Watauga Elementary

A big thank you to Dr. Keith Perrigan for visiting Mrs. Kiser’s fourth grade class at Watauga Elementary. While visiting, he read the book, “Santa‘s Underwear." We all had a great time with his visit. Merry Christmas!

Teachers of the Year: It is an honor for Washington County Schools to announce and congratulate the following teachers selected by their respective schools as their 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year. These persons were chosen by their colleagues because they exemplify the best of being a teacher for Washington County Public Schools and the service they provide to the community, school and most importantly, students. Elementary Schools *Abingdon -- Gwen Campbell *Greendale -- Abby Rasnake *High Point -- Heather Hensley *Meadowview -- Kimberly Cox *Rhea Valley -- Beth Delp *Valley Institute -- Joy Hull *Watauga -- Sherry Thomason Middle Schools *Damascus -- Sallie Moss *Glade Spring -- Sherry Cannon *E.B. Stanley -- Maggie Branton *Wallace -- Kaitlyn Maples Secondary Schools *Abingdon High -- Chase Nunley *John S. Battle High -- Emily Tallman *Patrick Henry High -- Alyssa Fields *Holston High -- Buffy Milhorne *WC CTE Center -- William (Billy) Buchanan These teachers will be recognized as their building’s Teacher of the Year at the Washington County School Board meeting on January 21, 2025. As well, we are excited to announce and congratulate the grade level Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025. Each of the building’s Teacher of the Year could be chosen as all are models of what it means to be a teacher. *2025-2025 Elementary School Teacher of the Year -- Abby Rasnake *2024-2025 Middle School Teacher of the Year -- Kaitlyn Maples *2024-2025 High School Teacher of the Year -- Chase Nunley The 2024-2025 Washington County Teacher of the Year will be announced during the Washington County School Board Meeting on January 21, 2025, and will be our Division’s candidate for the Region VII Teacher of the Year. Congratulations to all as we celebrate these exemplary teachers of Washington County Schools.

WCPS will operate on a 2 hour delay on Thursday, December 12, 2024 due to black ice in some locations. Opening later will allow better visibility for drivers. Childcare will be provided at elementary schools for working parents if needed.

WES held a Title 1 Family Night on Dec. 5. Families participated in several holiday STEM and literacy activities. Students were also excited to have a picture taken with Santa! Special thanks to the Abingdon Moose Lodge for providing food and plush moose toys for the event.

Mrs. Ellison's Pre-K class learned all about the letter "M" and did a Moon science experiment!

Based on our conversations with our meteorologist at AccuWeather, we anticipate weather conditions to deteriorate during our normal dismissal time. As a result, Washington County Public Schools will dismiss 2-Hours early today, Wednesday, December 11, 2024. All extracurricular activities for Wednesday are postponed.

#TheWashingtonWay: We are so thankful for our amazing support staff that we have here at WCPS! At the meeting this evening, School Board Members recognized our Support Staff Award Winners for the fall semester. *Master Technician Award -- Jason Salyers (Technology Department) *Wheels on the Bus Award -- Ronica Blevins (Transportation Department) *Above and Beyond (Custodian) Award -- Becky Lane-Smith (Watauga Elementary School) *Helping Hand Award -- Lynn Redman (High Point Elementary School) *Silver Spoon Award -- Kristen Deel (E.B. Stanley Middle School) *Customer Service Award -- Abby Stamper (WCPS Annex) Congratulations to our award winners and thank you for your hard work!

Good afternoon, WCPS Families & Staff -- We are providing a further update following the initial water testing for lead in all Washington County Public Schools’ buildings. That information was shared on November 7. On October 26, 2024, new regulations approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required water that is used in schools be tested for lead by 2028. To be ahead of that timeline, the Washington County Service Authority tested five fixtures at every school (at least two fixtures in the kitchens and two or more water fountains in various locations throughout the school building). There are three possible results from testing: • Non-detect: Practice good water habits • Less than 10 parts per billion (ppb): Consider risk mitigation such as flushing before use • Greater than 10 parts per billion (ppb): Stop using the water source and take remediation steps The first test results we received in November found that four of our schools had at least one fixture that tested less than 10 ppb (Meadowview Elementary – two fixtures, Watauga Elementary – one fixture, Glade Spring Middle School – one fixture, and Holston High School – two fixtures). One school had two fixtures that tested above 10 ppb (Greendale Elementary). After we received those results, we took additional precautions at those schools immediately. Only fixtures that tested non-detect are available for cooking purposes at these schools – this is above and beyond the protocols recommended by the EPA. We also immediately discontinued the use of consumable water fixtures at those five schools (e.g. drinking fountains) the moment we received the initial testing results. Since that time, we have been providing bottled water for students and staff. We also took additional steps and installed a new water cooler at all schools in our division. These water coolers are equipped with five different filters that are designed to remove lead and other impurities. As an additional safeguard, we began the process of testing all fixtures at Meadowview Elementary School and Watauga Elementary School. That testing is now complete with test results showing 134 fixtures tested non-detect at Meadowview Elementary, 15 fixtures tested less than 10 ppb, and 3 fixtures tested more than 10 ppb. A further breakdown shows out of that significant number of fixtures in Meadowview, 6 of the 18 positives were drinking fountains, with two being above 10 parts per billion. Those impacted drinking fountains include Room 7 outside drinking fountain, Room 16 outside drinking fountain, Room 2 water fountain, and Room 2 drinking fountain on the left side. At Watauga Elementary School, 121 fixtures tested non-detect, 10 fixtures tested less than 10 ppb, and two fixtures tested more than 10 ppb. A further breakdown of those results shows two drinking fountains – Mrs. Kiser’s drinking fountain and Mrs. Meade’s drinking fountain saw elevated readings. Our next steps are to determine and troubleshoot whether the elevated testing numbers are due to the fixture itself, or it is a result of the plumbing in the walls. Those fixtures will remain off until further notice. It is possible that sinks that are no longer used or needed will be removed from future service. We have been given clearance to use all points of contact that have returned “non-detect” results. Testing has now been completed at all five schools that saw elevated readings (Greendale Elementary, Meadowview Elementary, Watauga Elementary, Glade Spring Middle School, and Holston High School). Now that testing is finished at those schools, we will conduct more testing at the remaining 11 schools in our division. At the same time, we will continue to work with the Washington County Service Authority and the Office of Drinking water to ensure we are taking all needed steps to keep our students and staff safe. We will also continue to stay in contact with the local Health Department. The new testing results for Meadowview Elementary, Watauga Elementary, Greendale Elementary, Glade Spring Middle School, and Holston High School, as well as additional information, which includes an FAQ, and a helpful flyer, can be found at this link on our website: https://washingtoncountypsva.sites.thrillshare.com/documents/washington-county-service-authority-information/722977 If you have any questions or concerns, we will continue to work with the agencies referenced above to share the latest information and provide the safest possible environment for our students and staff. 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“

Washington County Public Schools is excited to announce that our elementary students are leading the way in reading achievement. Our VALLSS scores ranked at the top in CIP Consortium. The Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS) is the state-provided screening tool supporting Virginia’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI). The goal of the EIRI is to reduce the number of children struggling with reading through early diagnosis and targeted intervention. By screening students in grades K-3, school divisions are able to determine each student’s level of risk – low, moderate, or high – for developing reading difficulties and receive state funding for providing reading intervention. VALLSS measures decoding (blending sounds together to read words), encoding (spelling words), and the comprehension and use of language. We sincerely value the dedication and hard work of our teachers whose commitment has been essential in helping students reach these milestones. To build on these efforts, Washington County Public Schools has adopted High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) approved by the Virginia Department of Education and provided additional professional development opportunities to strengthen and expand staff expertise in literacy.

Due to predictions of windchills in the morning in the single digits, WCPS will operate on a 2 hour delayed schedule on Friday, December 6, 2024. Childcare will be available for working parents at elementary schools.

In what has been a tricky morning, we have decided to call a Remote Learning Day for Tuesday December 3, 2024. Main roads are clear, as are some back roads and side streets. However, “road checkers”, encountered multiple slick secondary roads. At our December School Board Meeting, we will present a Snow Route plan that would potentially allow us to have in person learning on days like today. Be safe, stay warm, and we’ll see everyone online

Due to current snowfall in some parts of Washington County, temperatures in the teens overnight, and predicted snowfall in the morning hours, WCPS will operate on a 2 hour delayed schedule on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Childcare will be provided for working parents at elementary schools. Should conditions worsen to warrant a Remote Learning Day, childcare will not be available. A decision to change from a 2 hour delayed schedule to Remote Learning will be made by 7:30 a.m.

Promise Program: The past couple of weeks, we enjoyed sharing big opportunities with our youngest students! Along with our friends from the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia and Virginia Highlands Community College, we visited all of our elementary schools to share the exciting news about the Washington County Promise Program. We're already planting seeds for bright futures by introducing this life-changing opportunity to our students and families early on. During the visits, we talked about how the Washington County Promise Program can offer free tuition for eligible students, making higher education more accessible than ever before. The excitement at each stop was contagious, and we can't wait to see these young minds grow and eventually take advantage of this amazing opportunity. This is just the beginning of a bright path for our students, and we're thrilled to share this journey with them and their families. Visit https://promiseprogram.org/ to see if your student qualifies. #WashingtonCountyPublicSchools #VHCCPromise #FreeTuition #EducationStartsHere #FutureReady #StudentSuccess

Due to winter weather, Washington County Public Schools will implement a Remote Learning Day for Friday, November 22, 2024. NO childcare will be provided. Classroom teachers will communicate with students to facilitate classes. Stay safe and warm!

Stay in the Know: With the potential for winter weather this evening through tomorrow morning, we wanted to alert you of the two options for Friday, November 22, if Washington County Public Schools is NOT on a regular schedule. *Remote Learning Day -- NO childcare will be provided *Two-Hour Delay -- Childcare will be provided at elementary schools from 8:00 a.m. until the start of the school day. As a reminder: A Remote Learning Day will be announced if instruction is going to be provided during an unscheduled closure of a school or schools. Classroom teachers will communicate with students about the processes they will use to facilitate their classes. A Remote Learning Day is NOT a traditional snow day. School Closed will be announced if instruction is NOT going to be provided during an unscheduled closure of a school or schools. As we are now entering the winter months and know weather can be unpredictable, it’s important to stay connected with Washington County Public Schools. We have various ways for you to stay in the loop. Websites: *The district and individual school websites will be the hub of communication for all WCPS. *All information that affects the school or district will be communicated through district and/or school web pages. The district website is https://www.wcs.k12.va.us/ *School web pages are “school initials + .wcs.k12.va.us” (example: Abingdon High School = ahs.wcs.k12.va.us) *The websites can be translated to multiple languages by clicking the drop-down menu in the top right-hand corner. Receive Text Messages, Phone Calls & Emails: *The contact information for students and/or parents comes from the Contact 1-5 Data in PowerSchool for each student. *Check with your student’s school to make sure your contact information is up to date. Receive Push Notifications: *Download the Washington County VA Schools Mobile App for your smartphone. *The app is available for FREE download in the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. *The app will provide instant access to district and school announcements and calendars. *Scroll down to settings; toggle the school(s) you would like to receive push notifications for and view. Social Media: *The district maintains and operates Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram accounts as well as a district YouTube account. *Families are encouraged to follow the district accounts @washcovaschools for updates, news, and information. *Individual schools maintain a Facebook and Twitter account. 

Want to see some video of the fifth graders exploring snap-circuit kits during their recent study of electricity? Click the links below : https://5il.co/312hs https://5il.co/312hy https://5il.co/312i3 https://5il.co/312if https://5il.co/312ig https://5il.co/312ii

Fifth graders explored snap-circuit kits during our recent study of electricity. The groups worked together to build various projects.

Washington Way Award Nominations: Nominate a special support staff person for the #WashingtonWayAward! Do you know someone whose work and commitment makes WCPS a better place to be? #WashingtonWayAward Categories: *Above and Beyond Custodian Award -- Vote for a custodian that makes a difference! *Silver Spoon Award -- Vote for the best food service worker out there! *Helping Hand Award -- Vote for a nurse or an aide that has helped you! *Master Technician Award -- Vote for the one who has helped you fix things! *Wheels on the Bus Award -- Vote for the driver or mechanic who helps get you home! *Customer Service Award -- Vote for the person who is always there to help! Scan the QR Code by Friday, November 22 to nominate a support staff person. To learn more about the #WashingtonWayAwards, watch this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM7Y0BdMbF4

Pre-K students enjoyed a field trip to the Abingdon Fire Department on Friday, November 8. Students learned about fire safety, saw the equipment firefighters use, and even got to sit in the fire truck!

Last week, students had lots of fun dressing up for Red Ribbon week. Here are a few highlights from the 3rd grade!