11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21
Delivery or drive-thru only at WCFD

(Sentinel was published after the delivery order deadline)

Webb City employees will hold their annual Badges & Burgers fundraiser Thursday to benefit the Webb City Senior Citizens Center, United Way and Webb City CARES.

A hamburger or cheeseburger plus chips, drink and dessert will cost $5.

The police will again deliver meals pre-ordered by 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Or, the meals can be picked up at the Webb City Fire Department, 506 S. Ellis St.

Orders can be placed online or by calling the fire department at (417) 673-2254. 

Unlike previous Badges & Burgers events, there will be no inside dining.

In addition to the meals, $5 tickets are being sold for chances to win five items: 

• Mossberg 30-06 rifle

• Bicycles: Roadmaster 26” mountain bicycle and Hyper Spinner 20” BMX bicycle

• Ultra HD tall storage cabinet and Clevermade parcel porch lockbox

• Home theatre system

• Chefman Turbo air fryer and Instapot pressure cooker

POLAR BEAR EXPRESS RETURNS

First three December weekends
Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6

After a lapse caused by the pandemic, the Polar Bear Express will be leaving the station again Dec. 2-4, 9-11 and 16-18.

There will also be a special group night on Dec. 7 for those with 20 or more friends who want to ride together. 

4,400 reserved seats are available. Tickets will go on sale from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6 at City Hall, 200 S. Main St. Ticket prices are $2 per passenger, with children 3 and under riding for free with a stamped ticket.

There is usually a big rush to obtain the tickets on the first day of sales. It’s on a Saturday this year to be fair to those who can’t take off from work on a weekday.

JLT HIGH SCHOOL SHOWCASE

7 p.m. Saturdays Oct. 30 and Nov. 6

Six area high schools will preview their upcoming musical productions during Joplin Little Theatre’s high school showcase on two Saturdays, at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 and Nov. 6.

Webb City, Neosho and Carthage high school students are scheduled to perform Oct. 30.

Joplin, College Heights and Carl Junction students will perform Nov. 6.

Songs from “Freaky Friday,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Curtains,” and Music Theatre International’s “All Together Now!” will be featured. Admission will be by donation.

Peace Church Cemetery tours and work day

10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23

Experts will be on hand Saturday to guide tours of Peace Church Cemetery.

The tours, lasting about an hour, will start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The recommended donation is $12.

Also, volunteers are needed for the work day, from 8 a.m. to noon. To volunteer, call (417) 529-0890. Peace Church Cemetery is located on the east side of Peace Church Road, halfway between Zora and Fountain roads.

State Board of Education approves an emergency amendment for the route to substitute certification

The State Board of Education (State Board) authorized the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to request the Secretary of State and Joint Committee on Administrative Rules allow the new amendment to the certification process for substitute teachers (5 CSR 20-400.220) to take effect in early November instead of December 31, 2021. The State Board determined that the emergency amendment was necessary because of the severe shortage of substitute teachers, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the more severe Delta variant of the virus.

“The sooner this new path to certification can be made available to potential substitute teachers, the better,” said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “When schools cannot find substitute teachers, other full-time classroom teachers often have to fill in and give up valuable, much-needed time to prepare instructional materials, grade student work, and collaborate with colleagues — forcing those teachers to complete these tasks in their personal time.”

DESE filed a similar proposed amendment to this rule in 2020. The State Board determined to withdraw that amendment to review the effectiveness of online training for substitute teaching. Based on the early success of the program and positive feedback from school leaders and other stakeholders, the State Board voted to bring the current proposed amendment, and the subsequent emergency amendment, forward with changes based on DESE’s review of the program.

Currently, individuals looking to obtain a substitute certificate must complete 60 semester hours or more of college-level credit from a DESE-recognized and regionally accredited academic degree granting institution. The new amendment will allow individuals to take a 20-hour DESE-approved online course instead of the 60 semester hours. The online training covers topics such as professionalism, honoring diversity, engaging students, foundational classroom management techniques, basic instructional strategies, supporting students with special needs, and working with at-risk youth.