Ware Shoals School District 51

Our district will host a Relay for Life event this Saturday, April 10, from 7-9PM at WS High School. Social distancing/sanitizing practices will be in place. Funds raised through Relay For Life directly support breakthrough research, 24/7 support for cancer patients, access to lifesaving screenings, and much more. Our event is being held in honor of WS Middle School principal, Nancy Brown, who is currently battling cancer. Events that evening include Silent Auction Baskets to bid on, musical entertainment, photo booth, and snacks. One of the highlights will be a Luminaria Walk around the horseshoe, to view luminaries placed in honor or memory of a loved one who has been affected by cancer or COVID-19. Luminarias are $5 each, and may be purchased at any school or the district office. Be sure to get yours by Friday! Decorate it with your loved one's name and a message of inspiration! Here are some ideas for decorating a luminaria bag: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/179932947589317610/ https://www.cancer.org/involved/fundraise/relay-for-life.html

Varsity Soccer vs Laurens April 6 @ 5:30

REMINDER: DSS will issue Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) cards by April 16 for families of students at WSPS and WSMS. The benefit amount is $6.82 for each eLearning day from 9/1/20-12/31/20.Parents/guardians are asked to validate their address in the DSS P-EBT Address Portal by tomorrow, March 19th. You have to enter your child's PowerSchool ID number, as well as name, DOB, and school name. Go to : https://benefitsportal.dss.sc.gov/#/pebt/addressverification

A free COVID-19 vaccine clinic will be held on Friday, March 19 at the Larry Traynham Rec Center. The clinic is by appointment only for those 55 and older, those 18 and older with high risk medical conditions, frontline workers with increased occupational risk, and individuals who live or work in group home settings. For an appointment, call 864-707-0060 or 864-707-0061 between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm. Limited doses are available, so call as soon as possible!

Baseball - Admission for regular season games is $5 per person. Tickets will be sold at the gate. Masks are required for entrance. We ask that you maintain a social distance from non-household members. Handicapped restroom facilities are available at the “ticket booth” at the entrance to Lou Brissie Field. We are looking forward to the season and thank you for adhering to the mask and social distancing guidelines. Softball - Admission for regular season games is $5 per person. Tickets will be sold at the field. Masks are required for entry. We ask that you maintain a social distance from non-household members. In addition to bleacher seating, there is room on the upper level as well as each fence line and outfield area to set up chairs. Please DO NOT SIT in the area behind home plate. A limited number of handicapped parking spaces are available on the left as you enter the school driveway. No spectator vehicles will be allowed on field level. A handicapped accessible restroom is available just inside the double gate. We are looking forward to the season and thank you for adhering to the mask and social distancing guidelines. Soccer - Admission for regular season games is $5 per person. Tickets will be sold at the gate. Masks are required for entrance. We ask that you maintain a social distance from non-household members. Handicapped accessible parking is available upon request with tag/placard and a purchased ticket. We are looking forward to the season and thank you for adhering to the mask and social distancing guidelines.

Farmers to Families food distribution will be at Ware Shoals High School FRIDAY from 9:30-11:30 or until the food is gone. No proof of income or identification is required. We will distribute about 1,100 boxes, packed with poultry, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. We are excited about this opportunity to provide food for our employees, students, and community! This is a USDA program in partnership with farmers, ranchers, and other food producers and distributors. This program helps businesses, prevents waste, and helps families have access to fresh, healthy food. Officers and employees will assist with traffic control, showing you where to enter to get in line. Share this message - help us spread the word. We don't want any leftover food! https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/farmers-to-families-food-box https://www.usda.gov/media/press-

Time to order school photos!

The Department of Social Services (DSS) are working to provide a second round of Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits for eligible children across South Carolina. DSS strongly encourages ALL households with potentially eligible students to validate their address in the DSS P-EBT Address Portal on or before March 19th, 2021 to ensure proper delivery of P-EBT cards. The first P-EBT payment are expected to be mailed out in mid-April 2021. Please allow a minimum of 14 business days for card delivery. Additional information can be reviewed in the Pandemic EBT Frequently Asked Questions. https://dss.sc.gov/

The WS Fitness Center, located between the high school and the gym, is open to citizens of our district, 18 years and over, from 7AM to 8PM, 7 days a week. Citizens must sign up to receive a key card for access. It is well-equipped with treadmills, steppers, and weight machines. There is no charge to use the Fitness Center. Call 864-456-7496 if you wish to join!

We had a great "first" day of school. Thanks to all of our staff for making it extra special!

WSSD51 students will start five day face-to-face instruction Monday, February 22. When students return, they can expect to see continued use of masks, plexiglass shields, frequent hand washing, portable water stations, electrostatic disinfectant spraying, and social distancing as in the A/B model. The biggest difference will be larger class sizes. More students will also be riding buses, where social distancing will be done to the extent possible. Expect buses to arrive 15 to 20 minutes earlier in the AM and later in the PM due to the increased number of riders. We look forward to welcoming everyone back. Purple and Gold belong together!

At their meeting today, board members voted unanimously for all students to return to school February 22, five days face-to-face. It will be great to have everyone together for the first time this year! Please be diligent with personal protective measures while in school and in the community so we can finish the year strong! LEARNING, SERVING, LEADING…TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN!

Bus drivers needed! Full time with benefits; competitive hourly rate Qualifications: clean driving record, work well w/ children, complete requirements for CDL / Bus driver’s license Apply in person at Ware Shoals School District office at 56 South Greenwood Avenue. If you'd like an application emailed to you, please let us know your email address.

The crew from Camp Electric completed removal of the Riegel Stadium light towers today. The towers will be renovated and fitted with LED lights. The project should be completed in about 8 weeks, in time for the first baseball home game.

Pageant packets for Miss WSH are available in the high school front office. The due date to enter the pageant is February 10th at 3:00pm.

We are still distributing food in front of WSHS until 11:30 am today. Come out and pick up a box of food from the Farmers to Families program. No proof of income or identification needed. We will see you soon!

FREE food boxes tomorrow from 9:30-11:30 at Ware Shoals High School! Farmers to Families food boxes have meat, fruit, and dairy products and weigh about 30 pounds. One box per family...first come, first served...while supplies last. No proof of income or identification needed. Come see us and take your box of food home to enjoy!

Plans are underway for another food distribution Friday from the "Farmers to Families" program. We are getting a truck load of about 1,100 boxes, packed with chicken strips, sausage, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. We are excited about this opportunity to provide food for our employees, students, and community! Distribution will be at Ware Shoals High School from 9:30-11:30 FRIDAY or until the food is gone. No proof of income or identification is required. This is a USDA program in partnership with farmers, ranchers, and other food producers and distributors. A lot of food that would normally be sold to restaurants is not being utilized due to the COVID-19 national emergency. This program helps businesses, prevents waste, and helps families have access to fresh, healthy food. Officers and employees will assist with traffic control, showing you where to enter to get in line. The line WILL be long at times, but our volunteers will get you through as quickly as possible. ONE BOX PER FAMILY...FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED...WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! Share this message - help us spread the word. We don't want any leftover food! https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/farmers-to-families-food-box https://www.usda.gov/media/press-

Third and Fourth grade students @ Ware Shoals Primary School receive new Dell laptops today! These new student devices will assist students with assignments in class and at home. This is part of our district-wide one-to-one student device program.

We look forward to welcoming students back to school next week! Monday, January 25th is A Day (Purple Hornets) and Tuesday, January 26th is B Day (Gold Hornets). Please be sure your child wears a mask to enter school or to the bus stop to board the bus. School staff will monitor students for wearing masks, social distancing, and hand washing. Please do not allow your child to get on the bus or enter the school if sick. If a family member or close contact has COVID symptoms, do not send your child to school. Call your school nurse to get advice. We offer rapid COVID testing onsite for students and staff. Here is a link to an article by a doctor from MUSC. It may help those who are anxious about returning. https://web.musc.edu/about/news-center/2021/01/19/data-on-covid-in-charleston-county-schools-stun-doctor-who-crunched-the-numbers DESTINATION...GRADUATION!