October 13, 2015

School District News

From Superintendent

Robert Vian

District

The district is continuously looking for ways to improve student learning.  One option that I would like the community to consider is some type of “year round school.”  The current school year was designed decades ago when many children were involved in the family farm. 

The typical year round program is designed for students to be in school for 9 weeks and off for three weeks.  A modified approach might be to have three breaks of two weeks and six weeks off for summer vacation.  The modifications are too numerous to mention in one newspaper article. 

I would invite anyone interested in a discussion of the pros and cons of a year round school to contact me.  I will be setting up a community taskforce to discuss this issue over the next few months with a goal of presenting the consensus opinion to the Board of Trustees for the 2017-18 school calendar.

vianr@jsd171.org or call 476-5593 and let me know you are interested in being a part of the discussion.

Orofino Elementary School

Stomp Out Bullying Day

October is National Bullying Prevention Month.  As part of this cause, OES is holding a number of activities and classroom programs to inform students on anti-bullying behavior and what to do when encountering bullying behavior.  We kicked off our Stomp Out Bullying with an “Unstoppable You” assembly September 30^th with the OHS Cheerleaders providing an Anti-bullying message.  On October 14^th all students and staff are asked to wear green to show OES solidarity to Stomp Out Bullying.  The students and staff are encouraging all parents, grandparents and community members and business to join us and wear Green on Oct. 8^thto show our combined message against bullying.  Throughout the month of October OES students will be watching anti-bullying videos in their classrooms, making Anti-Bullying poster or drawings to display in the hallways and will conclude with a schoolwide assembly on October28th. .  Go Green!  Go Mini Maniacs!

Box Tops for Education

OES kicked off the Fall Box Tops for Education Campaign.  Last year OES collected enough box tops to earn the PTO and school over $2500 worth of Box Tops! Thank you to all the families and community members that took the effort to collect and drop off.  Your tremendous support is greatly appreciated and helped fun the Science on Wheels and this year’s Math Magician program along with several individual classroom projects at OES.  Please help us reach this year’s goal of $3000 and clip those Box Tops and bring in to O.E.S.  REMEMBER—every Box Top counts and gets us closer to our goal.  Thank you for continually supporting our School.

PTO Fall Fundraiser

It is time for our yearly Fall PTO fundraiser! The Orofino Elementary PTO is holding their Fall fundraiser. Students brought home their fundraiser packets on Monday, October 5th. Charleston Wrap program with a wide variety of items is what students will be selling this year.  The program includes:  wrapping paper, home goods, candy. Students will have two weeks to sell items and earn incentive prizes along the way! Our school receives 40-50% of the profit from items sold, depending on the type of item. Be looking for fundraiser packs to come home and students and parents working towards earning the incentive prizes.  Thank you for helping our school raise funds for projects throughout the year!?

OES celebrates and Recognizes Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon week is October 26 through and including October 29^th.  The OES Red Ribbon Committee and the Student Leadership Council have chosen the following theme days to spread the anti-drug and anti-bullying messages:

Monday  - “Don't Let Drugs Mix You Up”; students & staff wear mismatched clothes

Tuesday  - “Wild About Being Drug Free”; students & staff wear crazy hats or crazy hair

Wednesday – “One School One Goal”; students & staff wear school colors against bullying & drugs

To encourage participation, there will be a competition between the primary grades and the intermediate grades. Teachers will tally the number of students who participate each day and submit their totals each day. A Bar Graph will be posted in the hall to show the number of student participation per grade levels. At the end of Red Ribbon Week one grade in Primary and one grade in Intermediate level will be declared winners. Those grades will earn a Popcorn Party. 

Students will also view several grade level appropriate videos with anti-drug use messages.

Orofino Elementary Annual Fall Book Fair

Mark your calendars for the Annual Fall Book Fair will be held at Orofino Elementary on November 2^nd through the 5^th.  The fair is open during the school days at specific times and for approximately 30 minutes after school.  The Book Fair Committee is asking & looking for parent/grandparent and community members to volunteer to work a shift during the school day at the book fair.  If you can help us out to clerk and manage the fair  Book please contact OES at 476 4212.  

OES Parent, Teacher, Student Conferences

Orofino Elementary will hold the Fall PTS Conferences on November 4th & a5^th from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. OES teachers will send home conference appointment notices home the week of October 26^th with students to schedule conferences. Each parent can return the notice to the classroom teacher to schedule a conference appointment.

Scratch for Schools

Orofino Elementary School will be sending a team of four teachers and staff members to participate in the annual Scratch for Schools event in Lewiston on November 27^th. In the past the school has earned a couple of hundred dollars in this statewide activity. Funds earned are used to recognize students throughout the school year. Shelley Brooks, OES Principal