School Closing Reminder | Election Day
Wise County Public Schools will be closed on Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in observance of Election Day.
⏰ Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 1, as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end!
🏫 School operations will resume on a regular schedule on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
🍎 Happy National Principals Month! 🍎
As October comes to an end, we want to recognize and thank our incredible leadership team throughout Wise County Public Schools for their commitment to students, families, schools, and communities.
Being a principal means wearing many hats, supporting teachers, encouraging students, working with families, and making sure our schools are places where everyone can succeed. We know it takes a lot of hard work, many late evenings, patience, and heart, and we truly appreciate the time and effort our principals give each day.
To our principals, thank you for showing up, leading by example, and always putting your school communities first. The difference you make does not go unnoticed, and we are grateful to have you leading our schools!
Athletic Director Spotlight: Jeremy Salyers
Eastside High School | Part 1 of 3
Behind every successful athletic program is someone working hard behind the scenes to make it all happen. At Wise County Public Schools, we want to recognize and celebrate our athletic directors, who balance the many demands of leading school athletic programs while also serving as assistant principals at their respective high schools.
This three-part Athletic Director Spotlight series highlights the people behind our athletic programs and the many responsibilities that come with the role. From managing financial budgets and securing sponsorships to coordinating transportation, directing tournaments, recognizing district, regional, and state honors, ensuring compliance and student eligibility, and helping move legislation forward with the Virginia High School League (VHSL), athletic directors wear many hats. All of this is in addition to their daily responsibilities as assistant principals.
Our first spotlight features Jeremy Salyers, Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at Eastside High School!
A graduate of Pound High School, Mr. Salyers has dedicated 24 years to education, including 22 years as a teacher. His educational journey includes studies at Radford University, Walters State Community College, UVA-Wise, and Mountain Empire Community College (MECC). He also brings approximately 20 years of experience as a head baseball coach at Powell Valley, Union, and Central. In his role as an athletic director, he has also served as district secretary.
We asked Mr. Salyers to share more about his journey, the responsibilities of his role, and what makes being an athletic director so rewarding.
What inspired you to become an athletic director, and what has your journey in education and athletics looked like?
“I love sports. I've always enjoyed sports and being around them. I've done AD duties at three different schools and have enjoyed helping alleviate some of the daily stresses from our coaches by doing the ‘behind-the-scenes’ things so they don't have to.”
What does a typical day look like for you as an athletic director? What are some responsibilities people may not realize you manage behind the scenes?
“Ensuring referees are assigned to each of our home games, our athletes have current physicals on file, our athletes are academically eligible, making sure gatekeepers are scheduled for home games, among many other things.”
What is the most rewarding part of your job, and is there a particular moment or experience that stands out in your career?
“The rewarding part of the job is ensuring each student that attends Eastside has the opportunity to participate in an extracurricular activity. We offer something for every student if they wish to participate.”
What is one of the biggest challenges athletic directors face, and how do you work to balance the many demands of your role?
“The biggest challenge, in my opinion, is that the workload has increased as technology has improved. Technology like Arbiter and Luxedo is wonderful, but it has increased the amount of time I spend daily on AD duties during the school day. It does take away time from my assistant principal duties. It's a tough balance to manage.”
What do you hope student-athletes learn from participating in school athletics beyond the game itself?
“Athletics closely resemble life. You may work hard to achieve a desired outcome, but you may not always reach your goal.”
Outside of school, Mr. Salyers enjoys spending time with his wife, Amber Salyers, who serves as an assistant principal at JWAC. Together, they enjoy camping, bike riding, attending church, and traveling.
Wise County Public Schools appreciates Mr. Salyers and the dedication he brings to Eastside High School. The work of an athletic director extends far beyond the playing field, requiring countless hours of planning, coordination, problem-solving, and support to ensure students and coaches have the opportunities and resources they need to succeed.
Thank you, Mr. Salyers, for your commitment to our students, coaches, and school community!
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Athletic Director Spotlight series as we continue celebrating the dedicated professionals who help make our school athletic programs possible.
🚌 National School Bus Safety Week | October 19–23, 2026 🚌
This week, Wise County Public Schools joins school communities across the nation in celebrating National School Bus Safety Week and recognizing the everyday heroes who help our students arrive at school and return home safely!
Our school bus drivers play an important role in the lives of our students. Their dedication, patience, and commitment to safety make a difference every single day. We are grateful for the care they show our students and the responsibility they carry on every route.
📸 Over the next five days, we’ll be sharing posts and pictures celebrating our valued school bus drivers! We hope you’ll join us in recognizing these dedicated members of our WCPS family who work hard each day to make a difference in the lives of our students.
🚦 Let’s all do our part to keep students safe!
Stop when a school bus has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended.
Slow down and watch for children near bus stops and school zones.
Remind students to wait safely, follow their driver’s instructions, and use caution when boarding and exiting the bus.
To our WCPS bus drivers and transportation team, thank you for all you do to keep our students safe. We appreciate you today and every day!
The Lenowisko Health Department has shared dates and times for upcoming school-based flu clinics for students.
Parents/guardians may register online by using the REDCap link provided on the flyer or by clicking the link below:
https://redcap.link/lenoschoolflu26
The Lenowisko Health Department is requesting that consent forms be completed by October 4, 2026. Health Department staff will begin collecting completed forms after this date. Please note that additional consent forms received after October 4 will still be accepted.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to review the linked flyer for clinic dates, times, and additional information.
10/15/2026 - Coeburn Primary School - 9:00am
10/15/2026 - Coeburn Middle School - 10:30am
10/15/2026 - Eastside High School - 1:00pm
10/19/2026 - Union Primary School - 9:00am
10/19/2026 - Union Middle School - 10:30am
10/19/2026 - Union High School - 1:00pm
Student Vaccination Form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s2cBgYctQBgbet7hge4ilUV7VhpRjP5n/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118171730297788648515&rtpof=true&sd=true
Employee/Staff Vaccination Form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eNmbxu1wG5KMFi0prJsuIqLCfhZwYlsP/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118171730297788648515&rtpof=true&sd=true
You may access the newsletter by clicking the following link:
https://wisecova.edurooms.com/newsletters/wise-county-public-schools/newsletters/october-2026-newsletter
Wise County Public Schools will be closed on Monday, October 12, for Fall Break.
We wish all students, staff, and families enjoy a safe, relaxing, and well-deserved long weekend!
Position: 26-27 Special Education Teacher - Eastside High School
Employment Link: https://wiseva.schoolspring.com/?jobid=5953945
Application Deadline: October 21, 2026
Starting Date: To Be Determined
Terms of Employment: Full-Time
Salary: $47,560.00 Per Yer
Job Description:
The Wise County School Board is an equal opportunity employer, committed to
nondiscrimination in recruitment, selection, hiring, pay, promotion, retention or other
personnel actions affecting employees or candidates for employment. Therefore,
discrimination in employment against any person on the basis of race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, ancestry, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, gender,
gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, marital status,
status as a veteran, genetic information or disability is prohibited. Personnel decisions
are based on merit and the ability to perform the essential functions of the job, with or
without reasonable accommodation.
Licensure Requirement: Must have a current Special Education teaching license issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Job Requirements:
Citizenship, residency or work visa required.
Contact Information:
Mr. Matthew Hamilton
Principal
EASTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL
Phone: 276-395-3389
Email: mrhamilton@wisek12.org
October 7, 2026
Wise County Schools Earn Full Accreditation and Distinguished Performance Ratings
WISE, Va. — Wise County Public Schools is celebrating another achievement: all 11 schools included in the Virginia Department of Education’s 2026–2027 division report are Fully Accredited and earned a Distinguished rating, the highest performance category under Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF).
The schools recognized are:
Union Primary School
St. Paul Elementary School
Coeburn Primary School
J.W. Adams Combined School
Wise Primary School
L.F. Addington Middle School
Coeburn Middle School
Union Middle School
Eastside High School
Central High School
Union High School
The SPSF ratings reflect data from the 2025–2026 school year and measure student mastery, academic growth, readiness, and graduation, as applicable to each school. Full Accreditation is a separate designation confirming that schools meet Virginia’s required operating standards.
This recognition builds on Wise County Public Schools’ third-place ranking in Standards of Learning performance among Virginia’s 131 school divisions. Together, these achievements demonstrate strong performance across the division’s primary, elementary, middle, combined, and high schools.
Wise County Public Schools congratulates its students, teachers, support staff, and school leaders and thanks its families and community members for their continued support. These results reflect a shared commitment to helping the children of Wise County learn, grow, and succeed.
Today, we celebrate the coaches who do so much more than teach the game. They inspire, encourage, challenge, mentor, and believe in their athletes—helping shape not only better players, but better people. ❤️
Whether they coach at the varsity, junior varsity, middle school, or rec league level, their impact can last a lifetime.
🥇 Share this post and tag a coach who has made a positive impact in your life! Let’s give them the recognition they deserve and remind them just how much their dedication means.
Thank you to all the coaches who give their time, energy, and heart to our athletes and our communities!
WCPS will be offering FREE developmental and speech screenings on Friday, October 30th. These screenings are open to preschool children ages 2.5 - 5 years of age, who live in Wise County, and are not yet attending kindergarten. For more information, contact Kristen Day at kpday@wisek12.org, or at (276) 328-8017 ext. 12043.
Today, Wise County Public Schools recognizes and celebrates our incredible custodians who work behind the scenes each day to keep our schools clean, safe, and welcoming.
From early mornings to late afternoons, our custodians do so much more than maintain our buildings—they help create positive environments where students and staff can learn, work, and thrive.
Thank you to each of these individuals for their hard work, dedication, and the pride they take in caring for our schools. We appreciate you today and every day!
October is Bullying Prevention Month!
At Wise County Public Schools, we believe every student deserves to feel safe, respected, valued, and included. Throughout the month of October, we will share activities that our schools and students are participating in to spread kindness.
This month, let’s all remember to:
• Celebrate our differences.
• Include those who may feel left out.
• Know that our actions matter.
• Respect one another.
• Listen with patience.
• And most importantly, be kind to one another.
Small acts of kindness can make a lasting difference. Together, we can help create school communities where everyone feels like they belong.
Watch the Virginia School Boards Association’s Bullying Prevention Month video here:
https://youtu.be/edl64xcmvb8?si=osVBO_U8hCLRCwtr
#BullyingPreventionMonth #BeKind #ChooseKindness #WiseCountyPublicSchools
