Important First Day of School Notes

We would like to thank you for a very successful orientation on Thursday evening. The majority of our families were able to join us, and the air was filled with excitement and positivity! Please take a few moments to read all of the information listed below in preparation for school on Monday. As a reminder, the first day of school is on Monday, August 21st for all of our K-2 students. Pre-K students will begin on either Tuesday, August 22nd or Wednesday, August 23rd (depending on last name).

Please note: for security reasons, parents/guardians will not be permitted to walk their child to class. Please say your goodbyes in the vehicle prior to entering the drop-off area. We appreciate your cooperation!

To maintain the security of our students and staff, all doors will be locked during school hours. This year, we will also continue to keep our front doors locked to enhance security measures. Anyone arriving to school (after 8:45 AM) will need to ring the doorbell at the front of the building. Our secretaries will respond appropriately to the request being made.

There is a QR Code posted on our front doors for parents Please scan the QR code when signing-in a late student, or when you have to sign-out a student early.

These procedures are in place to ensure safety at all times. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding!

While our front doors will remain locked for security purposes, we will continue to invite parents into the building for special events and volunteer opportunities. For information on volunteer/chaperone procedures, please visit: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/domain/4586

To maintain the safety of our students and staff, parents will not be permitted to walk their child to class on the first day of school. We appreciate your understanding!

• Pre-K Drop-Off: 7:50 AM - 8:00 AM
• K-2 Drop-Off: 8:15 AM - 8:45 AM

All Car Riders will enter from Duke Road and exit onto East Road (yielding with bus traffic). Car Riders will be dropping off and picking up at the SIDE of our building at Door #25 (see map below).

Parents should NOT enter our lot from East Road in the morning or afternoon. Entrance for car riders is on Duke Road.

Buses will enter/exit from East Road at the front of our building. Buses will be dropping off and picking up in the front bus loop to provide students with an easy access to the front doors of the school.

Parents who are exiting the car rider line will need to yield to buses and follow the directives of the staff members directing traffic.

All car riders must enter at the rear of the building (off of Duke Road) and divide into 2 drop-off lines at the back of the building. Please follow the flow of traffic and remain in your vehicles. A staff member will approach to receive the students.

• Students arriving after 8:45 a.m. must report to the office accompanied by their parents. The parent must sign in using the QR Code posted on the front doors of the school.

Pick Ups With or Without Prior Notice After 8:45 a.m. and Before 3:00 P.M. -- Any person checking out a child throughout the day with or without a prior note being sent to the classroom teacher must sign out his/her child by scanning the QR code located on the front doors. When a note is sent indicating a pick-up time, the classroom teacher will send the student to the office at the time stated. We encourage parents not to check their child out on a regular basis at the end of the day. It is very difficult to keep students on task at the end of the day. Calling students out for non-emergency issues causes classroom management problems. We encourage parents to send a note so we do not have to disrupt an entire class by calling the students to get ready to leave.

Car Riders (Dismissal at the end of the day)

There will be school personnel on duty to ensure that each child is picked up by an authorized parent/guardian. Parents are to pull into one of the two designated car rider lanes (on the side of the building) and wait for their child to be delivered to them. All parents are asked to REMAIN IN THEIR VEHICLES. If you need time to buckle your child into a booster seat, or seat belt, please pull up into a parking space, or out of the lane of traffic, to do so. After getting your child/children, please exit the school property from the school’s front entrance. PLEASE DO NOT EXIT THROUGH THE BACK PARKING LOT.

Parents will not be permitted to sign their child out in the office from 3:00 PM - 3:15 PM. Anyone arriving to Opequon after 3:00 PM will be asked to get in the car rider line and wait in your vehicle. Many of our students are transitioning back to class from specials, and all staff members are working to get students packed up for the day during that time. It becomes disruptive to the environment when we have to call students out a few minutes early. If you need to sign your child out prior to 3:00 PM, please send in a note so that the teacher is prepared for their early dismissal. Your help in honoring this request is appreciated.

Notes are required each time for the following:

• Students will be riding a different bus than normal.
• Students will not be riding a bus home because of a non-school activity - Girl/Boy Scouts.
• A parent will be picking up his/her child on a particular day.
• When your child is going home on another bus to a friend’s house, both students must have a note indicating permission with the bus number and must be signed in the office and a copy made for the bus driver.

CAR RIDER TAGS MUST BE VISIBLE DURING PICK-UP!

If you have questions related to a bus stop, bus driver, or other general question about transportation, please contact the Office of Transportation at (304) 267-3575 or visit http://webquery.bcswv.org/livewq/webquery/to determine where your child will be picked-up and dropped-off. Our school staff cannot answer questions about bus times or questions specific to your chid's route.

Please visit the transportation website for more information: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/o/bcs/page/transportation-dashboard

Opequon is a 100% FREE breakfast and lunch school. Our students will not be charged for their meals. However, students who pack a lunch will be charged for milk ($0.25).

It's time to complete the Annual Emergency Information Update! This important information helps us reach you or the people responsible for your student(s) in case of emergency as well as information related to student health, nutrition, and wellness. We are no longer using FamilyID, except for High School Athletics.

Complete the Annual Emergency Information Update Now

Pre-K:

• Ms. Foor & Mrs. Weigle
• Ms. Murillo & Mrs. Womack

Kindergarten:

• Mrs. Blackburn & Mrs. Allen
• Mrs. Carpenter & Mrs. Rimmer
• Ms. Franklin & Mrs. McKee
• Mrs. Hinchman & Mrs. Lopez
• Mrs. Michael-Bragg & Mrs. Bragg
• Ms. Moore & Mrs. Sencindiver

First Grade:

• Mrs. Ellis & Mrs. Welch
• Ms. Inskeep & Mrs. Benn-Miller
• Mrs. Keith & Mrs. Potts
• Mrs. O'Donnell & Mrs. Murphy
• Ms. Perrin & Ms. Kesecker
• Mrs. Sampson & Mrs. Menocal

Second Grade:

• Mrs. Gillett
• Mrs. Leslie
  
• Mrs. Nelson
  
• Ms. Noland
• Mrs. Scheppler
• Ms. Stamps

Resource Staff:

• Mrs. Corley, Mrs. Rozek, & Ms. Faircloth (pending BOE approval)
• Ms. Cunningham
• Mrs. Jenkins
  
• Mrs. Leathers
• Mrs. Malcolm & Mrs. Hartman
• Ms. Reid & Ms. Shade
• Mrs. Whitenight, Mrs. Hovermale, & Ms. Redman

Reading Specialists:

• Mrs. A. Freeman - Second Grade
• Ms. Holliday - K-2
• Mr. Johnson - Kindergarten
• Mrs. Sexton - First Grade

Specials Teachers:

• Mrs. Bixler, Librarian
• Mrs. E. Freeman, Music
• Mr. Gibbs, Art
• Mrs. Hudson, Physical Education
• Mr. Price, Computers

Interventionist:

• Mr. Pushic - Math
  

School Counselors:

• Mrs. Patton
• Mrs. Williams

Kitchen Staff:

• Ms. Campbell, Cafeteria Manager
• Mrs. Wood, Assistant Cafeteria Manager
• Ms. Hess, Cook
• Mrs. Richards, Cook
• Mrs. Stanley, Cook

Additional Staff:

• Mrs. Banks, Evening Custodian
• Mr. Carper, Technology Integration Specialist
• Mrs. Eyler, School Nurse
• Mrs. Fontaine, Registrar
• Ms. Foulk, Finance Secretary
• Mrs. Pownall, Instructional Coach
• Mr. Tephabock, Head Custodian

Administration:

Dr. Ematrudo, Principal

Mr. Folk, Assistant Principal (pending BOE approval)

Opequon Elementary will continue to be a Seesaw Learning School! Parents will not only be able to communicate with staff members, but they will also be able to view student work as well. When teachers have students complete assignments in Seesaw, parents will have instant access to those assignments.

Parents, please make sure you join Seesaw (through your chid's teacher) to ensure you are connected to Opequon!

For more information on Seesaw, please click the link below:

We ask all parents/guardians to send in a written note when a child's dismissal plan has changed or when parent excuses are submitted for absences. Please do not call the school later than 2:30 PM to inform us of a change in dismissal plans.

Also, we ask for patience when sending an electronic message (Seesaw or email). Our teachers' main responsibility throughout the day is to instruct students. They are not expected to check electronic messages throughout the day, with the exception of their planning period. If there is an urgent message, please call the main office.

Additionally, please do not expect an immediate response in Seesaw, or a response after school hours (this includes weekends). Our teachers may respond to messages outside of work hours based on their personal preference, but it is not a requirement. Your cooperation and understanding is appreciated!

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

- Ms. Foulk, Financial Secretary: lisa.foulk@k12.wv.us

- Mrs. Patton, School Counselor: kpatton@k12.wv.us

- Mrs. Williams, School Counselor: jgwilliams@k12.wv.us