Calhoun County Schools

Good evening, Calhoun County students will be off on Friday, April 14 for Faculty Senate and professional development. Staff will report as scheduled.

Save the Children has an opportunity for children and families in Calhoun County! We offer weekly Parent Child Groups throughout the county. The focus of these groups will be Kindergarten Readiness Skills for children 3 to 5 years old, but all younger siblings are also welcomed to attend. Snacks will also be provided! One lucky parent/caregiver will win a small door prize. During the weekly Parent Child Groups, we will be exploring the following Language, Literacy and Math Kindergarten Readiness skill areas: Knowing about the alphabet, books and print; talking and listening; understanding words and sounds; numbers, counting, patterns, sorting and classification; comparison, measurement and geometry. These are all critical skills that your child needs in order to be prepared for Preschool and Kindergarten. I look forward to meeting you and helping prepare your child for school success! Group location and dates for the month of April: Calhoun FRN on Tuesdays (4/11,4/18,4/25) from 11-12 Upper West Fork Park on Wednesday (4/12, 4/26) from 1-2 Pleasant Hill Elementary on Friday’s from (4/21,4/28) 4:30-5:30 Arnoldsburg Elementary on Fridays from (4/21, 4/28) 1-2 Here’s a tip card to use with your littles. Acting Out: Every child sometimes does something they should NOT do. Use this time to talk to them about WHY they should not have done it. Then ask them to draw and picture of what happened on a piece of paper. On the other side of the paper, have them draw what they could have done in a better way. Ask them why this new idea would be a better choice. Brainy Background: Using this strategy changes you approach from dealing with misbehavior to growing and learning. Coming up with new solutions helps your child learn to avoid going on autopilot. Instead, they can think of better ways to deal with problems. Suggested age: 4-5 years If you have any questions, I can be reached at Pleasant Hill Elementary School at 304-354-6022 or Arnoldsburg Elementary School 304-655-8616 Derba Smith, KRA, or email d.smith@k12.wv.us.

Reminder: We offer Kindergarten Readiness Groups at the following locations and time this week. Tuesday's-Calhoun Family Resource Network 11-12, Wednesday's- Upper West Fork Park Official Site 2021 1-2 p.m. , Thursday's-Pleasant Hill Elementary School 4:30- 5:30 p.m., and Friday's-Arnoldsburg Elementary School 2-3 p.m. During the weekly Parent Child Groups, we will be exploring the following Language, Literacy and Math Kindergarten Readiness skill areas: Knowing about the alphabet, books and print; talking and listening; understanding words and sounds; numbers, counting, patterns, sorting and classification; comparison, measurement and geometry. These are all critical skills that your child needs in order to be prepared for Preschool and Kindergarten. I look forward to meeting you and helping prepare your child for school success! If you have any questions, I (Debra Smith,KRA) can be reached at Pleasant Hill Elementary School at 304-354-6022 or Arnoldsburg Elementary School 304-655-8616, or email d.smith@k12.wv.us.

Calhoun County schools will be on a 3 hour delay tomorrow March 27th. Administration will report and check schools. Bus drivers will need to drive their routes to make sure they are passable.

Springtime on the Meadow at Heartwood in the Hills.

The Sound & Light Project, Inc is now a registered non-profit corporation with a business license, a tax number, a checking account and we’re ready to collect some funds. We’ve applied to the IRS for 501(c)(3) status. We also have a Facebook page, The Sound & Light Project, and a GofundMe program. We formed a Board of Directors – me, Chip Westfall, MG Gainer, Loren Howley and Paul Brown. The board met earlier this month and made some general decisions, which we ran by Superintendent Kelli Whytsell who agreed with our direction. The plan is first to repair or replace the house lights for reasons of safety. Meanwhile we are making an inventory of the equipment that is currently in the auditorium and whether it is working or not, available for upgrade, or needs to be replaced. We are also working with several community members who have expertise in these types of systems and the school personnel who use them to determine the system needs – and wants. The school opened in 1998 so the systems are 25 years old. We are investigating the necessity and expense of upgrading the lighting system to modern LEDs. This may be cost prohibitive, but we want to explore our options. We hope to make the auditorium usable for all of its functions by the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. Along with house lights, this includes a simple system for assemblies, professional development, and continuing education for which the lighting and sound requirements are fairly basic. We are also prioritizing construction of a barrier for the control booth, which is currently completely open to anyone who might want to climb in from the audience. As we work toward these basic goals, we are focused on installing systems that can be upgraded and modernized – if not immediately, then in the future – to satisfy needs for musical and drama performances. I’m attaching a handout to share around the county. If you have any thoughts, questions or, especially, ideas of how & where to raise the funds for this project, please share them.

Early Steps to School Success Kindergarten Readiness Groups • Free early childhood education services for children three through five years of age and support for their parents or caregivers • Assist children with early language, literacy, math, social, and emotional development • The result will be a strong foundation of learning for the child which will prepare him/her for success in school! • Help introduce your child to peers. • Fun parent-child activities! • Support and connections to community resources • Parent/child group setting, small fun lesson and story book hours Tuesday Calhoun FRN 11-12 Wednesday's-Upper West Fork Park 1-2 p.m. Thursday- Pleasant Hill School 4:30-5:30 Friday's-Arnoldsburg School 2-3 (no group 3/17/23)

Bus #30 is running about 30 minutes behind its regular schedule.

March 12, 2023. A reminder to change the time on your clocks (spring forward one hour).

Summer is just a few short months away! Calhoun County Schools, Save the Children and our ASPIRE 21st Century Program have an exciting summer planned for students and families. Stay tuned for more details about enrichment and remediation opportunities, summer camps, field trips, and much, much more. Registration forms will be available in April. We are looking forward to Summer FUN!!!!!

March 31, 2023 Annual Student Interest/Issues Day at CMHS.

Parents and guardians: Medicaid Unwinding The COVID-19 Coverage for healthcare benefits is ending on April 1, 2023. Medicaid or West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Program (WVCHIP) will be mailing renewal letters now and in the upcoming months. Please make sure parents know to update their email, mailing address, and phone number with the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) if they receive Medicaid or WVCHIP healthcare benefits. Resources 10 Things to know about Medicaid Unwinding https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/10-things-to-know-about-the-unwinding-of-the-medicaid-continuous-enrollment-provision/ Recommended to print and post in schools for parents (also attached): https://dhhr.wv.gov/bms/Documents/Customer%20Services%202021.pdf https://dhhr.wv.gov/bms/Documents/Phase%202%20County%20Office%20Flyer%20%20%283%29.pdf https://dhhr.wv.gov/bms/Documents/PHE2ProviderPoster%20%285%29.pdf

Couple of Calhoun’s finest out and about placing items for the kiddos in the new “Gettin Piggy with it in 304, LLC” restaurant. Now families can enjoy a yummy smoked meat meal while playing some tic tac toe with their children or coloring and writing on placemats. Suzanne Allen and Debra Dawson-Smith gifted placemats, crayons, tic tac toe game boards, Lysol wipes and soap in Arnoldsburg today for families and children to use while dinning in at Arnoldsburg’s newest restaurant. Suzanne and Deb work with children and families in Calhoun through a grant with our awesome partner, Save the Children. Be sure to contact one of them to see how you and your kiddos, up to age 5, can take part in the opportunities they offer. Thank you Jason Miles Bennett for quickly becoming a partner in education supporting children and families here in Calhoun. Pictured: Suzanne Allen, Debra Dawson-Smith, and Jess Hall.

Dear Parents and Caregivers, Save the Children has an opportunity for children and families in Calhoun County! We offer weekly Parent Child Groups throughout the county. The focus of these groups will be Kindergarten Readiness Skills for children 3 to 5 years old, but all younger siblings are also welcomed to attend. Snacks will also be provided! One lucky parent/caregiver will win a small door prize. During the weekly Parent Child Groups, we will be exploring the following Language, Literacy and Math Kindergarten Readiness skill areas: Knowing about the alphabet, books and print; talking and listening; understanding words and sounds; numbers, counting, patterns, sorting and classification; comparison, measurement and geometry. These are all critical skills that your child needs in order to be prepared for Preschool and Kindergarten. I look forward to meeting you and helping prepare your child for school success! Group location and dates for the month of March: Calhoun FRN on Tuesdays from 11-12 Upper West Fork Park on Wednesday from 1-2 Pleasant Hill Elementary on Thursday from 4:30-5:30 Arnoldsburg Elementary on Fridays from 2-3 Here’s a tip card to use with your littles. Use Your Words: Does your child get upset and start to cry or whine? Gently remind them to use their words to say what is bothering them or what they want. If they’re too upset to talk, try to guess what they want to say until they let you know you got it. Brainy Background: Helping your child learn to use words to share upset feelings is one of the best tools you can give them. This helps your child managing these feelings and express them in ways that others can understand and responded to. Ages 2 years - 3 years #152 If you have any questions, I can be reached at Pleasant Hill Elementary School at 304-354-6022 or Arnoldsburg Elementary School 304-655-8616, or email d.smith@k12.wv.us. Come and join the fun! Debra Smith, KRA

16th Annual WV Scholar Program - WV Metro News will award a full scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan. Deadline April 30, 2023.

Calhoun County Schools and WVACEEC Calling parents, families, educators and community members who are interested in the education of exceptional children in WV. Join us for our March meeting. Register below for a virtual link to the meeting which will be held on Thursday March 2, 6-8 pm and Friday March 3, 9-noon. Please contact Mrs. Jeannie Bennett-Yoak at jlbennett@k12.wv.us if you have questions. https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.office.com%2Fr%2F8hks3ee66u&data=05%7C01%7Cdembreyking%40k12.wv.us%7Caf2af5abb3284222558808db10730fc2%7Ce019b04b330c467a8bae09fb17374d6a%7C0%7C0%7C638121858585352205%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sycpsBbNGfa2Ews19JCd3V3gv%2F1iqvHIOMBDzSuFmv4%3D&reserved=0

Congratulations Amelia Cain on receiving a Superior rating for your Timpani Solo by John Willmarth called "And They're Off". On behalf of the Calhoun County Board of Education, we salute your high standards of performance bringing great pride to your parents, school, and community. We would also like to congratulate Amelia for being selected to perform in the state honor recital.

Calhoun County students will be off on Friday, February 17 and Monday, February 20. Staff will be off on Monday, February 20. Enjoy your long weekend. Happy Valentine's Day

Bus 7 is running about 25 minutes behind schedule.

Calhoun County Schools provides homeschool or private school student in Calhoun County an opportunity to participate in our 3rd grade through 8th grade and 11th grade General Summative Assessment. If interested please click on the link and fill out the form. The window to sign up open now until February 12th at 11:59PM. If you have questions please contact Bonnie Sands at 304.354.7011 ext 317. https://forms.office.com/r/Kp8Y688qcx