Orchard View Schools

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Orchard View Schools is located in Muskegon Township, just a few short miles east from the beautiful shoreline of Lake Michigan. The Muskegon River flows thru the northern corner, making our community a desired location for families of all different diversities. Our qualified and dedicated staff serviced over 2,800 students enrolled in our K-12 programs, along with Orchard View Community Services reaching out to over 10,000 individuals in the community with education, leisure, resources and offering a community connection. Orchard View Schools believes in servicing the family as a whole. We provide an environment that promotes problem solving, critical thinking, and encouragement for all to reach their full potential.

Dear OV Parents, Staff and Community Members:

By the time you read this, another successful year will come to a close OV Schools. To begin, I would like to personally congratulate our 2010 graduates and thank parents and faculty members who contributed to their success. On behalf of the Board of Education, I wish all of our graduates continued success and good fortune.

Orchard View experienced a great 2009/2010 school year! The District recognized students in all buildings for academic excellence and citizenship, fine arts, music and athletics. Cardinal Elementary students pledged to participate in the Reading at Home (RAH) program throughout the school year. OVEE students read over 34,000 books during ‘March is Reading’ month and over 100 families have signed up to participate in our summer reading program. Teachers have received mini grants to enhance classroom learning and the Community Education Program was awarded an Early Head Start Grant to serve children ages 0 – 3 years of age and their families.

In addition, all of our buildings sponsored community service activities involving students, staff, parents and community members. Our students collected armfuls of stuffed animals and over $500 of pennies for children in Haiti. They raised funds to support the March of Dimes, conducted several blood drives and collected hundreds of pounds of food to go to local pantries during the holidays. We are very proud of our students and their commitment to making a difference in our community.

On a legislative note, the State School Aid Fund (SAF) Budget has not been adopted by our legislature as of the end of June. The Budget Revenue Sharing Conference held in May 2010 indicated the school aid budget may be in better shape than anticipated in February 2010. Unfortunately, very difficult decisions have been made to balance our budget without the state budget being in place. Due to the Michigan Public School Employees Legislation Reform Act, Orchard View experienced over 27 retirements this June. Retirees were from all employee groups. I would like to personally thank each and every retiree for their service to the Orchard View students, parents and the community over their many years of service.

As a district, we will continue to strive for program excellence and a quality learning experience for all children. Have a wonderful summer, be safe and we look forward to seeing you and your children in the fall.

Sincerely,

Patricia Walstra