Last Updated on Friday, April 18, 2008 at 5:01 AM
Jan. 15, 2008
Happy birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this issue:
*Weather make-up days
*Important testing dates
*College Goal Sunday
*No Name-Calling Week
*Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Weather make-up days
As Old Man Winter works his magic in Kentucky this month, remember to regularly check your child’s district calendar for changes in scheduling due to snow and inclement weather days. Along with checking in with media outlets for school closing, you also may want to check with your district to see if it provides some sort of e-mail or telephone notification when schools are closing. Some districts allow you to sign-up for this service on their Web sites.
Important testing dates
The ACT assessment will be available for all Kentucky public school 11th grade students in the spring of 2008.
ACT Test Schedule:
· March 11 - ACT administration
· March 25 - ACT administration make-up day
· March 11-25 - ACT administration window for students with accommodations
For more information about the ACT, click here.
Soon after the ACT testing concludes for high school juniors, right around the corner is Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) testing time.
CATS is designed to improve teaching and student learning in Kentucky. CATS includes the Kentucky Core Content Test, writing portfolios and prompts, alternate assessments for students with severe to profound disabilities, the ACT, PLAN and nonacademic components..
This year’s CATS testing moratorium is April 21-May 2. Be sure not to schedule doctor, dentist appointments, etc., for your child during this time.
For more information about CATS, click here.
College Goal Sunday
College Goal Sunday (CGS) is a statewide charitable program, scheduled for Jan. 27, that provides free information and assistance to Kentucky families applying for college financial aid. It mobilizes financial aid professionals from Kentucky colleges and universities to help college-bound students and their families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form is required for any student seeking federal financial aid–including grants and loans–for all colleges and universities in the nation.
CGS targets disadvantaged and low-income students who need financial aid to attend college and who need help applying for that aid.
The non-profit Kentucky Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (KASFAA), in cooperation with the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), established College Goal Sunday.
There are 20 sites in 19 different Kentucky cities for College Goal Sunday. Click here to find the closest one to you.
To learn more about FAFSA, including a list of important FAFSA dates, click here.
No Name-Calling Week (Jan. 21-25) is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an ongoing dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities.
“The Misfits,” a popular youth novel by James Howe, is the inspiration for No Name Calling Week. The book tells of four best friends trying to survive 7th grade while being constantly taunted based on weight, height, intelligence and gender expression. The students decide to create a new party during school student council elections and run on a platform of ending name-calling of all kinds.
No Name-Calling Week seeks to focus national attention on the problem of name-calling in schools.
Take some time this week to talk with your child about the importance of not using name-calling to hurt other children.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. King was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. What he accomplished and what he stood for in those 39 short years was enough to rank him as the second-most admired person in the 20th century (behind only Mother Teresa), according to a Gallup Poll.
We celebrate his birthday with a national holiday. This year, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day falls on Jan. 21. (The holiday is always the third Monday in January.) Kentucky schools aren’t in session on this day, but that doesn’t mean students can’t spend some time learning about Dr. King and his causes. Here’s some interesting facts you might want to share with your child.
- Dr. King sang with his church choir at the 1939 Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind.
- He skipped 9-12th grades without formally graduating high school but enrolled in Morehouse College at age 15.
- At age 26, King received his Ph.D. from Boston University.
- Dr. King was awarded 20 honorary degrees from various colleges and universities in the U.S. and several foreign countries.
- The Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated, is now the site of the National Civil Rights Museum.
- He is one of 10 20th century martyrs from across the world depicted in statues above the Great Door of Westminster Abbey.
- Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, and received posthumous awards in 1977 (Presidential Medal of Freedom) and 2004 (Congressional Gold Medal).
- As of 2006, more than 730 cities in the U.S. had streets named after Dr. King.
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from Strength to Love, 1963
“We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. The broad education will, therefore, transmit to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living.”
From The Purpose of Education, at Morehouse College, 1948
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Web links in this issue:
College Goal Sunday
http://www.kasfaa.com/cgs/default.htm
http://www.kasfaa.com/cgs/locations.htm
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Important testing dates
ACT
http://education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/
Testing+and+Reporting+/District+Support/ACT+Inc+Assessments/
The+ACT.htm
CATS
http://education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/
Testing+and+Reporting+/CATS/
No Name Calling Week
http://www.nonamecallingweek.org/cgi-bin/iowa/home.html
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
http://www.thekingcenter.org/
Contact the editor: susan.riddell@education.ky.gov
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