Riverspointe
ve p i te
News
ws
From The Orchard Farm School District
W i n t e r I s s u e 2 0 1 3 Vo l 1
Early Dismissal Days
for Students
Students in the Orchard Farm
School District will be dismissed two
hours early each of the following
dates due to teacher workshops:
Friday, February 14, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
The middle and high schools will
be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. and the
elementary schools will be
dismissed at 1:30 p.m. Reminder
notices will be sent home from each
school just prior to each early
dismissal date.
Free Early Childhood
Screenings Available
The Orchard Farm School District
Parents as Teachers program is
providing free screenings for district
resident children ages three to five
in speech, vision, hearing and
educational skills. Our parent
educators can help you lay a strong
foundation for your child’s future
success in school.
Appointment times include
evenings and Saturdays. Please call
636.757.6805 or email
[email protected] to set up
your appointment.
Martin Luther Kings’
Birthday and
President’s Day
The Orchard Farm School District
will not be in session on Monday,
January 20, 2014. The day is set
aside to observe the birthday of
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
The district will also not be in
session on Monday, February 17,
2014 in observance of Presidents’
Day.
Tax Information
Every year our patrons ask us what
our IRS School District Number is
when they prepare their income
taxes. The Orchard Farm R-V School
District IRS School District Number is
477. If you have questions please
feel free to contact the school
district.
No 1
OFHS Senior Commended in National Merit Program
Annie Chen, a senior at Orchard Farm High School, has been named a Commended Student in the 2014
National Merit Scholarship Program.
Approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their
exceptional academic promise. Students who received the Commended Student recognition placed
among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who took the 2012 Preliminary
SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding
potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship
Corporation. “We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities.”
“Annie is a special student—she is extremely bright, very receptive to helping others and is heavily
involved in various school opportunities,” said Brian Smith, principal of Orchard Farm High School.
“She is one of many great representatives of Orchard Farm High School and she is a shining example of
our school motto, ‘Achievement, Attachment and Awareness.’”
Annie is the daughter of Jie Chen and He Ting of St. Charles. She is the vice-president of National
Honor Society, the student council treasurer, a varsity volleyball player, the captain of the Scholar Bowl team, president of DECA and the editor of
the OFHS yearbook. Annie has applied to some highly selective schools and will know more in the upcoming months about her acceptance.
OFHS Students Among State’s Top Performers
Students at Orchard Farm High School were among the best performers in the state on three standardized tests taken in the spring of 2013. The
school’s success has attracted the attention of others across the state of Missouri, with questions coming about how one school can achieve so
much.
In the Communications Arts II test that was taken by last year’s sophomores, 86 percent of OFHS students scored proficient or advanced.
This ranked OFHS 23rd out of 462 school districts in Missouri. On the American History test, 72 percent of last year’s juniors scored proficient
or advanced, good for 19th among the 437 school districts in the state.
Finally, in Biology, 97.2 percent of last year’s juniors scored proficient or advanced on the end-of-course exam. Their performance put them
in the 98th percentile in the state, ranking OFHS third out of 463 school districts that had more than five students taking the test.
Allison Keeler, a communication arts teacher, stated that the success is “based jointly on a rigorous curriculum and the students’ willingness
to work hard all year.” Anne Woods, a social studies teacher, said that there was no single factor that led to student success, but that the review of
released items, the reinforcement of vocabulary specific to American History and the ability to think about events chronologically helps students
who are successful in American History.
More students at Orchard Farm High School are having success on state testing now than at any other point in the history of the school.
Other factors in the school’s success is students who show up to school on a daily basis, teachers focusing their professional development on
what is important for students to learn and a learning environment that is personalized for the student. All of these reasons lead to student
academic success and overall achievement!
Kindergarten Registration Begins February 4
Kindergarten registration for the 2014-2015 school year at Orchard Farm Elementary and Discovery Elementary is scheduled for Tuesday,
February 4, and Thursday, February 6, 2014. Students being registered must be five years of age prior to August 1, 2014. Registration hours are
from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. each day
Board of Education policy dictates the following admission
requirements.
1. Parent/Legal Guardian picture identification (current
driver’s license).
2. Student’s birth certificate, immunization record, and
Social Security
card/number.
3. Custody/Legal Guardianship documents (if applicable).
4. Current proof of residency: (one of below)
a. Real estate tax statement,
b. Legal property description,
c. Utility bill,
d. Rental agreement,
e. Real estate contract,
f. Other (notarized letters, etc.).
5. Release of previous school records (if applicable).
At registration parents will have the opportunity to sign their child
up for a Kindergarten screening. This screening is done by the Orchard
Farm School District Parents As Teachers. There will also be fliers
advertising the Kindergarten Round-Up dates and times for incoming
students.
For more information please call 636-757-6800 (Discovery
Elementary School) or 636-250-5200 (Orchard Farm Elementary
School)
Orchard Farm Athletes Hit the Mat for the First Time
Orchard Farm High School is excited to introduce wrestling as its 10th sport
this school year. When Orchard Farm joined the Gateway Athletic
Conference in 2012, one of the expectations was that the school would add
additional activities for the student body. With more athletic opportunities
available to female students than male, it was decided that wrestling was the
right choice.
Activities Director Duane Stuermann said wrestling was chosen because
it will not only increase our male participation numbers, but it will provide
an opportunity for those who don’t identify themselves as basketball players.
“Starting a new program is going to be an interesting part of my
coaching career,” states Head Wrestling Coach Chris Miller. “I have been an
assistant for 10 years and a head coach for three years in another program.
Being able to start from scratch will give me the opportunity to implement
things that I want done. “
OFHS will not host any home meets during the 2013-2014 school year,
but will have a full dual schedule and four varsity tournaments. Coach
Miller’s hope is to have multiple wrestlers qualify for the state tournament in Columbia and possibly bring home some state medals.
A Message
from the
Superintendent
I want to start this message with a
sincere thank you from me and my family.
Everyone in the community has been
extremely helpful and supportive as we have completed our
move to the district. Early on during the home buying process I
dreamed of purchasing a larger tract of property but I quickly
Shakespeare Comes to
Orchard Farm
Orchard Farm Middle and High School students will
present a "no fear Shakespeare" version of A Midsummer
Night's Dream on the first weekend of May. The
students will not only participate as actors, but will work
with English Language Arts teachers to understand and
modify the language for easy understanding. In
addition, the students are working with a young
composer from New York to enhance the production
with music. We look forward to presenting this classic
comedy to the Orchard Farm Community! More
information about the show will follow.
learned first-hand how valuable dirt is in the Orchard Farm School
District.
The first semester brought some interesting things for the
Orchard Farm School District. The most surprising was the large
increase in student enrollment. We have experienced the largest
single year increase since 1969. This increase can be seen at the
primary levels and has filled Discovery Elementary to capacity.
We are very fortunate that the building was designed for a threephase build out and additional classroom space will be able to be
added in the near future as funding becomes available.
An exciting development is the piloting of electronic devices
throughout the district. The district is currently piloting iPads at the
American Flags
Orchard Farm Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4219
now has a red, white and blue mailbox next to the new
entrance ramp. It will be used for residents of the
school district to deposit old and tattered American
flags. They will then be disposed of properly. The VFW
also sells U.S. flags for cost and would like to see more flags flown throughout the
community. To purchase a flag contact Stan Steinhoff at 636.925.1115.
third and fourth grade level as a classroom support for the
Journeys reading series. We will be piloting a classroom set of
iPads, Google Chrome Books, and traditional laptops at the high
school during the second semester. The purpose of these pilots will
be to determine the most appropriate devices for the various
grade levels. By soliciting teacher and student input we will
ensure that Orchard Farm is able to continue to provide first class
learning opportunities for all of our students. Our excellent
What is this JOURNEYS?
By this time of the school year, OFSD parents have probably heard their child speaking
about his or her new Journeys textbook. While some parents may have been upset to find out
this wasn’t a biography of their favorite band of the 1970’s, Journeys instead is an exciting new
resource the district added to its repertoire of English Language Arts resources. This enhances
our mission to provide all Orchard Farm students with the best literacy instruction possible.
teaching staff is excited about adding devices to enhance the
students’ learning experience. It is my hope that all high school
students will be equipped with a personal device in the next 18-24
months.
Lastly the district has developed a new Comprehensive School
Improvement Plan (CSIP) that will be a “roadmap” for the next five
years. Some notable identified goals during this process include:
• Increase student access to technology to ensure that
electronic devices can be utilized four out of five days per week, as
applicable to the subject area.
• Develop a comprehensive plan to address facility needs as a
result of enrollment increases.
• Expand early childhood programs and offerings for district
residents.
• Increase parent and patron communication through the use
of electronic communication and social media.
• Increase opportunities for ongoing professional development
for all district staff.
These are only a few of the numerous goals that were
developed by a 55-member group consisting of parents, students,
patrons and district staff.
In closing, I feel very fortunate to have been chosen as the
superintendent of such a wonderful school district and I am
thankful that my daughter is receiving a high quality public
education here at Orchard Farm.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tom Muzzey
Superintendent
As with anything new, there can be some confusion at the beginning. While some parents
thought the Journeys book was replacing the former Balanced Literacy model, this could not
have been further from the truth. Instead, Journeys was selected and implemented into the
district’s Balanced Literacy model as an “anchor” for teachers to deliver literacy instruction in a
uniform and consistent manner. Journeys allows our teachers to continue to provide equal
justice to the teaching of reading and writing (aka Balanced Literacy) within a rigorous
Common Core instructional design.
Journeys is not a basal reader. Rather, it is the anchor that gives all of our teachers,
regardless of their hire date and university training, the ability to speak the same literacy
language, and the ability to provide uniform and consistent language that all students
understand. As the students advance from grade level to grade level, they will recognize a
common and consistent literacy language and therefore strengthen their reading and writing
skill sets.
Journeys is just one of many English Language Arts resources. Prior to Journeys, the
district invested a significant amount of resources into building a vast array of leveled books
that readers found throughout the classrooms and in the district Book Room. These resources
will continue to meet the needs of each student’s access to the English Language Arts
curriculum, with Journeys serving as the foundation to their learning.
We know that resources are just one piece of the puzzle teachers use each day to help our
students learn. Journeys is the anchor to the boat that carries the numerous resources on your
student’s “journey” to the beautiful world of reading and writing.
Notices of Interest
IMMUNIZATIONS
The State of Missouri mandates that all Missouri students be properly
immunized. Please send proof of immunization to your child’s school as soon
as possible. Students that do not meet the state requirements will not be
allowed to attend class until immunizations are in compliance.
Kindergarten or New Students
Students enrolling in the district are REQUIRED to have:
Dtap (4+ doses with last one being on or after the 4th birthday)
IPV (3+ doses with last one being on or after 4th birthday)
MMR (2 doses)
Hepatitis B (3+ doses)
Varicella (2 doses)
8th Grade students
Students entering 8th Grade are REQUIRED to have: Tdap
Please call your child’s medical provider to verify that immunizations are upto-date. Get two copies of your child’s immunization records. Give one copy
to the school and keep one copy for your records.
ORCHARD FARM R-V SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE
SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FILING
Qualified candidates for the Board of Education may file for office beginning
at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 17, 2013.
Individuals may file at the District’s Administrative building
2165 Highway V, St. Charles, Missouri, 63301
Filing During Regular Business Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday
The District’s Administrative offices will be closed December 24, 2013,
through January 1, 2014, and January 20, 2014.
Except for the first and last day of filing, filing will not take place if the
district is closed due to inclement weather.
Candidates may file for one of three, three year terms.
The deadline for filing is 5:00 p.m.
on January 21, 2014
SAFETY HOT LINE
The safety hot line number should be called if you have any safety concerns.
You can leave a message with or without your name. This number will be in
operation 24 hours a day. The safety hot line number is 636.949.7900, ext.
2256.
ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT PLAN
As required by the EPA’s AHERA regulations, the Orchard Farm R-V School
District maintains an Asbestos Management Plan to monitor and safely
address asbestos issues in our buildings. Anyone who wishes to view the
Asbestos Management Plan may do so by contacting the Administration
Office at 636-250-5000 to set up an appointment.
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
The Orchard Farm R-V School District does not discriminate on the basis of
race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, ancestry or disability. This
policy pertains to admission/access to, or treatment/employment in its
programs and activities. This notice is made to: applicants for admission and
employment, students, parents of elementary and secondary students,
employees, sources of referral of applicants for admission and employment,
and unions or professional organizations holding a collective bargaining or
professional agreements.
Any person having inquiries concerning compliance with the regulations
implementing Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973, is directed to contact:
Dr. Thomas E. Muzzey, Superintendent of Schools
Orchard Farm R-V School District
2165 Highway V
St. Charles, MO 63301-6012
Interested persons may also contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights,
U.S. Department of Education, 330 “C” Street, Washington, DC 20202
PUBLIC NOTICE
All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify
children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency,
regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private
schools; highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children; and
children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special
education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Orchard
Farm R-V School District assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public
education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of
3 and 21 under its jurisdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness,
emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, mental retardation,
multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments,
specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain
injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental
delay.
The Orchard Farm R-V School District assures that it will provide
information and referral services necessary to assist the state in the
implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible
for the Missouri First Steps program.
The Orchard Farm R-V School District assures that personally identifiable
information collected, used or maintained by the agency for the purposes of
identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with
disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians.
Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the
parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading or violates the
privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints
with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the
district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (FERPA).
The Orchard Farm R-V School District has developed a Local Compliance
Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency’s policies and
procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and
destruction of personally identifiable information, and the agency’s
assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General
Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed Monday through
Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in the Special Services Office of the Orchard
Farm R-V School District.
This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.
STANDARD COMPLAINT RESOLUTION PROCEDURES
This complaint resolution procedure applies to all programs administered
by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education under
the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
A complaint is a formal allegation that a specific federal or state law or
regulation has been violated, misapplied, or misinterpreted by school district
personnel or by Department of Education personnel.
Any parent or guardian, surrogate parent, teacher, administrator, school
Board member, or other person directly involved with an activity, program, or
project operated under the general supervision of the Department may file a
complaint. Such a complaint must be in writing and signed; it will provide
specific details of the situation and indicate the law or regulation that is
allegedly being violated, misapplied, or misinterpreted.
The written, signed complaint must be filed and the resolution pursued in
accordance with local district policy: The Board recognizes that situations of
concern to parents/guardians or the public may arise in the operation of the
district. Such concerns are best resolved by addressing them at the level
where the concern originated through communication with the appropriate
staff members. The administration has developed procedures for addressing
those issues, copies of which are available at each building. Any concern
regarding federal programs administered by the Missouri Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) may also be appealed to DESE or
the United States Department of Education as permitted or required by law.
If a complaint has been made and appealed in accordance with
administrative procedures, the parent/guardian or member of the public may
appeal the issue to the Board by submitting a written request to the
superintendent or the secretary of the Board. The Board will address the
complaint in an appropriate and timely manner.
Any persons directly affected by the actions of the Department may file a
similarly written complaint if they believe state or federal laws or regulations
have been violated, misapplied, or misinterpreted by the Department itself.
Anyone wishing more information about this procedure or how complaints
are resolved may contact local district or Department personnel.
Orchard Farm School District
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
Orchard Farm School District
2165 Highway V
St. Charles, MO 63301
The mission of the Orchard Farm School
District is to achieve educational
excellence for all students.
PAID
Permit No. 483
St. Charles, MO
In This Issue of
The Riverspointe News:
Early Dismissal Days for Students 1
Free Early Childhood Screenings Available 1
Martin Luther Kings’ Birthday and President’s Day 1
Tax Information 1
OFHS Senior Commended in National Merit Program 1
https://www.facebook.com/OrchardFarmRV
https://twitter.com/orchardfarmrv
Visit www.ofsd.k12.mo.us to learn more
about Orchard Farm Schools.
Phone: (636)250-5000
Fax: (636)250-5444
Kindergarten Registration Begins February 4th 1
OCCUPANT
Orchard Farm Athletes Hit the Mat for the First Time 1
Message from the Superintendent 2
Shakespeare Comes to Orchard Farm 2
American Flags 2
What is Journeys? 2
Notices of Interest 3
The Riverspointe News is published twice
annually by the communications department of
the Orchard Farm School District. Please submit
your story ideas and photos to Beth Workman at
[email protected].
All material is copyright 2013.
Orchard Farm Middle Focuses on Being Bully-Free 4
4th Annual Wellness 5K Run and Fun Run/Walk 4
Elementary PTO Father and Daughter Dance 4
Orchard Farm Middle Focuses on Being Bully-Free
In late August we set aside our books for a day and kicked off our efforts to be bully free at the middle school! We focused on how the things
that we say and do affect others. After a few short videos that highlighted the negative impacts of bullying, we 'flipped" it around and
celebrated our positives. We recognized the positives in one another and then, for students that wished to continue, we proudly displayed
these positives on our forearms. Students and staff “wore” words like; funny, smart, kind, friendly, athletic, caring, and much more on their
arms. After making our mark on the football field with "No Bully!", we returned to our classrooms to engage in small group activities related to
anti-bullying. We are so very proud of our students and staff! Since then, we have been and will continue to be engaging in anti-bullying
efforts as part of our overall character education program that focuses on being respectful, responsible, safe, and healthy. May our students
forever remember the pledge they made to one another to stand up to bullying!
4th Annual Wellness
5K Run and 1 mile
Fun Run/Walk
The district’s employee wellness committee will host the
fourth annual 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk on the
Orchard Farm Campus on Saturday, May 10. The 5K
begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by a 1 mile fun run/walk at
9:30 a.m. The entry fee is $15 for grades nine to adult.
Children in grade eight or below can register for $10. A $5
donation can be made to have a memorial name placed on
this year’s run t-shirts. Everyone is welcome.
Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the
American Cancer Society via the United Way. Registration forms will be available on the
district’s main web page at www.ofsd.k12.mo.us.
Elementary PTO Father/
Daughter Dance
The Elementary PTO will host the 15th Annual Father/Daughter Dance on Friday, February 7
from 7 to 9 p.m. at Discovery Elementary School. Photographs and corsages will be available
for purchase and refreshments are included in the ticket price. For more information contact
Lisa Novotny at 636.443.0426.