District prepares for new school year
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
Summer has passed and the schools in Weston County School District No. 1 are filled with teachers and administrators preparing to welcome back students starting Aug. 24, when several participate in jumpstart days. Classes begin on Aug. 25.
Principals from each school said that while it is hard to predict what the school enrollment will look like this early in the year, although all three are encouraged by the enrollment of several new students already.
“At the elementary school, we have had over 20 new students enroll,” Brandy Holmes, elementary school principal said. “However, we may find some previous students do not return once we start. So, numbers are difficult to predict this year.”
High school principal Bryce Hoffman reported that as of Monday, Aug. 16, there were 242 students enrolled in
the school. He noted that some of
those are new students but that some former students will not be returning to the district.
Kicking off the 2021-22 school year are several welcome-back events, including a celebration at Newcastle Middle School on Aug. 23, an open house at Newcastle Elementary School on Aug. 24 and jump-start days for both sixth- and ninth-graders at the middle and high school on Aug. 24. Fall sports have already kicked off the season with practices on Aug. 16.
According to Tyler Bartlett, middle school principal, the sixth-grade jumpstart day for new students last year was received well by the students and community. Due to the success of that pilot program, both the high school and middle school are joining in this year.
The idea, Bartlett explained, is to invite students who are new to the school to start the school year before the first day of classes for all students. On the jumpstart day, students will experience the bell schedule, learn to navigate the new school and classrooms, interact with teachers and administration and find out what is expected of them overall.
This year, Bartlett said, students will enjoy donuts, fruit and juice from Decker’s Market in the morning. Pinnacle Bank staff will grill food provided by Woody’s Food Center for lunch for the middle school jumpstart day.
All students attending Newcastle Middle School and their parents are invited to a back-to-school celebration on Aug. 23 at the middle school. The day’s events include an open house and advisory meeting, ice cream social, a meeting with Bartlett and a back-to-school dance for students sponsored by the Newcastle Middle School student council.
Newcastle Elementary School will also host an open house beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 24. The purpose of the evening is for students and parents to meet teachers, see their classrooms and drop off any needed materials before the first day of school.
School secretary Dawn Williams reported that the elementary school will again be providing student materials for the classroom. Parents, however, will be responsible for backpacks and tennis shoes for physical education classes.
Supply lists for the other schools vary, depending on classes and teachers. Teachers, however, may request additional supplies throughout the school year.
The district has announced that it will again provide both breakfast and lunch to all students, free of charge.
The first official day of school for all students in the district is Wednesday, Aug. 25, according to the calendar and information from district principals.
All returning students can access registration documents via the district website, wcsd1.org. However, all new students will need to contact the school office they will be attending for paper registration forms.
This year, according to technology director Beau Gregory, the school district website may look different because the district recently upgraded the website.
“This website is supposed to be easier to navigate, more user friendly, especially for those on phones,” Gregory said.
In addition to the website, parents and students will have access to a phone app sharing relevant school information. This app will be used to notify users of calendar updates and any other important information that needs to get out quickly.
The app is called the School News app by Edlio, Gregory said. The app can be downloaded on either iOS or android phones by searching “School News by Edlio.”
Once the app is downloaded, parents and/or students can search for the appropriate school. After selecting a school, you are able to enable push notifications and receive updates with an alert directly to your device, Gregory explained.
“All of the news and events posted to our website are posted here (School News) for easy access. You can also add multiple Edlio-powered schools and/or districts to gather all news, events and alerts in this one app,” Gregory said in an email. “We’ll send push notifications out to keep you updated on urgent news.”
All schools in the district will keep their doors locked during school hours. Parents and visitors can be buzzed in at the doors closest to the
front office.
For anyone riding buses to school this year, please see page 16 for the full route schedule provided by the district.