Reminder: Monday, October 9 is a Teacher Work Day. There is no school for students.
This nutritious and delicious meal was recently served to students at Riverheads Elementary School by Cafeteria Manager, Tabatha Wetzel, and her team.
This afternoon, September 14, 2023, two Augusta County Public School (ACPS) buses were involved in an accident. The buses were transporting students home from Riverheads High School (RHS), Beverley Manor Middle School (BMMS), and Riverheads Elementary School (RES) when one bus rear-ended the other bus.
ACPS activated its Crisis Emergency Plan. Central Office administrators reported to the scene and to Augusta Health along with staff from each school to assist the students and the families. Two students were transported to Augusta Health with non-life-threatening injuries. The remaining 60 students were screened and/or treated on the scene and released to their families or transported to their homes by another ACPS bus. The family of each student involved in the accident received a personal phone call from an administrator to notify them of the situation.
The community support from Augusta County Fire and Rescue, Chief Schacht, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Smith, Virginia State Police, Augusta County Emergency Communications Center, and Augusta Health Staff was tremendous. The school division wants to thank everyone for their quick response, professionalism, teamwork, and compassion during this accident.
Counselors and School Psychologists will be available to assist students and staff at these schools tomorrow. If you feel your child needs additional support due to this situation, please reach out to your school administrator for assistance. The safety of all students and staff is a priority for Augusta County Public Schools.
There was an incident involving a cable company digging into an unmarked gas line underground near Wilson Elementary School (WES) at about 10:00 a.m. this morning. At the recommendation of the Emergency Communication Center (911 Center) and Augusta County Fire and Rescue (ACFR) and out of an abundance of caution, students, faculty, and staff were evacuated to the WES parking lot and also across the road. We appreciate the assistance of WES staff, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Department, Virginia State Police, WWRC Police Department, and ACFR with managing a safe and efficient evacuation of students.
At approximately 10:51, the gas leak was capped and ACFR determined that all was clear and the students and staff safely returned to WES to resume the educational day. ACPS Maintenance resumed outside airflow into WES to allow for fresh air to be circulated in the building. Lunch at WES was delayed by 15 minutes. Parents do not need to pick up their children.
WES was the only school involved with the evacuation due to wind directions that pushed the gas towards WES and not in the direction of any other schools. Traffic was blocked in the area until the gas leak was secured by the gas company.
We appreciate the patience of families as we prioritized the safety of students and staff during this situation.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024, is now a Professional Development Day with no school for students instead of Monday, March 4. This was approved at the September School Board meeting due to scheduled presidential primary elections. The revised calendar is available here: https://www.augusta.k12.va.us/documents/calendars/227009
September is National Attendance Awareness Month, and Augusta County Public Schools is reminding students and their families that every day counts.
Several activities and announcements are planned to educate families about the importance of showing up to school. The Every Day Counts! Campaign was launched by having high school seniors visit elementary schools to talk about why they come to school each day.
https://www.whsv.com/2023/09/11/augusta-county-schools-launch-every-day-counts-campaign-promote-school-attendance/
Our School Nutrition Program (SNP) has something for everyone! Thanks to Kathy Smith, SDHS Manager, for sharing these photos. Learn more about the ACPS School Nutrition Program here: https://www.augusta.k12.va.us/page/about-the-school-nutrition-program
Reminder to Families: Monday, September 18, is a Division Professional Development Day for Teachers. There is no school for students.
https://www.educationsuperhighway.org/acpbenefit/
EducationSuperHighway is a national non-profit with the mission to close the digital divide for the 18 million households that have access to the Internet but can’t afford to connect. It focuses on America’s most unconnected communities, where more than 25% of people don’t have Internet.
This information is shared at the request of VDOE Technology Coordinator, Dr. Susan Claire.
Reminder to Families: Monday, September 4 is a holiday for ACPS students and staff. Schools and offices are closed.
Weapons Detector Community Update - 8.24.23
ACPS will begin utilizing weapons detector systems in our schools in the near future. Systems will be in use at all points of the day - arrival, dismissal, mid-day visitors, etc. The following items will alert this system and will need to be handed off before students and visitors proceed through the detectors: laptops, 3-ring notebooks, umbrellas, eyeglasses cases. Assistance will be available to students and visitors as we develop new school entry routines. More information continues to be available here: https://www.augusta.k12.va.us/o/acps/page/weapons-detectors
ACPS reading specialists are attending The Virginia Literacy Act training in Charlottesville!
All ACPS activities and events for this afternoon and evening are postponed due to the forecasted severe weather. Your school's principal will communicate school-specific details of rescheduled events in the near future. No ACPS activities and events will be held in our schools or on our school grounds today, Monday, August 7. All ACPS offices are closing at 3:30 today.
Augusta County teachers and staff were invited to the Assistive Technology and Special Education Curriculum Fair last week. Teachers and staff were able to interact with the many options available for supporting all students.
These special educators are preparing to support students by participating in professional development for school team leaders and specialized reading instruction.
We welcome our eager, new inclusive preschool teachers! They have worked to learn program expectations, procedures, framework, and curriculum programming. We are excited for a new year with new opportunities!
As our division continues to grow in the Responsive Classroom philosophy, new elementary teachers and counselors attended an introduction to Responsive Classroom to support building positive, engaging classroom communities!
New-to-Augusta educators began their 2023-2024 journey yesterday. ACPS is excited to welcome these fantastic professionals!
Youth Mental Health First Aid Training was held in ACPS this week. 24 staff members from 15 schools and our Student Services office took advantage of the opportunity to learn how to support a young person experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis.
July 25 was the opening day for our bus and car drivers for ACPS!!! Driving Education Towards Success 2023-2024!
