Dear Parents/Guardians,

I truly cannot believe I am writing you a farewell for the school year! It seems it was a minute ago that I was still anxious about being moved into the new building worrying if it would all work out - and happily it has surpassed my expectations! Yes, there are areas to be completely finished and yes there are procedures to clean up within our halls, but we are making this beautiful school an incredible place to learn, make mistakes and grow in, together.

Coach Namolik, Shepherdstown University's coach, brought his extremely talented and fun team, assistant coach, as well as some football players with him to play and ref an eventful basketball game with 5th graders and staff to get our GAME FACE ON for testing!  They also organized fun basketball relay races for 3rd and 4th grade classes to participate in as well! First grade teacher, Casey Frazier MC'd our activity and Amanda Licea lead our SES band in supplying plenty of high energy music before the game and during the half-time!  Special thanks to David Lind for helping prepare the first ever used scoreboards and continued collaboration with Shepherd University.

We had a wonderful turn out for kindergarten registration and looking forward to the two filled classes to walk through our doors next August! These children bring their families whom I hope get involved and participate right away in adding to and bringing newness to our already incredible school community.

With a few opportunities ahead to enrich and experience together, we are looking forward to these last field trips, movie night, National Conference Training Center, NCTC day, Career Day, Talent Show, concerts, parent lunches, and our 1st 5th grade promotion at 545 and their last walk through our halls. All of our staff and students deserve these extra special activities after transitioning this winter into a brand new school and working so hard to not lose momentum in showing progress through standards and content.

Thank you for the families who jumped into our new running club offered on Wednesdays after school and we are so pleased with the turnout of over 30 children in grades 3-5.  Because of its success, we will run it again next fall and look forward to more volunteers coming on board!

Thank you for your patience and support we have received during one of the hardest years our staff will ever experience in our profession in creating everything we do from the ground up while closing down and opening up their new space. With the addition of new programs and staff in our school next year, I look so forward to where we are going with our vision and what we are accomplishing together. I hope summer brings exactly what it should to each of our students' families - rest, happiness, safety, growth, and the anticipation of a new school year!

Mrs. Payne

Thank you to MG Cleaning LLC for gifting our school with the wonderful painting of  the parking lot space numbers.

Visitors may park in any of the unnumbered parking spaces. 

Thank you to Sherree Kifer and Sandra Crouse for the donation of outdoor toys for our students to enjoy at recess.  This donation is in memory of Anthony Crouse as he loved watching his grandkids play outside and use their imaginations.

Celebrating our attendance and getting prepared for WVGSA testing, Shepherd University Coach Namolik brought some of his men's basketball team and a few football players along to ref to play in a game with staff and 5th grade students.  Before the game, 3rd and 4th grade students participated in relay races ran by Coach and the team.  Our band lead by Mrs. Licea played music before the game and during half time, too!

These outstanding students were nominated by their teacher for SES's Citizenship Award!

Congratulations to Connor Mobley, Mia Huynh, Harmony Haynes, Daniel Ortiz, Blakely Blough, Brody Group, Adalynn Norman, Rhyder Lynch, Luca Hamilton, Avery Sexton, Tobias Coburn, Luella Mullens, Joelene Lutman, Elaina Phipps (not pictured)

Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Dinges Shepherdstown Elementary School Teacher and Service Personal of the Year 2026.

 In JCS, we use the slogan "Strive for Less Than 5 Absences a Semester."  The reason why we use this slogan is because if a student has less than five absences each semester, that student will have 9 or fewer absences during the school year, which is a 95% or higher attendance rate for the school year. By meeting this goal, our school is meeting and our goal, and the child is not considered a chronically absent child.