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  • Monday Update Summary from 8/10/20

    Good morning, Last night, I hosted my weekly update on FB/YouTube. You can view that presentation on the Brown County Schools - Superintendent FB page or you can watch it on YouTube via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOKjjlxfOCE During the presentation, we celebrated the success of our return to school on August 5th. It genuinely feels like our purpose has returned! :) Our in-person return to school has gone extremely well. The students are being very responsible with understanding hygiene practices, mask wearing, and social distancing. We have had more challenges with our remote learning platform, but are committed to working out those bugs and settling into a routine remote learning experience. We received feedback last night that parents would like to see more masks breaks conducted. We will work with our partners at the Indiana State Department of Health to better understand how to safely conduct a mask break in the classroom. Governor's Grant We were VERY excited to share that Brown County Schools was awarded $50,000 to purchase 65 more Verizon hotspots AND to connect and additional @20 families with access to Mainstream Fiber. If you do not have internet access in your home, please complete this survey by Friday, August 14th at noon: https://forms.gle/9WY2Fr9DGvseFb2Q7 Other Technology Topics Use the Tech Hotline if you have issues with hardware or logging in. Leave a message at 812-988-5920 and your call will be returned. Contact the teacher/school if you have questions about how to complete an assignment or other content related questions. BCHS asks that all students get in the habit of taking their Chromebook devices home every evening. Breakfast in the Classroom Reminder that we are offering free breakfast for all students, K-12.  It doesn't matter if you qualify for Free/Reduced/Paid lunch.  Visit the Food Service page on our website to load balances for lunch AND to apply for free and reduced lunch benefits. Link is here:   http://www.browncountyschools.com/community/food-services/ We will continue with Monday live updates at 5:30pm until you no longer have an interest.  I hope you find the information helpful as we navigate through this unique school year. Sincerely, Dr. Laura Hammack, Superintendent 

    Tuesday, Aug 11 2020

  • NEW BCS VERIZON HOTSPOT - INTERNET ACCESS LOTTERY!!!

    NEW BCS HOTSPOT / INTERNET ACCESS LOTTERY!!! I am SO excited to share the news that Brown County Schools was recently awarded a grant from the state of Indiana to provide SIXTY-FIVE  more Verizon Hotspot devices to families in need!   ALSO, this grant will cover the addition of internet service for an additional TWENTY households located on the Mainstream Fiber network. If you do not have internet in your home and are able to be added to Mainstream's service, this grant will help you with the start up fee and will pay for your internet for this school year. This offer will only apply if you do not currently have internet service through Mainstream. Please complete this survey if you would like your family to be included in a lottery for a free Verizon Hotspot device OR free access to Mainstream Fiber internet in your home. The lottery is open to ALL families (remote and in-person) who attend Brown County Schools. Priority for the lottery will be given based on the conditions listed below. Please select ALL conditions that apply in your home: 1. At least one student living in the home is eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch. 2. Verizon is accessible/has service coverage in my home. ONLY ONE SURVEY MAY BE SUBMITTED PER HOUSEHOLD! The survey will close at 12:00pm on Friday, August 14th. If you already have a Verizon hotspot from the lottery held two weeks ago, please do not respond to this survey. THE SURVEY CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://forms.gle/kCSs6jG8fx342Xy46 Sincerely, Dr. Laura Hammack, Superintendent 

    Monday, Aug 10 2020

  • New Lunch Payment Option

    Brown County Schools is using a new online vendor for school lunch payment.   Visit:   SendMoneyToSchool.com Click: "Create a New Account" Submit your email address and create a password The site will walk you through how to find your child in the system. WHAT CAN I DO ON THIS WEBSITE? You can make deposits to your child’s account, view your child’s account activity, and see what your child has purchased. HOW SOON WILL MY DEPOSITS BE PROCESSED? Typically deposits will appear in your child’s account within 15 minutes. WHAT IF I DO NOT KNOW MY CHILD'S ID NUMBER? You will have to contact your child’s school to get the ID number. SendMoneyToSchool.com cannot process requests without correct ID numbers. CAN I MAKE ONE DEPOSIT FOR ALL OF MY CHILDREN? Yes. When you make the deposit you will tell us how much you want to place into each child’s account. SendMoneyToSchool.com will show you the total charge for all the deposits and combine them into a single transaction. CAN I MOVE MONEY FROM ONE CHILD'S ACCOUNT TO ANOTHER'S? Certainly. Once you've registered more than one student under your account, you can transfer funds between children. The only catch is that you can only transfer as much money as was deposited through this site, and both students in the transfer must be from the same school district. You can still use eFunds to pay online. We understand that SendMoneyToSchool.com is easier to navigate and more user friendly.   Sincerely, Don Hymer, Director of Food Service

    Monday, Aug 10 2020

  • BETA Teen After School Club

    Our friends from BETA asked me to share this flyer:

    Thursday, Aug 06 2020

  • BCHS Boys' Basketball Online Store/Fundraiser

    From Coach Roberts, BCHS Boys Basketball Coach: BCHS Boys Basketball has an online store where you can get your Eagle gear! Perfect for the start of school and upcoming athletic competitions. Note that we have some mask options as well. Pay online and items ship directly to you home within 7-10 days. Boys Basketball also receives a small profit from each purchase as well. Thanks so much for the support! Order here: https://browncountyeagles.itemorder.com/sale

    Thursday, Aug 06 2020

  • Special Meeting of the Board of School Trustees: 7/...

    Good morning, Last evening, the Board of School Trustees of Brown County Schools held a special meeting to discuss the 2020-2021 Return to School Plan. The BCS Administration and Board of School Trustees appreciates the feedback offered during public comment and will consider that feedback as we continue to improve our plans. The Board took no action to alter the plan or change the school calendar. Therefore, school will start as originally planned for remote and in-person learners on August 5. Respectfully, Dr. Laura Hammack, Superintendent 

    Friday, Jul 31 2020

  • Looking for a great job? Join our Food Service Team!

    Are you looking for a great job that mirrors the school calendar?  Join our food service teams as a Chartwells employee! Our Director of Food Service, Don Hymer, is currently accepting and reviewing applications for food service employees in Brown County Schools. If interested in applying, please follow these steps: Apply online at: compassgroupcareers.com Click on "hourly." Put 47448 in location search. A link will appear for application Our food service teams SAVE LIVES EVERYDAY! They are amazing!

    Thursday, Jul 30 2020

  • Monday Update with Dr. Hammack Summary: 7/27/20

    Good morning, Last night, I was live on YouTube/Facebook.  If you are interested in watching the presentation, you can visit the Brown County Schools-Superintendent FB page or watch it on YouTube here:   https://youtu.be/OiydI4r4H10     During the meeting, I reviewed the following topics: Clarified the Governor's Executive Order requires 6ft. of social distancing be in place in classrooms for masks to be removed in Grades 3-12.  Previous guidance had indicated 3-6ft. The hotspot lottery survey was issued on Saturday and will be open until midnight on Wednesday the 29th.  Please check Parent Square if you are interested in participating in the lottery.  If you want to change your school participation selection from what you submitted on the return to school student survey, please contact the school office.  Also, if you want to change your transportation selection, please notify the Transportation Department:  812-988-5412 Check out Parent Square for an EASY way to apply online for free and reduced lunch benefits.  BCJHS and BCHS registration is today and tomorrow.  BCJHS:  7/28 from 8am-4pm and 7/29 from 10am - 6pm BCHS:  7/28 from 10am-6pm and 7/29 from 8am-4pm Vaccinations will be available for ALL students at BCHS today and tomorrow during registration hours for BCHS.   Additionally, the Board of School Trustees of Brown County Schools will hold a special meeting this Thursday, July 30th in the Brown County Junior High School gymnasium at 6:00pm.  The purpose of this meeting is to discuss Return to School plans for 2020-2021 and to take public comment regarding those plans. The Board met in a public session at BCHS on July 16th and approved the 2020-2021 Return to School plan. The special meeting is being held to listen to any additional feedback that has developed since the last public meeting and take public comment. Please see the attached public notice of special public meeting for more information. Masks will be required at this meeting, per Governor Holcomb's Executive Order and we ask that the public respect 6ft. social distancing. The meeting will be streamed on YouTube; however, there will be no Q&A via this platform during the meeting.  You can access the meeting here:   https://youtu.be/hH5qBhh-M2M Please let me know if you have any questions. Take good care. Sincerely, Dr. Laura Hammack, Superintendent

    Tuesday, Jul 28 2020

  • Free and Reduced Lunch Online Application: SO EASY!!!!

    Parents, Did you know that you can sign up for Free/Reduced Lunch online? It's SOOOOOOO easy!!! 1. Visit: Lunchapp.com 2. Click, “Start an Application” 3. Click the box where it says, “I have reviewed and agree to the LunchApp.com Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.” 4. Click Continue 5. Type “Brown County Schools” in the Text Box 6. Click Brown County Schools (in blue) 7. Read the Parent Letter 8. Click Continue 9. The website will walk you through your application! Applying for these incredible benefits has never been easier. Give it a try! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Chartwells Food Service Team: Paula Waterman: pwaterman@browncountyschools.com Director:  Don Hymer: 812-988-5423

    Monday, Jul 27 2020

  • Home Screening for COVID-19

    Process for Screening for COVID-19 at Home The current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend screening all students and employees for COVID-19 symptoms and history of exposure to COVID-19. The priority for preventing the spread of disease in the school setting is to insist that sick employees and students stay home. Additionally, students and employees should remain home if someone in the household has a COVID-19 diagnosis or is being tested for COVID-19 and awaiting results.  Staying home when sick is one of the most important actions we can take to prevent the spread of disease, including COVID-19. Doing so can keep our level of disease within the school building to a minimum and ultimately allow us to keep our school buildings open. All students and employees are required to self-screen daily before coming to school. Students and employees exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 without being otherwise explained, are prohibited from coming to school. If they do come to school, they will be sent home immediately.  It is the responsibility of the Parent/Guardian to conduct a symptom check of their child before the child boards the school bus or before they leave the home for school by another form of transportation. If you do not have a working thermometer at home please let your child’s school know and we will provide you with one. Any student or employee must stay home from school/work if they have one or more of the following symptoms: A fever of 100.4F or greater New or worsening cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Chills Repeated shaking with chills Muscle pain Headache Sore throat New loss of taste or smell Recent exposure to someone who is COVID-19 positive If a student or employee stays home due to one or more of the symptoms listed above, please complete the following: Students: Call your school to inform them of your child’s symptoms and to receive instructions as to when they may return Employees: Call your Supervisor to inform them of your symptoms and to receive instructions as to when you may return We highly encourage you to seek medical advice from a physician on symptoms and COVID-19 testing prior to returning Closely and frequently monitor symptoms of other school-age children in your home If a student or employee tests positive or is diagnosed with COVID-19 by a physician, please immediately call the COVID-19 POSITIVE TEST HOTLINE at  (812) 988-3477. This line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If a student or employee has been in close contact with someone that has tested positive with COVID-19 or diagnosed with COVID-19 by a physician, please self-quarantine at home for 14 days and monitor for the symptoms listed above. If self-quarantining or you have been advised to quarantine by the Health Department, please call your child’s school and notify them of the absence. Employees should call their Supervisor. Please refer to the Brown County Schools Return To School Plan for guidance regarding when students and employees can return to school after having a COVID-19 diagnosis or symptoms. You may also contact the Health Office at your child’s school for more information. See the attached documents for more information. Note, there are TWO pages. Sincerely, Dr. Laura Hammack, Superintendent Mrs. Holly Gordon, Corporation Nurse 

    Monday, Jul 27 2020