Washington County Public Schools

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.

Fall Fun: A big thank you to the Lowe family for donating a pumpkin to every student at Greendale Elementary School! We appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness.

Reminder: At the October 7 School Board meeting, members voted to move the end of the first quarter grading period to Friday, October 11. As a result, the 2-hour early dismissal that was originally scheduled for Wednesday, October 9, has been moved to Friday October 11, to allow time for teachers to complete grades. Schools will be closed Monday, October 14 through Wednesday, October 16 for Fall Break. Report Cards will be sent home with students on Tuesday, October 22.

Homemade Ice Cream: Ms. Harrison's Introduction to Animal Systems class at John S. Battle High School finished out their Dairy Cattle Unit by making homemade ice cream! In this unit, they learned about dairy cattle breeds, dairy cattle facilities, & products that come from dairy cattle.

Washington County Public Schools will operate on a regular schedule on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. We do have the following transportation information and route changes for students and families to be aware of. These changes will be in place until further notice: *Taylor's Valley Bus 37 -- Students who live in Taylor's Valley can meet Bus 37 at the VFW Post on Route 91 at 7:15 a.m. Pick up in the afternoon will be at approximately 3:30 p.m. *Konnarock/Green Cove Bus 69 -- Students who live above Green Cove Road on Route 58, or on Green Cove Road, can meet Bus 69 at the intersection of Green Cove and Route 58. Students who live on Rhymer Road or the closed section of Route 58 can meet Bus 69 at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church. Your driver will reach out to you with additional messaging about times. *Bus 38 -- Students who live on Rush Creek Road can meet Bus 38 at the intersection of Rush Creek and Confederate Road at 7:00 a.m. with drop off at approximately 3:45 p.m.

Warm Welcome: To help kick off Homecoming festivities this past Friday, Patrick Henry football players helped open car doors during morning drop-off at Meadowview Elementary. The team also enjoyed breakfast with students!

Middle School Volleyball Finals at Abingdon High School: E.B. Stanley Middle will play Wallace Middle at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9. Admission is $5. All proceeds from the game will be donated to the WCPS Damascus Student Relief Fund.

Homecoming Spirit & Giving Back: John S. Battle is gearing up for an exciting Homecoming game on Friday, October 11th! As part of the celebration, you have the chance to support local families in need by donating non-perishable food items for the Mendota Food Pantry. Donations will be collected beside the ticket booth at the stadium gates before the game. Suggested Donations: *Canned Milk *Canned Meat *Canned Vegetables *Canned Fruit *Cornbread Mix *Tuna Helper *Pasta *Rice *Monetary donations are also welcome! Please make checks payable to Mendota Community Association with "Food Pantry" in the memo line.

Donation Collection: Members of the Glade Spring Middle School Volleyball team are pictured with donations that were collected at their volleyball game against Northwood on October 4. These donations will be packaged and sent to Damascus Middle to assist in continuing recovery.

Good afternoon WCPS Families & Staff -- The full Washington County Public Schools division will operate on a two-hour delayed schedule on Monday, October 7, 2024. Delaying the start of school will allow additional time for students and staff to arrive safely in daylight hours, due to some area roads still having debris. Childcare will be provided beginning at 8:00 a.m. for working families at each elementary school. We do have the following transportation information and route changes for students and families to be aware of: *Taylor's Valley Bus 37 -- Students who live in Taylor's Valley can meet Bus 37 at the VFW Post on Route 91 at 9:15 a.m. Pick up in the afternoon will be at approximately 3:30 p.m. *Konnarock/Green Cove Bus 69 -- Students who live above Green Cove Road on Route 58, or on Green Cove Road, can meet Bus 69 at the intersection of Green Cove and Route 58. Students who live on Rhymer Road or the closed section of Route 58 can meet Bus 69 at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church. Your driver will reach out to you with additional messaging about pick up and drop off times. *Bus 38 -- Students who live on Rush Creek Road can meet Bus 38 at the intersection of Rush Creek and Confederate Road at 9:00 a.m. with drop off at approximately 3:45 p.m. Again, a big thank you for your continued support and patience -- your efforts to help our school community and families has not gone unnoticed. Thank you, Keith Perrigan, Ed.D. Superintendent Washington County Public Schools 812 Thompson Dr. Abingdon, VA 24210 276-739-3000 @WashCoSuper “Committed to the Success of Every Student“

Field Trip: Rhea Valley Elementary students were treated to field trip and a showing of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown," thanks to the Emory & Henry Theatre Department! Following the performance, students enjoyed a meal in the cafeteria.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: A huge thank you to students and teachers from Bristol Virginia Public Schools for bringing donations to Damascus and helping out. We appreciate your efforts!

Volunteer Efforts: Sending a shoutout of thanks to members of the Holston High School Football team for signing up to volunteer with the United Way of Southwest Virginia at the Disaster Relief Center in Damascus.

Good afternoon WCPS Families & Staff – Rhea Valley Elementary School, Damascus Middle School and Holston High School will be closed Friday, October 4, 2024. Childcare will be provided at Rhea Valley Elementary from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. As we did this morning, all other Washington County Public Schools will operate on a two-hour delayed schedule on Friday, October 4, 2024. For Holston High School students wanting to attend their classes at the Washington County Career and Technical Education Center, transportation will be provided TO and FROM Holston High School. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for those students at WCCTEC by the WCPS Nutrition Department. However, WCPS transportation will not be available to students who reside in the Rhea Valley Elementary, Damascus Middle, and Holston High attendance zones and attend other schools or programs in the division. If your family is in need supplies, Damascus Middle School has some items, and will be open. Please call the school for additional details at (276)739-4100. We are again planning to provide meals for our Damascus area students on Friday at Holston High School. We will send additional information in a separate message. As we look towards next week, it is our goal to have students and staff return to Rhea Valley Elementary, Damascus Middle, and Holston High on Monday. As a result, we are asking you to please plan for the possibility of a division wide two-hour delay on Monday, October 7, 2024. The WCPS Transportation Department is also working hard to plan and identify alternate bus routes for our Damascus area students. However, bus transportation for the Konnarock, Green Cove and Taylor Valley areas remains doubtful early next week. We will keep you updated as those plans are developed. We also ask you to be on the lookout for additional messaging to assist families and students displaced by the floods. We thank you for your continued support and patience as we work as a school community to navigate these unprecedented challenges and help our neighbors in need. Thank you, Keith Perrigan, Ed.D. Superintendent Washington County Public Schools 812 Thompson Dr. Abingdon, VA 24210 276-739-3000 @WashCoSuper

Helping Hand: We wanted to send another big thank you to our community members for their incredible outpouring of donations. Patrick Henry High School and Valley Institute Elementary received supplies that will be shared with our families and friends in need.