District News

ECMS Artists "Cell-ebrate" Differences and Support One Another

September 24, 2021

ECMS artists looked to science to better understand supportive relationships in order to build a strong class community. Cells are the basic building blocks of the body working together to provide structure to all living things. Art students collaborated to create a class contract agreeing to certain behaviors that would provide both structure and support to all the different personalities within the classroom. Next, students looked to artist, Lea Anderson’s, organic creations for aesthetic inspiration. Finally, each student drew, designed and colored a cell to represent their commitment to functioning as a cooperative community that also celebrates individuality. Artists working hard together, while also strengthening their unique abilities, (just like cells) to support each other creatively, socially and academically.

COVID Update September 24, 2021

September 24, 2021

COVID Update September 24, 2021

In the spirit of transparency, the Walton County School District (WCSD) will continue to update our stakeholders with COVID-19 data for the 2021-2022 school year. 

We look forward to a time where these numbers read 0%, likewise is our wish for our county, state, and country. We are glad that we are able to navigate through this second year of COVID like we have with the mitigation strategies in place that allow students to be in school, employees at work, and families enjoying some sense of normalcy.

 

COVID-19 Statistics

Single Day Data

(9/23/21)

% of total population (students and staff ~ 13,000)

Overall Data to Date

(8/10/21 – 9/23/21)

% of total population (students and staff ~ 13,000)

Positive COVID-19 Cases

of School District Students and/or Employees

 

4

0.03%

*716

5.51%

Quarantined Due to On Campus Exposure of School District Students and/or Employees

 

6

0.05%

1308

10.06%

Quarantined Due to Off Campus Exposure (Community/Family Exposure) of School District Students and/or Employees

 

4

0.03%

652

5.02%

Schools Involved in Positive Cases and/or Exposure

 

3

 

20

 

 

This week the Florida Department of Education made a revision to their decision tree after the Florida Surgeon General announced a new emergency rule pertaining to COVID-19 student exposure. In summary, if you are made aware of your student having been in close contact to a positive case and your student is asymptomatic, you then have the option to keep your student  in school if they remain asymptomatic or quarantine your student for up to seven (7) days, no more than seven (7) days, since the date of exposure.

Walton County School District will implement this revised decision tree from the Florida Department of Education beginning Monday, September 27th. Upon parent/guardian choice following close contact to a positive case, schools and parents/guardians commit to share responsibility of monitoring symptoms as needed to ensure the safety of students and staff.

 

Walton County School District COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies for the 2021-2022 School Year

  1. If a person is sick (students, teachers, staff, and visitors), they should stay home.
  2. Face covering is optional for all, including the bus.
  3. Hand sanitizer is available at various areas inside the school.
  4. Social distancing from others is encouraged as much as possible.
  5. Signs will be displayed to remind those in schools about social distancing, as well as the use of hand sanitizer, washing of hands, and face coverings.
  6. Cleaning and disinfecting school facilities/buses which are occupied by students will be done daily.
  7. Adequate mitigation supplies are on hand at all schools/facilities (hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, masks, etc.).
  8. COVID-19 vaccination is optional for all students and employees.
  9. COVID-19 contact tracing is occurring in all schools/facilities (2021-2022 WCSD Decision Tree for employees and students).
  10. At this time non-essential visitors and volunteers are not allowed to enter schools. This mitigation strategy will be revisited in the next few weeks.

 

*Please keep in mind that although COVID positive cases may represent a student or staff member within the WCSD, it does not necessarily indicate that the virus originated within the WCSD.  It is also important to note that a portion of the positive cases involve individuals who may have never entered the school setting while sick due to proper quarantining. 

 

As Seasons Change STEM Learning Grows at WMS!

September 24, 2021

7th grade science integrated the changing of seasons with STEM learning this morning.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

When beginning a unit on using metrics to measure, students were given only pumpkins and toothpicks and were challenged to build the tallest tower.  There were no other rules.  These challenges allow students to explore, create, collaborate, and problem solve.  

Students confronted challenges that included:

"Describe the event that may occur if you add more or fewer pumpkins or toothpicks to an area."  

"What would happen to the tower if one of these variables changed?

"What occurs when more pumpkins are added only to the top?"

Students had a blast using fall-themed manipulatives to build higher order thinking skills today.

Gyodan at FMS!

September 24, 2021

The Freeport Middle School Art Department loves to make Gyodan every year!  Gyodan is the Japanese art of fake food.  The students become Shokunin, the artists who make fake food, for a week.  Look at how cute these are! Way to go Bulldogs!

Grades Released Yesterday

September 21, 2021

Superintendent A. Russell Hughes proudly announces that Walton County School District has been designated as an

A+ District

for the 3rd consecutive year (first time, EVER), ranking us as

#5 in the State!

That is a move up from #7 when our schools and district were last given a grade in 2018-2019.

That’s not all – as you may already know,

Walton County School District is also

#6 in the State

based on our 2020-2021 Assessment Results!

That is a move up from #8 when our students were last assessed in 2018-2019.

Superintendent Hughes wishes to thank all our stakeholders: students, parents, teachers, administrators, school staff, and our entire community for helping to move Walton County School District

4wRd!

Heather Motter Named Arts Teacher of the Year!

September 21, 2021

 

HAPPY NATIONAL ARTS IN EDUCATION WEEK!

National Arts in Education Week is this week, September 12 - 18, and we are continuing our tradition of celebrating by shining a spotlight on the amazing Arts educators making a difference in our community!

Meet this year's Arts Teacher of the Year: Heather Motter! Heather works with Pre-K children who have disabilities at Bay School in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Most of them are non-verbal so she uses art in every expression of her teaching. She came to the classroom as an assistant but completed college coursework while acting as a full-time teacher and is now a fully licensed teacher.

Heather has come up with the most creative ways to help her students express themselves through their art and looks for new ways every day to incorporate art in her classroom. She takes the greatest delight in the things that most of us take for granted. To have a nonverbal child consistently use a certain sound to communicate a thought or need is a major breakthrough and she celebrates it like no one else. 

Please join us in congratulating Heather and ALL of the other amazing teachers in our community who utilize the Arts (music, visual art, performing art, literary art, etc) in their curriculum. Thank you for helping to ensure that #ArtMatters in Walton County! 

Sophia Bock Named Semifinalist

September 17, 2021

This week the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced that SWHS Senior Sophia Bock is one of 16,000 semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. 

 

Sophia is pictured with South Walton High School Principal Dr. Alexis Tibbetts.

 

COVID Update September 17, 2021

September 17, 2021

COVID Update September 17, 2021

In the spirit of transparency, the Walton County School District (WCSD) will continue to update our stakeholders with COVID-19 data for the 2021-2022 school year. 

We look forward to a time where these numbers read 0%, likewise is our wish for our county, state, and country. We are glad that we are able to navigate through this second year of COVID like we have with the mitigation strategies in place that allow students to be in school, employees at work, and families enjoying some sense of normalcy.

 

COVID-19 Statistics

Single Day Data

(9/16/21)

% of total population (students and staff ~ 13,000)

Overall Data to Date

(8/10/21 – 9/16/21)

% of total population (students and staff ~ 13,000)

Positive COVID-19 Cases

of School District Students and/or Employees

 

2

0.02%

*693

5.33%

Quarantined Due to On Campus Exposure of School District Students and/or Employees

 

0

0.00%

1264

9.72%

Quarantined Due to Off Campus Exposure (Community/Family Exposure) of School District Students and/or Employees

 

3

0.02%

635

4.88%

Schools Involved in Positive Cases and/or Exposure

 

3

 

20

 

 

We are pleased to announce a new partnership in our efforts to help make COVID-19 testing more accessible to our students and employees, allowing students a speedy return if quarantined due to possible exposure and families immediate information and results.  Beginning immediately, COVID-19 testing will be offered through Stone Clinical Laboratories.  The tests are conducted by clinically trained personnel who are both vaccinated and tested on a weekly basis.  Those wanting testing need to pre-register at https://forms.office.com/r/RyAf0H6Yqr.  Results are provided within 24 hours of testing.  As always, we want children in safe schools and experiencing educational success – this new partnership ascertains this goal and our moving 4wRd!

Walton County School District COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies for the 2021-2022 School Year

  1. If a person is sick (students, teachers, staff, and visitors), they should stay home.
  2. Face covering is optional for all, including the bus.
  3. Hand sanitizer is available at various areas inside the school.
  4. Social distancing from others is encouraged as much as possible.
  5. Signs will be displayed to remind those in schools about social distancing, as well as the use of hand sanitizer, washing of hands, and face coverings.
  6. Cleaning and disinfecting school facilities/buses which are occupied by students will be done daily.
  7. Adequate mitigation supplies are on hand at all schools/facilities (hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, masks, etc.).
  8. COVID-19 vaccination is optional for all students and employees.
  9. COVID-19 contact tracing is occurring in all schools/facilities (2021-2022 WCSD Decision Tree for employees and students).
  10. At this time non-essential visitors and volunteers are not allowed to enter schools. This mitigation strategy will be revisited in the next few weeks.

*Please keep in mind that although COVID positive cases may represent a student or staff member within the WCSD, it does not necessarily indicate that the virus originated within the WCSD.  It is also important to note that a portion of the positive cases involve individuals who may have never entered the school setting while sick due to proper quarantining. 

 

Full STEAM Ahead at MSE!

September 16, 2021

In STEAM class, our 3rd-5th graders accessed both sides of their brain as they merged their scientific and artistic abilities to create artwork that represented the observable shape of the Moon over the course of a month.

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