🤠 Three Spirit Mornings Left — Wild West Wednesday to Go Indians Friday, a Parade Curb Call-Ahead and Jackets for the Weekend Chill

Or: Picture Tuesday Is Done — Friday Morning Parade (9 or 9:30?), Last Days of Free Lunch Week, Board Results Still Not Posted and Hot-Then-Frosty Bus Stops

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Tuesday, October 13, 2026

For parents of Gen Alpha kids in the Sequatchie Valley — babies through about age 12 — tonight’s skim is the home-stretch homecoming fridge calendar. Take a Picture Tuesday is done. Three dress-up mornings are left, and Friday morning’s parade is still the littles’ big school moment.

Here’s the School News & Calendar update: Wild West Wednesday, Together Forever Thursday and Go Indians Friday remain; the Friday morning homecoming parade has two times floating around (9 a.m. on one library calendar line, 9:30 a.m. in the library’s weekly post) — so call ahead and arrive early; free lunch week wraps Friday; the Board of Education met Monday night but outcomes still aren’t posted; Marion and Hamilton stay off Wed–Fri; and the weather swings from near 88 Wed–Thu to a breezy 77 Friday and about 40 Saturday night. (Library programs and Scoops ‘n Stories live in the Kid-Friendly Events skim — this piece stays on school.)

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Done: Make Believe Monday and Take a Picture Tuesday.
• Still ahead: Wed Wild West · Thu Together Forever · Fri Go Indians.
• Fri morning parade: Listed at 9 a.m. in one place and 9:30 a.m. in another — aim for the curb before 9 and call ahead. Older siblings: football Community at Sequatchie, 7 p.m.
• Lunch: National School Lunch Week’s last three days; CEP breakfast & lunch at no cost when the district qualifies. Questions: 423-949-3617.
• Board: Met Mon., Oct. 12 at Griffith — minutes/votes not posted yet as of Tuesday evening. Allergy/medicine items were first readings, not final votes.
• Weather: Water bottles Wed–Thu (near 88); light jacket Friday (77, gusts ~25 mph); real coats for Sat night (~40).

🤠 Picture Tuesday Is Done — Pin the Last Three Spirit Mornings

Two down, three to go. Sequatchie County Schools’ official homecoming dress-up list still shows:

• Wed., Oct. 14 — Wild West Wednesday ← tomorrow morning
• Thu., Oct. 15 — Together Forever Thursday
• Fri., Oct. 16 — Go Indians Friday

Make Believe Monday and Take a Picture Tuesday are in the rearview.

What it means for you: Lay out the Wild West outfit tonight — a bandana, a plaid shirt or boots is plenty. With highs near 88, skip the heavy vest or fringe jacket for recess. Together Forever Thursday is an easy one for siblings or best friends to match. Friday’s school colors can go straight from the classroom to the parade curb.

👉 Read more (district: Homecoming Week dress-up themes)

📣 Friday Morning Parade for the Littles — 9 or 9:30? Call Ahead

For Gen Alpha families, the homecoming parade on Friday morning, Oct. 16 is the main school event of the week. One small wrinkle: an earlier library calendar line listed the parade around 9 a.m., and the library’s newer weekly post lists 9:30 a.m. We haven’t seen a district post that settles it.

The library also notes Preschool Page Turners will not meet Friday because of homecoming — so plan on the curb instead of story time.

For older siblings, homecoming football is Community at Sequatchie, Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m. (the SCHS calendar lists 7–9 p.m.). Plenty of families with toddlers do the parade, then an early bedtime.

What it means for you: Plan to be curbside before 9 a.m. — if it starts at 9:30, you’ll have the best spot. Call the district office at 423-949-3617 or your child’s school if you need a firm time or drop-off details. Pack a snack, water and a light jacket — Friday turns breezy.

👉 Read more (Dunlap.Today: homecoming week and Friday parade)

🍎 Free Lunch Week’s Last Three Days — Thank the Cafeteria Crew

National School Lunch Week runs through Friday, Oct. 16 (the School Nutrition Association’s 2026 theme is “Cafeteria Circus”). Sequatchie County Schools has been a CEP district — Community Eligibility Provision — so breakfast and lunch are at no cost to every student, regardless of income, when the district qualifies.

Still worth a fridge note: a Dunlap-Tribune report in September said all three county cafeterias scored a perfect 100 on Tennessee Department of Health inspections, with nutrition supervisor Cindy Stevens and Director Sarai Pierce crediting kitchen staff.

What it means for you: Three days left to send a thank-you drawing or note to the lunch ladies and gentlemen — a great little-kid project. If your child has a food allergy or special diet, call (423) 949-3617 to make sure the note on file is current.

👉 Read more (Dunlap-Tribune: cafeterias receive perfect grades) · Dunlap.Today: free lunch week

🏫 Board Met Last Night — Results Still Not Posted (Allergy & Medicine Items Were First Readings)

The Sequatchie County Board of Education held its regular session Monday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Griffith Elementary, a week later than usual because of fall break. As of Tuesday evening, the district’s board page still shows the Oct. 12 agenda but no minutes or vote results. We won’t guess what passed.

What was on the agenda:

• First readings on medicines at school, an emergency allergy response plan and opioid antagonist use
• The three-year District Improvement Plan and the TISA Accountability Report
• A Griffith Elementary student presentation, a board legislative liaison and district property at 76 Jones Drive
• Public comment

What it means for you: If your little one carries an EpiPen or takes medicine at school, those first readings are worth following. A first reading isn’t the final vote — the board takes it up again later. Next dates: working session Tue., Oct. 27 and regular meeting Mon., Nov. 2. We’ll share outcomes in plain English once they’re posted.

👉 Read more (Sequatchie County Schools: board agendas)

🧸 Neighbors Still Off Wed–Fri — Mixed-County Childcare Check

Marion County and Hamilton County are on fall break Oct. 12–16, so their kids stay home through Friday while Sequatchie is in class. Bledsoe took the same break week as Sequatchie (Oct. 5–9) and is already back.

What it means for you: If cousins, step-siblings or a grandparent’s carpool cross county lines, double-check who’s watching whom for Wednesday through Friday. Expect a little extra daytime traffic and kids at parks and stores — and watch for Sequatchie buses on the morning roads.

👉 Read more (Dunlap.Today: neighbors on break)

🌡️ Near-88 Heat Wed–Thu, Breezy Friday, Then Saturday-Night Frost Risk

The National Weather Service Dunlap forecast (updated about 6 p.m. CT Tuesday) calls for:

• Wed.: Patchy fog before 8 a.m., then sunny, high near 88
• Thu.: Sunny, high near 88
• Fri.: Sunny, high near 77; northwest wind with gusts up to about 25 mph
• Fri. night: Low near 43, gusty north wind
• Sat.: Sunny, high near 64; Sat. night low near 40
• Sun.: Sunny, high near 67

What it means for you: Wed–Thu: water bottle, sunscreen for recess, and light layers — that’s hot for mid-October. Watch for fog at early bus stops Wednesday. Friday: a light jacket for the parade curb, and hold onto hats and little flags in the wind. Weekend: real coats for evenings, and bring porch plants in Saturday night. Recheck weather.gov before Friday’s outdoor wait. Power out? Sequachee Valley Electric: 1-888-421-7832.

👉 Read more (NWS Dunlap forecast)

🗓️ School Fridge List — Tue., Oct. 13 Through Tue., Oct. 20

• Tue., Oct. 13 (today): Take a Picture Tuesday — done. Board results still pending.
• Wed., Oct. 14: Wild West Wednesday. Morning fog possible; high near 88.
• Thu., Oct. 15: Together Forever Thursday. High near 88 — water bottles.
• Fri., Oct. 16: Go Indians Friday. Homecoming parade morning (9 or 9:30 a.m. — call ahead). No Preschool Page Turners. Lunch week ends. Football Community at Sequatchie 7 p.m. for older siblings. Breezy, 77.
• Sat.–Sun., Oct. 17–18: Weekend — cool days, Sat. night near 40. (Kid-Friendly Events skim covers weekend outings.)
• Mon., Oct. 19: Regular school week starts after homecoming.
• Tue., Oct. 20: Regular school day. No early-dismissal dates verified for Oct. 13–20 in the sources we checked — watch district alerts.
• Looking ahead (pin lightly): Board working session Tue., Oct. 27; regular board Mon., Nov. 2; Veterans Day Wed., Nov. 11 — no school; Thanksgiving Break Nov. 26–27.

District calendar: sequatchieschools.net district calendar · Printable overview: tennesseeschoolcalendar.com

✅ Your Gen Alpha School Fridge Checklist

• ✅ Lay out Wild West Wednesday tonight — keep it light for the heat.
• ✅ Plan Together Forever Thursday matching with a sibling or buddy; set out Friday’s school colors.
• ✅ Bold Friday morning parade on the fridge — be curbside before 9 a.m. and call 423-949-3617 if you need a firm time.
• ✅ Pack water bottles Wed–Thu, a light jacket Friday, and coats for Saturday night.
• ✅ Send a thank-you note or drawing to the cafeteria crew before lunch week ends Friday.
• ✅ EpiPen or school-medicine family? Watch for board outcomes on the allergy/medicine first readings; pin Oct. 27 and Nov. 2.
• ✅ Mixed-county household? Lock in Wed–Fri childcare while Marion/Hamilton are off.
• ✅ Pin Veterans Day Wed., Nov. 11 — no school and Thanksgiving Nov. 26–27.
• ✅ Bookmark Dunlap.Today and sequatchieschools.net.

Practical rule: Start with three things for the rest of this week — tomorrow’s outfit, an early spot at Friday’s parade curb, and the right layer for the weather — and leave board outcomes and November dates on the edge of the fridge.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English School Glossary

• Spirit days / dress-up days: Homecoming Week themes — Wild West, Together Forever and Go Indians are left this week.
• Homecoming parade: The morning community parade before Friday night football — the best fit for little kids.
• CEP (Community Eligibility Provision): A federal option that lets every student eat breakfast and lunch at no charge when the district qualifies.
• National School Lunch Week: Oct. 12–16 recognition week for school meals; 2026 theme “Cafeteria Circus.”
• First reading: The first time the school board considers a new or changed policy. Nothing is final until a later vote.
• Emergency allergy response plan: A written plan for how schools respond to severe allergic reactions — one of Monday’s first-reading items.
• Opioid antagonist: A medicine such as naloxone that can reverse an opioid overdose; schools write policies on keeping and using it.
• Frost risk: When overnight lows drop near 40 or below on clear, calm nights — protect tender plants and bundle up for early outings.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Which spirit days are left?

Wild West Wednesday (Oct. 14), Together Forever Thursday (Oct. 15) and Go Indians Friday (Oct. 16). Make Believe Monday and Take a Picture Tuesday are done.

What time is Friday’s homecoming parade?

Library listings disagree — one says about 9 a.m., the newer weekly post says 9:30 a.m. Be curbside before 9 and call the district (423-949-3617) or your school if you need a firm time.

Is there preschool story time Friday?

No — the library says Preschool Page Turners will not meet Friday, Oct. 16, because of homecoming.

Is school lunch still free?

When Sequatchie qualifies as a CEP district, breakfast and lunch are at no cost to every student. National School Lunch Week ends Friday. Call 423-949-3617 with account or allergy questions.

What did the school board decide Monday?

As of Tuesday evening, minutes and vote results aren’t posted, so we’re not reporting outcomes. The agenda included first readings on medicines at school, an emergency allergy response plan and opioid antagonist use. Next: working session Oct. 27, regular meeting Nov. 2.

Why are some kids in other counties off this week?

Marion and Hamilton County fall break is Oct. 12–16. Bledsoe and Sequatchie took their break Oct. 5–9.

What should kids wear this week?

Light layers and a water bottle Wed–Thu (near 88), a light jacket Friday (77 and gusty), and real coats Saturday night (near 40).

Any early dismissals coming up?

None verified for Oct. 13–20 in the sources we checked. Watch district alerts. The next no-school day on the calendar is Veterans Day, Wed., Nov. 11.

🔗 Other Resources

• Dunlap.Today
• Sequatchie County Schools · 878 Cordell Drive, Dunlap · 423-949-3617
• District calendar
• Homecoming Week dress-up themes (official)
• School board agendas
• Printable 2026–27 calendar overview
• School Nutrition Association (National School Lunch Week)
• NWS Dunlap forecast

🏡 Keep This on the Fridge Through Friday

Homecoming week is almost wrapped. Three outfits, one parade morning, a hot couple of days and a chilly weekend — that’s the whole list for the littles. Board outcomes and November dates can wait on the edge of the fridge. For the next calm school skim and more Valley news for families, keep reading Dunlap.Today.