School calendars approved

Grant County and Williamstown Independent school districts are already making plans for next year.
School boards for both districts recently approved their 2013-14 calendar.
For a second year, Grant County Schools will have a calendar with a unique start for students who will be entering kindergarten, sixth and ninth grades.
The first day for kindergarteners, sixth graders and freshmen will be Tuesday, Aug. 13 while students in all other grades will begin the new year on Aug. 14.
While kindergarten students will attend their second day on Aug. 14, sixth and ninth graders will not have classes.
All students will attend daily beginning Aug. 15.
The goal of the schedule is to allow students who will be attending new buildings the opportunity to become acclimated to their surroundings, schedules and expectations before being joined by the older students.
Days off for all students include Sept. 2 (Labor Day), Oct. 10-14 (Fall Break), Nov. 4-5, Nov. 27-29 (Thanksgiving), Dec. 23-Jan. 3, 2014 (Christmas Break), Jan. 20, 2014 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), Feb. 17, 2014 and March 31-April 4, 2014 (Spring Break).
Because kindergarten students attend both Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, their school year will conclude one day earlier on May 13, 2014 while all other grades will conclude on May 14, 2014.
Any makeup days would be added to the end of the original calendar as needed.
Williamstown Independent Schools is scheduled to end the school year a week later than Grant County.
The opening day for students will be Aug. 15 while the school year is scheduled to end May 21.

The district has several days off worked into the schedule throughout the school year starting with Labor Day on Sept. 2.
Fall break is set for Oct. 11-14, which includes a Friday and Monday off.
Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 27-29, and students will get two weeks off for Christmas break from Dec. 23- Jan. 3, 2014.
Williamstown will recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20, 2014 with no school.

Classes also will not be in session Feb. 17-18, however Feb. 18 is designated as a possible make-up day.
Williamstown’s spring break will be March 31- April 4, 2014.
After a day off May 20 for Election Day, school will close for the summer, barring any missed days, on May 21, 2014.

The schedule also will have four early release days that will allow staff to have professional development training.
Those days will be Sept. 25, Oct. 23, Jan. 29 and March 12.
In order, the makeup days would be May 22, May 23, Feb. 18, May 27-30 and June 2-4.