Early Childhood Center Marks New Beginning for Pre-Schoolers

The Early Childhood Center on Main Street.

Classes start tomorrow for Roscoe’s Schools, and with them an exciting new program begins for pre-schoolers. The Montessori method, developed and proven in expensive private schools in the U.S. and elsewhere, will for the first time be available to public school students here in Roscoe at no extra charge.  Similar programs in Dallas cost over $11,000 a year per student, and that’s without extended stay in the afternoons.

The new program will provide students an approach which emphasizes active learning, independence, and cooperation, and instruction is designed to coincide with each child’s unique pace of development. Teachers must be trained and certified in the Montessori method, as RCISD’s all are.

The new Early Childhood Center has been designed specifically for Montessori’s classroom requirements. These include more space for storage of manipulatives and hands-on types of activities.

This fall the Early Childhood Center has six classes, each composed of about twenty-one 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. Five-year-olds begin tomorrow, four-year-olds August 21, and three-year olds August 28. The teachers are Kristin Bohay, Dana Elmore, Katherine Jackson, Kristi Martin, Rhonda Wilson, and Jana Young. They are all excited to be involved in this new program. Classes are from 7:55am-2:30pm, M-F.

Early success in reading and math has positive repercussions throughout all subsequent grades, as do positive attitudes toward learning, and the Montessori method is a proven system for achieving these goals for children of all backgrounds and abilities. Its implementation will strengthen the scholastic level of Roscoe’s schools from the students’ first exposure and provide them a lifelong benefit.

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PRACTICES BEGIN FOR 2017 PLOWBOY FOOTBALL

Plowboy linemen work out Monday morning.

Are you ready for some football? On Monday morning, the 2017 edition of the Roscoe Plowboys began fall workouts at Plowboy Field. Morning practices continued through this morning, but, since school starts tomorrow, they will be cut short, and Coach Jake Freeman will have to be satisfied with afternoon practices from now on.

The Plowboys’ first scrimmage will be at home next Friday, August 18, at 6:00pm against Munday. The following Friday, August 24, they will scrimmage against Hawley in Hawley in preparation for their season opener with the Haskell Indians on September 1.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, the premier publication for high school football in Texas, predicts the Plowboys will finish second in district to Hamlin, this year’s pre-season favorite. Here’s how its writers see District 4-2A-II winding up:

1.      Hamlin Pied Pipers
2.      Roscoe Plowboys
3.      Seagraves Eagles
4.      Tahoka Bulldogs
5.      Plains Cowboys
6.      Roby Lions

However, the Plowboys have won the title before after being predicted not to win, year before last being a prime example, and they are optimistic they can do it again, just like the 2015 Plowboys did. They are returning eight starters on both offense and defense.

With last year’s quarterback, Brayden Beal, lost to graduation, the Plowboys will be breaking in a new player at that position. And while nothing is written in stone yet, Jayden Gonzales (5’8” 160) has been taking the reps with the first team, while Junior Martinez (6’1” 180) also works out at the position. Several Plowboy linemen graduated last year, so the offensive line will probably be going through some growing pains in the first few games, but the players at the skill positions show a lot of promise, and the defense looks solid.

Players to watch include Jose Ortega (5’7” 160), who was 2A All Big-Country last year at wide receiver and defensive back, Francisco Garcia (5’9” 185), 2A All Big-Country running back; lineman Paul Pantoja (6’ 0” 225), 2A All Big-Country; Junior Martinez WR/DB, linebacker Tait Fullwood (5’9” 165), lineman Parker Payne (6’1” 210), WR Micheal Wright, DT Joel Guis, WR Diego Garza, LB Cade Garrett, LB Coltin Watts, C Rey Martinez, OL Garrett Bowers, and CB Brandon Lavalais.

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING SHORT AND SWEET

The Roscoe City Council had no significant action items on the agenda at its monthly meeting at City Hall yesterday evening. They did, however, hear the monthly report on City works as well as the monthly Police report.

City Manager Cody Thompson reported that seal-coating is currently in progress and that 7th Street from Main to Ash Streets was seal-coated yesterday. The awarded sanitary sewer project is now complete, and the City has $142,000 left over. On Friday, a project meeting will be held to discuss additional work and the Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant.

The grant application applied for to the State ranked tenth, but only the first seven were funded, so according to that ranking, Roscoe should be funded in 2018.

Additional policing will be in the new school zone areas Thursday around the Early Childhood Center on Main Street.

The City Council will hold its annual budget workshops next Tuesday and Thursday, August 15 and 17, at 7:00pm.

This year’s West Texas Wind Festival has penciled in T. G. Sheppard as the feature performer at the free concert. The Plowboy Mudbog will also be held then.

The City has made claims for insurance money on a water pump that was recently struck by lightning and for a wrecked City vehicle.

The City Council also heard the Police Report for the month of July from Police Chief Felix Pantoja.

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SATURDAY FESTIVAL FEATURES DALE WATSON, DALLAS MOORE, & OTHERS

Dale Watson

A host of performers will be at the Lumberyard this Saturday when Dale Watson, Dallas Moore, Bonnie Montgomery, Billy Don Burns, Josh Morningstar, and Richie Allbright come to town for the Ameripolitan Outlaw Music Festival, an annual show that was in Austin last year.

Dale Watson will be singing tunes such as “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down” and “I Lie When I Drink,”  Dallas Moore will sing his “Outlaw Country” and “Raisin’ Hell and Slingin’ Gravel.” Billy Don Burns will do “Lonesome 77203” while Bonnie Montgomery, Josh Morningstar, and Richie Allbright also have their turns at the mike.

The show begins at 6:00pm. For reservations or more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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WEATHER REPORT: COOL WEATHER BUT LITTLE RAIN

Thunderhead in southeast sky on Sunday afternoon.

The past week saw showers in some local areas but in Roscoe itself, there was little precipitation as had been predicted. On Sunday, areas north and northwest of town got measurable rainfall, somewhere between a quarter and half inch, Some areas west of town also got rain, but others got none, and the dryland cotton still needs a good August rain.

Temperatures rose into only the 80s on last Wednesday and Thursday, but then on Friday it climbed to 94°F, on Saturday to 98°, and on Sunday to 99°. But then after the cold front moved through Sunday evening, temperatures dropped and we’ve had wonderfully cool weather for August the past two days. Highs on Monday and yesterday were only 83° while lows since Sunday have been in the sixties.

Today’s high will be warmer at 90° and tomorrow’s, Friday’s and Saturday’s even warmer at 95° or 96°. There are no chances of rain before Sunday, when the percentage climbs to 40%. Let’s hope this time we get something substantial, enough to make everybody smile.

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† VIRGINIA GARCIA GUERRERO

Virginia Garcia Guerrero, 89, of Roscoe went to rest with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, August 8, 2017.

Services will be at 2:00pm on Thursday, August 10 at McCoy Chapel of Memories with Dr. Chris Stephens officiating. Interment will follow at Roscoe Cemetery. Family visitation will be Wednesday from 6:00 until 8:00pm. McCoy Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

She is survived by three sons, Jessie Guerrero and wife Susan, Margarito Guerrero, and Joe Guerrero; five daughters, Patricia Da Silva and husband Jonimar, Laurie Willman and husband Gus, Yolanda Lansford and husband Wayne, Maria Soto and husband Joe, and Virginia Rangel. She is also survived by two brothers, Juan and Amado Garcia; one sister, Tana; and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

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