All Pocahontas County Schools will be closed on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
All Pocahontas County Schools will operate on a 3-hour delay for Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
All Pocahontas County Schools will operate on a 3-hour delay for Monday, February 27, 2023. Staff will report at their regular time. Counseling services for students and staff will be available at the individual schools. Please keep the Green Bank community and their families in your hearts as they navigate the passing of a student.
Pocahontas County Schools have received notification that the lockdown of schools can be lifted. Superintendent Beam has lifted the lockdown. Dismissal will be at the normal time. Long-distance phone service has been restored but not local service. After-school activities are permitted. Many thanks to law enforcement, emergency management, and our most understanding community and parents as we navigated through this experience. May your weekend be restful!
Due to police presence searching for an escaped inmate all Pocahontas County Schools are on lockdown. We are in communication with law enforcement and we are taking all precautions to ensure the safety of all students and staff. We feel our students are safest in locked buildings rather than transporting them home at this time. We are still without phone service as most of the residential customers are in Pocahontas County. But, please be assured that we are in contact with law enforcement and emergency services. When the situation changes we will contact the schools and the public.
During the week of February 6-10, school counselors from all over the nation will be celebrated during National School Counselors Week. We want to take this opportunity to thank our school counselors: Linda Beverage at PCHS, Janesa Henderson at MES, Melissa Doss at MMS, Ira Brown at GBEMS, and Dana Cutlip at HES for all of their efforts to counsel our kids during times of crisis or for everyday situations that need to be addressed with our students. Times are hard for many of our students, and our school counselors do their very best to make students more successful in dealing with life's challenges. Thank you so much for everything that you do every single day!
Effective Monday, February 6, in the event of a three-hour delay all employees are to report to work one hour prior to students arriving. The purpose of this change is to give teachers more collaboration and faculty meeting time. The board and I have heard your concerns about having more opportunities during the school day for such important meetings, as meeting after school is difficult for many of you. In speaking with many other superintendents, most of them require their employees to do report in this fashion, and some even require employees to report on a regular schedule during delays and stay the entire day when there is an early dismissal for weather. I have considered making this change for quite some time and realize that it may create inconveniences for some of you. Certainly, that is not my intention but simply a by-product of this decision.
Either today or tomorrow the annual school calendar survey will be available for your review and comment. Please take the time to review the calendar and the page listing how the calendar will work before entering your comments on the survey page. The survey contains just two questions: your affiliation with the school system and a narrative opportunity for you to write your comments. The survey will close on Thursday, February 9.
All Pocahontas County Schools will be operating on a 3 hour delay for Tuesday, January 31, 2023 due to impending weather conditions.
Pocahontas County Schools is hiring. Please contact us for more information on how to join our team.
All Pocahontas County Schools will operate on a 3-hour delay for Thursday, January 26, 2023, due to weather conditions and icy road conditions.
All Pocahontas County Schools will be closed on Wednesday, January 25, 2023.
All Pocahontas County Schools will be operating on a 3-hour delay for Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Collaboration training will be rescheduled.
All Pocahontas County Schools will be operating on a 3-hour delay for Monday, January 23, 2023. Collaboration training will be rescheduled.
We are hiring! (See image for details) Please send a letter or email to Terrence Beam, Superintendent with Pocahontas County Schools. The deadline is January 17, 2023. You must either mail a letter or email Terrence Beam to apply and get further information regarding requirements. We hope that you will join our team!
The West Virginia Broadband Council is kindly asking our residents to challenge the FCC Broadband map before Friday, January 13, 2023. This map is not accurate in depicting internet services in Pocahontas County. If you can take a minute to review the map and file a challenge it will be very helpful to determine the true picture of internet services here in Pocahontas County. The website address is included in this message and information will be going home with students this week regarding the issue. https://broadband.wv.gov/news/west-virginians-encouraged-to-challenge-the-fcc-broadband-map-before-january-13/
We hope everyone had a wonderful break with friends and family. We cannot wait to see our students back to school on Wednesday, January 4. See you soon!
As we enter into the Christmas season, let us all take the time to relax, partake of great food and spend quality time with our loved ones. For so many people, the holidays are a difficult time for a variety of reasons. Let us not take this time for granted, but instead be thankful for our lives and our families. Most of all, remember the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of Jesus. May the Lord bless you and your loved ones.
Terrence Beam, Superintendent of Schools
CONGRATULATIONS to Pocahontas County spelling bee winners! Our first and second place winners will represent Pocahontas County at the regional bee on March 3rd.
1st Jarrell Clifton - Marlinton Elementary School
2nd Nadiya Kerr - Green Bank Elementary/Middle School
3rd Bailey Goodwin - Marlinton Elementary School
A special thanks to Melissa Jordan for coordinating this year's county spelling bee.
There have been many calls regarding the number of students absent at some of our schools. As of right now, we are remaining about the same with our numbers. The State Department says as long as there is enough staff to supervise/care for our students, we are to remain open. We are closely monitoring the situation. These are the approximate numbers of student absences: MES 56, MMS 54, GBEMS 17, PCHS 42, and HES 8.