Back-to-School Update

Dear Tomahawk Intermediate Families,

I hope you’re enjoying a restful, fun, and relaxing summer! While our students and families have been making the most of their break, our team has been hard at work preparing for another incredible school year at Tomahawk Intermediate.

Our custodial staff has done an outstanding job deep cleaning classrooms and common areas to ensure our building is welcoming and ready for students. In addition, CMTA has continued working throughout the summer to complete upgrades to our HVAC system, helping provide an even more comfortable learning environment for everyone. We are grateful for the tremendous amount of work that has gone into preparing our school.

Below, you'll find several important mid-summer updates, including:

• Important upcoming dates
• Orientation information
• Transportation and new student enrollment details
• How and when you'll learn your child's teacher assignment
• A current list of our Tomahawk Intermediate staff

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm available by email at kematrudo@k12.wv.us. Our office staff will return during the first week of August, and while I may be in and out of meetings or required trainings, I'll respond as quickly as I'm able.

We are looking forward to welcoming our students back soon! Thank you for your continued support, partnership, and trust. We can't wait to kick off another fantastic year of learning, growth, and success at Tomahawk Intermediate.

Warm regards,

Dr. Ematrudo
Principal

As we prepare for another exciting school year, we're pleased to share several staffing updates for the 2026–2027 school year.

Assistant Principal Change: We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Cari Aliveto as our new Assistant Principal. Ms. Aliveto brings more than two decades of experience in education and has served in a variety of leadership roles throughout her career. She began as a special education teacher before serving as an assistant principal, principal, and mentor, where she supported and coached school leaders and teachers across the district. Most recently, she has been serving students and staff through Berkeley County's AIM program, where she has continued her passion for building positive school cultures and supporting student success. Her extensive experience in instructional leadership, student support, and school improvement makes her an outstanding addition to the Tomahawk Intermediate team, and we are excited to welcome her to our family.

Staff Changes: We also have several additional staffing changes that will help us continue meeting the needs of our students.

• Mrs. Kimberly Locke will join our team as the School Nurse! We are excited to welcome her to Tomahawk!
• Mrs. Stevenson will no longer serve as our computer lab teacher, and Ms. Chloe Campbell will transition from 5th grade to become our new Innovation Lab teacher.
• Mrs. Jade DiNello will move into Ms. Campbell's former 5th grade classroom and will remain part of our Tomahawk Intermediate family.
• We are also excited to welcome Mrs. Diana McCoy as a Resource Teacher. She will work with students with Autism as a member of our Exceptional Education team.
• As part of the implementation of the Third Grade Success Act, Ms. Monica Kent will transition from her role as a 3rd grade classroom teacher to serve as our new 3rd Grade Interventionist, providing targeted support to students.
• Mrs. Breigh Viccellio (formerly Ms. Glover) will move from 4th grade to join our 3rd grade team, and we know she will be a wonderful addition to that grade level.
• Finally, Mrs. Pam Lehr will begin the school year on medical leave. We are actively working to secure a long-term substitute to support her students until she is ready to return.

Tuesday, August 4th:

• PTO Meeting @ 5:30 PM (TIS Library)

Wednesday, August 12th:

• Teachers and Staff Return!

Monday, August 17th:

• Orientation

Thursday, August 20th:

• First Day of School for Students!

PTO Organizational Meeting

Tuesday, August 4

We are looking for parents, guardians, grandparents, and community members who want to make a positive impact at Tomahawk Intermediate!

The PTO supports our students and staff through family events, teacher appreciation, student programs, fundraising, and more. Whether you have a few hours each year or want to take on a larger role, we would love to have you join us.

New Member Registration

• We will register new PTO members during the meeting.
• Membership is $5 per adult.

Officer Elections for the 2026–2027 School Year

• We will also elect PTO officers for the upcoming school year. A strong PTO starts with dedicated volunteers, and we need your help to continue providing meaningful opportunities for our students and staff.

Kona Ice will be available for purchase during Tomahawk's Orientation!

Assigned times by last name. Parents with more than 1 student can pick 2 times. We ask that all families follow this schedule due to parking.

• Last names A - F: 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
• Last names G - M: 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
• Last names N - R: 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM
• Last names S - Z: 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Kona Ice will be available for purchase!

Don't miss your chance to kick off the school year with some amazing prizes! Stop by the front lobby during Back-to-School Orientation on Monday, August 17, from 5:00–7:00 PM to purchase raffle tickets.

🎟️ Tickets: $3 each or 5 for $10 (cash only)

The winning ticket will be drawn on the first day of school, and all proceeds will support student activities and events throughout the school year.

Thank you for supporting our Tomahawk Intermediate students...we can't wait to see you at Orientation! 🦅

A "Back to School Checklist," including generic school supply lists have been posted to the BCS website and can be accessed below.

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

We are currently finalizing summer enrollments and class placements. Students will receive a postcard in the mail prior to orientation with the name of their teacher. If you do not receive a postcard by Back-to-School Orientation on August 17, our staff will be available to direct you to your child's classroom.

Please note that teacher requests are no longer being accepted, as the request deadline was March 5. As we work to balance class sizes and meet the needs of all students, we appreciate your patience, understanding, and support throughout this process.

To allow our office staff to focus on finalizing class placements and preparing for the new school year, we kindly ask that families wait for the postcard rather than calling the front office for teacher assignments. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

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 the button below.

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!

If your child will be a regular parent pick-up this school year, please complete our Parent Pick-Up Registration Form before August 17. This form is intended only for students who will be picked up on a consistent basis, not for occasional pick-up changes.

Providing this information in advance will help us ensure a safe, smooth, and efficient dismissal process for all students. Thank you for your cooperation!

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 complete your Annual Emergency Information Update. This is a mandatory form for ALL students (returning or new).

If your child requires emergency medication at school such as an EpiPen, inhaler, diabetic or seizure medication, per BCS policy, these must be present in the health clinic prior to the first day of school. Please be sure your new orders are dated on or after July 1st. Orders and medications can be brought into the school beginning August 12th, and on orientation night. A copy of the medication form is linked below.

NOTE: Teacher requests were due by March 5th. We are unable to accept any requests for teachers at this time. Thank you for your understanding!

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

- Ms. Aliveto, Assistant Principal: cari.aliveto@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/3

- Mrs. Ponton, Student Assistance Facilitator: mponton@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/3

- Mrs. Locke, School Nurse: kimberly.locke@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/12

- Mrs. Kline, Finance: ekline@k12.wv.us *returns on 7/29

- Mrs. Boyd, School Counselor: megan.boyd@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/3

- Ms. Thomas, School Counselor: katlyn.thomas@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/3

- Mrs. Kercheval, Registrar: kimberly.kercheval@k12.wv.us *returns on 8/10