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2 | Y E L LOW S P R I N G S N EWS 2 O 2 3 – 2 4 S C HOO L G U I D E Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! I hope that you and your family had an opportunity to relax, recharge and enjoy the summer break. This is an exciting time to be a part of Yellow Springs Schools (YSS). As we open a new school year, I believe now more than ever that a culture focused on relationship- building with students, staff and com- munity is the heart of student success. By creating this foundation with intention, we can effectively improve academic achievement; empower students through accountability, innovation, creativity, critical DR. TERRI L. HOLDEN, SUPERINTENDENT thinking and collaboration; and provide an inclusive, equitable and safe environment. Because of our innovative approach, we have the opportunity to build on the momentum we have gained in academ- ics, fine arts and extracurriculars from last school year — significant year-to-year academic growth throughout the district; a theater arts program where our thespi- ans won multiple local and state awards; a highly successful Mills Lawn Extracurricular Program (MLEP); and successful athletic programs including boys soccer state semi-finalists, conference champions in vol- leyball, co-conference champions in boys tennis, and many conference, state and even national awards for individual athletes. In our public schools walk the scien- tists, researchers, educators, doctors, artists and political leaders of the future. What makes Yellow Springs Schools spe- cial is that we do not need to look to the future to see leadership. We see advo- cacy, innovation and student-led change today in our classrooms, in our schools, and across our community. We are focused district-wide on our vision of thinking boldly, caring deeply and advocating courageously as we welcome our Fearless Thinkers back on Thursday, Aug. 17, for an invigorating year of learning. The local school board is a five-member, publicly elected body responsible for the policies, finances and personnel of the Yellow Springs Exempted School District. Board meetings are regularly scheduled on the second Thursday of the month, typically beginning at 6 p.m., in the Media Center at Yellow Springs High School. The board sometimes meets at the same time and location on the fourth Monday of the month for an optional work session; other meetings are scheduled as needed. All meetings are streamed live on the district’s YouTube Channel — https://bit.ly/3lKXsao — and archived there as well. YELLOW SPRINGS BOARD OF EDUCATION Each serving four-year terms, current board members are Luisa Bieri Rios, Doro- thée Bouquet, Judith Hempfling, Amy Magnus, and TJ Turner. TJ Turner is board president, and Dorothée Bouquet is vice- president. Bieri Rios and Turner’s terms end Dec. 31, 2023. The terms of Bouquet, Hempfling and Magnus conclude at the end of 2025. The district offices are at 888 Dayton St., Suite 106, and the phone number is 937-767-7381. Emails for individual board members follow the form of the first initial followed by last name@ysschools.org; for example, lbieririos@ysschools.org. | YELLOW SPRINGS SCHOOLS Welcome to the 2023–2024 school year! I hope this communication finds you doing well and looking forward to returning to school. We are excited to have students back in our buildings and are looking forward to a great year. We have several new teachers joining our McKinney Middle School and Yellow Springs High School team this year! Ms. Angela Jackson will be teaching high school life science. Mr. Bill Neal will be teaching high school art. Ms. Melanie Taylor will continue as the middle school social studies teacher. Ms. Laurie Pollock is transitioning to the study hall position where she will support interventions with students in MTSS. Mr. Sam Jacobs will be working as an intervention specialist with students in grades 7–12. Ms. Shawna Welch will be teaching middle school STEM courses. And Mr. Hurwitz will be in YSHS and MMS working as the district librarian and an instructional coach. This year all back-to-school forms will again be completed using Final Forms. These forms are all available and can be completed online. Please take a few min- utes to complete these forms before the school year starts! We will continue using ParentSquare for school announcements. I encourage you to download the app to get the most complete information JACK HATERT, PRINCIPAL McKINNEY MIDDLE SCHOOL/YELLOW SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL from the school. As you plan for the year ahead, please visit our calendar page on our website to see which days school is in session. We encourage all families to schedule appointments, college visits and vacations on days when school is closed. If a student misses even one day a month, they will miss 80 lessons through- out the school year. On Friday, Aug. 11, we will be hosting three student events. From 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., we invite all seventh grade students to our seventh grade orienta- tion. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., we invite all students who are new to the district to join us for a new student lun- cheon. From 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., we invite all ninth graders to a high school orientation. Please plan to attend which- ever of these apply to you so that you can get off to a great start! We will be hosting our annual open house on Monday, Aug. 14, 6–7:30 p.m. Students and families are invited in to walk their schedules, meet their teachers and organize their lockers. Please make sure to pick up your family’s copy of the district calendar during open house. This calendar has a comprehensive list of events for the 2023–24 school year, including semester and final exam dates, concert dates, prom and homecoming dates and the dates of other special events. On the first day of school, Thursday, Aug. 17, we will open the building at 8 a.m. so students can put materials in their lockers and find any classes they may be unsure of before the 8:30 a.m. start. I want to personally thank each of you for choosing Yellow Springs Schools. We are excited for the new year and are con- fident we can deliver a great, safe experi- ence. Please do not hesitate to contact me (jhatert@ysschools.org or 767-7224) with any questions, concerns or feedback as we grow together. Here’s to a great 2023–2024 school year! Go Bulldogs! 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