Communications

SDOC Face-to-Face and SDOC@Home Enrollment

posted Jul 30, 2020, 12:18 PM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

Approximately three-quarters of students plan to return to school buildings

The School District of Oconee County will see approximately 74% of students returning to school buildings when school starts on August 24, 2020. Parents were asked to complete a pre-registration form earlier in the month, choosing from a face-to-face or remote option, SDOC@Home. Preliminary data indicates that of the 8,699 pre-registration forms completed, 6,464 (74%) chose face-to-face, 2,098(24%) chose SDOC@Home, and 137 (2%) chose to withdraw from SDOC. The deadline for returning students to choose SDOC@home was July 23rd. Any student who did not complete the pre-registration form will be placed in face-to-face instruction. Numbers will continue to change as new students register in the weeks before school begins.

A breakdown of the data* by school level is below:

SDOC 2020-2021 School Options
	Face-to-Face	SDOC@Home	Withdrew
Total District	74%	24%	2%
Elementary	74%	24%	2%
Middle	70%	28%	2%
High	78%	22%	1%

*Data as of July 29, 2020

SDOC Meal Information Update

posted Jul 23, 2020, 12:34 PM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

Summer Feeding

With the delay in school starting, Summer feeding meals will be available through Thursday, August 13th. Times and pick up locations are available on the district website. Any child, 18 years and under, is eligible to receive meals.

2020 - 2021 Meal Prices

School meal prices are set by the school board based on requirements from the USDA. Due to these federal requirements, lunch prices will increase $0.10 for the 2020-2021 school year; breakfast prices will not change.

Elementary Lunch $2.30 Elementary Breakfast $1.45

Middle & High School Lunch $2.50 Middle & High School Breakfast $1.45

SDOC@Home Meal Information

The USDA-issued waiver that suspended many meal requirements during the spring school closure and summer program will end August 31, 2020. SDOC will no longer have flexibility in how meals are distributed. Considering this and the added safety precautions in schools that will increase the workload on food service workers and bus drivers, At this time, SDOC does not anticipate being able to provide meals for SDOC@Home students.

Immunization Reminders for Parents

posted Jul 23, 2020, 12:30 PM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

Students will not be allowed to attend school without all required immunizations.

The School District of Oconee County encourages all families to review their students’ records to verify they have all immunizations required to attend school. Students who do not have the required immunizations will not be allowed to attend school until vaccinations have been obtained. Based on grade level, students must be up to date with the following shots:

Hepatitis B
Polio
Varicella (Chickenpox)
DTaP (tetanus, whooping cough)
MMR (Measles, mumps, rubella)
Tdap (whooping cough booster required before seventh grade)
Hepatitis A (Students starting kindergarten in 2020 will need two Hepatitis A shots)

Detailed information about required and recommended immunizations is available on the DHEC website or through the links below:

5K-12 Immunization Info for Parents

En español - 5K-12 Información de Inmunización Para los Padres

South Carolina does allow for medical and religious exemptions. Please visit the DHEC website for more information on how to obtain the required documentation for these exemptions.

SDOC Board approves Reopening Plan

posted Jul 21, 2020, 8:49 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

At a meeting on Monday, July 20th, the Oconee County School Board voted to approve a district reopening plan. The reopening plan includes both a five day per week face-to-face option and a remote option, SDOC@Home. The board made one significant change to the original plan. Families are being asked to commit for a semester, not the entire school year as originally planned. Due to this adjustment, families have until 4:30pm Thursday, July 23^rd, to call their child’s school to change their selected option for next school year. The district requests any family who has not pre-registered their student(s) before now to please call their child’s school(s) to complete a pre-registration request. Any child not pre-registered by Thursday, July 23rd will be placed in the face-to-face option for the upcoming school year.

As part of the reopening plan, the board approved a new start date of August 24th for the 2020-2021 school year. The board revised the start date after Governor McMaster encouraged school districts to consider delaying the start of school in light of the spike in COVID-19 cases in South Carolina. High schools will finish June 2, 2021. Elementary and middle schools will finish June 9, 2020 due to the five extra days of instruction approved by the state legislature. To accommodate the two week delay, changes have been made to the calendar, including the shortening of Thanksgiving and Christmas break. This was done to minimize the overlap of semesters for dual enrollment students as well as preserving the 2021 summer break for students and teachers. Updated calendars will be available on the district website.

Ravenel Elementary welcomes new assistant principal

posted Jul 21, 2020, 8:37 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

At its meeting on Monday, July 20^th, the School Board approved the hiring of Mrs. Sheridan Crouch as assistant principal at Ravenel Elementary School for the 2020-2021 school year. When asked about it, Dr. Thorsland said, “Sheridan has really been a solid leader at Ravenel and in our district for many years. We look forward to working with her in this new role as assistant principal at Ravenel.”

Mrs. Crouch will move from her current role as school counselor to join the administrative team. Mrs. Crouch holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Clemson University, a Master’s degree in School Counseling from Clemson University and a Master's degree in Administration & Supervision from Southern Wesleyan University . In addition to her 19 years as school counselor at Ravenel Elementary, Mrs. Crouch has also served Oconee County as an Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Trainer/Consultant and district 504 Coordinator. Mrs. Crouch said, “I feel honored and blessed to have the opportunity to serve as assistant principal of Ravenel Elementary. I am excited to continue to work with the students, faculty and staff, parents, and community at RES in this new position.”

SDOC Staff and Parent Survey Results

posted Jul 8, 2020, 5:58 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC [ updated Jul 16, 2020, 12:34 PM ]

In mid-June, the School District of Oconee County asked staff and families to complete a survey concerning the re-opening of school for the 2020-2021 school year. The district received 1,152 staff responses and 4,615 family responses. Survey results are listed below.

Staff Responses

To the question "If the SDOC re-opens for face to face instruction for the 2020-2021 school year, how comfortable are you in returning to your position?" staff responded:

60.1% very comfortable returning with students; 31.3% unsure; 8.6% not comfortable returning with students

Of those who responded they were not comfortable returning, 26% indicated it was because they had a family member with an underlying health condition, 18% indicated it was due to a personal underlying health condition, and the remaining 54% listed "other" or another reason.

Family Responses

To the question "If there is no widely available vaccine for COVID-19 by August, will you allow your child to return to in-person (at school) instruction this fall?," families responded:

41.3% return to school; 41% maybe; 17.7% child will not return to school

To the question "Would you allow your child to return to school if students are required to wear masks, practice social distancing, and observe other precautions?," families responded:

To the question, "If there is no widely available vaccine for COVID-19 by August, will you allow your child to ride the bus this fall?," families responded:

To the question "Would you allow your child to ride the bus if students are required to wear masks, practice social distancing, and observe other precautions?," families responded:

To the question, "Would you allow your child(ren) to participate in distance learning at home through the School District of Oconee County if this was an option?," families responded:

To the question "If the School District of Oconee County returns to full-time in-person instruction, please check each safeguard/precaution that you rate as essential for all personnel," the five most important precautions were:

96% of respondents chose Cleaning/sanitizing of high touch surfaces
85% of respondents chose Education and visual clues about hygiene
79% of respondents chose Temperature screening at building entry
73% of respondents chose Minimizing visitors in buildings
70% of respondents chose No sharing of materials.

Robin Cox named new principal of Ravenel Elementary

posted Jun 30, 2020, 12:58 PM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

At a special called board meeting held on June 30, 2020, the Board of Trustees for the School District of Oconee County approved the hiring of Mrs. Robin Cox as principal of Ravenel Elementary School. Mrs. Cox had previously served as Assistant Principal at Ravenel Elementary School for the past 4 years, and the 2020-2021 school year will begin her 21st year in public education.

Mrs. Cox added, "My vision is to continue leading Ravenel to be the best by preparing our students for continued success in their academic growth. With that, I will be diligent to support students as well as faculty and staff, parents, and community in all aspects of education." While reflecting on this hire, Dr. Thorsland added, "I am thrilled that Robin Cox will be leading Ravenel Elementary. She is an extremely hard worker who always has the best interest of students and teachers in mind."

Walhalla High School named Green Steps Certified School

posted Jun 25, 2020, 12:42 PM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

The South Carolina Green Steps School's program was created in 2003 as part of South Carolina's Resource Conservation Challenge. Green Steps is an environmental statewide educational initiative that encourages schools to take annual steps toward establishing and maintaining model quality and sustainability projects. To earn a "certified" designation, school teams must establish and maintain two projects for each of the three categories: conservation, protection and restoration. To qualify, schools must work with qualified project mentors and submit documentation of students learning, doing and teaching others about their projects.

Over the past three years, Walhalla High School's Green Steps team, lead by science teacher Amanda Gladys, has developed a comprehensive recycling program, composting initiative, water quality monitoring program, honeybee monitoring program, established and expanded pollinator gardens on campus, lead "leave no trace" education, share table awareness and an upcycling initiative.

Ms. Gladys said, "At Walhalla High School, we believe it is our responsibility to offer our students the opportunity to be part of the solution through action." Mr. Steve Garrett, principal of Walhalla High School, said, "It amazes me to see people so dedicated to a cause. Amanda Gladys and the entire Green Steps Team are truly amazing. Their passion for the environment and educating others on how we all can do our part to support our community's environmental health is a credit to Walhalla High School and Oconee County."

Oconee Adult Education Information for 2020-2021 School Year

posted Jun 25, 2020, 12:34 PM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

Oconee Adult Education is excited to announce a new location for the 2020-2021 school year. We will be located at the Bountyland Education Campus, formerly known as the Hamilton Career Center. Persons who do not currently hold a High School Diploma or a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED/GED©) or those interested in taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes are encouraged to register for the new school year at the Bountyland Education Campus on August 10th, 11th or 12th from 9:00 am until 1:30 pm. ESL classes will be offered at the Bountyland Education Campus as well as in Walhalla (177 Razorback Lane).

During the registration process, students will:

Provide one of the following: valid SC driver's license, SC ID, or US Passport
Complete registration forms
Complete high school transcript request form
Register to meet with a Palmetto Youth Connections Counselor or Seneca SC Works Coordinator to determine if financial assistance is available to pay for registration and course fees.
Meet with bookkeeper to satisfy any fees ($45.00 registration fee for 1st session). Persons qualifying for SNAP will work with the bookkeeper at this time to establish possible qualification. Persons may also qualify for financial assistance to pay for registration and classes.
Meet with an ESL instructor (For those registering for ESL classes)

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, August 17th - 19th, from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm or 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Orientation will include a preview of the Adult Educational program, introduction to community members who may be able to help with financial assistance for Adult Education, meetings with possible employers as well as hear information from Tri-County Technical College. Students will receive a login for Adult Education associated with a personal email account, WIN login, and GED login. Students will also take a TABE pre-assessment (Test of Adult Basic Education) and will choose a specific time of day they will attend classes. Class times offered are: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm or 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm. ESL students will begin meeting with their ESL instructor (Seneca or Walhalla campus) on Monday, August 17th. ESL instructors will communicate class times.

Classroom Instruction will begin class on Monday, August 24th

Please be aware that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there may be changes made to the above information regarding dates and times of classes. Oconee Adult Education will communicate changes as soon as they are made.

Oconee Adult Education

Bountyland Education Campus

100 Vocational Drive, Seneca, SC 29672

School Board of Trustees Election - November 3, 2020

posted Jun 25, 2020, 7:20 AM by The School District of Oconee County, SC

Three School Board Trustee Seats - District II, IV and V will be filled in the November 3, 2020 Election. These are 4-year terms that will begin November 2020 and end November 2024. The election will be advertised by the Oconee County Election Commission 60 days prior to the election. The candidates will run from the respective council district in which they reside and will be voted on by residents in that district only.

The official filing date will begin Monday, July 27, 2020 at 8:00 am and end Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 12:00 noon. Persons wishing to file for Seats II, IV or V may obtain a filing packet from the Oconee County School District Superintendent's Office. For further information, please contact Shannon Gibson via email at sgibson1@sdoc.org or by phone (886-4400 x5717).

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