COUNTY LIFE
Forestburg, Saint Jo adopt hybrid form of four-day school week
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Forestburg and Saint Jo Independent School District Board of Trustees both approved a hybrid or blended four-day school week schedule last week, joining other county districts that are making the change in the next year or already using the plan.
Forestburg Superintendent Jason Briles said it has been a long process that began back in January when he offered the board a traditional schedule and a hybrid four-day schedule. Trustees wanted to get community input so the administrators initiated a survey and a public meeting.
During the forum, the survey results with 67 responses showed they preferred the four-day and 27 preferred the traditional. When it was sent to just student parents, 48 prefer four-day and 23 preferred traditional.
The state mandates districts have a calendar with at least 75,600 minutes and the new calendar is 765 minutes below that. Principal Trey Cumby explained they have “front-loaded” the calendar for core subjects with students at school more from August to mid-February when the Friday off schedule begins. They also made an effort to avoid making the school day longer.
Saint Jo ISD adopted a hybrid/blended calendar last week where the district will operate with a five-day week until spring break and then go to four days a week with Friday off.
The district improvement team and administration recommended a hybrid model they feel “is the best fit” for the district. Superintendent Katie Morman said the initial feedback was not in full support of four-day.
As they talked to other schools they did not find a lot of academic impact data. Morman added there were concerns about the district’s high extra-curricular participation and how it could be impacted. All those factors led to the blended calendar as they gather their own data.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
In recognition of National Adoption Awareness Month this November, Texas Community Counseling and the Heart Gallery of Northwest Texas are partnering to bring resources to Montague County families.
The two organizations will host an adoption, foster care and kinship care resource fair on Nov. 14 at the United Presbyterian Church of Montague County Fellowship Hall, located at 300 W. Nelson St. in Bowie.
The resource fair will run from 10 a.m. to noon, bringing together local agencies and service providers to answer questions and share information about support available within the county.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Members of the Montague County Historical Commission invite the community to join them on Nov. 14 for a Rolling Bus Tour.
This tour will cover the cemeteries in the south west corner of Montague County. You will have the opportunity to stroll through some of the cemeteries, others the bus will stop and Commission member Calvin Durham will tell the history of the cemetery.
The bus tour will meet at the Old Jail in Montague at 9 a.m. and return at approximately 3 p.m. The tour will include a sack lunch, a brochure of each cemetery visited and a book “This Soil will Grow Grapes” written by Melvin Fenoglio.
The cost of the tour is $20 for adults. There is no charge for children under 12. The commission members strive to preserve the history of the county and to share as much of it as possible with our citizens. You can RSVP by calling 940-841-2674 or 940-872-1007. Please leave a message with your name if there is no answer.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 17.
FEMA’s emergency alert system is a national public warning system made up of thousands of radio, TV, cable and satellite and wireline video providers. Through the EAS, the President can address the American people or share life-saving information with the public during a national emergency.
FEMA is required by law to conduct a nationwide test of the public alert and warning system at least once every three years. These tests allow FEMA to identify technical or operational issues before the system is needed during an actual emergency.
FEMA and the FCC are sharing the test date in advance because it is important the public understands what to expect on the day of the test.
At approximately 1:20 p.m. (Central time), on Nov. 17, all the electronics providers will interrupt normal programming to relay a test message.
This message will state: This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency management Agency, covering the United States from 1:20 to 1:50 p.m. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
When the test is concluded, normal programming will resume.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with stakeholders, including participating communications providers as well as federal, state, tribal and territorial agencies to prepare for and conduct the test.
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