Classes resume next week for local schools
by Joelle Coons · August 15, 2007

Ready or not, the new school year is quickly approaching for area teachers and students. The school year begins Monday, Aug. 20, for Lisbon students and Wednesday, Aug. 22, in Mount Vernon.



Mount Vernon

Registration for the Mount Vernon School District was completed through a mail-in process again this year. Open registration was Wednesday, Aug. 15, at the middle school.

Class will begin for all students at 8:20 a.m. and all students will be dismissed at 3:05 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22.

Bus route information is available in the registration newsletter.

School supply lists for the elementary and middle schools were also included in the registration letter and are available online at www.mt-vernon.k12.ia.us. High school students are asked to bring paper and pencils to the first day of class. Teachers will list the materials needed for their specific courses during the first class meeting.

Other information available online includes pre-participation physical forms for athletes, Booster Club membership forms, medication permission forms and lunch and breakfast menus. Another online feature allows parents to pay for student lunches via credit card. Parents also have the ability to view a history of purchases, allowing them to keep tabs on what their children are eating.

Open house for Washington Elementary will be Tuesday, Aug. 21, from 3 to 4 p.m. Elementary students are encouraged to bring their school supplies to open house.

Orientation for fifth and sixth graders, at the middle school, will be held Tuesday, Aug. 21, the day before classes begin, from 8:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. It will give students a chance to meet teachers and have a run-through of their schedules.

New student and freshmen orientation will also be held on Aug. 21, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the high school. Those new to Mount Vernon High School will have a chance to ask current students questions about high school life and figure out their locker combinations. Free t-shirts and ice cream sundaes will be given out at the close of orientation.

High school class periods will be shortened by five minutes on the first day of class to allow for students to meet with their class advisors at the beginning of the day. The classes will return to their 50-minute sessions on the second day of class.

High school pictures are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19.

Washington Elementary has received new teaching materials for this school year, including a comprehensive math series and the addition of FOSS science kits. The science kits, offered by Grant Wood AEA, focus on different areas of science. From the lifecycle of a butterfly to balance and motion, students will study several areas of science. The new math series is used in kindergarten through sixth grade.

“It allows for a smooth carry-over from one year to another,” according to Washington Elementary principal, Gary Nelson.

Teacher inservice days begin Aug. 15 for new staff, and Aug. 16 for returning staff. The inservice days will continue through Aug. 22.



Lisbon

Classes begin a bit earlier for Lisbon students, who will start the school year three days earlier than last year. As part of a new schedule change, the district is beginning classes at the middle school and high school at 8:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. at the elementary. The elementary will dismiss at 3:13 p.m. and the middle school and high school will release students at 3:20 p.m.

The Lisbon School District has changed the length and amount of periods in a day at the middle school and high school. By adding an eighth period, students have the opportunity to take new courses. The high school added eight classes to its curriculum, including an economics class, a publications class, digital and desktop photography, art 2-D and art 3-D, second chance reading, a business-oriented English class and anatomy and physiology.

By adding a period to each school day and starting the semester a few days earlier than past years, first semester will be completed prior to winter break, as opposed to a few weeks after the break, explained high school principal Brian Downing.

The middle school will also take advantage of the additional class period. Exploratory classes in technology, health, study skills and art will alternate each quarter. Although art class is not a new addition to Lisbon Middle School, it is no longer optional to the students. The exploratory classes will rotate students each quarter.

With the addition of a part-time elementary teacher, Lisbon’s art program has expanded at all levels. The new art classes available to high school students filled up quickly, according to elementary and middle school principal, Roger Teeling.

Middle school fall sports will begin on the first day of school.

Information such as the school bus schedule, school supply lists, lunch menus, medical permission forms and pre-participation physical forms are available on the school district’s website, www.lisbon.k12.ia.us.

PSAT tests will be given Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Teacher inservice days will begin on Aug. 13 for new staff and Aug. 15 for returning staff.

“We have some positive changes that students are going to benefit from,” said Downing.