Flight 250: To Heights Unseen

By Dr. Joshua Bledsoe
Public Information Officer

The weather may be cooling down, but things continue to heat up on Flight 250 as we Elevate EPIC to Heights Unseen in the Walton County School District! October was a month filled with celebrations that illustrate the collective success of our students and staff in the WCSD.

Our youngest passengers received extraordinary accolades as ALL of our Summer VPK sites received an “Excellent” rating from the Florida Department of Education—the highest rating possible. While FLDOE does not assign letter grades to VPK programs, earning “Excellent” across all sites is something worth celebrating! Those summer VPK students are now enjoying their first year of kindergarten. Thanks to our stellar programs, dedicated staff, and involved parents, they were able to hit the runway without losing speed on their first day.

The WCSD has once again been named an “Academically High-Performing School District,” 1 of only 18 districts across Florida to receive this recognition. To qualify, districts must earn an “A” for two consecutive years, have no district-operated schools receiving an “F,” meet all state class size requirements, and have no material weaknesses or instances of material noncompliance in their annual financial audit. This distinction recognizes both student achievement and responsible district management.

These designations and accolades reflect the hard work of our staff, students, school board, and community and illustrate the intentional instructional practices taking place in our classrooms. Behind each recognition are people working together to help our students reach their potential.

November brings two major holidays, so mark your calendars:

• November 11 — Veterans Day: We will be out in observance of Veterans Day as we honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans.
• November 23–27 — Thanksgiving Break: All personnel will be off, and campuses will be closed throughout the week.

During this month of giving thanks, we thank our parents for their trust in us; our employees for their unwavering dedication to their students and their craft; the Walton County School Board for its support of education in Walton County; and our community for supporting all the individuals who make up the tapestry that is the Walton County School District.

Keep your eyes on the horizon, Walton County—we’re headed To Heights Unseen!