Welcome to the 24/25 school year! I hope your summer has provided a welcome break from school-year routines and that everyone has had a chance to relax, to laugh with family and friends, and to refuel for the opportunities a new school year always brings. I am excited to have staff and students back in the building! The start of the year is a time of high energy that is always exciting. I hope you'll find the information in this newsletter helpful and informative. If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact the office. We are here to help!
Here are a few key points many of which have additional details when you scroll down:
School Day:
8:02 Students may access lockers
8:10 Start of school day/1st period
3:20 School ends
Drop Off/Pick Up: Scroll down for additional details/ maps
6th graders - Drop off and pick up is on the north driveway - enter off of Cleveland Street
7th/8th graders - Drop off and pick up is at the main doors - enter off of Glenn Street
Lockers – each student will be assigned a locker to use for the school year. Locker combinations will be printed on the student schedule. Bags and backpacks are expected to remain in lockers throughout the school day.
Cell Phones/Personal Electronic Devices: The use of personal electronic devices by students is not allowed during the school day, and all personal electronic devices (including cell phones, earbuds, smart watches, etc.) must be powered off and stored in lockers during school hours. Additional information about the EPS cell phone policy is available below.
Monday, July 29 = Online Back To School registration opens. An email notification will be sent to parents from PowerSchool with instructions for accessing and completing the Back To School form.
Monday, August 5th = Open Campus from 12:00-5:00
- Schedules available on PowerSchool
visit the school
pick up printed schedule - this will include locker # and combination
practice opening locker
bring any school supplies to drop off in lockers/classrooms
Thursday, Aug 8th = Back to School Night - Doors open at 5.
- meet the teachers
- practice locker
- tour/walk schedule
Presentations as follows:
6th grade (main gym) 5:15 - 5:45
7th grade (main gym) 6:00 - 6:20
8th grade (main gym) 6:30 - 6:50
- August 13th - First Day of School!
For the upcoming school year, EPS will again utilize an online registration system that will allow parents of K-12 students to log in and update information and complete all Back-to-School documents. As a reminder, to use this feature, parents/guardians will need to have a parent-access account in PowerSchool.
If you do not already have a parent-access account, please follow this link for directions on how to create an account. However, this is a preparation step, and you will not be able to complete the online registration process until July. An email will be sent to the primary PowerSchool account email address when online registration is available.
If you have an account created but need to add additional students, please follow this link for directions on doing so: https://bit.ly/2wDNJuT.
If you have any questions or need assistance setting up your account, please contact your building secretary.
- Students entering the 7th grade in the fall will need to submit a physical exam dated after February 13, 2024 and an updated immunization record including a Tdap booster.
Students wanting to participate in a sport at the middle school or high school level must have a sports physical completed sometime after May 1, 2024 and upload it to rschool.
**7th graders still need to submit a physical exam to the front office as well, as these are different systems.
Forms can also be uploaded to PowerSchool during the registration process in August but please click “Actual Size” or use the scan feature when uploading with a smartphone.
Andrea Daniels, RN, BSN
REMINDER: Student cell phones are expected to be POWERED OFF AND STORED IN LOCKERS during the school day. Please remind your student of this handbook rule and the importance of limiting distractions for themselves and their fellow classmates.
2024-25 Middle School Student Handbook -- Cell Phone Policy found on Page 7.
Welcome back! We are looking forward to another school year of supporting students and staff!
Booster Club Updates:
- First meeting: Monday, August 19th at 7 pm in EMS Library.
- Sign up to be on the Booster Club email list so you don't miss anything: https://forms.gle/jHdb2CCEsCsYQc69A
Ally Morrill, President
Shawna Michener, Vice President
April Nerz, Treasurer
Angie Ballard, Secretary
Receipts for TAGG
- Keep TAGGing (https://tagg.today/) to help raise funds - upload receipts from local businesses you visit & they will donate to our school! You can find a list of participating businesses on their website.
Antlers apparel
- Shirts, car decals, hats, + more! Link: https://emiddle24.itemorder.com/shop/home/
Blankets, & Enamel Pins
- Order Antlers Blankets & Enamel Pins - link: https://forms.gle/RHTPQr1yApvkTHQp6
Concession Stands volunteers
- Sign up here:
- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4EABA722AAFD0-50440367-2024
- We need volunteers to help with concession stands for this Fall! Football, volleyball, boys basketball, & girls wrestling
- Easy to follow instructions & fun for kids of all ages to help!
- Time commitment is generally 3:45 pm - 6 pm (if you can only do part of the time and want to volunteer, please reach out to us!)
Sponsorship Opportunity
Reminder to schedule sports physicals for the 2024-2025 school year. Anyone participating in a school sport, grades 7th thru 12th must have an updated physical each year they plan to participate.
Physicals must be dated after May 1, 2024 for next year’s athletic participation. This includes those going into 9th grade.
We must have documentation that indicates "cleared without restriction" and a Dr.'s signature. 7th Grade school physicals will count if the wording includes "cleared without restrictions".
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 here.
Free/Reduced Lunch Application (English)
Free/Reduced Lunch Application (Spanish)
Accident Insurance Information (English)
Accident Insurance Information (Spanish)
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.
EPS uses SchoolPay for online payment of activity fees, device coverage, lunch funds, and other payments. Instructions for creating an account and using SchoolPay can be found here: https://bit.ly/EPSpay.
*Note: Payment for Device Coverage must be received no later than September 1 or coverage will not be provided.
Elkhorn Public Schools contracts with Chief Bus Services to provide daily bus transportation in accordance with state law and district policy. Applications for bus transportation for the 2024-25 school year are currently being accepted, with a deadline of August 7, 2024, and parent-pay rates for the 2024-25 school year are as follows:
MonthlyOne-Way Transportation
Round-Trip Transportation
Child One: $57.50 $101.00
Child Two: $55.00 $96.00
Child Three: $52.50 $91.00
Child Four or More: Free Free
Total monthly cost per family is cumulative of all children registered for transportation.
Example – 2 children registered for round-trip transportation: $101 (Child 1) + $96 (Child 2) = $197
2024-25 Registration Link: https://forms.gle/5ecejm8t2soJFSP69
*Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis and will close on August 7, 2024.
Please contact Tanya Larsen at tlarsen@epsne.org or 402-289-2579 with questions.
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.
Safe2Help
Contact Information Updates
Send changes to contact information to ems@epsne.org
2024-2025 Academic Calendar
The approved 2024-2025 academic calendar can be viewed here.