By Rita Howell
As local students enjoy the last weekend of their summer vacation, teachers, administrators and parents are making last minute preparations for the start of school next week.
Students across the county will go back to school Thursday, August 4, but their teachers will have been in classrooms all next week, getting ready.
And in the North Panola District, special back to school activities are planned this weekend.
South Panola District
Parents/guardians who have yet to register their child in the South Panola School District for the 2016-17 school year may still do so at the school the student will attend.
Parents/guardians of students should bring TWO proofs of residency AND a state issued photo ID to the front office of the school to complete registration/declaration of residency.
All incoming seventh graders at Batesville Junior High School and Pope School MUST have a Certificate of Immunization Compliance (Form 121 – showing proof of Tdap shot) on file before starting the 2016-17 school year.
To schedule an appointment to obtain Form 121, call the Panola County Health Department at 563-4616. (If the Tdap shot was obtained at a pharmacy/doctor’s office, bring proof of shot to the health department to obtain Form 121.)
Class schedules for 10th-12th grade South Panola High School students may be picked up from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the front office.
Ninth-graders may now pick up their schedules.    
Batesville Junior High School and Pope School students may pick up their schedules during the schools’ “Meet the Teacher Night” on Aug. 2.  BJHS’s “Meet the Teacher Night” will be held from 4-5 p.m., and Pope will begin at 6.
Batesville Intermediate School will hold Meet the Teacher Night August 3 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Kindergarten students at Batesville Elementary can meet their teachers from 4-5 p.m., at Batesville Middle School, where their classes will be housed again this year until the new building is complete.
 First graders can meet theirs at Batesville Elementary School from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Batesville Middle School will hold Meet the Teacher Night for fourth and fifth graders from 5-6 p.m. August 3.
South Panola District teachers will attend faculty meetings and staff development sessions August 1-3.
School begins for all pupils August 4.

North Panola
School District
 Green Hill Elementary School will host a Back to School Rally Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be food, fun, and games for the students.
In Crenshaw, the annual Crenshaw Community Give Back will be held Sunday, July 31 from 3-5 p.m. at Crenshaw Elementary School. Students who attend will receive bags of school supplies. In addition, there will be community prayer, activities for children, music, and refreshments.
Students in the North Panola School District will return to class Thursday, August 4.
Teachers will attend professional development sessions August 1-3.
At Green Hill Elementary, parents and students are invited to Meet the Teacher night August 2, and at Como Elementary, Meet the Teacher night is August 3, 5-6 p.m.

North Delta School
At North Delta School, students will attend a half day of school Thursday, August 4. There will be orientation for freshmen at 4 p.m. in the gym, and new student orientation at 4:30 p.m. in the library for grades 6-12.
 The school will host open house at 5 p.m. for grades K5-12. The Booster Club will sponsor a dinner in the cafeteria at 5:30 p.m., and fans are invited to Meet the Wave night in the gym at 6:30 p.m.
Students will attend a half day Friday, and report Monday for the first full day of school.