What's New

Smyth County Students Advance to State Forensics Tournament

Two Chilhowie High School and two Northwood High School students qualified for the Virginia State Forensics Tournament by finishing in the top three at the regional forensics tournament held at Wytheville Community College on March 1.

• Abby Lyles of Chilhowie finished first in the Serious Dramatic Interpretation event.
• Abram Clear of Chilhowie finished third in Humorous Interpretation.
• Matt Pruitt of Northwood finished second in Prose Interpretation.
• Matt King of Northwood finished third in Extemporaneous Speaking.

In addition, Northwood's Cody Davidson and Austin Widner placed fourth in the Humorous Duo event, and will serve as alternates for the state tournament in that event, should another duo be unable to compete. The state tournament will be held March 29 at Harrisonburg High School.

Jackie Clark coaches the CHS Forensics Team, and David Burns coaches the NHS Forensics Team.

Smyth County School to Register Kindergarten, PreK Students March 13-14

Formal registration for Smyth County School’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs will be held at each of the county’s elementary schools from 8:30am to 6:00pm Thursday, March 13, 2014, and from 8:30am to 4:00pm Friday, March 14, 2014. To register, a child must be a resident of Smyth County and reside in the school’s attendance area. If you are unsure of your attendance area, please contact Judy Testerman at 276-783-3791.

To qualify for pre-kindergarten, your child must be four years old on or before September 30, 2014. A state-certified copy of your child’s birth certificate and verification of your family’s income is needed when applying for this program. To qualify for kindergarten, your child must be five years old on or before September 30, 2014. A state-certified copy of your child’s birth certificate is required for enrollment. Proof of immunizations and a current physical exam are required prior to the opening day of school.

Contact the school in your attendance area for more information.

VRS Offers Learning Resources for Employees Interested in Hybrid Retirement Plan

The Virginia Retirement System (VRS) offers a variety of learning resources for current Smyth County School Board employees who are interested in the VRS Hybrid Retirement Plan. Details…

School Division's Health Services Department Offers Advice on Dealing With Flu

This time of year we experience an increased number of flu-like illnesses, upper respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses. In an effort to minimize the spread of these illnesses in our schools, we are asking parents to take the following measures:

• If you suspect your child has a fever, take your child’s temperature. If the reading is 100 degrees or above, please keep your child at home. Do not send your child back to school for at least 24 hours after the fever has broken.
• To reduce a fever, give your child acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). Check the label for accurate doses for weight and age. Do not give aspirin to a child. Aspirin has been associated with a condition called Reye's syndrome, which has harmful effects on children. Use a cool, wet cloth to wipe your child’s body, or place him/her in a tub of lukewarm water. Do not put your child in a tub of cold water or use alcohol.
• Encourage good hand washing at home. Hand washing is the single most important means to reduce the spread of infection. Hand sanitizers can be used when soap and water are not available but do not take the place of hand washing.
• If your child has symptoms of the flu such as headache, body aches, sore throat, cough, vomiting, or diarrhea accompanied by an elevated fever, contact your child’s physician.
• If your child needs to take a prescription medication at school, we must have a written authorization from the prescribing physician, as well as written parental permission. This is a county-wide School Board policy. Over-the-counter medications, such as Tylenol, require a note from the parent or guardian. Please include the name of the medication, dosage, and the times to be given. Also include the time for the next dose. Medications are to be brought to school in the original containers.

We will continue to encourage good hygiene practices such as proper hand washing, careful disposal of dirty tissues, and the importance of covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing while your child is at school.

If your child develops a temperature of 100 degrees or above, has vomiting or diarrhea, we will ask you to pick your child up from school early. Please keep your child at home until symptoms have resolved.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your school nurse.

Virginia Dept. of Labor Now Issuing Child Labor Permits Online

Smyth County Schools are no longer able to issue child labor permits to children under the age of 16, due to changes made by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. The Department of Labor and Industry oversees the child labor permit process. The Department has moved the child labor permit application to its website. More information…

Important Bus Route Info for Atkins Area Students and Parents

Smyth County's GIS Department has produced a large, zoomable map of our Atkins bus routes. You can use this map to get information about Atkins area morning bus routes. The map is in PDF format; to view it, you will need a PDF viewer, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Department of Education Seeks Feedback From Parents of Students Receiving Special Education Services

All parents of school-aged children and youth who receive special education services in Virginia’s schools are encouraged to complete the Virginia Department of Education’s annual Parent Involvement Survey. This survey is not intended to measure satisfaction with the special education program. It is designed to determine whether or not the school facilitated parent involvement. The English and Spanish versions of the survey have been combined into one survey with both languages.

Bus Wizard Is Down for Maintenance

Smyth County Schools' Bus Wizard is temporarily down while we adjust routes and times.

---

©2014 Smyth County School Board