FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Four Kentucky public schools and five private have been named 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools, based on academic excellence.The Kentucky Education Department says the public schools are Central Elementary in Marshall County, Johnson Elementary of Fort Thomas, Tompkinsville Elementary in Monroe County and Stopher Elementary in Jefferson County.Education Commissioner Terry Holliday says the schools are models for others across the state.The five private schools designated in Kentucky are St. Paul Elementary in Florence, St. Agnes School in Louisville, Holy Spirit Elementary in Louisville, St. Patrick Elementary in Louisville and St. Aloysius in Pewee Valley.There are a total of 337 public and private elementary, middle and high schools recognized this year. A ceremony will be held in November in Washington to recognize the schools. ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) - Some Hardin County teachers are creating instructional videos for students to watch as part of their assignments.Jamie Chenault, a fourth-grade science teacher at Lakewood Elementary, told The News-Enterprise that she assigns her students to watch one or two videos or presentations a week. The videos were created either by herself, another teacher or an educational organization.For students without Internet access, they watch the videos by using computers or tablets at school during breakfast.The concept is known as the flipped classroom approach. Its a recognition that learning doesnt occur only in classrooms.Basically the flipped classroom takes that traditional method and puts it in video form so that the kids can watch that at home, Chenault said.One benefit of the concept is allowing students to re-watch lectures or videos if they dont understand the lesson.Susan Ellis, an algebra teacher at Central Hardin High School in central Kentucky, said the method is completely self-paced.Her flipped classroom concept started with about 30 students last November as a repeat class for students who were falling behind or not grasping concepts as quickly. She said the curriculum could be more tailored to students weaknesses.Ellis said she makes all of her own videos using an application called educreations. Many of the students at Central Hardin watch their videos during regular school hours, because of lack of Internet access.Another benefit for the flipped classroom approach is allowing children who are absent from school to not fall behind.If youve got kids who are sick with the flu, they can get some form of instruction and actually go and look at the lessons from home, said Central Hardin Principal Tim Isaacs.Central Hardin biology teacher Abbey Wilkinson said the flipped classroom method has increased the amount of content she can cover in class because a lot of the lecturing takes place elsewhere. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville police say a student shot at a high school remained hospitalized, but is recovering from non-life threatening injures.Spokesman Dwight Mitchell said on Wednesday that the 15-year-old was doing fine at University Hospital. A 16-year-old has been charged with assault, wanton endangerment and carrying a concealed deadly weapon. He is also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on school property and tampering with physical evidence.The teen was being housed in the Jefferson County Youth Detention Center on Wednesday, a day after he was arrested following a report of shots fired at Fern Creek Traditional High School.The shooting prompted the evacuation of the 1,400-student school Tuesday afternoon.Police have not said what prompted the incident. Students returned to class Wednesday. MONROE, Conn. (AP) - A bomb threat has led to the evacuation of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.Monroe Police Lt. Brian McCauley says the threat was called in to the school at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and the evacuation was ordered as a precaution. He says the school building and grounds were checked and no evidence of danger was found.Nancy Bartosik of the Monroe superintendents office says the school was dismissed early and students moved to a nearby school to be picked up by their parents.A gunman killed 20 first-grade students and six educators at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in December 2012. The students resumed classes in a school in the neighboring town of Monroe, also called Sandy Hook Elementary School. The original school was torn down last year.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 01:08:53 +0000