Pulaski County Public Schools

Pulaski County Public Schools and Critzer Elementary are proud to honor Wayne Taylor as the Employee of the Month for January. Mr. Taylor is the lead custodian at Critzer. It is said that "he goes above and beyond every day. He greets the students as they get off the bus and checks in with staff members to see if they need anything". He is also described as "making Critzer a brighter place with his always positive attitude". He is at the school each morning before daylight and has worked well into the night due to being short-staffed in order to make sure that the school is clean and ready for everyone the next day. Mr. Taylor is married to Melody Taylor and they have 2 daughters - Cerylla is a teacher at Auburn Middle School and Holly is getting ready to make Mr. Taylor a PopPop for the first time!!!!

Abbott named Teacher of the Month Pulaski County Public Schools and Critzer Elementary School are pleased to honor Sara Abbott as Teacher of the Month for January 2022. Mrs. Abbott currently teaches Kindergarten at Critzer. One person wrote, "She loves being a teacher. Her colleagues recognize her talents and her students are gifted with a loving, kind, nurturing, and skilled teacher. She frequently has a very diverse class and she is always patient, encouraging, and provides a variety of interventions for each of her students." Mrs. Abbott is also described as having a positive attitude, supportive of her colleagues and always has a smile. Mrs. Abbott is married to Rob Abbott and they have two children, Waylen and Olivia.

Pulaski County Public Schools and Pulaski County High School are pleased to honor Gabriella Martin as Senior of the Month for January 2022. Gabriella is the daughter of Kennith and Eva Martin of Dublin. Gabriella is the current FFA Student Advisor. She has been in FFA all four years and has served as an officer for three years. She is a straight A student who strives to do well in anything she participates in. She attends important public events in the county for PCHS FFA and networks wherever she goes. Gabriella has an outstanding SAE (supervised agricultural experience) project where she raises her own sheep and goats. She shows them in local and state shows and has placed high in each show she has participated in. She takes wool from the sheep and makes sustainable wool clothing and wool felt artwork. She works hard to help keep our school livestock healthy and happy by providing them with fresh food, water and a clean environment. Gabriella has played a role in the development of the Sensory Trail and has volunteered her own time to work on the Sensory Trail. She has won many awards through FFA as she competes in a number of career development events and leadership development events. She currently holds her chapter degree and is currently working on her state degree which she will receive in June. She has a goal to run for the State FFA Officer team once she graduates. She plans to attend New River Community College and then transfer to Virginia Tech to study to become a mixed practice veterinarian. When she is not at school or working she is participating in community service whether that be with her church, through FFA or personal projects. Gabriella is the type of student that shows her cougar pride wherever she goes and strives to make her school and community a better place.

Pulaski County Public Schools will be closed on Thursday, January 20, 2022. This will be a Code 1 closing with no virtual instruction. All 11 and 12 month staff should report for their regularly scheduled hours. Thank you.

Pulaski County Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. This will be a Code 1 closing with no virtual instruction. All essential snow removal personnel should report by 8:00 a.m. All other 11 & 12 month employees report by 10:00 a.m. Thank you.

Pulaski County Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. This will be a Code 1 closing with no remote learning. All essential snow removal personnel should report by 8:00 a.m. All other 11 & 12 month employees report by 10:00 a.m. Thank you.

PCPS Announcement Regarding Changes in Mask Requirements Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order #2 that relaxes mask requirements in public schools is set to go into effect on Monday, January 24, 2022. We are in the process of consulting with the New River Health District to determine how EO2 will impact our Covid response plan for contact tracing and quarantine guidelines and expect to release a revised plan later in the week. PCPS will continue to require the use of masks in schools for all in-person learning through Friday, January 21, 2022. Thank you.

Program offers assistance for child care The Child Care Subsidy Program assists families in paying child care costs for children under the age of 13 who are not eligible to attend public schools during the part of the day when public education is available. Assistance is also offered for children with special needs under age 18 who reside with the applicant. For those parents who are eligible and approved, this program can pay a portion of your child care costs directly to the child care provider. Recently, there have been changes to the basic eligibility requirements, along with other changes. To be eligible for the program, you must be a Virginia resident who is either actively employed or engaged in a job search. You may also be eligible if you are participating in an education or training program, are receiving child protective services (CPS), participating in an assigned activity for the Virginia Initiative for Education and Work (VIEW), or are participating in a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training (SPAPET) plan of participation. Parents must be able to provide documentation of the child’s citizenship or legal residence in the United States. They must also provide documentation of the child’s immunization requirements as outlined by the State Board of Health. Finally, you must provide documentation of household income that does not exceed the limits of the locality in which you reside. Benefits under the Child Care Subsidy Program have now been expanded until May 31, 2022. Funding is available for families whose income is below 85% of the state median income. One example would be a family of four that earns less than $7,412 per month. For more information or to see if you may qualify for assistance under the Child Care Subsidy Program, visit https://www.doe.virginia.gov/cc/parents/index.html?pageID=4. For help finding child care, parents can contact the Child Care Aware of Virginia referral specialist at https://vachildcare.com/find-quality-childcare/request-child-care-form/.

PCPS offering meal distributions With the remainder of the week seeing a move to asynchronous remote learning for the entire school system, Pulaski County Public Schools is offering assistance in the form of meal distributions. All students (children) age 2-18 are eligible for meals. Those up to 21 years old with a disability are also eligible. Meals are being prepared and packaged by the Pulaski County Public Schools Nutrition Program Staff members and will be distributed Thursday, Jan. 13, from 2 p.m to 3 p.m. at locations throughout the county. Those locations are: Critzer Elementary School, located at 100 Critzer Drive in Pulaski; Dublin United Methodist Church, located at 425 E. Main Street in Dublin; Pulaski County High School, located at 5414 Cougar Trail Road in Dublin; Pulaski County Middle School, located at 4396 Lee Hwy in Pulaski; Pulaski Elementary School, located at 2004 Morehead Lane in Pulaski; Riverlawn Elementary School, located at 8100 Beth Nelson Drive in Fairlawn; Snowville Elementary School, located at 4858 Lead Mines Road in Hiwassee. All meals consist of a minimum minimum of the following items: protein, grain, fresh, frozen or canned fruit, and fresh, frozen or canned vegetable and flavored or unflavored fat free or 1% bottled milk. Parent/Guardians may pick up meals for their children at designated meal distribution sites. Some of the menu items are perishable and some items may require cooking. Pulaski County's Public School Nutrition Program releases responsibility to parents regarding food safety once meals are distributed. Nutrition information is available by contacting esadler@pcva.us or cpaul@pcva.us or by visiting www.pcva.us. Meals for Special Dietary needs are not available during meal planning - special circumstances please contact us. Some foods may contain allergens. Pulaski County School Nutrition releases the responsibility to parent/guardians to monitor your child's consumption of foods included in the meal bag that may cause an allergic reaction. Cooking instructions for the meals are included in the attached notice. For more information on the Virtual Meals Distribution Program, contact Ethlene Sadler at esadler@pcva.us or call the School Nutrition Hotline at 540-643-0104 or 540-440-0375.

Pulaski County Public Schools will be moving to asynchronous remote learning for Thursday, January 13 and Friday, January 14, 2022 due to staffing shortages caused by the rapidly increasing number of positive Covid cases in our schools. Students will be given assignments to complete and teachers will be available to assist remotely from 9:00-3:00 each day. The next scheduled day for in-person learning is Tuesday, January 18, 2022. Thank you.

Come join our team! PCPS is seeking Substitute School Nurse candidates.

"Worth the Investment" is a program that will help parents of students and student-athletes by giving them important information about preparing for college. There is no cost for this event.

NRVHBA presents donation to CTE Program Community involvement and support is a key part of ensuring student success, especially when it comes to success after graduation as those students move into the workforce. One group recently made a donation to help the Pulaski County High School Career and Technical Education Center (CTE) achieve several goals and better prepare several students for life after high school. The New River Valley Home Builders Association (NRVHBA) recently presented a donation to the CTE Program for $2,500 to support two class projects. One project involves drywall installation, and another is the construction of a pergola, a covered outdoor garden structure that creates a shaded walkway, on the PCHS campus. “This donation was made possible by funds raised through ticket sales at the Touch-a-Truck NRV event, which took place on Aug. 14 of this year,” stated Kelsey Grow of the NRVHBA. “Touch-a-Truck NRV is a fun, annual family event that helps get children's imaginations in gear so they can learn about careers that involve big vehicles, from construction and landscaping vehicles to law enforcement vehicles. Children get to have a safe and hands-on learning experience by safely exploring the vehicles, blasting the sirens, and honking horns while also asking questions with the men and women who operate them on the job.” The NRVHBA is a professional trade organization dedicated to being the respected voice of the residential and commercial building industry. Chartered in May 1976, the group is a nonprofit trade association affiliated with the HBA of Virginia and the National Association of Home Builders Members. “This event also allows the NRVHBA to fulfill its mission of advocating for the construction industry, educating our community and paving the way for the future in trades education, and giving back to the New River Valley through charitable efforts and scholarships,” Mrs. Grow said. “We are proud to support Pulaski County's Building Trades programs and help give them the tools to educate and encourage their students to learn about and hopefully pursue careers in the construction industry.” For learn more about the NRVHBA, visit their website at www.nrvhba.com. Photo Cutline: Seen here are community business leaders with members of the PCHS CTE Program during the check presentation. They are (from left) Kelsey Grow of NRVHBA, Jeff Nosenzo of Brown Insurance, Ian Friend of SAS Builders, Stephanie Bell of Gay and Neel, PCHS Building Management Instructor Buddy Ratcliff, PCHS Technology Education Instructor Christian Miller, and CTE Director Megan Atkinson.

Here we go! Info for the PCMS Fishing Team meeting.

Pulaski County Public Schools will be closed on Friday, January 7, 2022 due to inclement weather. This will be a Code 0 with no virtual instruction. Thank you.

Come join our team!

All after school activities for Pulaski County Public Schools are now cancelled for Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.

Important update for PC Fishing Team.

Congratulations to the JV Cougar basketball team on winning the First Community Bank Christmas Tournament JV Championship last week at Fort Chiswell High School.

Please read the following information concerning COVID testing for our students, staff and faculty. This program is FREE and completely voluntary. Testing takes place each week, and you do NOT have to take the tests each week if you choose not to. The testing schedule is Mondays at CES, 10 a.m. followed by DES at 1 p.m.; Tuesdays at PMCS 8 a.m., PES 10:30 a.m., PCHS 1 p.m.; Wednesdays are RES at 8 a.m., SES at 10 a.m. Please help us do everything possible to keep our students in school, in person and safe. Together we can make it through this.