John S. Battle High School

The Damascus Middle School Sixth Grade Mental Math Bee was held on Thursday, March 21. The following students represented their homerooms: Draven R., Kinzley D., Kasen F., Westin J., Carson M., Hunter S., Carter S., Anthony K., and Henry W. The winner of the 2024 Mental Math Bee, Carter S., had his grandfather in attendance to support him! @WashCoSuper #WashingtonWay

Washington County Schools Theatre Arts Camp at Emory & Henry College is back for our 3rd year! Camp runs Monday through Saturday, June 10-15 from 8:30-3:30 daily, with a final presentation on Saturday afternoon, June 15th. To be eligible for camp, students must live in Washington County, VA and be a rising 3rd through 12th grader. Camp is free to families and includes daily programming, a T-shirt, lunch, and even a trip to Barter Theatre! In the past we have had overwhelming interest in our camp, and while we want to include every student, spots are limited. In an effort to be as equitable as possible in our registration process, we will open a window for families to complete a CAMP INTEREST FORM from March 15 - 25. Completing the form does NOT guarantee a spot at the camp but does ENTER YOUR STUDENT into a registration lottery. We will lottery the available spots based on a tiered system and notify families by April 1. Those students not selected in the initial lottery will be placed on a waitlist and offered spots as they become available. Families will be allocated spots together. We expect students from all tiers to be offered spots. Students MUST be available for the entirety of camp to participate. Available spots will be lotteried based on the following tiers: Tier 1 - Campers wait-listed last year Tier 2 - Returning campers Tier 3 - New campers All students must complete a CAMP INTEREST FORM by March 25 to be considered for a spot.

WCPS is looking for new Team Members! If you are interested in any of our job postings, please click on the Job Application Manager at this site: https://www.wcs.k12.va.us/o/wcps/page/human-resources See some current postings below.

Tonight the Washington County School Board recognized students from all four high schools in the areas of World Language and Fine Arts. These students have excelled at the STATE level, and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments. #WashingtonWay #WCPSBest @WashCoSuper

Please help WCPS celebrate the annual PAWS Campaign. More information can be found at your school.

CampUS Connections is a weeklong, residential summer camp for rising juniors and seniors inclined toward academic adventure, providing a unique mix of activities while navigating a college campus.

CampUS Connections is a weeklong, residential summer camp for rising juniors and seniors inclined toward academic adventure, providing a unique mix of activities while navigating a college campus.

Do you know someone who will be ready for PreK or Kindergarten in the Fall? Be sure to share this information with them for our Pre-Registration!

Based on guidance from the CDC and The Virginia Department of Health we will transition to streamline recommendations for common respiratory virus illnesses such as COVID-19, flu and RSV. Below is a link to more information. https://www.wcs.k12.va.us/article/1500744

Middle and high school students devoured the pulled pork nachos today! #schoolnutrition

Middle and high school students devoured the pulled pork sandwiches today! #schoolnutrition

Dear Families, We are excited about our partnership with Ballad Health that provides our students and staff with the opportunity to have an Urgent Care visit without ever leaving school grounds. Through telehealth equipment provided by Ballad, students and staff can live stream with an Urgent Care physician or nurse practitioner to receive an evaluation, take a test, receive a diagnosis, and order a prescription. In the coming weeks all schools will have this service available to them. We are already up and running at Greendale, Meadowview, Damascus, E.B. Stanley, Glade Spring, Holston, Wallace, Valley Institute, Patrick Henry, Abingdon Elementary and Watauga. As a matter of fact we had our first employee take advantage of the service last week. SRO Mike Reid had a visit at Damascus Middle School. Here is what he said about the experience. "I used the telehealth system last week. The process was simple and very user friendly. I didn't have to take time out of my day to run to urgent care or otherwise. After the visit, meds were called in to my pharmacy. Would definitely use this service in the future." I know this will be a great service to our students, families and staff. When combined with the in-person clinic at John Battle, access to affordable healthcare has never been more available to our stakeholders. If you have any questions, please contact me or Head Nurse Paula Nichols pnichols@wcs.k12.va.us Thank you, Keith Perrigan, Ed.D. Superintendent Washington County Public Schools 812 Thompson Dr. Abingdon, VA 24210 276-739-3000 @WashCoSuper

Next week, March 4-8, is National School Breakfast Week. Be sure to show your appreciation for all those to make it possible for the students of WCPS to have a delicious and nutritious breakfast daily! #WashingtonWay

Be sure to tune in on March 12th for this very informative information about how to help build your child's confidence.

Good evening, Earlier this week we received additional information concerning instructional hours and remote learning. This led to a conversation with VDOE staff which provided a new perspective on our plan to offer virtual instruction on March 5. As a result of this conversation, I am announcing that WCPS will be closed on March 5 and that our last day of school will remain the same (May 29). We hope to offer childcare for working parents of elementary students on March 5. If possible, we will provide additional information in the near future. 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“

So thrilled to have Dr. Jerry Jones share his talent and story of being educated in SWVA during Segregation with PHHS students. Check out some of the other Black History Month activities held in @washcovaschools here - go.boarddocs.com/vsba/wcps/Boar…

Dear Families This is just a reminder that schools will dismiss 2 hours early tomorrow, February 22, for Parent/Teacher Conferences. Please make arrangements for your child's transportation. Thank you, Washington County Schools

Be sure to check out these exciting opportunities for our students sponsored by the Washington County Public Library next month!

Good afternoon, A few folks have reached out to us about increased cases of flu and other illnesses in our schools. After reviewing the attendance data at every school in our division, we noticed that a few of our schools have had a slight increase in the number of students who are absent and/or checked out of school early. Thankfully, the increases are not to the extent that we would consider closing school or making other schedule changes. However, in order to make our learning environments as safe and healthy as possible, we have approved overtime for all custodians and have directed them to make sure all areas of our schools are properly cleaned and disinfected, especially those areas with higher than normal absences. We will also be disinfecting school buses as necessary. We appreciate the communication from our families about the increase in illnesses and we hope that everyone who has been affected feels better soon. If we see attendance rate increase at an alarming rate, we will communicate with the local Health Department about how to best address the situation. In the meantime, we hope you and your family stay healthy and avoid the Flu, COVID, and the other illnesses that seem to peak this time of year. Thank you, Keith Perrigan, Ed.D. Superintendent Washington County Public Schools 812 Thompson Dr. Abingdon, VA 24210 276-739-3000 @WashCoSuper

Families, we hope that you'll take advantage of this very timely and informative session being offered free of charge for all our families. Join via ZOOM tonight for the next session in our Mental Health Series The ABCs of Substance Use and Vaping!