August 1, 2023
Welcome New and Returning Families!
We are busy getting ready for the start of the new school year! We are thrilled to welcome 47 new students to the Lower Campus. They will join our returning students for an enrollment of 205 primary, elementary, and middle school students for the 2023-24 school year. We are excited to be growing and adding two sections of 1st grade and 5th grade to our program. We also look forward to working with Michele Floyd in her new role as Assistant Head of Lower Campus.
We hope this website page will be useful in providing you with information in advance of the start of school. Student handbooks, the bus schedule, information about music lessons, Outdoor Education equipment lists and school supply lists can all be found on the Resources page. Fall camping trips are just around the corner and our trip leaders have provided an Outdoor Education Introduction to help make sure your student is well prepared.
Additional communications were recently sent via email regarding Middle School PE & Athletics and Equestrian as well as details about individual Music Lessons. We have included those communications again here as PDFs. If you want to know more about the Lower Campus, the Parent-to-Parent Handbook is also a helpful resource.
As a final reminder, all primary and elementary students and parents are invited to join us for a Popsicle and Pool Party to celebrate the start of the new year! Please reach out if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Laurie Clark
Ojai Valley School
Head of Lower Campus
(805) 646-1423 | lclark@ovs-archive.ihwy.com
Mark Your Calendars for these KEY DATES!
August 25 – Primary/Elementary Pool & Popsicle Party 2:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
August 28 – New Student & all Resident Check-in Day 2:30 p.m.
August 29 – FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
September 1 – Parent Club Meeting – 8:00 a.m.
September 1 – Middle School Social – Pool party 6:00 p.m.- 7:30 p.m.
September 7 – Back to School Night – 6:30 p.m.
September 18-22 – Middle School Camping Trips
September 27-29 – Elementary Camping Trips
New Families and ALL Residents:
We look forward to seeing you at the New Student and Resident Check-in on Monday, August 28, at 2:30 p.m. For new and returning boarding students, please refer to the Resident Welcome information. Returning day families, we will see you at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 29.
School Hours:
School hours are 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on Friday. We ask students to arrive 10-15 minutes early to have time to say “Good Morning!” to friends and be prepared to start instruction at 8:00 a.m. Aftercare is available for PK- 5th-grade students until 5:00 p.m. (see details below).
To avoid congestion at pick-up, we ask Middle School families to pick up their children at 3:40 p.m. each day.
All School Assemblies:
These weekly events are an important part of OVS. We are happy to bring the children together for All School assemblies every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Parents are welcome to join us; most assemblies will be held in the Greenberg Activities Center or on the Hermes Quad. Fifth grade teacher Hadley English will be coordinating the All School assemblies this year.
Aftercare:
We are happy to provide Aftercare for our Pre-K-5th grade students until 5:00 p.m. each day. We ask that it only be used by working families needing coverage to complete their work responsibilities. The Aftercare Program will begin on Monday, September 4, 2023. Office hours and tutoring are available for Middle School students until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. There is no supervised aftercare program for Middle School students. Click here for more Aftercare information.
Bus Schedule:
Bus transportation begins for the Lower Campus on Tuesday, August 29. Please review the Bus Schedule and Rules if your child will be using the day bus. For those students at Lower Campus that intend to take the late afternoon bus at 5:35 p.m., please contact the Front Office on the morning of the day’s ride so we can confirm ridership for that afternoon.
Calendar:
Here is a link to the 23-24 All School Calendar. We provide many breaks throughout the year to discourage families from missing school. Please schedule your vacations during the time students are on break.
New staff members to Ojai Valley School:
Please welcome to the Lower Campus:
Maryann Shilo – 6th Grade Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher
Timothy Pearson – 6th Grade Math and Science Teacher; Additional 8th Grade Math Teacher
Gloria Morgan – Additional 1st Grade Teacher
Angela McHale – Additional 5th Grade Teacher (welcome back, Mrs. McHale)
Hadley Christensen – Weekend Resident Coordinator
New staff members for both Lower and Upper Campuses:
Jamie Goodenough – School Nurse
George Halkett – Equestrian Director
Robert Brunelle – School Counselor
