Amherst Schools Online

Parents, community members, and Amherst School staff members are encouraged to attend the Schools’ community meeting on Thursday, February 11, at 7:00 p.m., in the Steele cafetorium. The "Measures of Success" will serve as a big part of the discussion for the evening.

The order of play for this afternoon's girls basketball game at Avon Lake has been switched. The 8th grade girls will play first at 4:30 pm followed by the 7th grade game.

This same order will be in effect on March 2 for the games at Olmsted Falls. 

The Amherst Schools' ABC Preschool, which serves students with and without disabilities, is seeking to enroll children as typical peer models for the next school year until all positions are filled. A $50 deposit will enable you to select an AM or PM session on a first come, first served basis, based on the date deposits are made.

ABC Preschool Features:

• Four day per week program (currently Tuesday-Friday)
• AM session 9:00 to 11:30 or PM session 12:50 to 3:20
• Licensed by the State of Ohio and inspected annually
• Certified teachers and experienced support staff
• Class size limited to approximately 12 preschoolers
• Located at Shupe Elementary to ease the transition to kindergarten
• Curriculum is aligned with the state's Pre-Kindergarten Content Standards

Requirements:

• 3 or 4 years old by August 1 of the coming school year
• Toilet-trained (no pull-ups)
• Participate in screening and meet eligibility as a typical peer model
• Provide own transportation

ABC Preschool Fees

$960 due Sept. 1 or in two payments of $480 due Sept. 1 and Jan. 15.

Sign-up Procedures

On or after January 29, make a deposit and complete an application/tuition agreement at the Educational Service Center, 185 Forest Street, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. At that time, you will also select a screening time. (Please note: If you are on a waiting list for this school year, you will need to re-apply for next school year.) If you have questions, please call Sue Pete at 988-4406 or Lori Kendrick at 988-7606.

The H1N1 Clinic is scheduled for Tuesday, February 9, at Amherst Steele High School. 

Last summer the Ohio Legislature passed a law requiring school districts to provide all-day, everyday kindergarten beginning with the 2010 -2011 school year. School districts can apply for a waiver to postpone this for one year. Amherst Schools will not have all-day everyday kindergarten next school year due to financial and space constraints. Providing the additional classroom space is one challenge but the larger challenge is the approximate additional cost of $500,000.

The concept of all-day, everyday kindergarten is something the district supports and believes is a good idea. Unfortunately, the way the state funding formula works, the Amherst Schools would not receive any additional funds from the state to cover these additional costs. We hope you understand our decision to postpone all day kindergarten for a year. If you have any questions, please call the Board Office at 440-988-4406.

The Amherst Board of Education has not yet made any decision about open enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year. This decision will be made by March 1. Watch the website for further information. 

View the December 22, 2009 analytic results on the Analytics webpage.