The Orchard 'View'

The annual Hawk was our most successful in the last four years. Together, we raised $20,544. The funds will go towards much needed support for field trips, teacher supplies, Belle, family events, and so much more.

While the actual walks became much more of a dance party with our DJ, students enjoyed the time outside with their friends and family. Thank you to all the support from our business and non-profit partners as well as our families - this amount is impossible without your advocacy.

¡Hola, Orchard View Families!

Over the past week, I have spent a great deal of time reading your emails, listening to your concerns, and having meaningful conversations with many of you about the changes we announced to our Halloween celebrations.

First and foremost, thank you. Thank you to those who emailed, called, stopped by, or took the time to share your thoughts with me. Whether you agreed with our original decision or felt disappointed by it, I appreciate your willingness to share your perspective. Your voices matter, and I want you to know that they were heard.

As I reflected on your feedback, I took two important steps. First, I used a recent meeting with fellow elementary school principals from Forest Hills to learn how other schools approach Halloween celebrations. Second, I brought your feedback to our Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) so that we could thoughtfully revisit our plans while remaining grounded in our commitment to inclusion.

Through these conversations, something became very clear: Traditions matter. Relationships matter. Community matters.

You value the opportunity to spend time in your child's classroom, connect with other families, watch your child interact with classmates, and participate in the traditions that make Orchard View feel like home. These are not small things. They are part of what makes a school community special, and I understand that more deeply because you took the time to share your experiences.

With that in mind, I invite you to review our updated Harvest Celebration plans. These changes reflect the feedback we received and our collective effort to preserve meaningful traditions and opportunities for family connection while continuing to create an environment where every student feels welcomed, valued, and included.

This summer, our staff engaged in professional learning and a book study centered on inclusion and belonging. That work was meaningful, and our commitment to it has not changed. We believe deeply that every child at Orchard View deserves to feel that they belong. At the same time, we recognize that listening to our families and honoring the traditions that bring us together are also important parts of building an inclusive school community.

I believe that good leadership requires both the courage to make changes and the humility to listen when those changes need to be reconsidered. This past week has been an opportunity for me to do both.

I recognize that we may not always agree on every decision, and that is okay. What I hope we can always agree on is that we want what is best for our children. At Orchard View, our decisions will continue to be guided by one unwavering belief: Every student matters. Every student belongs.

Thank you for caring so deeply about Orchard View, for advocating for the experiences that matter to your families, and for giving us the opportunity to listen, reflect, and grow together.

I look forward to celebrating with our students and families and continuing to build the kind of school community where traditions, relationships, joy, and belonging can all thrive.

Have a peaceful four-day weekend

Ms. Maher

Principal, Orchard View Elementary

Back Row: Claire Snyder, Julia Mohring, Will Smoger, Leah Schmidt, Zachariah Arigo, Theo Beaton, Surya Badithala, Charlie Hancart

Front Row: Liam Jordan, Beckett Woznick, Milana Passarelli, Charlotte Thompson, Sophie Pylman, Cassidy Stuart, Oorvi Padakanti, Johnny VanGoor, Silas VanOss

Not Pictured: Oliver Trapp, Armaan Singh, Leo Kramarev, Marshall Verhagen

• Oct 16-19: Fall Break - No School
• 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

Our fifth-grade students in Ms. Abel's classroom are hard at work preparing for their upcoming Unit 1 assessment in Everyday Mathematics! Students are strengthening their understanding of numerical expressions, using parentheses and the order of operations to solve problems, writing mathematical expressions, and finding the area of rectangles with fractional side lengths. These skills align with Michigan's fifth-grade mathematics standards, including 5.OA.A.1, 5.OA.A.2, and 5.NF.B.4b.

What was deeply impressive wasn't simply the mathematics being taught. It was the thinking, questioning, collaboration, and sense of belonging that were taking place throughout the classroom.

Students were asking thoughtful questions, explaining their reasoning, and working together to find solutions. They weren't just looking for the correct answer; they were learning how to think mathematically and support one another through the process.

One particularly meaningful moment occurred when a student offered an incorrect response to a multiplication problem. Rather than simply correcting the student, the teacher warmly invited the entire class into the learning by saying, "Let's count together." Together, students arrived at the correct answer. What a beautiful example of how an incorrect answer can become an opportunity for collective learning!

In another moment, a student gently encouraging a classmate to complete his work. The encouragement was warm, clear, and supportive, and the student responded by continuing his assignment. It was a small interaction, but one that spoke volumes about the classroom community being built.

These moments matter. When students feel safe enough to take academic risks, share an answer even when they are uncertain, ask questions, and encourage their peers, we are creating the conditions for meaningful learning.

This is what inclusion looks like in action. It is not simply about students sharing the same classroom. It is about every student being valued, participating in grade-level learning, and having opportunities to contribute to the success of the classroom community.

As our fifth graders prepare for their mathematics assessment, we celebrate more than their ability to solve equations. We celebrate their perseverance, mathematical thinking, willingness to learn from mistakes, and commitment to helping one another succeed.

In Ms. Abel's fifth grade classroom, the goal isn't simply to get the right answer. It is to create confident thinkers who know that their voices, ideas, and contributions matter.

Students in Ms. Baese’s Junior Kindergarten classroom have the privilege of spending their days immersed in a high-quality curriculum designed to challenge young learners while nurturing their natural curiosity and creativity.

Developed by renowned literacy researcher Dr. Nell Duke, the Great First 8 Curriculum provides 160 days of instruction organized into eight project-based units. Children experience a thoughtful balance of whole-group, small-group, and individual learning opportunities, combining teacher-guided instruction with child-directed exploration. The curriculum addresses eleven developmental and academic domains, using research-supported instructional practices to motivate and accelerate learning.

This week, Ms. Baese's students are exploring the fascinating world of simple machines and movement! Through hands-on experiences, conversations, and imaginative drawings, students are beginning to understand how things move and how simple machines help us accomplish everyday tasks. From wheels and levers to pulleys and ziplines, our youngest learners are discovering the science behind motion. Pictured above, Ms. Baese is reading to the students from a book published by the curriculum titled, ""Where's Heider?" Here, Ms. Baese asks the students about the placement of the characters and encourages students to use prepositions such as below, above, under, next to, and around.

Additionally, what makes this learning especially delightful is the creativity our students bring to the experience! Their drawings included a cat on wheels, a scooter, and even a football traveling along a zipline! Students are not simply learning about how things move; they are imagining possibilities, designing their own inventions, and beginning to think like engineers.

Equally important is the language development happening throughout these experiences. As students share their drawings, explain their ideas, listen to classmates, and ask questions, they are building vocabulary, strengthening oral language, and learning how to communicate their thinking. These conversations are foundational to literacy development and future academic success.

And that is the magic of Junior Kindergarten! A day in JK is filled with creative play, purposeful exploration, thematic learning, and rich conversations with peers. One moment, students are investigating how a wheel works; the next, they are inventing a way for a football to fly across a zipline! Along the way, they are building friendships, discovering new words, and learning that their ideas matter.

After all, in Junior Kindergarten, even a cat can have wheels, a football can ride a zipline, and the possibilities are as big as our students' imaginations!

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

Many families have been asking about pre-ordering the newest Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. You can use this website to order those and get them shipped directly to your house: https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/parent-store-2.html?fairId=6353229

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!