Weekly Newsletter - June 16, 2025

Inside this Newsletter

Dear Ordway Otter musicians and families: 

Thank you for a wonderful year of music making! I am so proud that so many students, friends and families came together for our evening performances this year and I'm excited to continue the tradition next year. There are new skills that are learned when we perform and it's a great way to overcome nerves and show others the culmination of all our hard work.

Kinder through 2nd grade worked on our rhythms and rhythm syllables (ta and ti-ti) this year, as well as starting off our solfege syllables (do-re-mi). Next year, these groups will work to further their music reading skills with these techniques while playing xylophones and other rhythm instruments.

4th grade had many masters of their "Recorder Karate" lessons and both 3rd and 4th worked on more difficult rhythm passages, note naming and sight singing skills. My goal is that students leave Ordway with a solid music reading background built through games and activities and are ready for the music choices in 5th & 6th grade.

Thank you again for an awesome year and I wish everyone a safe and happy summer. Keep singing!

Sincerely,

Wendi Olinger

Thank you Ordway family for making our Parade of Condiments such a huge success. The new temporary location for Helpline House made the walk a bit shorter this year. The spring weather was perfect as we strolled down the new and improved Madison Ave. Every class, every child had food to donate. Your generosity is appreciated!

PTO is generously providing yearbooks to all students this year. Yearbooks will be distributed on Wednesday afternoon!

Helpline House, in partnership with the Rotary Club, is offering Kids‛ Pantry Bags during the upcoming Summer Break. These bags are for any youth (ages 0-18) in need of additional food during the school break. Bags contain enough food for one youth for a week.

Bags can be picked up at Helpline House, 901 Hildebrand Ln, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Tuesday, & Thursday- Friday,

If transportation is a challenge, boxes can be dropped off at home; please contact Sarah Frost at sfrost@bisd303.org to arrange a drop-off.

Did you know that BISD utilizes flexible boundaries? This means that there are many areas of the Isand (unless you live solidly South, i.e. Lynwood Center or solidly North, i.e Seabold) that are considered a flexible boundary area between two (or sometimes three) of our preK-4th Grade neighborhood schools-Blakely, Ordway or x̌alilc. 

Per Policy 3130 and Procedure 3130: The establishment of attendance area boundaries for the elementary schools

As we work to balance class sizes between our neighboring schools, we may need to transfer a small number of students. We do not yet know if this will be the case, as it will be largely dependent on how many new students register over the summer, and at which grade level at each building. 

As of right now, please know that there is nothing that needs to be done at this point in time. We do not anticipate having enough information to make a decision prior to the summer break, but we will notify families (if applicable) by mid-August. 

Please reach out to Director of Teaching & Learning Whitney Skarbek for additional questions: wskarbek@bisd303.org

18: FIELD DAY

19: JUNETHEENTH - NO SCHOOL

23: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

23: PANCAKE BREAKFAST/4TH GRADE CLAP-OUT