Good evening. Tomorrow brings much anticipation with the start of a new school year. I am so excited to see our students and employees back in our buildings as we work together to become the # 1 school district in the state of West Virginia. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful community of parents and guardians that understand the importance of a first-class education and are willing to go above and beyond to ensure the success of our students and schools. However, we know there is a lot of work to complete.
This summer, WCS has equipped schools with essential personnel for targeted intervention, created a STEAM Academy for middle school students, and continued to upgrade our facilities to provide the most conducive environments possible in our schools. We are very excited to see the new school year begin.
I encourage each of you to review our re-entry guidance document located on our webpage at https://tinyurl.com/yhq2qwgb. As you know, directives can change quickly with little notice. I will do my best to communicate changes to you as directives are received. I encourage all parents and students to follow the recommendations in the guidance document including, but not limited to - wearing a mask, staying socially distanced, and practicing good, hand-washing hygiene.
As always, I ask for your patience on the first day of school. There are many moving parts that we will continually perfect throughout the year. Once again, thank you for your support and encouragement as we start another exciting school year.
Thank you for all you do and have a wonderful evening.
Van Devender Middle School welcomes Douglas Pfeifer from Life & Purpose Behavioral Health to provide professional development on the Neurosequential Model. This training is designed to help both educators and students understand their own brains (How they develop and organize over time; how they can change and grow in a positive way). It also helps educators and students understand how stress affects their brains particularly how it affects their ability to teach and learn well. Just one more step on the Vandy Voyage.
I want to thank all that attended the open house. We had a wonderful time and the Vandy Voyage is off to a great start. Can’t wait to see everyone.
Both distance learners and virtual school learners can come this evening during open house and pick up your iPad. Open house will be from 4:45 to 6:45. If you need other arrangements please contact the school.
Thank you and have a great day.
Open House is tomorrow, August 17 from 4:45-6:45. Hope to see you there!
Golf Practice/Parent Meeting will take place on Wednesday August 18th at 4:00pm. Worthington Golf Course Porch. Please contact Coach Eddie Staats with questions eddiestaats@gmail.com
Volleyball Schedule
Tennis Schedule
Golf Schedule
Cross Country Schedule
Cheer Competition
Football Schedule
Attention ALL Students grades 6-8: Please join us at Open House on Tuesday, August 17. The hours will be from 4:45 - 6:45 pm. Homeroom Schedules will be posted in the gym. Student schedules can be picked up in your homeroom. We are looking forward to a great year!
2021/2022 School Options:
Currently Wood County Schools is offering the following school options for the 2021/2022 School year: Brick/Mortar (Normal School), Distance Learning Academy (Virtual Learning Offered by Wood County Schools Teachers) and WVLEARNS (Complete Virtual self-paced learning). Please visit the following link if you want to do Distance Learning Academy or WVLEARNS. Keep in mind that some students may be denied WVLEARNS due to past poor performance in this program. Students who enroll in off campus learning will remain enrolled for the semester. Please contact the school with questions.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLnG7RDOztclG4BAlP_pEDH2XklWn0K61S9vPfu-C7UE6yyg/viewform
STEAM Academy begins Aug. 23
Middle school students will have the opportunity to attend programs emphasizing science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics this fall at the Wood County Schools STEAM Academy.
The STEAM Academy begins Aug. 23 at the Caperton Center on the campus of West Virginia University at Parkersburg. The academy is a new district-wide program which provides once-a-week classes for all students in grades 7-8. Parents do not need to sign up to have students participate.
Reminder- All students entering the 7th grade must have their Meningitis and Tdap vaccines before the first day of school. Your child is not permitted to attend school without these vaccines. If your child has already had their vaccines, please provide the school with the up to date record. If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Danielle (304)420-9645.
On August 11, 2021 the WVDE passed a temporary waiver to allow students to participate in extracurricular activities through the first 9 weeks of school. Wood County Schools will not recognize this waiver and will follow standard WVSSAC rules. This means that no student with a grade point average under 2.0 can participate in extracurricular activities (Practices or Contests). They can become eligible at midterm to practice if they have passing grades and they can compete in contests at the end of the 9 week grading period if they have a 2.0 grade point average or above. Please contact the school if you have eligibility questions.
Tonight's Volleyball clinic is cancelled. Sorry for the late notice. They will resume tomorrow evening as scheduled.
Van Devender Middle School staff are attending a professional development training with Dr. Tom Cavanagh to learn about Restorative Justice Education. Restorative Justice Education will be utilized during the upcoming school year at Vandy.
We are happy to announce that we have three new cheer coaches. (Jill Oliver, Keithlynn Johnson and Heather Buchanan). They will be holding Cheer clinics tomorrow Wednesday August 11, Thursday August 12 and Friday August 13 from 5:30pm-7:00pm. Please come to Vandy on these dates if you would like to cheer or if you are interested in cheer. Tryouts will be announced at a later date. Be prepared to be both inside and outside of the school. Bring plenty of water and dress for the heat. WVSSAC sports physicals are required for extracurricular activities. These can be picked up at the school or downloaded from the following link.
https://www.wvssac.org/form-downloads/