Website: https://www.ksb.kyschools.us
Location: 1867 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206
Phone: (502) 897-1583

Fax: (502) 897-2850
Facebook: facebook.com/KYschoolfortheblind/
Twitter: @KSBWildcats

We were so excited to have our playground dedication ceremony yesterday before the weather took a sharp turn. We had a wonderful turnout of students, staff, donors and community members to celebrate Anthony's Wish-our brand new accessible playground. Anthony made the wish for this playground for all of KSB to enjoy for years to come, and after the ribbon cutting today, our students all got extra recess and tested out the equipment! Thank you to all who put their hearts into make this happen and thank you to the following donors: Make A Wish Foundation, The Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation, Downtown Louisville Lions Club, Zoeller Pump Co., Stanley Schultz & Company Inc., Kentucky Society Southern Dames of America, Mrs. Sharon Zoeller Dueffert, Mr. Mitch Barnes, Mr. Gary McGruder and the Louisville Herbal Society.

Check out the Spectrum News coverage of the ribbon cutting here.

🎵Next Thursday at 1:30 in the cafteria is our Fall Concert featuring KSB 9th and 10th Grade Musicians. We would love for families to join us for this event. Students performing, remember to dress nicely for your performance.

• Freshman/sophomore concert-Thursday, November 17, 1:30PM (KSB Cafeteria)
• Thanksgiving Break-Monday, November 21-Friday, November 25
• Picture Day-Wednesday, November 30
• Winter Break-December 19-January 2

If you have any change in phone numbers, home address, a change in bus routine or you need someone added/removed from your child’s safe pick-up list; please contact Beth or Linda in the front office.

Are you signed up for OneCall? KSB uses OneCall to send school information, including our Weekly Wildcat. If not, please contact Beth Baker at beth.baker@ksb.kyschools.us or 502-897-1583

❄️KSB Inclement Weather Scenarios❄️

• Students in the dorm and JCPS on delay
• KSB will delay the start of school, identical to JCPS.
• Students in dorm and JCPS cancels classes due to weather
• KSB will operate on a two-hour delayed schedule
• Parents responsible for transportation
• If a storm is predicted to cause a significant impact on the state, KSB will disseminate information (OneCall, Facebook, email, …) with the plan for the closure or delay of school. Students will take home devices and needed materials in anticipation of NTI learning.

A parent/guardian should call the KSB Office (502-897-1583, ext. 0204) for each day their child will not be at school to report the nature of their child’s absence. If possible, please call the school before 7:45 am. A student’s absence can only be reported to the KSB Office.

Excused absences:

• Medical appointments which cannot be scheduled at non-school times
• Death in the family
• Student illness
• Unavoidable transportation issues
• Other just and legitimate causes, as determined by the Principal

K /1 is working on a story call Five Flying Turkeys. They are working on story elements and vocabulary.

2nd Grade ELA is focusing on reading fluency and finding key details in a text.

5th Grade ELA is continuing their book study with Esperanza Rising. We are tracking the changes Esperanza is going through.

Middle School:

This week in middle school ELA, the students made inferences from the book: Percy Jackson and the Olympians--The Lightning Thief. The students were able to make appropriate inferences regarding the main character's personality development and about what might happen later in the novel. The students were able to produce videos with a partner on the website called "FlipGrid". They did a fantastic job with their assignment!

High School:

High school English classes have jumped into the classic novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. We continue to analyze the text for themes and motifs: betrayal, family relationships, forgiveness, and the struggle for power. Students are making connections between the characters and the plot to their own lives and the world around them. Students are becoming more fluent readers as they read aloud and discover the power of words.

School Store Winter Extravaganza💰

The KSB School Store is doing three promotions between now and Winter Break!

• Any student who has 100% attendance between now and Friday of Winter Break gets a free candy bar or soda from the school store. (while supplies last)
• Any student who has 100% attendance between now and Friday of Winter Break goes into a drawing for a $25.00 prize from the School Store.
• Any student who brings in a canned food item and donates it to the food drive will go into a drawing to win a $40.00 prize from the school store. (One entry per can, no limit on the number of cans you donate.)

Sensory efficiency refers to a person’s ability to use her senses to access the environment. For a person who is sighted, visual perception makes up a significant portion of the information that is absorbed and processed. Individuals with vision impairments must learn to access information from the environment in a somewhat different way.

Smell/taste:

Sensory efficiency through smell and taste can involve things like food identification and learning to determine if a food is fresh or spoiled, using smell to pick up on environmental cues when traveling, or identifying clothing items that need washing.

Touch:

Many students with vision impairments rely on a sense of touch to communicate, either through the use of braille or through tactile object symbols. Touch is an important component of exploring the environment, including using the feet to feel a change in terrain on a walk. Sensory efficiency in this realm can also involve learning tactile discrimination between things like clothing fabrics for outfit selection, food items for meal preparation, and locating personal belongings. (i.e. a student finding her own jacket in a classroom coat closet).

• How we handle mistakes
• How we deal with frustration
• How we solve problems
• How we take care of ourselves
• How we apologize and repair
• How we ask for help
• How we “speak up” for self and others
• How we navigate conflict
• How we approach differences
• How we care for animals
• How we care for our environment
• How we listen

😊 Please refer to the KSB Residential Parent Webpage for the recreation schedule and any changes. This is a live document therefore it can change as situations or staffing issues evolve, so be sure to check regularly.

Reminder:

When going through your child’s clothes to make the switch to colder temps, please remember that the residential program accepts any gently used clothing that you may have and no longer need. You may donate your gently used clothing, accessories, shoes, etc. to the dormitory as a tax deductible donation. You would receive a letter as a receipt of the charitable donation that can be used on your taxes. If donating, please clearly identify the items and send them to Allison Chandler, Residential Director. Please accept our gratitude in advance for any donations.

The KSB Varsity Goalball teams competed at the 2022 NCASB Goalball Conference Championships this past weekend (November 4-5) at Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis, MO. The Girls Varsity played well and gave it their all, but feel short, finishing the tournament at 0-2. The Boys Varsity team played well, finishing the tournament undefeated and winning First Place! Congratulations to the KSB Boys Varsity Goalball team for being this year’s 2022 NCASB Goalball Conference Championships.

Cheerleading Practices starts Monday, November 14. Please contact coaches Crystal (Johnson) Sohl or Melissa Evers with any questions.

The APH ConnectCenter includes FamilyConnect, CareerConnect, and VisionAware – a hub of websites that offer curated advice and resources to assist children, parents, adults, job seekers who are blind or visually impaired, and their associated professionals, leading to greater independence and success in their lives.

Navigating and Negotiating Successful IEP and 504 Outcomes

Wednesdays, November 16th, December 21st, 2022, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
In this a 5-part webinar we will share how to navigate the process of getting your child the appropriate support at school. This will cover the evaluation, present levels, annual IEP goals, accommodations and supplements and the service deliver model.
Register Here for Navigating and Negotiating Successful IEP and 504 Outcomes

Ask the Advocate

Wednesdays, November 30th, December 28th, 2022, 7:00 – 8:30 PM EST
Answering questions families have to better understand the processes, procedures and parent rights in a 504/IEP. When parents are better informed they will be better equipped to navigate and negotiate successful student outcomes.
Register Here for Ask the Advocate

Looking for more event opportunities? The ConnectCalendar is a one-stop resource for all events in the field of blindness and low vision. You can also submit events to share with the community and we’ll help spread the word.

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