Education Notebook: It’s supplies time for new school year

September is just a few weeks away and it’s time to plan for back-to-school.

School supply lists for the 2013-14 year can be found on individual school websites in their district.

For families who need a little extra help with getting school supplies, the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center is holding a back-to-school supply drive.

Applications are available at www.mlkspokane.org and are due Aug. 16 at 4 p.m. Applications may be emailed to Tammy Prudencio, the community outreach coordinator, at tprudencio@mlkspokane.org; dropped off or mailed to the Outreach Center at 845 S. Sherman Ave., Spokane, WA 99202; or faxed to (509) 455-7801.

Children will receive new backpacks, filled with supplies to get them through the school year, on Aug. 29 at Grant Elementary School, from 1 to 6 p.m.

First day of school

A few schools are going back to class before Labor Day.

In the Deer Park School District, the first day of school is Aug. 28.

In Spokane Public Schools, Rogers High School students also will head back to class on Aug. 28, as part of a three-year School Improvement Grant that requires 100 hours be added to the academic year.

The rest of the students in Spokane Public Schools, along with the students in the Mead School District, will start school Sept. 3.

And, students in the Cheney School District will get one more day of summer break with school year beginning on Sept. 4.