Students in Tara McMahan’s community service class at Henry County Middle School were recently tasked with identifying a group of people, charity or project that was “near or dear to their hearts.”

Because two of the students in the class, Mason King and Jacob Jeffries, had previously participated in projects that helped the homeless, they suggested doing something that would benefit the homeless in our area. The rest of the class agreed, and soon they were taking steps to sponsor a donation drive.

Want to get a jump start on completing your child’s paperwork for this school year? Would you be interested in getting some free school supplies? How about a chance to win free prizes?

Please join us Saturday, July 21, at Henry County Middle School anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for the Back to School Bash! The event is open to students attending Henry County Early Childhood Center (preschool), Campbellsburg Elementary School, Eastern Elementary School, New Castle Elementary School and Henry County Middle School.

Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) is pleased to announce that Phillip Guthrie has accepted the position of principal at New Castle Elementary School (NCES) for the 2018-19 school year.

Guthrie, who has served as the assistant principal at Henry County Middle School (HCMS) for the past three years, began his teaching career in Henry County. He first completed his student teaching at HCMS, then taught freshmen algebra at Henry County High School (HCHS) for eight years.

“He is hands down the best math educator I’ve ever seen,” remarked outgoing NCES principal Austin Hunsaker, who taught alongside Guthrie at HCHS. “And I’m not exaggerating, one of the best people that I’ve ever worked with.”

As soon as the truck finishes offloading its cargo, a small army of students converges on the boxes. With minimal direction, some students start setting up tables, while others begin to tape empty boxes. Still more grab plastic shopping bags and begin to parcel out onions from 50-pound bags into individual portions.

Eastern Elementary School first grade teacher Kathy Potts is this year’s Henry County Public Schools Teacher of the Year.

Potts, along with other school nominees, was honored at a dinner and program Thursday night at Henry County High School. Having taught 27 years at Eastern, Potts was quick to dedicate her award to all her coworkers and team members over the years.

“I truly believe that God placed me at Eastern, and I have been tremendously blessed by it,” Potts said.

The Henry County Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP) is partnering with the Henry County Public and Eminence Independent schools to host a community-wide presentation from a survivor of the fateful 1988 Carrollton bus crash.

Plan to attend this powerful presentation on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. at the Henry County High School auditorium. There is no charge to attend, and the presentation is open to all.

Teachers, students and parents:

Please take a few minutes to take the BrightBytes survey to help us improve our education technology efforts!  CLICK HERE for links to the survey.

He didn’t always want to get up and go to school, but Devin McIntosh understood how important his attendance would be in the classroom, as he applied to colleges and as he prepares to move into the workforce.

Students, teachers, administrators and parents please take a few minutes to complete the BrightBytes survey.  Your answers will help us improve the use of technology for teaching and learning in Henry County Schools!

BrightBytes Survey

Image courtesy of Blue Coat Photos

Henry County Public Schools welcomes Jillian Kintner as its district school psychologist, who will be completing her internship with us this school year.

Kintner earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in psychology with a minor in communications from Indiana University Southeast, and is finishing an Educational Specialist degree in school psychology with Western Kentucky University.

Kintner joined the U.S. Navy directly after graduating high school and served a full enlistment of four years before pursuing her undergraduate degree. She has worked a number of career-related jobs along the way, but her primary work experience was with the West Clark School District in Indiana.

Kintner said she is excited to start her career in Henry County Public Schools and is eager to get to know the families and community she will be serving.

“My goal for the student population is that we achieve the best possible outcomes for each even in light of our circumstances as we start this school year,” Kintner said. “And that we all remember that we'll get through it!”

Henry County Public School is pleased to announce that Andy Buchholz has been named Principal of Henry County Middle School (HCMS). Buchholz will assume the role beginning July 1, following the retirement of current principal Lucia Hughes.

Buchholz earned Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Louisville, followed by an Educational Specialist degree from Bellarmine University. He taught for several years, serving as the arts and humanities teacher at HCMS from July of 2013 until July of 2018 when he was named Assistant Principal there.  He has previously served as the boys soccer coach as well.

Buchholz said he was both thrilled and grateful when he got the call telling him he would be the next principal.

A Message from Interim Commissioner Kevin C. Brown

On March 12, Gov. Andy Beshear recommended all public and private schools close for at least the next two weeks to help control the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across Kentucky. The governor said while children seem to be relatively safe from the virus, they are able to spread it and we are taking the steps necessary to protect all Kentuckians.

Today, we were able to confirm with the superintendents at all of Kentucky’s 172 public school districts – in addition to the Kentucky School for the Blind, the Kentucky School for the Deaf and the state’s 53 Area Technology Centers – that they had made the decision close for at least two weeks starting March 16 or 17.

Most high school students change quite a bit from their freshman to senior year. For one Henry County High School senior, her personal transformation has been dramatic, although it wasn’t of her choosing.

Aleigha Hancock was a typical high school freshman with typical concerns: wearing the right clothes, doing her hair and makeup just right, finding out who was talking to who at school and studying for that pesky math test. But all that changed in April of her freshman year when Aleigha was diagnosed with cancer.

Aleigha shared the story of her journey through diagnosis and treatment in an essay contest sponsored by Gilda’s Club Kentuckiana. For her efforts, Aleigha earned a second place win in the category of students who have had cancer themselves in the “Write Stuff” essay contest with her entry titled, ‘There is Life After Cancer.’

The Henry County High School Marching Band recently wrapped up one of its most successful competition seasons in recent history. At the final competition, the Mid-States Band Association Championships, the Wildcats earned a spot in the finals by placing tenth in a group of 27 bands after preliminaries, then moved up into eighth place after finals. The band also placed fifth in the category of music performance, fourth in percussion and third in color guard – all to the absolute delight of the members and staff.

“It was a huge deal for the kids to end our season on such a high note,” said Color Guard Director Johnathan Rogers. “To compete in Mid-States for the first time and be a finalist group and then improve on the performance that night? We were on cloud nine.”

“The kids really stepped up and had their best performance of the year despite the weather,” added Assistant Director Andy Edelen, making note of the cold and rainy conditions on the day of competition. “I've been impressed by their hunger and drive to get better throughout the season.”

Director Chip Anderson points to the band’s dedication and hours of hard work as primary factors to the successful season.

Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) will host a FREE screening of “Backpack Full of Cash” on March 26 at 6 p.m. in the Henry County High School auditorium.

This feature-length documentary, narrated by Matt Damon, explores the growing privatization of public schools and the resulting impact on America’s most vulnerable children. Filmed in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Nashville and other cities, “Backpack Full of Cash” takes viewers through the tumultuous 2013-14 school year, exposing the world of corporate-driven education “reform” where public education – starved of resources – hangs in the balance.

“This is a very timely film due to the current reading of House Bill 205 regarding school scholarships and tax credits,” said HCPS Superintendent Terry Price. “This film truly brings to light what this can do to public education.  I urge you – educators, parents, students and community members – to make time to view this film.”

For more information, visit www.backpackfullofcash.com.

Please take a moment to provide feedback on the 2019-2020 school calendar! The calendar committee will be meeting Nov. 29, 2018 to make a final decision. CLICK HERE to take the survey.

The Henry County High School Marching Wildcats are in the middle of a busy and exciting competition season. Band members were excited to win their class and all caption awards at the U.S. Bands Southern State Regional Championships and earn 12th place in the finals in Chattanooga recently, but our musicians branch out into other genres of music as well. The jazz combo is pleased to announce an upcoming performance at the University of Louisville School of Music. 

The ensemble will play two tunes, “Watermelon Man” and “Blue Boss,” as the opening act for the UofL Student and Faculty Jazz Combo Concert on Monday Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Byrd Recital Hall at the School of Music. The event is free and open to the public. Our students would love to have some of you in the audience. 

A new program at Henry County High School lets the students, teachers and staff recognize one of their own for exhibiting the following qualities: hard working, polite, willingness to work with others, has a growth mindset, puts forth best effort, follows school and class rules, has improved academically, socially or behaviorally throughout the year (students), improves the culture and climate of the class and school, is a good member of our community and makes the school a better place.

This year Henry County High School’s football homecoming week will be totally awesome, groovy baby and far out man!

Homecoming week, Sept. 10 through Sept. 14, is themed “Blast the Rebels to the Past.” Each day of the week sports a different decade, leading up to the football game Friday night against Atherton. Every day provides ample opportunity to support the Wildcats and Ladycats!

Back to School Bash

For all preschool, elementary and middle school students

July 21, 10am to 2pm, HCMS

CES Open House

Aug. 2, 6 to 6:30 – Kindergarten

Aug. 2, 6:30 to 7pm – First through Fifth grades

Eastern Open House

Aug. 6, 6:30pm – Kindergarten

Aug. 6, 7 to 8pm – First through Fifth grades

New Castle Open House

July 31, 8:30am to 11am – Kinderstart (breakfast at 8:30; program begins at 9am)

Aug. 1, 11am to 7pm – First through Fifth grades (K, if they missed July 31)

Henry County Middle School

July 30, 6 to 7:30pm – 8^th Grade Orientation

Aug. 2, 8:30am to 12:30pm – 6^th Grade Jump Start

Aug. 2, 6 to 7:30pm – 7^th Grade Orientation

Henry County High School

July 30, 3 to 6pm – Freshmen enrollment

July 31, 1 to 7pm – Schedule pick-ups, all grades

Aug. 1, 9am to 3pm – Schedule pick-ups, all grades

Thanks to a local author and the efforts of Henry County High School junior English teachers and library media specialist Rachel Burgin, several HCHS students are now published authors.

Author Tony Acree worked with junior English classes to workshop the art of writing a short story. Students submitted their stories to the author, who selected 16 of them to publish through his own publishing company.

Congratulations to Brennen Fuchs, Seth Tingle, Audrey Litwora, Rebekah Huff, Emily Shrp, Alyssa Burns, Rosemary Head, Camryn McManis, Madison Padilla, Nikki Perkinson, Kierstin Prentice, Emily Wilson and Unging Sawasrak.

The book, "Tales from a Rural Route: Henry County," is available for sale on Amazon. Profits from the book will be donated back to HCHS.

For three days in late March, 16 Henry County Middle School students participated in a model United Nations Assembly at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville. The students represented the countries of Austria and Venezuela.

As a delegation, their goal was to serve as ambassadors for their country by participating in Global Village, an education fair, debate and presenting their own country's resolution. These 16 students were among approximately 1,000 students from across the state participating in this experience. 

Most of the students in the Center for Educational Options (CEO), Henry County Public Schools’ alternative school, struggle with the fundamental skill of reading, but they were recently provided a new resource that has yielded remarkable results in a short amount of time.

Grace Shields likes to solve problems and help people. Although she’s watched her father “fix things” in his career as a computer programmer, it is in her mother’s profession that she has chosen to follow. Grace’s mom, Mitzi Shields, teaches math at Henry County Middle School.

On Sept. 18, the Kentucky Department of Education recognized 10 public schools from across the Commonwealth for outstanding teaching and learning conditions. These “Winners’ Circle” schools were recognized for their effective teaching and school leadership practices and will be shared as models of best practices across the state.

We are proud to announce that one of the 10 winners was Henry County High School, through the Carroll County Area Technology Center, from Henry County Public Schools!

Applications are now available for a position on the Henry County Board of Education. The vacant seat serves district 5, which includes the areas of Pendleton, Sulphur, Sligo and Campbellsburg.

Board of Education members receive a modest monthly stipend, mileage reimbursement and training opportunities as they are directly involved in the development of policy and leadership for the Henry County Public School district.

Interested parties must be at least 24 years old, a Kentucky citizen for at least the last three years, a registered voter in the district 5 precinct, hold at least a high school diploma or GED, be in compliance with anti-nepotism state laws and not provide contract services to the school district.

A Community Thrives, part of the USA Today network is soliciting votes for your favorite community improvement idea. Watch the Cancer Beats video to cast your vote in support of our own Henry County High School students. You can vote one time per day until May 12, 2017. If you would like to share a video justcopy and paste the URL or select one of the sharing icons below the entry.

Anna Lusk, the Director of School Nutrition Services for Henry County Public Schools, was recently recognized by the Kentucky Department of Education’s School and Community Nutrition division in its monthly “Sponsor Spotlight.”

Lusk holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health with a minor in nutrition, and a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition, both from Eastern Kentucky University. She was most recently employed by Community Action Council Head Start as a Health and Nutrition Manager. She also served as the Assistant Food Service Director for Perry County Public Schools and Nutrition Council Supervisor for Breathitt County Public Schools.

Lusk began working at HCPS just one week before the 2019 coronavirus shutdown and had to quickly adapt to the situation. She credits her school cafeteria staffs with being flexible and working well together for successfully navigating the ever-changing conditions brought on by school closures and COVID-19 guidelines.

As the Coronavirus pandemic evolves, Henry County Public Schools continues to revisit and improve our reopening plans to ensure we can provide the safest in-person instructional opportunities as possible for our families that are comfortable with this option. In order to implement the appropriate safety and efficiency modifications in the way we transport, feed, instruct and clean, we are altering our in-person schedule to begin the school year.

Elementary and middle school students will attend school Monday through Thursday. These students will still have classroom responsibilities and school assignments to complete on Fridays. They will do their Friday work and earn their participation credit from home.

Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) is pleased to announce that Brittany Marshall has been selected as our first Digital Learning Coach for the district. In this role, Marshall’s primary focus will be facilitating the newly developed Online Academy that will be offered in the fall, as well as serving as a digital learning resource for teachers throughout the district. 

Marshall most recently taught for a period of 10 years at Eastern Elementary School where she also served as the school technology coordinator for the past several years. She began her career in the private school system as a preschool teacher before teaching fourth grade at Carroll County Schools.

Marshall holds an Associates in Early Childhood Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s degree as a Literacy Specialist K-12 and a second Master’s degree in Leadership and Educational Technology.

Congratulations to the Nutrition Department staff at Campbellsburg Elementary School (CES) for winning the Helen Davis Marketing Hall of Fame Best 2019-2020 School Promotion through the Kentucky School Nutrition Association.

CES Cafeteria Manager Toni Jackson, along with her staff, created an “out of this world” space theme to promote National School Breakfast Week earlier this school year. The serving line and cafeteria were decorated with moons, stars and spaceships, staff dressed in NASA shirts and students were encouraged to participate through a class contest.

Teachers at the school pitched in to support the week. Art teacher Lori Armstrong allowed class time for students to create their own “Breakfast is Outta This World” drawing which were all displayed in the kitchen and cafeteria. P.E. teacher Leah Klempner created lesson plans on the importance of eating a nutritious breakfast.

The class with the highest breakfast participation numbers at the end of the week received a free ice cream at lunch, sponsored by the PTSO. Due to their efforts, Jackson reported a 26.3 percent increase in students eating breakfast for the week.

From left to right, Larry Milburn of the Modern Woodmen of America, presented a generous donation to Renata Ingram, Family Resource Center Director, and Debbie Hartford, Youth Services Center Director, to support Henry County Public Schools’ backpack program. The backpack program, active in each of the district’s schools, sends food home with families that might need nutritional support over the weekend when school meals are unavailable to students.

A message from Superintendent Terry Price – March 13, 2020

In accordance with the governor’s recommendation, Henry County Public Schools will be closed beginning Monday, March 16, through Friday, April 3. The week of April 5 through 10 will remain our spring break. As of now, students will return to school on Monday, April 13.

For this closure, we will be implementing Non-Traditional Instruction days (NTI), also known as “Wildcat Days.” This means that students will be provided learning materials and opportunities while at home, either online or with hardcopy packets. Each school will be communicating with its respective families with specific information on how to access these materials. During the closure, teachers will be available to students each day via a variety of options (email, phone, apps, etc.) to explain assignments, answer questions and provide other instructional support.

Henry County High School is excited to announce the recent launch of the Wildcat Sports and Entertainment Network (WSEN). The media department, in conjunction with the Business and English departments, is now delivering a student-led streaming experience for all to enjoy.

To showcase our students' many talents, WSEN will feature sporting events, band and theatre performances, and additional activities to be determined in the near future. Please periodically visit district social media outlets for an up-to-date live-stream calendar of events. Please subscribe to our youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCvOKCsIPKJttr1OgF8P3DQ where all WSEN content will be housed.

Each year in December, the district calendar committee comes together to approve a calendar for the next school year (2020-21). Legislation mandates the following committee composition [with this year’s member(s) in parenthesis]:

1. One (1) District Principal; (Shannon Sageser)
2. One (1) District office administrator other than the Superintendent; (Zach Woods)
3. One (1) local Board member; (Lori Abney)
4. Two (2) parents of students attending a school in the District; (Georgia Harrod and Laura Adams)
5. One (1) District elementary teacher; (Susan Kurtz)
6. One (1) District middle or high teacher; (Lesley Doane)
7. Two (2) District classified employees; and (Kevin Whitt and Sidney Rothenburger)
8. Two (2) community members from the local chamber of commerce, business community, or tourism commission. (Steve Woods and Paula Clubb)

The 20-21 calendar will feature 173 student attendance days. School will also be out for a Presidential election in 2020 on Nov. 3, 2020.

Several other notes the district must consider:

Cadets and professors from the United States Military Academy arranged a visit to Henry County High School today to share their love of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with our students. Major David Harness, a former teacher at HCHS and current assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at West Point, made the visit possible.

Harness spent his day in Adam Knust's classroom teaching a math lesson, West Point style.

Other instructors and cadets worked with a group of students in the library on a series of hands-on projects focused on electricity, coding and building various types of circuits.

The group spent their lunch with our Junior Air Force ROTC cadets, sharing their experiences of West Point with them.

We appreciate their time and efforts to provide an enriched learning experience for our students! For more photos, please visit the district's Facebook page or click the Facebook link below.

If you have been to a Henry County High School athletic event over the last three years, you may have noticed him on the sideline with his loud, booming voice and his Henry County Wildcat scarf held high above his head. He is the man who leads the C-A-T-S cheers and generally gets the crowd fired up at HCHS sporting events.

He is also the man who goes to events that are not usually on people’s radar such as cross country races, golf matches and marching band competitions.

When he is not on the sideline being the loudest person on the premises, he is coaching the HCHS chess team, which seems a little out of place considering his sports fan persona.

He is Jeff Stein, HCHS physics teacher and all around supporter of all extracurricular activities at HCHS.

High school students - the cafeteria would like your opinion on a few food selection items.  Please CLICK HERE to take the survey!

Every student and teacher in Henry County Middle School recently read the same book - at the same time - as a school-wide read.

The book, “Restart” by Gordon Korman deals with change, honesty, kindness and tolerance as a former eighth grade bully suffers amnesia and returns to school to re-evaluate what kind of person he is, how others perceive him and who he really wants to be. His amnesia gives him a fresh start at school, something HCMS Principal Lucia Hughes wanted her students to experience as well.

“In the book, the main character is given a fresh start to be a better person,” Hughes said “Many times our students fall into patterns of behavior or groups of friends that negatively influence the decisions that they make. This book shows that we all have the ability to ‘restart’ and show positive behaviors and attitudes.”

Early Childhood Screenings will be conducted at the Henry County Early Childhood Center on Friday, August 10, 2018. If your child will be 3 or 4 by August 1, 2018 please contact Melissa Perkinson at 502-845-8600 to schedule your appointment today.

Campbellsville University began the Excellence in Teaching Award Program in 1987. The purpose of the program is to recognize the quality teaching and learning taking place in the school systems throughout Kentucky.

Through the awards program, Campbellsville University presents certificates to teachers in each grade level (preschool/elementary, middle grades, and high school) as selected by their school districts.

This year, Kim Patterson, a teacher at the Henry County Early Childhood Center, and Laura Adams, an English teacher at Henry County High School, were chosen for the honor.

The purpose of this award is to recognize the quality teaching in the schools of the state of Kentucky and to strengthen the field of education. Implicit in the award is the expectation that the recipients’ examples may inspire all teachers to excel.

Many of you are aware of the national, state and now, local shortage of school bus drivers.  Unfortunately due to this shortage, we are not always able to find enough drivers to fulfill every route, especially when drivers are unexpectedly and unavoidable unable to work. There have been, and will continue to be, times that we must utilize double routes; asking a driver to complete one full route, followed by a second full route.

Math is more than manipulating numbers in a concentrated effort to get the right answer. That’s what Henry County Middle School teacher Johnathan Rogers and instructional coach Emily Edwards want students to understand.

The two are using something their kids do in class everyday – talking – to deepen the learning process and consequently improve their students’ understanding of how math works.

Recent talk of snow in the forecast reminds us to share information regarding our processes for deciding to close school and how we let our parents and students know about closures and delays.

The decision to cancel school for inclement weather follows careful consideration by many representatives of Henry County Public Schools over an extended amount of time in conjunction with neighboring school districts, city, county and state road departments, local meteorologists and sometimes national weather experts.

Honor your family’s military members

An advanced art student at Henry County High School is seeking names and/or photographs of local veterans, either past or current, to be honored with a large piece of artwork. The art piece will be displayed during the Henry County Veterans Day Ceremony at Henry County High School on Friday, Nov. 10.

To submit a name and or photograph:

• Mail them to Henry County High School, Attn: Laura Bowman, art teacher, 1120 Eminence Road, New Castle, Ky.  40050
• Call (502) 845-8670
• Email them to laura.bowman@henry.kyschools.us

Submissions are due no later than Oct. 31.

Don’t forget to come to the Veterans Day Ceremony, an open public event, at Henry County High School on Nov. 10 to view the artwork in which your family’s military members are honored.

HCPS has adopted a new drug testing policy for all high school students who participate in athletics, extracurricular activities, or drive to school.  Please continue reading to view an informational video about this policy and the signature form required. The policy requires that all participants attend a mandatory informational forum at which the students and their parents or legal guardians must sign the “Student and Parent/Guardian Consent to Perform the Urinalysis for Drug Testing” form (09.423 AP. 21) before the student shall be permitted to fully participate in the sport / activity, or be permitted to drive a motor vehicle on to campus at Henry County High School. The video along with signature form will count as a video informational forum and fulfill the requirement this year (2017-18).

Congratulations to Kelly Hall for earning HCPS Teacher of the Year!   Kelly’s passion for teaching is evident the minute you walk in her classroom.   The outstanding instructional strategies she implements in her classroom each day is coupled with a genuine love and high expectations for each student.  Kelly will receive $500 to purchase classroom materials or to attend an educational conference of her choosing. 

From HCPS Superintendent Terry Price: 

On Friday July 24, 2020, I met with the 2020 high school senior class officers.  Based on our initial discussions last spring, it was determined that our first reschedule date for graduation and prom would be August 7, 2020.  Based on current conditions and information obtained from the Kentucky Department of Education and the Governor’s office, we will not be allowed to make this happen. 

The next date chosen by the senior officers was October 3, 2020.  In our meeting, and based on senior student input, it was decided to forego an in-person graduation and prom for the 2020 senior class.  The main reason for this decision dealt with students not coming back to HCHS for this event due to students beginning college, careers, and various jobs.  The officers expressed great gratitude regarding the virtual graduation and the drive-thru diploma pick up with pictures and teachers held at the end of last school year. 

The senior officers have decided to use the remainder of their class funds to purchase additional gifts for the seniors.  The officers directed me to arrange this with Mr. Sageser, Henry County High School Principal.  The delivery of the gifts will be handled in a drive-thru fashion on a date TBD.  Students’ names will be drawn for each gift and distributed to each student. 

It’s not every day that the superintendent of schools shows up on your doorstep with an award, but that’s what happened to Lori Cobb, a teacher at Eastern Elementary School, last Thursday. Cobb was chosen from among a group of six teacher nominees from each school as the Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) Teacher of the Year.

Normally, the HCPS Teacher of the Year is recognized at a dinner program at which the winner, which is kept secret until the announcement, is named. With the restrictions of the Coronavirus this year, an in-person program was not an option. The district instead held a virtual recognition program which included all the nominees, their principals and any other family or friends they wanted to invite. At the end of the virtual program, the winner was announced live in the virtual meeting with a home visit from HCPS Superintendent Terry Price.

During soccer season earlier this school year, Henry County High School senior Josiah Armstrong Montero talked to his teammates and friends, juniors Keegan Kurtz and Reed Neuman, about an idea he had to merge fashion and inspiration. When Josiah explained it to them, Keegan and Reed were eager to help and Imagine Unite was born.

Josiah said he had always wanted to create a clothing brand, “something different and something that no one else has tried, but with a positive and inspiring message.” He said what you wear can help you describe who you are, and Josiah is quick to point out that the Imagine clothing line is meant for everyone to enjoy.

“There’s no specific type, no gender, no age,” Josiah said. “It’s for all people – men, women and children.”

Each year, Henry County Public Schools recognizes its best teachers with a Teacher of the Year program. At the school level, teachers of the year are chosen by their peers. Then a team of administrators evaluates each nominee, including classroom observations.

Those administrators then rank each nominee. The top-ranked nominee then becomes the overall Henry County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, who will be named at a special reception on March 19.

Please meet this year's Teacher of the Year nominees:

From left to right, Henry County Public Schools Superintendent Terry Price congratulated HCHS seniors Chantel Ramsey and Tyler Dees, this year’s applicants for the Kentucky School Board Association’s (KSBA) First Degree Scholarship, at the November Henry County Board of Education meeting. One female and one male senior are chosen each year to receive the local scholarship in the amount of $500, and become eligible for a $2,500 scholarship from KSBA.  Eligible students are those who would be the first members of their immediate families to receive a degree from any two- or four-year accredited college or university.

As students and learning styles change, teachers must adapt to fit the needs of their classroom, even though the foundational content remains the same. Fortunately, modern technology provides new tools and resources to help teachers continuous modernize their methods.

Henry County High School (HCHS) Librarian Rachel Burgin and Senior English Teacher Jerilyn Vaught will be presenting at this year’s Kentucky Society for Technology in Education (KySTE) Conference on Nearpod tools.

This year their presentation is titled “Nifty Nearpod!” to match the conference’s “Vintage to Virtual” theme. Nearpod, a website for K-12 teachers, engages students in interactive lessons across all content areas that include virtual reality tours and videos, along with various tools and online activities such as quizzes, drawing boards, collaboration boards and polls.

As a child, Steve Martell enjoyed visits from his grandfather, who happened to be one of the leading ham radio operators in Kansas.

“When my grandfather would come out to visit, he would have his big camper and have the antenna he’d set up in the backyard and he got me interested in ham radio,” Martell, an eighth grade science teacher at Henry County Middle School, said. “Fast forward to college, some of the guys who were in the meteorology department that I was roommates with were required to have their ham radio license when they were out storm chasing, so that increased my interest. Then in 2002, I got my license. In 2016 I finally got around to upgrading my license to the middle level, the general class, which gives me more privileges. I’m getting back into it and I enjoy it, chasing DX – trying to make contacts with operators from all over the world – those long-distance communications.”

Henry County Public Schools was pleased to host the annual Reality Store, a program provided through the Henry County Cooperative Extension Office that gives students a dose of reality when it comes to being an adult.

Students are assigned a job based on their GPA and provided an annual salary, along with a number of children. Using their monthly income, students first must pay their taxes to Uncle Sam and open a bank account. Then they move from station to station in the middle school gym purchasing the necessities like housing, vehicles, insurance, groceries, clothing, utilities and child care.

Five months ago, Dylan Milby was an out-of-school youth. Today, he is the IT Help Desk Manager at Henry County Public Schools.

“I was at my lowest point, and I had given up on life,” Milby said.

Deep family struggles left Milby feeling lost, confused and hopeless. His mother referred him to the Kentucky Youth Career Center (KYCC), which is funded by KentuckianaWorks and operated by Goodwill Industries of Kentucky. It didn’t take long before Dylan began experiencing new feelings – focus, clarity and hope.

When Jo Brewer, the president of Communities in Action (CIA), a non-profit group serving the needs of families in Henry County, heard that Ohio Valley United Charities (OVUC) had exceeded their fundraising goal for the year and had additional monies to allocate in the five-county area it serves, she suggested supporting the family resource and youth services centers in those counties.

“The centers serve our families with clothing, food, school supplies and so much more,” Brewer said. “They help students overcome any challenges they may face from getting medical and dental care to helping them get glasses to making sure they have shoes that fit.”

The Henry County High School juniors selected into the 2018 Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) were recognized at Monday night’s Henry County Board of Education meeting.

Honored were Rebekah Huff, Abigail Lyons, Camryn McManis, Gabe Hughes and Lydia White (not pictured). All the nominated students from Henry County High School were accepted into the statewide program.

When: July 17th-19th, 8am-3pm.

Cost: $80.

Engineering rocks at iLead Academy this summer with our 3rd annual STEM Summer Learning Camps. There will be hands-on projects, team building exercises, electronics and tools! Sign up -on our webpage at www.ileadacademy.org or by phone at – 502-732-3090, or email at lmckinney@ovec.org. Limited spots are available. Price includes consumables, t-shirt (early registration), lunch and snacks.

See the flyer for more information.

Teachers, students and parents:

Please take a few minutes to take the BrightBytes survey to help us improve our education technology efforts!  CLICK HERE for links to the survey.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pJ4O5TDL-G-ky3aw9gIPZz15RPjJI9xa/view?usp=sharing

October is Henry County Middle Schools’ month to give back!

Oct. 10 through 13, HCMS students were asked to bring in a two-liter (deliver to the office) to help support the Family Fall Fling Benefit on Saturday, Oct. 21, in honor of one of our former students, Aleigha Hancock, who is a current sophomore at HCHS battling cancer. 

Oct.16 through 20, students will be asked to bring in school supplies to help victims and schools from the hurricanes in Texas and Florida. A list of needed items will be sent out at a later date.

Oct. 23 through 27, the focus will be on bringing in items for the district’s backpack program that helps feed our schools’ students at home and on the weekend. More specific info will be sent about this as well.

A group of eighth-graders collaborates to design and build a futuristic city. A sixth-grader practices the delicate hand needed to create a watercolor still-life. Seventh grade students work to crack the case using forensic science.

These activities aren’t part of a costly after-school program, they are all course offerings at Henry County Middle School (HCMS).

Due to new information and guidance received by the district, the decision has been made to close school on Monday, Aug. 21.

The safety of our students and employees must be our top priority. The full solar eclipse on Aug. 21, while providing an unprecedented learning opportunity, could also place our staff and students in unsafe situations as they move between classes, are transported home by our buses, or are driving themselves home from school.

This unique phenomenon has been and will continue to be a focal point of learning throughout the district. We encourage, but do not require, our students to safely view the eclipse with ISO-certified protective eyewear in preparation for instruction that will occur after the astronomical event.

This day, most likely, will be made up on February 19, President’s Day.

Sponsors Andrew Shearer and Jeremy Holcomb are proud to announce that the HCHS chapter of the Technology Student Association brings home several winners from its regional conference.  Click for the results!

First, Owen Sharp has been selected to participate in the bit502 program through JCTC. This program is a partnership between Jefferson Community and Technical College, Code Alliance, the Louisville Tech Alliance, and Louisville area employers. This apprenticeship style program will allow Owen to complete his computer and information technologies studies at JCTC, while working and learning on the job at Farm Credit Mid-America as an IT professional.

Next, Hunter Yeager has received a scholarship to Midway University for signing with their eSports team. He'll be attending MU in the fall to study Information Technologies, most likely focusing on Network Administration.

Lastly, we are excited to report that all of the Henry County High Schools seniors at the CCATC have been certified in at least one area for Information Technology and will all be studying IT at a college or university in the Fall. This includes Trenton Morrison, Owen Sharp, William Clements, Hunter Yeager and Dalton Goebel.

While elementary students in Henry County Public Schools have been attending in-person classes Monday through Thursday, middle and high school students have been on an A/B hybrid schedule, attending in-person classes two days each week.

Beginning March 22, all hybrid in-person middle and high school students will attend classes Monday through Thursday. Students enrolled in our Online Academy will continue to receive instruction through that platform. Friday will continue to be a virtual learning day for all students – elementary, middle and high.

Our decision to bring all students back to a four-day school week is based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and supported by the recent announcement by Governor Andy Beshear. HCPS personnel who chose to receive the COVID vaccine will have had their second dose over 14 days prior to March 22, as is recommended by the CDC. The CDC also acknowledges that younger children benefit more from in-person instruction, and the same argument can be applied to older students. We have many middle and high school students who would also benefit from more in-person instructional time, providing for observation, evaluation, feedback, social interaction, emotional support, student voice, etc. We also believe that bringing back our middle and high school students for four days a week will reduce the number of possible failures and summer school referrals.

Melisa Hawkins has experienced first day of school jitters for nearly three decades, but not this coming fall. After 29 years of service to Henry County Public Schools (HCPS), Hawkins has chosen to retire.

Hawkins began her career with HCPS as a substitute instructional assistant at Campbellsburg and New Castle Elementary Schools before being hired as full-time assistant in the district’s preschool program. She was an assistant to Sally Lumsden for nine years, but for the past 20 years, she has shared a classroom with preschool teacher Amy Johnson.

Hawkins said she enjoys working with HCPS’ youngest students because they exhibit so much growth in that first year of school.

“I just love their little personalities and watching them learn through play,” Hawkins said. “I have enjoyed helping each and every child with their specific special needs and seeing their progress every day. I have loved every child; they were all special in every way.”

Through the Kentucky Department of Education and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Henry County Public School families can apply for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT). This financial benefit of $313.50 is meant to subsidize the meals families lost during the mandated school closure. Because many students in our district qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, HCPS is classified as a Community Eligible Provision (CEP) district. Due to this classification, EVERY student in our district can apply for the P-EBT program.

Enrolled students who receive SNAP benefits on an active EBT card will automatically receive additional funds for P-EBT on their cards. The guardian or parent does not need to do anything to receive this additional funding.

Enrolled students who receive Medicaid or KTAP benefits based on income levels below the NSLP income guidelines, or who are in foster care, will automatically receive a P-EBT care in the mail with instructions. The guardian or parent does not need to do anything to receive this supplemental benefit.

It has been a tradition of Henry County Public Schools to photograph all the students with perfect attendance at each school at the end of the school year. With the exception of this year due to the Coronavirus closure, Henry County High School senior Ryan Archer has been in every single photo since kindergarten.

Ryan is graduating this May with 13 years of perfect attendance and a 4.0 grade point average. Ryan understood that being at school every day was crucial to his accomplishments as a student.

“I felt it was important because I wanted to do good in school and it allowed me to be successful,” Ryan said. “I was lucky that I just never got sick or had anything that made me miss school.”

Ryan’s mother Shanda said doctor’s appointments and sports physicals were scheduled during the summer or on breaks to avoid school absences, but added that her son generally gets up and gets going by himself every school day.

“His self-motivation is a personal asset,” Shanda said. “Ryan sets goals and accomplishes them.  He already has his next four years planned out, and I have no doubt with his determination he will succeed in his future. And he has been blessed with a great group of friends that keep each other motivated and great teachers who guided him along the way.”

Ryan plans to attend Northern Kentucky University in the fall as a student in the pre-engineering program. He then hopes to transfer to either UK or UofL to obtain a Master’s degree in engineering.

Anna Fugate, the new Nutrition Services Director for Henry County Public Schools (HCPS), says that school nutrition holds a very special place in her heart.

“Nutrition plays a huge role in a child's physical and cognitive development. We all know that children that are not well nourished have a lack of energy and focus. When a child participates in school breakfast and lunch programs he/she receives the nutrients that they need to do their best each day,” Fugate said. “Child nutrition programs also allow children to learn about healthy foods that lead to healthier food choices.”

Each year Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance (KEMI) recognizes a select few of its policy holders for their commitment to workplace safety by presenting each of them with a KEMI Destiny Award. Of the 23,000 policy holders, 39 qualified for the award and 24 were chosen to receive a Destiny Award this year. Henry County Public Schools was one of only four school districts in the state to be announced among the recipients.

For the second year in a row, teachers from Henry County Middle School were chosen to present a session at the Kentucky Center for Mathematics Conference next week.

Sixth grade teachers Tara McMahan and Johnathan Rogers will present “Let’s Give Students Numbers to Talk About,” which fits perfectly with the conference’s theme this year of “Connect: Fostering Mathematical Minds and Communities!” The presentation idea resulted from a less than stellar performance by their students earlier this school year during a practice extended response question.

Henry County Middle School students recently participated in a canned food drive in a “Be a Super Hero: Feed the Need” collection project sponsored by Tara McMahan’s community service class. Students were encouraged to be a “super hero” in someone’s life by contributing to the food drive.

Almost 800 items were collected for Henry County Help Center. Seventh-graders collected 229 cans and 270 cans were collected by sixth-graders. The class that collected the most canned goods were eighth-graders with 293 items.

The class that collected the most items for the food drive was Mrs. Moore’s first period class, which won a reward of ice cream for their generosity.

HCPS continues to adopt a drug testing policy for all high school students who participate in athletics, extracurricular activities, or drive to school.  Please continue reading to view an informational video about this policy and the signature form required. The policy requires that all participants attend a mandatory informational forum at which the students and their parents or legal guardians must sign the “Student and Parent/Guardian Consent to Perform the Urinalysis for Drug Testing” form (09.423 AP. 21) before the student shall be permitted to fully participate in the sport / activity, or be permitted to drive a motor vehicle on to campus at Henry County High School. If students do not attend a separate athletic or organizational meeting prior to the start of the school year, the video along with signature form will count as a video informational forum and fulfill the requirement this year (2018-19).

Seniors, some time over the summer, your Google account will be deleted from the Henry Google domain, but don't worry, you can keep all of your Google drive contents if you need it.  

Simply go to Google Takeout Transfer to transfer to a personal Google account.  Don't have a personal account?  Go to Google Takeout to perpare a zip file you can save to a flash drive.

Google Takeout Video

FBLA Sponsor Barney Sutley is proud to announce this year's winners at the Region 3 Conference., saying, "This was a great conference for our chapter. 60% of our chapter that went to the conference is qualified to compete at the state conference in April."  Congrats HCHS FBLA!  Click to see the results!!

This is our second year using online registration through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Applications for Kindergarten students and existing HCPS students will open for enrollment beginning April 26, 2021. All other new student enrollment applications will be open, however, they won’t be processed for enrollment until after June 1, 2021. This year we are excited to announce that another form has been added to Parent Portal to make it easier for our guardians to get their child ready for the next school year, the Meal Benefits Application. Because HCPS is a district in which all students receive free breakfast and lunch, this application is required to determine eligibility for additional benefits such as free/reduced fees. 

Below you will find helpful information to get you started with this process. Please note that when enrolling or updating any student information, make sure you choose the 2021-2022 school year option.

To make annual enrollment easier for our families, HCPS is happy to announce that Online Registration is now live. This can be completed from any device through the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus. Completing the registration process online now will take the place of filling out the enrollment paperwork that is normally completed at the beginning of the year. All students, new or existing, face-to-face or virtual, must complete the enrollment process each school year.

Parents of returning students are highly encouraged to register for the upcoming school year through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, at https://kyede5.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/henry.jsp no later than August 1, 2020. If you do not have a Parent Portal account already, please call the Henry County Board of Education at 502-845-8600 for help with setting up your account.

Utilizing the Portal will be much simpler for you, as well as our staff: you'll simply need to confirm and/or update existing information, rather than providing it again. To find the registration in your Portal, click "More," and "Online Registration.”

If your student will be new to Henry County Public Schools, you can register for the school year at:  https://kyede5.infinitecampus.org/campus/OLRLoginKiosk/henry. If you completed the paper packet prior to this launch you will follow the steps above to login and verify the information entered is correct and make any necessary changes.

Returning Henry County Public Schools students will need to have a current immunization certificate on file for the upcoming school year.

New requirements include a total of two Hepatitis A vaccines for all students and a second meningococcal vaccine at 16 years of age in addition to the regularly scheduled vaccines. Please contact your child's physician to ensure their vaccines are up to date.

The Henry County Health Department has upcoming dates for back-to-school vaccine clinics. Clinics will be held all day on July 22 and July 29 for vaccines only at the clinic. Other clinic dates and times will be August 6 from 4:30 to 8pm and August 8 from 8am to noon. Appointments can be made by calling the HCHD at 845-2882.

From mid-March through the end of May, Henry County Public Schools (HCPS) will have served nearly 200,000 meals to its students even though not a single child has been at school. Henry County Public School’s Nutrition Services Department committed to provide a healthy breakfast and lunch to every child in the district through the Coronavirus closure. Now, it wants to do even more.

“We are so thankful for everyone that helped with meal service during the Covid-19 school closure. From businesses donating bags, other school nutrition directors sharing their ideas, and employees throughout the district stepping up to help wherever help was needed,” said Anna Fugate, HCPS Nutrition Services Director. “I want to specifically thank the school nutrition staff for all of their hard work. Each staff member has gone above and beyond to ensure that children receive meals. And as the school year comes to a close, we are excited to continue offering meals throughout the month of June.”

Callie Derossett, a seventh-grader at Henry County Middle School, has recently been awarded a state win in the Kentucky 4-H Written Essay Communications Contest.  Callie’s essay, “What 4-H Means to Me,” was chosen by a group of judges at the state level in her age group.

“We are so proud that Callie was chosen as a state champion,” said Cathy Toole, the 4-H agent for Henry County’s UK Extension Office. Toole said Derossett was also chosen as the county winner in the 12-year-old Speech division.

Toole said there is a county and district level communications event that includes competition in speeches, demonstrations, and variety show in which youth compete at the county level. If selected as the winner, that 4-Her is then eligible to compete at the district level event against other county winners.  District winners are then eligible to compete at the state level competition.  The written portion is different in that all essays and poems go from the county winners to the state level. 

At the county level communications event the competition was held virtually with the following winning in their respective categories: HCMS eighth-grader Ella McManis - 13-year-old Speech, and HCMS seventh-grader Cambree Tingle - Junior Demonstration and Vocal of the Variety Show.

The District Communications Event will take place virtually in a few weeks.

Henry County High School Media Specialist Rachel Burgin and English teacher Jerilyn Caballero recently presented at the Association of School Librarian's Conference to over 50 librarians from across the country at the Louisville Convention Center on how to make reading, writing, speaking and listening fun for teens.

"As a high school librarian and English teacher we shared our literacy lessons involving the school's technology, Makerspace, and BreakoutEDU tools during school, as well as ideas for hosting school-wide murder mystery parties, book and writing club activities, and field trips after school," Burgin said. "The other librarians loved being provided resources and ideas to engage teens in literacy so they could implement those same ideas in their own schools."

The conference also provided Burgin and Caballero with tools and resources to bring back to our students at Henry County High School.

Staffers of the Henry County Public Schools Nutrition Department feed over 2,000 children five days a week, twice a day. But they still want to do more.

The Henry County School Nutrition Association Chapter is a charitable endeavor made up of employees of the nutrition department that seeks to serve its students and families outside of the cafeteria. Active until a few years ago, the organization is experiencing a revitalization this school year.

The week of March 4 is School Social Work Week. This week we recognize Shelby Johnson, our district school social worker. Thank you for all you do for our students, Ms Johnson!

School Social Workers enhance the learning and success of students in Kentucky by:

Focusing on the whole child

• School social workers promote the social and emotional development of students;
• Consider barriers to learning and value relationship building;
• Empower students and offer a voice for marginalized youth; and
• Implement multi-tiered system of supports programs and practices.

Library Media Specialist, Rachel Burgin, and her students wowed the crowd at last week's KySTE conference!  Click for more pictures and info.

For the final six weeks of the current school year, online students will remain online and in-person students will remain in-person. If your student needs additional in-person services he or she isn’t receiving, please contact your school about tutoring and/or in-person summer school options.

There may not be enough snow on the ground today to build a big snowman, but it does present the perfect opportunity to remind our families of our snow day policy for this school year.

This winter we will use Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) days when school is cancelled for weather. On any day that in-person school is canceled for weather, all students - in-person and Online Academy learners - will continue their classwork at home. As teachers foresee issues of severe winter weather, they will prepare their students for the possibility of working from home. If the district experiences a surprise weather event, all students will function much as they currently do on Fridays.

Families will receive notifications regarding school closures through a one-call, our website and social media sites and local TV and radio outlets. News channels will likely say “Henry County – Remote Learning” or “Henry County – NTI” to indicate closure of our physical buildings but continued learning at home. Even if the television announcement only says that HCPS is closed, student attendance will be recorded through participation on snow days.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, feel free to contact HCPS at 502-845-8600.

Henry County Public Schools is proud to announce that all six of our nominees to the Governor’s Scholar Program this year have been accepted into the prestigious program. Congratulations to Henry County High School juniors Jenna Hardin, Seth O’Nan, Mackenzie Roberts, Rachel Topp, Taylor Whitaker and Ella White for earning this incredible opportunity.

The Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) is a free summer residential program for outstanding high school students in Kentucky who are rising seniors. Over 2,000 applications are received at the state level each year, with approximately 1,000 students selected to attend.

Middle and High school Chromebooks will be collected during the last week of school!  Make sure to bring your Chromebook to school with the charger and make sure it is charged.  We will assess any damages, make repairs and send invoices if needed over the summer.  If you do not turn in your Chromebook, you will receive a bill of $250.

Replacement Part Costs

For the 2021-22 school year, there are two calendar options being considered. Along with the traditional calendar, a second variable calendar was created for possible adoption if COVID conditions continue into the 21-22 school year and require calendar flexibility.

The proposed opening day for students on our traditional calendar is August 11 with a projected last day for students on May 19, subject to the number of makeup days required. For the variable calendar, the opening day is August 23 with a projected last day of May 26. The days students are not in attendance (breaks, teacher work days, holidays, etc.) are the same in both calendars; the only differences between the two are the start and end dates.

The Board of Education will make a decision in the spring as to which calendar best suits our district and students’ needs. Until that time, please make plans for your students to be in school beginning August 11, 2021 through the start of Memorial Day weekend 2022. We will let our families know which calendar the board has adopted as soon as possible.

For the second year in a row, a nutrition department employee from Campbellsburg Elementary School (CES) has been named the School Nutrition Association (SNA) Employee of the Year for the state of Kentucky. The Employee of the Year award recognizes non-managerial school nutrition employees for the contributions they have made throughout their school nutrition career.

Last year the recognition went to Hillary Snyder. This year, Brittany Jones earned the honor. Brittany said her first reaction after hearing that news was shock and disbelief.

“That feeling was quickly dismissed after I reminded myself all things are possible through God. God is in control, therefore my next reaction was to give thanks to Him. Followed by telling my manager, Toni Jackson, the good news and thanking her for nominating me for the award,” Brittany said.

Beginning Tuesday, December 9, Henry County Public Schools will suspend its practice of publishing a Daily Health Report, which provides data regarding our staff and student COVID positive and quarantine cases.

With delays in receiving timely information from our local health department, coupled with inconsistent self-reporting from our families, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data we have been providing with this report. 

We will reinstate the Daily Health Report only when we have confidence that the data we can provide to our families and communities is more accurate. We apologize for any inconvenience this may create for our families.

We will continue to monitor COVID cases and exposures as information is received, and report COVID cases to the state as required based on the information we receive. That data can be viewed at kycovid19.ky.gov.

If you have questions regarding our student and staff health policies related to COVID-19 or need to report positive cases, please contact Health Services Coordinator Melissa Jeffries, RN, at melissa.jeffries@henry.kyschools.us or 502-845-8621.