August Update: Opequon Elementary

I hope that you are enjoying the summer break! We have been working to prepare for the upcoming school year and I wanted to send out a brief update. This message will provide you with information on important dates, Orientation, transportation, new student enrollment, how you will find out your child's teacher, and a list of our staff members.

Our office staff members are slowly returning to work, and have been catching up on voicemails and enrollment questions. I am available via email at kematrudo@k12.wv.us if you are unable to reach me by phone.

I look forward to another fantastic school year here at Opequon Elementary!

In Partnership,

Dr. Ematrudo,

Principal

Monday, August 14th:

• Teachers and Staff Return!

Thursday, August 17th:

• Orientation

Monday, August 21st:

• First Day of School for K-2 Students!

Tuesday, August 22nd:

• First Day of School for Pre-K Students (specific students only)

Wednesday, August 23rd:

• First Day of School for Pre-K Students (specific students only)

Generic school supply lists have been posted to our school website and can be accessed here: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/article/1153880. We have plenty of new bookbags that will be available during orientation.

Additional items may be requested by teachers during orientation on August 17th.

Due to staffing changes as a result of enrollment, our post cards have not been mailed out yet. They will be put in the mail on Monday, August 7th with a little note from their new teacher! If you do not receive a postcard by August 17th, our staff members will direct you to your child's classroom during orientation. Our Pre-K rosters are handled by Pikeside Early Learning Center, and we have not been given those lists yet. Pre-K parents will receive a phone call from their child's teacher on August 14th or August 15th.

With an increase in our population, we are growing by the minute! Our school parking lot was not originally designed to handle a tremendous amount of vehicle traffic. We are asking all families to choose BCS busing as their child's mode of transportation.

To find your child's bus # and bus stop information, please click here: http://webquery.bcswv.org/livewq/webquery/.

We are going to have very strict guidelines in place for parents who choose to drive their child to and from school to ensure student safety in the parking lots. Cars will not be permitted on school property earlier than 8:00 AM in the morning and 2:45 PM in the afternoons.

Your cooperation and understanding are both greatly appreciated!

New to the area? Moving to a new BCS school? Enrolling for the first time? We are excited to have you and your student(s) join our school community.

• Please use the information below to help make your school enrollment process quick and easy. Is your student already enrolled and attending the same school as last year? You’re all set!

• Be sure to check back at the start of the school year to complete your Annual Emergency Information Update.

CLICK HERE: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/page/enrollment

Pre-K Teachers:

• Mrs. Marie Carpenter
• Ms. Amber Foor
• Ms. Carolina Murillo

Instructional Assistants - Pre-K:

• Mrs. Jessica Weigle
• Mrs. Porsha Womack

Kindergarten Teachers:

• Mrs. Dawn Blackburn
• Mrs. Megan Carpenter
• Ms. Jocelyn Franklin
• Mrs. Brandi Hinchman
• Mrs. Natalie Michael-Bragg
• Ms. Devin Moore

Instructional Assistants - Kindergarten:

• Mrs. Christy Allen
• Mrs. Brenda Bragg
• Mrs. Leeann Lopez
• Mrs. Robin McKee
• Mrs. Debbie Rimmer
• Mrs. Sharon Sencindiver

First Grade Teachers:

• Mrs. Janelle Ellis
• Ms. Stacie Inskeep
• Mrs. Heather Keith
• Mrs. Amanda O'Donnell
• Ms. Rachel Perrin (Sims)
• Mrs. Courtney Sampson

Instructional Assistants - First Grade:

• Mrs. Lindsey Benn-Miller
• Ms. Shaina Kesecker
• Mrs. Maria Menocal
• Mrs. Amanda Murphy
• Mrs. Kelly Potts
• Mrs. Tonya Welch

Second Grade:

• Mrs. Cristen Gillett
• Mrs. Shalayna Leslie
• Mrs. Stephanie Nelson
• Ms. Micaiah Noland
• Mrs. Kimberly Scheppler
• Ms. Tory Stamps

Specialists:

• Ms. Anne Marie Corley, Autism
• Mrs. Tracy Malcolm, Autism
• Ms. Raxan Reid, Multi-categorical
• Mrs. Halle Whitenight, Autism

Instructional Aides:

• Mrs. Ashlee Hartman
• Mrs. Katie Hovermale
• Mr. Brandon Potts
• Ms. Keyonna Redman
• Mrs. Heather Rozek

Unified Arts:

• Mrs. Allison Bixler, Librarian
• Mrs. Elizabeth Freeman, Music
• Mr. Joe Gibbs, Art
• Mrs. Brandy Hudson, Physical Education
• Mr. Jack Price, Technology

Student Support:

• Mr. John Carper, Technology Integration Specialist
• Ms. Irene Cunningham, Speech-Language Assist
• Mrs. Amanda Freeman, Reading Specialist
• Ms. Loren Holliday, Reading Specialist
• Mrs. Ashley Jenkins, Speech-Language Pathologist
• Mr. Huston Johnson, Reading Specialist
• Mrs. Jill Leathers, English Language Learners
• Mrs. Kim Patton, School Counselor
• Mrs. Dottie Pownall, Instructional Coach
• Mr. Patrick Pushic, Math Interventionist
• Mrs. Shelly Sexton, Reading Specialist
• Ms. Jodi Williams, School Counselor

Kitchen Staff:

• Mrs. Joy Campbell, Cafeteria Manager
• Mrs. Tina Hess, Cook
• Mrs. Lynette Richards, Cook
• Mrs. Amy Stanley, Cook
• Mrs. Sandy Wood, Asst. Cafeteria Manager

Custodial Team:

• Mr. Kenny Tephabock, Daytime/Head Custodian
• Mrs. Sheena Banks, Evening Custodian

Office Staff:

• Dr. Krista Ematrudo, Principal
• Mrs. Hannah Eyler, School Nurse (returns in October)
• Mrs. Linda Fontaine, Registrar
• Ms. Lisa Foulk, Finance

We'd like to thank Dr. Jurkowski for his year of service to the Opequon community. He has decided to explore a new venture, and will not be returning to serve as our Assistant Principal for the 2023-2024 school year. We are currently in the process of hiring a replacement and will update our school community when a recommendation has been made.

If you need to contact us, please call the office at 304.267.3550 or email the following personnel:

- Dr. Ematrudo, Principal: kematrudo@k12.wv.us

- Mrs. Fontaine, Secretary/Registrar: lfontaine@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/7

- Ms. Foulk, Financial Secretary: lisa.foulk@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/3

- Mrs. Patton, School Counselor: kpatton@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/3

- Mrs. Williams, School Counselor: jgwilliams@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/3

Email: kematrudo@k12.wv.us
Website: berkeleycountyschools.org/opequon
Location: 395 East Road, Martinsburg, WV, USA
Phone: (304) 267-3550