Tomahawk Talk

AM Drop-Off: 8:15 AM - 8:40 AM (please do not arrive earlier than 8:00 AM)

PM Pick-Up: 3:15 PM - 3:40 PM (please do not arrive earlier than 3:00 PM)

Tuesday, August 19th

• First Day of School for Students!

Wednesday, August 20th

• Fire Drill @ 9:00 AM

Friday, August 22nd

• Strings Presentation for 4th and 5th Graders (during lunches)
• Emergency Lockdown Drill @ 2:00 PM

Monday, August 25th

• Back to School Rally @ 9:30 AM

Tuesday, August 26th

• Schoology Parent Night @ 5:30 PM

Wednesday, August 27th

• Emergency Evacuation Drill @ 9:30 AM

Thursday, August 28th

• Fire Drill @ 2:30 PM

Drop-Off Procedures:

Please enter the parking lot and take the 2nd or 3rd left into the parking lot where students will exit the vehicle with a staff member is present. Please ensure students are ready to exit the vehicle as they approach a staff member to keep the flow of traffic moving. Please DO NOT enter the bus loop at any point for student drop-off.

Drop-off time is from 8:15 AM to 8:40 AM.
We kindly request that you adhere to this schedule to prevent congestion and delays.

***Parents are NOT permitted to walk their child into the building for safety reasons.***

Late Arrivals:
Students are considered tardy after 8:40 AM.
If your child arrives after this time, they will need to be signed in by a parent or guardian in the school office. This helps us keep track of attendance and ensures your child's safety.

***EVERY DAY/ROUTINE PARENT PICK-UP***

• Parents/Guardians report to the gym entrance at 3:15.

• Please park in a designated parking space and walk to Door #11.

• Parent/Guardian must sign out the student using the QR code posted by Door #11.

Important Note:
We kindly ask that you do not pull into the bus loop during drop-off or pick-up times. This area is reserved for our school buses and should remain clear to ensure the safety of all students.

We also ask that you try to avoid office pick-ups between 3:00 PM and 3:15 PM. 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.

By following these procedures, we can make sure that our students arrive safely and on time, ready for a day of learning. Thank you for your cooperation, and if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to our school office at (304) 754-3171.

We appreciate your partnership in creating a safe and efficient school environment.

In the past, we have encountered issues with students using large thermos cups (for example, 40 oz. Stanley cups) as they were spilling on the bus, in class, and students were filling them with liquids other than water.

All students have access to water throughout the day as each wing has a water fountain and a bottle filling station. For the 2025-2026 school year, we are asking that all water bottles meet the following guidelines:

1. No bottle should be larger than 32 oz. in size.

2. Bottles must have a screw-on cap (no straw lids).

3. Bottles must ONLY contain water (no juice, Gatorade, PRIME, etc.).

4. We recommend students bring clear plastic bottles if possible.

Students who do not come to school with water bottles are given access to the water fountains and cups for the bottle filling station during lunch. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!

Schoology will be the ONLY form of parent communication this year (we are no longer permitted to use Class Dojo). Please ensure you activate your student's Schoology access code once sent home by the homeroom teacher.

We are going to host a Schoology Night for parents on Wednesday, August 27th from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM to assist any parents with accessing Schoology.

The policy says there are two types of absences: “excused” and “unexcused.” Excused absences include:

• Failure of bus to run
• Judicial obligations
• Military obligations
• Death in the family
• Medical/dental appointments (with a doctor's note)
• Chronic medical condition (school meeting required)
• Personal illness/injury of student or family member (Limit 10 per school year)

If the reason doesn’t fit into these categories, it’s considered unexcused.

Big Change

In the past, families have used Educational Leave ("Leave of Educational Value") for things like trips or 4-H activities. That is no longer allowed under the new law.

Chronic Absenteeism

If your child misses 10% or more of the school year, they are considered “chronically absent.” In a regular school year of 180 days, that would mean missing 18 or more days. When a student misses this many days, the school will reach out to see how we can help.

What Happens If Your Student Has Too Many Unexcused Absences?

If your child has too many unexcused absences, the school may take further steps, such as a home visit or other actions. But we want to work together with you to fix attendance problems before it gets to that point. Remember, "strive to miss less than five" days of school!

Please choose BCS busing for your student!

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 3:00 PM in the afternoons.

Your cooperation and understanding are both greatly appreciated!

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.

Last year, we saw a number of conflicts at school that began outside of school hours—often through text, FaceTime, or social media. While these issues may start at home, they can carry over into the school day and impact student learning and relationships.

We are asking for your partnership in helping to reduce these conflicts:

• Talk with your child regularly about the power of their words—online and in person.

• Monitor phones and social media apps to help guide responsible use.

• Remind your child that what happens outside of school can still affect the school day.

• If issues carry over into school, there will be consequences based on the Berkeley County Schools Discipline Matrix.

Minors:

*Classroom-managed behaviors. Teachers will provide verbal warnings, redirect students, remind them of expectations, re-teach behaviors, and inform parents of minor incidents. Consequences may include: loss of recess time, lunch detention, loss of privileges, referral to school counselor, etc. Repeated violations of minor behaviors will become major offenses (habitual violation of school rules).

Examples of minor behaviors:

• yelling out

• out of seat

• inattentive behavior

• interrupting instruction

• minor disrespect

• talking during instruction

• minor peer to peer conflict

• name calling (non-Title IX)

• inappropriate language

• invading personal space

• touching another student WITHOUT intent to harm

• rough play

• refusing to open a book, complete an assignment, work with another student, work in a group, take a test, or do any other class – or school-related activity not listed herein.

Majors:

*Administrator-managed behaviors. Possible consequences include: in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, lunch detention, loss of privileges, referral to school counselor, etc.

Examples of major behaviors:

• Bullying/Harassment/Intimidation: A student will not bully/intimidate/harass another student. According to W. Va. Code §18-2C-2, “harassment, intimidation or bullying” means any intentional gesture, or any intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act, communication, transmission or threat that:

• A reasonable person under the circumstances should know will have the effect of harming a student, damaging a student’s property, placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to his or her person, and/or placing a student in reasonable fear of damage to his or her property;

• Is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening or emotionally abusive educational environment for a student; or

• Disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school.

• Disrespectful Conduct Toward Peers or Staff: done with intent to harm and/or repetitive. Note: repetitive behavior may be defined as bullying. Major disrespect includes: screaming, throwing items (chair, desk, sharp object, etc. with intent to hit peer or staff), or profane language indecent act/gesture.

•False Fire Alarm: setting-off the fire alarm knowingly and willingly without cause.

• Habitual Violation of School Rules: evidence of previous interventions; minimum of 2 prior parent conferences (phone or in-person). Student’s behavior is consistently impeding on the learning of others.

• Physical Fight with Intent: Engaging in a physical altercation using blows with intent to harm or overpower another person or persons.

• Possession/Use of Weapon: As defined in WV Code §61-7-2, a “dangerous weapon” means any device intended to cause injury or bodily harm, any device used in a threatening manner that could cause injury or bodily harm, or any device that is primarily used for self-protection. Dangerous weapons include, but are not limited to, blackjack, gravity knife, knife, knifelike implement, switchblade knife, nunchaku, metallic or false knuckles, pistol, or revolver. A dangerous weapon may also include the use of a legitimate tool, instrument, or equipment as a weapon including, but not limited to, pens, pencils, compasses, or combs, with the intent to harm another.

• Sexual Misconduct: Exposing oneself publicly and indecently, displaying or transmitting any drawing or photograph of a sexual nature, or committing an indecent act of a sexual nature on school property, or on a school bus, or at a school sponsored event.

• Technology Misuse: Violating WV Code 126CSR41, WVDE Policy 2460, Educational Purpose and Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources, Technologies and the Internet.

• Threat to a Student or Staff Member: Severely disruptive, imminently dangerous, illegal, and/or aggressive behaviors are willfully committed and are known to be illegal and/or harmful to people and/or property. The inappropriate behaviors include, but are not limited to: verbal, written, electronic and/or illustrative communications intended to offend and/or humiliate.

• Use/Possession of Tobacco Product: usage or possession of tobacco products on school property (cigarettes, vapes, jewels, chewing tobacco, etc.).

• Vandalism: • done with intent and/or cannot be easily cleaned or repaired.

Due to state and county nutrition policies, we do NOT permit cupcakes or any food items for birthday celebrations. Each student will have their name called over the loud speaker during morning announcements and will receive a birthday bracelet from the office. Any food items sent in with students will be held in the office, and returned at the end of the school day. Your cooperation and understanding are aprpeciated.

Due to space limitations in our cafeteria, we are unable to accommodate visitors for student lunches. However, we encourage parents and guardians to stay involved by joining our PTO to help with special events during the school day or by becoming an approved volunteer/chaperone to assist with classroom projects and field trips. Your support makes a big difference!

For more information on becoming an approved chaperone/volunteer, please click the link below.

If you need to contact us, please call the office at 304. 754.3171 or email the following personnel:

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

- Mr. Robison, Assistant Principal: matthew.robison@k12.wv.us

- Mrs. Pulse, School Nurse: brandy.pulse@k12.wv.us

- Mrs. Kline, Finance: ekline@k12.wv.us

- Mrs. Boyd, School Counselor: megan.boyd@k12.wv.us

- Ms. Thomas, School Counselor: katlyn.thomas@k12.wv.us

- Mrs. Walling, Registrar: twalling@k12.wv.us