March Parent-Teacher Conferences at Orchard

Parent-Teacher conferences will be held the following dates and times:

• Wednesday, March 16, 12:30 pm – 3:45 pm
• Thursday, March 17, 8:15 am – 7:00 pm
• Friday, March 18, 8:15 am – 12:00 pm

Students will have school on Wednesday, March 16 with Early Release at 12:30 pm. 

Soon, you will receive information about scheduling a conference with your child’s teacher. 

Once again, I hope you will take advantage of this important time to conference with your child’s teacher. We want to learn as much as we can about our students and we take our partnership with you, our students’ first teachers, very seriously. We know that the more you are involved in school, the more your child will succeed.

During your conference, your child’s teacher will be sharing information about schoolwork, your child’s achievement, work habits, behavior and peer relationships. Please feel free to write down any questions that you may have for the conference.

I would like to extend a special invitation to you. I will have a “Principal’s Chat” several times during the conferences. There will be no set agenda. This will simply be a time for me to speak casually with parents about general school information and concerns. This isn’t a time to talk about the individual need of your child, however. That is very important, too! If you would like to do so, please do not hesitate to schedule a meeting via our school secretary, Mrs. Keenan. The purpose of the Principal’s Chat is to talk about general school climate, curriculum…really anything that you bring up.

Principal’s Chats  

(If these times do not coincide with your conference, please come back!)

• Wednesday, March 16, 2:00 pm
• Thursday, March 17, 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm
• Friday, March 18, 10:30 am 

 
We look forward to seeing you during conferences and every day. Your support of your child’s education makes all the difference!

Help our Library Win $6000!

Hello Orchard Community:

The Orchard library has a chance to win $6000!  Please watch/vote for the video from the link below. Forward this to everyone you know!  

FollettChallenge

Remember to Vote in the School Levy Election!

Remember to Vote in the School Levy Election! 

By February 9.

More information here.

Why do we have levy elections?

• School funding comes from local, state, and federal revenues.
• Local levies pay for items not funded by state or federal sources.
• Local levies provide more local discretion than state or federal rules.
• Richland’s school levy provides about 17% of the district’s revenue.
• Local levies are passed for a limited time period and they expire unless renewed.

What is the levy used for?

• Almost every component of school operations benefits from levy funds.
• Athletics and Activities are entirely funded from local levies because there is no state or federal money for these.
• Hiring, training, and retaining quality staff is a major use of levy funds.
• Maintenance, transportation, and utilities are strongly supported by the local levy.
• The local levy allows Richland to offer excellent programs above and beyond the basic education provided by the state.

How Much is the local levy?

• The levy proposed levy in 2017 and 2018 will maintain the same levy rate as in 2016, of $3.28 per thousand dollars of Assessed Valuation. (That is, $328 per year for a $100,000 home, or $656 per year for a $200,000 home.)
• Due to increased property value in the school district from new construction and higher property values, the same tax rate continued in the 2017 levy will collect an additional $1,200,000 (for a total of $24,200,000) and the 2018 levy will collect another additional $1,200,000 (for a total of $25,400,000). This will allow the district to account for enrollment increases of at least 350 students per year and for the costs of opening and operating a new middle school.