West Liberty-Salem Local School District

West Liberty-Salem Athletic Pre-sale ticket information for Sept. 12th -Sept. 19th Pre-sale tickets will once again be sold every morning, 8:00-12:00 PM in the vestibule at door #2. If you are unable to make it there in the morning, we will be selling them Tuesday night Sept. 15th at the main ticket booth at the stadium from 6:00-8:00 PM. All tickets are $7.00 each, no refunds are available, Cash or check is accepted. At press time, the following is individual game ticket information: Friday’s varsity football game at West Jeff:- we will be selling 200 presale tickets starting Monday morning around 10:00 (or whenever they are delivered) and then every other morning from 8:00-12:00 until they sell out. We will also open up Tuesday night from 6:00-8:00 PM at the main ticket booth at the stadium for those who cannot make it during the morning hours. NO tickets will be sold at the gate Friday night at West Jeff. You may purchase up to 4 tickets at a time. All Middle School and High School games being held at WLS next week, tickets are the same policy as before- we recommend you purchase ahead of time, but history has shown that we are not reaching full capacity on many games other than varsity football and sometimes varsity volleyball. ON an occasion, some tickets are still available at the gate prior to the game. Below is information on AWAY game policies or special instructions for HOME games(not every game is included as it is assumed you know the policy by now) HS Volleyball at Southeastern Thursday night- tickets will be purchased at the gate, your coach will let you know how many is allowed per player. Middle School football Thursday night- presale tickets will be available, the game will be played on the auxiliary field, 2 tickets per athlete will be allowed. You will want to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Game time is 5:30 Middle School volleyball Monday and Thursday night- presale tickets will be available, this game will be played in the main gym, 3 tickets per athlete are permitted. Game time is 5:30 High School Boys and girls soccer Thursday night, pre-sale tickets will be available, 6 tickets per athlete will be permitted. Game time is 5:30/7:30 Middle School and High School Cross Country at Cedarville- $5.00 per car JV football vs West Jeff on Saturday morning- 5 tickets per player are allowed. Game time is 10:00 Middle School volleyball Saturday morning at Catholic Central- 2 people per player, tickets sold at the door. 10:00 game time. Senior night for Football, Band, and Cheerleaders will be held Sept 25th. Prior to the football game. Details are forthcoming on that. Its important to remember, per OHSAA guidelines, masks are required to be worn at all Athletic events, and social distancing is a must. Each school has marked areas to sit/stand differently, try to cooperate and work with what they have done to make it possible for your athletes to have a season!!

Hello Tiger Fans, Don't forget that you can watch tonight's game on the district's Live Feed. You can access this link on our main webpage. It will take you to our Live Feed page. Press play and you should be able to watch the game. Enjoy your evening and Go Tigers!

We had a great first week getting to know our way around the school, new hallways and our teachers! And what first week wouldn’t be complete without a fire drill? Mask break, anyone? I bet a few classes took the long way back to class!

Any 10th or 11th grader taking their first CCP class at WL-S will have a virtual CCP orientation on Monday, during 3rd period, with Mrs. Smith. If this applies to you or your student, it is important to be there, or make other arrangements with the counseling office.

Students and staff observed a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., in an act of nationwide community service, remembering the lives lost in the tragic events of 9/11. Mr. Kraig Hissong, Superintendent, lowered all flags to half staff for the remainder of the day.

Football tickets for this evening’s game are sold out. You can catch the game live on our website by clicking LIVESTREAM at the top of the page at wlstigers.org

Hello Families, this is Kraig Hissong, Superintendent with two important announcements. First, ALL OHIO STUDENTS, including those attending WL-S have been approved to receive Free Lunch and Breakfast from the USDA until December 31st 2020. Free lunch will begin Tomorrow, Friday, September 11th and Free Breakfast will begin on Monday, September 14th for all students. This has been approved by the Federal Government to assist families during the COVID 19 Pandemic. This is an excellent opportunity for all families to save some money on lunch and breakfast and help our school food service program increase revenue that has been lost due to less school days last spring. This opportunity is also available for our students who have chosen online instruction for this school year. Please feel free to call the school if you have questions or would like more information. For families that may qualify for free or reduced lunches, we encourage you to still complete your Free and Reduced Lunch Applications, since this program only last until December 31st, and by qualifying for Free and Reduced Lunch, it also benefits you with other school related fees. Next, Student drop off has gone very well this week in front of the school. Parents have done a very good job of pulling forward and utilizing space beyond the flag pole and crosswalk each morning. Please remember to make sure that you only let your children out the passenger side of the car when you are next to the curb. Tomorrow, Friday, will likely be a very busy day with student drop off since it is the first day this week that all students will be on campus at the same time, due to the elementary school’s staggered start of the school year. Please be sure to be very patient with traffic and make sure your child(ren) are ready to exit the vehicle. If you need to help your child out of the car, please use a parking space in the front parking lot and walk your child across the cross walk to the building. Parents/drivers should not exit your vehicle in the drop off lane. We want to ensure that all students arrive to school safely and by following these guidelines, we will continue to have great days. Families, Thank you very much for a great start to the school year. It feels great to have students back in the building. Feedback has been positive from those students and staff I have spoken too regarding masks. I think teachers are doing a great job of providing mask breaks each hour as they are able when students are socially distanced. Please remember to call or email me if you have any questions that you have not been able to get answered. Thank you, Kraig Hissong

Football Friday update: 36 tickets will go on Sale for general admission Friday morning at 8:00 at door #2 at the high school. Once those are sold, the stadium will have reached its full capacity. NO tickets will be sold at the door Friday night.

Teachers often spend the first day of school getting to know their students and going over routine procedures for the year. This year is different. It’s been hard, it’s been stressful, and we know our parents and students have made some tough decisions. That’s why we are taking extra time to get to know your children and really focus on the social and emotional aspects of how to care for our student’s entire academic experience. Brice Henry, elementary, middle school and high school choir instructor, asked his high school choir students to describe in one word how they felt about the year ahead. The answers weren’t surprising, and will serve as a reminder for us as we navigate these changes together. Mr. Henry created this word cloud. The more times a word was used, the bigger it became. Thank you, Mr. Henry for sharing with the rest of us! It will certainly help when we have those perfectly, imperfect days!

The lady Tiger’s soccer team celebrated the careers of six seniors in a recent 6-0 win over Southeastern! Congratulations to the following seniors, Trinity Perkins, Selena Weaver, Grace Estes, Sophie Cole, Maddie Hutton, and Rose Neer! Have a fantastic season, ladies!

It’s never a surprise when one of our teachers, or staff, go above and beyond for our students. It’s just what they do around here. June Seymour, high school art teacher, is one of those people. She spent the last several months planning for the year ahead and using her personal time, money and many talents to make over 100 masks (and counting) for students and staff. It’s inevitable that a student will forget or soil their mask, or maybe they need a pick-me-up and a new mask does the trick! Staff members have been delighted to select a new mask, knowing it was made just for them, with thoughtful care from a friend and co-worker! Mrs. Seymour made a variety of sizes, colors, and patterns and placed them in the office for anyone, in any grade, who may want or need one, and she didn’t just stop this summer. She continues to replenish them as needed! We are so thankful for her kindness and putting our Tiger family first in these uncertain times. So if your student forgets their mask, no worries! She has their back! One thing is certain, we have the best people caring for each other at WL-S!

Time is running out to respond to the 2020 Census. The deadline is September 30, 2020. Please respond online today at www.2020Census.gov or by phone: 844-330-2020. Your response will take less than 10 minutes and will benefit our community for the next 10 years. Please Complete Your 2020 Census Today if you have not already done so!

Every student in Preschool-12th grade may now receive a free breakfast, beginning Monday 9/14, and a free lunch, beginning Friday, 9/11, while at school until 12/31/20! Yes, EVERY student! If you do not wish for your student to receive these free meals, please make sure your MS/HS student know that or make their elementary teacher aware, or email Kathy Smith at ksmith@wlstigers.org. Elementary students will receive their breakfast in their class and MS/HS students can pick them up outside of the cafeteria on their way to class, if they wish to receive one. Reasons why you should take advantage of the free meals our district is offering: o It saves you time shopping and preparing meals. o It is convenient! o It is comforting and familiar to your kids. o It is delicious and nutritious. o When schools order foods to make the meals, it helps keep the supply chain flowing. This helps farmers, truckers, and local employees - including some small business we do business with. o Each meal served provides funding to your district’s Nutrition Services department from USDA – not local monies. If the Nutrition Service department has a shortfall it will need to be made up with local district monies. Taking a free meal can actually save your district money. o It may extend your household food budget. o These meals help to keep our staff employed if there is a closure or enhanced distance learning. o You are not taking food away from someone who needs it more; we have plenty! o We LOVE to provide meals to our students. It is what we do best and it helps us deal with the disruptions all around us.

Did you know you can follow your MS/HS student’s daily announcements on our website? It’s easy! Announcements are posted daily, and we know that it’s easy to forget to share some of this information after a long day at school. Head over to the website anytime, and click MENU. There you will see many options to explore. We have attached a photo to show you just where you’ll find all the daily updates they see, as well!

Good morning, Tiger fans! Here is the most up to date info for varsity football Friday when we take on Fairbanks. The procedure will be the same as before. Each football player, band and cheerleader will be awarded the opportunity to purchase 2 tickets each under their name. After 10:00 AM on Thursday, what is left will be opened up again for each player, band member and cheerleader to purchase 2 more from 10:00 AM -12:00 PM on Thursday. After that opportunity, what is left, is available on Friday from 8:00-12:00 PM until we sell out. Tickets can be purchased in the front vestibule at door #2- this is just to the left of the main entrance. There will be signs indicating where to enter. We will continue to provide weekly updates on tickets sales, so please watch the website, facebook page, and live feed (shared info will be the same on multiple outlets for your convenience). The game will also be available via LIVESTREAM. The photo indicates how to access LIVESTREAM at the top of the page highlighted in the yellow circle. Please let us know if you have any questions. GO TIGERS!

Attention Choir families! The WL-S HS Choir is selling t-shirts as their primary fundraiser this year, with the hopes of purchasing a new keyboard. The funds raised will be put to good use for many years in the future of WLS Choirs! There are some cool designs and styles, so if you’re interested in supporting the group, consider purchasing a t-shirt as part of the sale comes directly back to us. The Show Choir shirts have the Sound Check Logo on the back and the orange shirts (Listed as Misc. Choir) have options to include “Mom”, “Dad”, “Grandparent” and “Alumni” in case any of those apply to you. More information will come home with your choir student this week. Thanks in advance for your support. Here is the link to purchase: https://wlsmusic20.itemorder.com/sale

Two West Liberty-Salem basketball teams were division champs at the first annual Labor Day 3v3 basketball tournament. For the boys, 7th graders, Cade Stokes, Carson, Poppe, Brevin Louden, and Sam Strapp were 6th and 7th grade division champs. They were coached by Mike Louden. Fifth graders, Emma Schmelzer, Ellery Wygal, Isla Leichty, and Arianna Weaver took home the hardware in their division. They were coached by Darrin Leichty. Way to represent WL-S!!

Welcome back, Tigers! This morning, we welcomed students back on campus, and we couldn’t be more excited! Teachers and staff are focusing on making this year safe, fun, and an exciting educational experience just as we always do. In the absence of open house, we know many of you may have questions, and that’s okay! We are here and ready to help! Make sure you download our school app to your smart phone by searching ‘WL-S Tigers‘ in the App Store or Google Play store. You can see what that app will look like pictured above. Also, make sure you ‘like’ our Facebook page! Click on the live feed or check our facebook page for many updates over the last several days. Athletic events have the most recent information posted to live feed, Facebook, and the website, as of Friday September 4th. We will update that weekly or as things change. You can also see updates by following the WLSAA Facebook page or following them on Twitter. Students will receive invoices for fees this week. We accept checks or cash, but not debit or credit at this time. Make sure you make checks payable to WL-S and put your students name on the memo line. Again, we are excited for the year ahead, even as we navigate many firsts and many changes together. Our community, staff and students are one of a kind and we know WE CAN DO THIS! GO TIGERS!

Hello Families, This is Kraig Hissong, Superintendent with several important pieces of information that I would like to share as we begin the school year. Warning this is a long message. Please listen to this entire message or go to our website or app to read the message on Live Feed. 1. Please make sure that you have updated your child’s registration information on Final Forms. This is the electronic version that we began using last year that allows you to avoid all the paperwork at the beginning of the year. This information needs to be reviewed and updated by the parent each year. It is CRITCAL for families to update this information. It is also important for families that plan to utilize Bus transportation this year. If you have not updated Final Forms, please do so today. If you have questions, please call the school before 3 PM. 2. Morning drop off procedures for parents bringing their children to school will remain the same for this year. Please review these procedures on our website under NEWS. We average nearly 300 cars that drop off students each morning in about a 15 minute window. We expect more will likely drop students off this year. Remember to be patient and cautious during parent drop off. If you need to get out of your car to assist your child to the building, we ask that you use the front parking lot to park you vehicle, use the crosswalk, and walk your child to the building. Also please remember the following: a. If coming from the South (Urbana) please use the South entrance to enter the school site and if coming from the North, please use the North Entrance during Morning arrival and Afternoon Dismissal times, This helps with traffic flow during these busy times of day! b. Please remember to pull forward, past the flag pole and cross walk, as far as you can before letting your child out. This allows for as much space as possible for those behind you to drop off. c. We highly recommend parents to remain in your vehicle when using the drop off lane and to let you children out on the curb side of the car only! d. Please do not let your child exit the car from the passing lane at any time. e. Make sure your children are ready to get out of the car. The more prepared you are, the safer your child will be and it will help to keep the line of cars moving f. If you like to avoid the crowd, please arrive to drop off your child before 7:20. They will be able to safely wait to enter the building under the canopy until school door open. g. This year remember to have your mask on when you exit the vehicle and children should socially distance from others while entering the school building. 3. Afternoon Dismissal Pickup: Parents may utilize the front parking lot and the front drop off lane to park while waiting for your child to exit the building. Elementary parents, please refer to the elementary school procedures for picking up your child. 4. Free and Reduced Lunch Applications: Please remember to Apply for Free and Reduced Lunch if your family is in need or financial assistance. If you already receive free and reduced lunch benefits from last school year, you still have to apply for this school year. All benefits will cease on October 19th, unless you have reapplied. 5. Visitors will be very limited this school year to the building. If you need to speak to or have business with someone at the school, we encourage you to call the school first. All visitors must have their temperature taken before entering the office. Visitors must enter through the main entrance only! 6. School Fees: - School Fee invoices will be sent to families during the second week of school. 7. Schools Supplies – If you missed our drop off times for school supplies here at the school, we ask that you only send you child with supplies that they can carry into the school easily, on their own. Better to send in a little over several days than to send it all in one trip, since parents will not be allowed inside the school. We are looking forward to Tuesday and the start of the school year! We think this school year will be great despite the challenges of COVID. Our staff is prepared to limit your child’s risk to COVID and provide them the safest and best learning environment possible. Thank you all very much for your patience ahead of time. As we have learned, expect the unexpected and be prepared. Make sure that you have thought out how you will care for your children if we have to switch to a hybrid or remote learning model during the school year and if your child would be required to quarantine due to illness or possible exposure to COVID. We look forward to the return of all our Tigers! It has been a long time since March and will be great to have you all back here at school! Have a great labor day weekend and don’t forget to complete Final Forms if you have not done so.

The following is pre-sale ticket information for the upcoming week 9/7 thru 9/12 for WL-S Pre-sale tickets will be on sale each morning Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri at the school from 8:00 -12:00- in the front vestibule at door #2- this is just to the left of the main entrance. There will be signs indicating where to enter. For those not able to purchase tickets during the day, tickets will be available Tuesday night (9/8) at the main stadium ticket booth outside from 5:00- 7:00 PM As we are one week into this, we have found that for most games (other than High School football) we are not reaching full capacity, so there has been tickets available for the general public to purchase at the gate. This is not to say you shouldn’t stop buying pre-sale, some games might fill up, and we wont be able to allow general admission, but past history of this week has shown that there is always tickets available. This theory would apply to MS/HS Volleyball, JV football, and Boys and girls soccer. For Friday night football game vs Fairbanks, as we did before, each football player, band and cheer members will be awarded the opportunity to purchase 2 tickets each under their name. After 10:00 AM on Thursday, what is left will be opened up again for each to purchase 2 more from 10:00 AM -12:00 PM on Thursday. After that opportunity, what is left, is available on Friday from 8:00-12:00 PM until we sell out. Still rely on your coach to communicate “away” game ticket policies, as we are informed of those on a weekly basis. If you have questions, call the Athletic Office at (937)465-1149 or email jvitt@wlstigers.org Thank you for your understanding and willingness to work with us through this difficult time.