News 2016

Any parents/legal guardians who intend to conduct an Independent Home School, grades K-12, or a Church-Related Home School, grades K-12, for their own children, during the 2016-2017 school year must provide annual notice to  their local public school Director’s office each new school year.  This requirement applies to previous home school parents and new ones alike.

Home School registration forms for the 2016-2017 school year are available at the Cannon County School Director’s office and online at the Cannon County Schools page (http://www.ccstn.net/ under the homeschool department tab) or the Tennessee State Department of Education Home School page (http://www.tn.gov/education/schools/homeschool.shtml). Upon completion, forms should be returned to the Director of School’s office at 301 West Main Street, Woodbury, TN 37190 by August 1, 2016. 

Any parent/legal guardian wishing to conduct an Independent Home School for grades K-12 must provide 1) proof of legal custody or guardianship by a copy of child’s birth certificate or court order, and 2) copy of a high school diploma or GED, and 3) the student’s immunization record.

If you have any questions regarding home schools, please call 563-5752 or 563-5029 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Dave Mitchell an extraordinary ventriloquist and magician will be at the Adams Memorial Library Thursday for the Summer Reading Program event.  Mitchell’s program is full of comedy, magic, ventriloquism, clowning, storytelling and puppetry.  This is his first appearance at the Adams Memorial Library.  Everyone is welcome to attend this free show starting at 1:00 Thursday afternoon.
The staff also wishes to remind the public that Story Time is back for the summer on Tuesdays at 1:00.  Story time will take place in the Jennings Community Room with Miss Patti as there will be a story and craft time.  Story Time is also free.

The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) announced the launch of a new child care payment assistance program called, Smart Steps, designed to address the needs of parents who are working or pursuing postsecondary educational goals leading to self-sufficiency.

“We are very excited to launch Smart Steps child care payment assistance for parents working or pursuing educational goals in Tennessee,” DHS Commissioner Dr. Raquel Hatter said. “This program is a game changer in supporting the well-being and resilience of families by providing access to affordable quality child care. Participating children will also be enrolled in the Imagination Library. This new category of child care assistance is in alignment with the department’s 2G for Tennessee initiative and Governor Haslam’s Drive to 55.”

Smart Steps is a part of the department’s 2G for Tennessee initiative focused on a two-generation approach to creating cycles of success.  The program will provide support for the whole family by offering financial child care assistance to parents who are working or pursuing post-secondary educational goals, while also promoting learning and development for children.

“Governor Haslam’s Drive to 55 initiative is focused on providing a pathway to college for every Tennessean,” Drive to 55 Director Mike Krause said. “The Smart Steps program will greatly assist adults in their efforts to return to college and ultimately begin a successful career.”

Smart Steps will be available to income-eligible working parents and parents pursuing postsecondary educational goals that have children ages six (6) weeks to five (5) years of age. Families that participate in Smart Steps are responsible for a portion of their child care costs or co-pay based on a sliding income scale.

Smart Steps participants can choose from over 2,400 DHS licensed child care facilities across the state. Along with independent research, parents can use tools offered by the department to assist in choosing child care. These include the find child care tool located on the DHS website, the Child Care Report Card posted in all licensed child care facilities, and the Star Quality Program, which recognizes providers that exceed minimum licensing standards.

Applications are available at DHS county offices or at http://www.tn.gov/humanservices/topic/child-care-services . Space is limited in the program and will be awarded to eligible families on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the Smart Steps child care payment assistance program please call 615-313-3893.
 

The Odd Couple & Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Auditions
 Neal Simon’s The Odd Couple – Directed by Mary Wilson

Auditions for The Odd Couple will be held Sunday, July 24 at 2:00 pm and Monday, July 25 at 6:00 pm.  Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. There are roles available for 2 women (age 20-45) and 6 men (age 25-up).
Rehearsals begin: mid August, 2016
Performance dates September 30-October 15, 2016
Contact Mary@artscenterofcc.com with questions

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Directed by Drew & Christie Sanford
Audition dates and times – August 1st from 6:30-10pm,  August 2nd from 6:30-10pm
To receive a copy of sides and sheet music, email chittyauditions@sanford6.com

Preparing for the audition
– Actors should dress comfortably and be prepared to learn a dance combination.
– Actors should send an email to let us know what night they are planning to attend
– Actors should be familiar with the music from the show
– they will be asked to sing selections from the show.
– Actors should be familiar with the provided sides and prepared for cold readings from the script.

Speaking Roles for Men and Women (ages 10-75)
All ages welcome to audition
All ages will be considered for Ensemble/Chorus

Rehearsal and performance dates:
Rehersals are Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays beginning TBD.
Performances are November 4,5,6,11,12,13,18 and 19.

Enduring the cold, the wet and the hot have stood in the way of this year’s Farmers Market season. Of course we had squash, potatoes, broccoli and green tomatoes. The Market also had Saddler peaches and local honey. The tomatoes to ripen, sweet corn and okra will soon be making their way to the Saturday Market.

Best way to get your veggie fix is to drop by the Cannon County Farmers Market Pavilion, located at the Arts Center of Cannon County, on Saturday mornings. Local farmers are there bright and early beginning at 7 and the Market is open until noon or at times earlier if the veggies, canned items or homemade baked goods are gone. 

For more info on what’s available, large quantities for preserving or interested in becoming a vender, contact Bruce Steelman at the Cannon County UT Extension Office 6155421364, 6155632554.

Dear Friend, Perhaps you saw Congressional Democrats’ antics on the House floor this week. Liberals in Congress staged a sit-in; disrupting the work of the House of Representatives and refusing to do the job they are paid for until Congress votes on gun control bills that would also risk denying Americans their right to due process. As I explained on CNN, this type of disruption and obstructionism is beneath the dignity of Congress and amounts to an obvious political stunt. Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate defeated four separate gun restrictions with bipartisan opposition, so basic civics tells us these proposals aren’t getting to the President’s desk anytime soon. Importantly, it’s not just gun-rights supporters like me who oppose these proposals, even the ACLU has taken a position against such restrictions on Americans’ Constitutionally protected freedoms. For me, this issue is personal. As I shared with Nashville radio host Ralph Bristol last week, I was a victim of physical assault nearly 20 years ago on the streets of Nashville. I got my pistol and handgun carry permit afterwards so that if, God forbid, I was ever in that situation again, I would be empowered to defend myself from harm. I know that the 2nd Amendment is our right to self-defense and NO government should take that away from us. If Congress wants to take meaningful action to protect Americans from acts of violence, I believe we must address the real issue: radical Islamic terrorism. The fact is, another gun control law will not thwart the will of an Islamic extremist intent on doing harm. That is why we must extinguish this cancer at the source. Already, the House has passed nearly a dozen bipartisan, anti-terrorism bills since the start of last year. We’ve continued our work by also passing the National Defense Authorization Act, legislation giving our troops the tools needed to take the fight to ISIS and win. In typical fashion, President Obama has already threatened to veto this bill. The last four words of the 2nd Amendment read pretty clearly to me: “shall not be infringed.” As your representative, I’m committed to guarding these freedoms from government attack.

District Attorney Jennings Jones was elected to the Executive Committee of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference at its annual meeting. As District Attorney for the 16th Judicial District, General Jones serves Rutherford and Cannon Counties.
In this leadership role, General Jones will lead oversight of the Conference administration, which includes budgeting, accounting, payroll, personnel and property management for all District Attorneys’ offices throughout the state. In addition, the Conference is responsible for training new and experienced Assistant District Attorneys General, criminal investigators and victim witness coordinators and for advising the Tennessee General Assembly on legislative issues related to improving the criminal justice system.
“General Jones’ wealth of experience and common-sense approach are invaluable to all of the efforts of the District Attorneys General to combat criminal activity in the state,” said Executive Director Jerry Estes. “We are fortunate to have Gen. Jones in this role as we look for solutions to some of the state’s most difficult problems.”
“Prosecutors have a unique role and a high duty to seek justice. Throughout our nation and here in Tennessee we continually face new challenges in that work. We are committed to meeting those challenges, whether it is seeking appropriate punishment for violent criminals or standing up for innocent victims,” said General Jones.
General Jones was elected District Attorney in 2014 and previously served sixteen years as an Assistant District Attorney prior to election. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University and the University of Memphis, C. C. Humphreys School of Law. He and his wife, Tanya, make their home in Murfreesboro.

A police pursuit Friday of a stolen black Cadillac Escalade from Manchester ended in Rutherford County with a fatal crash. The vehicle was stolen from Coffee County Funeral Chapel.
According to thunderradio.com The pursuit included Manchester officers and deputies from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department before Rutherford County took over. At one time the Escalade was traveling on the wrong side of I-24, driving into oncoming traffic.
Lt. Bill Miller, spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol says the pursuit ended in a head-on collision at the intersection of South Church Street (Highway 231) and Veterans Parkway in Murfreesboro.
Three vehicles were involved in the crash that killed 28-year old Jennifer Campos of Murfreesboro. Authorities said that her 7-month old infant female daughter survived the crash, because of a child restraint seat. The driver of the stolen vehicle was airlifted from the scene.
The driver of the stolen SUV told police that he was 26-year old Demario Watkins of Murfreesboro. It has been learned that the suspect gave officials the wrong name. He’s now been identified as 28-year old Garieon Simmons.
The suspect continued a short distance after hitting the Campos car on South Church when he reportedly crossed the median and hit another vehicle head-on. 27-year old Katrina Sadler received non-life-threatening injuries in that crash. Simmons was airlifted from the scene with injuries.
Simmons, who is now in jail, was charged with vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, driving on a revoked license, evading arrest, violation of probation and being a habitual motor vehicle offender.

(Thunderradio.com)

June 28—Recessed meeting of the Cannon Co. Board of Education, 6:30 p.m., Central Office Boardroom
July 4—Board of Education Central Office will be closed.
 
July 7—Principals’ meeting at Central Office, 8:30 a.m.
              Collaborative Conferencing Committee meets, 6:00 p.m., Central Office
 
July 11-21—Camp Read to Be Ready, WGS, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
 
July 12—Board of Education meeting workshop, 6:30 p.m., Central Office Boardroom
 
July 14—READ Conference—White Co. High School, 8:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
                School Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m., WGS Cafeteria
 
July 31—We Care Cannon distribution at WGS
 
August 2—Teacher in-service
 
Summer Feeding Schedule (Meals will be served at Woodbury Grammar Cafeteria):
July 11-14—Monday through Thursday
July 18-21—Monday through Thursday
8:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m. Breakfast
11:30 a.m.-12:00 noon Lunch
Free to all students 18 and under
 
Cannon County School System is currently looking for applicants for the following positions:
 
Auburn 5th -8th grade ELA teacher
CCHS Agriculture Ed. teacher
CCHS Credit Recovery teacher
CCHS Spanish teacher
CCHS Special Ed. Assistant
Short Mountain Special Ed. Teacher
System-wide Maintenance Worker
System-wide Lead School Nurse
West Side 7th-8th grade ELA teacher
WGS Special Ed. Assistant
WGS 6th grade ELA teacher
WGS Kindergarten teacher
WGS Title I teacher
Woodland 6th grade teacher
Woodland Custodian

Summer is in full swing in Tennessee, and with rising temperatures and humidity, heat-and-air conditioning units are working overtime. Middle Tennessee Electric is reminding members to find ways to keep cool while reducing their energy consumption to avoid high bills.
“Finding ways to stay cool while conserving energy can seem difficult when the heat index is in the triple-digits,” said MTEMC Communications Coordinator Josh Clendenen. “But little things like turning your thermostat up one-degree can save you money each month.”
Typically, HVAC can account for about half of a member’s electric bill, and the heat makes them work even harder. Setting it to the highest comfortable temperature can result in savings.
“The summer months are a lot like the winter months when it comes to high bills,” said Clendenen. “That’s one of the reasons we encourage members to make even small adjustments, like closing blinds to keep the sun out, because it will help reduce their consumption, which helps control their bill.”
Here are 10 quick ways to conserve energy this summer:

1. Close the drapes on the sunny side of the house during the day. This will help cut down the natural heating of your home, which will cut back on the strain of your heat-and-air unit. 

2. Set the thermostat to the highest comfortable temperature. Moving the thermostat up one degree means as much as a three-percent reduction in your electric bill. 

3. Take a quick inventory of your home, and see what you might be able to turn off or unplug such as cell phone chargers, TVs, or lights when you leave a room. 

4. Keep cooling system filters clean. 

5. Keep air vents clear of obstructions. 

6. Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED bulbs that produce more light and last up to 10 times longer, while conserving energy. 

7. Wash full loads of clothes in the coolest water possible. Rinse clothes in cold water. 

8. Keep the temperature between 36 degrees and 40 degrees in the refrigerator and 0 degrees and 5 degrees in the freezer. Use a refrigerator/freezer thermometer to check the settings. 

9. Stop the dryer as soon as clothes are dry, or use the moisture sensor control to automatically shut off the dryer. Over drying wastes energy and sets in wrinkles. 

10. Dry loads one right after another. You’ll use less energy because the dryer is already heated.
“The best thing a member can do if they receive a high bill is to call us,” said Clendenen. “We want to work with members as much as we can, but unless they call us, we have no idea there may be a problem until it’s too late.”