DeKalb County Board of Education Federal Programs Supervisor Michelle Burklow along with committee members Kim Foutch, Jennifer Mitchell, Angela Johnson, Pamela Poss, Suzette Barnes, Clark Oakley, and Alan Hayes are planning a first of its kind for DeKalb County, a First Day of School Education Celebration to be held on August 4th from 5-8 P.M. downtown around the Court House Square.
This Education Celebration is nationally known as First Day of School America and is held annually in a lot of the bigger cities in the United States. Since 1997 the First Day Foundation organization has been assisting schools, families and communities to come together for a celebration on the First Day of each new school year to support education and begin a year-long partnership to promote student success. This is also a time that parents and students can become more familiar with the faculty, staff and PTO of the school that they are entering.
The community can support First Day in a number of ways. Community based organizations can provide materials and resources to parents to make them aware of services available to them in the community. Community leaders- mayors, city council members, clergy, businesses, corporate leaders and others can visit the schools and events and show their support. Local businesses partner with schools by donating products, services and volunteers to the First Day Celebration.
All five schools in DeKalb County will have a booth and will be displaying a photo board with their staff and their individual credentials during the First Day Celebration. Each school will also be represented by their school’s PTO about what the PTO does and how parents can help. The Lion’s Club Vision Screening van will be available that day for vision screenings, the DeKalb County Health Department will be there giving out information, Tennessee Voices for Children and many other organizations will be represented, and school bus shuttle rides will be provided(we are encouraging parents to park at Northside Elementary starting at 4:45pm. Refreshments, inflatable jumping balloons and FREE school supplies will also be available.
This event is still in the planning stages and volunteers are needed. Business sponsors are also needed. If you would like to help with this event please call Michelle Burklow at 215-2107.
This celebration is totally free of charge to those who attend so make plans now to attend in Downtown Smithville on August 4th.
The First Day of School American– Education Celebration committee would like to take to THANK the sponsors that are making this event possible:
Churches
Smithville Church of Christ
Tabernacle, The Baptist Church
Dowelltown Baptist Church
House of Prayer
St. Gregory’s Church
Keltonburg United Methodist
Indian Creek Baptist Church
Covenant Baptist Church
Gospel LightHouse Baptist Church
Snow Hill Baptist Church
Smithville First Free Will Baptist Church
Johnson’s Chapel
United Methodist Church
Peoples Missionary Baptist Church
Jacobs Pillar United Methodist Church
Smithville Seventh Day Adventist Church
Snow Hill Methodist
Grace Bible Church
New Hope Baptist Church
Walkers Chapel Primitive Baptist
Malone’s Chapel Baptist Church
Alexandria Church of Christ
Salem Baptist Church
Businesses
Middle Tenness Natural Gas Utility District
DeKalb Telephone
Dr. Cliff Duke DDS
Triple A Coating
Architectural Custom Cabinetry
Dr. David Foutch, OD
Tri Star Aluminum
DeKalb Community Bank
Liberty State Bank
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