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Water Cycle in a Bag at WDE

August 30, 2021

West DeFuniak Elementary 5th Grade Students are learning about the process of the water cycle. Students created miniature models of the process including evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Although some school districts to the west of us are closed tomorrow Monday, August 30, 2021 due to weather conditions, the Walton County School District has collaborated with our local weather experts to determine that we will remain open.  We hope everyone, including the counties in our surrounding area, remain safe.  Please reach out to your individual schools if you have any concerns or questions.  Thank you. 

COVID Update August 27, 2021

In the spirit of transparency, the Walton County School District (WCSD) will continue to update our stakeholders with COVID-19 data for the 2021-2022 school year. 

COVID-19 Statistics

Single Day Data

(8/26/21)

% of total population (students and staff ~ 13,000)

Overall Data to Date

(8/10/21 – 8/26/21)

% of total population (students and staff ~ 13,000)

Positive COVID-19 Cases

of School District Students and/or Employees

 

17

0.1%

406

3.1%

Quarantined Due to On Campus Exposure of School District Students and/or Employees

 

42

0.3%

584

4.5%

Quarantined Due to Off Campus Exposure (Community/Family Exposure) of School District Students and/or Employees

 

33

0.3%

327

2.5%

Schools Involved in Positive Cases and/or Exposure

 

8

 

20

 

 

 

Walton County School District COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies for the 2021-2022 School Year

  1. If a person is sick (students, teachers, staff, and visitors), they should stay home.
  2. Face covering is optional for all, including the bus.
  3. Hand sanitizer is available at various areas inside the school.
  4. Social distancing from others is encouraged as much as possible.
  5. Signs will be displayed to remind those in schools about social distancing, as well as the use of hand sanitizer, washing of hands, and face coverings.
  6. Cleaning and disinfecting school facilities/buses which are occupied by students will be done daily.
  7. Adequate mitigation supplies are on hand at all schools/facilities (hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, masks, etc.).
  8. COVID-19 vaccination is optional for all students and employees.
  9. COVID-19 contact tracing is occurring in all schools/facilities (2021-2022 WCSD Decision Tree for employees and students).
  10. At this time non-essential visitors and volunteers are not allowed to enter schools. This mitigation strategy will be reevaluated on September 1st.

Drip Murals at FMS

August 26, 2021

The students of the Freeport Middle School Art Department completed their first project and display for the 2021-2022 school year.  Please enjoy our "Drip."  We studied the artist Jen Stark and her Drip Murals.  Students also added pictures of what makes them who they are.  Together we are colorful!  Have a great year Walton County Schools!

Seventh grade students in Mrs. Sandy Thorson's class are starting their school year learning the importance of owning their learning.

To introduce a unit on the nature of science that will continue through September, Mrs. Thorson offered students learning scales and goals to self-assess their prior knowledge and learning along the way. She presented students with a five-point scale (like FSA), emphasizing that they should aim to learn at the highest level 5, but that a level 3 should be the minimum that she will accept from them or that they should accept for themselves. She also encouraged students whose learning might only be at a level 1 or 2 right now, as their growth will evolve as new concepts are introduced.

She asked students to look at the provided learning scales and goals and self-evaluate, asking how many concepts they already know. Then she asked them to take a look at how far their learning will likely advance as they explore the new unit.

Mrs. Thorson encouraged her science students to build knowledge about nature of science concepts from their notes, textbook, and digital resources all along the way. She emphasized that though she will deliver the content in as many creative ways as possible, the load of the learning should fall on the students and that they should self-assess all along the way.

At Walton Middle School, our teachers work hard to create the right conditions for students to learn, then we partner with them, holding them accountable for the success they find along their own paths.

WDE is Aiming for Greatness

August 25, 2021

Grade level teams at West DeFuniak have been busy collaborating and creating learning targets for students. These Professional Learning Communities will be meeting throughout the year to support student achievement. As always, WDE is aiming for greatness!

COVID Update August 19, 2021

Much like last year, the Walton County School District (WCSD) will continue to update our stakeholders with our current and total numbers of COVID-19 data for the 2021-2022 school year.  In the spirit of transparency, we hope to share these numbers with you on a monthly if not weekly basis.

Click the Link Below for the Full Update

On August 17, 2021, the Walton County School Board approved the 2021-22 Substitute Salary Schedule recommended by Superintendent A. Russell Hughes. The salary schedule, effective August 18, 2021, provides increased hourly rates of pay for most instructional and non-instructional substitute positions. The percent increases range from 15.6% to 38.9%. Superintendent Hughes and the Walton County School Board recognize the important role substitutes play in providing services to our students and schools and hope the increased rates of pay will help retain current substitutes as well as attract more substitute applicants.

Walton County School District is currently in need of substitutes in all areas. If you are interested in earning extra money while providing a much needed, valuable service to our students, please contact Jami Brown at (850) 892-1100, ext. 1354 or [email protected] for more information. The 2021-22 Substitute Salary Schedule along with other useful information for substitutes may be viewed at https://www.walton.k12.fl.us/substitutes.

 


Walton County School District is seeking substitutes in all areas! Effective August 18, 2021, the substitute rate of pay for almost all positions increased substantially. If you would like to earn extra money while providing a much needed, valuable service to our students, please contact Jami Brown at (850) 892-1100, ext. 1354 or [email protected] for more information.

 

Full STEAM Ahead at MSE!

August 19, 2021

At Maude Saunders, every K-5 student will participate weekly in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) class, where they will apply their critical thinking skills to solve problems. For their first Engineering Design Challenge, students must design a vessel that will carry passengers safely and quickly across a body of water by harnessing the power of the wind. Students must consider density, wind power, water displacement, and many other variables as they design their vessel.  The students are excited to be participating in this first project and anxious to see what the next challenge will be!