York School Department
Office of the
Superintendent of Schools
August 30, 2024
Friday Focus
Dear Families and Community Members,
As we embark on the 2024 – 2025 school year, I am honored and joyful to welcome you all. I trust you had a rejuvenating and enjoyable summer. It's a privilege to continue serving as the superintendent of this remarkable learning community for the second year, supporting the students, teachers, and staff of the York School Department. The start of a new school year is always a momentous occasion, brimming with excitement and anticipation. It's a fresh start for everyone – students, teachers, and staff – a time to embrace new challenges, opportunities, and friendships.
Each school year brings opportunities for personal and academic growth. Students look forward to learning new things, and teachers are eager to inspire and guide them. For returning students, it's a time to reunite with friends and teachers. It's a chance to share stories about summer adventures and catch up on each other's lives. Schools are more than just places of learning; they're communities. The start of a new year is an opportunity to strengthen bonds and create a supportive environment for everyone. With a new year comes the chance to set new goals and aspirations. Students might aim for better grades, while teachers might focus on innovative teaching methods. Schools are communities for our students. This community has smaller communities of sports teams, clubs/organizations, and even lunch buddies who eat together.
Please be aware of a significant shortage of bus drivers in the York School Department. Due to this shortage, we may experience last-minute cancellations of bus routes. York School Department understands this is inconvenient and disruptive to our families, and we are working diligently with Ledgemere to address the issue. Please ensure your child has a backup plan in case their bus route is canceled for the long term and sometimes even the night before. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. York School Department will continue to work cooperatively with Ledgemere on the bus driver shortage and any other issues that may come up.
I have directed Ledgemere Transportation to incorporate York School Department Pre-K students on their pick-up and drop-off runs. All York School Department students should have access to school busing when needed. During our meeting this week with Ledegemere, a mutual understanding was the goal of having this access for the students and their families. Ledgemere has been an outstanding partner in providing valuable service to our families and schools.
As we prepare for the new school year, please be mindful of the school buses on the road. These yellow vehicles are the safest on the highway, with only 1% of all roadway accidents involving school buses. This statistic should reassure you about the safety of your children's transportation. Our collective responsibility in keeping school bus traffic safe begins with our awareness when a school bus is present.
York School Department, in collaboration with the York High School Boosters Club, is delighted to announce the launch of a fundraising campaign. This campaign aims to build a multi-sports athletic complex for the York School Department. The design work for the new complex has already started and is at 65% completion. We anticipate the construction will start groundbreaking in May or June of 2025. The complex will be open to the community for events and leisurely exercising. It will feature a new track surface, an all-purpose turf playing surface, paved walkways, and indoor bathroom facilities. As an integral part of our community, your generous support will significantly impact countless young people's lives. We invite you to join us in building a brighter future for York Schools athletics and community events. Your donation will help support the creation of this multi-use complex for York Schools and the town of York. When donating, please donate to the York High School Boosters. Donations can be dropped off at the York School Department central office, online using this link, or given to any York High School Boosters member. We thank the York High School Athletic Boosters for taking on this fundraising project.
I eagerly look forward to starting the new school year and continuing our collaboration to provide your children with a practical and engaging educational experience. As always, we will look to our families to be positive partners in their children’s academic journey, a role that is crucial to their success. The York School Department and York School Committee have always prioritized working together as a caring and compassionate learning community with professionalism, teamwork, action, and expertise. We are deeply grateful for your continued support and commitment to our students. Together, we will always put the best interests of our students at the center of our purpose.
OneYork MISSION!
Friday Focus, our regular newsletter, will be sent out to families and staff every Second and Fourth Friday throughout the school year. We hope you find it informative and engaging, and we look forward to sharing our updates and news with you.
With each Friday Focus, a total will be provided for the new athletic complex fundraising efforts: $2,474.29
Superintendent Timothy L. Doak