Paducah Public Schools

PPS Parents and Guardians, We are beginning preparations for Online Registration for the 2022-23 school year. Please be aware that the friends and family members you have listed as emergency contacts in Infinite Campus may be contacted to verify their date of birth. This is not a scam. The call will be from a Paducah Public Schools number and the caller will identify themselves as an employee of Paducah Public Schools. We are requesting this information for security purposes. The additional information will aid us in confirming the identity of designated friends or family members who come to pick your child up at school. If you are contacted and are unsure about giving us information over the phone, please contact us at 270-444-5600. We appreciate your cooperation as we work to make our schools safe and secure. Sincerely, Troy Brock, Director of Pupil Personnel Paducah Public Schools

Dear PPS Parents and Guardians, Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, March 2, 2022, Paducah Public Schools is relaxing masking requirements. Masks will be optional in all school settings, including on buses. On Monday, district leadership received an updated recommendation from the Kentucky Department for Public Health regarding masking from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) focused on COVID-19 community levels. Combined with the new recommendations, our district leadership has reviewed the local positivity rates, the Kentucky Incidence Rate Map, the number of COVID patients in our local hospitals, and our total number of positive cases in McCracken County. There is a significant decrease in all these measures compared to a month ago. We also see significant decreases in the number of COVID positive students and staff compared to a month ago. As outlined in the guidance, our schools will maintain the following baseline strategies: Students and staff are encouraged to remain up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations - 5-day isolation followed by 5-day masking for individuals with COVID-19 - Sick individuals should stay home - On-site testing remains available for sick or exposed persons Thank you for your support and encouragement as we continue to work together for the health and safety of each and every child. Sincerely, Dr. Donald Shively, Superintendent Paducah Public Schools

Paducah Tilghman defeats McCracken County High School 50-47 to win the 2nd District championship and end the Mustangs 50-game win streak against Region 1 opponents. Go Big Blue!

The regular meeting of the Paducah Board of Education will be held at 5:00 pm, Tuesday February 15, 2022, at the Paducah Innovation Hub, 500 South 25th Street, Paducah. Here is a link to the agenda: https://5il.co/15n7v

Auto Tech senior Gavin Winslow, Auto Tech Teacher Mr. Polsgrove ), and Mr. Ybarzabal recently visited Vulcan Materials. Gavin began working for Vulcan as an apprentice on the mobile maintenance team in December. Thanks to Mr. Ralph Jennings, head of Vulcan Mobile Maintenance for his hard work to make this opportunity possible for Gavin.

Thanks to Mr. J.P. Kelly (far left) for providing internships for welders Ethan Lindsay (green jacket left) and Blake Sams (green jacket right) at Triangle Enterprises Inc. Lindsay and Sams are welding students in Mr. Brandon Wilber’s (back row) class at the Paducah Innovation Hub. Mr. Adam Penrod (far right) is the shop supervisor who is working with these students.

Paducah Tilghman High School Orchestra Director and retired band director Douglas Van Fleet was inducted into the Psi Chapter of the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity Hall of Fame on Friday February 4, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Van Fleet is the second band director from PTHS inducted into the Psi Chapter of Phi Beta Mu Hall of Fame. Legendary PTHS band director Floyd Burt was the first inducted in 1999.

PTHS and Paducah Middle School Orchestra Director Douglas Van Fleet received the 2022 Presidential Award and Clark Elementary Music Teacher Dale Julian was named 2022 Elementary Music Teacher of the Year at the annual meeting of the Kentucky Music Educators Association. Congratulations! (Photo credit: Lindsey Williams)

The PTHS Basketball games at St. Mary and McCracken County have been postponed. The PTHS Boys Basketball at St. Mary game scheduled for February 3 has been postponed until Monday, February 7. The PTHS Boys and Girls Basketball games at McCracken County scheduled for February 4 have been postponed until Thursday, February 10.

The Paducah/McCracken NAACP has postponed the Fredricka Hargrove Martin Luther King Jr. Essay & Poster Celebration until Sunday, January 23rd, 2022. The event will still be held at Paducah Middle School at 2:00 PM. All other MLK activities including the annual march and MLK Luncheon will continue as scheduled. Please follow the facebook page @PaducahNAACP for any updates or changes to events.

The Paducah Board of Education will hold its regular meeting at 5 pm, Monday January 10, 2022, at the Central Office Board Room, 500 South 25th Street, Paducah. Here is a link to the agenda: https://5il.co/140h0 In order to keep the Board and the public safe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, seating will be limited on a first-come basis to members of the public in addition to media. Please wear facial coverings and practice social distancing. You can reach the board members at boardofed@paducah.kyschools.us

Tornado Family, Welcome back to the Winter Quarter! I hope that you had a good break. We’re glad to have your children back at school. As we look forward to the first snow of the season tomorrow, I want to share that Paducah Public Schools anticipates having a regular school day with our students present tomorrow. We plan to drive the roads early in the morning to ensure that students will be safe on the way to school. Our district, in contrast to our neighboring districts, is in a small geographical area that is flat. This enables us to have school when other districts are not able to have school due to the size of the district, hilly terrain, and back roads that are hard to maneuver in a bus. Based on the current forecast, it looks safe for us to be in school at our normal time in the morning. If the roads are unsafe, we will make an announcement via Snowman 6, KINVO, the district web page and our social media channels. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow. For Each and Every Child, Dr. Donald Shively Superintendent, Paducah Public Schools

As we enter the winter weather season, here are some reminders about what to expect regarding school in the event of wintry weather. You can find the snow routes for buses here: https://5il.co/13r9h

There will be special calendar meeting of the Paducah Board of Education on Monday, December 20 at 4:45 PM in the Seminar Room of the Paducah Innovation Hub. Here is the agenda: https://5il.co/13cwv

The Regular Meeting of the Paducah Board of Education will be Monday, December 20 at 5:00 PM in the Seminar Room at the Paducah Innovation Hub. Here is the agenda: https://5il.co/13cww

Here's a link to the Paducah Middle Winter Choir Concert held at Immanuel Baptist Church on December 6. It was wonderful to be part of a heartfelt, joyful performance! https://youtu.be/cftYQ4S4Ku8

The Paducah Board of Education will hold a brief special meeting at 1:00 pm, December 9, 2021. The purpose of the special meeting is approval of the Energy Savings Plan and documents. The meeting will be held at the Central Office Board Room, 500 South 25th Street in Paducah. You can find the agenda here: https://5il.co/12vge

#Tilghman students interested in serving on the Student Equity Advisory Council should reach out to Ms. Burrus via Teams by Friday, December 10.

Reminder: Wild Health will be administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Paducah Middle School in partnership with Team Kentucky. This vaccination clinic is for ages 5-11. Here is the link to register: https://bit.ly/3dedLHe Clinic dates: Friday, December 3, 2021, 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM Friday, December 10, 2021, 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM Appointments are in 10-minute increments. You WILL NOT be charged any out-of-pocket expense for the vaccine. If you have any other questions, please refer to our Wildhealth Help Desk Line: (859) 217-4679

The Office of Head Start has released their rules for Head Start grantees requiring universal masking for for all staff and students. Beginning November 30th, Paducah Head Start Preschool staff, children, volunteers, and contractors will be required to wear a mask. Mask exemptions will be allowed as accommodated under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Paducah Head Start Preschool will provide masks to staff, children, volunteers, and contractors. If you have any questions please call our office at 270-444-5780. Questions will be given to our Director, Kristy Lewis.