Ware Shoals School District 51

The Board of Trustees will have a called meeting tomorrow, October 27th, at 4pm to consider a recommendation that students return to school full time on November 16th. This is basically a formality, as they have already given their approval to take steps to get ready for 5 day, face-to-face instruction. All schools will have the best PPE that is available. Acrylic shields are being made for tables and desks, and will be installed by November 12 (photos here are from schools in Spartanburg 6). Combined with the other measures that are already in place, schools will be safe places for children. We are looking forward to having all students under one roof again!

Hello parents. This school year has definitely been a challenging year for everyone. We appreciate your understanding as we wade through all the unknowns and changes COVID-19 has brought. We are diligently keeping up with guidelines from DHEC and CDC in an effort to support the safety of our staff and students. If your child, someone in your household, or a close contact of your child is tested for COVID, please keep your child at home and call your child’s school or the District Nurse Tonja Lindle @ 864-377-0587. If you need assistance with an appointment at a testing facility, contact your child’s school or Tonja Lindle, the District Nurse. As a benefit for our students, Abbeville Respiratory Clinic has graciously agreed to prioritize testing for any student we serve. Our main objective is to keep our staff and students safe and in class as much as possible. Thanks for your help! Tonja Lindle, District Nurse

Barring any further COVID-19 complications, our Board of Trustees has given the blessing to bring students back to school five days a week as soon as we can get our classrooms fully outfitted with the best PPE that is being offered right now, plexiglass partitions. Our goal is to return by November 11th, a little less than 4 weeks away; however, we may need a few more days for the vendors to fill our order, assemble the items, and install them. We will keep you updated on our progress and give you ample notice of the date we will be able to return. We appreciate the patience you've shown so far during the virtual and the hybrid instructional models. We look forward to the time when all of our learners return to the traditional schedule, all being taught together by our talented, caring teachers!

DHEC is offering Free Flu Clinic for Ware Shoals Students. Please click the link below for more information! https://5il.co/m43j

Clemson University is conducting a study on Food & Well Being. For more information please click the link below. https://5il.co/lxc1

REMINDER: "Farmers to Families" Food Box giveaway is tomorrow from 9-11 at Ware Shoals High. Pull in the circle and a box will be loaded in your car. First come, first served, while supplies last! The box is packed with fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meat. This is a USDA program which benefits farmers, ranchers, and others who produce food which, in turn, benefits families in economically distressed areas.

Ware Shoals vs Dixie football ticket information: Here is the link to the school website. The guidelines and Ticket Spicket link for digital tickets are located on the page. Tickets will go on sale Monday, October 12 at 8AM and close Thursday, October 15 at 11:59PM. Thank you! https://www.acsdsc.org/o/dixie-high-school

Ware Shoals School District has participated in the Healthy Learners Adult Spelling Bee since its inception in 2015, winning in 2016, 2018, and again this year. Congratulations to team members Maria Tyre, Fay Sprouse, Pat MacDonald, and Paula Taylor, members of "Plan Bee," for bringing the trophy back to Ware Shoals! Healthy Learners is a non-profit organization that partners with school nurses and local medical providers to offer access to health care to eligible children. Costs for health care services, transportation, and follow-up are paid for by Healthy Learners. If you want to learn more or make a tax deductible contribution, visit their website: www.healthylearners.com

Plans are underway for a massive 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 in front of Ware Shoals High School from 9-11 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 their business, prevents waste, and helps families have access to fresh, healthy food. Enter the front drive of Ware Shoals High School and drive around. A volunteer will place the box in your vehicle. Limit 2 boxes per family. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED...WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! The line may be long at times, but our student and church volunteers will get you through as quickly as possible. 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-releases/2020/09/29/farmers-families-food-box-program-surpasses-100-million-boxes

Here is the updated Hornet Football Schedule, which was revised yesterday. We will have 2 home games and 3 away games. Whitmire @ Ware Shoals Monday, Oct. 12 7:00 Ware Shoals @ Dixie Friday, Oct.16 7:30 McCormick @ Ware Shoals Friday, Oct.23 7:30 (Homecoming & Senior Night) Ware Shoals @ Southside Christian Friday, Oct.30 7:30 Ware Shoals @ Calhoun Falls Friday, Nov. 6 7:30

Here is our revised schedule, approved by Region I Class A. The first varsity home game will be Monday, October 12th. All tickets sold for the Whitmire game are still valid. There will be no refunds. Homecoming and Senior Night are tentatively planned for the second home game vs McCormick on October 23rd.

2020 CENSUS...only 14 days remain! The census impacts schools, educators, students, and families for the next 10 years. We're below our 2010 response rate, which could decrease funding for schools for the next ten years. It only takes 10 minutes...please be counted! Help us share this message, too. https://my2020census.gov/

D51 Bus Station Ribbon Cutting Today bus drivers moved to their new "home" at 42 Sparks Avenue. This property has been used for storage for several years, but a portion of it has been renovated as the D51 Bus Station. This space provides the facility needs for sanitizing buses each day - power, water, and storage space. We appreciate our drivers and all they will be doing to keep our students safe. "The Wheels on the Bus" will go "'round and 'round" beginning Monday, as students return to school on the A/B schedule. Purple Hornets attend Monday (Group A) and Gold Hornets attend Tuesday (Group B). Pictured, from left: Mr. Wooten, Rev. Davis, Ms. Stewart, Ms. Story, Ms. Wells, Dr. Sprouse, Ms. Wagner, Ms. Hellams, and Ms. Thomas.

Be sure to take a look at the resources here on our website. Under the COVID-19 link, found on the district website's banner, you'll find Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 and the Hotspots/Internet Connections, the DHEC Exclusion List, Quick Facts, and many others. The A/B Calendar is found under the Reopen 2020 link, showing the Purple Hornet and Gold Hornet days. If you have any questions, reach out to us. We're happy to help!

WSSD 51 has been approved to provide FREE MEALS to ALL students and children 18 years and younger in our community. Children do not have to be enrolled in WSSD 51 to be eligible. All Distance Learning students and children not enrolled in our district must sign up (use link below) to receive the free meals for pick-up Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. SIGN UP TODAY OR TOMORROW by 3:00PM to ensure meals for next week. Sign up is required each week for all meal requests and will begin after 3:00 pm each Thursday and end the following Tuesday at 3:00 pm. Sign up here for next week's meals: https://rb.gy/6voqf4

Elearning and Distance learning meals will be ready for pickup and delivery starting Thursday August 27th. Bus delivery meals will go out from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm at the Ware Shoals High School. Beginning Monday, August 31st, we will start our meal pickup and delivery of meals on Mondays and Wednesdays while elearning and distance learning programs are in progress. Please contact our Food Services Supervisor with any questions or concerns. Thank you!

WSSD51 E-Learning/Distance pick up & delivery meal plan REMINDER: After 3 pm today, all requests need to be completed for breakfast and lunch meals for enrolled students of WSSD 51 to receive meals for the week of Aug 31st to Sept 8th. This plan requires families to sign up prior to the Thursday of each week at 3:00 pm. Please sign up using the link below. Please read the form carefully for more detailed information. Thank you! https://rb.gy/6voqf4

WSSD 51 has implemented a meal plan for students to participate in pick up/delivery of breakfast & lunch during eLearning or Distance learning. This plan requires families to sign up in advance using the form in the link below. Sign up now! https://rb.gy/6voqf4

Congratulations to the 2020-21 School Teachers of Year (TOY): Samantha Smallwood: Ware Shoals Primary Alicia Atherton: Ware Shoals Elem/Middle Kerri Pratt: Ware Shoals High We are proud of all of our teachers, and we offer our sincere congratulations to these ladies for being selected by their peers to represent their school this year! Pictured are newly named TOYs with the 2019-20 TOYs, being congratulated by Rep. John McCravy and Supt. Fay Sprouse. Top (L to R): Mrs. Pratt, Mrs. Smallwood, Mrs. Atherton Bottom (L to R): Mrs. Guess, Ms. Holley, Mrs. Livingston

At the board meeting yesterday, our regional DHEC Director, Dr. Kandi Fredere, presented the weekly COVID-19 data report from 8-10-2020. (These reports are released each Monday.) All counties of SC are still “HIGH RISK” based on the Incidence Rate, Trend in Incidence Rate, and Percent Positive. Our Reopening Plan, approved by the State Superintendent and our School Board, follows the AccelerateED Task Force recommendations. After Dr. Fredere presented the data, our board affirmed its previous decision to begin the year with the Hybrid: eLearning instructional plan, based on the HIGH RISK rating for our area. As we continue to assess the conditions, we will decide when we can transition to the A/B model, then on to the Traditional. Our ultimate goal is to have all under one roof, being educated by our terrific teachers, but right now we are committed to providing high quality instruction virtually, engaging students in learning each day. LEAP days for students in 5K-8th grade will still be August 17-21, but students will be scheduled to come meet with their teacher individually. Teachers will set up parent/teacher/student conference times to prepare them for eLearning days and to do some assessments. 4K orientation plans will be shared with parents by Principal Morrison.