Communications - School District of Oconee County

DHEC Children's Flu Vaccine Clinic

posted Oct 22, 2020, 7:52 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC [ updated Oct 22, 2020, 7:54 AM ]

DHEC CHILDREN’S FLU CLINIC

Thursday, October 29th 3:00 - 6:00pm

Oconee County Health Department

Drive-thru in the parking lot

609 N Townville St, Seneca, SC 29678

The flu vaccine offers the best protection against getting the flu. When most people in a school get the flu vaccine, the flu can’t spread as easily. You can get your flu vaccine from your doctor, local health department or pharmacy (depending on age). Everyone 6 months of age and older should get the flu vaccine every flu season.

November 25th eLearning Day

posted Oct 20, 2020, 11:59 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC [ updated Oct 20, 2020, 12:00 PM ]

The School District of Oconee County will observe an eLearning day on Wednesday, November 25th.

Students will not come to school buildings on that day. Assignments will be posted by 10:00am. Teachers will be available for office hours from 10:00 to 11:00am and 2:30 to 3:30pm. Students will have 5 days upon returning to school to turn in assignments. If assignments are not completed and turned by Friday, December 4th, students will be marked absent for November 25th.

SDOC eLearning Day October 16, 2020

posted Oct 7, 2020, 4:57 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

The School District of Oconee County has been accepted as an "eLearning" district with the South Carolina Department of Education. For the 2020-2021 school year, when we would traditionally have to close due to inclement weather, students will be able to continue their lessons at home via eLearning. Students will have regular assigned classwork on eLearning days. Teachers will hold "office hours" to answer questions and provide support. Students will be required to complete and submit all assignments during the eLearning days. These assignments will be due within five days of returning to school.

To help students and families be prepared for inclement weather eLearning days, students have participated in two mock eLearning days at school Students will have a final full mock day at-home practice on Friday, October 16, 2020. The SDOC eLearning Mock Day Guidelines will assist students and families in knowing what to do to prepare for a mock eLearning session, what is expected during a mock eLearning session, and what is expected after the mock eLearning session has concluded.

SDOC eLearning Conversation

Tuesday, October 13, 2020 @ 6:00 pm

The School District of Oconee County would like to clarify concerns about eLearning along with providing families the opportunity to ask questions. Families may submit questions using this form by midnight on Sunday, October 11, 2020. The School District of Oconee County will then answer the submitted questions on Tuesday, October 13th @ 6pm through the district's Facebook page as a live event. The recording will be made available on the district website. Please note that questions or comments submitted during the Facebook Live will not be addressed.

SDOC COVID-19 Update

posted Oct 1, 2020, 5:22 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

Students returned to instruction in Oconee County on Monday, August 24th with approximately 78% returning to school buildings. In preparation for that return, SDOC developed protocols for tracking and notification of positive cases. This information is available on the district website, with positive cases being updated each school day. As of September 30th, the district has seen 52 positive cases among students and staff. Of those cases, there are currently 6 “active” cases, meaning those individuals who have tested positive that are not back to school as of September 30th. Of our 19 school sites:

6 schools have not had a positive case
10 schools have had 2 or fewer cases
14 schools have no active cases

The district had one “cluster” of cases that required moving the 8th grade at Seneca Middle School to distance learning for 14 days. Those students were able to return to school on September 29th, without any further reported cases among 8th grade students. This targeted approach will continue to be used if the district faces a cluster within a class, grade level, or school.

If your student is showing ANY symptoms of COVID-19 or has been in close contact with someone who tested positive, PLEASE KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME. Please notify your child’s school nurse immediately if he or she develops symptoms or is exposed to a person diagnosed with COVID-19.

Stay Home If you are sick!

SMS Class puts Energy to Good Use

posted Sep 24, 2020, 5:56 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

Parents everywhere know that 11 and 12 year-olds have plenty of energy. Teachers are well aware of this fact, too. Ironically, the 11 and 12 year-old sixth graders at Seneca Middle School are studying two different types of energy - potential and kinetic - along with quantitative and qualitative observation. Thus, it was only fitting that their teacher, Bennett Carpenter, recently took them outside to use some of their kid energy to practice several different types of observation. Not only were measurement instruments such as rulers in use but the children's senses were also used to take in and examine all that nature had to offer on a lovely fall day. Carpenter said of the activity, "The best learning in my class occurs when students are completing hands-on inquiry assignments. By letting students venture outside and choose what to measure and observe, they obtain a sense of responsibility for their own personal education."

(Pictured: Sixth grader Lauren Chavis)

SDOC 2020-2021 School Year Enrollment Data

posted Sep 18, 2020, 5:44 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

10,209 students enrolled Pre-K through 12th grade

The School District of Oconee County has enrolled 10,209 students in Pre-K through 12th grade to start the school year. This is a 4% decrease compared to the 2019-2020 school year.

When asked about enrollment, Dr. Thorsland said, “Our district’s enrollment has been steady for more than twenty years, varying just a few hundred students over those years. We anticipated a drop this year as parents considered other schooling options due to the virus. Even with the 4% drop, we are still within the normal range we expect.”

School	Total	SDOC@Home	Face-to-face
BRE	583	185	398
FOE	556	80	476
JMB	579	90	489
KES	365	61	304
NES	620	147	473
OPE	440	104	336
RES	548	150	398
TSE	190	17	173
WaES	596	75	521
WES	390	65	325
SMS	868	292	576
WMS	800	186	614
WOMS	686	167	519
SHS	1010	257	753
WHS	1160	195	965
WOHS	816	170	646
Total	10207	2241	7966

Seneca Area	3629	1031	2598
Walhalla Area	3690	624	3066
West Oak Area	2888	586	2302

All SDOC Students to Receive Free Meals

posted Sep 16, 2020, 6:20 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the governing body that oversees school meals. USDA has extended a waiver to allow all students, regardless of income level, to receive free breakfast and lunch during school. This waiver is valid through December 31, 2020, or until congressional appropriated funding runs out. Free meals for all face-to-face students will begin Wednesday, September 16th. Please note that students can receive one breakfast and one lunch per day for free. Any additional meals or a la carte items will be at regular price.

The USDA waiver allows districts to refund the cost of student meals purchased between September 1st and September 16th. SDOC will credit each student’s account for meals purchased during this time. Students will not receive credit for a la carte items or for more than one breakfast or lunch purchased on the same day. The credit process will occur over the next several weeks.

Because the waiver is set to expire at the end of the calendar year, we strongly encourage families to still complete an Application for Free & Reduced Lunch to be sure they can continue to receive free or reduced-price meals after the waiver expires. This is the only way to guarantee continued free meals or reduced price meals for those that qualify.

SDOC@Home Students

This waiver applies to SDOC@Home students as well. Meals for SDOC@Home students are available for pick up each Thursday at the Bountyland Education Campus (former Hamilton Career Center) from 1:00pm - 3:00pm. Students will receive five breakfasts and five lunches, for a total of 10 meals, in a grocery-style package. SDOC@Home meals must be pre-ordered by 12:00pm (noon) Monday to pick up on Thursday. To pre-order, families may call (864)718-5147 and provide the student(s)’ name and home school. More information on SDOC@Home meals is available under the “2020-2021 School Year Information” link on the district website.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

posted Sep 14, 2020, 12:16 PM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

As a district we believe that mental health is important and are committed to support the social emotional well being of our students, families, and staff. In an effort to support mental health and social emotional wellness of students and their families, SDOC has developed a resource page linked on our website. This resource page includes school level contacts for each attendance area, community educational resources, and skill building resources.

SDOC Mental Health Resources

We value having a supportive school environment that helps all students learn and thrive. To support the social emotional learning for students within the school day, SDOC has implemented many initiatives in the past several years including:

School-wide social emotional screenings
Mental Health First Aid Training for faculty and staff
Adverse Childhood Experience Trainers in each school
Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools training
School-wide social emotional learning curriculums
Suicide Prevention Awareness Community Events and Hike for Hope

Middle & High School Depression & Suicide Prevention Video Screenings

During the month of September, middle and high school students will be viewing age-appropriate videos focused on depression and suicide awareness. The videos are produced by Erika’s Lighthouse, a non-profit focused on educating and raising awareness about adolescent depression, encouraging good mental health and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Links to the middle and high school videos are available on the SDOC Mental Health Resources webpage (linked above).

Suicide Prevention Awareness Community Events & Hike for Hope

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not hold our 2nd annual Hike for Hope and community events. In lieu of these events, we encourage families to take a walk, hike or just spend time together to recognize suicide prevention awareness. This link provides ideas for strengthening family relationships.

SMS 8th Grade moving to Distance Learning beginning Tuesday, September 15th

posted Sep 14, 2020, 11:43 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC [ updated Sep 14, 2020, 11:44 AM ]

Seneca Middle School 8th grade moving to Distance Learning beginning Tuesday, September 15th

Students will return to the school building on September 29th

Due to a small cluster of COVID-19 cases within the 8th grade at Seneca Middle School, SDOC has made the decision to move Seneca Middle School 8th grade face-to-face students to distance learning for a period of 14 days beginning on Tuesday, September 15th. No 8th grade students will go to the school building during this time. Students will be able to return to the school building on September 29th unless under quarantine for another reason. This decision was made in consultation with DHEC, local medical personnel, district nursing supervisor, and Seneca Middle administration.

Face-to-Face students will transition to Distance Learning during this time.

Students will receive instruction through Google Meets following their normal daily schedule beginning Tuesday, September 15th. These Google Meets will be recorded for those students without internet access.
Outside of Google Meets, teachers will communicate daily tasks, assessments, live meetings, student performance, and other instructional materials with families on a weekly basis through one of the school-level approved methods.
Teachers will be available via email and should respond within 24 hours during the normal work week. They will continue to use Google Classroom for assignments and communication.
In order to support all students’ needs, 50% of instructional tasks will be downloadable for offline use. This would allow those students without the internet the ability to download a week’s worth of tasks at one time.
Attendance will be taken for all remote classes in PowerSchool, and participation is mandatory. Students must be in compliance with district and state attendance requirements.

We strongly encourage families to practice the following guidelines:

Students should STAY HOME and NOT CONGREGATE IN GROUPS for any reason.
Students will not be allowed to attend any school-sponsored events, including sports.
Students should be closely monitored for symptoms for COVID-19. Please contact the school nurse with any new signs or symptoms or positive test result for COVID-19

SDOC Fall Athletic Ticket Information

posted Sep 11, 2020, 10:13 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC [ updated Sep 11, 2020, 10:15 AM ]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, significant changes have been made to athletics. It has required changes to the number of spectators that will be allowed to attend, how ticketing for some sports will happen, and to the use of employee and senior passes. These changes may be implemented for winter and spring sports if needed. Please see the information below regarding the changes.

All Sports

No employee or Senior “Gold” passes will be accepted for admission.

SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED.

Spectators will be limited based on seating availability at the event.

Stadium: 877 Stadium: 900 Stadium: 520

Gym: 240 Gym: 250 Gym: 270

Varsity Football

No tickets will be sold at the gate on Friday nights.
Spectators must purchase two tickets or four ticket blocks.
Tickets will cost $7 each and will be purchased online through Hometown Ticketing, Inc. A link to purchase tickets will be available the week of each game.
Children younger than the 9th grade must be accompanied by an adult throughout the entire game.

Detailed information, including guidelines for JV and middle school football, Volleyball, Golf, Tennis and Cross Country, is available from each school. You can view the information at the links below:

Seneca High School Athletics

Walhalla High School Athletics

West-Oak High School Athletics