As staff gets ready to welcome students back to buildings, there are some updates to share for heading back to school. Please see the following updates and reminders for the start of school.
Before and After School Care:
Registration is also open now for AlphaBest for before and after school care for the 2022-23 school year. You can register online by visiting the AlphaBest website:
www.alphabest.org/portsmouthva
Food Services:
Portsmouth Public Schools is part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, which provides free meals to all students in our schools. Grab-and-go breakfasts will be available each school day and lunches will be served in the cafeteria.
All eligible students enrolled during the last month of school year 2021-2022, including new high school graduates, received a one-time summer benefit of $391 on Aug. 25, 2022 on their previously issued P-EBT or SNAP EBT card. If you do not have an existing P-EBT card,
reach out to the Virginia Department of Social Services. You can learn more about this on ppsk12.us.
Mitigation Updates:
As guidance regarding the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be updated, administration has worked with the Portsmouth Health Department to set correct procedures and protocols for the school year that align with the latest guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You can find the up-to-date mitigation protocols and procedures for the division on the
COVID-19 Supports page.
School Hours and Calendars:
The
2022-23 school calendar is updated and available online, throughout the year, on the ppsk12.us homepage.
All school hours (including times for early release) are also
available on ppsk12.us.
School Safety:
The safety and security of the division’s students and staff is paramount. Administration works throughout the school year to strengthen practices and implement new procedures and protocols to help ensure the safety of all students. This includes the division’s ongoing partnership with the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office to provide school resource officers at all of our middle and high schools as well as support elementary schools. Among other practices, the division continues to utilize a buzz-in system for access to school buildings as well as the Raptor Visitor Management System, which screens all school visitors against the national sex offender database. The division is not requiring students use clear bookbags, backpacks, or purses. For more information on the division’s safety program,
visit the School Safety page on ppsk12.us.
Transportation:
Bus routes are being built and finalized. As in years past, they will be available on the school division’s website the week before school begins.
In addition, the Edulog Parent Portal app is available! This app helps keep you informed on your child’s bus location, including giving you planned bus stop times, live GPS location of your child’s bus as well as push notifications for when the bus is nearing your child’s stop. The Edulog Parent Portal app is free of charge can be downloaded for Apple and Android devices (using the Apple App Store or Google Play Store).
Vaccines:
All seventh-grade students are
required to have a tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) booster shot prior to the beginning of the school year. In addition, students must have
two doses of the Meningococcal Conjugate vaccine (the first dose should be administered prior to entering seventh grade. The final dose must be administered prior to entering 12th grade). The division will be allowing students a 30-day grace period to receive these vaccines; however, they must have proof of vaccination by Friday, Oct. 7. For more information about how you can get your child vaccinated, please call the Portsmouth Health Department at 757-393-8585.
This Back to School Page will hold all of these reminders, and continue to be updated as needed ahead of the first day of school, which is Tuesday, Sept. 6.