Walton County School District attended the 2020 Gulf Power Symposium. The Symposium included topics about Futuristic Thinking, the importance of partnering from without and within our organizations, Northwest Florida’s economic forecast, planning for our military installations and Diversity.

Pictured from left to right: Brooke Adam, Financial Aid Officer of Emerald Coast Technical College (ECTC), Wyndy Crozier, Director/Principal of ECTC, Honorable John W. Henderson, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Innovation, Environment and Energy, Michelle Doggett, Facilities Planner, Jill Smith, Director of Facilities and Jeff Infinger, Coordinator of Facilities and Maintenance. 

Walton Middle School hosted its second successful Data and Doughnuts of the year, a Title 1 parent training event that was held during SPEAR (homeroom) classes February 26th-28th.  Approximately 188 families attended over the course of three days.  The school invited families to enjoy doughnuts with their students before diving into personalized data to help set attainable goals for success.  SPEAR teachers explained the importance of the STAR assessment as a means for progress monitoring reading and math success.  Teachers also showed parents and students K12 Lift reports, which show how current STAR achievement compares to not only past STAR performance but also FSA, helping families look for patterns to draw conclusions to better help students succeed.  After looking at the K12 Lift data and current grades in FOCUS, students wrote new goals to help them close out the school year on a positive note.  Parents and students were also given information about upcoming state testing dates, the Florida Prepaid Scholarship Program, and how to order a WMS yearboook.  (Yearbooks can still be purchased online at www.yearbookordercenter.com.)  At the end of the session, parents were able to provide their feedback about their experiences as WMS stakeholders through both the Title 1 parent survey and the annual school improvement climate survey.  (Parents who were unable to attend the event can still complete the survey at rebrand.ly/jct9rpq)  WMS understands that families make tremendous sacrifices to be actively involved in their children's education, so efforts to attend are greatly appreciated.  Together, students, parents, and teachers are looking ahead to bright, successful futures.