• September 2nd: No School, Labor Day
• September 3rd: 2nd Grade Lunch Bunch
• September 4th: 1st Grade Lunch Bunch
• September 4th: 3rd Grade Lunch Bunch
• September 6th: Kindergarten Lunch Bunch
• September 6th: 4th Grade Lunch Bunch
• September 6th: *Optional* Dental Varnish
• September 6th: Luna's Moonsicle Order forms due
• September 10th: Go Green for Muscular Dystrophy - wear green
• September 17th: PTO Meeting, 6:30 PM-7:30 PM
  
• September 24th: Jimmy John's Fundraiser
• September 26th: Go Gold for Childhood Cancer - wear gold
• September 27th: *Optional* Flu Shots for Students
• September 27th: School Picture Day
• September 30th: No School, Professional Development Day

Due to a scheduling conflict, the 2nd and 3rd Grade Music Concerts that were originally scheduled for December will now be held on November 21st. Please see the finalized music concert schedule for all grade levels below. If you have additional questions about the music concerts, please contact Mrs. Cothern at eelsea@jackson.k12.mo.us. Thank you!

Orchard Families,

This is my fourth year as the principal at Orchard. This is my 10th year as a building administrator in the school district. Prior to becoming a building administrator, I taught 5th grade at South Elementary in Jackson--- yes, 5th grade was in our elementary buildings at one point!

I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Missouri, and my Master's Degree of Elementary Administration from Southeast Missouri State University. I am currently pursuing my Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri. I have finished my course work. I am working on finishing my dissertation.

When I am not at Orchard or working on course work, I enjoy spending time with my family. My husband's name is Tyler Zirges. He works at Proctor and Gamble in Fruitland. We have a son, Clark, who is 4. Clark attends our Early Childhood Center at East Elementary. Our family is completed by two dogs-- Zola a cockapoo and Rowdy a Wheaten Terrier. We also enjoy watching sports-- especially Mizzou Football and Basketball. We plan to go to a few Mizzou home football games this season.

I am looking forward to another great year at Orchard. We truly have an amazing staff who care about each other and all of our students. Furthermore, we continue to make great strides in our academic scores each year. We look forward to our continued progress this school year!

If you ever need to problem solve about anything-- please reach out to me. I am happy to talk on the phone or meet in person in order to develop plans that help your child academically or socially.

We are looking forward to another great school year!

Christine Zirges, Principal

Hello families!

I am so excited to begin my fourth year in administration at Orchard Drive Elementary School! Prior to entering administration, I taught second grade at North Elementary School for six years.

I received my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Master's Degree in Educational Administration, and Specialist's Degree in Educational Administration all from Southwest Baptist University (SBU). I enjoy learning and hope to share that same passion with your children!

On a personal note, my husband's name is Rus Miller. He is a Market Area Manager for an auto financing company called Credit Acceptance. We have a daughter named Palmer June, who will turn three in November! We have two dogs, a Goldendoodle named Millie and a Bernedoodle named Marv. Some of my hobbies include playing volleyball, going to the river, and spending time with family.

One of my goals is to help students and teachers reach their full potential! I also strive to form positive relationships with students and families. I value the partnership between school and home, as this is a crucial component in your child's education. Please let me know how I can best support you and/or your child to help them succeed. My door is always open!

Here's to another great year with our Orchard Drive Tribe! Thanks for all that you do!

Allison Miller, Ed.S.

Asst. Principal

We invite families to attend lunch bunch with their Orchard student. You can eat lunch with your child then join your child on the playground! You will be able to eat in the cafeteria or outside. We have two pavillion areas to eat outside; however, those areas typically fill up during lunch bunch. You may want to bring a blanket or chairs to spread out on our playground to eat. Families are permitted to bring in outside food to share with your child.

We ask that students return to the classroom after lunch bunch. Learning will still continue in the classrooms.

September 13th is our school picture day! We will have picture retakes on November 7th. We will follow the same procedure we did last year with ordering pictures from Cheekwood.

• All students will have their picture taken on picture day.
• Students will not bring money or picture orders on picture day.
• Families will receive an email with your child's picture and information on ordering pictures about one-week after picture day.
• All package selections and background colors will be placed online.

Our PTO is holding a fundraiser to sell Moonsicles (aka big popsicles)! Students can take orders from family and friends! The fundraiser will run from August 26th-September 6th. All order forms and money are due to the office by September 6th. The PTO will use the proceeds to help pay for Play Day and other expenses to help our students and teachers.

Please help us support our school through our Jimmy John's Fundraiser!

What: Jimmy John's in Jackson will donate 10% of sales to Orchard on September 24th.

When: Tuesday, September 24th from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Where: 2066 Walton Dr. Jackson, Missouri

The Ignite T-shirt order forms are going home with all students today. All order forms are due to the office by September 9th.

September News from the Nurse’s Office!

Here is to the start of a healthy year at Orchard Drive Elementary! Here are some ways to help keep everyone healthy at school:

• Encourage your children to get sufficient sleep, eat nutritious meals, practice good oral hygiene, and get enough physical activity to keep their bodies healthy.

• Utilize infection prevention and control methods.

• Encourage frequent hand washing to prevent the spread of germs and viruses.

• Clean, sanitize, and disinfect surfaces.

• Teach children to cough and sneeze in their elbows or into a tissue.

• Keep your child home if they have symptoms of illness. This is the best way to STOP THE SPREAD! 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 you have questions of when to keep your child home you can call me at 573-243-9555 I am available M-F 7:45-3:40.

• Get your child a Flu Shot for 2024/25. The Cape Girardeau Health Department will be at Orchard Drive on 9/27/24 for anyone that wants their child to get the flu shot while at school. Consents will go out a couple of weeks before the CCHD is here. Flu shots will not be given to any student that does not have a consent turned in by the deadline. If you do not want to have your child get the flu shot at school, call your child’s pediatrician and schedule an appointment.

• Dental Screenings and Varnish will be Friday, September 6!! Every student will be screened for tooth decay and major concerns. If your child has a dental concern that needs to be followed up by a dentist a letter will go home with them. ONLY the students that have a consent for varnish will receive it in both the fall and the spring. The consent in the fall covers the 1st and 2nd applications. It is recommended that all children get varnish applied to their teeth twice a year to help prevent tooth decay. This is a free service for your child. Consents will be coming home soon.

Nurse Emily Glueck, BSN-RN

Welcome back, Orchard Drive!

I'm Mrs. Lasher, the school counselor. This is my third year here at Orchard! I primarily work with students in class lessons. I also do small group counseling and work individually with students as needed. All students attend whole group lessons with the class. Kindergarten has these lessons weekly. First through fourth grade will come to counseling every other week. Each newsletter I'll give an update about what we are learning in these lessons for the month.

We are back in full swing here in counseling already. The first couple weeks I conducted one minute meetings with all the students. This gives us a chance to reconnect. On top of those meetings, lessons are starting for the new year. Here are the topics for the month!

• Kindergarten: introducing the school counselor, listening skills, following directions, growth mindset
• First grade: understanding feelings and identifying feelings of self and others
• Second grade: problem solving and resiliency
• Third grade: circle of control and coping skills
• Fourth grade: mental health and coping skills

If you ever have questions about our lesson topics or want additional resources, please reach out!

I'm also happy to see your student individually if a need arises. This might be a one time check in on a tough morning or a few scheduled meetings to help build skills for social/ emotional success. Feel free to reach out with any concerns or requests. I'm happy to help however I can! I am here for you and your students.

Rachel Lasher, NCC

rlasher@jr2mail.org

Jackson R2 values our students' guardians and wants to ensure that all guardians know their rights. If a guardian feels that the District violated a federal statute or regulation that applies to a program under ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act), here are the Complaint Procedures that can be submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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

November 19th

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!

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.

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