Hello all,
I hope that everyone has enjoyed their summer! I am very excited to welcome everyone back to a new school year at Oswayo Valley Jr./Sr. High School. We have consolidated our Middle School and High School at the state level, which now classifies us as one school instead of two. The only change you will notice from this is that we changed our official title to Oswayo Valley Junior/Senior High School. As everyone is preparing to return, I’d like to highlight a few items of importance for both parents and students.
First and foremost, OV Jr./Sr. High School would like to start changing some communications to email instead of phone calls, so parents please take a moment to update your contact information in Focus. You can do this yourself at home, call in to the guidance office, or stop in. This will not be immediate, and we will give warning of any changes before they happen, but we want to be prepared for that time.
Over the past few months, we have attended multiple county-wide meetings and found many Potter County Schools are seeing attendance issues since returning from Covid. Because of this, we have all decided to strictly follow the same policies and procedures that we have in place since they reflect the Pennsylvania School Code. Attached, please find 2 files that define and describe all possible types of absences that can occur in a school year and a flow chart of consequences of illegal absences.
Another point of emphasis this year is the use of cellphones and other electronic devices that can connect to each other and/or social media. We have watched these devices become an increasing distraction to student learning and a threat to student safety. Please take a minute to read the attached letter that fully describes why and how we plan to implement a schoolwide ban on these devices. Again, alongside the letter, there is a flow chart attached to help you understand the procedures.
When students come back, they will also notice a few changes to the master schedule. There will be no more flex periods, but rather 9 full periods, each of which run for 40 minutes. Students will still be offered breakfast in the morning, but now they will be allowed to move on to homeroom at 7:45 if they are not eating or if they have finished eating. There are multiple 2-hour delays built into the schedule this year, so please be sure to check the calendar now and plan accordingly for those days.
Please feel free to reach out to me at any point with questions or concerns. I am looking forward to a new year and can’t wait to see everyone soon!
Thank you.
Erich Zaun
Jr./Sr. High School Principal
2023-24 Unexcused Absence Flow
