High Point Elementary

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

February is the month of kindness, and some of our HPES stars are really shining bright! Our third nine-weeks unit of study in classroom guidance is kindness and empathy. Students are learning why it is important to be kind to others and ways they can show kindness. The concept of empathy can be tricky to understand, but our students are really showing they know how to "put themselves in someone else's shoes". Recently, Beau G. and Bryce M. had a birthday party, and instead of receiving gifts they chose to collect nonperishable food items for our school's food pantry, which supplies HPES students with weekly food bags if they choose to sign up. Thanks Bryce and Beau for being good citizens, and using your birthday party as an opportunity to serve your community and show kindness.

Washington County Little League Bristol Area:

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!

Due to downed trees and power lines in some parts of the County, bus service will be delayed for some students as we reroute buses. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

On February 6th, HPES first grade celebrated the 101st day of school by learning and playing in spots, Dalmatian spots! We had a full day of reading 101 books, working with numbers to 101, enjoying pup cups, and playing the classic game “Doggie, doggie, where’s your bone?”!

Second Graders are celebrating Black History Month by focusing on Alma Thomas' artwork. The students are creating vibrant murals displayed throughout High Point Elementary School.

Families, we are so excited to have our book fair next week in the library.

Fifth graders at High Point Elementary School are hard at work honing their volleyball skills during P.E. classes in preparation for the longstanding annual tradition - Fifth Grade Vs. Teachers Volleyball game coming up February 23rd. Fifth grade will lasso the win this year for sure! Pictured are Patton G. and Zeke E. (neon shirt).

Lacrosse Opportunity for Washington County Students:

Come meet new school board members Adam Wilson from the Tyler District and WCPS Chair Jenny Nichols of the Wilson District at the High Point Elementary Cafeteria on February 12 from 3:15-5:00 PM.

It's safety first for the WCPS Transportation Support Team! This team is up early and staying late daily to ensure safe travels for all Washington County Students for school days and for afterschool activities! #WashingtonWay @WashCoSuper

Be sure to check out Varsity Tutoring's Practice Tests and Personalized Learning Plans that are free to all WCPS Students through their SSO Portal. This week's highlight is on Practice Tests. Be sure to take time to log in and see how this could enhance your students' learning.

Tonight, Washington County Schools is proud to recognize some of our excellent teachers who were chosen as Teacher Of The Year by their colleagues for the 2023-2024 school year. #WashingtonWay #WCPSBest @WashCoSuper

Wallace Middle School is host to several WCPS Teachers and Administrators for Safety Care Training today. Just another way our staff is putting the needs of our students first! #WCPSBest #WashingtonWay @WashCoSuper

Good afternoon, Increased temperatures today not only allowed ice to melt, but enabled VDOT to treat roads more efficiently and effectively. As a result, Washington County Public Schools will operate on a regular schedule on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Unfortunately, there are still a few roads and turn arounds that we can’t access by bus. We have contacted those families to make other transportation arrangements. We appreciate your patience as we have worked through this weather event. I will be making recommendations to our Board on Thursday to reschedule and account for the days we have missed to this point. Based on our policy, we are now able to implement virtual learning days if we have adverse weather in the future. I will also recommend that we have a virtual learning day on March 5, 2024 (Presidential Primary) rather than closing. I anticipate that our Board will take action on those recommendations in February. Stay tuned, we will keep you updated! Thank you, Keith Perrigan, Ed.D. Superintendent

This is just a reminder that Varsity Tutoring is available FREE to ALL Students through their SSO Portal. This is a service provided by the VDOE. This week's spotlight is on the 24/7 On-Demand Tutoring Chat.

Good afternoon, There are still at least 27 roads in Washington County that are impassable by school bus. In addition to the safety of students who live on these roads, these roads are connecting roads to other students on our bus routes. Even though I would love to bring students back to school tomorrow, we are going to close school on 1-23-24. Childcare will be provided at our elementary schools for working parents who need the service. I apologize for the inconvenience this causes our families. 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“

Due to the the closure of schools for Monday, Jan. 22, elementary schools will offer childcare to working families. Please see specific information from your child's school and sign up if interested.

Good afternoon, There are probably few folks who would like for our students and staff to return to school tomorrow more than me. We waited as long as possible today to make the call, hoping the sunshine today would help melt the ice. However, there are still many secondary roads and turn around spots that are snow and/or ice covered. As a result, Washington County Public Schools will be closed on Monday January 22, 2024. We will share information later in the week about rescheduling the days we have missed.