LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — In three weeks, Clark County School District students will begin their fall semester and that means it’s time to get those school supplies and required immunizations before the first day on Aug. 9.
Many Nevada families were hit hard by the pandemic and some are still unemployed. 8 News Now is partnering with Smith’s to collect school supplies to help kids in the community so they can have a successful start.
The GR8 School Supply Drive will collect school supplies until July 29 for the Teacher EXCHANGE which will distribute those supplies.
The items being collected include:
- Backpacks
- Pocket folders
- Colored pencils
- Dry erase markers
- Construction paper
- Pencils
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Glue Sticks
- Clorox Wipes
The items can be dropped off at any Smith’s grocery stores across the Las Vegas valley.
In addition to school supplies, families may need to review the vaccination list for the school district. Children entering kindergarten and 7th grade will need particular vaccines.
Health officials are urging parents to take care of the mandatory shots and the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time. The health district is offering the COVID-19 vaccine to children 12 and older at various schools through August.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of time could prevent children from missing school should they have a mild reaction and need to stay home.
“They may feel sore for a day or two, they may not feel great the next day, yet another reason you may want to start the series before they go back to school so they miss less days of school,” said Dr. Michael Tenby, Centennial Pediatrics.
One student named Melanie talks about why she chose to get the vaccine.
“I was just tired of not being able to be in super close proximity to my friends, and I wanted to be able to move on and really focus on my studies and not worry about anything else,” she said.
