The Hurricane InsEYEder will give you a look into the Hurricane. We hope you'll take a few minutes to catch up and stay connected.

You can catch up on our recent Board meeting in the November 2024 Board Corner Report (doc). The full minutes from the meeting will be posted on the district website after the next regular meeting on December 16, 2024 at Wilmington High School 6:00 PM.

Here's what has been happening around the District in the last month!

Congratulations to all the athletes who participated in our Fall Sports Program. Athletes were celebrated at our WHS Fall Athletic Banquet on 11/4 and the SBAAC Fall Banquet for 1st Team All Stars on 11/6. For individual and team accomplishments, check out the WHS Fall Athletic program attached.

Our student athletes performed on the field and in the classoom

• Fall Sports Teams had an average GPA of 3.71
• Girls Soccer Team (pictured) for having the highest team GPA with a 4.03

We are #HurricaneProud of their achievements on the field and in the classroom!

Our Elementary PTO hosted a special election day event for our Denver and Holmes Elementary students on November 5th. They simulated a real voter experience for our students - from checking in with an ID, to stepping into a booth to fill out their ballot. Students voted on a dress-up theme for that Friday.

Thank you to the PTO and our elementary staff for this fun and important learning experience for our students.

PS. Pajama Day was the winner in both buildings!

WMS hosted their first all-district Family Game Night on November 14th. Families with children of all ages were invited. We had over 200 people come through the door on game night! Thank you to our WMS staff for all their hard work and planning. Everyone had loads of fun!

A big thank you to our local community organizations for providing information stations at the event to connect our families with local resources. Everyone had loads of fun!

The high school held a very successful blood drive in November. We are proud of our students and staff for giving back to their community.

• 46 people registered to give blood
• 33 were successful
• 23 first time donors
• Over 105 lives will be positively impacted because of total donations!

On November 11th across the District, we honored Veterans. From Veterans Day assemblies to classroom lessons and letters/cards, our students honored our nation's veterans. Additionally, Wilmington High School's Interact Club partnered with the Disabled American Veterans to honor our Veterans this Veterans Day. In front of the high school is a "Field of Flags" designed to honor Veterans in our community. The proceeds from this project will go toward providing critical care for Veterans and their families. To all the veterans on our staff, in our community, and across the nation, we continue to be grateful for your service.

The Wilmington Schools Foundation exists to support and celebrate the Wilmington City Schools by connecting alumni, providing grants and scholarships, and awarding excellent teachers.

This year, the Foundation awarded over $15,000 in grants across WCS, providing vertical spaces (extra white boards for the high school math classes), field trips to Fort Ancient and the National Underground Road Freedom Center, science literacy books, memberships to online activities that add fun for students, and much more. All of the funds were raised here in the Wilmington community, including many donations from WCS staff themselves. In January, the elementary and middle school will be fundraising as well.

Visit wilmingtonschoolsfoundation.org to learn more about the important work of the Foundation.

Here is the Hurricane Forecast of upcoming events! Grab your calendars.

Check our December 2024 Event Calendar (doc) for more events and happenings around the District. Remember to always double-check the online calendars before heading out to an event in case there are changes to the schedule.

Our students have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming performances. Come and enjoy a night of music on us!

• 12/17 7th/8th Band 6:30pm, WHS Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble 7:30pm
• 12/18 WMS Choir 6:30pm, WHS Choir 7:30pm

Just a reminder that the last day of school before winter break is December 20th. We'll see the students back in the classrooms on January 7th. Enjoy the break!

An early release for Wilmington Middle School and Wilmington High School on February 28, 2025 was approved at the November Board meeting. WMS/WHS students will be released at 12:45 on that day. The early release will allow us to clear our buses and students from the WHS and WMS buildings and lots before District Wrestling Tournament participants and spectators begin arriving, ensuring the safety of our students. Denver and Holmes will release at their regular time on that day.

Track our progress and see what we've been up to at WCS in our Hurricane Tracking section.

While we have a few in the pipeline, we are still in desperate need of full time and substitute bus drivers. At the November Board meeting, the Board approved a new hiring incentive program to try and fill our transportation vacancies. We could use your help in finding great candidates.

• NEW hiring incentives of $1500 to $2500
• Competitive hourly rates ($18.95 - 25.77 starting rates based on experience)
• Benefits available for full-time drivers
• WCS provides all required on-site paid training
• Flexible training schedules available
• We need both full-time and substitute drivers
• Many of our current full-time drivers started as substitutes in the District
• To apply, use our online application
• For questions, contact the Transportation Supervisor at (937) 283-7481

Like school district across the country, we struggle to fill these critical position. We hope this incentive will bring even more great members of our community to work with us as drivers. Get all the details about our hiring incentives in the document linked below.

On November 21, 2024 our District held a Strategic Planning Kickoff meeting. Over 30 residents (WCS parents and other community members) and school administrators were in attendance for the kickoff. This is the District's first Strategic Planning process in 20 years!

The process was outlined by the group's facilitator, Dan Roberts:

• Identify organizational assets and challenges.
• Build team and trust. Create a unity and harmony among the stakeholders.
• Define WCSD currently and where we strive to be.
• Narrow focus on key and critical issues.
• Creates a new Mission Statement if desired.
• Set goals and plans for implementation.
• Develop a focused effort on what IS important.
• Work hard. Work smart.
• Help support the cultural identity of the school and community.

A well-defined strategic plan will become a guide for our decisions over the next several years. The group will meet again in December. We'll keep you posted on the progress of this collaborative effort.

We've recently taken a deeper look at the number of absence hours that have built up by students being tardy* and/or picked up early. Most parents probably don't realize how quickly a few late days a week or month add up to many lost hours of instruction. Here are some quick facts:

• Minutes missed for being tardy* and for being picked-up from school early count toward a student's total absences.
• Minutes missed can quickly add up to hours of lost instruction.
• Students who come in late or leave school early cause a disruption to the whole class.

• Students who are tardy miss out on receiving a healthy breakfast provided by the school.
• Being on time and staying all day helps students create habits that lead to success in school and in life.

It's important that we help students understand that their job is to be at school on time and to be present all day - just like employers expect of us grown-ups.

*Late arrivals due to bus delays do not count against a student and the minutes are NOT counted as absence time. We are noting those arrival times as a "Non-Absence - Late Bus" in our attendance system instead of "Excused Tardy" for clarity.

In our Family Corner we like to share a smorgasboard of resources for parents. (Links and content from external sources are not under the control of the District.)