🏫 Sunday Fridge List: Homecoming Dress-Up Days, Board Tomorrow and a TN Promise Deadline

Or: Pin These Dates Before the Bus Rolls Monday

Good morning. Fall break is over, the lunchboxes are by the door, and Monday is Make Believe Monday.

This is the Sunday cheat sheet — the kind you stick under a magnet so nobody’s hunting for a cowboy hat on Wednesday morning.

Here’s what’s happening: Homecoming Week dress-up days start tomorrow, the school board meets Monday night at Griffith Elementary, the Indians are in the playoff hunt with homecoming Friday, the Lady Indians open district soccer this week, National School Lunch Week runs Oct. 12–16, seniors can still take a free ACT retake and the TN Promise application is due Nov. 2.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Tomorrow, Oct. 12: Sequatchie County students are back. Dress theme is Make Believe Monday.
• Board night: 6:30 p.m. Monday at Griffith Elementary. Open to the public.
• Homecoming Friday: Indians vs. Community, Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Dress theme that day is Go Indians Friday.
• Soccer: Lady Indians (13-1-1) play district tournament games Oct. 12–16. Confirm kickoff before you go.
• Seniors: Free ACT Event 2 paper date is Tuesday, Oct. 13 (schools pick their own day inside the window). TN Promise applications are due Nov. 2.
• Neighbors: Marion County and Hamilton County schools are on fall break Oct. 12–16.
• Weather: After weekend showers, Monday looks sunny and warmer across the Valley.

📌 Pin This: Homecoming Dress-Up Days All Week

Griffith Elementary and Sequatchie County Schools posted the official Homecoming Week spirit days. Students and staff are invited to join in each day as the count-down runs to Friday night’s game.

• Monday, Oct. 12 — Make Believe Monday
• Tuesday, Oct. 13 — Take a Picture Tuesday
• Wednesday, Oct. 14 — Wild West Wednesday
• Thursday, Oct. 15 — Together Forever Thursday
• Friday, Oct. 16 — Go Indians Friday

The SCHS calendar and MaxPreps both list the homecoming football game as Community at Sequatchie County on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. in Dunlap. That matches Go Indians Friday.

What it means for you: Tonight is the night to lay outfits on the dresser — like packing for Vacation Bible School week. Five little themes, one big Friday. If you’ve got a cowboy hat for Wednesday or an orange-and-black shirt for Friday, you’re already ahead of Cousin Billy.

👉 Read more (Sequatchie County Schools: Homecoming dress-up themes)

🏛️ Board Night Tomorrow at Griffith Elementary

The Sequatchie County Board of Education meets in regular session Monday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Griffith Elementary, after a meal at 5 p.m. The meeting was shifted a week because of fall break. The Oct. 12 agenda is posted on the district’s board-agenda page.

In plain English, items already listed for families to watch include:

• A first reading of updated policies on medicines at school, the emergency allergy response plan and the use of an opioid antagonist (emergency medicine that can reverse an overdose)
• Approval of the three-year District Improvement Plan and the TISA Accountability Report
• A Griffith Elementary student presentation, selecting a board legislative liaison and discussion of district property at 76 Jones Drive

Public comment is part of the agenda. The board’s next regular meeting is listed for Monday, Nov. 2, with a working session Tuesday, Oct. 27.

What it means for you: A first reading is like the first coat of paint — nothing is final until the board votes again. If your child carries an EpiPen or takes medicine at school, this is a good night to listen. Bring a notebook; leave the soapbox at home.

👉 Read the agenda (Oct. 12 Board Agenda PDF)

🏈 Indians Playoff Math — Homecoming Matters

The Indians are 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Region 4-3A, according to TSSAA standings. The region has six teams: Cascade, Community, Forrest, Giles County, Sequatchie County and Watertown. TSSAA rules send the top four teams in each region to the playoffs.

Both of the Indians’ remaining region games are at home: homecoming against Community on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m., and Giles County on Thursday, Oct. 29. There’s also a non-region trip to Walker Valley on Oct. 23.

MaxPreps lists Community at 0-7 overall heading into the Dunlap game. First-round playoff games statewide are typically the first weekend of November; the Class 3A state championship is set for Dec. 4 in Chattanooga.

What it means for you: Think of it like a cakewalk at the fall festival — you don’t have to win every round, you just have to be standing on a good square when the music stops. Two home region games and a loud Friday night crowd can make a real difference. Country Roads 93.3 FM usually carries Indians games when they play.

👉 Read more (MaxPreps: Community at Sequatchie County, Oct. 16)

⚽ Lady Indians: District Tournament Week

The Sequatchie County High School girls soccer team finished the regular season 13-1-1 with a 3-0 win over Cumberland County on Oct. 6, according to MaxPreps and Dunlap.Today coverage. They’re first in district play.

The school’s soccer schedule shows district playoffs running Oct. 12 through 16, after a play-in window that began Oct. 8. Local coverage says the Lady Indians host a semifinal at home during that window. Class A region tournaments statewide follow Oct. 20–24.

Tournament brackets can shift, so always confirm the kickoff time before you load the car.

What it means for you: Friday night football gets most of the porch talk, but this is a proud week for Valley soccer. Pack a folding chair and cheer loud — single-elimination games move fast.

👉 See the schedule (SCHS girls soccer)

🍎 National School Lunch Week — And a Perfect Score for Our Cafeterias

National School Lunch Week runs Oct. 12–16 nationwide. The School Nutrition Association’s 2026 theme is “Cafeteria Circus” — a lighthearted way to spotlight the folks who feed kids every day.

Closer to home: The Dunlap-Tribune reported in September that all three Sequatchie County school cafeterias scored a perfect 100 on their Tennessee Department of Health food-service inspections. Nutrition supervisor Cindy Stevens and Director of Schools Sarai Pierce praised the kitchen staff. The same report noted that cafeterias prepare and serve breakfast and lunch each school day at no cost to families, regardless of income.

If you have meal questions, call the district office at (423) 949-3617.

What it means for you: If mornings are hectic, school breakfast is one less pan to wash. Say thank you to the cafeteria crew this week — they’re the unsung heroes behind the steam table.

👉 Read more (Dunlap-Tribune: perfect cafeteria scores)

📝 Seniors: Free ACT Event 2 Opens This Week — Plus TN Promise by Nov. 2

Tennessee still offers public high school seniors a free school-day ACT retake. ACT’s Tennessee schedule lists:

• Event 2: paper on Oct. 13; online windows Oct. 13–16 and Oct. 19–23
• Event 3: paper on Oct. 27; online windows Oct. 27–30 and Nov. 2–6

Each school picks its own date inside those windows. A 21 on the ACT is one path to the HOPE Scholarship (a 3.0 GPA is the other).

Separately, Tennessee Promise — the state’s last-dollar scholarship for community college or a Tennessee College of Applied Technology — has an application deadline of Nov. 2, 2026 for the Class of 2027. Students apply through the THEC Student Portal at collegefortn.org. Sequatchie County seniors are coordinated through tnAchieves (Ayers Foundation covers a short list of other counties that does not include Sequatchie).

What it means for you: Two free doors, one kitchen calendar. Call the SCHS counseling office Monday for your ACT date, and put Nov. 2 on the fridge for TN Promise. Sleep and breakfast matter more than last-minute cramming.

👉 Read more (TN Promise overview)

🌤️ After the Weekend Rain: Monday Looks Clearer and Warmer

Local forecasts for the Cumberland Plateau and Tennessee Valley say weekend showers wrap up Sunday, with rain moving out Sunday evening. Monday brings a welcome return to sunshine and warmer temperatures — highs around the low 80s in the Valley, according to the Oct. 11 forecast from 3B Media drawing on National Weather Service information.

By Monday morning the big weather push should be past — but wet leaves, soft shoulders and leftover debris can still slow a school bus on the first day back.

What it means for you: Leave five extra minutes for the bus stop. If power flickered overnight, Sequachee Valley Electric’s outage line is 1-888-421-7832. Check the district’s Facebook or website Sunday evening for any delay notices before you set the alarm.

👉 Read more (3B Media: Sunday–Thursday weather outlook)

✅ Your Sunday Fridge Checklist

• ✅ School is back Monday, Oct. 12 — theme is Make Believe Monday.
• ✅ Pin the full dress-up list: Picture Tuesday, Wild West Wednesday, Together Forever Thursday, Go Indians Friday.
• ✅ Board meeting: Monday, 6:30 p.m., Griffith Elementary.
• ✅ Cheer the Lady Indians during district soccer, Oct. 12–16 (confirm times).
• ✅ Homecoming football: Community, Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m. — Indians are 2-1 in region play.
• ✅ Lunch Week: say thanks to cafeteria staff; meals have been served at no cost to families.
• ✅ Kids in Marion or Hamilton County? They’re off Oct. 12–16.
• ✅ Seniors: ask counseling for your free ACT Event 2 or 3 date; put TN Promise Nov. 2 on the calendar.
• ✅ After the rain: leave early Monday and watch for wet leaves on the road.

Practical rule: Write the dress-up themes, the Oct. 16 kickoff and the Nov. 2 TN Promise deadline on the fridge tonight, and the week runs itself.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English School Glossary

• Homecoming Week: A school spirit week of dress-up days leading up to a big home football game and related events.
• First reading: The first time a school board reviews a new or changed policy. It votes again before the change is final.
• Opioid antagonist: Emergency medicine, such as naloxone (Narcan), that can reverse an opioid overdose.
• TISA: Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, the formula the state uses to send money to schools based on students’ needs.
• District tournament: The first playoff round inside a school’s district; winners move on to the region.
• Region standings: Win-loss record inside a TSSAA region; the top four of six usually advance to the football playoffs.
• ACT Senior Retake: A free, state-paid chance for public school seniors to take the ACT again during the school day.
• TN Promise: A last-dollar scholarship that can cover tuition and mandatory fees at a Tennessee community college or TCAT after other gift aid is applied.
• National School Lunch Week: A nationwide October celebration highlighting school meals; 2026’s theme is “Cafeteria Circus.”

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What should my child wear Monday?

Monday is Make Believe Monday. Costumes or pretend outfits that follow school dress rules work. If you’re unsure, a simple creative shirt beats anything that would get them sent to the office.

Is the Community football game this Friday?

Yes — Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in Dunlap. That’s homecoming night and Go Indians Friday.

Can anybody go to the school board meeting?

Yes. Board meetings are open to the public, and the agenda includes time for public comment. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Griffith Elementary.

When is the Lady Indians soccer semifinal?

Local coverage lists a home semifinal during the Oct. 12–16 district window. Confirm the exact time on the school’s soccer schedule or MaxPreps before you go.

Do seniors have to pay for the ACT retake?

Not when they test at school on the state’s school-day dates. Ask the SCHS counseling office which Event 2 or Event 3 date your senior uses.

What is TN Promise, and when is it due?

TN Promise is a last-dollar scholarship for community college or a TCAT. The Class of 2027 application is due Nov. 2, 2026, through the THEC Student Portal. Students must also complete the FAFSA by April 1, 2027, attend a mandatory meeting and complete community-service hours.

Will school be delayed Monday because of weekend rain?

As of Sunday morning, no Sequatchie County delay is posted in the sources we checked. Monday is forecast to be sunnier and warmer, but wet leaves can still slow roads, so check the district’s official channels Sunday evening.

🔗 Other Resources

• Sequatchie County Schools: Homecoming Week dress-up themes
• Sequatchie County Schools: Board agendas
• Oct. 12, 2026 Board Agenda (PDF)
• SCHS 2026–27 girls soccer schedule
• MaxPreps: Community at Sequatchie County, Oct. 16
• TSSAA football standings
• ACT: Tennessee Senior Retake
• TN Promise (collegefortn.org)
• National School Lunch Week 2026
• Dunlap-Tribune: cafeteria health scores
• Sequachee Valley Electric: outage information
• Sequatchie County Schools

🌄 A Quiet Sunday, Then a Loud, Happy Week

When you lay it all out, next week is about spirit shirts, one board meeting, a soccer team worth cheering and a couple of senior deadlines that are easier to meet when they’re on the fridge. The rain clears, the buses roll and Friday night under the lights will feel like fall again.

We’ll keep an eye on what matters for Valley families so you don’t have to. Read Dunlap.Today and sign up for our newsletter for plain-English school updates every week.