This week is National School Bus Safety Week. The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging drivers to slow down and be aware of school buses in their communities. To learn more about the importance of school bus safety and available resources, click here: https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety
Promise Program: Today was a proud moment for Washington County Public Schools! We witnessed something truly special as our community gathered at Virginia Highlands Community College to celebrate the launch of the Washington County Promise Program. This commitment by Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia and VHCC marks a major step forward in providing a brighter future for our students.
Thanks to this incredible program, students who live in Washington County, VA, can
now pursue higher education with free tuition, breaking down financial barriers and
opening doors to countless opportunities. We’re beyond excited to see the impact this
will have on our students, their families, and our community as a whole.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us today - from students and faculty to
community leaders and partners. Your support means everything as we work together
to enrich the lives of our young people.
Head over to https://promiseprogram.org/ and discover how this opportunity can benefit your student!
#WashingtonCountySchools #VHCCPromise #StudentOpportunities #OurFuture
#CommunityStrong #EducationMatters
(Photo Courtesy: Virginia Highlands Community College)
The Washington County Sheriff's Office is inviting students and families to a Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday, October 26! Concessions will be available including pulled pork, hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, and more. Proceeds will go towards St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Pumpkin Paint Party: A special thank you to Kevin Leonard for donating pumpkins to all Valley Institute Elementary pre-school and kindergarten students! On Friday, pre-school students decorated their pumpkins with a paint party!
Friday Fun: We love seeing our students embracing the joy of a good book! First grade students at Watauga Elementary School enjoyed Flashlight Friday Reading.
Tailgate Party: Fifth grade students at Abingdon Elementary School worked hard to memorize their multiplication and division facts during the first quarter. To celebrate, Abingdon High School football players and cheerleaders recently came to have a tailgate party!
K5 STEM Academy: Looking for a fun opportunity? Check out the K5 STEM Academy at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. Once a week for 5 weeks, students will experience hands-on lessons in STEM, with a concentration in technology.
Special Visit: A big thank you to Attorney General Jason Miyares and Former Gov. George Allen for making a stop at Damascus Middle School on Tuesday. During the visit, they dropped off donated supplies to help with ongoing flood relief efforts. Miyares and Allen also spent time talking with students and families.
Escape Room Challenge: Sixth grade students at Damascus Middle School recently enjoyed a digital escape room using their knowledge of converting between fractions, decimals, and percents. Pictured are the first escapees in each class -- the winners!
Special Performance: Fifth grade students at Valley Institute Elementary School recently put on a wonderful performance of the "Principal's New Clothes." This play was an opportunity for students to learn about educational topics such as: fluency, oral expression, and public speaking. As well as the educational opportunities, students were able to play out a scenario that taught them about kindness, where the characters in the play learned that being kind is the most important thing and giving to others makes a difference. While preparing and rehearsing for this play, the students learned first-hand to work together as a team!
History Lesson: Students in Mrs. Tignor's 5th grade class at Abingdon Elementary School are showing off their knowledge of how the American Indians lived, with an emphasis on the Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plains (Lakota), Southwest (Pueblo), and Eastern Woodlands (Iroquois). The students also described how different resources were used in each environment.
Homecoming Preparations: Holston High School Turfgrass Management students have been hard at work this week preparing the game field for Homecoming! Students have been involved in every aspect of planning the design, laying it out, and painting the field. Athletic field markings are a major component of the Turfgrass industry.
Special Education Parent Involvement Survey for the 2023-2024 School Year: All parents of school-aged children and youth with disabilities who receive special education services in Virginia are requested to complete the VDOE annual Parent Involvement Survey: https://www.doe.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/44315/638460354617170000 This survey will remain open through December 13, 2024. Please complete one survey for each of your children who received special education services during the 2023-2024 school year. If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact Dr. Chiquita Seaborne, Family Engagement Specialist/Special Projects Coordinator, via email at Chiquita.Seaborne@doe.virginia.gov, or via telephone at (804)418-4672.
A message from our health partners: ImmunizeVA, Virginia's immunization coalition, is conducting a survey to help understand the resources and challenges of getting vaccinated in Virginia. The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete, and your responses will be anonymous. The survey will be open until November 30. The results from this survey will be used to develop goals and strategies for a statewide immunization plan. To take the survey, click here: https://bit.ly/m/immunizeVAsurvey
Be sure to check out the latest edition of The Washington Way! It's our division newsletter to help you stay updated with what is going on across the WCPS system. Visit this link to read the news: https://shorturl.at/SweJd
Virginia Farm to School: Students and staff at Patrick Henry High School enjoyed a Virginia apple and participated in the Crunch Heard 'Round the Commonwealth! @VDOESCNP #VACrunch #VAFarmtoSchool
Elementary School Visit: Watauga loves it when members of the Abingdon High School Football team visit their former elementary school each year! The players made the most of their visit by playing on the playgrounds, reading in the classrooms, receiving high fives, riding scooters in PE, and even working on their dance moves in kindergarten! We love seeing our older student's bond with our younger students. An added thanks to the AHS coaches for allowing team members to visit feeder schools.
From the WCPS Transportation Department: Due to an accident on Interstate 81 and traffic delays as a result, several WCPS buses are delayed in their afternoon routes.
Special Recognition: During the School Board meeting on Monday, October 7, members recognized students from E.B. Stanley Middle School and Abingdon High School for their participation and excellence in TSA (Technology Student Association). TSA is a national non-profit career and technical student organization (CTSO) of middle and high school students engaged in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The Board heard from the students about their accomplishments during the past school year, and the awards received on a national level. To learn more about TSA, click here: https://tsaweb.org/
E.B. Stanley Students:
*Astrid Bockhorst -- 1st place Vlogging, 2nd place Chapter Team, Community Service Video 4th
*Maggie Nishida -- 1st place Vlogging, 2nd place Chapter Team, Community Service Video 4th
*Liam Regelin -- 1st place Vlogging, 2nd place Chapter Team, Community Service Video 4th
*Liam Hartley -- 1st place Vlogging, Community Service Video 4th
*Andrew Williams -- 1st place Vlogging
*Remy Atkins -- 2nd place Chapter Team, Community Service Video 4th
*Joel Waters -- Participation
Abingdon High School Students:
*Erin Johnson -- 2023-24 Regional President
*James Nishida -- 2024-25 Regional President
*Lincoln Baxter -- Participation
Student Relief Fund: Thanks to the Washington County Public Schools Finance Department, an account to accept donations specifically for Damascus-area students has been created. Funds will be allocated for supplies and other needs as identified by school principals for students at Rhea Valley Elementary, Damascus Middle, and Holston High.
Monetary donations can be made directly to the Washington County Public Schools Central Office at 812 Thompson Drive, Abingdon, VA. Please make checks payable to Washington County Public Schools and indicate WCPS Damascus Relief Fund in the memo line of your check.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support for the Damascus community.
