Superintendent Christine Miller and few members of the central office administration attended the winter WVASA Conference. The conference focused on:

Federal Programs

The WVDE has a new state level director who emphasized the that in order for federal programs to be successful it has to have assessment data that proves a positive impact on student learning.

Communications

Learned about having a tiered approach to communications within a county communication system to the community.

Ensuring responsible purchasing practices and fair bidding processes is crucial for maintaining transparency and integrity in our operations. We prioritize obtaining the best value for our resources by adhering to strict guidelines that promote competitive bidding and ethical procurement. This approach not only helps us achieve cost efficiency but also fosters trust and accountability within our community.

The Upshur County Board of Education is soliciting bids to establish an open-end contract for Window and Door services.

Word: RFP_009_24-25

PDF: RFP_009_24-25

Snapchat shares your location! Snapchat commonly used by youth these days is not a great application for them to use. Snapchat has several negative uses. First, children think that the "disappearing" messages in Snapchat can be used for sharing nude or otherwise illicit photos. Nothing ever really disappears. Additionally, a user can share their location with anyone or friends. This means that others could use that information to track your child's location, your location, determine when you are not at home. These setting can be turned on and off at the discretion of the user. Even if when you check the app the child could easily change it back.

Here is a great article to learn more about Snapchat and how you as a parent could navigate this app with your children.

This week, Director of Federal Programs attended the mandatory Assessment Training Conference, which is essential for administering the state assessments in the Spring. Here are some key takeaways from the training:

1. Accommodations for Students: Learned about the various accommodations available for students who need them.

2. Training Others: The conference provided strategies on how to effectively train other educators in administering the assessments.

3. Monitoring Completion: We discussed methods for monitoring the completion of assessments to ensure that all students complete their tests within the designated time frame.

4. Handling Policy and Test Violations: The training covered how to handle any policy or test violations as outlined in WVDE Policy 2340.

• Addiction

• Reduction in oxygen levels

• Much more likely to become ill with:

  • Pneumonia

  • Bronchitis

  • Vascular disease

Vaping, nicotine, THC, Delta 8, and more is affecting our students. Vapes have been mislabeled as safe. However, nicotine addiction, drug abuse, anxiety, and more harmful effects from vaping continue to rise among many teens in our community.

Upshur County Schools has solicited feedback from our community to help partner with us and support us. We will discourage, reduce, and ultimately help end teen vaping. Director of Safety & Technology Matthew Sisk, Director of Student Services Kasey Baisden, and Director of Nutrition and Wellness Athony McDaniels wants to thank everyone who responded. We appreciate your support as we work to support our students. Stay engaged with us to learn more about how we will partner with our local community to help stop students from vaping.

Did you know that teens or more likely to end up using off the market vaping devices? Makes sense as they are unable to purchase direct from seller. Off market vaping devices are not controlled, can include unknown and dangerous drugs.