A Message from the Principal

Important Dates Wheeler Families,

Happy New Year Wheeler Community and welcome back to the second half of
 January 24th the 2017-2018 school year. The New Year and second half of our school year has
o School Geography Bee brought frigid temperatures and a lot of excitement around our school! Much
happened over the holiday break with Mrs. Shasta Hoback, our 5th grade
 January 26th
teacher, beginning her new role as School Counselor at Kennedy Montessori
o Wonder Woman School and Mrs. Marilyn Calvert retiring from her long-time role as a
Luncheon kindergarten assistant at Wheeler. We wish the best of luck to both Mrs. Hoback
 February 1st and Mrs. Calvert in their new adventures! Once a Wheeler Wildcat, always a
o Wheeler Workers 9:15 Wheeler Wildcat!
We have also welcomed three new staff members to our Wheeler Family.
 February 6th
Mrs. Jennifer Gabbert joins us as our new Art Teacher and brings with her 10
o Group Pictures years of experience teaching art to young children in Franklin County. Mrs.
 February 8th Gabbert is a Nationally Board Certified Art Teacher. She is a Louisville native and
o Performance of Pirates! a graduate of Ballard High School here in JCPS. Welcome home, Mrs. Gabbert! If
The Musical you have visited during lunchtime, you may have noticed a familiar face. Mrs.
Dawn Heun has joined our Wheeler staff as a part-time lunchroom/office
 February 9th assistant. She will also continue to serve as the director of our CEP before school
o Friendship Celebrations and after school program. Ms. Dawn is working with students to maintain a calm
 February 16th lunch-time experience where they can socialize while enjoying their meal. Of
o 4th Grade Performance course, she will also ensure all cafeteria expectations are followed and students
at Community Center are minding their manners! Welcome to Wheeler, Mrs. Heun! Our third staff
member to join our Wheeler family is Ms. Katelyn Meng. Ms. Meng joined our
 February 22nd Wheeler family as a 5th grade teacher on January 16th. She is a recent graduate
o Performance of Pirates! from Transylvania University in Lexington and a Louisville native who graduated
The Musical from Dupont Manual High School. Welcome to Wheeler, Ms. Meng!
 February 26th As we move into the second half of the school year, I ask our families to please
o Makeup Day work to re-establish routines to ensure your children are in attendance and on-
time each school morning. In addition to morning routines, I also ask that we
 March 2nd continue to be mindful of early dismissal habits as well. Although there are times
o Daddy / Daughter when an occasional early dismissal is necessary for an appointment, early
Dance dismissals should be minimal. The loss of instructional time can affect a
 March 8th student’s academic performance. Thank you for all you do to support the work
of our teachers as they work to maximize instructional time and learning.
o Performance of
In closing, I want to thank all of our families for all you do to support our
Swamped! students and staff. I’m looking forward to an amazing second semester full of
high levels of learning!

Respectfully,

Penny Espinosa, Principal

 Link your Kroger Plus Card to
Wheeler and earn the school
Money!
Kroger has a Community Rewards Program.
1. Visit www.kroger.com/communityrewards
2. Sign In or Create an Account to Enroll
3. Once signed in you can enroll or update your
Community Rewards under your Account
Settings.
4. Find and select Wheeler and click “Save”
Box Top Bonanza
We raised over $500 on our last Box Top Bonanza
day! Congratulations to Cassidy Yankey who won a
$25 Visa card for bringing in the most.
Our next Box Top Bonanza day will be
Friday, Feb 23. You could be the next lucky winner
of a $25 Visa card!!!
www.facebook.com/
WheelerJCPS

We just received a check for $626.92 and have

91 households signed up. Please consider @WheelerElem
linking your card to Wheeler. @CoachMeredith

Highlights from our 2017-2018 Parent Handbook:

Pages 4-6 of the handbook outlines arrival and dismissal procedures. All procedures are in place to ensure the
safety of each child during these very busy parts of the school day. Students can be dropped off beginning at
8:30 a.m. and learning begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. in the classrooms. If a student is dropped off at 8:55, they
do not have time to go to their locker or eat breakfast without being tardy to class. Please help your child have a
calm start to their day by dropping them off no later than 8:50 a.m.

Changes in afternoon transportation must be received in the office prior to 3:00 p.m. Office staff cannot
effectively communicate a change in transportation to teachers and all adults in charge of a safe and orderly
dismissal when the change is received after 3:00 p.m.

Your Wheeler Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Council:

Wheeler’s SBDM Council follows the model of 3 teachers, 2 parents and 1 administrator. Members include Mrs.
Penny Espinosa (administrator and chairperson), Mrs. Sarah Holman (2nd/3rd grade teacher), Mrs. Kris Reger
(2nd/3rd grade teacher), Mrs. Agnese Smith (ECE teacher), Mrs. Natalia Bishop (mother of Ethan, 2nd grade and
Eliana, kindergarten), and Mrs. Waveney Taylor (mother of Mitchell, 2nd grade and Rhys and Sydney, former
Wheeler students).

Responsibilities of the SBDM Council include an ongoing analysis of a needs assessment and comprehensive school
improvement planning. Budget allocations that maximize learning opportunities are determined and approved by
SBDM. Other duties include the approval of the school’s safety plan, the determination of programs and classes
within the school, and the assignment of all instructional and noninstructional staff time.

Recent work by our SBDM has resulted in a new Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, the addition of certified
and classified staff to ensure state and district compliance, and participation in the interviewing and hiring process.

Thank you to our teachers and parents for their service and representation on our SBDM Council!
 Jeffersontown Arts Program
Presents

Family Performing Arts Night

with a

Tribute to Black Heritage

Friday, February 16, 2018 - 7:00-9:00 pm
The Jeffersonian
(f/k/a the Jeffersontown Community Center)
10617 Taylorsville Road,
Jeffersontown, KY 40299
Join us as the Wheeler Elementary students and The Louisville
Leopard Percussionists present a Tribute to Black Heritage

Wheeler Elementary Students

Students will perform skits, music and dance with
their focus on famous African Americans.

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists

Will perform a variety of music including Latin, funk, pop and jazz.
Free Event, Refreshments Provided
 J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y
Equal Opportunity Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity
Employees/Applicants
The Jefferson County Public School District shall
not discriminate in recruitment or employment on
the basis of age, color, disability, marital or parental
status, national origin, race, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity, gender expression, veteran status,
religion, genetic information, or political affiliations or
beliefs. The District shall promote equal opportunities
through a vigorous affirmative action program as an
integral part of personnel policy and practice in the
employment, development, advancement, and treat-
ment of employees of the Jefferson County Public
Schools.
In the Event of Questions
Employees or applicants, report to immediate
superior, the appropriate personnel administrator,
the Compliance and Investigations Office, or the ap-
propriate enforcement agency if you believe you have
experienced harassment/discrimination.
Equal Educational Opportunity
Students/Parents or Guardians
No student shall be denied equal educational
opportunity by the board of education because of his
or her age, color, disability, marital or parental status,
national origin, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, gender expression, veteran status, political
affiliations, or beliefs or religion.
Harassment/Discrimination of any type is not
permitted. A student has the right to attend school
free from harassment and should not be subjected
to discrimination for any reason. Schools will strive
to ensure that these rights are protected and that
appropriate consequences are provided to offenders.
In the Event of Questions
Students and parents/guardians, report to
principal, the Compliance and Investigations Office, or
the appropriate government agency if you believe you
have experienced harassment/discrimination.
Noncompliance with the above policy and proce-
dures may result in disciplinary action.
P U B L I C S C H O O L S
Discrimination Grievance Procedure
The Jefferson County Public Schools Discrimina-
tion Grievance Procedure is available at local schools,
on the Jefferson County Public Schools website at
www.jefferson.kyschools.us, or in the Compliance
and Investigations Office, C. B. Young Jr. Service
Center, 3001 Crittenden Drive, Louisville, KY 40209.
Contact Dr. Georgia Hampton, Compliance and Investiga-
tions director, at 485-3341, or call or write one of the
following enforcement agencies:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
600 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Place, Suite 268
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 582-6082 | www.eeoc.gov
U.S. Department of Education,
Office for Civil Rights
Wanamaker Building, Suite 515
100 Penn Square East
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3323
(215) 656-8541 | www.ed.gov
Kentucky Commission on Human Rights
The Heyburn Building, Suite 1400
332 West Broadway
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 595-4024 | http://kchr.ky.gov
Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission
410 West Chestnut Street, Suite 300A
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 574-3631 | www.louisvilleky.gov/HumanRelations
TM
www.jefferson.kyschools.us
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
Offering Equal Educational Opportunities