Duke News

M: Students receive individual SOL schedule

T: SGA Meeting WIN

W: Attendance Appeals Due for Course Credit/Beta Meeting during WIN/Gaming Club 3pm

TH: Asynchronous Learning Day/ SOLs/IWCS Board Meeting 6:00

F: Asynchronous Learning Day/ SOLs

S: Theater Play 1:00 & 6:00

20: No School

21: SOL Make-ups

22:

23: Exams 1st and 3rd Blocks

24: Exams 2nd and 4th blocks

27:-29 Student holidays/Staff workdays

30: 1st day of 2nd semester

Monday, 1/13

Varsity Girls Basketball @ Mecklenburg County (5:30 pm). Students will leave class at 2:15 pm.

JV/Varsity Boys Basketball vs Bruton (5:30pm/7:00pm).

Tuesday, 1/14

Scholastic Bowl District Tournament vs Surry County (4:00 pm).

Varsity Boys Basketball @ Southampton Academy (6:00 pm).

Wednesday, 1/15

JV Boys, Varsity Girls & Varsity Boys Basketball @ Surry County (4:30 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:30 pm).

Varsity Wrestling @ Greenbrier Christian (5:00 pm).

Thursday, 1/16

No Events

Friday, 1/17

JV Boys, Varsity Girls & Varsity Boys Basketball @ Brunswick County (4:30 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:30 pm). Students will leave class at 2:15 pm.

Saturday, 1/18

Wrestling @ King William (10:00 am)

On Monday, January 13, 2025 WHS will host a football interest meeting at the high school at 6 pm. All those who are interested are asked to attend.

End of Course SOLs are scheduled for high school students on January 15th-17th, 2025. January 16 and 17 will operate as asynchronous days for non testing high school students. Only high school students who are scheduled to take an SOL need to attend school on these days. If a student is required to take an SOL on either January 16 or 17, they will receive their individual schedule on Monday, January 13, 2025. This individual schedule will also provide information for students to be able to be picked up for early dismissal after their test session, if written permission is provided by the parent. January 16 and 17 testing will be held in the morning. Students should arrive at the normal start time (7:35). Sessions will end when all students are finished testing. If possible, please do not schedule appointments on the morning of testing days. Students who arrive late will not be allowed to enter the testing room and their test will be rescheduled. Transportation will run as normal on January 16 and 17; however, the times for morning pickup may vary from traditional pickup times since fewer students will be utilizing bus transportation on these mornings.

Hi Dukes,

I am writing to clarify some information regarding exam exemptions. There is no appeal form for exam exemptions. Below, I’ve pasted a portion of the final assessment policy for your reference. Please review it carefully.

Unless your excused absences are related to a death in the immediate family, hospitalization, or home confinement due to doctor’s orders, your absence will not be considered for an exemption appeal. The following is copied from the Isle of Wight County School Board Policy IKGA:

Isle of Wight County School Board Policy IKGA:

All absences are counted unless the absences from class are for approved field trips, participation in school activities and religious holidays. Certain excused absences, such as for a death in the immediate family, hospitalization, or home confinement per doctor’s orders, may be waived from the student’s total absences for purposes of exam exemption. In cases where a student believes an absence may be waived, an appeal may be made to the principal or designee. The principal’s decision is final.

Additionally, there is an Attendance Appeal Request Form for students at risk of being denied course credit due to unexcused absences, as outlined in Policy IHD-R (Grades and Grading Periods):

Attendance Policy, Promotion, and Course Credit:

High school students may not receive credit for a course if unexcused absences exceed five (5) class periods in a semester course or ten (10) class periods in a year-long course. The deadline to submit the Attendance Appeal Request for consideration of an attendance waiver is January 15, 2025.

Attendance Matters,

Dawn Carroll

Principal

Windsor High School

Windsor High School is taking part in the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). This surveillance project is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Students in grades 9 through 12 will be asked to complete a survey about their tobacco and nicotine related beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, intent to use, and exposure to influences that promote or discourage tobacco and nicotine use.

Doing this survey will pose no physical risk to your child. The survey has been designed to protect your child’s privacy. Students will not enter their names in the survey. Also, no school or student will ever be mentioned by name in a report of the results. Your child will get no immediate benefit from taking part in the survey; however, the results of this survey may help your child and other children in the future. We would like all selected students to take part in the survey, but the survey is voluntary. No action will be taken against the school, you, or your child, if your child does not take part. Students can skip any questions that they do not wish to answer. In addition, students may stop participating in the survey at any point without penalty. If you would like to see the survey, a copy is available in the school office. Your child will be asked specifically about electronic cigarettes, cigarettes, cigars (including cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos), smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff, or dip; snus; dissolvable tobacco products), hookahs, pipe tobacco, bidis, roll-your-own cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches.

The survey will be administered to approximately 160 randomly selected students on February 19, 2025. If you wish to have your child opt out of this survey please complete the attached form and return it to the school office. You may also email the form to Dawn Carroll at dcarroll@iwcs.k12.va.us. Printed copies of the form can be obtained from the Windsor High School office.

Parents,

Please encourage your child to log any volunteer hours in the Google Form listed in each class group Canvas page. Alternatively, the links are below:

Freshmen, Class of 2027-28

Sophomores, Class of 2026-27

Juniors, Class of 2025-26

Seniors, Class of 2024-25

Seniors, please remember to order your cap and gown. If you need instructions, check the Canvas pages under Senior Class Information. If you need further assistance, check in with Mrs. McManaway in Rm 413.

Guest Forms - Due to administration Fri. Jan. 24

*Click link for a copy to print or pick up a physical copy outside room 202.

TICKET SALES - Jan. 7 - Jan 31 Room 202 during WIN (if you don't have a WIN, see Mrs. Brannan)

For our 100th edition of the yearbook, the WHS Yearbook staff is seeking high quality photographs of the outside views of the original Windsor High School building and the building from the 80s. If you have those photographs or access to those photographs, please contact Mrs. Presson @ cpresson@iwcs.k12.va.us. Thank you!

Available Mondays & Fridays. Sign up or See Mrs. Davis

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2kOAqhTfbqhk62NE3F2LFSuemS57AjpBZj8Rl9cMkffr8yA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Parents, please join your student’s grade level Canvas and Remind for great information. This year WHS has created grade level Canvas accounts. This is the PRIMARY source for grade level information such as scholarship opportunities, class events, graduation information, etc.

See the instructions for making online payments below.

Attendance notes can be sent to lsigler@iwcs.k12.va.us and lalston@iwcs.k12.va.us

In order to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities (including, but not limited to athletic events, club activities, school dances, etc.), a student must attend 50% of the school day. Students who are absent from school are not permitted to be on school property for any reason, this includes extracurricular activities such as athletic events or school dances. Students who are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year) may lose the opportunity to attend particular social events (e.g. Homecoming Dance, Prom, participation on athletic teams, or other extracurricular activities).

Students who engage in a pattern of unexcused absences for less than a school day (early dismissal or late arrival) may be required to make up the missed instructional time at the principal’s discretion.

A note requesting early dismissal must be received in the office by 10:00 a.m. The note must be written by the student’s parent or guardian or sent from the authorized email account as verified in PowerSchool. The office staff will verify the written note by contacting the student’s parent or guardian via the contact number/email in PowerSchool. At no time will 18 year-old students be permitted to sign out of school without proper documentation that declares the age of majority and demonstrates his/her emancipation from his/her parent(s)/guardian(s).

If a need to leave early develops after 10:00 a.m., the parent, or approved contact, as indicated in the PowerSchool account, must come to the WHS office with proper identification to sign the student out.

Windsor High School Attendance and Tardy Policy Reminder

At Windsor High School, we prioritize consistent student attendance to ensure access to quality education. To help families stay informed, we want to remind you of our attendance policy as outlined by IWCS Regulation JED-R, our specific tardy policy at Windsor High School, and our attendance appeal policy:

• Unexcused Absences: These occur when the school is unaware of the reason for the absence, or the provided reason/documentation is insufficient. Please note that if a note is not submitted, the absence will be considered unexcused. We accept up to 5 parent notes per semester. If the absence is due to an appointment, please submit a doctor's note or other professional documentation to excuse the student.

  Example of an Acceptable Note:

  • Date
  • “My child (Insert Student’s Name) was absent on (Insert Date of Absence) because of (Insert reason for absence).”
  • Parent/Guardian Signature
  • Parent/Guardian Email Address/Parent/Guardian Phone

School personnel will implement the following notification process to improve attendance:

• 3rd Unexcused Absence: The principal or designee will call the parent/guardian to explain compulsory attendance requirements.
• 4th Unexcused Absence: A letter will be mailed to the parent/guardian.
• 5th Unexcused Absence: An Attendance Improvement Plan will be developed with the parent/guardian.
• 8th & 9th Unexcused Absence: The principal or designee will contact the parent/guardian to discuss possible next steps if attendance does not improve.
• 10th Unexcused Absence: An attendance conference will be scheduled within 10 days.
• 11th Unexcused Absence: The student and family will be referred to the IWCS attendance officer for a truancy review team meeting.
• 15th Consecutive Unexcused Absence: The student will be withdrawn from Windsor High School as per VA Code 8VAC20-110-130.

Tardies: The tardy policy at Windsor High School applies to each block. Students are allowed to provide notes for tardies to school ONLY on the same day as the tardy and with reasonable and appropriate excuses.

Tardy Consequences:

• 3 Unexcused Tardies: An automated call will be made to the student's home.
• 6 Unexcused Tardies: The student will receive 2 days of lunch detention or after-school detention, and there is a possible suspension of parking privileges for 5 days.
• 9 Unexcused Tardies: The student will receive 4 days of lunch detention or after-school detention, and there is a possible suspension of parking privileges for 10 days.

Attendance Appeal Policy: It is especially important to note the expectations for student attendance as it relates to student retention and course credit. High school students may not be granted credit for a course if unexcused absences from class total more than five (5) class periods for a semester course, or ten (10) class periods for year-long courses. The entire policy JED and regulation JED-R may be found on the division's website by navigating to: Board → Policy → J. Students → JED and/or JED-R.

We encourage all families to be proactive in managing attendance and tardiness and to communicate any concerns with the school administration. Regular attendance and punctuality are crucial for academic success, and we are here to support our students in every way possible.

Thank you for your attention to these important matters.

Missed the New Duke Presentation before Open House? Click this link to review the slides:

New Dukes Presentation 2024

Instructional Hours: 7:35am -2:50pm

Office Hours: 7:00am--4:00pm

The calendar is available on the IWCS website at https://www.iwcs.k12.va.us/apps/pages/school_calendar

Dawn Carroll, Principal

Melinda Hodgkiss, Assistant Principal

Our goal at Windsor High School is to always put our students’ best interests first and provide a variety of opportunities so all students can achieve success and make connections with others. We believe a strong partnership with families and the entire school community is vital for our Dukes’ success.The philosophy of Windsor High School aligns with Isle of Wight County Public Schools' vision to create a learning environment that will enable every child to discover his or her unique gifts and talents.

Website: http://whs.iwcs.k12.va.us/
Location: 24 Church Street, Windsor, VA, USA
Phone: (757)242-6172
Twitter: @dukeswhs