Back To School 2025-26

principal headhsot

Principal's Message

Dear Brown School Family, 

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year! This is going to be an amazing year. 

This year marks my 27th year in education and my 18th year as a member of the J. Graham Brown School family. I truly believe that J. Graham Brown School is the best school in the multiverse - and that has absolutely nothing to do with test scores and rankings. Our Self-Directed Learning Framework and our vision of forging reasoned minds and educated hearts make this a learning environment like no other. Our dedicated faculty and staff go the extra mile to provide a rich, warm, and engaging learning environment based on our four dispositions - Independence, Empathy, Innovation, and Advocacy. Students who graduate from our school are remarkable human beings, ready to face the next challenge that awaits them. Spend five minutes talking to our students and you'll see just how amazing they are!

Thank you so much for allowing us to help grow your student! It's an honor to be on this journey with you.

Love,

Dr. Angela

Events

🐻 Kindergarten Brigance Testing 2025

July 30, 2025 (by appointment only)

What is the Brigance Test? All incoming kindergarten students are given an early childhood screening assessment. The Brigance Inventory of Early Development identifies age equivalents of the development of children from birth to age seven.

Keep in Mind:

  • Arrive 5-10 minutes before your testing time

  • Park on 1st Street in front of the school and enter through the main entrance with the school's name

  • Because of our tight schedule, we will not have a chance to chat about your student's results on test day. However, JCPS typically sends results to your home.

  • Don't forget to join us for Kindergarten Camp on July 31.

You can make an appointment for your kindergartener by visiting our Brigance Sign-Up Genius. HERE

🐻 Kindergarten Camp 2025

July 31, 2025

What is Kindergarten Camp?  Students will have the opportunity to enjoy three fun activities, connect with some of their teachers and new classmates, and get to know the area of our school where they will spend much of their time—Cubs Corner. This experience is designed to make the first day of school an easier and more joyful transition. You and your child will attend either the morning session or the afternoon session.

While the students gather in Cubs Corner, family members are invited to join us for an orientation in the auditorium. Here, they’ll discover everything they need to know about our kindergarten and Brown School protocols. We’ll cover drop-off and pick-up procedures, classroom information, dress guidelines, what a typical day looks like for students, and more. Plus, there will be time set aside for your questions!

You can reserve your spot for either the morning or the afternoon session by visiting our Kindergarten Camp Sign-Up Genius. HERE

🐻 Open House 2025

TBD

Orientation Sessions

CLICK HERE - For Last Year's Orientation Recording from August 1, 2024

Our orientation sessions will cover topics such as:

  • Vision & Mission

  • Self-Directed Learning

  • School-Wide Expectations

  • Drop-off/Pick-up Procedures

  • Parent Involvement

  • School Fees & Lunch

  • Field Trips

  • School Policies

  • School Communication

  • How to Find Information

  • Addressing Concerns

  • Chromebooks

  • Q&A Time

PRESENTATION SLIDES FROM ORIENTATION

In-Person Orientation
TBD
Brown School Auditorium

Virtual Orientation*
TBD

*Recording will be posted here afterward.

Meet & Greet

Our Meet & Greet is an opportunity to locate classrooms, join the PTSA, purchase Brown School swag, say "Hi" to teachers, drop off school supplies, put items in lockers/cubbies (if available), drop off paperwork, pick up car rider tags, and get any last minute questions answered.

All first-time students to Brown should attend to familiarize themselves with our facility before the first day of school.

The elementary homeroom teachers will hand out car rider tags. Any middle or high school parent needing a car rider tag for their student will need to request one in the main office during the meet-and-greet.

Our 2025 Meet & Greet is scheduled for TBD.

Required Forms and Paperwork

K-12 Enrollment Forms

All required school paperwork will be completed and submitted online. Please use the links below to access JCPS Parent Place and complete the forms online or for more information on using Parent Place.

JCPS Parent Place

Parent Place Account Setup and Forms

Video: Parent Place

Online Registration & Form Process

Military Opt-Out Disclosure:Federal law requires schools to release the names, addresses, and numbers of all high school students to military recruiters. If you would like to opt your student out of military recruitment, please go to Parent Place, and complete the military opt-out form in the Optional Forms section. Please see THIS VIDEOfor assistance or call the school for help.

Kindergarten Paperwork

All kindergarteners must have the following paperwork on file before the first day of school.

Required kindergarten paperwork

You may submit the paperwork in the following ways.

  • Scan the documents in PDF format and email them to our records clerk, Rita Myers.

  • Mail the documents to our school address: 546 S. First St. Louisville, KY 40202

  • Bring the documents to Kindergarten Camp, Brigance Assessment, or to the Meet & Greet.

6th Grade Paperwork

All 6th graders must have the following paperwork on file before the first day of school.

Required 6th-grade paperwork

You may submit the paperwork in the following ways.

  • Scan the documents in PDF format and email them to our records clerk, Rita Myers.

  • Mail the documents to our school address: 546 S. First St. Louisville, KY 40202

  • Bring the documents to the Meet & Greet or to the in-person orientation.

School Fees and School Supplies

School Fees

At Brown School, we collect the Basic Fee (in green) from each student prior to school starting. As soon as your middle or high school schedule is finalized, you may pay the other elective course fees. Those families with an approved fee waiver form on file are not required to pay school fees.

Class/Fee Amount

Elementary Student Basic Fee - $25.00

Middle School Student Basic Fee* - $30.00

High School Student Basic Fee* - $50.00

Class Assessments 9th-12th (Fee Waiver Not Applicable) - $50.00

Advanced PE - $50.00

Band/Orchestra - $50.00

Ceramics/Sculpture - $50.00

Choir - $40.00

Computer Science - $60.00

Creative Writing/Journalism - $30.00

Drama - $45.00

Instrument Rental - $50.00

Science Elective (HS) - $50.00

Suzuki - $40.00

Visual Art Electives - $40.00

*Basic Fee includes a $10 operational fee and the remaining portion is an instructional fee.

My School Bucks

MySchoolBucks (MSB) is used to pay fees and for school meals. Signing up for an account is simple! Go to the MSB website by clicking here, search for the state your school district is in (Kentucky), select the district (Jefferson County Public Schools), fill in your contact information, and add student(s) to your account.

Adding your default payment method also makes check-out quick and easy. Once you’re logged in, go to your profile icon on the upper right side of the screen and click on “My Billing Accounts” to get started. Note that the “AutoPay Settings” are strictly for low balances with meal accounts. 

Once you start to receive invoices for your child, a notification will pop up each time you log in, alerting you of outstanding invoices that are linked to your child’s (Infinite Campus) class schedule. Simply add them to your basket and checkout, using the default payment method you set up or a different payment method.

If you have any questions regarding your login information or the site settings, reach out to the MSB support team via online chat on the website or by calling 1-855-832-5226 (M-F, 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM).

School Supplies

HERE are the supply lists for K-8. Middle school students taking high school classes will receive supply lists on the syllabus on the first two days of school.

High school students will receive supply lists on the syllabus on the first two days of school.

Medical Forms

If your student has a medical condition, we must have documentation on file. This includes if your student is self-carrying an asthma inhaler or an Epi-Pen. Please complete the forms below as soon as possible. New forms must be completed each year. Please visit the JCPS Health Services site to download the appropriate forms.

Important Information

Before and After School

Communication

The Bear Essentials

The Bear Essentials is our weekly family newsletter. It goes out on Wednesdays at noon, unless there is a shortened week or break from school. All parents who have signed up for School Messenger messages will receive a text and an email with the link unless you have opted out. Reading The Bear Essentials each week will keep you up to date on events, activities, and deadlines happening in our school. You can also find a link to The Bear Essentials on our home page.

School Messenger

School Messenger is the phone, email, and text messaging system used by Brown and JCPS to communicate our weekly newsletter, school cancellations, and safety alerts to you. It replaces our previous system. The following process will show you how to enter your contact information, set your preferences, and “opt-in” to continue receiving these messages from JCPS and/or your child’s school.

  • If you are a JCPS employee only, please click HERE for opt-in instructions.

  • If you are a JCPS parent or a JCPS employee AND parent, you may opt-in by texting the letter "Y" to 67587.

  • If you are a Brown School student, please click HERE to sign up.

If you'd like to customize the type of communications you'd like to receive on your phone or email, visit http://go.schoolmessenger.com and create an account. You can also set up and manage your contact information and preferences by downloading the [Blue] SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or Google Play

If you require further assistance, please call the JCPS Technology Service Desk at (502) 485-3552.

Google Calendar

You can now subscribe to our school's Google calendar, and you can view it using the calendar app on your phone!

To add our school-wide event calendar, using your phone, click THIS LINK

To add our school-wide athletic calendar, using your phone, click THIS LINK

Extras

Need New Brown School Swag?

All new merchandise will be fulfilled by our third-party partners and will ship directly to you.

CLICK HERE to shop.

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Change in Contact Information

If you are experiencing an address, phone, or email change over the summer, please notify the school secretary, Lisa Stevenson, so that she can make the appropriate updates in Infinite Campus.

The district and the school use the home addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers (text messages if signed up to receive those) to make sure that you receive communications needed throughout the summer and to remind you of important upcoming dates prior to the start of school for the 2023-24 school year.

Visiting Us This Summer

We are open from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM each day over the summer. (We are closed on holidays and close the early the day prior to a holiday.) If you need to visit us, please follow these procedures.

Please call us first to let us know you are coming! 502-485-8216

Ring the buzzer at the main door on S. 1st Street under the blue sign.