Thanks to Rhett Estep, Gary Jenkins, and Bryson Hall the PW soccer field flagpole now has beautiful flowers around it. Great job boys and many thanks!
Mrs. Morgan's 4th grade classes and students in K-5th grade are partnering with Scioto County RSVP and COMPASS Community Health for the annual food drive to benefit local military veterans. Non-perishable food items may be dropped-off at the elementary, middle, or high school buildings until November 7th. Items will be delivered on November 11th.
Support our local military veterans!
Chris Rapp, Eden Cline, Randy Arnett, Alyson Cline, Wife Glenna Arnett, Daughter and Son-in-Law Amanda & Ben Hurte
Mr. Randy Arnett is the 2017, Washington-Nile Alumni Hall of Fame recipient. A reception and awards banquet was held this past August where he was honored by family, friends, and alumni for his outstanding and lifelong commitment to both school and community.
Randy attended PWHS from 1969-1973, participating in football, basketball, and baseball, receiving many honors for his athletic achievements. He was a varsity basketball starter all four years; All SOC honors for three years; Scioto County League All-Star for three years. In his senior year, the SOC Championship, team captain and led the team in free throw percentage and assists. He was also the first player in school history to score 1,000 points with a total of 1,044.
Photo courtesy of Joe Shupert. For more images of the River Days Parade click here.
I want to welcome everyone back for the 2017-2018 school year. I look forward to working with our school community. It takes all of us working together to reach our goals during the year.
House Bill (HB) 410: New Attendance Law
Each parent or guardian will be receiving a letter to HB410. If you have any questions, please contact your building principal.
In December 2016, the General Assembly passed HB 410 changing the student attendance laws and redefining excessive absence and truancy beginning in the 2017-2018 school year. The WNLSD is amending and adopting policies that are required by this change in law.
The definition of a “habitual truant” student is as follows:
Absent 30 or more consecutive hours without a legitimate excuse;
Absent 42 or more hours in one school month without a legitimate excuse;
Absent 72 or more hours in one school year without legitimate excuse.
Students that are deemed “habitually truant” under any of these circumstances will be reported to the attendance officer. The attendance officer is required to contact the parent regarding a time and a date for an Absence Intervention Team (AIT) meeting which the parent is required to attend. The AIT will develop an absence intervention plan that will be monitored and evaluated. If the student and parent fail to meet the requirements of the plan, the attendance officer will file a complaint in juvenile court.
The definition of an “excessive absence” student is as follows:
Absent 38 or more hours in one school month with or without a legitimate excuse
Absent 65 or more hours in one school year with or without a legitimate excuse
The parents of students that are deemed “excessive absent” in either of these circumstances will be notified by the school attendance officer. There is no further action required of the parent unless the student’s absences continue.
The District will continue to update your regarding changes to our student attendance policies. Specific building level details will be given to you in written form as an addendum to the school handbook. The most important point to remember is regular school attendance is very crucial to your child’s education. Consistent, all-day-every-day attendance from the beginning bell to the ending bell should be your child’s practice in order to maximize their achievement.
Sincerely,
Jeff Stricklett
Clothing, shoes, school supplies, toiletries and non-perishable food items are available for free to district students.
Portsmouth West High School American History teacher, Carolyn Callihan, was presented the 2017 Educator of the Year Award by the Ohio American Legion on July 8, 2017. Nominated to represent the 7th legion district, Mrs. Callihan was in a pool of candidates comprising the 14 legion districts in the state of Ohio.
Mrs. Callihan was chosen for the award - which is based on educators’ contributions to the field of education and their involvement in the field of Americanism - because she goes above and beyond for her students, especially focusing on the topic of America and the military, according to Susan Frasher, American Legion Post 23 and 7th District Americanism Chairman. One of Mrs. Callihan’s yearly class projects consists of students researching family members who were veterans and writing a biography focusing on the veteran’s time of service, branch, and life within the military.
Aware of the competitive nature of this state-level award, Mrs. Callihan is proud of the recognition and plans to continue working with the local American Legion Post. “I am very grateful to the American Legion District 7 Post 23 for their nomination and support and very proud to represent the Washington-Nile Local School District for this state award. It was a very humbling experience, one that I will never forget and without a doubt the highlight of my career! I am thankful for the programs that Post 23 provides for our district's students from the flag raising ceremonies before home football games, veterans assemblies, Buckeye Boys' State, Legion Baseball, and the American Legion Government and Americanism test. These programs all model and emphasize good citizenship and patriotism,” she stated.
