Dear Twinsburg Schools Family:

Welcome to the 2024/2025 school year! We are so excited to welcome our students and staff members back to school as we anticipate a wonderful year of learning and growth!

Our Soft Reopening Days are scheduled for August 14th through 16th. Here is the schedule:

For students in Preschool through Grade 12, Soft Reopening Days are scheduled as follows:

For Preschool students:

Your child's Soft Reopening Day is considered a school day and attendance will be taken.

During this special week, students will get a chance to meet their teacher(s) and some of their classmates, to obtain their District-issued Chromebook (if they do not already have one) and complete preliminary assessments so that our teachers know a little bit about students' mastery levels and areas that need extra stretch or intervention. Parents will receive more information about our Soft Reopening Days as well as classroom assignments/schedules directly from building principals.

All students in Preschool through Grade 12 will report together for the first time on Monday, August 19th. Bus schedules for students in Preschool - Grade 12 will be mailed on Wednesday, August 7th. If you have questions about transportation once you receive your bus schedule, please contact our Transportation Department at 330.486.2348.

Friday, August 30th is a Data Day. Our students do not have school on August 30th.

As we get underway for another year of learning, school safety is on everyone's mind, thus I want to share with you a few notes regarding the Twinsburg City School District's safety procedures:

Additionally, our District has safety procedures and protocols which are confidential in nature and cannot be published. Safety is everyone's responsibility. Thanks, in advance, for your efforts in keeping all of our Tigers safe while they are at school and on our campuses and vehicles.

I am very Tiger Proud to introduce the newest members of our staff:

Earlier this summer, I sent information to you about FinalForms Registration, our online process for the registration of new families and the enrollment verification for our returning Tigers. You should have also received an Account Confirmation Email from the "FinalForms Mailman". The information in that email provides directions to enable you to create a FinalForms account. FinalForms replaces PowerSchool which is the online process we previously used. FinalForms Registration provides a secure site and offers parents the ability to complete some of the required paperwork, such as emergency medical information, in a manner that avoids the need to retype or rewrite the same information on multiple forms. FinalForms Registration allows the District to distribute forms to our families in an electronic format which will in turn reduce costs for paper and postage. Furthermore, I believe there is an increase in the accuracy of our student information. I hope you have had a chance to update your student's information in FinalFonns.

Also new this school year is ParentSquare which is our school-to-home communication app. You should have also received an activation email from ParentSquare earlier this summer. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with the Twinsburg City School District. It provides a safe way for District administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, coaches, advisors and parents to:

All District and school, grade-level, and classroom information as well as updates from our coaches, and advisors, will be sent to your computer or phone via email and/text. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app which is available for free for iOS and Android devices. If you have questions, please click the question mark in the top right hand corner of the desktop version or the Help tab on the app (tap the triple bar icon at the top left) to find the answers to most questions.

Enclosed is a copy of the Student Fee Guidelines and the Student Fee Payment Form for 2024/2025. In lieu of using the Student Fee Payment Form, parents are encouraged to pay Student Fees online using the PaySchools online payment plan. Information about the online payment plan can be found on our District's website at www.twinsburg.kl2.oh.us and by simply clicking on the "Online Payments" icon for more information. You can also visit www.payschoolscentral.com for more information. A PaySchools user guide will be e-mailed to parents once you have registered in the system. Parents will need to know their child's "Student ID" to register. Your child's "Student ID" can be found in Parent Access as well as on your child's report card. The PaySchools portal is now open to receive online payments. Questions about PaySchools can be directed to Brian Fantone, Athletic Director/Coordinator of K-12 Student Activities at 330.486.2480 or directed to PaySchools at 877.393.6628.

Student Fees, excluding Pay-to-Participate Fees, may be paid at your child's school by sending your check and the attached Student Fee Payment Form to your child's classroom teacher in a sealed envelope labeled with your child's name. Please remember to complete and include the attached Student Fee Payment Form in a sealed, labeled envelope. It is highly recommended that high school and middle school students wait until the second week of the school year to pay for course fees so they are certain that their schedules are set for the semester. For the 2024/2025 school year, the Board of Education authorized a $500 Family Cap for Pay-to­ Participate Fees. Also, a Payment Option Plan is available for Pay-to-Participate Fees. Please refer to the enclosed Student Fee Guidelines for more information. THS and RBC students interested in participating in fall sports should forward fees to the Athletic Office at Twinsburg High School. Please note that fees for co-curricular activities such as Band, Orchestra and High School Yearbook are considered Course Fees. As such, these Course Fees as well as other Academic Fees, may be waived for students who are eligible for the Federal Meal Program. Pay-to-Participate Fees are reduced by 50% for students who qualify for free and reduced price meals through the Federal Meal Program. If you believe that your family may qualify for the Federal Meal Program, please click on the link below and fill out the application. At the end of the application, you will be shown your approval status (Free, Reduced, or Denied because income is too high). Either way, new online form provides a simple, discreet way to apply for benefits. If you have any questions or need a paper copy of the application for the Federal Meal Program, feel free to leave a message for Carol Friihauf at [email protected] or by calling 330.486.2000. Here is the link to the online application: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application

The link to the Waiver Form that parents/guardians need to complete and submit if their child qualifies for the Federal Lunch Program can be accessed when parents/guardians log on to their FinalForms Registration account. Waiver Forms will also be available on the District website and at each of the school's main offices. The completion of this form is mandatory every year for qualifying families as it allows the District to waive or reduce the fees of qualifying students.

Our District has partnered with MySchoolBucks to give our parents the best online prepayment software for meal purchases for your child. MySchoolBucks replaced EzPay last school year for meal purchases. MySchoolBucks enables you to pay online and the money will be available to use by your child in a matter of minutes.

MySchoolBucks will also provide you with the following features:

You can create your MySchoolBucks account and make a prepaid meal payment by using this link: https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain.action?clientKey=&reguestAction=home. All you need is your child's full name and their birthdate or their "Student ID" to register. If you have any questions concerning the online prepayment system, MySchoolBucks, please email our District Dietitian, Mark Bindus, RD.LO. at: [email protected].

The beginning of a new school year is such an exciting time! I hope you share in our enthusiasm as we prepare to greet our Tigers beginning with our Soft Reopening Days. I look forward to seeing you at our many District and school events!

Tiger Proud!

Kathi Powers

Superintendent