The Orchard 'View'

¡Hola, Orchard View Families!

As we move further into fall, we are reminded of what makes Orchard View such a special place: the generosity of our families, the joy of our students, and our shared commitment to ensuring that every child feels a sense of belonging. We have so much to celebrate, and I want to share a few important updates with you!

• Thank You Families!

Several weeks ago, we reached out to our Orchard View community with a simple request: help us ensure that every student has access to a snack during their classroom snack time. Our families answered that call in an extraordinary way! Our school community would like to personally thank the following families for their generous contributions:

Blevins, Raschkes, Meyers, Scalzattis, Bitelys, Beatons, Miller-Edwardsons, Wolfsens, Grants, Hickeys, Wisinskis, Achrams, Harrahs, McCabes, and Johnsons.

We also received numerous anonymous donations, and while we may not know your names, please know how much we appreciate your kindness! Because of your generosity, students who might otherwise go without a snack can now participate alongside their classmates. Something as simple as snack time should never be a moment when a child feels different or left out.

• Merry Market Help and Donations Please

Also, if you have been following our newsletters, you may have noticed our ongoing request for donations to our Merry Market, a special Orchard View tradition that brings joy to our students during the holiday season. As you begin your fall cleaning and organizing, you may discover gifts tucked away in closets or cupboards that you never quite found a use for. Rather than letting those items collect dust, consider giving them a new purpose at Orchard View! During our winter celebrations, students will have an opportunity to visit the Merry Market and use their earned Hawk PRIDE Tickets to shop for gifts for themselves or their loved ones. What makes this experience especially meaningful is that students get to experience the excitement of selecting a gift, the pride of using tickets they have earned, and the joy of giving something special to someone they love.

We have a donation table conveniently located near the main entrance of our school. We welcome your donations of new, unused items!

• Griffin's All-School Hockey Outing and Veterans Day Celebration

Furthermore, we are counting down the days to one of our most exciting school-wide celebrations of the year! On Wednesday, November 11, our entire Orchard View student body will travel to Van Andel Arena to enjoy a Grand Rapids Griffins hockey game! In honor of Veterans Day, we are also celebrating those who have served our country by providing tickets to veterans to join us for this special experience. But this day is about something even bigger than hockey; it is about bringing our entire school community together. It is about creating shared memories, celebrating our students, and ensuring that every child has access to the same exciting opportunity. At Orchard View, we believe that belonging is more than something we talk about. It is something we intentionally create through the experiences we provide our students. This school-wide celebration is also an extension of our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) approach, which emphasizes building a positive school climate, strengthening relationships, and recognizing our students as valued members of our community. And here is the best part: There is absolutely no cost to our families! Thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of our PTO and the generosity of our school community, every student will have the opportunity to participate without a financial barrier. We are incredibly grateful to our PTO for making this memorable experience possible!

Important: If you do not wish for your child to attend the Griffins game, please complete our Opt-Out Form no later than Friday, October 30, so we can finalize transportation arrangements.

• Harvest Celebration

Finally, we are looking forward to welcoming our families this Friday for our Harvest Celebrations!

From cider and donuts to our outdoor Color and Costume Parade, we are excited to celebrate the season together. We look forward to seeing our students smiling, our families connecting, and our Orchard View community coming together for an afternoon of fun!

As we continue to reflect on all that is happening at Orchard View, one thing continues to stand out: Our greatest strength is our community. Whether you donated a box of snacks, contributed to our Merry Market, supported PTO fundraising, or simply showed up for your child, you are helping us create a school where every student matters, every student belongs, and every student has opportunities to experience joy. Thank you for being part of that work.

Ms. Maher

Principal, Orchard View Elementary

Back Row: Armaan Singh, Grace Zarafonetis, Silas Hemeren, Snahalata Sharma, Rogue Duley, Emersyn Ashley, Chaitra Parimi, Madilyn Parminter, Madelyn Gregory, Josie Dunnington

Front Row: Elimira Moore-Johnson, Parker Jurek, Sriya Badithala, Noah Kain, Cahari Matthews, Journee Drollinger, Amelia Aju, Parnika Nimmigadda, Fateh Singh, Ariane Beausejour, Emeric Grabill

Not Pictured: Syrus Hanes

Please access our Harvest Plan Guide https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jEZYPgQmBHQc6Z65b1Sf-i_8MHOxc1rwgWvpnP2_BCM/edit?tab=t.0.

If you would like to attend the Harvest Celebration, you must be registered to volunteer in the Sign-Up genius. Here is the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054BA5A72FA6FBC43-66797041-harvest#/

Otherwise, all parents are invited to join our students in the Halloween parade, taking place outside the school at 3:10, come rain or shine. The parade will begin out the first grade doors, loop around the upper elementary playground and end at the basketball courts. At that time, K-2 students will be dismissed to the lower elementary playground and 3-5 will be dismissed to the upper elementary playground for ten minutes of play. At that time, parents can engage with other parents and staff and enjoy an afternoon of play.

At 3:35, the ticket to ride bell with ring and students will return to their classrooms for dismissal. Families will find their way to their usual dismissal spots, either in carline, or waiting for their child outside.

If you have any questions, please email at rcharles@fhps.net or call the school. See you soon!

• Oct 23: Popcorn Day!
• Oct 26-30: KG-2nd grade Fire Prevention
• Nov 3: OV PTO Meeting @ 7pm
• Nov 9: Early Release (1:45pm dismissal)
• Nov 11: School Field Trip to Griffins Game!
• Nov 25-27: Thanksgiving Break - No School
• Dec 1: OV PTO Meeting @7pm

Walk into Mr. Kuyper's gymnasium on any given day, and you are guaranteed to find energy, laughter, excitement, and, most importantly, a whole lot of learning!

At Orchard View, we are fortunate to have dedicated teachers who work tirelessly to make learning meaningful and joyful for our students. However, there is something truly special about the energy and enthusiasm Mr. Kuyper brings to his gymnasium. Whether it is greeting students outside during morning arrival or the final class of the afternoon, he consistently gives 100% of himself to his students. His passion for teaching is evident in every lesson, every interaction, and every carefully designed activity.

Being an exceptional physical education teacher requires more than a love of sports. It requires creativity, patience, enthusiasm, and an extraordinary amount of energy! Many of your children begin their school day with Mr. Kuyper, who greets them each morning as he helps them out of their cars and welcomes them into the building. From there, his day is filled with transforming the gymnasium into an exciting learning environment, complete with obstacle courses, creative stations, and engaging activities that keep students moving, thinking, and learning throughout their 60-minute PE classes.

Pictured above is just one example of the incredible learning taking place in his gymnasium! Mr. Kuyper designed a series of stations that allowed students to move, explore, collaborate, and develop important physical skills, all while having FUN! Students rotated through activities including Partner Pass, Giant Connect Four, rock climbing, beanbag shuttle runs, lacrosse target practice, push-ups, cup stacking, and races.

While these activities may look like pure fun, there is intentional learning behind every station. Students are developing fundamental movement patterns, muscular strength, coordination, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and strategic thinking. Our youngest learners are building the foundational skills necessary for lifelong physical activity, while our older students are strengthening those skills and exploring fitness challenges, including muscular strength activities associated with the Presidential Physical Fitness Test.

What makes these experiences so meaningful is that students are learning without even realizing how much they are learning! They are challenging themselves, encouraging one another, celebrating successes, and discovering what their bodies are capable of accomplishing. Mr. Kuyper's commitment goes far beyond teaching physical education skills. He is helping students develop confidence, perseverance, healthy habits, and a genuine love for movement.

The goal is simple: Build skills. Grow confidence. Work together. Have FUN. And most importantly, help children discover that being active is something they can LOVE for a lifetime!

Thank you, Mr. Kuyper, for the extraordinary energy, creativity, and heart you bring to Orchard View every single day. Our students are better because of you!

At Orchard View, we believe that inclusion is more than simply being present in a classroom. It is about belonging, participating, building relationships, and having meaningful access to learning alongside peers. Our new Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), Mrs. Gabrielle Walker, is helping us bring that belief to life, one student at a time!

Working primarily with students in our Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) program, Mrs. Walker brings a thoughtful and collaborative approach to speech and language services. In addition to instruction to a separate therapy space, she also works alongside our general education teachers to identify opportunities for students to practice their communication goals within the natural routines and learning experiences of the classroom.

Pictured above, Mrs. Walker is working with a student in preparation for a Math game he will play with his general education peers. While the academic goal is to participate in the Math activity, Mrs. Walker recognizes that successful participation also requires the language to communicate, collaborate, and interact with classmates.

Together, they practice words, expressions, and phrases the student might use during the game. As the student shares his ideas, Mrs. Walker types them onto an iPad, creating a visual language resource they can review and practice together. Through this intentional support, the student is developing the communication skills and confidence needed to engage more independently with peers.

It is not simply placing a student in a general education classroom and hoping that participation happens. It is thoughtfully identifying barriers, providing appropriate supports, and creating opportunities for students to develop the skills they need to participate, communicate, and build relationships.

Ultimately, Mrs. Walker's goal is for students to use these communication skills naturally and independently, whether they are playing a Math game, working with a partner, joining a classroom discussion, or simply having a conversation with a friend.

At Orchard View, we are committed to building a school where all students are valued members of the general education community. We recognize that meaningful inclusion requires intentional planning, collaboration, and a willingness to rethink how we provide services to students.

Mrs. Walker is helping us move closer to that vision by demonstrating that speech and language development does not have to happen in isolation. Some of the most meaningful learning occurs when students have authentic opportunities to communicate with one another.

Thank you, Mrs. Walker, for helping us build a school where every student has not only a place in the classroom, but also a voice within it!

Students in Ms. Barbour's classroom have been working hard to demonstrate positive behaviors, follow classroom expectations, and make responsible choices. Through a classroom punch card system, students earn punches when they demonstrate these skills, reinforcing the importance of making positive choices every day.

As you can see in the picture, students collectively earned 100 punches and celebrated their success with an ice cream party!

This is a wonderful example of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in action! One of the core principles of PBIS is to explicitly teach, recognize, and reinforce positive behaviors rather than focusing solely on correcting challenging behaviors.

By celebrating students' collective accomplishments, Ms. Barbour is also teaching the importance of teamwork, shared responsibility, and encouraging one another.

At Orchard View, our Hawk PRIDE expectations help students understand what it means to be respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. Ms. Barbour is bringing these expectations to life, one positive choice at a time!

Congratulations to Ms. Barbour's students! Your hard work certainly deserves a sweet celebration!

Check out our new FHPS Odyssey of the Mind website today and get your student registered for the new season! If your student loves science, acting, engineering, sewing, literature, creating music, being curious and working with a team, Odyssey of the Mind is a perfect activity to explore those interests in a competitive environment. For more information please visit the website at https://sites.google.com/fhps.net/fhpsom/

If you are ready to sign up, please use this link to register

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKlPohY6_ak4s7MWQAe0DvWluGjxcv7kQGNCQ-Kokoat8a8w/viewform

Questions? Your OM Coordinator is Carol Brown - cbrown@fhps.net

Hand 2 Hand is a non-profit organization who partners with area churches. Together, they provide meals during the weekend.

The organization recognizes that weekends may be some of the more difficult times for families who rely on school meals.

Scan the QR code to learn more about this organization and to sign up.

Earliest Drop-Off: 8:25am, students wait outside with Staff

(Students should not be dropped off before 8:25)

Doors Open: 8:35 am

School Begins: 8:45 am

School Dismisses: 3:45 pm

Half-Day Dismissal: 11:55 am

Orchard View’s Trunk or Treat Is Coming!

Get ready for a spooktacular time! Orchard View’s Trunk or Treat is the perfect opportunity to bring our school community together for some Halloween fun, creative costumes, decorated trunks, and, of course… CANDY!

We need YOUR help to make this event a BOO-tiful success! Whether you want to decorate a trunk, hand out treats, or help make the event extra special, we would love to have you involved.

Want to participate? Sign up here!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090945A5A628A3FE3-66497736-trunkortreat#/

Every volunteer helps make this a fun and memorable experience for our Orchard View Hawks. Gather your family, get creative, and help us make this Halloween one to remember!

Thank you for always supporting our school and helping make these special events possible. We can't wait to see all the spooky, silly, and spectacular creativity!

Happy Haunting, Hawks!
— Orchard View Elementary PTO

Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

20 YEARS ANNIVERSARY

NOVEMBER 19–21, 2026

Thursday, November 19 – 7:00 PM

Friday, November 20 – 7:00 PM

Saturday, November 21 – 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM

FOREST HILLS FINE ARTS CENTER

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Purchase tickets at FHFAC.Ludus.com

OR stop by the box office

Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–4:30 PM

Don't miss this high-energy show filled with music, dancing, and Wildcat spirit!