August 1, 2023
Greetings New and Returning Families!
We hope that you are enjoying a relaxing and fun summer! Now that we are midway through the summer, we wanted to reach out to remind you of a few important details about the upcoming year.
All 12th graders should arrive on Friday, August 25, at 12:00 p.m. (noon).
All 9th graders and NEW students should arrive on Sunday, August 27, between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. for registration, followed by lunch and separate orientations for students and parents at 1:00 p.m. This includes all 9th graders, including those matriculating from the Lower Campus.
Returning 10th and 11th grade students should arrive on Sunday, August 27, at 3:00 p.m.
Assistant Head of Campus for Academics, Laurel Colborn, has written to all new and returning students with information about classes. Please review your emails if you have not received that email information. You can reach out to her directly at lcolborn@ovs-archive.ihwy.com if you have any additional questions, or you have not yet received her email.
All students will receive their schedules, with teachers, room assignments, and time blocks, at the end of August or at orientation.
All new students and parents are invited to a Welcome Pool Party from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, to celebrate the start of the new school year! This will be a casual meet-and-greet event with Head of School Lars Kuelling, Head of Upper Campus Craig Floyd, as well as student leaders and staff to welcome families prior to orientation the next day. We hope this will be an opportunity for new high school students and parents to connect poolside at the Upper Campus! Please RSVP to Wendy Tremiti at wtremiti@ovs-archive.ihwy.com in the Head of School’s office.
Please reach out if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Craig Floyd
Ojai Valley School
Head of Upper Campus
(805) 646-1423 | cfloyd@ovs-archive.ihwy.com
Mark Your Calendars for these KEY DATES:
August 26 – Welcome Pool Party for New Students & Families 4:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.
August 27 – New Student Check-in 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
August 28 – FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
September 1 – Parent Club Meeting – 8:00 a.m.
September 5-9 – Opening Camping Trips
Resident and School Supplies:
Information about classroom supplies will be provided by individual teachers at the start of classes in August. However, to start you may want to bring a few 3-ring binders, lined paper, a composition book, pens and pencils. Many school supplies can be purchased at the Student Store on campus when you arrive. For boarding students, please refer to the Upper Campus Resident Supply List for more information.
Courses and Class Schedules:
Detailed course descriptions are available on the school website listed under high school curriculum to assist you. For some classes, you will need to purchase textbooks before coming to school in August. When you look at the curriculum information on the website you will see a textbook list below each class. For example, if you review the course description for English 11, the books required for the class will appear directly below the description. Most textbooks (new or used) can be purchased from a variety of online vendors including sites such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You may also see a note that a class set or an online textbook is available and there is no need to purchase that particular book. Be sure to look at each class listed in your schedule to be sure you are getting the right textbook.
Technology:
Students should plan to arrive with a laptop computer. There is a digital lab with desktop computers available, but most students use a laptop in class. There is a printing lab on campus, so there is no need to bring a printer. School email addresses for new students, and access to the Learning Management System, called “Moodle,” will be provided at orientation.
Outdoor Education:
Let’s go camping! The first outdoor trips of the school year will depart on Tuesday, September 5. These trips are designed to familiarize students with base camping and will take place at six stunning locations in Central and Southern California, including the Channel Islands National Park and the Kern River. The success of an outdoor experience largely depends on having proper gear, specifically warm insulating layers made from a synthetic material. A complete list of gear and supplies can be found on the Resources page of the website.
Upcycling:
A big focus of Outdoor Education this year is toward sustainability. In that pursuit, we hope to upcycle and repurpose outdoor gear. We received many donations of gear last spring and would like to utilize it for incoming students. We have a large supply of backpacks, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, and insulating base layers. Keep this in mind as you are planning your gear preparation. “Garage Sale Gear” will be on display and available during new student registration. For more information, please contact Outdoor Education Coordinator Zach Byars at zbyars@ovs-archive.ihwy.com.
Summer Reading:
Students entering grades 9-12 must complete summer reading and assignments. Coursework is required for most Advanced Placement classes to prepare for the upcoming year. Reading lists and other helpful information can be found on the Resources page of the website. All students are asked to read, or listen to, the all-school read, “Diary of a Young Naturalist,” By Dara McAnulty.
