Orchard Drive Family Newsletter
May 2023
A Message from the Principals
Hello families!
Can you believe this is the last newsletter of the 22/23 school year?! Wow! We are gearing up for end-of-year testing, as well as many fun events to celebrate our hard work!
End of Year Testing Reminders:
- iReady Testing: All students in Kindergarten-4th Grades will take the iReady diagnostic for both Reading and Math. This assessment measures student understanding of the Missouri Learning Standards. Many grade levels have already begun iReady testing, or will do so soon. Please communicate with your child's teacher regarding iReady testing dates.
- MAP Testing: All students in 3rd-4th Grades will take the MAP test in Reading and Math. This assessment measures student understanding of the Missouri Learning Standards. MAP testing will occur on May 8-11. Please ensure your child is present and on time in order to set them up for success on the test!
End of Year Events:
- Art Show: Mrs. Demyan has been helping our Orchard artists prepare for the amazing art show! Each student will have work featured in this event. The art show will be on May 15th from 5:30-7:00 pm in the gym. We hope to see you there!
- Playday: The PTO has been hard at work preparing for this fun day! Playday will be on May 19th from 9:30-3:00 at Orchard. Stay tuned for more details regarding this event!
We have enjoyed seeing your students learn and grow throughout this year. Thank you for partnering with us to help your child achieve high levels of learning! We look forward to seeing our students at Orchard Summer School!
A Message from Nurse Emily
Sunny days are here!!! And it is MAY!!!!!!! WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Parents, if your child needs sunscreen, please make sure they are applying before they come to school. The school does not supply sunscreen or aloe. Also, please have your child continue to bring a water bottle to school to stay hydrated during the warmer weather! Just make sure the water bottles are being cleaned with hot water and soap daily to prevent spread of illnesses (especially, strep!).
Also, don't forget: to prevent the spread of sickness/illness please keep your child home until they are 24 hours free of vomiting, diarrhea, AND/OR fever (they would need to be fever free for 24 hours without using Tylenol/Motrin).
Medication and Summer news:
- Please remember that Nurse Emily will NOT be working summer school. If your child has any medical issues you will need to talk with the summer school nurse aide if your child is participating in summer school.
- Medications: if your child has medications at school please pick them up before or on May 25th. Otherwise, medications will be left at school and if they don’t expire for the 2023-2024 school year the nurse will send home a new medication sheet for you to sign in August/September. If they expire they will be disposed of.
- If your child is a parent pick up and you want their medication sent home please inform the nurse. Medications will not be sent home via bus.
- Please note: 4th graders with medication will need to have those picked up or they will be disposed of (since they are going to JMS next year).
Counselor Corner
Our 3rd and 4th grade students will MAP test May 8th-May 11th. The MAP Test is an end of the year exam where the scores are reported to the state. Our 3rd and 4th grade students will be assessed in reading and math.
Please ensure that your 3rd and 4th grade students are at school May 8th-May 11th. If you need to make any appointments for your student, please do this after 1:00 PM on those days. Additionally, please ensure adequate sleep for your child during this week. The assessments are long and mentally tough. Our students need to be as prepared as possible to get them ready to do their best!
If your child is absent or comes to school late between May 8-May 11 then we will work with your child to make up their MAP sessions before the end of the school year.
Thank you for all of your support!
Car Rider Dismissal Reminder
Just a friendly reminder that car rider dismissal ends at 4:25 pm. If your child is not picked up by 4:30 pm, they will be sent to our After School Kids Club (ASKC) program for a fee of $10. This will begin on Monday, October 3rd. This will allow your child to participate in engaging activities while they wait for you to arrive and for our staff to be able to leave school on time to see their families. We appreciate your understanding with this matter.
- May 1st-May 5th: Teacher Appreciation Week!!; Testing Spirit Week (see details below)
- May 8th-May 11th: MAP Testing for ALL 3rd and 4th Grade Students; Orchard Mart 8:15
- May 9th: Orchard Scooter's Fundraiser at the Jackson Scooter's location!
- May 12th: 1st Grade Field Trip, West Lane Park Bowling Alley and Melania's Playground
- May 15th: Orchard Art Show, 5:30pm-7:30pm
- May 16th: 4th Grade Students Tour JMS
- May 17th: 4th Grade Field Trip, Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary
- May 19th: Orchard Playday-- 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM, all families are invited!
- May 22nd: Orchard Mart 8:15
- May 23rd: Orchard Playday Makeup Day, 9:30 AM-3:00 PM
- May 25th: 4th Grade Clap Out from 11:00-11:20 and 4th Grade Playground Party with Pizza from 11:20-12:00
- May 25th: Last day of school-- release time at 1:00. Parent pick up ends at 1:30.
- May 31st: Summer School Begins (see details below)
We will send our 4th graders off with a building wide "Clap Out" and a party on the playground with pizza!
On 5/25 from 11am-11:20am, all of our teachers and our K-3 students will line the halls. Our 4th grade students will walk through the halls while we listen to music and clap for them. They will make two loops through the halls. From 11:20-12:00, 4th graders can play on the playground and have pizza. 4th grade families are invited to join us for these events.
Yearbooks will be distributed to students on May 19th. Pre-orders for the yearbooks closed in March. However, we do have a few extra yearbooks that will be available for purchase for $20. Please reach out to Mrs. Demyan with any questions:
kdemyan@jr2mail.org.
Parent-Teacher Organization
Updates
At the 4/25/23, PTO meeting we re-elected our 4 executive members to their positions for the 23-24 school year. These members are Magin Chapman- President, Emily Barlow- Vice President, Sarah Busch- Secretary, Megan Speith- Treasurer. We want to extend the biggest thank you to them for their dedication and time!!
Additionally, we had 6 teachers from Orchard and 1 other parent who attended. We would like to extend a BIG THANK YOU to Angie McKuin for coming to help us plan for Playday!!
At the PTO Meeting we brainstormed ideas for our upcoming Playday which is on May 19th. There will be more information on this coming soon.
Lastly, we updated the group about the success with our PTO BINGO and Auction Fundraiser. We profited over $8,000. Thank you to all of those who came out to support our school!
Luna's Moonsicle Fundraiser
Back by popular demand -- we are doing another Luna's Moonsicle Fundraiser! Orders and payment are due by Wednesday, May 3rd. The expected turnaround time is two weeks after the order is placed. A copy of the form has been sent home with your student and can also be found
here.
Summer School Information
Hello Parents! We would like to invite you to Jackson R-2’s FREE Summer School Program for incoming Kindergarten through 4th-grade students. Summer School will be hosted May 31 - June 22, 2023, from 8:00 am - 3:10 pm. Summer School morning drop off begins at 7:30 a.m. There will be no Summer School on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth.
Unable to pick your child up from Summer School by 3:10 pm? Summer School Kids’ Club will be available for a tuition fee of $110 (3:10 pm - 5:45 pm) following the Summer School day, May 31-June 22, 2023. This payment must be received by the last day of school May 25, 2023.
Students who attend Orchard Drive Elementary School will also attend summer school at Orchard.To enroll your child online, click or copy and paste the link below:
*Please note: Incoming fifth-grade students (2023-24 school year) will attend Summer School at Jackson Middle School. If you have any questions, please call (573) 243-9543.
Please click on the link below or click the attachment in this email to watch our summer school promotion video and “like” Jackson R-2 Elementary Summer School Facebook page,
https://www.facebook.com/jacksonr2elementarysummerschool/
Summer Camp Kids Club Information
If you are interested in additional summer childcare opportunities following our Summer School program, Camp Kids’ Club will be offered from June 26 - August 11, 7:30 am - 5:45 pm at East Elementary. There will be no Camp Kids’ Club July 3rd and July 4th in observance of Independence Day. Camp Kids’ Club includes all incoming Pre-k through 6th grade students. Camp Kids’ Club tuition is $160 per week for the first child, and any siblings after will be $140 per child, per week. You do NOT have to sign up for every week.
Please see our website for Camp Kids’ Club information, promotional video, CKC activity calendar and enrollment. https://sites.google.com/jacksonindians.us/kidsclub/camp-kids-club
If you have any questions, please email kbenyon@jackson.k12.mo.us or call our office at 573-243-9576
