WSSD51 E-Learning/Distance Learning pick up meal plan REMINDER: All requests need to be completed for free breakfast and lunch meals for ALL students and children 18 years and younger in our community to receive meals for the week of January 11 - 15. Please sign up by this Thursday at 3:00 pm. Meals may be picked up curbside at each schools' chosen location Monday, January 11th and Wednesday, January 13th from 10:00 – 11:00 am. Please sign up using this link: https://rb.gy/6voqf4
Please contact Sharon Mann, Food Service Director, with any questions. 864-456-7496 Thank you!
During our return to virtual learning January 5th - 18th, we will provide FREE MEALS to ALL students and children 18 years and younger in our community. If you want your child(ren) to receive free breakfast and lunch, you must sign up in advance using the form at this link: https://rb.gy/6voqf4
Meals may be picked up curbside at schools from 10-11AM on these dates: January 6, January 11, and January 13. Sign up starts TODAY and ends Monday, January 4th @ 3:00 pm. for pickup on the 6th. Sign up will required again for the week of the January 11th, and may be done between 3PM on Monday (Jan. 4 ) and 3PM Thursday (Jan. 7) using the same link. Please contact Sharon Mann, Food Services Supervisor, with any questions (864-456-7496).
The Board of Trustees met today to discuss our return to school, considering the spike in COVID-19 cases from the Christmas break. They decided we would return to virtual instruction from January 5-18. They will meet again in 2 weeks to review the data and decide what to do starting January 19th.
Right now community spread is higher than it’s ever been, so we will take a pause in coming to school to learn. It is the safest choice, but it is not an easy choice. Board members and I understand and accept that there is no solution that will please everyone; however, the priority in our district has been and will remain safety for all. COVID-19 is a threat…an intruder…one that we take very seriously because it is highly contagious, it causes illness that is sometimes serious, and it can cause death, especially for those who have underlying health conditions. Many of our employees are at risk of having complications if they get the virus.
During the remaining holidays and the 10 days of virtual instruction, please observe the safe practices that you’ve heard over and over and encourage others to do so as well, so that we can get back to school Jan. 19th!
Dr. Fay Sprouse, Superintendent
WSHS girls' and boys' basketball games scheduled for Friday vs. Dixie have been postponed. A make-up date has not yet been determined.
We have added three important links on our district website under the COVID-19 tab, which is circled in red.
Please review and submit the electronic permission form if you agree for our nurses to administer COVID rapid tests if your child becomes symptomatic. Read all about it on our website.
If your child tests positive for COVID or if your child is a close contact of a positive case during the holidays we need you to report it to our district nurse using the electronic form or by calling 864-377-0587.
The district will be monitoring the numbers over the holidays and will announce by January 1st if there is a need to return to eLearning. Students are bringing all needed materials home today and tomorrow to be prepared in case that happens. The extra work brought home by some is not homework to be completed over the holidays.
We encourage everyone to follow the CDC guidelines of wearing a mask in public, socially distancing six feet, washing hands frequently, and avoiding social gatherings. These simple steps prevent the spread of COVID-19. Let's all do our part so that we can be back to a normal schedule soon after the holidays!
I enjoyed reading to Dr. Owens' 3rd and 4th grade Distance Learning students today! We read two books from my collection of Robert Sabuda pop-up books: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and The 12 Days of Christmas. I fell in love with pop-up books when I was in primary school and started collecting them as an adult.
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas from all of us at WSSD51! Please stay safe during the holiday break.
Dr. Fay Sprouse, Superintendent
Class Ring Ceremony December 16th in the WSHS Auditorium @ 2:00, masks are mandatory. Attendees will be screened for COVID symptoms prior to entering the building. The ceremony will also be live streamed for those who cannot or prefer not to attend.
Each ring recipient will be given two tickets to the ceremony. Ticketed guests and ring recipients may enter starting at 1:30. Guests must sit in unmarked (not taped) seats to allow for social distancing to the extent possible. Students will sit in the section on the right (facing the stage) in their assigned seats. When called up to receive their rings, students will remain on stage. After all students have received their rings, they will be asked to place them on their fingers at the same time. Students will then exit the auditorium, followed by visitors, to meet outside to show their rings to their family members.
Katie Pulley, Media Specialist at Ware Shoals Middle, serves on the board of the Ware Shoals Community Foundation. Here, she is presenting a donation from the foundation to Catfish Feastival board members Rick and Teresa Holland.
WSSD51 teachers care about our students and about our community. They LEARN, SERVE, and LEAD to make WSSD a great place to live and to learn!
A wonderfully positive story about the way we Learn SERVE and Lead!
BLOOD DRIVE
DECEMBER 7, 2020
SIGNUP: https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/155786
We are very thankful for our students, especially those who look for ways to help others. This is Eli Burton, an 11th grader at WSHS, who bought paper sacks while working at an auction this past weekend. He donated them to our Food Service program! What a great way to SERVE others, by providing supplies for sack lunches. Thanks, Eli....you embody our motto "LEARNING, SERVING, LEADING," and we appreciate you!
The Annette Batson Memorial Thanksgiving Luncheon will not be served this year.
“It is with great regret we are unable to celebrate and continue the tradition this year, but health and safety concerns are a priority,” said Paul Anderson, principal of Ware Shoals High School. “We look forward to continuing our tradition next year.”
Dawn Amerson, Executive Director of Five Star Senior Living, began overseeing the preparation of the Thanksgiving luncheon the year after Mrs. Batson’s death. Amerson, along with Chefs throughout the Five Star organization, cook and serve a traditional meal to members of the Ware Shoals community.
“Out of an extreme abundance of caution during this pandemic, we will not host the community Thanksgiving luncheon this year. A majority of citizens who normally attend the Thanksgiving luncheon have major underlying medical issues and putting one life at risk is not something we are willing to do,” said Amerson. “We look forward to continuing the tradition next year.”
Since 2011, Mrs. Batson, former Family and Consumer Science instructor at WSHS, along with her students prepared a Thanksgiving luncheon for the greatest generation. She taught her students to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal, all the while teaching them how to give back to the community.
Our scheduled date for returning to five day instruction, November 23, has been changed due to the increase in COVID19 cases in our counties and the chance that students, their families, and our staff will be attending gatherings over the holidays where exposure may occur.
The new target date for reopening with five day instruction is January 14, the first day of the second semester. This is an additional 23 days of the hybrid schedule. We thank you for your understanding and patience as our Board of Trustees and I put safety first.
If your child has had close contact with a positive COVID19 case or with anyone with symptoms, call our district nurse at 377-0587. Do not send your child to school until she advises you of what to do.
Ware Shoals High School is excited to announce a new team established this year for our students. Please use the QR code below to donate to our team. Thank you in advance for your support and Go Hornets!
Bus 9 will be about an hour late tomorrow AM. It may also be late in the PM. We will let you know when we find out.
News from the District Nurse:
Mask wearing has become the new norm. The students in our district have adjusted well and have been very good at wearing their mask. Since mask wearing is a daily routine, how to store and clean them are very important. The following are some tips on storing and washing your child’s mask.
Store your cloth mask properly and wash it regularly to keep it clean. Consider having more than one mask on hand so that you can easily replace a dirty mask with a clean one.
Wash your cloth mask whenever it gets dirty or at least daily. If you have a disposable face mask, throw it away after wearing it once.
Using a washing machine
It is okay to include your mask with your regular laundry. Use regular laundry detergent and use the warmest settings on the washer that is safe for the material, or wash your mask with tap water and laundry detergent or soap. Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove detergent or soap.
Dry your mask completely in a warm or hot dryer use the warmest setting on the dryer that is safe for the material, or hang your mask in direct sunlight to dry completely. If you cannot hang it in direct sunlight, hang or lay it flat and let it dry completely.
Due to increasing threat of high winds from remnants of Hurricane Zeta that are predicted for our area, B Day (Gold Hornets) will have an eLearning day tomorrow. Students must log into their Schoology or Seesaw account to be counted present. A Day students (Purple Hornets) will return to school on Friday. Stay safe, everyone!
The Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of returning to the traditional model of instruction (5 days, face to face) beginning November 23. Today we learned that the company helping us needs one more week to get all materials in (demand is very high right now) and to finish making and installing everything. Starting on November 23 will give teachers and students 2 days (23rd and 24th) to learn and practice new routines and safety procedures for being all together again. After Thanksgiving, we'll have three weeks of productivity before the Christmas break.
Schedule for next week:
Monday, November 2nd, is an eLearning day for all students and Parent-Teacher Conference Day.
Tuesday, November 3rd, is Election Day and a holiday for students and staff.
Wednesday the 4th, we resume school with B Day (Gold Hornets).