Walton County - School District

Students at Freeport Elementary School kicked off Literacy Week by reading "The Big Cheese" - with special guest reader Mrs. Hertzing!

Our middle and high school band students have been hard at work today preparing for the All-County Band Concert tomorrow night at 6pm in the Freeport High School Auditorium.

January 22nd - 26th, 2024 is Literacy Week! The Walton County School District has partnered with Food for Thought and the St. Joe Community Foundation for Read to Feed! This initiative provides 25 cents per passed AR test toward food for those who are in need in our communities. Since the beginning of the year, our students have passed over 101,000 AR tests in grades K-5! This brings the total our students have raised by reading to over $25,000! Read to Feed totals will be tallied in May, so we ask you to get a head start this week - read to and with your child, and encourage them to take AR tests to help those in need in their community!

After several days in Tallahassee advocating for students with legislators, Superintendent A. Russell Hughes made sure he was back in time to stop by West DeFuniak Elementary to see children heading home for the weekend! Superintendent Hughes is motivated by students! Some quotes from our students: "Mr. Hughes...you look pretty spiffy in those glasses!" - "Hey! I know you!" - "Hold on! I want to say 'Hi!' and 'Bye!' to Mr. Hughes" - "High five, Mr. Hughes" - "I LOVE YOU MR. HUGHES" - and you know what - HE LOVES YOU TOO!

At this time, the Walton County School District will have school as planned tomorrow, Wednesday, January 17th. We have been informed by Walton County Emergency Management, per the National Weather Service, that while temperatures will be low, precipitation/ice is not expected in tomorrow's forecast. Please stay safe and dress your child accordingly over the next few days.

School will be out Monday, January 15th 2024 in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day - "The function of education is to teach one to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."

Congratulations to Megan Fields from Van R. Butler Elementary on having been selected as the most recent recipient of the WON-ONE award!

The Walton County School District will resume all classes and extracurricular activities as normal on Wednesday, January 10th. We understand that there may be impassable road conditions and areas still without power. If conditions exist that preclude your student from attending class, please work with your school administration and follow standard absentee procedures.

Overnight Walton County received torrential rains, damaging wind, and tornado activity. We hope that everyone in the path of the severe weather system is safe. Due to the potential damage in our area the Walton County School District is cancelling the School Board meeting scheduled for this evening, Tuesday, January 9th at 5pm. As of this time, school schedules will resume as normal on January 10th. Please check the District social media channels and website for any further updates.

After collaboration with local Emergency Management and weather experts - ALL Walton County School District campuses will be closed on Tuesday, January 9th due to severe weather moving across our area in the form of heavy rainfall and high straight line winds. Please check with your schools for updates on activities this evening. Monday evening will see heavy rainfall and winds in excess of 70MPH along with the potential for tornadoes. In the early morning on Tuesday, extreme destructive winds exceeding 80MPH and multiple tornadoes are expected along with heavy rains. We will continue to work with local authorities and release any updates on our social media platforms and District website. Please take the necessary precautions to keep your families safe.

The Walton County School District is working closely with Emergency Management and local weather authorities to monitor the inclement weather moving over our area. Updates or alterations to school schedules will be published on our social media channels and website. At this time, Monday morning - 7:50am, there are no alterations to Tuesday’s schedule.

January is National Mentoring Month - if you have a passion for helping students, then STEP IN and STEP UP! January 9th - I AM A MENTOR DAY January 15th - DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY OF SERVICE January 17th - INTERNATIONAL MENTORING DAY January 25th - THANK YOUR MENTOR DAY January 24th -26th - NATIONAL MENTORING SUMMIT For more information about how you can become a mentor, visit our website: https://www.walton.k12.fl.us/o/wcsd/page/mentoring

Can you believe that 2024 is almost here!? We hope our students and our community have enjoyed a well-deserved break! The beginning of the 2nd semester is close at hand! Teachers are back on campus January 2nd, and students return on January 4th!

Congratulations to Coach Hayes who, despite feeling under the weather, was all smiles and enthusiasm after finding out she is a recipient of the District One-One Award! Way to go Coach Hayes, ECMS and all of Walton County is proud of you!

Mack Ream has Won-One for the Walton County School District, his community, and Dune Lakes Elementary. Stay tuned for Mr. Ream's story!

Way to go Ms. Magruder from Emerald Coast Middle School on having been chosen as a Won-One Award recipient!

Congratulations to Ms. Bree O'Donnell from Dune Lakes Elementary for being selected as a Won-One Award recipient! Be on the lookout for more details about Ms. O'Donnell's story!

Congratulations to Emerald Coast Middle School's Deb Shost for being selected as a Won-One Award Recipient. Be on the lookout for more about Deb's story!

Congratulations to ECMS Won-One Award Recipient Sara Caudill! Stay tuned for more about Ms. Caudill's Won-One story!

If you walked into any classroom in the Walton County School District, you'd be looking at the faces of the next generation of community leaders, inventors, business professionals, and world changers. Last week, WCSD held the Science Fair Awards ceremony at the CHAT Center in DeFuniak Springs. Superintendent A. Russell Hughes presented the awards to these incredible young minds. Congratulations to these students on their EPIC work!