Orchard Drive Family Newsletter

• November 25th-29th: No School; Fall Break
• December 2nd: School Resumes
• December 7th: Hope for Christmas at JMS
• December 9th-20th: iReady Testing
• December 13th: Orchard Mart at 7:45
• December 19th: Pajama Day
• December 20th: End of 2nd Quarter
• December 20th: District Holiday Sweater Day
• December 20th: K-4 Winter Parties in Classrooms 2:40-3:25
• December 23rd - January 3rd: No School; Winter Break
• January 6th: School Resumes

As you know, we had a school closure on Friday, September 13th. According to our district calendar, our first make-up day is March 17, 2025. School will be in session on Monday, March 17th. Thank you!

Orchard Families,

We hope you were able to enjoy time with your loved ones during the Thanksgiving Break! We now have about 3 weeks left of instruction in our 2nd Quarter of school. During these weeks, students will finish their ELA and math modules focused on their specific grade level standards. Many of our grade levels have focused on a big writing piece connected to their ELA modules this quarter. Please be on the look out for this work from your student. It has been really exciting to see our students so invested in their writing across the grade levels. Teachers will also work on reteaching standards to students who have not reached proficiency in those standards. We will close out the grading cycle for Quarter 2 on December 20th. Report cards will be available to view on the Infinite Campus portal by January 6, 2025.

In addition to finishing our instruction for Quarter 2, all students will also complete the winter ELA and Math benchmark in iReady. Students who were enrolled at Orchard or another JR2 elementary school took the iReady benchmark in the fall as well. These reports were sent home with your child or reviewed with you at Parent-Teacher Conferences. You will also receive your child's Winter iReady report in order to compare your child's growth! All students will complete iReady between December 9th and December 19th. Please encourage your children to take their time and give their best effort. We are looking forward to celebrating student progress!

Please reach out if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Sincerely,

Christine Zirges, Principal

Allison Miller, Asst. Principal

December is here! Thank you to all who have kept their children home when they have been sick. That is the best way to prevent the spread of illness and we truly appreciate it!

If your child is sick, follow the school’s sick policy for when to stay home and when it is okay to return. If your child has a fever 100.1 or higher keep them home. They need to be fever free for at least 24 hours without medication. If your child is vomiting or has diarrhea they need to be at home for at least 24 hours after the last episode.

If a child is diagnosed with an infectious disease such as strep throat, impetigo, pink eye, etc. the child will not be allowed to return to school until they have been on an antibiotic for 24 hours.

Here are some helpful tips to avoid getting sick this winter:

1. Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

2. Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.

3. Cover your mouth and nose. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.

4. Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice other good health habits. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Emily Glueck, BSN, RN

Happy Winter!

November was such a great month in the counseling classroom! Kindergarten focused on being a good friend by sharing and taking turns, respecting personal space, and finding your peaceful spot (to avoid taking your upset out on others). First graders are focused on being problem solvers. We learned about small problems vs. big problems, as well as six strategies they can use to solve small problems. Second graders learned about flipping your lid and thinking before you speak. Third graders finished out their conflict resolution unit and started on respecting others by treating others how THEY want to be treated. Fourth graders started learning about executive functioning to become the best learners they can be. We are focusing on self control, flexible thinking, and planning.

In December, we will be wrapping up the first half of counseling for the year. Kindergarten will learn a few more feeling spots, including a little spot of anger and a little happy spot. First grade will wrap up problem solving. Second and third grade will focus on empathy. Fourth grade will finish up executive functioning. All students will have one final lesson. Our last lesson will be on accepting differences and being inclusive for all students, with different activities to ensure understanding for different ages. I love focusing on this during the holiday season as it’s the perfect example of different beliefs and cultures.

As always, I can always be reached out via a phone call or email. I’m here for you and your students. Have a great month!

Rachel Lasher, NCC

We will have our Winter Party on 12/20 from 2:40-3:25 pm. This party will be in the classrooms. Families are invited to join! Be on the look out for information from your child's classroom teacher!

Thank you to all who participated in this fundraiser! The items will arrive the week of 12/16-12/20.

Magin Champan: President

Sarah Busch: Vice President

Megan Speith: Treasurer

Morgan Copeland: Secretary

Contact the PTO at OrchardElemPTO@gmail.com

All PTO Meetings are held in the Orchard Library at 6:30 PM. Free childcare will be provided!

September 17th - Meeting Minutes

November 19th - Meeting Minutes

February 4th

April 22nd

We would love for you to be involved! The PTO organizes and puts on several big events for us: Book Fairs during conference weeks, Orchard Family BINGO Night and Auction, and our end of the year Play Day.

Our BINGO and Auction Night is our biggest fundraiser. This fundraiser helps us put on our Play Day at the end of the year. During our PTO Meetings, we break into sub committee meetings where we plan for these events. We would love to have you join us at these meetings!

Orchard Mart is a school store sponsored by the PTO. They sell fun items like smencils, stickers, erasers, etc. All proceeds will go towards the PTO. Orchard Mart will be open for students to purchase items from 7:45-8:15 on the second and fourth Fridays of each month. If you would like to volunteer to help run Orchard Mart, please contact orchardelempto@gmail.com. Thank you!

• Order at: www.jostens.com/ybk
• Select "Order your yearbook"
• Select "Missouri".
• Type in "Orchard Drive Elementary"
• Please submit your orders by February 1, 2025

Email Kori Demyan at kdemyan@jr2mail.org if you have any questions about the yearbook orders.

We encourage all Jackson R2 Families to complete the online School Cafe Enrollment. Click here to complete the application online. This is the application for "Free or Reduced Lunch". This will take less than 5 minutes. If you do not have an account, you can click on "need to create an account". Select the state, "MO" then type in "Jackson" and our school district will populate. You can create an account from there.

The enrollment takes less than 5 minutes. If your child qualified for Free or Reduced Lunches during the 2023-2024 school year, you will need to reapply for the 2024-2025 school year for students to continue to receive free or reduced lunches.

We will head outside to recess as much as possible during the winter months. Children tend to warm up fast on the playground and then shed all of their gear. Please label your child's clothing items, like hats, gloves, coats, etc. If you would like to stop by and check out our lost and found, please call to schedule an appointment (573) 243-9555.

Please see the link below for more information on enrolling in After School Kids Club, Full Day Kids Club opportunities, and more!

https://www.ezchildtrack.com/JR2kidsclub/parent

Email: czirges@jr2mail.org
Website: https://odes.jacksonr2schools.com/
Location: 1402 Orchard Dr, Jackson, MO 63755, USA
Phone: (573) 243-9555
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orcharddriveelementary