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Dear Colleagues:
Today is the first day of national Teacher Appreciation Week. From my days in the classroom, I remember staff rooms full of snacks and treats from parent groups to help show us how much they appreciated our efforts on behalf of their students throughout the year.
Teacher appreciation, I think, is universal. We all have those special educators who unexpectedly had an oversized impact on the direction our lives have taken.
Growing up in Meade County, I had a number of wonderful teachers who made a positive impact on my upbringing and life – not the least of which were my own mom and dad. JoAnn and Jim Glass both spent their professional lives working in education in service to our community. It makes me proud to think of their legacy, that they changed the course of lives other than just mine and my sister and brother. It’s that ability to help others and know that what you do matters that keeps many of us in the teaching profession.
One particularly great teacher I had was Dr. Sam Melloy, who taught English at Meade County High School, where I was in his class for my junior and senior year.
Several qualities made Dr. Melloy an exceptional teacher. First, he had a deep love and knowledge of the content he taught. He was passionate about literature in all its forms and loved the process of creative thinking and writing, which came through in his work with his students. Later, as a college student at the University of Kentucky, I remember being so thankful to have been exposed as a high school student to many of the writers, thinkers and concepts I found in my college English classes.
Dr. Melloy supported us in becoming writers in our own right. I recall in our senior writing project he allowed each student to choose a topic of our own interest and passion. He supported us through a process of developing our concepts, conducting in-depth research, gathering information, and organizing our findings and thinking into written pieces of which we were very proud.
Dr. Melloy also was genuinely interested in our development as young people and writers. He very closely read my writing project, providing helpful, supportive and critical/honest feedback. He pushed us to go deeper, to research different perspectives and points of view, and to revise and work on our writing pieces to shape them into quality work. He took the time necessary to support us individually in that effort.
As an adult, I have reflected on what talents I have and how I have used them to succeed in work and life. Foremost among those was a gift and love of writing, and I can trace back to those days in Dr. Melloy’s classes as a critical point in supporting my development as a writer.
So, as we begin Teacher Appreciation Week, I urge you to think about the teachers who helped guide and shape your life. Take a minute to be grateful for their impact in your life and how you can help be that person for somebody else.
I would like to thank all of Kentucky’s educators for all they do on behalf of their students and communities. The positive contributions you and your teachers make to the lives of young people and the future of our nation and world are immeasurable and I am so incredibly grateful for your dedication.
And finally, I wanted to share a little bit about a trip I made last week to Owsley County to visit the Early Head Start and Head Start programs, Owsley County Elementary School and Owsley County High School. It was an incredible visit and an opportunity to see meaningful, authentic and engaging learning experiences for students in each school. I particularly enjoyed speaking with different student groups about programs they are interested in and hearing about unique ways they interact with their community.
This trip was a great demonstration of two of the key pillars of United We Learn, Kentucky’s new vision for the future of learning in the Commonwealth. Creating a more vibrant experience for every student and finding genuine ways to collaborate with local communities are two key parts of this vision.
Students across Kentucky are growing up in a globally interconnected world; a world that is accelerating in competitiveness and possibility. Our children will only realize their full potential if we can ensure high-quality learning experiences that meet the needs of all students. I am thankful to Superintendent Bobrowski and each of the Owsley County Schools team members and students who took the time to say hello and show us around.
Kind regards,
Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.
Commissioner and Chief Learner
Kentucky DPH to Provide Take-Home COVID Tests to Districts
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) will provide over-the-counter, take-home COVID tests free of charge to school districts through a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the K-12 Schools COVID Testing Program.
The tests must only be used for the K-12 population (students/staff/household members).
Each box contains two tests. Each person can receive a box. Tests can be provided for students, staff and family members at home who also may need testing due to exposure. Tests will not be given to the student, but to the parent or guardian of the student.
As orders are for a box of two tests per person, if you are ordering for 100 students and staff, then order 200 tests.
Tests also are available for any school summer program/camp that serve K-12 children.
These tests are not required to be reported to DPH.
Orders should be placed via DPH by the local school district every Tuesday no later than 4 p.m. ET between now and mid-June. Districts should coordinate on behalf of their individual schools to place the order. Orders should be made for a four-week supply, and will be delivered in 7-10 days to your district’s central office.
Fill out your order request form online.
For more information about the at-home COVID tests, see this pdf or email Jim Alford.
2022 Persistence to Graduation Summit Call for Presenters
The Kentucky Department of Education’s Division of Student Success (DSS) is hosting the 2022 Persistence to Graduation Summit on June 28-29 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Louisville.
Superintendents, principals, educators, family resource youth service center coordinators, social service professionals and community partners from across Kentucky will share information and best practices to support students who may experience challenges to reaching graduation.
Engaging and interactive sessions will be hosted by facilitators from across the state and will include:
- Well-Rounded Educational Opportunities;
- Safe and Supportive Learning Environments;
- Effective Use of Education Technology;
- Student Transition and Re-engagement Strategies; and
- Alternative Education Programming.
These sessions are designed to be more engaging than the typical “sit and get” format of most conferences, and will be structured to encourage dialogue and exchanges that leverage the expertise of the session participants as well as the session leaders.
Facilitators will engage with participants throughout the session and help cultivate an interactive experience, mirroring the type of interactions that take place in highly engaging classrooms. Participants will have prior access to any materials.
Those interested in facilitating a session should complete the online form by May 13. Submissions will be reviewed by DSS staff and selected based on content, participant engagement and event needs. Those selected will be notified by email. Facilitators also will receive registration for the event and hotel accommodations.
For more information, email Sarah McIntosh.
Call for Best Practices to be Recognized at September’s Continuous Improvement Summit
The Kentucky Department of Education’s Best Practices and Sustainability webpage is open for submission of best practices from schools and districts.
The Best Practice website is designed to serve as a clearinghouse to promote practices that motivate, engage and provide measurable results in student learning, achievement and school/district processes. Any aspect of a school system that can impact student outcomes through improved instruction or operations can be submitted as a best practice.
Best practices should be submitted to the Best Practices database by May 13 to be considered for acknowledgement at the Continuous Improvement Summit, which is scheduled for Sept. 26-27. For additional information, email Natasha Stein.
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