First Day of School

WAYNE HIGHLANDS SCHOOL DISTRICT
SCHOOL OPENING NOTICE

A reminder that our first day of school will begin on Monday, August 31, 2026.

The Wayne Highlands School District will begin its school year on Monday, August 31, 2026 for all students in grades Kindergarten through 12th. Homeroom assignments for each building will be published and accessible at www.whsdk12.com.

All students should be aware of their homeroom assignments before reporting to school on the first day.

The grade assignments and homeroom lists for all buildings are as follows:

Upon arrival at school, students should report to their designated areas. The normal dismissal time for all buildings is 3:00 P.M.

All bus routes and pickup times for the 2026-2027 school year will remain the same as for the 2025-2026 school year, except where parents have been notified directly.

IMPORTANT DATES

Stourbridge Primary Center – Registrations and medical examinations should be completed before August 1^st. Kindergarten Parent/Student Orientation is scheduled by grade level. Transportation information for Kindergarten students will be available at orientation.

SPC 1st Grade Curriculum Night - TBD

SPC 2nd Grade Curriculum Night - TBD

Damascus Area School – Parent/Student Open House/Meet the Teacher is scheduled for TBD

Preston Area School – Parent/Student Open House/Meet the Teacher will be held on TBD. The school year for Hancock Central School will begin on TBD.

Lakeside Elementary School – Open House is this Thursday, August 27, 2026. 3rd Grade Open House starts at 9:00 AM in the cafeteria. 4th Grade Open House is at 11:00 AM, and 5th Grade is at 1:00 PM. 4th and 5th grade students and families should go directly to their homeroom for open house.

Wayne Highlands Middle School – Sixth Grade Ice Cream Social will be held on Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.

Honesdale High School – Freshmen Tailgate will be held on Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Food Services:

The District cafeterias will be in operation on the first day of school. All students receive FREE School Breakfast every day! The prices for the school lunches will be as follows: Elementary students (K-5) $2.75, Secondary students (6-12) $3.00. Reduced price lunch is free.

Breakfast will be served on the first day of school.All cafeterias, K-12, will begin serving breakfast on Monday, August 25, 2025. The price for school breakfast is free for all grades K-12.

Prepaying for school meals with cash or check (made payable to “WHSD Food Services”) is recommended.This can be done in the mornings at each school or you may prepay online at www.schoolcafe.com. If you pay for school meals on line, a small fee of $1.95 per transaction is assessed.Parents can monitor their student’s cafeteria accounts at no charge using the webpage link above.

Applications for free or reduced priced meals will be handed out in homeroom the first day of school.Families who think that they may be eligible for meal benefits are encouraged to apply. Families may also apply on-line at www.paschoolmeals.com.

If you received a letter from the Food Service Office saying your child(ren) is DIRECTLY CERTIFIED for free meals, you DO NOT need to fill out the application.

Student Accidental Insurance Information:

Enrollment forms for the Student Accident Insurance Program will be available on the Wayne Highlands School District website or made available through your student’s school office. The premium for school-day protection is $28.00, and the premium for twenty-four-hour protection is $124.00. Directions for paying the insurance premiums will be provided with the enrollment forms.

The premium for school time with Extended Dental protection is $12.00, and the premium for twenty-four-hour Coverage with Extended Dental is $74.00.

Directions for paying the insurance premiums will be provided with the enrollment forms, or you may click this link directly for more information, including the application.

1:1 iPad Program

Wayne Highlands School District students have access to their very own iPad 24/7, and are welcome to take their iPad off campus to explore their curriculum in our one-to-one environment. We have provided many resources for our students and parents. Please review the information below for information about our 1:1 iPad program.

The Wayne Highlands School District does offer voluntary Accidental Damage Insurance for student iPads for students enrolled in our one-to-one iPad program. Insurance will cover most instances of accidental damage, including cracked screens, damaged digitizers, liquid spills, vandalism, drops, and damage caused by power surges. The policy is also transferable to a replacement iPad if there were ever a hardware issue with your assigned iPad.