Dear Washington-Henry Families,
Welcome to the 2025–2026 school year at Washington-Henry Elementary! I’m thrilled to have you as part of our school community and can’t wait to see the energy and excitement our students bring through the doors. This year’s theme, “All Aboard the Statesmen Express: On Track to Success!” sets the tone as we pull out of the station and head full speed into a year filled with learning, growth, and connection.
As your principal, it’s an honor to be part of a school that cares deeply about students and families. Our dedicated educators have been hard at work preparing classrooms, planning engaging lessons, and creating a warm, welcoming environment for all of our Statesmen. We can’t wait to see their smiling faces back in the building!
Washington-Henry is a place where curiosity, responsibility, and critical thinking are nurtured, and every child is seen and valued. We believe that the strongest foundation for student success is built through a strong partnership between our school and families. Your involvement and support are key, and we look forward to working together to create a positive and impactful learning environment.
Thank you for trusting us with your child’s journey. We’re ready to make this school year our best one yet!
I encourage you to stay connected with us throughout the year. Our newsletters and social media channels are great ways to stay informed about school events and updates.
- Join the WHES PTA
- Follow our school and PTA Facebook pages
- Activate your ParentSquare account for reminders and updates
With regards,
Shalone Morgan
Principal
Washington-Henry Elementary School
2025–2026 General Information:
Student Hours: 7:50 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Arrival to School: Students may arrive at school beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The tardy bell will ring at 7:50 a.m. ** This is new for 2025–2026 and the gate will be locked at 7:50 a.m.**
First Day of School: Monday, August 18, Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First-grade students only.
Tuesday, August 19,
all students report to school.
- Pack your patience - you should expect some delays this first week as transportation and our students get used to new routes and school procedures. Our ultimate goal is for all students to have an enjoyable first week of school and that everyone is safe. We thank you in advance for your assistance with this.
Dismissal From School: The WHES transportation letter outlines the procedure.
- Bus riders: Buses will load beginning at 2:30 p.m. All buses will depart school grounds by 2:40 p.m.
- Car riders: The gate for dismissal will not open prior to 2:25 p.m. We have students using the access road and playground until 2:25 p.m.
- Please do not arrive before 2:30 p.m.
- Please do not park on the grass along the fence on Shady Grove.
- Cars will be released after buses have loaded and departed.
- The authorized pick-up person should display the pick-up tag in their windshield at dismissal.
- We do not accept transportation changes via phone. Changes are only accepted via a written note or an email to the classroom teacher/office.
- Please send in a note if your student will have a change in transportation. We ask that all transportation changes be shared via a note/email to the classroom teacher and our registrar, Mrs. Chipman. In the case of an emergency, you can send an email to Mrs. Chipman, or call the school.
- For us to accurately place all students on the correct transportation, we ask that all transportation changes be requested by 2:15 p.m. Requests made after this time should be in emergency situations only.
Attendance: It is important that students attend school daily.
If your student will be absent: Please inform our school nurse, Mrs. Amos, when your student is absent. Please either
email her or call her 804-723-2303. This will help keep your students' attendance accurate.
Breakfast: Grab & Go bags from the cafeteria that will be eaten in the classroom.
The cost is $2.00.
Lunch and Snack: Students may bring a snack from home to enjoy in the classroom if families choose to send one in. Lunch will be eaten in the cafeteria. The cost of a student
lunch is $3.55. Families in need of assistance are encouraged to complete a free and reduced-price lunch application, available online.
Lunch Visitors: We’re happy to welcome lunch visitors! Due to limited space in the cafeteria, we will use a sign-up system to ensure we can accommodate as many families as possible.
To help students adjust to routines, we kindly ask that parents wait until week three of school to begin visiting for lunch. During the first two weeks, our staff will be focused on teaching cafeteria procedures, setting expectations, and monitoring lunch transitions.
Volunteer: We are excited to have parents volunteering in the building to support our school. A new volunteer application must be completed each school year. Please complete a
volunteer application if you are interested in volunteering this school year.
Student Verification Forms: The required student verification forms are now available entirely online. Families will use the PowerSchool Parent Portal to access, complete, and submit the Student Information Verification Form and other school forms.