2018-19 Guide To Yellow Springs

51 Y e l l ow S p r i n g s N ews the Guide to YelLow Springs y 2018 - 1 9 Educat i on programs for students with emotional and/ or behavioral issues as well as preschool programming in districts. GCESC also runs the Intensive Needs Classrooms for students with severe communication disorders and behavioral issues. To find out more about the GCESC and updates on what services are offered, please visit the website at www.greeneESC.org . Greene County Learning Center Contac t: Brad Kayata, Director of Education, 360 E. Enon Road, 767-1303, ext. 141 ema i l : bkayata@greeneesc.org The Greene County Learning Center, or GCLC, is a public “separate facility” school program for students in grades K–12, that serves students from all school districts in Greene County. The caring staff at GCLC work as a team to meet the academic and emotional needs of the youth that they serve. The major objectives of the program are to help the individual gain self-awareness skills, learn new coping skills, increase the ability to make appropriate choices and improve social-interpersonal interaction with peers and adults. An additional objective is to help the students achieve academically to the best of their abilities. The ultimate goal is to help each student to successfully return to the home school environment and to function more fully in the world around them. Yellow Springs Montessori School ema i l : ysms.kids@gmail.com Yellow Springs Montessori School is a parent cooperative preschool for children ages 3–5 years. The mission is to foster the intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual growth of preschool aged children while using the Montessori method to encourage the moral development of each child. YSMS has a traditional preschool design. Class is held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.–noon and the same children attend every day, creating a sense of consistency and community. Student instruction is based on the personal needs and interests of each child, with the teacher serving as a guide. Children are given the opportunity to absorb math, language, science, geography, history, sensory training, practical life and the arts through exploration of their environment. They learn about the value of human diversity and a desire to serve humanity. Parents are viewed as active part- ners who aid in the operation of the school. The school year is September–May and approximately follows the Yellow Springs School District calendar. The classroom is located in the First Presbyterian Church, 314 Xenia Ave. Yellow Springs Public Schools Contac t: Mario Basora, superintendent, 767-7381; Matt Housh, Mills Lawn principal, 767-7217; Jack Hattert, McKinney School/Yellow Springs High School interim principal, 767-7224 We b : www.ysschools.org Students in Yellow Springs have the opportunity to pursue an education in three award-winning schools: Mills Lawn Elemen- tary School, McKinney Middle School and Yellow Springs High School. Recognized as a leader in project-based learning, the district is an invited member of the Ohio Innovative Learning Network, a selective group (only 2 percent of districts statewide) of schools doing innovative work in public education. YS Schools are dedicated to helping stu- dents become the global change leaders of the future. Through the implementation of our 2020 Strategic Plan, the district is giving its students the tools necessary to make a positive impact on our world and achieve their personal goals and dreams. The schools have a longstanding reputation for encouraging critical thinking, individual creativity, respect and appreciation for diversity, and authentic learning in science, the fine arts and the humanities. The public schools are a vital and integral part of the Yellow Springs community and provide an education based on the belief that small schools can provide big opportunities. More recently, the schools have been noted for their focus on deep, meaningful learning experiences, using inquir y and student voice/choice to guide learning. Yellow Springs High School, a recipient of the Silver Award on the U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools List, pro- vides a comprehensive and varied curricu- lum for ninth- through 12th-grade students. Advanced placement courses, college prep courses, vocational courses (through the Greene County Career Center), Post Second- ary Options Education (PSEO), and a variety of electives are offered in many subject areas. Numerous co-curricular opportunities are available to students: athletics, including a dozen varsity sports; band/orchestra; a the- ater program; academic clubs; the School Forest Club, Photography Club, Poetry/ Spanish Night, Charlotte Drake Youth Phi- lanthropy Group, S.P.I.D.E.E., the Bulldog Contemporar y Dance Competition and other activities. All students are required to perform 45 hours of community service and a senior project as graduation requirements. Students in grades 7 and 8 attend McKinney Middle School, which is under the same roof as the high school, but McKinney School students have their own band and orchestra programs and par- ticipate in seasonal interscholastic sports activities. Emphasis is placed on assessing and accommodating the uniqueness of the early adolescent child in a middle school environment, a focus which earned the McKinney Middle School team of educators recognition as the 2017 Ohio Middle Level Association Team of the Year. Consider- able effort is made to incorporate interdis- ciplinary studies through thematic units. McKinney students are afforded a variety of co-curricular opportunities, including athletics, Power of the Pen, Student Council and other activities. At Mills Lawn School, elementary stu- dents are empowered to be active and engaged members of their community and learn at high levels through project-based learning. Students are encouraged and offered opportunities to tackle important issues facing our community through their projects, including af fordable housing, hunger and environmental issues. Students are offered extracurricular opportunities such as Girls on the Run, Junior Lego League and the all-school musical.