News and Announcements

The next early release day is Friday, March 12th and leads us into Spring Break!

Early Release Day School Times:

Elementary: 7:50 am - 12:20 pm
Middle: 8:00 am - 12:30 pm
NGC/High School: 8:15 am - 12:55 pm

Bus transportation and daycare vans will be provided at the early dismissal times stated above. Parents are encouraged to confirm the need for daycare services with their daycare provider before March 12th.

Weatherford ISD will again offer early release daycare for elementary students for the afternoon of March 12th from 12:20 – 3:20 pm. Please click on the headline and complete the WISD Daycare Form by Wednesday, March 10th at 5:00 pm if you would like your child to participate.

Weatherford ISD schools will be closed March 15-19 for Spring Break.

Last week, Governor Greg Abbott announced he was lifting the statewide mask mandate effective Wednesday, March 10th. The following day, school districts across Texas received an update from the Texas Education Agency on how this would affect schools. In a statement, the TEA said that school boards have the “full authority to determine their local mask policy.”

At the Regular meeting of the Weatherford ISD Board of Trustees held on March 8, 2021, the school board adopted a resolution lifting the mask mandate making it optional for students and staff to continue wearing masks or face coverings effective March 10, 2021.

School board president Mike Guest explained, “We knew the reactions to the Governor’s announcement were both positive and negative. Before making this decision, we gathered input from our families and staff. Both surveys yielded the greatest number of responses ever received. We reviewed the survey data, read comments submitted from families and staff, and examined the declining trend of positive COVID-19 cases in both Weatherford ISD and in Parker County.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives, businesses, and the educational environment for our children. We hope this decision brings some degree of normalcy back to the classroom. This decision gives parents and staff the right to do what they feel is best for their families. If you feel it is important to continue to wearing a mask to minimize your risk of exposure to COVID-19, we support you and highly encourage you to do so. We will continually monitor the number of positive cases as we move forward through the remainder of the school year and re-evaluate this decision should we experience a spike in positive cases.”

Dr. Beau Rees stated, “It is important for parents, students, and staff to know that all other COVID-19 precautions will continue. Desk dividers will still be used, the cleaning and E-misting of schools and buses will continue, social distancing will be enforced, and students and staff will be encouraged to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer at every opportunity. We will also continue contact tracing when positive cases are identified. In addition, we will offer the opportunity for families to change the learning platform for their children from learning in-person to virtual learning.

Weatherford ISD is grateful that educators have now been included in the phased vaccine rollout. As vaccines continue to be widely distributed to educators and all citizens, district officials will assess and reevaluate the face-covering requirement this summer in preparation for next school year.

As we approach Spring Break next week (March 15-19), we wish all of our students, families, and staff a safe and restful week off and look forward to finishing the school year on a positive note.”

WISD Survey Results

Parents:
2,940 responses
58.9% (1,729) in favor of lifting the mask requirement
41.1% (1,205) in favor of keeping the mask requirement

WISD Staff
902 responses
60.4% (545) in favor of lifting the mask requirement
39.6% (357) in favor of keeping the mask requirement

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I let you know we lost a member of our Hall Middle School family last night. Collin Sturgis, an 8th grade student, passed away after sustaining a serious injury at his home on Monday evening.

This is an incredibly sad time for all of us, especially those who knew Collin as a friend and student. Collin was a popular, hard working student who was involved in Hall athletics. He was both independent and fun loving.

While we have not yet learned of any family needs, I would ask that you hold them in your thoughts and prayers. We will share service arrangements and any other pertinent information as soon as it becomes available.

As an added measure of care, we will have additional counselors at school for the rest of the week to assist students, staff, and parents with this loss. If you have concerns about your student please do not hesitate to contact us so we can keep an especially close watch on them.

Families of students at Hall Middle School may call 817-598-2822. Families with students at other campuses should call their child's school or send a text to [email protected] .

We appreciate your support during this difficult time.

The next early release day is Friday, February 19th.

Early Release Day School Times:

Elementary: 7:50 am - 12:20 pm
Middle: 8:00 am - 12:30 pm
NGC/High School: 8:15 am - 12:55 pm

Bus transportation and daycare vans will be provided at the early dismissal times stated above. Parents are encouraged to confirm the need for daycare services with their daycare provider before February 19th.

Weatherford ISD will again offer early release daycare for elementary students for the afternoon of January 19th from 12:20 – 3:20 pm. Please click on the headline and complete the WISD Daycare Form by Wednesday, February 17th at 5:00 pm if you would like your child to participate.

With temperatures expected to be below freezing and precipitation forecast overnight, all Weatherford ISD campuses will delay the opening of school by 2 hours on Thursday, February 11, 2021. This delay allows our bus drivers to have maximum visibility to avoid any problem areas that may exist on roads. It also keeps students out of the pre-dawn cold. Buses will run 2 hours later than normal.

Your safety remains our highest priority. Our Maintenance Department will ensure entries to our buildings are safe and schools will open to students 2 hours later than normal.

Thank you.

Opportunity to Change Learning Pathway for the 5th Six Weeks

We are now offering parents the opportunity to change the learning pathway for their student for the 5th six weeks of school that will begin on February 22, 2021 for secondary students and on March 1, 2021 for elementary students. The following options are available to all families:
Families with students enrolled in the VLA may now choose learning at school
Families with students who are learning school may now choose the online pathway through the VLA


Important: Families who DO NOT want to change the learning pathway for their students do not need to complete the form.


The deadline to request a change in learning pathways for secondary students (grades 6-12) is Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 10:00 pm.
The deadline to request a change in learning pathways for elementary students (grades K-5) is Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 10:00 pm.
If you have multiple children and wish to change pathways, please complete the pathway change form for each child.

*If this form is not submitted by 10 pm the appropriate deadline, we will assume your student(s) is remaining in their current learning pathway.

Student schedules at the high school level are subject to change based on enrollment and course availability for the learning pathway chosen.

VLA Reminders:
Please complete only the work assigned each day. Students are to complete only the work assigned each day and not work ahead at the secondary level.
Assignments are due by 11:59 pm each night unless your child is required to start work by 4:00 pm daily in order to participate in extracurricular or athletic activities.
There is no set time for your child to login daily.
For assistance with technology devices, please call the WISD Technology Department at 817-598-2915.
For assistance with your child’s assignments, please contact their VLA instructor.
Virtual Learning Academy website: https://wisd.instructure.com/courses/77641
Instructions for submitting a change in your child’s learning pathway may be accessed by clicking on the headline.

Monday, January 18, 2021 is a school holiday for students and staff in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The next early release day is right around the corner on Friday, January 15th.

Early Release Day School Times:

Elementary: 7:50 am - 12:20 pm
Middle: 8:00 am - 12:30 pm
NGC/High School: 8:15 am - 12:55 pm

Bus transportation and daycare vans will be provided at the early dismissal times stated above. Parents are encouraged to confirm the need for daycare services with their daycare provider before January 15th.

Weatherford ISD will again offer early release daycare for elementary students for the afternoon of January 15th from 12:20 – 3:20 pm. Please click on the headline to complete the WISD Daycare Form by Wednesday, January 13th at 5:00 pm if you would like your child to participate.

You may also copy and paste this link into your browser: https://forms.gle/HE8KGvpy68qC6dMh6