Berkeley Elementary helps all students develop the world-class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Providing high quality instruction that will enable students to show mastery of the South Carolina College to Career Ready Standards. We are dedicated to educating the whole child so they are successful in all aspects of their life. 

Berkeley Elementary School started in 1929 and has a rich history in Berkeley County.  Along with Kelly Gabriel, Principal, there is an Assistant Principal, Denise Hucks.  We also have two Instructional Coaches and a Title I Facilitator.  We have thirty-two Kindergarten through Second grade teachers, three CDEP (four-year-old) teachers, and one preschool (three-year-old) teacher.  Students also receive instruction in art, music, PE, Minds in Motion, computers, and media during the school year. 

To ensure a strong core instruction for every child, common instructional units and assessments were utilized throughout school year in reading and math.  In Professional Learning Community meetings, teachers use data from the common assessments to plan whole and small group research based instruction in the classroom.  Using the common instructional units and assessments ensures that all students are taught and assessed at the same rigor level.  Teachers also participate in a variety of professional development sessions during the school year such as:  Teaching for Understanding Planning Cycle through AAIS, Enhanced Balanced Literacy, integrating technology, and Mastery Connect. 

Intervention, academic assistance, and enrichment are provided daily for our students.  Using progress-monitoring data, students are grouped and given specialized instruction forty minutes a day.  Intervention groups were taught by a certified teacher and focused on phonemic awareness, fluency, or comprehension skills.  Academic assistance groups use our computer labs to refine reading skills, while our students who are reading above grade level participated enrichment learning activities.  Students have the opportunity to move between the three groups depending on their academic progress. 

Parent and community involvement is a crucial element for a successful school.  We are very fortunate to have a PTO, School Improvement Council, volunteers, and business partners to make this a rewarding school year.  Our PTO sponsored a Boosterthon Fun Run to raise money for playground enhancement.  The School Improvement Council met five times and each time there were parent and community members represented during the meetings.  Chick-Fil-A, Kiwanis Club, Rick Hendricks Honda, and Santee Cooper were business partners that volunteered their time and resources throughout the school year.

Our students are our top priority and all of our decisions are centered around the needs of our students.  Berkeley Elementary School is committed to ensure our students develop the world class skills needed to be successful.

Kelly M. Gabriel, Principal     Denise Hucks, School Improvement Council