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Community Connections
June 2020
School Calendar Changes Approved
Hopkins County Board of Education amended the 2020-2021 school calendar on Monday, June 15. The district has selected a “variable student instructional year” calendar because of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on recommendation by the Kentucky Department of Education.
The first day of school for students will be Wednesday, Aug. 26. The calendar includes a traditional fall break and spring break.
This calendar includes 165 instructional days. Five minutes will be added to the school day to meet the state requirement of 1,062 instructional hours. This calendar is being adopted for this year ONLY, and the district expects to return to a more traditional calendar model for 2021-2022.
The district is waiting for recommendations from KDE regarding the start days for faculty/staff. Everyone is asked to remain flexible.
As the summer progresses, we will provide updated information on how we will begin the school year. This will be based on guidance from state and local health officials and approval by the Board of Education. Student learning and safety remain our top priorities.
HIgh School Graduation Dates Set
The Board of Education approved updates to high school graduation dates during the June 15 meeting. Two dates were changed so more graduates can participate. Graduation dates/times are as follows:
• July 31, Hopkins County Central High School, 7 p.m.
• Aug. 1, Madisonville North Hopkins High School, 3 p.m.
• Aug. 9, Hopkins County Schools Academy, 5 p.m., Browning Springs Middle School Auditorium

Additional information will be released by the schools as these dates approach.
Hopkins County Schools will offer online registration for the 2020-2021 school year. Please look for information on this in July!
Donors Fund Backpack Blessings
We are overwhelmed by the love and support our community has shown toward Hopkins County Schools’ Backpack Blessings program. The program provides easy-to-prepare food items to food-insecure students on Fridays. We have received enough donations to fund the program throughout the summer! These donations were given by more than 150 generous individuals/organizations. We want to thank each and every one of them! As part of this, a big “thank you” goes to the churches that support this program throughout the school year.

We also want to give special recognition to donors who gave $300 or more for the summer program. They include the following:
Susanne and Mike Wolford
J. Rogers Badgett Sr. Foundation
Bobby and Jo Rush
Olive Branch Church
First Christian Church
Hawkins Auto Body and Paint
Donald and Mary Susan Fishman
Amy and Bradley Keith
United Way of the Coalfield
Brad and Connie Scarlett
First United Methodist Church
The Woman’s Club of Madisonville
Tactical Defense Manufacturing LLC
Joseph Badgett
Real Life Church
Barry McGaw
Chi Chi Mills
Pleasant View Missionary Baptist Church
Maurice K. Gordon Auxiliary #6
Dave and Beverly Lander
Richard and Susanna Lee
Bill and Nadean Young
Barbara Stoltz
Second Baptist Church
American Legion Post #6
Janet Corum
Emma Gordon
Life Christian Center of Madisonville
New Salem Baptist Church
First United Bank employees
Madisonville Noon Kiwanis
Jeannie Morris
Janice Moore
LaDonna Vandiver
Andrea Nance
Ensign Bickford
Christian Assembly
Hancock Bank
Summer Meal Program Returns
Hopkins County Schools will return to a traditional summer meal program starting Monday, June 22. This change is similar to the phase system being implemented throughout the state of Kentucky. Meal delivery, which started during the extended closure, will not continue after June 19.

However, we will still offer meals for pick-up from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Starting Monday, June 22, meals may be picked up at the following locations: Earlington Elementary, Grapevine Elementary, James Madison Middle School, Pride Elementary, Southside Elementary, and Christian Food Bank. The traditional summer meal program will run from June 22-July 24
Grant Funds 2 'Little Free Pantries'
Hopkins County Schools’ Family Resource Youth Service Centers have received a $1,100 No Child Goes Hungry Grant.

Through this grant, two Little Free Pantries will be constructed and given to the cities of Nebo and St. Charles.

“The program offers 24-hour access to shelf-stable food items for those who may be experiencing food insecurity,” said Hopkins County Schools Director of Pupil Personnel April Devine. “Local churches and school clubs/organizations will help keep the pantries stocked throughout the year, but neighbors will also be able to help their neighbors by contributing.”
The motto of Little Free Pantries is “Give what you can, take what you need.” They operate similarly to Little Free Libraries, known as Birdhouse Libraries in our community.

Little Free Pantries is a collaborative project involving high school Youth Service Center coordinators Randall Campbell and Dana Byrum, agriculture teachers Brian Welch and Ben Prevette, and their students. Ag students who have passed related safety courses will help build the pantries in sections from their homes. The goal is to complete this project by August.

The No Child Goes Hungry grant funding will be divided between two programs, with $600 going to implement the Little Free Pantries and $500 being used to purchase food for the school district’s Backpack Blessings. The Backpack Blessings program provides easy-to-prepare food for food-insecure students on the weekends. There are now 527 students who participate, an increase of about 50 since March.

No Child Goes Hungry is a national grant program, and Hopkins County Schools is the first Kentucky school district to be selected as a recipient.


Online Preschool Pre-Registration is now available for children who will be 4 years old on or before Aug. 1, 2020.

This process allows the determination of whether your child is eligible to attend the state-funded preschool program in Hopkins County Schools. This program is available to children who are 4 years old on or before Aug. 1, and whose family income is 160% of the poverty level or below. More information is available at  https://www.hopkins.kyschools.us/Page/93 .

If you have a Gmail or Hopkins County Schools’ email account, you may upload the required documents to this pre-registration form. If not, please fill out the form and email the documentation separately to  preschool2020@hopkins.kyschools.us . Forms that may be used to verify income include paystubs, W2s or tax returns.
Preschool is provided for 3-year-olds only when they have a disability. Unfortunately, we are not able to do the required screening/evaluation now. We will resume these screenings as soon as it is safe to do so, and will make an announcement at that time.

Return to Athletics & Activities Plan

Hopkins County Board of Education approved the updated COVID-19 Return to Athletics and Activities Plan during the June 15 meeting. More information is available at the following link:
New Principals and District Administrators
Hanson Elementary Principal
Christian Klaas, an administrator in Hopkins County Schools for the past three years, has been selected as principal of Hanson Elementary School. He has served as director of secondary instruction for the present school year, and was an assistant principal at Madisonville North Hopkins High School for two years. He previously taught and coached at MNHHS and Dawson Springs Junior/Senior High School. 
Southside Elementary Principal
Erika Stark has been selected as principal  of Southside Elementary School. She has been an educator at Southside for the past 15 years and most recently served as the school’s curriculum coordinator.
Grapevine Elementary Principal
Kelcey Postlewait has been selected as the new Grapevine Elementary School principal. She most recently served as curriculum coordinator at James Madison Middle School. Postlewait has been an educator with Hopkins County Schools for the past decade. She previously taught at Southside Elementary and West Hopkins School.
Director of Secondary
Alaina Lancaster has been selected as Hopkins County Schools’ director of secondary instruction. For the past year, she served as principal of the Webster County Area Technology Center. She has a 10-year career in education and previously taught agriculture at Madisonville North Hopkins High School.
Director of Child Nutrition
Lisa Marsh has been selected as Hopkins County Schools’ director of child nutrition. For the past 5 ½ years, she has taught culinary arts in the Family and Consumer Services department at Hopkins County Central High School. She has served as a National Restaurant Association ServSafe instructor for the past 20 years.
Congratulations Retirees!!
Congratulations to our 2019-2020 retirees! We thank you for your many years of service to Hopkins County Schools. Those retiring include the following:

Michael Bourland, custodian, Madisonville North Hopkins; Ann Brandon, custodial supervisor, Hopkins County Central; Cathy Broaddus, custodian, Grapevine Elementary; Patricia Clark, CIA, James Madison; Peggy Cobb, food service manager, HCCHS; Julie Coursey, teacher, Earlington Elementary; Marci Cox, director of child nutrition, Central Office; Barbara Harryman, OT-districtwide, CO; Sandra Hill, CIA, GES; Mauretta Holmes, Counselor, Southside Elementary; Susan Hundley, Receptionist, CO; Rosetta Jenkins, Driver, Transportation; Lisa Jones, Cook/Baker, JMMS; Scott Marks, Teacher, MNHHS; Tanya Martin-Milam, Teacher, Browning Springs; Sylvia McNary, CIA, MNHHS; Edward Milum, Teacher, JMMS; Sandra Morgan, Teacher, Pride Elementary; Winona Ruth, Food Service Manager, JMMS; Millie Seiber, Principal, SES; Dewan Smith, Teacher, EES; Patricia Snodgrass, FRYSC, BSMS; Linda Tedder, Teacher, West Hopkins; Debra Tompkins, Driver, Transportation; Phyllis Whitfield, Secretary, South Hopkins; Charlotte Wicks, Secretary, Hopkins County Day Treatment.
Pandemic-EBT Program
Kentucky has been approved for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program that offers a financial resource for families with students who lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to COVID-19.
The P-EBT program applies to Hopkins County Schools’ students because they all had access to free meals through the Community Eligibility Provision. The total benefit is $313.50 per student. Here are some specifics regarding participation:
  • Currently enrolled students who receive SNAP benefits on an active EBT card will automatically receive the additional funds on their card starting in the upcoming week.
  • Currently enrolled students who receive Medicaid or KTAP benefits or are in foster care will automatically receive a P-EBT card in the mail with instructions.
A simple online P-EBT application will be available for all other students starting June 1. The application at  https://benefind.ky.gov/  will be open for 30 days. Parents will be asked to provide student name, address, date of birth, and Statewide Student Identification. The SSID number is available in Parent Portal and Student Portal accounts and on report cards. We will send the numbers to parents who receive texts in Infinite Campus. The P-EBT cards will be mailed to these households.
KDE Parent Survey

In preparation for the reopening of school for the 2020-2021 school year, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) would like to better understand families’ and caregivers’ experiences with distance learning last school year due to COVID-19.

KDE is seeking input from families across the state in a brief survey on the challenges they experienced during the implementation of non-traditional instruction during this past spring. This survey will help KDE plan for possible future periods when student learning occurs at home and provide supports to schools and districts in engaging families during the upcoming school year.

The survey will take approximately  10-15   minutes  to complete and will be open through June 24.

If you are an adult family member or caregiver who was responsible for a child or children during the period of distance learning during the 2020-2019 school year, KDE invites you to complete the survey found at this link:   https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HBL38TN .
Hopkins County Schools | [www.hopkins.kyschools.us]