As Vicksburg public school students prepare for school to resume Thursday after nearly three weeks of vacation, the National Weather Service is forecasting rain and sleet, possibly mixed with snow in the afternoon, gusty winds and temperatures in the teens.

Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendent Dr. James Price said he would be monitoring the weather and the possibility of canceling school that day.

School  information

• Radio — River 101, WVBY 95.5, Z106.7, 98 Mix, 90.1, WRTM 100.5, 105.5, Miss103 FM.

• TV —  Cable channels 16 and 23.

• On the Web — www.vicskburgpost.com; www.vwsd.k12.ms.us; e-mail to parents who have given the district office their e-mail address.

• Text messages to parents who have provided cell phone numbers.

• Do not call the school unless it is an emergency.

Area radio stations and TV channels will announce any cancellation, as will the district’s and The Vicksburg Post’s Web sites.

Price said a decision will be made by 5 a.m. based on road condition reports from district transportation staff and bus drivers, especially in outlying county areas, Sheriff Martin Pace and deputies, police and other officials as early as 3:30 a.m.

“We’ll err on the side of safety,” Price said.

Local private schools were also eyeing weather reports. Porters Chapel Academy resumed classes Monday, but closed at noon, said Doug Branning, headmaster, largely because of uncertain forecasts and that some PCA students would have to drive to homes as far away as Issaquena County.

Snow flurries and sleet fell in the city and county Monday morning as some public school students boarded buses for the start of this week’s intercession classes. Temperatures hovered around 30 degrees all day.

The weather did not cause transportation problems, but one school administrator said it might have affected attendance.

Dr. Edward Wiggins, principal of Warren Central Intermediate School, host school for the north zone of the district, said WCI saw “a fairly decent turnout” with 171 students, but not as high as school officials expected. “That was probably due to the weather,” Wiggins said.

Midway through their second year on the VWSD calendar, intercessions themselves will be on the table for review at upcoming administrative meetings, Price said. The superintendent plans to meet with principals within the next two weeks to analyze attendance at the extra-help classes and see if the plan should continue into a third year or be scrapped for a different method.

“If the students are not coming, it’s not worth spending the money on it,” Price said. “Money is tight and is going to continue to be.”

Intercession days have been scheduled after each nine-week period to provide extra help for students who have not mastered benchmark skills on weekly tests. Parents are notified by letter and, in some cases, phone calls or in-person visits, but intercession is not mandatory, and many eligible students do not attend.

It can also be difficult to get teachers for the extra session, Price said, even though they are paid about $500.

A total of 809 students in grades 3 through 6, just less than 30 percent of the approximate 2,800 total, were invited to attend this intercession.

Less than half that number, 384, attended Monday.

At WCI’s campus neighbor, Sherman Elementary, 18 of 20 third-grade students recommended for intercession attended Monday’s classes, said Principal Ray Hume. “Our teachers didn’t wait to see if letters to parents would be returned but were on the phone with those parents telling them why their children needed to be there.” Hume said the teacher-parent contact might have made the difference.

Attendance at the district’s secondary schools, however, was higher than what the district had seen in the fall, Assistant Superintendent Debra Hullum said.

In the south zone, where elementary intercession is held at Dana Road-Vicksburg Intermediate, 211 students attended.

Vicksburg Junior High and Warren Central Junior High schools, which offered math and English classes, totaled 164 and 139, respectively, she said.

Vicksburg High School had 157 students, she said. Attendance at Warren Central High School was not available. The high schools offer extra help preparing for the state-required Subject Area Tests in the disciplines of math, English, history and biology.

Some schools, including WCI and Sherman, also offered enrichment courses such as photography and cooking. Fewer schools offered enrichment this time than in the fall, Price said.

At this year’s first intercession, 1,367 students needed help passing benchmark tests, but just 582 elementary students — 308 in the north and 274 in the south — attended the first day, Price said in October. At the secondary schools, 308 students — 215 at the junior highs and 93 at the high schools — attended.

Price said he hopes to submit a proposed 2010-11 school calendar to board members by February or March, at the latest. A decision about intercession for next year must be made before then.

The next intercession period is scheduled to run March 15 through 17.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com