The communication below was sent on May 10th at approximately 3:00 p.m. via email by Dr. Holly Schafer to all parents of current 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grade students who will be attending OFHS next year.
TO ACCESS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW OFHS STUDENT SCHEDULE FOR 2018-2019, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
Dear OFHS Parents:
We have some exciting news to share regarding significant changes to the student schedule at Olmsted Falls High School which will go into effect next year. Beginning with the start of the upcoming 2018-2019 school year, Olmsted Falls High School will implement new start and end times to its school day without altering the student bus schedule. Students will begin their first period class at 8:10 a.m., and the school day will now end at 2:46 p.m. (Students with an Early Bird Class will report to school at 7:50 a.m.)
This adjustment to the student schedule is a result of a collaborative effort between the OFHS teaching faculty and the OFHS administrative team seeking to enhance the educational experience of our students. The change also maximizes the ability of our faculty to collaborate with one another as well as with students and parents who may be in need of individual assistance. There are several benefits to this schedule adjustment including:
- Research indicates that a later school start time is more developmentally appropriate for teenagers. Our new high school start time of 8:10 a.m. will allow a significant percentage of our student population the opportunity to get the 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep recommended for their age.
- While the change in OFHS start/end times will NOT change the arrival and departure times for high school bus transportation, students who ride the bus to school will have the opportunity to be scheduled into a morning study hall and can also enjoy the new cafeteria / media center space where breakfast will be available from 6:50 - 8:10 a.m. daily.
- Additionally, students who utilize school transportation will experience a shorter wait time for their bus at the end of the school day.
- With the new schedule, faculty collaboration time will now take place in the morning before the start of the student day. Previously, staff collaboration time was at the end of the day when many staff members can be potentially pulled in different directions (i.e. IEP / 504 meetings; extracurricular meetings), which limits the ability for teachers to work together to develop teacher-based teams focused on classroom instruction. Placing faculty collaboration time before the start of the student day will maximize opportunities for our staff to work collaboratively on enhancements to student learning.
- The new schedule will also provide greater flexibility for more convenient meeting times for parents needing to come in to meet with teachers and administrators. Currently, with teacher collaboration time at the end of the school day, teacher availability for parents is essentially in the middle of many parents’ work days.
- The new schedule will also alleviate traffic in both the morning and the afternoon, allowing for staff and students to arrive in “shifts” with faculty, staff and buses arriving ahead of student drivers and parents dropping off students in the morning. This staggered pattern of traffic flow will reverse in the afternoon.
We realize this is a significant change and look forward to answering any questions you may have about the new schedule. We have put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions which we invite you to review by clicking HERE.
Should you have any additional questions that are not answered in the FAQs provided, please give us a call at 427-6100 or email me directly at hschafer@ofcs.net.
We are very excited about the 2018-2019 school year! The expansion and renovation of our building, coupled with this new schedule, will truly make OFHS an exceptional place for students to learn!
Sincerely,
Dr. Holly J. Schafer
Principal, OFHS
(440) 427-6100
hschafer@ofcs.net
TO ACCESS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW OFHS STUDENT SCHEDULE FOR 2018-2019, PLEASE CLICK HERE.