KCD Lower School News

Iris Dement at Kentucky Country Day School Theater

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:38:37 +0000

Kentucky Country Day School is proud to welcome renowned singer-songwriter Iris Dement to our new theater on November 12, 2010. Tickets go on sale August 20. For more information, call the theater information line at 502-814-4365.

Lower School Back to School Information

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:25:41 +0000

The forms listed below contain information specific to students in the Lower School (JK through fourth grade). Forms and information relevant to students in all divisions can be found on the Back to School home page.

Start of School Schedule

Lower School New Parent Orientation: Thursday, August 19, 9:30–10:30 am in the Commons.
Lower School Opening Day Picnic and Classroom Visitation: Wednesday, August 25 (details below).
First Day of School: Thursday, August 26

Early dismissal for JK and K students

JK and kindergarten students will be dismissed at 11:45 am on August 26-27. They will have lunch at school. Email afterschool@kcd.org if you would like your child to attend Bearcat Den following the early dismissal.

Classroom Supplies

KCD provides school supplies for all students enrolled by June 1, 2010. These supplies will be waiting in classrooms on the day of the Back to School picnic.

All students must supply a backpack large enough to hold a folder — no wheels, please.

Students enrolled after June 1, 2010, will need to purchase their own supplies. Please call the Lower School Office (814-4324) for a list of needed supplies.

Summer Reading Lists

Suggested and required reading lists for students are posted below.

Gym Clothes

Parents who wish to do so may order KCD gym clothing online through the KCD Alumni Association, but this is not a requirement of the PE department. The link to the Gym Clothing Store is available at the top of every page of the KCD website. Clothing purchased through the Alumni Association meets all the PE requirements described below. This document explains the ordering procedure. Please review this document before placing your order.

Please note that the PE department no longer requires students to put their names on their gym shirts. Please see below to review the updated PE clothing requirements.

PE Clothing Guidelines for JK and K: JK and K students do not change clothes for PE; however, they must have sneakers.
PE Clothing Guidelines for grades 1–4: This document explains the gym clothing requirements for grades 1–4.

Important Lower School Resources

After School Programs & Intramural Athletics: Information on KCD's after school and intramural programs for next year will be available soon.
Carpool Procedures: This document explains carpool dropoff and pickup procedures for the Lower School.
Lower School Dress Code: This document explains the Lower School dress code.
Medical Policies & Procedures: This document explains the procedures and forms needed for the opening of school.
Lower School Student-Parent Handbook: Policies and procedures in the Lower School.

Back to School Picnic

Meet the Teacher and Lower School Family Picnic Day will be on Wednesday, August 25. Please bring a picnic lunch and your whole family to meet other KCD families. The school will provide drinks.

JK/K Play Date: August 25, 10:30-11:00 am
Meet Your Teacher (JK–4): August 25, 11:00 am–12:00 noon
Family Picnic (JK–4): August 25, 11:30 am–1:00 pm

Faculty honored at year-end luncheon

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:09:24 +0000

At the conclusion of each school year, some KCD faculty members are presented with endowed chair and other awards during the year-end luncheon. These awards are based on nominations from the KCD faculty and recognize a commitment to the art of teaching and dedication to KCD students. This year's award recipients were:

Michelle Pascal: The Alumni Assoc. Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching
Lydia Brownlow: The Nancy Bowling Endowed Chair in English, History & the Humanities
Mark Endicott: The Edward E. Ford Foundation Endowed Chair in US Science
Michael Goldberg: The Board of Trustees Endowed Chair in Mathematics and Computer Science
Sarah Shartzer: The Board of Trustees Endowed Chair in Mathematics and Computer Science
Maggie Towne: Eric Davis Memorial Faculty Award

In addition, two faculty members were recognized for service to KCD:

Diane Brey: thirty-five years
Sandy Mead: thirty years

Great aerial shot of campus

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:54:58 +0000

Thanks to Tom Hayes for this terrific shot of campus and the new theater building. This photo really puts the new construction into perspective and shows how this new facility is transforming our campus!

New water catchment systems for KCD sister schools

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:35:04 +0000

We are please to report that KCD is once again this year able to fund the construction of two new rainwater harvesting systems at schools in our Sister City of Tamale, Ghana. Last week, $8,800 USD were transferred to Sister Cities of Tamale who, under the supervision of Mr. Kaleem Jehanfo (past president of Sister Cities of Tamale and visitor to KCD in May 2009), has already begun construction of the two systems. This year, one system will go to KCD sister school TISSEC for the boys' dormitory, and the other will go to Vitting Secondary School, a nearby boarding high school in great need of supplementary water supply.

When the KCD student delegation traveled to Tamale in February of this year, the water supply for the city of Tamale was severed, and the two systems installed last year (one at TISSEC's girls' dormitory and one at Dahin Sheli), were the reason that girl students and women on the faculty did not have to miss class or endure long walks in search of water for their campuses.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this ongoing annual project, particularly the Sing for Water program on Grandparents' Day. We once again plan to attempt to fund an additional system through KCD community philanthropic efforts in the 2010-2011 school year under the direction of Ghana Water Project Director Brina Stephens.

More photos

Thank you!

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:11:27 +0000

On behalf of Brad Lyman and the KCD faculty and staff, we would like to extend a heartfelft thank you to parent association chair Heather Alford and all the wonderful volunteers of the KCD Parent Association.

The PA is an integral part of the our community, and KCD would simply not be the great place it is without all the imagination, creativity, and hard work of Ms. Alford and the other PA volunteers this year. Thank you!

Alumnus endows library fund

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:09:58 +0000

Thanks to the generosity of Aquinas Preparatory alumnus Lowry Watkins Jr. ’64, the Robertson Library is now the beneficiary of the Lowry and Marshall Watkins Library Fund. The fund will allow the library to purchase new books for students in all three divisions. Books purchased through the fund will be identified by a special bookplate.

Mr. Watkins attended a reception in the library this week and shared cookies and lemonade with Ms. Purdie’s kindergarten class. Thanks to Mr. Watkins for his contribution to our library!

Photo set on Flickr

Bearcat Den available for half day on June 2

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:13:52 +0000

June 2 is the last day of school at KCD and is a half day for all lower school students. Provided that fifteen students preregister, Bearcat Den will be offering care following dismissal.

To register, please email Eli Keel at afterschool@kcd.org. The registration deadline is Tuesday, June 25, at 3:00 pm.

Late registrations will be charged a late registration fee of $15. Children without registrations will not be allowed to attend.

Fees

Bearcat Den Members: Additional $10
Non-members: $25

Please note that by preregistering for this day, you are accepting responsibility for payment, regardless of your child’s attendance.

Children will need a non-microwaveable lunch and drink. Please have your child wear comfortable clothing and gym shoes. Planned activities include craft, games, and outside/gym playtime.

We look forward to seeing your child at Bearcat Den. Please contact Eli Keel at (502) 814-4350 or afterschool@kcd.org if you have an questions.

Bearcat Chorus presents Welcome to the Jungle

james.booker — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:07:05 +0000

On Monday, lower schoolers in Jeannine Ary’s Bearcat Chorus performed their version of Welcome to the Jungle for an audience of parents and other family members. The performance was a musical adaptation of Aesop’s famous fable of the Lion and the Mouse.

Photo set on Flickr

Lower schoolers dig Exploremore 2010!

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:31:17 +0000

The Parent Association would like to extend some sincere “peace and love” to Cindy McCarthy and Steffi Sparks, co-chairs of this year’s Lower School Exploremore.

Cindy and Steffi and their committee created a truly groovy 60’s theme for this year’s event. This event simply would not be possible without the dozens of parents who taught classes and volunteered to help out during the day.

Photo set on Flickr

KCD to launch Ghana Container Project

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:09:31 +0000

In the 2010-2011 academic year, KCD will undertake a significant community project, which is to collect, organize, and ship used and surplus school, athletic, and medical supplies to our sister schools in Tamale, Ghana on a forty-foot marine shipping container. We hope to collect a variety of items through donations from the KCD and greater Louisville community and plan to sort, organize, and store them on campus prior to loading and shipping them in the middle or later part of next year. The first collection of used or extra items is our annual end-of-the-year school supplies drive going on in all three divisions right now.

Beginning in the fall, we will organize some targeted drives requesting donations of used athletic and school equipment, books, clothes, running shoes, and surplus medical supplies and equipment. And we’ll need your help, not just of extra items you might not need that you could contribute, but also your connections to organizations, businesses, and people in the city of Louisville who might also want to donate some surplus items. The goal is to accomplish a major contribution of necessary goods to Tamale without costing anyone a penny, and to that end, we believe we have the actual shipping of the container from Louisville to Ghana already donated at this time!

So instead of getting rid of unneeded or outgrown school, athletic, or medical supplies this summer, please consider donating them to the KCD Ghana Container!

This project is being spearheaded by Ms. Jean Amick and is in cooperation with Rotary Club of Louisville, Supplies Over Seas, and Sister Cities of Louisville, who are collectively working to ship another two containers filled with medical supplies and equipment to Tamale as well. For more information, or to join the group organizing this exciting project, please contact Ms. Amick at jean.amick@kcd.org or (502) 814-4147.

Reading Connection, May 2010

admin — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:49:15 +0000

The May issue of the Reading Connection newsletter is attached below.

Attachment	Size
Reading-Connection-05-10.pdf	209.4 KB

Mr. Lyman elected to Southern Headmasters Association

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:56:11 +0000

Congratulations to KCD Head of School Brad Lyman, who has been elected to membership in the Southern Headmasters Association, a selective group of school heads that has included many prominent and well-known members. The society is limited to twenty sitting heads of school and retired inductees. Mr. Lyman is the first member elected from Kentucky because the organization does not ordinarily choose members from ISACS-accredited schools. To be nominated as an exception to this rule is a real honor for Mr. Lyman.

First graders prepare to plant sunflowers

james.booker — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:27:07 +0000

Here are a few pictures of Ms. Smith’s first grade class, working in Ms. Giesel’s sunflower garden on Earth Day, April 22. The students tilled the soil in order to plant the seeds this week. The sunflowers will come up this summer and will be in full bloom when students return to school in August. The biggest sunflower gets displayed at the Kentucky State Fair each year. Ms. Giesel sent home sunflower seeds with all grades over the past few weeks, and those seeds were harvested from last year’s crop.

Photo set on Flickr

Meet your 2010-2011 Parent Association Board Members

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:17:10 +0000

Our mission is to provide the KCD parents with an accessible and actionable voice that improves our community. We hope that you will consider joining us in the effort to continue strengthening the spirit and impact of our KCD community.

Heather Alford, Past Chair
Most recently served as the PA Chair for the 2009-2010 school year. She has served on the Parent Association Board for several years as the LS Liaison and the Vice Chair. She has been involved in the KCD community as a volunteer for ten years. Heather also works outside KCD in the Oldham County School system. Her husband, Hank, is an attorney with Middleton Reutlinger. Heather and Hank have three children at KCD: Olivia (ninth grade) plays soccer and lacrosse; Jackson (sixth grade) plays soccer, football, and lacrosse; and Coleman (third grade) enjoys swimming and art.

Patricia Bennett, Chair
Patricia has worked in a variety of volunteer positions, including LS grade rep, Exploremore, KCD Booster Club, and Communications for the PA Board. Patricia works as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch. Her husband Michael is the President of Bluegrass Medical. Their children Max (seventh grade) and Mason (fifth grade) are primarily involved in drama, basketball, baseball, football, and golf.

Rebecca Bailey, Vice Chair
Rebecca is new to the KCD community during the 2009-2010 school year. We welcome her fresh perspective as a former member of the Parent’s Association at Goshen Elementary, a blue ribbon-awarded school in Oldham County where she averaged 20-40 hours of volunteering time in a variety of roles, including fundraising and classroom assistant. She helped this year with the Book Fair and as the fifth/sixth grade baseball team parent coordinator. Her husband Alan is the Assistant Treasurer at Humana. Their children Nicholas (fifth grade) and Grayson (first grade) are involved in basketball, baseball, and flag football.

Debbie Widman, Treasurer
Debbie has served as the Assistant Treasurer preparing to assume the responsibilities next year as Treasurer of the Parent’s Association. In addition, she has worked with BearKitten Publishing, Art to Remember, Teacher Appreciation, LS and MS grade rep, and MS Tennis. She works with her husband Ron, who is the President of Retail Property Management. Their children Austin (seventh grade) and Connor (fifth grade) are involved in tennis and basketball.

Jennie Gomez, Assistant Treasurer
Jennie graduated from KCD in 1980 and has continued through the years to offer her help and support to KCD. She has recently worked as a MS grade rep. As a former partner in Fenley Real Estate, Jennie brings a wealth of business experience to the board. Currently, Jennie and her husband Victor, an accomplished marathon runner, work together investing in real estate and other business ventures. Their daughter Ania is in the seventh grade grade at KCD and is involved in music, theater, art, and basketball. Their son Max is a first grader at Summit Academy and enjoys basketball, baseball, and boy scouts.

Andrea Bruns, Communications
Andrea is serving thesecond year of a two-year term in the Communications role on the Parent Association Board. She has previously been a Lower School Grade Rep. In addition to her work at KCD, she works as a Director of Advocacy for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a nonprofit that advocates for abused and neglected children who are involved in the judicial system. She is married to Richard Bruns, Director of Compensation and Benefits for American Commercial Lines, Inc. Their children Grace (fourth grade) and Quinn (first grade) are interested in soccer, swimming, field hockey, and girl scouts.

Chris Hirsch, US Liaison
Chris has previously held the US Liaison and the first Communications position on the PA Board. Chris has also volunteered as a Grade Rep in lower and middle school, Explore Louisville, and co-chaired KCDate. She is married to Tom, Managing Director of Merrill Lynch. Their daughter, Rachel, (eighth grade) plays field hockey and lacrosse for KCD and has an added interest in playing field hockey for IFHCK and Futures. Their son Brad attends the University of Maryland.

Barbie Dickens, MS Liaison
Barbie currently serves as a Grade Rep and assisted on the search committee for the new MS Director. As the General Counsel for the Louisville Water Company, Barbie brings her business background and experience to the board. She is married to Scott, a partner at the firm Fultz, Maddox, Hovious & Dickens, PLC. Their son John is a recent graduate of KCD. Their children Jake (sixth grade), Cole (fifth grade), and Gray (third) are dirt bike enthusiasts and are interested in football, baseball, and boy scouts.

Elizabeth Poindexter, LS Liaison
Elizabeth has worked as the LS Lunch Parent coordinator, LS grade rep, and the Teacher and Staff Appreciation Committee this year. She is married to Philip, Executive Vice President of Stockyards Bank and Trust Company, and who currently serves on KCD’s Board of Directors. Their daughter Lucy (third grade) enjoys field hockey, art, and tennis. Their son Charlie (kindergarten) loves baseball and basketball.