News from the Nest

Please take time to complete this check-in. We want to support our students as they return to school, and this information will help us do this. Please help us help them!

I am overjoyed to be planning to welcome students back next week. Working in a school building without children in it is tough, especially when we all felt separated and unconnected for a while. I know it has been a wild few weeks for everyone in very different ways. I remember walking to the school on the Friday of the Hurricane, after the winds had stopped, and not being able to walk down Main St. because of all the trees and power lines in the road. I told my daughter, "There's no way we have school on Monday." Then I worried how I would even know if we have school because I couldn't use my phone. I remember feeling so excited to hear Dr. Jackson's voice on the radio because it meant I could get some direction. It felt so strange to have to rely on this old way of communication! School was first canceled for Monday and Tuesday, and now here we are, returning one month later.

I've appreciated our "themes" of Together We Rise and "Grace & Strength." I know it felt confusing as we experienced the progress with water, power, and internet in Weaverville while friends in districts around us had nothing. Not knowing the start date for a return to school has been hard, but I am glad we were able to work it out for all our BCS schools to return together. There's been a lot of Grace and Strength needed to get us to this point, and I am sure we'll continue to need both of those as we shift again.

There is nothing ideal about any of this, but we're going to make it work. We'll need some grace as we basically re-start our school year. We know our return won't be perfect - how can it? We experienced a catastrophic disaster in our community only weeks ago. But...we're going to focus on the joy of having our students returning to us. We're going to remember that the most important thing about next week is being together - not separated, scared, and confused as we were only weeks ago. Friday morning will be such a sweet moment as we welcome students back to our building, and I can't wait.

-Mary Nichols

• If you have a student who might be struggling emotionally (or even just needs a check-in from one of our caring staff members), you can reach out to Ms. Wheeless. We have a team of teachers who would love to visit and check in! Email Margery.wheeless@bcsemail.org.

• If you have a question about community assistance and resources for Hurricane Recovery, including what you’ll find at the FEMA center now open at A.C. Reynolds High School, please visit the Hurricane Resources link at BuncombeSchools.org. It’s updated daily. Also, you may reach out to our School Social Worker, AnnMarie McBride, or myself so that we may work to assist you with resources.

• If you or someone you know is asking how they can specifically help Buncombe County Schools, our Buncombe County Schools Foundation is set up to receive donations directly to our school system for Hurricane Helene relief.

As we head into November, I want to acknowledge all the things that were "missed" in October. Some can be rescheduled, but some can not, unfortunately. If there's one thing I've come to accept as a school administrator, it's that we have a finite amount of hours in the school day, school week, and school year. To ignore that can put our limits beyond what we can handle. I promise we'll do our best to give our kids what they need, and for most of the items below, I'm just letting you know that it's on our mind. I don't have answers yet for some of them.

• Some folks have asked why we are starting on a Friday. While I can't speak for Dr. Jackson, I can tell you my own perspective. Starting on a Friday allows us to fix bus routes and scheduling mishaps over the weekend. It gives us a bit of time to address inevitable glitches - especially when returning to work after a long break due to a hurricane! Starting on a Friday allows us all catch our breath after a big change.

• Ms. Burleson, our administrative intern, is working with Weaverville Primary bus drivers and our WvES bus drivers to make sure routes are safe. We might have to change some bus stops while debris and roads are cleared. She will be in touch if this affects your child.

• Fall Pictures will be rescheduled. A lot of schools must reschedule, so Strawbridge has asked us to wait until everyone is back on campus, and then we'll figure it out.

• The 2nd Grade Arboretum trip will happen in the spring.

• The 3rd Grade Aquarium field trip will have to be canceled, unfortunately. I held out for a while, with some hope, that we could make it work. However, it will take the charter bus 5 hours to reach Gatlinburg because of the state of I-40. We will be reaching out to 3rd grade families about the funds you have already paid.

• 4th Grade Emerald Village field trip will be canceled. The Emerald Village site was very damaged, and they are not open while they rebuild their facility. We will communicate with families about the funds that you've already paid for this trip.

• Parent/Teacher Conferences usually take place during October. We need time to talk as a staff about this. Parent Teacher conferences are EXTREMELY important, but they might not look the same as we work on putting our school year back together. We'll let you know when we get a plan together.

• Our Open House was scheduled for 9/26. We have not yet decided to cancel Open House, but it is a strong possibility. We will have some opportunities towards the end of Fall for parents to be on campus and see their children's work.

• Our Health Fair will be rescheduled. We'll send information about this.

• Fun Run was scheduled for Friday October 4th. We have not yet decided on what Fun Run will look like this year. Our PTO will communicate any information about Fun Run.

• I need to touch base with outside organizations regarding our after school clubs and when they will start back. I plan to do that this week. I will let you know when they will pick back up as soon as I know.

• Students will have free breakfast and lunch, as before.

• Before we departed in September, I had just let families know you can eat lunch with your child. However, because of our modified schedule, we are going to pause on that during our 2-hour late starts. We will resume the week of November 4th.

• Water in Weaverville is NOT under a boil advisory, so students can use water fountains and water stations.

• We are essentially restarting our year. Parents and caregivers, please remind yourselves of arrival and dismissal procedures. It's important we still keep our campus safe and operations running smoothly.

• Some of you who are getting this have enrolled in other schools during our time away from school. If you plan to re-enroll at Weaverville Elementary, please email Dawn Flanigan-Bryson (Dawn.Flanigan-Bryson@bcsemail.org) and your child's teacher. We have not been receiving or sending student records during this time. *If you email me, it could get lost in the many emails I receive daily, and am sure to receive after this newsletter is sent!

• We will not have options for virtual instruction or distance learning.

• We realize some families are displaced right now, and we will work with each family's circumstance to figure out attendance, etc. Please use the Return to School Student Check-in to tell us what's going on.

• First and second grading period grades will be combined into one grade for the semester.

• As of now, our school calendar is not changing going forward.

• If you need to check your child out early, please check them out BEFORE 1:45 pm. We will not be checking students out the last 30 minutes of the day as this interrupts instruction for all students.
• If you need to make a dismissal change for your student, please call the front office before 12:30 each day.
• Do not enter the car line from Main Street. Please use Yost St. Please respect our school rules that keep others safe.

The Edulog Parent app is AWESOME if you have a student who rides a bus! I use it for my own children. Take a moment to explore it. You can see where the bus is, and this is helpful when your bus is running late (or even if you're running late!).

• For accurate drop off /pick up times, and bus number, sign up for the edulog app. Edulog directions click here.
• Bus # Update: Bus 302 is now Bus 86.

The WvES campus will open at 7:15 (9:15 on 2-hour delays) for morning arrival. No students may be dropped off prior to 7:15 AM (9:15 am for 2-hour delays). Students will wait in the cafeteria until they are dismissed to their homerooms at 7:40 AM (9:40 am for 2-hour delays). All students should be in their classrooms and ready to learn by 7:55 AM (9:55 AM for 2-hour delays).

Car Riders:

Please remember that all school traffic should use Yost Street (which is off Merrimon Avenue) when dropping off students and picking up students as car riders. In the morning, cars must use Yost Street to enter our car rider line, and then use Yost again when exiting the car rider line.

Please be respectful and patient. The first weeks of school are always a little bit confusing for everyone, and wait time can be longer. I promise it will improve as we move into the school year.

Students will be dismissed from class at 2:25 pm. Buses will load in the bus lane, and car riders will wait in the gym for their names to be called when their ride arrives.

All parents of car riders must use the car rider line to pick up their child(ren) in the afternoon.

Please view the illustration above to see how the car line works.

Dismissal Car Line Pro Tips:

• Pull all the way forward to the empty space, and a staff member will call for your child to come out.
  
• Please use your car tag each afternoon if you plan to use the car line. This will help the line move swiftly and efficiently.
• Please use YOST ST. to both enter and exit the car line. Use the illustration above for reference.
• If you have someone picking your child up that is not YOU, make sure this person is listed in powerschool as someone who can pick up your child. We will ask for their ID to make sure they are who they say they are. We appreciate your patience and kindness in these circumstances; we definitely want to make sure we're sending kids home with adults who have permission to pick them up!
• If you do not have your car tag with your child's name, we will ask you to come into the office and get one, and we'll ask you to show and ID. We can't do this in the car line because only our office staff have access to that information in powerschool. Please remember that this is a commitment to keeping each child safe. We only want students going home with grownups who are approved for pick-up.
• Please be patient during the first few weeks of school. The car line always take a bit longer in the beginning, but we'll get the hang of it! After a week or so, it's usually about 15 minutes.
  

Walkers:

A few WvES families live next door to the school and they are considered 'walkers'. Parents of 'walkers' may come to the gym door with their green card to collect their child/ren. If you do not walk to campus to pick up your child, this does not apply to you so you must use the car rider line. Please do not park your car and walk to the gym door to collect your child/ren.

ALL parents and visitors to campus must sign in at the office and obtain a visitor sticker (or a volunteer pass if applicable). Please note that you must sign in even if you are only visiting the cafeteria. Your cooperation in helping us to follow Central Office policy and ensuring the safety of all children is expected and appreciated.

If you have an appointment or scheduled time to be at school in the morning, and wish to walk in with your child, please still plan to follow the established procedure of coming to the office, signing the visitor registry, and obtaining a visitor tag.

Visitors will only be allowed to visit a classroom if the visitor has scheduled the visit with the teacher beforehand or if the visitor is a scheduled volunteer.

Safety is one of my top priorities, and I want to be very clear with all of our families about the ways we will keep our students safe on our campus. The following procedures and expectations are in place with safety in mind. Please support our staff and students in keeping our campus safe by following these expectations at all times.

• All visitors must check in each time with no exceptions. You'll get a badge to wear, and you must wear the badge at all times. If you do not have the badge on, our staff will politely ask if we can help you, so please be kind to staff in response.
• Visitors are only allowed to visit a classroom if they have a scheduled appointment with the teacher. We want to protect the instructional time of all students.
• All doors will remain locked at all times.
• Please do not enter the front door unless you have been buzzed in by an adult. It may seem easy to slip in with someone else who is being buzzed in, but please help us keep our safety practices in tact by following this simple request.
• If you are already inside the school, please do not open the front door for others. Please allow our office staff to safely screen each person entering the building.

Please follow this "Multi-visitor Entrance Procedure:"

1. If you have buzzed in and are being screened and you notice another visitor is arriving, please don't hold the door and allow anyone in without being screened first.
2. If the other visitor is 15 feet or less from the door, please buzz in and be screened together.
3. If the visitor is more than 15 feet from the door, please buzz in and ensure the door is closed completely after you enter.

We certainly want to encourage politeness, and we also want our visitors to understand that it is unsafe to hold doors and allow visitors in without being verified by front office staff first. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

School safety is the most important component of our day. We know we must balance safety with having a welcoming school building so that parents and community members can be part of our school. Please help us do this by honoring these safety protocols about entering our building.