Summer is at its peak, the weather is nice and the harvest season is upon us. With all that also comes the new school year for local K-12 students, two a day practices for volleyball and football athletes and school shopping for that perfect first day of school outfit.

There are some things that need to checked off to ensure you, or your student is prepared for the new year. First of all if you are enrolling in a new school make sure to contact the school secretary to ensure they have received all your records from your previous school. Make sure you have all of your immunizations up to date and if your not sure, again check with the secretary.

Schools begins a little earlier than normal for some schools. Turner will begin on Wednesday, August 15 and Hays/Lodge Pole will start the 2018-19 school year the following day on Thursday, August 16. Both the Turner and Hays/Lodge Pole Schools utilize a four day school week.

Chinook, Harlem and Zurich schools will begin the following Wednesday, August 22. Chinook and Harlem High Schools will hold their Graduations on Sunday, May 19, 2019 and their school year will conclude on May 24. School schedules were not available for Turner and Hays/Lodge Pole.

Schools are required to provided 1080 class room hours to students grades 4-12 and 720 hour to students K-2.

The fall sports seasons begin this Friday with high school football, volleyball and cross country practices set to begin in Hays/Lodge Pole, Harlem and Chinook.

Junior High practices will begin on Monday, August 13. Be sure to have your physical completed before the first scheduled practice. Forms can be picked up and questions regarding athlete participation can also be answered by the individual school.

The start time of practice varies from school to school so be sure to contact the coach or the school office to ensure you are ready to participate day one.