COUNTY LIFE
Two more county schools join the four-day week schedule
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Two more Montague County school districts will be moving to the four-day school week this year with teacher retention and recruitment the driving forces for this change.
Gold-Burg and Montague Independent School Districts join Prairie Valley ISD, which enters its second year of the four-day week. While other county districts have not formally gone to four-days, they are all using different methods to get a shorter week in some fashion while still getting the required 75,600 minutes for students.
Bowie has been releasing early on Wednesdays for several years, and Nocona has been releasing at noon Fridays. Forestburg also has a similar schedule releasing about one hour earlier on Fridays.
Rural school districts in Texas have been switching to the four-day week in the last couple of years, and now some larger districts are giving it a try including Mineral Wells ISD which has about 3,000 students.
National teacher organizations say the shortage in staff has hit crisis levels, and while there is no database to track this information local and regional educators gathering for training in the last few weeks have all shared stories of needing teachers at all levels.
Why are America’s schools so short-staffed? Experts point to a convergence of different factors starting with the pandemic-induced teacher exhaustion, low pay and a growing lack of respect for their profession across the board from parents and politicians to their own school’s boards.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The 32nd annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Festival in Bowie this past weekend was one of the biggest in its history with record turnout in the parade and other activities.
Cindy Roller, executive director for Bowie Community Development, festival host, said she has been told this is the largest parade in 15 years, but confirms it is the largest during her five years in Bowie. There were 57 entries, plus 10 Jeeps, 11 UTVs with extra fire trucks pushing the participation to 80.
The Bowie High School cheerleaders repeated as sweepstakes winners for their dancing gingerbread float. The parade theme this year was “Sweet Tidings of Gingerbread.” Cheer sponsor is Destanie Curry.
Read the full story on the festival and see more photos in the mid-week Bowie News.
Pictured above the Bowie High School Marching Band leads off the Christmas parade. (Photo by Jordan Neal).
The community of Forestburg will celebrate its Christmas festival on Dec. 9 with a variety of activities.
On Dec. 8 enjoy a Movie Under the Stars starting at 6:30 p.m. in the community center parking lot.
On Dec. 9 the chili cook-off opens the day running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the center. From noon to 5 p.m. families can visit Santa’s Workshop at the center with a bake shop, kid’s corner, ornament decorating and more.
Throughout town there will be vendor and food trucks, a scavenger hunt, cookie decorating at LifeChurch 2:42, a candy cane maze at the log cabin and a corn hole tourney at the fire hall.
Have fun with Christmas bingo from 1-3 at the Methodist church followed by books with Mrs. Claus from 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the center.
From 3:30 to 5 p.m. there will be photos with Santa and a s’mores station at the center.
From 5-6 p.m. there will be a live nativity scene, followed by a lighted Christmas parade and a dance from 7-11 p.m. hosted by the fire department. Many of the activities and events are free.
Enjoy “Soup’er Sunday” on Dec. 10 with a homemade lunch of soups and desserts at noon in the Bowie First Methodist Church.
Enjoy good food and fellowship to help raise funds for the Bowie Pregnancy Resource Center. The cost of admission is a donation of your choice.
Guests also are invited to bring items needed at the center including diapers sizes 4-7, wipes, diaper rash cream, baby Tylenol or Motrin, powder with corn starch, baby bath items and teething tablets.
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