June 15, 2008

Parent Info

Last Updated on Tuesday, July 01, 2008 at 5:00 AM

In this issue:

*Happy Father's Day

*Bugs and books

*2008-09 ACT test dates

*ACT helps parents prepare for college, too
*Top 10 summer dangers to kids

*Three JCPS schools in Newsweek's Top U.S. Schools

Happy Father's Day

Still looking for that perfect Father's Day present? Trying to come up with a new fun-filled activity for the dad in your life? Click here for a helpful resource. On this site, you'll find everything relating to Father's Day. You can also check out the history of Father's Day as well as meaningful quotes and sayings about dear ol’ dad.

Bugs and books

Sure, the cicadas are here (OK, everywhere), but there are other bugs parents should be aware of.

The 2008 Catch the Reading Bug theme for the public library summer reading program is sponsored by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA).

Children are being encouraged to "Catch the Reading Bug" at their local public libraries, and teens are engaging in the bug theme "Metamorphosis at Your Library."

Kentucky is one of 46 states that belong to the National Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), the consortium promoting the program.

It is important for children and teens to keep reading during the summer. Research has shown that children who do not read during the summer can lose as much as 2.5 months of learning over the school break.

This year the program has public libraries featuring bug-related books, poetry, games, and science and art activities. Some Kentucky libraries have adopted Madagascar hissing cockroaches as mascots to further the theme. These cockroaches are not harmful to humans and are kept as pets instead of pests. Madagascar hissing cockroaches do not breed with American cockroaches.

For more information, click here or call (502) 564-8300, ext. 315.

2008-09 ACT test dates

ACT.org has released testing dates for the 2008-09 school year. For more on ACT preparation and the testing process, click here.

Testing dates:

· Oct. 25, 2008 (Sept. 19 registration deadline)

· Dec. 13, 2008 (Nov. 7 registration deadline)

· Feb. 7, 2009 (Jan. 6 registration deadline)

· April 4, 2009 (Feb. 27 registration deadline)

· June 13, 2009 (May 8 registration deadline)

In Kentucky, all public school juniors will take the ACT assessment on these dates in 2009:

· March 10, 2009 - ACT Administration

· March 24, 2009 - ACT Administration Make-up Day

· March 10 - 24, 2009 - ACT Administration window for students with accommodations

ACT helps parents prepare for college, too
College planning is a lengthy process, and it can be difficult, too. To better understand how things work, ACT offers specific help for parents. Click here for resources on assisting a child with the career-planning process, checklists for the various phases of college and career planning, and the opportunity to sign up for a parent newsletter that provides timely information on financial aid, testing and more.
Research shows that parents are among the most influential people
in a teenager's life. At www.actparent.org, you can learn how to better become a mentor for your teen through this decision making and learning time.

Top 10 summer dangers to kids

CFA (Consumer Federation of America) and SafeChild.net have joined forces in releasing a list of summer dangers to children in an effort to curtail the many injuries that could be prevented if parents follow standard safety tips.

Poisons may be solids (such as plants, batteries or berries), liquids (such as household cleaners, lamp oil or gasoline), sprays (such as oven cleaners, furniture polish or insect sprays) or gases (such as carbon monoxide). Post the National Poison Hotline by your phone: (800) 222-1222. For the poison control center in your area, see the MedicineNet.com Poison Control Center.
Head Injury. Wear a helmet and protective gear when biking, skating, skateboarding or riding scooters, horses or ATVs.
Drowning. Children need constant supervision around places with even a minimal amount of water. Children can drown in as little as an inch of water in a five-gallon bucket as well as in a swimming pool.
Vehicle. Never leave a child unattended in a car. Even when the outside temperature does not feel hot, the temperature inside a car can reach over 100 degrees in a matter of minutes. And buckle up!
Playground injuries. Falls cause 80 percent of all injuries. Limit the height of playground equipment and install and maintain a strong surface in accordance with current safety guidelines.
Sun damage. Parents should apply sunscreen to children regularly when outside, even on overcast days. Because children are outside a lot, they get an average of three times more sun exposure than adults.
Insect bites. Dress your child appropriately in long sleeves and pants and light colors and use insect repellent that contains DEET placed on their clothing.
Injuries while home alone. Working parents can find themselves needing or thinking about having kids take care of themselves. Statistics show children alone are three times more likely than those under adult care to be involved in incidents where they are injured or harmed in some other way. Make sure your child knows what to do if he is injured or if there is an emergency situation.
Lightning and thunderstorms. Every year about 100 people are killed by lightning. Children should be taught to seek safe shelter before a storm begins. If no shelter is available they should get to an open space and squat low to the ground as quickly as possible. Kneel or crouch with hands on knees.
Boating and personal water craft injuries. Life jackets are required to be worn on boats by many states and must be present on all bodies of water supervised by the U.S. Coast Guard. Look for life jackets and preservers approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. Children riding jet skis are at risk of head trauma, spinal injuries and trauma to the chest and abdomen.

Three JCPS schools in Newsweek's Top U.S. Schools

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) recently had three of its high schools named in Newsweek's latest list of Best American High Schools. duPont Manual High School is ranked 116^th, while Ballard climbed in the rankings to 524 up from their ranking of 655 in 2007. Eastern High School ranked 765^th.

Public schools were ranked according to a Challenge Index Ratio, which is calculated by taking the total number of Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken by all students at a school in 2006 divided by the number of graduating seniors. Schools that chose more than half of their students by grades or test scores were not considered because the index is designed to identify schools that challenge average students. The index does not work well with schools that have few or no average students. The schools ranked by Newsweek have the strongest AP or IB programs in the country.

Kentucky music... it's not just Bluegrass
Kentucky might best be known for giving birth to Bluegrass music, but the state has a rich tradition in music that is as diverse as it is entertaining, spawning musical legends as varied as country superstar Dwight Yoakum and jazz great Lionel Hampton. All of Kentucky's musical genres - folk, gospel, bluegrass, blues, jazz, pop, opera and country - come together in venues all across the state. Kentucky Tourism is encouraging you and your family to take a trip down the Kentucky's Country Music Highway in eastern Kentucky or check out the one of the attractions/events below: