The Jefferson City school system is just about ready to welcome students back for the first day of school on Aug. 3.

All of the system’s schools are preparing for open house and registration this week.

Jefferson High School will have two registration sessions this week. Tuesday is for 11th- and 12-graders, while Thursday is for ninth- and 10th-grade students.

"It is to your benefit to attend your registration session as parking permits and lockers are sold on a first-come first-serve basis," Jefferson High Principal Kevin Smith said in a note to students. "Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend."

In addition, students will also receive their schedules during registration, as well as have their photograph taken for the yearbook and their student identification card.

Students will have to satisfy any outstanding fines, fees or other obligations from the previous year before they will be allowed to finish the registration process.

Open house for Jefferson Elementary, Jefferson Academy and Jefferson Middle will be staggered throughout the day on Thursday. Among other things, students will be able to meet their new teachers.

At Jefferson Elementary School, parents will also be able to sign their students up for after-school care during open house.

For those parents who need to pick up a few more uniform pieces, Jefferson Academy will also be holding a "Dragon Dress Yard Sale" in the picnic area in front of the school. The event is sponsored by the Jefferson Academy PTO and Mighty Dragons Student Organization. The sale will have many $1 items and will feature gently used or new dress code items.

Administrators at all of the system’s schools have posted necessary registration forms on the schools’ Web sites and are requesting that parents complete the forms and return them to the school during open house. Grade level school supply lists are also available on the individual school’s Web sites.

The school system also had planned an annual back-to-school breakfast for Wednesday, but the event was canceled due to state budget cuts. The annual community event allowed school staff to discuss upcoming projects, accomplishments and other topics of interest.

Also last week, Gov. Sonny Perdue mandated that Georgia’s 128,000 educators must take three unpaid days off in the coming school year. The furlough days for teachers are expected to save the state around $99 million.

To accommodate the furloughs, Jefferson schools will cut back on required teacher-only work days. Instead of having five pre-planning days next week prior to school opening Aug. 3, teachers will have three. The third furlough day for Jefferson teachers will come in October.