Last Updated on August 15, 2016 2:30 pm
The Watauga County School system is reminding students and parents that back to school time is here, and offering information on items you may need to be aware of as Monday gets closer.
The first day of classes for the Watauga County Schools will be Monday, August 22nd. August 22nd will be a full-length school day. School buses will run their usual routes, breakfast and lunch will be served, and the afterschool program will be open to students pre-registered for the program.
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students begin school on a staggered schedule over several days. Parents of these students will be notified by their school of the date their children start classes.
Supply lists for students have been posted at schools and/or on school websites and homeroom rosters have been posted in the K-8 schools.
Student enrollment forms will be provided at school and are also available through the enrollment forms link under the For Parents and Students heading of the district website.
Before classes begin, freshmen and other new students at Watauga High School, along with their parents, must attend orientation at the high school August 18th. Details about high school orientation will be available on the high school’s website and on request from the school office.
There are also required orientations for eighth graders and their parents at each K-8 school. These orientation dates and times have been provided to families by their school.
Student fees are $7 in kindergarten through fifth grade, $8 for sixth and seventh grade, and $25 for eighth grade. School fees are not charged for pre-kindergarten students. General fees for high school students are $50, with additional fees depending on the student’s classes.
Watauga High School students will be able to pick up their school-issued laptop computers on the first day of school only if they and their parents have completed the necessary paperwork and paid the $50 school fee or obtained a fee waiver.
Rising 9th graders and other new students at the high school can turn in their paperwork and pay their fees while attending Freshman Orientation at the high school August 18th.
Laptop paperwork was mailed to incoming freshmen and is available from the home page of the high school website. Student and parent signatures are required on all paperwork, and filling out and signing the forms in advance will help speed the process.
For families that may find it difficult to pay school fees, fee waiver forms are available through the enrollment forms link under the For Parents and Students heading of the website. A new fee waiver application is needed each year; previously approved waivers are not valid for the new school year.
Regular lunch prices will be $2.55 for prekindergarten through eighth grade and $2.75 for grades 9-12. Reduced price lunches are 40 cents for eligible students in all grades. Breakfast is available for $1.50 for all grades. All students eligible for free or reduced price meals will receive free breakfast and are encouraged to take advantage of this service.
Applications for free and reduced price meals will be provided to all parents on the first day of school and are available in schools throughout the year. Applications are also available on the cafeteria information page of the WCS website and on request from Child Nutrition at 828 264-7190. Families that received free and reduced price meals last year will need to re-apply to receive the service for the new school year.
Students must be registered for after school before they can attend. Parents can speed up the process by filling out and submitting the registration form online before coming to school. The form is available from the Watauga County School website by clicking on the After School link under the Departments heading. State licensing standards require that parents meet with afterschool personnel to officially complete registration. The available dates and times for parents to complete afterschool registration will be available through the website. The afterschool program serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Western Youth Network (828 264-5174) offers an afterschool program for youth in grades 6-8 at Western Watauga Community Center and Boone United Methodist Church. Information and registration forms for WYN’s afterschool program are available online at www.westernyouthnetwork.org.
The complete school calendar for 2016-17 is available on the WCS website or on request from any school office.
