Berkeley Elementary School opened in 1929 and has a rich history in Berkeley County. Berkeley Elementary supports all students in developing work and life skills, along with the characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We provide high-quality instruction that enables students to demonstrate mastery of the South Carolina College to Career Ready Standards. We are dedicated to educating the whole child so that they are successful in all aspects of their lives.
Principal Ruth Butka and Assistant Principal Dr. Monique Capers are looking forward to the 2025-2026 school year. Berkeley Elementary has 685 students in grades PreK through 5th grade. Berkeley Elementary is a Title I school with an Instructional Coach and a Title I Facilitator. Berkeley Elementary became a K4- 5th grade school for the 2022-2023 school year.
To ensure strong core instruction for every child, grade-level teachers used a primary-focused balanced literacy program throughout the school year in reading that integrates student collaboration and creativity. Teachers also created instructional units for math to teach the standards. Many lessons incorporated critical thinking and peer communication skills. In our Professional Learning Communities, teachers used data from a variety of assessments to plan whole and small group research-based instruction in the classroom. Teachers also participated in various professional development sessions during the school year, such as OGAP, Focus 5, and training for the new math standards. Furthermore, professional development was also held to integrate technology into lessons, interpret student iReady data and use the iReady lessons to enrich and remediate.
Tiered intervention was provided daily in the classroom. Using progress-monitoring data, students were grouped and given specialized instruction thirty minutes a day in the classroom. UFLI Intervention reading groups were taught by teachers and focused on phonemic awareness, fluency, or comprehension skills in second grade and with some first grade students. Teachers were able to use personalized learning to provide enrichment activities to complete during this intervention time. Students have the opportunity to move between the groups depending on their academic progress.
We are a 1:1 school for technology.
The social/emotional aspect of our students’ education is crucial due to their young age. We have a part-time Berkeley Mental Health worker at our school two days a week and during the summer. She is able to meet with parents and students to assist and teach them coping skills to manage their emotional health. Teachers conducted daily morning meetings that focused on helping students with social situations and how to respond appropriately to different social interactions. Our school counselor focused on small group and individual counseling, along with monthly character traits in classroom lessons. She collaborated with our local Kiwanis Club to give monthly character awards to a student in each class. Red Ribbon Week was also organized by our school counselor to help our students make positive life choices for their future. For the 2025-2026 school year, Berkeley will house a non-profit organization called Communities In Schools, which will provide a full time social worker on campus.
Parent and community involvement is an essential element for a successful school. We are very fortunate to have a PTO, School, Improvement Council, and Volunteers, to help make us an effective school. Our PTO sponsored a Boosterthon Fun Run to raise money for playground equipment. The School Improvement Council meets regularly with parent and community members represented during the meetings.
Keeping students as our top priority, we make data-driven decisions to meet their needs. Berkeley Elementary School is committed to ensuring our students develop the work and life skills needed to have a successful future.
Ruth Butka, Principal Heather Boltin, School Improvement Council
