Orchard View Schools

Dear Residents, Parents, Staff and Students,

Happy New Year! One of the joys of being a school superintendent is visiting buildings, attending special events and being a part of the daily learning taking place in our classrooms. It is evident that there are great things happening at Orchard View Schools. The High School National Honor Society inducted 29 new
members meeting the ‘National’ criteria for exemplary students. The Middle School Leadership Team attended a 3 day training at Camp Miniwanca (made possible by a corporate donation). The team selected a school project to work on using research and problem solving skills and will present their project to the Board of Education this spring. The Cardinal Elementary 5th grade Community Service Club, 40 students strong, represented OV at the United Way ‘Day of Caring’ this past fall receiving recognition for their hard work. “It is never too early to start thinking about college or what you want to be when you grow up” was the message shared with Orchard View Early Elementary students and their parents in a reading and drawing activity for families to enjoy. The hallways at OVEE are decorated with drawings of ‘dreams’ for the future. The accelerated learning sections at Cardinal Elementary and honors classes in our middle school and high school are just one more way to assist students in meeting the new College and Career Readiness Standards for graduation.

A ‘State of the District’ Community Forum held on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at Cardinal Elementary sought community input on our District Strategic Plan. The purpose of this forum was to review the district’s finances, seek community input on our Strategic Plan which included a 1 to 5 year facility plan and to encourage the community to advocate for public education funding. (The current funding we receive per student is almost as low as the funding received in the 2005-2006 school year). A committee has been formed to assist in the development of this facility plan. Please contact Central Office at 231.760-1300 if you are interested in participating.

With winter upon us, I encourage you and your family to take advantage of activities that keep you warm and engaged. Come out and cheer on our basketball and wrestling teams or sign up for an enrichment class. The athletic and enrichment class schedules can be viewed on-line at www.orchardview.org.

On behalf of Orchard View Schools, best wishes for a safe and successful New Year!

Yours in Education,