YCUSD opens 2022/23 school year
Aug. 11—The 2022/23 school year has officially begun for Yuba City Unified School District.
Wednesday marked the first day of school for teachers as well as incoming and returning students across the district.
Andros Karperos School in Yuba City welcomed nearly 1,200 K-eighth grade students back on campus for in-person instruction. Classes began at 8 a.m. except for kindergarten students who began lining up for class at 8:10 a.m., Principal Rocco Greco said.
"The first day of school has been wonderful so far. Everyone is in a good mood. The amount of parents here today is exciting to see," Greco said. "Our staff is working incredibly hard to make this happen."
In order to help incoming students transition to the new school year, kindergarten and sixth grade orientations were held on campus prior to the start of the semester.
"For our sixth graders, this will be their first day of junior high and for our kindergarteners, they're just starting school. We wanted to ensure that our students had a smooth transition into their new school environments," Greco said.
He said that the kindergarten orientation allowed students to participate in a meet and greet with their teachers while sixth grade students were able to gain a better understanding of their academic expectations and participate in leadership building activities.
Campus supervisor Gary Avila said that the first day of school is overwhelming due to the amount of parents who come to send their kids off to class. In order to promote campus safety, Avila said that only parents of kindergarten and first grade students were allowed past the school gates to walk their children to class.
Assistant Principal Jamie Harvey was present by the middle school entrance to greet returning students and parents. She is looking forward to the year ahead and being able to see students interact with their teachers and peers in-person.
"We are all ready to get back into the groove of things. It's going to be so nice to hold dances and rallies again. I'm excited to see the kids in-person this year," Harvey said.
During a Yuba City Unified school board meeting on Tuesday, Superintendent Doreen Osumi welcomed administrators and educators to the new school year. While she is confident that the district will continue to provide quality education to all its school sites, she expressed concerns over a teaching shortage that currently affects several districts across the country, including Yuba City Unified.
"As everyone knows here, there is a significant shortage of teachers across the nation. Districts are being very creative in different states in how they are going to fill those gaps. In terms of our classified staff, there is still some need out there, so we are recruiting heavily," Osumi said during the meeting.
