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Question
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Answer
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Programming
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What are the start and end times for next year?
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8:30-3:00
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Will the Homework Club continue?
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Yes
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Will there be Before and After school childcare provided?
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Yes, YMCA. The 4J district manages on-site childcare contracts and should be finalized in the next month (same timeline as other schools across the district).
River Road Park & Recreation Center - ASAP program. Kimberly Ingram is working with RR Rec Center to continue partnership and a procedure in which ASAP staff will meet students at the bus and walk them to the community center.
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Will YG students have access to the same advanced programming opportunities, field trips, funding, support, access to advanced studies, TAG, OBOB?
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Short Answer - Yes
Longer Answer - Programs are supported through different funds: general school funds, PTO-generated funds, and YG fundraisers (e.g., Jog-a-thon). General funds are dependent on state school funding. And money from fundraising allows for extra field trips and is dependent on our community.
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Will students who ride the bus get breakfast?
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Yes
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Facilities
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Will there be a tour or open house or visit before starting school next year?
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Yes. April 24th at 6:00.
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Is there a gym and music room?
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Yes, both.
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Will there be a storage space?
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Yes. 4J Facilities will contract with a builder to build storage space attached to the gym for Japanese performance items, curriculum, and PTO materials.
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Will there be a stage?
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Yes. The district will be building one, but likely will not be done in the 24-25 school year.
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Will the murals be moved?
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Yes. The district will be moving them.
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Will there be an outdoor covered space?
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Yes. The district will be building one, but likely will not be done in the 24-25 school year.
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Parking - is there enough for staff and volunteers?
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Yes, and there is street parking.
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What type of outdoor play structures does the new location have?
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Come to our event on April 24th 6:00-7:30 2855 Lincoln St to view it!
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Transportation
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Do we need to sign our child up for bussing?
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Yes. Please fill out the survey linked at the top of this document so we can gauge interest in bussing and can make sure enough is provided. More information is coming about how to register for bussing.
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Can my child join the bus route mid-year?
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Yes, you will still need to register at the time the decision is made.
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Will the district facilitate a ride share to and from the new Willard Site?
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Yes, we are working with Safe Routes to School to have them help coordinate this. We will have an info session at the April 24th new school site celebration.
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Will there be more than one pick up/drop off location from the North Region?
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No
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Managing the Move
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Will the YG staff get all the support needed to move, set up, and arrange their classrooms before school starts in the fall?
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Yes. District Supports:
- Facilities staff assigned to coordinate and manage the move,
- Certified staff have 4 total paid days to pack and unpack rooms,
- April 1st, waived professional development requirements for certified 1 to allow for sorting the storage area.
- Moving company hired for curriculum materials (including PE and music), library books, pianos, cultural items, and performance props.
- Facilities will move indoor and outdoor murals,
- YG staff requested to move taiko drums to ensure safety of drums and anything that is highly breakable.
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YG Enrollment & Staffing
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What is enrollment looking like across the grades?
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YG student enrollment projections for 24-25 are slightly higher than this year’s enrollment.
Enrollment is a moving target given lottery season and student moves. Kocho Sensei is working through a wait-list for school choice for upper grades. Kocho Sensei will update the community in late May and again in the Fall.
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How is the district planning to slow or stop attrition (both of students AND TEACHERS/staff!!) during this move and in the next 5 or so years while everything about the Japanese program is still getting "worked out"???
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All licensed positions will continue next year, with some additions, including a full-time Instructional Coach and a part-time Librarian.
We have been allotted equivalent building-based classified hours for next year. YG lost one student-based special education classified staff for next year. Every school experiences this process every year and district Student Services is working through a process to allocate hours for student needs and we will know more in late May/ early June.
As of April 12th, 2024, Jemei Sensei is retiring and Takako Sensei has taken on a new position at the school. We hired Conner Uhlinger as the new Kindergarten Japanese teacher and Christina Takei as the new 4th grade Japanese teacher. One classified staff resigned in January for personal reasons. YG does not have additional staff resignations, at this time.
At this point, it is premature to say staff retention is particularly low for Yujin Gakuen (compared to past years or other schools) and that the reason for staff leaving is due to any particular reason such as a regional move.
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If we make the wrong school choice for our kiddo, will accommodations be made later? Will we be able to make different choices once the pertinent information becomes available?
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Families can always choose to go to their neighborhood school if Yujin Gakuen isn’t working for their child.
If you move your student to their neighborhood school and would like to return to YG mid-year, we always want to welcome students back. Language immersion schools need to first ensure there is room at the grade level. Also, previous experience with Japanese is considered at entry and re-entry into YG, if there is a wait-list.
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Long Term
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How long will YG actually be at the Willard site?
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“Yujin Gakuen will move to the Willard school site at 2855 Lincoln St. this coming school year (2024–25) and will remain at this location for the foreseeable future. It may be possible to return YG to the North region if the community supports its inclusion in a future successful bond campaign, but such an endeavor is unlikely to happen within the next five to seven years. The district is dedicated to investing in and supporting a vibrant YG at the Willard site.” Dr. Dey’s email to the community on Dec. 12, 2023.
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As I understand, virtually everyone (board members) that voted to move YG are gone. Was the move reviewed by the current board?
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Please refer to the 4J website page “School Board Working Agreements” and scroll down to the ‘Agenda Planning’ section.
In order for the School Board to revote on co-location with Kelly Middle School, the topic would have needed to be on the Board Agenda. Yujin Gakuen and co-location decision was not put on the board agenda after the June 2023 Board vote to end co-location. The December 2023 agenda item that announced YG’s move to 2855 Lincoln Street was the first time the school board selected to add Yujin Gakuen as a point of discussion.
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