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Rowlett Community Notes
From Staff reports
Community calendar
Thursday, Feb. 14
7 p.m.: Library Advisory Board meeting
Library Conference Room, 3900 Main St.
Monday, Feb. 18
10 a.m.: Senior Advisory Board meeting
City Hall Conference Room, 4000 Main St.
Tuesday, Feb. 19
5:30 p.m.: City Council meeting
City Hall Conference Room, 4000 Main St.
Get prepared, be CERTain
The Rowlett Citizen Corps Council will sponsor a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on two Saturdays, Feb. 16 and 23.
During a natural or man-made disaster, CERT teams assist fire and police personnel in doing damage assessment, accounting for residents and securing quick, accessible routes into their neighborhood. Teams also help search for missing persons, and assist with evacuations, traffic control, courtesy patrols and city events. The CERT program includes disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, and fire suppression following FEMA guidelines.
The class is open to the public. A course fee of $20 covers disposable materials used in the class. For information or to register for the class, go to RowlettCERT.com or email CERT@rowlettcitizencorps.org.
Skywarn training offered Saturday
The Fort Worth office of the National Weather Service (NWS) will conduct its annual basic Skywarn class from 9 a.m.-noon and an advanced class from 1:30-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Granville Arts Center, 300 N 5th St., Garland.
The training will include basics of thunderstorm development, fundamentals of storm structure, identifying potential severe weather features, information to report, how to report information and basic severe weather safety.
The main responsibility of a Skywarn spotter is to assist the NWS in locating and tracing storms. About 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur each year in the United States.
Additional Skywarn classes offered include: 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Texas Woman's University MCL Auditorium, 304 Administration Drive, Denton*; and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center, 5501 S. Business Hwy. 69, Greenville. View the complete 2013 schedule at www.srh.noaa.gov/
*Class includes advanced spotter training
Writing contest under way
Writers, start your keyboards: The 2013 Rowlett writing contest is here!
Youth in grades 1-12 and adults 18 and up are invited to submit works in three categories: Short Works (plays, essays, etc., of 15-30 minutes in length); Short Story (one to three pages, double-spaced); and Poem (one to two pages, double-spaced).
All entries must be typed and should be suitable for family viewing. No more than one entry is allowed per participant, per category. Each entry must be accompanied by a cover sheet that includes the writer's name, address, email, phone number, division and category; teachers submitting works for students may use the school's address and phone number. Do not include the name on the entry itself.
All first-place winners will receive a cash award (check) which will be presented at the Rowlett City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 18. The awards will be $100 for each adult category and $50 for each youth category.
Entries are due by Monday, April 29, and should be mailed or dropped off to the Rowlett Public Library at 3900 Main St., Rowlett, TX 75088.
Contact Mary Drayer at 214-226-3651 or note_worthy@hotmail.com for information.
Grief expert to speak at VNA luncheon
Grief expert Fred Theobald will be the featured speaker at the Feb. 28 bereavement luncheon hosted by the Visiting Nurse Association.
Theobald will speak on "The Four Tasks of Mourning."
The luncheon is from noon to 1 p.m. at the Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Ave. in Dallas. There is no cost to attend the luncheon, but reservations are requested and can be made through Feb. 26 by calling 214-689-2633.
VNA's bereavement luncheons offer supportive company from friendly and understanding people to individuals who have suffered the loss of a loved one.
Food For Fines Week continues through Friday
Food for Fines returns to the Rowlett Public Library during the "Love Your Library" campaign, Feb. 11-16.
Customers with outstanding fines for overdue materials may have their fines erased by donating non-perishable food items. Each item of food cancels $1 or less of any fine.
All the food collected is donated to local food pantries. Pet food is also welcomed and will be distributed to the animal shelter. For information, contact the Rowlett Public Library, 972-412-6161.
Rowlett library offers a book club for everyone
Every Wednesday from 2-3:30 p.m., the Rowlett Public Library hosts a book club just for homeschool teens. The meeting offers a great way to socialize and share what you're currently reading.
Readers can also join the "No Page Unturned" club on the third Thursday of every month for a lively and entertaining book discussion, sharing what they're currently reading with the group. The meeting is BYOL - Bring Your Own Latte - and the library will supply the cookies! The club meets from 7 to 8 p.m.
The Rowlett Public Library is at 3900 Main St. For information, call 972-412-6161.
An educated choice: GISD secondary Choice of School continues
The Choice of School period for the 2013-2014 school year is under way for grades 5-11 and will remain open through Feb. 22. Choice forms were sent home Jan. 23.
Assignments are processed by priority: residing within a designated walk or transportation zone, proximity to campus, and family preference.
The 30-day choice period is conducted every spring semester. If by the end of the choice period the parent or 18-year-old student has not selected a school, the district will make a choice for the student. These choices are binding for the next school year.
Forms can also be obtained from: any neighborhood Garland ISD school; the Garland ISD Student Services Center, 720 Stadium Drive, Garland; and the Harris Hill Administration Building reception desk, 501 S. Jupiter Road, Garland.
The Elementary Choice of School period is March 1 to April 1; choice forms will be sent home Feb. 28.
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