The Grove

We are excited to officially welcome you back to another school year! The start of a new school year is always a time of anticipation and enthusiasm, and we are eager to embark on this journey together.

We encourage you to stay involved in your child's education by attending school events, volunteering, and communicating regularly with your child's teacher. Your partnership is essential to your child's success. Our weekly school and class newsletters will help keep you aware of school events and activities.

We look forward to a fantastic school year filled with growth, achievement, and unforgettable memories!

Here are a few things to keep in mind as we approach the new year:

• Important Dates: Be sure to mark your calendars for key dates like meet and greet night, orientations, and the first day of school. These dates are list below.
• Bus Transportation: Please log into Log in to Parent Portal. Under the Navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen, click on the Bus Info icon. Review your student’s bus information in the table on the Parent Portal Bus Information screen. The image below is an example of what you should see. For 4K and 5K, you have additional forms to complete as an adult is required to be at the bus to pick-up the child.
• Car Riders and Walkers: All car riders and walkers will need transportation tags. You can pick these up at Meet and Greet night on Monday from 5:00-6:30. Another option is to stop by the front office Monday-Friday 7:00-4:00.
• Change to Breakfast: Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria daily from 7:00-7:30. It will no longer be free to all students. If you choose to eat breakfast at school, the cost is $1.90 or $0.30 for reduced cost. If you are interested in applying to see if you qualify for free or reduced lunch, please see the information below in the newsletter.
• New Families: If you're new to the Oak Grove community, we're thrilled to welcome you! We'll be hosting a tour to new families on Monday, August 5th from 11:30-12:30. Our school counselors will walk you through the school and share some important information to help you transition to our school.
• Staggered Start Grades 4K and 5K: This year we are having a staggered start for our 4K and 5K students to help with a smooth transition for our younger students.
• Wednesday, August 7, 2024: ONLY students with last names beginning with A–G attend school
• Thursday, August 8, 2024: ONLY students with last names beginning with H–O attend school
• Friday, August 9, 2024: ONLY students with last names beginning with P–Z attend school
• Starting Monday, August 12, ALL four- and five-year-old kindergarten students will attend school on a regular daily schedule.

Thank you for your patience while many school and district employees worked to implement our new online payment system. Please follow the directions below to log into PowerSchool’s Parent Portal to view and pay school fees online. (Families who believe they may qualify for a fee waiver or reduction based on free or reduced-price meal status or household income do not need to pay fees at this time.)

​Log in to Parent Portal (Click here if you need directions on how to create your PowerSchool ParentPortal account.)

To see an itemized list for each of your students, click on the student’s name listed in the light gray bar near the top of your screen.

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Click on the shopping cart icon in the upper right corner to enter your payment information and submit payment.

Please note that Lexington County School District One does not store or retain your credit card information. A trusted third party, RycorPay, securely processes all online fee transactions. If you have questions about the classes listed for your student, please contact your child’s school. If you have questions about the online payment system please email onlinepayments@lexington1.net.

• Accessed your account through https://lexington-sc.finalforms.com/

• Can Easily Be Done on Cell Phone, IPad or Computer.
• Every Parent Will Need To Complete Their Child's Registration.
• Look for your teachers information in the parent portal after online registration completion.

Our community is truly amazing and this week, we had two wonderful groups give donations to our students. Thank you to Families Helping Families and St. Peters Lutheran Church for such kindness! They donated bookbags and school supplies for our students who may need them. We are so thankful to these groups for their kindness and love to our school and students.

Join us on Monday, August 5th from 5:00-6:30 for our Meet and Greet Night. This is a great time to meet your teacher, drop off school supplies, check out the PTO merchandise, and get transportation tags.

Families are welcome to walk their student to class starting the first day of school on Wednesday, August 7th through Monday, August 12th without a visitor's pass. Starting Tuesday, August 13th, if a family member would like to walk their child to class please stop by the front office with your driver license to get a visitor's pass.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I am reaching out on behalf of your child’s Lexington One elementary school to share important

information about the start of the 2024-25 school year for your soon-to-be four-year-old or

five-year-old student.

To ensure a smooth transition for our youngest learners, ALL Lexington One four- and

five-year-old kindergarten students will participate in a staggered start schedule.

Here are the details:

● Wednesday, August 7, 2024: ONLY students with last names beginning with A–G attend school

● Thursday, August 8, 2024: ONLY students with last names beginning with H–O attend school

● Friday, August 9, 2024: ONLY students with last names beginning with P–Z attend school

Starting Monday, August 12, ALL four- and five-year-old kindergarten students will attend school

on a regular daily schedule.

The staggered start creates an opportunity for our teachers to foster a more personal and

supportive environment. This setting enhances community building and allows for more focused

attention on each student’s strengths and needs through individual assessments.

Should you have any questions or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out

to your child's school directly.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we strive to make the transition into

school a positive and enriching experience for your child.

Sincerely,

Mary Gaskins

Chief Academic Officer

Lexington School District One

If you applied for free/reduced lunch and received an approval email or letter, please bring it by the school or email it to Ms. Shealy at tlshealy@lexington1.net to waive school fees. If approval letter is not received, school fees are the responsibility of the parent/guardian to be paid by August 6 online.

◆ Breakfast - $1.90

• Reduced breakfast - $0.30
• Additional breakfast for students is $1.80

◆ Lunch - $3.40

• Reduced lunch - $0.40
• Additional lunch for students is $3.30

Breakfast for a week will cost $9.50

Lunch for a week will cost $17

Thank you for making sure your child's account has money on it to avoid it going in the negative. You may send in money for the cafeteria, add money over the phone via card by calling (803) 821-0153 or by

• Breakfast will be served in the cafeteria daily from 7:00-7:30. It will no longer be free to all students. If you choose to eat breakfast at school, the cost is $1.90 or $0.30 for reduced cost. If you are interested in applying to see if you qualify for free or reduced lunch, please see the information below in the newsletter.

We are looking forward to having our families join us for school lunch. We are going to take the first three weeks of school to get the students acclimated to their school environment and learn the lunch room procedures. Starting, Wednesday, August 28th, families are allowed to come to visit their child for lunch.

Early Dismissals of a student will need to be before 2:00 pm and in person. We can not take any dismissal requests over the phone. A driver's license will be needed as well as be on the approved contact list in order to dismiss a student.

Doors open at 7:00 am and students will be dropped off in front of the school at the breezeway. Once busses have dropped off, students can also be dropped off in the bus loop starting at 7:15 am. Students are to be dropped off only at the breezeway area where staff is ready to assist. For the safety of your children, do not drop them off in the parking lot area to cross traffic. Safety is top priority and why all students are to be dropped off at the breezeway. Parents are asked to stay in the vehicle as staff is available to assist children.

The tardy bell rings at 7:30 AM. If arrival is after 7:30, parents will need to park and walk their student(s) in to sign them in with the front office.

AFTER SCHOOL PICK-UP: Do you have your car tags?

Pick-up will occur only in the front loop closest to the building. Cars will enter and exit in the same area (closest to the tennis complex) and be double stacked for dismissal. Signs are posted indicating where traffic will merge into one lane. Please see the diagram below for the traffic flow.

If your child will be a car rider or walker on any given day this year, you will need a car/walker tag for each student. Car/Walker tags are by grade and issued every year. Please get as many as you will need for family members that will be picking them up. Also, please throw away all tags from last school year.

Car tags are available in the front office Monday-Friday 7-4 pm.

If a vehicle does not have a car tag and is in the car line to pick up a student, they will be asked to park and come into the front office with identification to get a car tag. This is for the safety of the student.

If your child will be a bus rider for the 2024–25 school year, please check your student’s bus number, bus stop locations and pick-up/drop-off times in Parent Portal.

1. Log in to Parent Portal
2. Under the Navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen, click on the Bus Info icon.
3. Review your student’s bus information in the table on the Parent Portal Bus Information screen. The image below is an example of what you should see.

Next steps
If your student’s bus information is listed in the table, please make sure you log back into the Parent Portal a few more times before school starts. Pick-up and drop-off times most likely will change between now and the start of school. At a minimum, please make sure you check the times on August 6 (the day before school starts).

If there is no bus information listed in the table, complete annual registration in FinalForms. Your child can not be assigned a bus until annual registration is completed.

Click here for information on how to complete annual registration.

One more step for parents/guardians of Pre-K and Kindergarten bus riders:

The 2024–25 Kindergarten Bus Pick-up Information form in Parent Portal must be completed for bus riders in Pre-K–Kindergarten before the start of school.

A designated adult or older sibling must be present to put the kindergarten child on the bus. They must meet the bus and show an ID to receive the kindergarten child when the bus arrives to drop the child off or the child will be returned to the elementary school.

To complete the form in Parent Portal:

• Click on your Pre-K or Kindergarten student’s name in the top left corner of the Parent Portal screen.
• Select Forms in the Navigation menu on the left.
• In the General Forms tab, click on 2024-25 Kindergarten Bus Pick-up Information.
• Add names and telephone numbers under Authorized Persons.
• Click Submit to complete the form.

Click here for more about our Transportation department.

Have questions?

Contact your area bus hub:

Lexington/River Bluff: (803) 821-1340
Special Needs (All Areas): (803) 821-1345

The 2024–25 Kindergarten Bus Pick-up Information form in Parent Portal must be completed for bus riders in Pre-K–Kindergarten before the start of school.

A designated adult or older sibling must be present to put the kindergarten child on the bus. They must meet the bus and show an ID to receive the kindergarten child when the bus arrives to drop the child off or the child will be returned to the elementary school.

To complete the form in Parent Portal:

• Click on your Pre-K or Kindergarten student’s name in the top left corner of the Parent Portal screen.
• Select Forms in the Navigation menu on the left.
• In the General Forms tab, click on 2024-25 Kindergarten Bus Pick-up Information.
• Add names and telephone numbers under Authorized Persons.
• Click Submit to complete the form.

Orders will available for pick up at Orientation Nights as well as Meet & Greet. Payment is due at time of pick up by cash or checks made payable to Oak Grove Elementary PTO.

Remaining August dates will be posted once available.

All required documents must be uploaded at the time of submission for the application to be processed. For 5K, The age of the child will need to be 5 by September 1, 2024 and reside in the Oak Grove Elementary attendance zone.

Any questions, please contact Shelley Lauth at (803) 821-0104 or slauth@lexington1.net.

Lexington District One has established a basic structure for determining appropriate dress standards for students. Clothing should not be so immodest or inappropriate to the school setting as to disrupt the educational process.

Therefore, the district will not permit clothing deemed distracting, revealing, overly suggestive or otherwise disruptive. This includes (but is not limited to) bare midriffs, halter/tank tops, spaghetti straps and see-through shirts, tops or blouses.

The district will not permit clothing that displays vulgar, obscene or otherwise inappropriate symbols, language or wording.

The district will not permit clothing or accessories (i.e., book bags, jewelry, hats, etc.) that display or make reference to alcohol, tobacco or illegal substances.

Students may not wear or display gang attire, colors or symbols on clothing or accessories.

Under most conditions, students may not wear bandanas, hats, head stockings or kerchiefs while on campus or attending school-sponsored events/ activities. Some classes require that students wear safety hats, shoes and clothing. Religious headgear is allowed.

Students must wear proper shoes at all times.

Students may wear special dress or costumes for specific events or special occasions, when approved by the principal.

During the regular school day, students’ athletic attire, such as tennis, track, cheerleading outfits, etc., must conform to all other regulations of the dress code.

Students may not wear accessories/clothing that could pose a safety threat including heavy chains, fishhooks, multi-finger rings, studded bracelets or collars, nose- or lip-to-ear chains, etc.

The district does not allow unusual body piercings that disrupt the order of school or that disturb the learning environment.

Students may not wear overly tight or shorter than fingertip- or mid-thigh-length shorts, skirts, skorts or dresses.

The district does not allow bike shorts unless worn under another pair of shorts.

Students must wear pants at the natural waistline. Undergarments should not show and should not be worn outside of clothing.

Pajama bottoms are not dress code appropriate.

Each school’s administrators make the final judgment on appropriateness of any student’s dress and reserve the right to prohibit any clothing/ accessory disruptive to their school.

An individual school may have a more restrictive dress code if recommended by school administrators and the School Improvement Council, and approved by the superintendent or his designee.

Website: https://sc50000473.schoolwires.net/Page/45
Location: 479 Oak Drive, Lexington, 29073
Phone: (803) 821-0100
Facebook: facebook.com/oakgrovepatriots

PTO Facebook: Facebook.com/OGE Patriots Pto
X: @ogelementary

Instruction Begins 7:30 AM

Dismissal 2:20 PM

Lexington County School District One’s

Nondiscrimination Statement

Revised 06-02-2023

Lexington County School District One is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all students, parents/legal guardians, staff, visitors, personnel and community members who participate or seek to participate in its programs or activities. Therefore, the district does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth or any related medical conditions), color, physical or mental disability, age, ancestry, genetic information, national origin, immigrant status or English-speaking status, marital or family status, or any other protected characteristic as may be required by law.

The district will use the grievance procedures set forth in policy to respond to complaints based on alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act of 1963; the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008; and Titles I and II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The district designates specific individuals to handle inquiries or complaints. To find out whom to contact and how to contact them, please go to our website at http://www.lexington1.net/contact-us.