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Rockford is preparing for the Farmers Market

Rockford is preparing for the Farmers Market

Preparations are underway for the annual Rockford Farmers Market which will open on June 2nd.

Kim McKay organizes the market for the city. McKay tells WZZM 13 that she received inquiries asking if the market would open early this year because of the warmer weather, but her answer was no.

McKay says one change this year is that daily vendors need to be pre-approved if they want a space at the market. You can call McKay at 866-1537 for more information.

McKay says she has talked to farmers who are concerned about the availability of apples, cherries and peaches this year because of the early growing season and hard freezes, but we will all have to wait to see what the farmers bring to market.

The Rockford Farmers Market will be open Saturdays from 8am to 1pm, from June 2nd through October.

You can find more information at Rockford.mi.us.

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Rockford eliminates Middle School Spanish Immersion

ROCKFORD, Michigan (WZZM) - Many parents in the Rockford School District are upset by the district's decision to eliminate the Middle School Spanish Immersion program.

In a letter sent home to parents Tuesday, the district lists off several reasons why it eliminated the program for sixth graders. Those reasons include the fact that state funding will be $6,846 per student for the 2012-13 school year. That's less than the district received seven years ago.

Another reason for the cut is the fact that Rockford is moving to all-day kindergarten in 2012-13 because of a state mandate. The all-day kindergarten will cost the district another $1.8 million. Superintendent Shibler says if Rockford did not provide all-day kindergarten, the district could lose $2.4 million in revenue from the state.

Rockford announces elimination of Middle School Spanish Immersion

Rockford announces elimination of Middle School Spanish Immersion

Rockford Superintendent Michael Schibler announced today that the school district is cutting the popular Middle School Spanish Immersion program.

Rockford must spend an additional $1.8 million to comply with the Mi State Legislature to implement all-day kindergarten in the fall.

Shibler's statement online reads, in part, "In order to balance next year's budget, the Board of Education is reviewing all district programs and, in the process, has determined offering Spanish Immersion as part of the 6th grade curriculum is no longer economically feasible."

The statement continues, saying the district will provide after-school fee-based classes in Spanish at both East and North Rockford Middle Schools if there is interest.

You can read Shibler's complete statement here.

Vote for WZZM to come to Relay for Life

Vote for WZZM to come to Relay for Life

This weekend, there are at least four Relay for Life events around West Michigan.  WZZM can only get out to one of them to be LIVE during their Friday evening newscast between 5:30 and 6:30pm.

Go to the WZZM13.com homepage and scroll down to the Poll 13 to vote for the event to be visited - LIVE!

The choices are Comstock Park, East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills Central and Rockford.

 

 

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A big weekend coming up for Relay for Life

A big weekend coming up for Relay for Life

There’s still time to sign up for Relay for Life.  The American Cancer Society is holding relays in Comstock Park, East Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, and Rockford on May 18th and 19th. 

The Comstock Park Relay begins at 3pm at the Comstock Park High School.

The East Grand Rapids Relay starts at 3pm at the East Grand Rapids High School.

The Forest Hills Relay begins at an hour earlier at 2pm at the Cascade Library.

The Rockford Relay begins at 3pm at the North Rockford Middle School.

Although every Relay For Life is different, there are certain traditions shared by all Relays, no matter where they are held. These traditions help people celebrate, remember, and fight back.

Celebrate - The Survivors Lap
The Survivors Lap is an inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track together and help everyone celebrate the victories we’ve achieved over cancer.

Walk will highlight suicide concerns

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) - Deb Myers will participate in this Saturday's Walk for Mental Health. She will then "walk" at Forest Hills Central High School's graduation on Monday in honor of her son, Zach.   

Zach would have graduated this year - but he took his own life two years ago. "I think it's probably the worst thing a parent could ever experience," Myers said Monday, as she and other FHC students prepared for graduation and Saturday's walk.

The walk is sponsored by the Mental Health Foundation. Christy Buck of the Foundation said, "Research shows that the only way you're going to actually decrease the amount of suicides is by increasing awareness and by talking about it." The Walk is one way to get those conversations started.

Summer Reading at KDL is Coming Soon!

Summer Reading at KDL is Coming Soon!

Summer Reading is just around the corner! Starting June 1, the whole family can sign up for Summer Reading @ KDL and have fun reading this summer! This year, the program runs from Friday, June 1 through Friday, August 31.