Back-to-School Checklist
Don’t miss a thing as you prepare for the new school year by following the El Dorado School District Back-to-School checklist! Download the checklist here.
Attend important back-to-school events (see Important Dates below!)
Review supply lists and purchase any supplies needed for the new school year (see the Supply List section below). Remember, supplies are FREE for grades K-4, while some supplies are provided for grades 5-12.
First Day of School
August 16, 2023
Important Dates
August 10th:
EHS 9th Grade & New Students
Last Name A-HA, 9:00 - 10:30am
Last Name HE-N, 10:30 - Noon
Last Name O-Z, 1:30 - 3:30pm
BJHS 7th Grade Parent Meeting
Last Name A-L, 10:30am
Last Name M-Z, 1:00pm
August 14th:
BJHS 8th Grade, 1:00 - 4:00pm
Elementary, Noon - 6:00pm
August 15th:
WMS, Noon - 6:00pm
Find the full ESD Calendar here.
Arrival and Dismissal Times
School arrival and dismissal times for the 2023-24 school year are:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 7:55 am - 3:25 pm
Wednesday: 7:55 am - 1:30 pm
Students can be dropped off beginning at 7:30am. Parents should stay in the vehicle during drop-off and pick-up. Please be patient with school employees as they work to get students in and out of vehicles.
Bus Routes
Visit the Transportation page on the school website to see the 2023-24 bus routes and bus information. Although bus route information is available now, it may change over the next few weeks. Check back often to view your student’s bus route.
SMART Tags
El Dorado School District is proud to present our new ridership program SMART-TAG. These photo IDs will be used not only for your student to get on and off of the bus but will also work as their lunch card AND library card. Therefore, ALL students will have an ID even if they do not ride the bus.
SMART TAGs will be implemented on the first day of school. Students are encouraged to get their SMART TAGs during Student Orientation; however, some students can begin getting their SMART TAGs on Monday, August 7th from their individual schools. All elementary students will be able to pick up their SMART TAGs during open house.
All students who plan to ride a bus need to pick up their SMART TAG prior to the first day of school on August 16th. Students MUST have a SMART TAG ID to ride the bus. The IDs will be used daily to load and unload the bus, for school library visits, and for lunch.
In the near future, we will launch the Parent Portal, an app that will give real-time updates on student locations. As students enter the bus, they will scan their cards. Parents will then be able to follow their own child; they can see where the bus is, when the student got on the bus, the anticipated time to get off the bus and the actual drop-off location.
We are excited about this additional safety feature and the opportunity to improve communication with ESD parents and guardians.
School Meals
Breakfast and lunch are provided for all students K-12 free of charge.
Students who bring outside lunches need to come to school with the lunch. There will be no outside lunches brought into the building after school starts.
Supply List
School supplies will be provided free to students in grades K-4. The supplies will be given to teachers to distribute to students as they are needed in the classroom.
WMS and BJHS will provide basic school supplies for students, as well. Students at WMS need to bring a 1-inch binder, 1 art sketch pad for their 9-weeks rotation, Kleenex, hand sanitizer, and a backpack. Students at Barton need to bring a backpack, 4 boxes of Kleenex, and 4 bottles of hand sanitizer.
EHS will provide students with a Chromebook, a three-ring binder, a spiral notebook, and pens. Teachers will pass out class materials lists during orientation or the first week of school. Supply lists are based on the needs of the individual class.
*Students are encouraged to bring their own water bottle to refill as needed.
Immunizations
All students must be up-to-date with their immunizations in order to start school on August 16, 2023. If your child is exempt from immunizations, a completed Immunization Exempt Form is required every year from the Arkansas Medical Director. The school nurse must have an up-to-date immunization record or exempt form for every student. Please take the time to read the immunization requirements and follow the proper steps to make sure your child is able to attend school this fall.
Visitors
Parents will not be able to enter school buildings; this includes the first day of school. At this time, there will be no outside visitors allowed inside schools, including lunchtime visits.
If you are interested in volunteering within the El Dorado School District, please make plans to attend one of the following Volunteer Training Workshops:
Friday, August 25th from 1pm - 2:30pm at TAC House
Tuesday, August 29th from 6pm - 7:30pm at the TAC House
Friday, January 5th, from 1pm - 2:30pm at TAC House
*Anyone who plans to volunteer in ESD schools, including activities such as assisting with instructional programs, volunteering in the office, working with students, or acting as a chaperone on a trip must attend one of the annual training workshops before participating in volunteer activities.
Registering your child for school:
If you are still needing to register your child for the 2023-2024 school year, please visit eldoradopublicschools.org and follow the registration link provided on the homepage. Please also provide the following information: birth certificate, social security card, shot records, and proof of address.