West Bay Weekly Update

West Bay Families,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer with family and friends! We are looking forward to opening the doors to students on Tuesday, August 13th, 2024! Below are the details for a successful start to the school year, please read them in depth and reach out to the office with any questions.

Enjoy the rest of your summer! I look forward to seeing you soon!

Amber Scott

Principal

ascott@epsne.org

402-289-9045

Monday, July 29th

• Online Back to School registration opens (Directions will be sent on July 26th from the District)

Monday, August 5th

• Classroom Assignments (teacher name) available in PowerSchool

Wednesday, August 7th

• West Bay Social with Kona Ice on the playground 5:30 PM- 6:30 PM

Thursday, August 8th

• Curriculum information sent via email from your child's teacher
• Open House 5:30 PM-6:30 PM (Pre-K-5th)

Tuesday, August 13th

• First Student Day
• 9:00 AM start for Kindergarten Only

Wednesday, August 14th

• First day of walking club

Detailed information will be sent to you via email on July 29, 2024 to access the online registration process using your PowerSchool Parent Portal. If you do not receive the email or your student no longer attends Elkhorn Public Schools, please contact the West Bay office at 402-289-9045. When registrations are complete you will be able to log in to PowerSchool to see the name of your child’s teacher on Monday, Aug. 5th at 10:00 a.m.

Open House is on Thursday, August 8th from 5:30-6:30. It is a great opportunity to meet your child's teacher, drop off school supplies, and sign up for PTO opportunities.

Morning Supervision/Walking Club 7:55 am

Breakfast 7:35

First Bell 8:10

Tardy Bell 8:15

Dismissal 3:06

AM Class

Arrival 8:20

Dismissal 11:30

PM Class

Arrival 12:20

Dismissal 3:30

*We ask that you do not arrive before the times stated above due to the elementary traffic

We are very much looking forward to the first day of school! On August 13th 1st-5th grade students will go DIRECTLY to their classroom. You can drop them off at 7:55am. There will be staff to help get them to their classroom safely. Please say your goodbyes outside of the building.

Kindergarteners can be dropped off at 8:45 on the first day of school. Parents can walk their student up to their Kindergarten teacher's outside door in the back of the building. (see map below). On August 14th, Kindergarteners can be dropped off in the front of the building beginning at 7:55, the teachers will there be outside to greet them. On August 15th, Kindergarteners who arrive between 7:55-8:10 will go to walking club.

Preschool teachers will meet the students outside near the preschool entrance (Door #2). Morning students should NOT arrive before 8:20 AM and afternoon students should NOT arrive before 12:20 PM.

Walking Club is a daily activity that begins at 7:55 AM. Students arriving at school between 7:55 and 8:10 AM will participate in this supervised exercise. Supervision is not provided before 7:55 AM. Please do not drop off your children before this time unless they are coming for breakfast. When students arrive, staff will guide them to the walking path located on the playground. Staff will bring students into the building at 8:10 AM, and students will go directly to their classroom area. Walking Club and recess will occur outside if the temperature feels 10 degrees or above.

Just a few reminders to help traffic flow smoothly and to keep our students and staff safe!

• Students may begin exiting cars during drop-off at the designated location (after the curve)
• Staff will be outside to assist with drop off and pick up, please pay attention to signals on where to pull up to and when to move forward.
• Drivers are to stay inside the vehicle at all times in the drop off/pick up lane
• Students should enter/exit vehicles curbside.
• Students should use the crosswalk to cross to the sidewalk and never cross in front of traffic in the drop-off lane
• Please wait your turn in line and do not cut the line to drop your student off and pick them up.
• If your child is unable to unbuckle/buckle themselves, please practice at home. This is a skill they need to be able to do independently.
• Please be patient and be a positive role model for our children. These procedures are in place to help maintain a safe and respectful environment.
• It is unlawful to park in a handicap stall without the proper licensing, you will be asked to move.

Arrival Information

Breakfast will be served from 7:35-8:00 a.m. in the cafeteria. Students eating breakfast should enter through the front doors.

All K-5 students should be dropped off in the "drop off zone" located in the front of the school, staff will be outside to assist with arrival.

Drop off every day begins at 7:55 and ends when the tardy bell rings at 8:15. There is NO adult supervision outside of the building before 7:55 am.

Pre-K students should be escorted to and from the preschool door (#2) at 8:20 and 12:20

Dismissal Information

Students may be picked up by their designated door, if you have more than one student, pick up both students at the youngest student's designated door.

Students that ride the bus will be dismissed from the classroom at 3:00 pm

Students who walk, are picked up or go to EKC will be dismissed at 3:06 pm

Pre-K dismisses at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm (Do not arrive before these times)

Pre-k- Door #2

Kindergarten- Door #2

1st Grade- Door #1 (Front Doors)

2nd Grade- Door #1(Front Doors)

3rd Grade- Door #14 (EKC/Gym Doors)

4th Grade- Door #10 (5th Grade Door)

5th Grade- Door #10 (5th Grade Door)

The elementary school (K-5) day is from 8:15-3:06

Students who arrive late/leave early must sign in/out at the front office. When a student leaves early, a parent must come into the office to sign their child out.

At West Bay, the doors will remain locked during the school day, and all visitors will gain access using the security camera/access panel outside of the school's main entrance. The office will grant access after you do the following steps:

1. Push the button and wait for an identification request.

2. Give your name and purpose for entering the school.

3. When you hear the door unlatch, enter and proceed to the office.

4. Sign in on the visitor sheet and take a visitor badge.

There are many ways to get involved as a parent at West Bay. Please check the West Bay PTO page for volunteer sign-up opportunities.

Beginning September 3, 2024, we welcome parents to eat lunch at school with their children on special occasions. You may bring in a meal for you and your child or you are welcome to call in an adult cafeteria order by 9:00 am on the day of your visit. We have visitor seating available at lunch and our staff members are always willing to answer any questions you may have.

If your child takes medication during the school day, please complete this form and return it to the front office. If you have questions please contact Jane Greve at jgreve@epsne.org or call 402-289-9045.

Medication Authorization Form

As was shared with all families in an email from Elkhorn Public Schools on July 24, updated cell phone expectations will be implemented at all EPS schools for the 2024-25 school year. Links to our student handbook and the EPS email that was sent to families can be found below.

2024-25 Elementary Student Handbook -- Cell Phone Policy found on Page 8

Please take a moment ahead of the first day of school to review the updated expectations as outlined in the handbook, and discuss them with your student.

EPS and individual buildings use a parent messaging system called SchoolMessenger to send emails, phone calls, and text messages to parents sharing district information, monthly updates about building happenings, and weather-related school closings. To ensure receipt of these updates, please verify that all contact information listed in your parent PowerSchool account, including phone numbers and email addresses, is up to date and correct.

Additionally, this system allows recipients to “unsubscribe” from its mailing list; however, by “unsubscribing” you are completely removing your email address and phone number from both District and building lists. If you choose to unsubscribe, you will not receive any communication from your child’s assigned school or the EPS District. If you accidentally unsubscribe or decide you would like to begin receiving emails again after unsubscribing, contact your building secretary to change your communication status

EPS utilizes text messages to efficiently share important information with parents, including weather-related school closings and bus route delays. To receive EPS text messages, please text “Yes” to 67587 to opt in.

Dear Parents,

As we begin the new school year we wanted to give you the following information for student meals. We ask that you keep your students account funded to prevent any issues with their purchases.

Meal Information and Free/Reduced Lunch Application

EPS also partners with SchoolPay for student lunch accounts. To add funds, go to www.schoolpay.com and log into your user account. If you do not yet have a SchoolPay account, instructions to create one can be found by clicking here.

Breakfast and lunch prices for the 2024-25 school year are as follows:

Breakfast:

• Breakfast
• Elementary: $1.80
• Middle School: $2.00
• High School: $2.15
• Lunch
• Elementary: $3.00
• Middle School: $3.65
• High School: $3.85

Additionally, a free and reduced lunch application must be submitted in order to receive free/reduced meal prices and the additional benefits that can be provided to families who qualify. Instructions for completing online or hard-copy applications can be found at https://www.elkhornweb.org/parents/lunch/. A hard copy of the application can be found attached to this email. Families who qualify for free/reduced meals may also request the waiving of student fees by completing the waiver application found at https://forms.gle/b2fewM19yQH1GBeGA or hard-copy waiver forms are also available in your school’s office.

Email: ascott@epsne.org
Website: elkhornweb.org/westbay/
Location: 3220 188th Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 402-289-9045