Registration details announced for Orion Middle School
Students new to the Orion school district will register from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Aug. 3, at Orion Middle School.
Returning students will register Wednesday, Aug. 4, and Thursday, Aug. 5, at Orion Middle School.
On Aug. 4, registration will be from 9 a.m. to noon, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.
The next day, registration will be from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.
Students also may register before noon on Friday, Aug. 6, at OMS.
Late registration will be Monday, Aug. 9, by appointment only.
Anyone unable to register on these days should call the school office at (309) 526-3392. No one will be allowed to register early.
Teachers’ institute will be Monday, Aug. 16.
Students will attend half a day, from 8:15 to 11:28 a.m., on Tuesday, Aug. 17. They will report to the gym before going to classes.
The first full day of classes will be from 8:15 a.m. to 2:53 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18.
OMS will hold an open house on Thursday, Sept. 2.
Registration details
Students attending Orion schools for the first time must have a birth certificate from a city or county. Hospital birth certificates are not official.
At registration, students will receive assignment notebooks and class schedules.
The class schedule will have the student’s locker number and combination. Each child is responsible for protecting the combination and keeping it secret from other students.
The school office is the only other place where locker combinations are listed.
After paying fees, parents will be given a receipt.
Orion Athletic Booster Club and Orion PTA representatives will be present to sign up members.
Band and choir
Sixth grade students who are taking band or choir should have the class on their schedules.
Those sixth graders in both band and choir will not be in the music appreciation mini-course. Sixth graders must take the keyboarding and art mini-courses.
Seventh and eighth graders who were in band and choir last year were automatically put in these classes for this year unless they filled out a schedule change form.
Seventh and eighth graders in both band and choir may opt out of their mini-courses.
Anyone who wants to take band or choir but does not have it on the schedule should contact the office.
Gym classes
The school sells PE shirts but not shorts. Students have to bring their own black shorts to class.
PE teachers will have a list of students who paid for shirts and will issue them during the first full week of school. Sixth graders will be the first to receive them.
Students are required to buy combination padlocks from the school for their gym lockers. They should be purchased for $5 during registration.
This lock works the same way as the lock on hall lockers, so sixth graders can practice with them. The combination will be different.
Gym padlocks can be used all the way through high school.
Sports
Anyone who wants to go out for a sport at OMS needs to sign and turn in a waiver, the top page of the athletic rules and the IHSA sports physical form.
Athletes who did not have a sports physical at the school in June can have one from a physician.
Forms must be turned in before students can participate in tryouts and practices.
Sports physicals are good for one full year from the date of issuance.
OMS has all-sport passes, as well as season passes for each sport.
These passes are not valid at tournaments and away games.
The all-sport pass for 37 home events will be $30 for adults and $15 for students.
Season passes are $4 for three football games, $14 for eight volleyball games, $16 for nine boys basketball games, $16 for nine girls basketball games and $8 for five wrestling meets.
The school has a family rate of $5 for all Prairieland Conference contests and all home games, except for tournaments.
Lunches
During registration, parents will be able to deposit money in student lunch accounts.
Lunch money can be placed in the student’s account daily. The lunch deposit box is located in the commons. The child’s account number should be written on the check.
Deposits may not be reflected in the account until the next day.
Book covers
All students are urged to have a cover on each textbook. “Charger” book covers are available from the school office for 25 cents each.
Students should have covers for their books by the beginning of the second week of school. Many parents make covers from paper grocery bags or other suitable materials.
The school does not allow Con-Tact adhesive paper for book covers.
Also, parents and students are not to tape covers to the book.
Absences
When students are absent from school, parents are to call the school office at 526-3392 by 9 a.m. to report the absence. The office has an answering machine so parents may leave a message the night before or in the morning before the office opens.
If the absence is not reported, the school will call parents and the student will have to bring a note from home.
Parent bulletins
Starting sometime in September, parent bulletins will be available on the website, http://orionschools.us. Each grade will have its own parent bulletin.
Grade reports
Each nine weeks, grade reports are sent home with students.
A mid-term report is mailed home to the parents of students who are struggling in classes.
Using the ID?and PIN?number given out at registration, parents can go online to access grades. Teachers update grades at least once a week on Fridays.
Parent-teacher conferences are held during the school year, and any other time a parent or teacher may want to arrange one.
Handbooks
Students will receive the parent/student handbook during the first week of school. It has forms to be signed and returned to the school.
Parents are urged to review the handbook with their children. It covers school policies, field trip eligibility, rules, procedures, discipline, courses, staff, lunches, attendance, and many other topics. Anyone with questions or concerns about the handbook should call principal Gary Heard at 526-3392.
Fees
Assignment notebooks (required), $4.
Athletic participation, $50 per sport, $150 maximum per student and $300 maximum per family.
Band and choir cleaning fee, $5. Band rental, school-owned instrument only, $25.
Gym lock if needed, $5. PE shirt if needed, $6.
Student activity fee, $20.
Textbook rental, $50. Technology fee. $12. Testing fee, $10.
Mini-courses: Art (all grades), $4. Machines (seventh grade), $2.
Environmental science (eighth grade), $5.
School supplies
A list of school supplies will be posted on the Orion Gazette website on Aug. 3.