Education Notebook: Houston County holding pre-K registration

The Houston County School System will register children for pre-K Monday through March 18 for the 2016-17 school year. Parents are encouraged to register during specific dates assigned to their school to help prevent long waits.

Applicants will be entered into a computer system for a lottery drawing. No priority is given based on the order of registration; all children registered by March 18 will have an equal chance of computer selection.

Registration will be held at the Central Registration office 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., with the exception of Wednesday. Wednesday hours are 8 a.m.-noon.

Dates planned for registration by elementary school zone are: Feb. 22-26 -- C. B. Watson, Quail Run, Parkwood, Lindsey and Westside; Feb. 29-March 4 -- Eagle Springs, Miller, Northside and Lake Joy Primary; March 7-11 -- David Perdue, Centerville, Bonaire, Hilltop and Shirley Hills; March 14-18 -- Kings Chapel, Matt Arthur, Russell, Langston Road, Morningside and Tucker.

Pre-K students must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1. Only a parent or legal guardian may register a child. Parents will be notified by mail of acceptance or waiting list status in May. Pre-K registration requires the following items: parent/guardian photo ID, certified birth certificate, guardianship/custody orders if the child does not live with his natural parents, lease or mortgage plus second proofs of residency, Social Security card or waiver, ear, eye and dental screening, Georgia Form 3300, immunization certificate, Georgia Form 3231 and proof of eligibility for Medicaid, SSI, TANF or food stamps, if applicable.

For more information about the pre-K program, call Ron Wilson, director of special programs, at 478-988-6330.

MGSU, TUBMAN MUSEUM HOSTING BLACK HISTORY EVENTS

The Tubman Museum and Middle Georgia State University are partnering to sponsor Black History Month events this week, including film screenings and a gallery talk. For more information, contact Jesse Klein, Middle Georgia State assistant professor of new media/film, at jesse.klein@mga.edu or the Tubman museum at 478-743-8544.

MERCER WELCOMES CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER FOR SYMPOSIUM

Mercer University's 12th annual Building the Beloved Community Symposium will focus on the theme "Building Leaders to Change the World" and will welcome noted minister, author and civil rights leader the Rev. C.T. Vivian.

The symposium will open with a banquet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the President's Dining Room inside the University Center, featuring Vivian's keynote address, titled "Martin Luther King Jr., 21st-Century Man."

Macon-Bibb County Sheriff David Davis will be the featured speaker for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Friday in the fellowship hall of Centenary United Methodist Church.

Vivian, 91, will deliver his second keynote address, titled "Continuing the Beloved Community," at 10 a.m. in Newton Chapel. Additionally, the Central High School chorus, with director Isaac Gibson, will lead the Negro National Anthem.

WOOD COMMITS $1 MILLION TO MERCER LAW SCHOOL

Mercer University School of Law Dean Daisy Hurst Floyd recently announced a $1 million commitment from L. Lin Wood, which will result in the creation of the L. Lin Wood Fund for the Enhancement of Mercer Law School.

The L. Lin Wood Fund will support and enhance the programs and activities of the law school. The law school's trial courtroom will be named in honor of Wood at a ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday.

MIDDLE GEORGIA LEARNING RESOURCE SYSTEM HOSTS CONFERENCE

Middle Georgia Learning Resource System has sponsored a self-determination conference to bring together parents, students and teachers with service providers.

The conference will provide a track for students where they will learn how to "dress for success," interview for a job or scholarship and gain soft skills needed to be successful after graduation.

Parents and teachers can choose between two tracks. The first track will share information about options for students heading to college and technical school. The other track will share options for students with more significant disabilities and needs.

The conference is Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Anderson Conference Center on Eisenhower Parkway. Lunch will be provided, and the event is free.

Registration is available at tinyurl.com/mgselfdetermined.

MGSU SPONSORING HORTICULTURE SYMPOSIUM

Experts on a variety of horticulture-related topics will speak at the 2016 Waddell Barnes Botanical Gardens Spring Symposium, sponsored by Middle Georgia State University and scheduled for Saturday on the university's Macon campus.

The symposium is planned for 8:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m. in Room 112 of the Professional Sciences Conference Center. A $40 advance registration fee ($50 at the door) includes continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon break.

Online registration and additional information about speaker topics are available at www.mga.edu/botanical.

For more information, contact Cristina Saldana at cristina.saldana@mga.edu or 478-471-4770.

Telegraph writers Jeremy Timmerman and Oby Brown contributed to this report.

This story was originally published February 21, 2016 at 9:18 PM with the headline "Education Notebook: Houston County holding pre-K registration ."