WASHINGTON-NILE LOCAL SCHOOLS

July 18, 2024 Dear Parent/Community Member: It is an honor and a privilege to begin another school year as your Superintendent. We are looking forward to continued student success. As we strive to prepare students for their future, the district continues to have three focus areas 1) instruction of students, 2) social/emotional growth and 3) building a positive culture for our students, staff and community. It is only by working together that we can build the kind of momentum that will propel the Washington-Nile Local School District forward for students, parents, and the entire Portsmouth West Community. During the summer we developed and enhanced a variety of our District programs that will help facilitate this collaborative process including; the completion of numerous improvements to our building infrastructures, purchasing a new English Language Arts Curriculum that will be implemented this year, increasing Career and Technical course offerings, and continuing an emphasis on reading and math in all grades. Throughout the school year, we will be showcasing these promising programs and highlighting our student success. Student safety is of paramount importance. Once again, our updated Emergency Operations Plan has been approved by the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your support in enhancing the school safety protocols for the students of our district. Our schools continue to implement the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Initiative. PBIS establishes behavioral supports and social culture assistance needed for all students to excel socially, emotionally and academically. We will continue to implement as part of its PBIS initiative - Focus 3. The goals of Focus 3 include building better leaders, developing better culture, and having better behavior. We have seen the positive effect on the culture of our schools as well as our athletic and extra-curricular programs. The athletic department is happy to announce that, this year, all students will be able to attend athletic events at no cost. A generous contribution has been made by Missie and Scott Schmidt. Missie is a proud West Senator as she was a graduate from Portsmouth West High School and a retiree from our elementary school where she dedicated her career. Students will be asked to present their student identification at the gate to gain admission. Please click here for more detailed information. Students will see positive changes in breakfast and lunch offerings this year. We have partnered with the Nutrition Group to assist us in the delivery of our food service program. To learn more about the Nutrition Group, please visit their website at https://thenutritiongroup.com/. The first day of school for students is August 15, 2024. Staff will report on August 12-14, 2024 for classroom preparation, department meetings and to complete state mandated crisis intervention training. Please check our website as we update handbooks, calendars, bus route/times, bell schedules, etc… We look forward to a year filled with successes and excitement for all of our students and their families. And, we pledge to help each student to become the “Best Version of Themselves”. Anthony Bazler, Superintendent

Members of the Southern Ohio Conference are seeking applicants to fill the position of SOC Commissioner. Please see the linked job description: https://5il.co/2j2c0

Senators, On Monday, April 8, 2024, at roughly 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM, we will experience a total solar eclipse. Totality (darkness) will last between 2 to 4 minutes. A total solar eclipse is a rare and spectacular event. The last total solar eclipse visible in Ohio was in 1806. The next total solar eclipse in Ohio will be in the year 2099. This is truly a once in a lifetime event. Due to the Total Solar Eclipse, Washington-Nile Local Schools will be dismissing early on April 8, 2024. • High School/Middle School will be dismissed at 11:45. • Elementary School will be dismissed at 12:45. • Extracurricular Activities/Athletic practices and home contests may begin at 5:00. • Buses traveling to extracurricular activities/athletic contests may leave at 4:30. Safety tips and information about the eclipse can be found at: https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Science/Resources-for-Science/2024-Solar-Eclipse/solar-eclipse-safety-tips-one-pager.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US. Viewing glasses will be distributed to each student. All Washington-Nile Local School District Staff will be on a regular schedule. After student dismissal, teachers will have the remainder of the day to address the OIP and complete any necessary professional development. Building principals will distribute schedules.

As a reminder: Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on Thursday – February 15, 2024 from 12:30pm until 5:30pm. Parents are encouraged to meet with teachers to discuss their child’s academic progress. Teachers will be participating in professional development activities on Thursday morning. There will be no school for student on Thursday or Friday. Enjoy your long weekend.

Washington-Nile schools will be holding a College Credit Plus information meeting on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024 at 6:00 pm in the High School Tiered Room. This is a mandatory meeting for new and returning College Credit Plus students in grades 6-11 and their parents. A representative from Shawnee State University will be on hand to explain the program and the process for applying. If you have any questions, please contact Guidance Counselors Mr. Conrad or Mrs. Emnett or refer to the following link: https://www.shawnee.edu/areas-study/college-credit-plus

We have been made aware of threats that were made by email to multiple schools in Ohio and nationally. We believe this is a hoax and our district has not received any threats, however; we take our job of student safety seriously. Please see the attached PDF from the South-Central Ohio Educational Service Center for more information: https://5il.co/2ao1o

Reminder: Our football team will be in regional playoffs this Friday versus the Heath Bulldogs. The game will be at Portsmouth West High School stadium; kickoff will be at 7:00pm. Because it is an Ohio High School Athletic Association event, passes will not be accepted (including student passes). Everyone entering the gate will need an OHSAA ticket. Discounted tickets are available online. Online adult tickets are $12.00 and online student tickets are $9.00. To secure tickets online, go to the ohsaa.org then click the tickets tab, select football, select region 19 and scroll down to find our game. Admission at the gate is $15 for both adults and students. If you have any questions, you may contact the high school at (740) 858-1103.

The Scioto County Health Department will give the flu vaccine and the new COVID-19 Vaccine at Portsmouth West High School on Thursday, October 5 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The public is welcome! See the images for more information.

Reminder: Tuesday, September 5, 2023, will be a professional development day for teachers. School will not be in session for students. Enjoy you Labor Day weekend!

Welcome back to the 2023-24 school year, Senators! To see a message from the Superintendent about the improvements and changes we've made over the summer, please visit https://wnls.pw/message We're also happy to announce that students will get free access to athletic events for this school year. For more information and details visit https://wnls.pw/athleticpass

The Lady Senator Softball Team will be playing in a regional semi-final game on Wednesday (5/24/2023) at 2:00. The game will be in Chillicothe at Unioto High School. We will be dismissing school early. The high school and middle school will dismissed at 11:45, the elementary school will dismiss at 12:45. Good Luck Lady Senators

The Washington-Nile Local School District will be offering summer school. The Senator Summer Camp begins on July 10 and ends on August 3. The camp will be offered Monday-Thursday. The focus of the camp is reading and math (M-Th) with two Reward Trips. Transportation, breakfast, and lunch will be provided for all students. If interested, please fill out this form: https://wnls.pw/summercamp

Washington-Nile Local School District will be closed today, Tuesday, April 18, due to a water break.

Summer is just around the corner! If you're interested in your student(s) attending Senator Summer Camp (our district summer-school program), please take a moment to fill out this short interest survey. This year's summer school dates will be from July 10th to August 3rd. https://wnls.pw/summercamp

As a reminder, Portsmouth West Schools will be on Spring Break next week, April 3-7, 2023. Additionally, students will be dismissed two hours early on Friday, March 31, 2023. The early dismissal will give staff members time to complete required professional development. Thank you and enjoy time with your family during the break.

2023-24 District Calendar https://5il.co/1nm9g

Friday – November 11, 2022 will be a “waiver day” for our district. Teachers will be participating in an in-service. There will be no school for students on Friday. Thank you to all of our Veterans and enjoy the long weekend.

As a reminder, parent-teacher conferences will take place this Thursday (September 29, 2022) from 1:00pm – 6:30pm. Teachers will be participating in an in-service on Thursday morning. There will be no school for students on Thursday or Friday. Enjoy the long weekend.

Dear Parent or Guardian, The Washington-Nile School District will be implementing an extended learning after school program for the 2022/2023 school year. The monies will be used to implement an academic enrichment program entitled “BEYOND THE BELL.” “BEYOND THE BELL” will primarily focus on intervention and enrichment in the areas of math and reading. The program will service students in grades K-8. The program is set to begin the first session on September 18th, 2022 through December 8th, 2022. Session 2 will begin in January, 2023 and last until the end April 2023. Specific dates for Session 2 will be announced at a later date. Please review the “BEYOND THE BELL” calendars to see what days the program will be in session. If you have any questions or concerns about the program please contact Sheree Crandall, Program Coordinator at: Sheree.Crandall@westsenators.org Please view the following links for the bus drop off info and information packet: https://5il.co/1ia4q https://5il.co/1ia3l

There was a false alarm that triggered a lock down at the high school earlier this morning. One of our safety devices was inadvertently activated. The technical issue was quickly resolved. There was not a threat on campus and students are on a regular schedule. Thank you for your understanding.