Smithville Elementary Names Students of the Month

February 28, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Smithville Elementary would like to recognize our Students of the Month for February. These students were selected for their outstanding character, academics, and other traits that make them an all-around excellent student. Selected as Students of the Month for February are:

PreK – Alan Ramos

K – Aveionka Fisk

1st – Azriel Fermin

2nd – Allie Tarpley

Smithville Elementary Upcoming Events for March 2019

Weds., March 6- Family Reading Night

Thurs., March 7- Family Reading Night

March 11-15 – Scholastic Book Fair

Weds., March 13- Family Reading Night

Thurs., March 14- In-School Banking

Thurs., March 14-Report Cards go home

Thurs., March 14-Book Fair Family Night

Thurs., March 14-Parent Teacher Conferences, 3:00-6:00 p.m.

Tues., March 19 – Group Pictures & Spring Pictures

Weds., March 20- Family Reading Night

Thurs., March 21- Family Reading Night

March 25-29 Spring Break

February 28, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

Fourth in series of five stories. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Cheryl Vandagriff has found her niche in life as a classroom teacher and the journey she took to get there has brought her full circle to where her career began at Northside Elementary School.

For the last four years Vandagriff has been at Northside where she teaches fifth grade English, Language Arts, and Social Studies and its for her outstanding performance in the classroom that she has earned this year’s Teacher of the Year honor at the school.

IMG_4459 from dwayne page on Vimeo.

Northside is a special place for Vandagriff because its where she first started teaching fifth grade fifteen years ago fresh out of college. But after two years, Vandagriff left to join the staff at Dibrell Elementary School where she spent the next ten years of her life teaching third grade, before returning to Northside.

Although Vandagriff loves her job today, there was a time earlier in life when Vandagriff wasn’t so sure of her career path until she experienced a spiritual awakening.

“I had been working as a teacher assistant at Dibrell where my son attended school. After my first year of doing that I tried working in insurance and a couple of other things and never felt like I had found my niche in life. Then one morning I just woke up and it was like God speaking to me saying go back and get your degree. That very next day I went and signed up for my classes and never looked back. I graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors Degree in Education and I have a Masters Degree in Education from Tennessee Tech. I feel like it’s a true calling and what I need to be doing,” she said.

Vandagriff is happy to be back at Northside Elementary and enjoys working with the students and her fellow teachers.

“I love it here. I work with some exceptional teachers and they make me the teacher that I am. Without them I don’t think I could do what I do every day as well as I am able to do it so the team we have here at Northside is why I drive thirty minutes each day to come and teach these children. It makes me a better teacher,” she said.

When asked about being named Teacher of the Year at Northside Elementary, Vandagriff said “I am honored but also humbled. Of course I never feel like I am doing enough as a teacher and I always want to do a better job but it is an honor”.

How would she feel if named DeKalb County Teacher of the Year? “ That would be a great honor too. The other teachers (nominees) are so exceptional I don’t feel like that would happen but it would be a great honor,” she said.

In addition to Vandagriff, this year’s honorees are Justin Nokes, seventh grade World History teacher at DeKalb Middle School; first grade teacher Vicky Hawker at Smithville Elementary School; Linda Parris, a family and consumer sciences/culinary arts teacher at DeKalb County High School; and Jessica Antoniak, a sixth grade math and science teacher at DeKalb West School.

The overall DeKalb County Teacher of the Year winner will be announced during the twelfth annual Teacher of the Year banquet next Tuesday, March 5 at the Smithville First Baptist Church Life Enrichment Center.

WJLE will be featuring each of the five Teachers of the Year at the school level through next Tuesday. Features on Justin Nokes, Vicky Hawker, and Linda Parris already appear further down this page under local news.

February 28, 2019
By: Dwayne Page

The Trustee’s Office will be a busy place today (Thursday) as taxpayers rush to beat the February 28 deadline to pay their 2018 county property taxes.

As of Monday, Trustee Sean Driver said more than 80% had been collected of the $9,127,983 in 2018 DeKalb County property taxes to be collected by February 28, 2019 which includes property, residential, commercial, personal, and public utility taxes.

For budgeting purposes, the county expects tax collections each year to be at least 94.75% with a 5.25% delinquency.

Property taxes are now due and payable through today (February 28, 2019) before any interest becomes due on March 1, 2019.

The Trustee’s office offers up to 6 different options to pay your property tax:

( 1.) Come in person to the office to pay. The Trustee’s office is open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

( 2.) Mail in your payment

( 3.) Pay online at www.tennesseetrustee.org, then select DeKalb and follow the instructions to the next screens. The Vendor (Business Information Systems) accepts Discover, MasterCard, Visa, or American Express. The Vendor convenience fee of 2.75% on the total tax bill will apply and fees are subject to change for using credit/debit cards. Also, a $2.75 fee will be assessed on an e-check payment of any amount. Business Information Systems collects the fees, not DeKalb County.

(5.) A dropbox is located on the outside of the building at the County Complex (County Offices Section) for your convenience after hours or on weekends. Remember on the last day, February 28 if you can’t make it to the post office to postmark your payment, the dropbox is available. If you choose to make use of the dropbox on February 28, the mail will be gathered on Friday, March 1 and no interest will be applied your 2018 tax bill.

(6.) Partial Payments are accepted in any amount but portions unpaid after the February 28 deadline will accrue a 1.5% interest per month starting March 1, 2019.

Driver further explained that any 2017 property taxes still owed after February 28 will be turned over to the Chancery Court on April 1, 2019 for collection. The Trustee’s office can still accept partial payments on 2017 delinquent taxes through March 31, 2019. The Trustee will make one more notice on the unpaid 2017 delinquent property taxes on February 1, 2019.

Eligible taxpayers may also qualify for the Tennessee State Tax Relief Program.

This program was implemented in 1973 and it has a few changes every year. For the 2018 tax year, you can qualify for Tax Relief if:

(a.) Your DeKalb County home is your primary residence,

(b.) You are 65 years old (or older) as of December 31, 2018, or totally and permanently disabled as by the SSA or another qualifying agency, and

(c.) Your 2017 Annual Income of all persons on the deed and their spouses did not exceed $29,270.00.
“If the State of Tennessee qualifies you for a Tax Relief, then you can receive a rebate up to $118.00 for 2018. You must pay your 2018 tax bill IN FULL to start the application,” Trustee Driver explained.

The State of Tennessee also offers Tax Relief for Disabled Veterans and the surviving spouses of a disabled veteran.

“You must provide proof from the Veteran’s Administration that you have a 100% service-connected disability. You or your spouse will NOT have to report any income to apply as a disabled veteran or the widow or widower of a disabled veteran. If the State of Tennessee qualifies you as a disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran, then you can receive a rebate up to $745.00”
“The Trustee’s office is accepting applications for the Tax Relief Program through April 5, 2019.

If you would like to inquire more about a possible tax relief, come by the County Complex in the Trustee’s office at 732 S Congress Blvd-Room 103, Smithville, TN 37166 or call us at 615-597-5176,” Trustee Driver concluded.

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