3 things to know as Oshkosh Area School District goes back to school

Brandon Reid, Oshkosh Northwestern
·3 min read

OSHKOSH – It’s almost back-to-school time in the Oshkosh Area School District.

Here are three things to know as the school year begins.

1. Most students will start Sept. 1 in Oshkosh schools while some will start Sept. 5.

Most students in the district will start the 2023-2024 school year Sept. 1 while some will begin Sept. 5.

For kindergartners, there are two start dates — Sept. 1 and Sept. 5. Students who start Sept. 1 won’t attend Sept. 5 and students who start Sept. 5 won’t attend Sept. 1. Meanwhile, all kindergartners will have their second day of school Sept. 6. The district said this staggered start will help kindergarteners learn routines in a small-group setting. Families were notified of their child’s assigned start date by their school.

For pre-kindergarteners, school will start Sept. 5. The district said Sept. 1 is used for pre-kindergartener “Get-to-Know-You Conferences.”

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And at the new Vel Phillips Middle School, grade 8 students will start Sept. 1 while grades 6 and 7 will start Sept. 5. The district said this staggered start allows staff to slowly help students adjust to the new building and routines, and provides the oldest students time to model school routines and support younger students during their first day.

2. Oshkosh police share a reminder of when to stop for school buses.

With kids returning to school and school buses on the streets, the Oshkosh Police Department shared a reminder on social media of when to stop for a school bus. Police said drivers should follow these instructions:

  • On a two-lane street, vehicles traveling in both directions must stop for a school bus;

  • On a multi-lane paved-across street, vehicles traveling in both directions must stop; and

  • On a divided highway, vehicles behind a bus must stop while vehicles traveling in the opposite direction must proceed with caution.

This graphic shows when to stop for a school bus.
This graphic shows when to stop for a school bus.

3. New Vel Phillips Middle School opens and will hold a public open house in September.

Rendering of Oshkosh Area School District's new Vel Phillips Middle School, which will be at 1401 Kentucky St.
Rendering of Oshkosh Area School District's new Vel Phillips Middle School, which will be at 1401 Kentucky St.

The 800-student Vel Phillips Middle School at 1401 Kentucky St. will open for the start of the 2023-2024 school year, bringing together the former Merrill and Webster Stanley Middle School communities.

The school was funded as part of the $107 million capital referendum approved by voters in November 2020. Ground was broken on the project in April 2022.

Features of the new facility include flexible learning spaces, a STEAM lab, a media center and production studio, a fine arts wing, an expansive gymnasium, a community room, a life skills kitchen, fitness and yoga studios, and leading-edge safety and security systems.

Open house events for Vel Phillips students and parents/guardians were to be held in late August.

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A public dedication and community open house for the school is slated for 4-6 p.m. Sept. 17 and will include a dedication ceremony and self-guided tours.

Oshkosh Area School District serves more than 9,000 students and operates 13 elementary schools, four middle schools, two high schools, one charter school and an eAcademy. Learn more at oshkosh.k12.wi.us.

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh Area School District back to school: Start dates, bus safety