THE

SLATE April 18, 2010

1

CONGRATULATIONS OPE EARTH WEEK ARTISTS !

More than 40 Orchard Park Elementary students had their artwork selected to be displayed for an “Earth Week” Art Contest!

The following students have slections on display in downtown Carmel:

Aaron Gonzalez

Addie Williams

Abigael Mullens

Ahmed Saad

Alyssa B. Cain

Aqeel Niyaz

Ben Ranger

Brenya Howard

Calli McGee

Chloe Meredith Elena Betzinger

Elliot Huang

Garrett Brooker

Hannah Caccamise

Hannah Niyaz

Hope Chou

Jack Moyer

Jacob Gentles

Jamie Stamper

Julia Sweet

Julie Hackett

Lauren Whited

Maggie Wimmer

McKenna Abbey

Mia Wenzler

Miles Renner

Minseo Baek

Noah P. Whited

Norma Guadarrama

Ryleigh Bies

Peri Bies

Ryu Kobayashi

Selvin Cordero-Vazquez

Steven Dawson

Orchard Park

Food Drive Heroes!!

Our Food Drive for the

Kiwanis was a HUGE SUCCESS!!!

Orchard Park Elementary students

donated a total of 900 food items-

breaking the Kiwanis food donation

record!!! Great job OPE!!

FALL FUNDRAISER

MEGA-PARTY!

The Mega Party is Thursday April 21 from dismissal to 4 pm. Invited children must

have a signed permission slip returned to school before the day of the party. Thanks to everyone who helped make the

Fall Fundraiser a success. Contact Bill Ahrbecker at

billahrbecker@gmail.com if you have questions.

2 2 A Note from our PTO President:

Dear Orchard Park Parents,

I am writing with “Everybody Counts” week at the front of my mind. This week, organized superbly by

Judy Stamper, again, helped our children learn about people of differing abilities. The very interactive

and hands on sessions helped the kids place themselves in the position of others. One thing that struck

me forcefully this year was how many OPE parents are experts in some area related to serving the

special needs community.

A conversation with an OPE parent of different national origin made a big impact of me. I asked what

the biggest difference is between the USA and their country of origin. He thought a minute and said

the biggest difference was special needs people. In his old country, people with special needs were

nowhere to be seen. In the USA, they were and are a part of everyday life. That Everybody Counts here

is, to me, a great reason to be proud.

Another inspiring conversation at OPE involved the story of an OPE family. As you may know already,

a family has partnered with OPE during the used book sale. The family generously pays for each OPE

student to get a book from the sale. What I did not know was that the same family has done this for

seven years. They give because their child, now in his 50's, blossomed with the care and attention of

an OPE teacher.

Thanks for everyone who helped with “Everybody Counts” and at Orchard Park.

Bill Ahrbecker

OPE PTO President

billahrbecker@gmail.com

MARCH

Birthday Book Club

Haley Huffman

Isabella Habash Logan Williams

Tyler Hankins Aqeel Niyaz

APRIL

Birthday Book Club

Natalie Chang Avery Hopper

Chaelin Takahashi Makhi Watts

Tiara Huffman Julia Halbrook

Jenna Oustoiny Babacar Diatta

Michael Deicaza

A great Big Thank

you to Judy Stamper

for organizing!! You

did an excellent job!

Teacher Appreciation Week Hello Orchard Park Families! The first week of May is a perfect time to tell your child's teacher how much you appreciate them! Why? May 2-6 is Teacher Appreciation Week and we are going to celebrate at school! Families are encouraged to send notes or give teachers a call that week just to say "Thank You!". Those two words can make a Teacher's Day...sometimes even their whole week! Teachers spend an incredible amount of time preparing well thought out lessons that are engaging and empowering for our children. They also spend a lot of their own money on classroom supplies. Their personal family time is often sacrificed as they stay after school, come in on weekends, or work at home to make sure papers are graded, parents are communicated with, plans are complete. Why do they do this? Because they love their jobs.......... and our children! They truly have a passion that sustains them day to day and we are incredibly fortunate to have the teachers we do here at Orchard Park. Together they have over 200 years of teaching experience--WOW! Each and every one of our 700 Orchard Park Students are cared for and valued by our top-notch teachers and staff. I have had the good fortune of working alongside many of the teachers this year and I can say, without a doubt, that they inspire me to be more compassionate, understanding, and encouraging with my own children. To show our appreciation we are planning an exciting week in recognition of all they do. Volunteers are needed to help prepare decorations ahead of time and to decorate the school on Sunday, May 1st. Additionally, there are a number of ways parents can help throughout the week--from baking to setting up events, to running an errand or two to saying "Thank You" in person. Please consider helping--an hour of time can make a HUGE difference! Please contact Jennifer Penix at Jennifer@Punkaboo.com or at 580-0953 if you are able to help with our celebration! Thank you so much!!! With appreciation for our Teachers AND Families,

Jennifer Penix Orchard Park PTO Vice President Teacher Appreciation Week Chair

4th grader Jacob Gentles

was mistakenly left off the

3rd Quarter Honor Roll

listed in the last SLATE.

Congratulations, Jacob,

and our apologies!

Choir Notes

Choir is in full swing for Spring!

CHOIR SCHEDULE

4th Graders- Tuesdays at 7:25 am

5th Graders- Thursdays at 7:25 am

May 10 at 7 pm- Spring Choir Concert

May 13 at 8:30 am- Sing for Volunteer Breakfast

A field trip is also being planned for the choir.

More info to come.

3

Orchard Park Volunteer Celebration!

YOU ARE INVITED:

The OPE Volunteer Celebration will be held in the cafeteria on May 13th at

8:30am. If you have volunteered with our school in any capacity, please attend!

We are visiting the continent of Europe right now, looking at medieval times. Gr. 5 has made 3-D textured paper castles and towers, Gr. 4 clay gargoyles, Gr. 3 has made clay textured castles, Gr. 2 Russian Matrioshkas (nesting dolls), Gr. 1 textured 2-D castles and K Pysanky eggs (Ukraine). Don’t forget to attend the International Festival, Friday, April 29, 6-8:30pm, featuring musical performances by all OPE students, OPE families with booths from around the world and food by Fazoli’s for purchase. If you are interested in having a booth, please contact Cy Donnelly (848-1918x1649) or Deb Bergman (848-1918x165). The hallways will be filled with our annual Art Show featuring all OPE students. Ms. Donnelly

Computer Lab- K, 1st & 2

nd grade

Our classes have been busy learning all about Microsoft Word, Everyday Math, and safely exploring the internet. We have “visited” The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis by going to their new interactive Website. This would be a great place to “visit” from home as well—childrensmuseum.org/games. Everyone has been working hard on their math skills through the online Everyday Math pro-gram which supports their classroom learning. A few highlights by grade: Kindergarten- Everyone is logging into their own account! Students are typing sight words and have learned how to change fonts, color & size in Microsoft Word…which they have fun doing! 1

st Grade- Students have been working on Math Facts which is a series of tests. To pass a level,

they must achieve 100% in 2 minutes or less. We have quite a few students who have passed multiple tests! 2

nd Graders are finding sites through internet searches. They also have learned about editing

features in Microsoft Word and have all typed & edited letters. Mrs. Penix

4

Jump with Jill is a live rock „n roll concert about nutrition for elementary-age kids that travels to

schools across the nation. The show takes childhood obesity by storm, serving as a kid-appropriate

solution for kicking off Wellness Committee initiatives, reinforcing classroom

learning and supporting a healthier cafeteria menu. By using original music,

movement-based learning and a compelling character, Jump with Jill uses the

same tools normally used to sell junk food and keep kids sedentary into a powerful

tool for teaching healthy habits. The interactive experience not only makes eating

breakfast and drinking water cool, but helps increase retention of these

important health messages.

Created by registered dietitian and musician Jill Jayne, Jump with Jill has been performed nearly

600 times for almost 100,000 kids all over the United States. The songs performed in the show are

the hit tracks from the show's soundtrack, Get Me Goin'. The songs are set up and transitioned

with kid-appropriate explanations of the song content. The show covers:

* The definition of energy and exercise

* How to do exercises that are fun

* The importance of choosing foods that make the body healthy

* How to choose healthy foods including label reading and food facts

* Body acceptance and empowerment

* Recognizing that cartoon characters and celebrities are sometimes used to promote unhealthy

foods

* How to identify foods high in calcium and why these foods are cool

* The importance of water

* What unhealthy ingredients are in popular foods that makes them taste so good

* Why eating less processed foods is better for your body and for the earth

For more info go to www.jumpwithjill.com

5

“Jump with Jill” coming to Orchard Park April 28th!

ORCHARD PARK INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

FRIDAY, April 29, 2011

6:00-8:30 p.m.

All students and families are invited to attend. This is a family event, so children MUST be with an adult.

Fazoli’s will be providing the meal Child’s plate $2.50 (under 12) Adults (12 and up) are $4.00

6

Sta

ff M

em

ber

Nam

e _

___________________

Reaso

n for

the S

hout

Out

_______________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Yo

u g

et

a s

ho

ut

ou

t fo

r yo

ur

RO

AR

ing

be

ha

vio

r!

Sta

ff M

em

ber

Nam

e _

___________________

Reaso

n for

the S

hout

Out

_______________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Yo

u g

et

a s

ho

ut

ou

t fo

r yo

ur

RO

AR

ing

be

ha

vio

r!

Sta

ff M

em

ber

Nam

e _

___________________

Reaso

n for

the S

hout

Out

_______________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Yo

u g

et

a s

ho

ut

ou

t fo

r yo

ur

RO

AR

ing

be

ha

vio

r!

Sta

ff M

em

ber

Nam

e _

___________________

Reaso

n for

the S

hout

Out

_______________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Yo

u g

et

a s

ho

ut

ou

t fo

r yo

ur

RO

AR

ing

be

ha

vio

r!

Staff ROAR Tickets for you to use!

10404 Orchard Park S. Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46280

Office/Attendance: 848-1918 Cafeteria 571-4075

Parent Link: 571-4039 Fax: 571-4043

On the Web: www.ccs.k12.in.us/ope/

Mrs. Rhonda Turner Principal

Mrs. Kate Fagan Assistant Principal

Mrs. Melissa McCullough Student Services Coordinator

Mrs. Diane Riemenschnitter Nurse

PTO Board Bill Ahrbecker

President

Jennifer Penix Vice President

Ann Bernard Treasurer

Mary Roth Secretary

Angie Sams Corresponding Secretary

Erin Patterson Past President

Heather Timmons Slate Editor

Mark Your Calendar Apr 19—4th Grade Choir Practice 7:25 am

Apr 20—Student Council Meeting 7:25 am

Apr 20—Kindergarten Portfolio Night 6:00 pm

Apr 21—5th Grade Choir Practice 7:25 am

Apr 25—ISTEP Testing (Multiple Choice) begins

Apr 26—4th Grade Choir Practice 7:25 am

Apr 27—Administrative Professional’s Day

Apr 28—5th Grade Choir Practice 7:25 am

Apr 28—”Jump with Jill” performance 1:30 pm

7

Back-to-School Kits Reminder! Once again, OPE-PTO is offering our students and parents a prepackaged

school supply kit for the next school year.

SchoolKidz (in cooperation with Staples) will be offering an exact kit

based on the school supply lists compiled by our teachers.

The personalized, reusable storage box includes all the school supplies

needed for each grade level this coming fall. These kits save you time

and make going “back-to-school” less hectic!

Non-consumable items are guaranteed for the entire school year!

This includes rulers, scissors, storage boxes, plastic folders and binders.

Order forms went home on Monday, April 11, 2011.

Order forms are due back before Friday, April 29, 2011.

NO ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER: FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2011.

If you have any questions, please contact Dory Brooker at 317-847-7672.