
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Poplar Bluff, Missouri - Three Rivers College’s Theater Department will hold an informational session for community members interested in joining a New York Theater Trip at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 21 in the Tinnin Fine Arts Center Auditorium.
“This will be the second trip to New York we’ve done, based off of the rousing success of our first excursion in 2012,” said Tim Thompson, Director of the Tinnin Fine Arts Center. “The shows are amazing, and New York is such an experience. Three Rivers is committed to creating a global classroom experience, and this is definitely a part of that.”
The four-night trip, which will take place in June 2015, will include three theater shows, tours, attractions, and meals at notable New York restaurants. The price of the trip includes round-trip airfare, accommodations, and two meals, along with the shows, tours, and attractions. Participants will also have time to explore New York on their own. According to Thompson, the cost will be spread across seven months of installments, in order to make the trip more affordable.
For more information on the trip, which is open to both students and non-students, or the informational meeting, contact Tim Thompson at 573-840-9648 or tthompson@trcc.edu.
Registration remains open for Fall semester classes at all Three Rivers College locations. Classes available include options in theater, music, art, and literature. Registration deadline for Fall 2014 is August 15. For more information, or to apply online, visit trcc.edu. Prospective students can also call the Welcome Center at 573-840-9605 for more information.
Three Rivers College is committed to contributing to the quality of life in Southeast Missouri with affordable higher education opportunities and community services that support and encourage the economic, civic, and cultural vitality of the region. For more information about college and workforce programs and upcoming events, visit trcc.edu.

Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Editor
Malden, Missouri - Three Rivers College will host the HiSET® High School Equivalence Test (which has replaced the GED test) at its Center in Malden this September. The exam will be offered at the Center at Malden on Saturday, September 20, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The registration period for this test closes on September 17.
"Three Rivers main campus in Poplar Bluff normally offers the HiSET® test one Saturday each month," said Diane Patterson, coordinator of the Testing Center at Three Rivers College. "We're offering this so that people in surrounding areas can have a chance to take the HiSET® closer to home."
The HiSET® is an online test taken at a certified test center. Tests cover writing, essay, math, science, social studies and reading. Once the test has been scheduled, it must be completed in its entirety within a 12-month period. The test now costs $60 to the state, which allows the test to be taken in its entirety with two free retests per section. An additional $7 per section testing fee is required every time the test is taken. The test can only be taken three times in a calendar year.
Those interested in taking the test should go to hiset.ets.org to register, pay and schedule the test. Everything is completed online at this website. The only thing the testing center is responsible for now is administering the test.
Those interested in taking HiSET® classes before the test should call the Poplar Bluff Adult Education and Literacy Center at 573-686-2011, between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon, Monday through Thursday, for more information or to locate an AEL center near you.
"Students are not required to take classes before taking the test, but it could be beneficial in passing the test the first time around," said Patterson. “There is an abundance of information on the hiset.ets.org website, overview of tests, practice tests and how to create your account.”
Three Rivers College is committed to contributing to the quality of life in Southeast Missouri with affordable higher education opportunities and community services that support and encourage the economic, civic, and cultural vitality of the region. For more information about college and workforce programs and upcoming events, visit trcc.edu.

Missouri – By Missouri state law, the sales tax holiday begins on the first Friday in August and continues through the following Sunday. This Friday, August 1st Back to School Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:01 .m. and runs through Sunday, August 3rd.
During this time, the state sales tax of 4.225 percent will not be assessed on certain purchases. Back-to-school items can be purchased without state tax, but a city or county sales tax may be added. Such supplies as clothing, school supplies, computers and other items as defined by the statue are exempt form Missouri State sales tax.
Stoddard County is listed as a county that has elected not to participate in the 2014 Tax Holiday so purchases made locally may have a county tax applied.
Poplar Bluff is on the list for cities that have elected not to participate in the 2014 Tax Holiday so purchases made in Poplar Bluff may have city taxes applied.
The state sales tax will not be charged on the following items during the holiday:
* Clothing that does not have a value of more than $100. Eligible clothing includes standard items of apparel worn on or about the body, and includes footwear. It also includes material to make school uniforms or other school clothing. It does not include accessories such as watches, jewelry, handbags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, scarves, ties, headbands and belt buckles.
* School supplies, not exceeding $50 per purchase, that are used in a standard classroom for educational purposes. School supplies include textbooks, notebooks, paper, pens, pencils, crayons, art supplies, rulers, book bags, backpacks, handheld calculators, chalk, maps and globes. School supplies do not include CD players, headphones, sporting equipment, portable telephones, copiers or other office equipment.
* Personal computers that don't cost more than $3,500 and computer peripheral devices that don't exceed $3,500. A personal computer can be a laptop, desktop or tower computer system which consists of a central processing unit, random access memory, a storage drive, display monitor, keyboard and other related devices. Peripheral devices include items such as a disk drive, memory module, CD drive, microphone, modem, motherboard, mouse, speakers, printer, scanner, sound card or video card. Computer software is considered a school supply and is free from sales tax if its value is less than $350.
Before you shop just check with the store prior to your purchase to see if they are participating in the Tax Holiday. For more information about the Back to School Sales Tax Holiday check out the Department of Revenue’s website by clicking HERE.

Dexter, Missouri - Summer is winding down for many students and it will be back to school in just under a month. The Bearcat football team has already been practicing hard and just like the football team, the Dexter marching bands hold summer camps to get ready for the half-time shows.
Students have to begin somewhere with learning music and playing an instrument. Mr. Cody Jinkerson, T.S. Hill Middle School Band Director will be hosting a Beginners Band Camp for 6th grade students to get familiar with their instrument and learn to read music so that they will be ready for concert band. They may not be marching just yet, but that will all take place soon enough.
It will be an amazing week; middle school students can have new experiences all while developing their skills as a musician. Whether they have just started learning an instrument or have been taking lessons for years, this will be a great opportunity for them to learn and perform.
The sixth grade beginning band camp will be held Monday, July 21st - Friday, July 25th.
9:30 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Trumpet, Baritone and Flute
10:30 a.m. – 11:20 a.m. Percussion and Clarinet
1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. Trombone and Bassoons
2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. French Horn and Oboe
A parent orientation meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 22nd and Thursday, July 24th, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. Parents/Guardians are requested to attend one of these meetings.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call Mr. Jinkerson at 573-854-4522 or Mr. Rybolt at 625-3125.

Dexter, Missouri - Prospective students looking to get a leg up on their college classes can still register for Augmester courses at Three Rivers College. Fall registration also continues through Aug. 15 at the Poplar Bluff campus and the centers in Sikeston, Dexter, Kennett, Malden, and Cape Girardeau, as well as the South Central Education Consortium in Willow Springs. The Fall semester starts on Aug. 18.
Augmester classes are intensive, two-week sessions offered between the Summer and Fall sessions. Augmester registration ends July 24 with classes starting on July 28.
“The Summer and Augmester sessions are great ways to get a leg up on the demands of the Fall semester,” said Dr. Wesley Payne, Vice President for Learning. “There are options for students just getting out of high school and wanting to get their general education credits finished before transferring to a four-year institution, or for students wanting to get started on their associate degree early.”
Payne advises new students who need financial aid to begin the application process as soon as possible in order to receive priority for federal grants and loans. For more information on how to apply for financial assistance at Three Rivers, visit trcc.edu/financialaid.
Those interested in enrolling can browse available courses by clicking “Search for Classes” at trcc.edu. Current students can register online through the myTRCC system. To apply for admission to Three Rivers online, visit http://trcc.edu/admissions. Advisement offices are also open now for any current or future students wishing to discuss their college goals. New students must meet with an advisor.
For registration assistance or for an advisement appointment, contact the Poplar Bluff campus at 573-840-9605; Center at Sikeston at 573-4725223; Center at Kennett at 573-888-6381; Center at Dexter at 573-614-1081; Center at Malden at 573-276-3529; the Center at Cape Girardeau at 573-332-0516; and the South Central Education Consortium in Willow Springs at 417-469-3000.
Three Rivers College is committed to contributing to the quality of life in Southeast Missouri with quality, affordable higher education opportunities and community services that support and encourage the economic, civic, and cultural vitality of the region. For more information about college and workforce programs and upcoming events, visit trcc.edu.