Northern Kentucky parents of preschoolers starting kindergarten next fall are invited to attend a kindergarten readiness program on Wednesday, March 27 at one of seven Head Start Centers.  Each center will have educational activities for children and representatives from local school districts with information on registration and how to help prepare for the transition to kindergarten.

According to Head Start Director, Laurie Wolsing, “We know that children who are eager and ready to learn when they start kindergarten have a much higher chance of success throughout their education. We will have lots of practical tips to build the skills and confidence children will need in the fall.  We invite any family in the community to join us.”

All the kindergarten readiness programs will take place on Wednesday, March 27, but times will vary.  Refreshments and child care will be available at the event, so participants are asked to call the center in advance to attend.

For Pendleton County:

Falmouth Head Start Center, 409 Barkley Street, Falmouth, KY 41040, Phone: 859-654-2958, Time: 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

__PUBLIC__

Allie Kerns, an admissions counselor at Western Kentucky University, will be visiting local high schools to discuss with prospective students the opportunities offered at WKU.

Kerns will visit Pendleton County High from 10:50 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. on Thursday, March 21.

For additional information, please contact the WKU Admissions Office via e-mail at admission@wku.edu or by telephone at (270) 745-2551. You can also visit the Admissions Office online at http://www.wku.edu/admissions.

__PUBLIC__

The Pendleton County DECA chapter did very well at the state conference held in Louisville, Ky. They received a second place membership award to recognize the increase in membership.

The students attending received the following awards: Aaron Gibson - top five in Marketing; Zach Walters - second place in Free Enterprise Basics; Kaylin Wells - second place in Principles of Marketing; Lily Wang and Hunter Wood both were second round finalists in Principles of Marketing.

Congratulations to these students for representing Pendleton County at the DECA State Conference.

__PUBLIC__

By Brook Browning

Almost every year some kind of major disaster happens and a lot of the time a middle school student is involved. No student should go through this kind of misery, would you agree? The sixth grade language arts students at Phillip A. Sharp Middle School have decided to do something about it. We have created a project called "Dimes for Disasters."

"Dimes for Disasters" was created for future disasters that may involve middle school students here at Phillip Sharp. Students are asked to bring in dimes to put in a jar. When enough dimes are brought in, the money will be put in an account for future disasters. If you would like to help, please send dimes in with your student.

__PUBLIC__

Keitin and Eric play with boom whackers. They are lightweight, hollow, color-coded plastic tubes that are tuned to musical pitches by length.

March has been officially designated by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) for the observance of Music In Our Schools Month (MIOSM®), the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools across the nation. MIOSM began as a single statewide celebration in 1973, and has grown over the decades to encompass a day, then a week, and then in 1985 to become a month long celebration of school music. The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children – and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music.

Everyone has made mistakes with money. Sometimes the mistakes can be costly. These tips from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) may help you keep mistakes to a minimum or avoid them all together.

Each year, millions of adults of all ages find themselves struggling to pay their monthly bills. Overspending on credit cards, taking out car loans and having to pay living expenses such as rent, mortgage, utilities and buying groceries can become overwhelming if you haven’t learned to prepare a monthly budget and follow it.

The National Honor Society has been very involved and they decided to spread the love by making hand made no sew blankets to give to the Diocesan Catholic Children's home. NHS was very happy to donate these blankets and hope to do more things like this in the future.

__PUBLIC__

Many students find that they must use loans to help pay for a higher education, especially if they’re working on a four-year degree. These tips from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) may help lessen the impact of borrowing.

· Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You may not think you’ll qualify for federal aid, but the only way to find out is to try.

· Find all the sources of financial aid that don’t have to be paid back first — grants, scholarships and work-study — before turning to loans.

The Pendleton County 109 Solid Waste Management Board announced that this will be their fifth year in offering $500 scholarships that will be awarded to a non-traditional adult student in May 2013. A nontraditional student is an adult that is currently attending college or plans to attend college during the fall 2013 semester.

Although the 109 Board continues to support high school scholarships, they also want to support adults returning to college.

Graduates of the GED program are encouraged to apply. Previous recipients are not eligible to reapply. The criteria and applications are available through the local Adult Education Office at 654-3325 Ext. 2601. The deadline for submitting this scholarship is April 26, 2013.

__PUBLIC__

"Natural Beauty" by Taelor McMillin is a fashion design piece inspired by nature and created using nature.

Two Pendleton County A-Team students have been juried in to the 2013 Southern Ohio/ Northern Kentucky Scholastic Art Competition. The Scholastic Art Awards is a program that showcases the finest work of area schools and students.