A Message from the Principal



Greetings! After a summer of busy renovation, it will be wonderful to have students back on campus.  A special welcome to our new sixth grade families from Manzanita, Sunrise Drive and other elementary schools, and to our new 7th and 8th graders!  The staff at Orange Grove Middle School extends a warm welcome to all new and returning families. Please contact us if we can do anything to support a smooth transition into the school year for your child.

Still have questions?
The start of a school year is a special time, filled with anticipations and hopes of what the new year will bring.  Sixth graders and their parents will have an opportunity to have many of their questions answered at orientation. . To further support questions, please plan to attend our Back-to-School Night on Thursday, August 31st and our FFO parent coffees that occur prior to FFO meetings.   Back-to-School Night will help you meet your student’s teachers and to learn about the focus on learning in each subject area for the year ahead.  The grade-level parent meetings will give you an opportunity to meet with other parents at your child’s grade and learn what to expect from your 6th, 7th, or 8th grader.

Help your child take ownership of their learning
When your child says, ‘I have no homework,’ ask your child to take you to the StudentVUE portal’s Calendar page. All teachers will be posting assignments to the Calendar page, so you will be able to see what is coming up. Please recognize that while teachers may post end-of-unit assessments well in advance, they may need to shift instruction to make sure that students are reaching their targets.

Check teachers’ websites
If your child needs more information about individual assignments, have them show you the OGMS website, and find their teachers’ websites by clicking Teacher Websites button.   When they take you to their teachers’ various sites, you have a great opportunity to begin a dialogue about what’s going on in your child’s classes, and to help your child to take ownership for their learning.

Help your child advocate for themselves and seek support
If you know your child is struggling with homework or is having trouble getting assignments done, you can talk about helpful structures Orange Grove provides to all students. Remind them that it is intelligent to ask for help.

Ask your child if they have gone to:
The Panther Den at lunch in Room 302
The Den is a place any student can go to get help from their peers and/or an adult who helps monitor the activity in the room as well as support the students.  If your child has tried this, ask if on the next late start Wednesday, they would be willing to attend academic assistance.  

Academic Assistance, Wednesdays 8:55am-9:25am
Academic Assistance is offered to your child on late-start Wednesdays.   All teachers are in their classrooms and available to support students with assignments, concepts, and general questions that your student may have about the current unit of study.  If your child rides the bus, they will arrive on time to participate in Academic Assistance from 8:55 till 9:25.  

Meet with their counselor
Finally, if your child shares these helpful structures are still not working for them and you know there are missing assignments on the ParentVUE, then you can suggest your child visit their counselor.

ZAP (Zeroes Aren’t Permitted) Tues, Wed, Thurs After school & Wed Late Start 7:30 - 8:55 a.m.
We hope that our Zeros Aren’t Permitted Program (ZAP) is a last resort, but if your child is not exercising their progress-monitoring skills and using their resources for seeking help, you may get a note, a phone call or an email that indicates that we expect them to attend the ZAP program at 7:30 a.m. on a Late Start Wednesday, or after school on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.  (This will require that they take the late bus, which leaves at 4:15, or that you adjust pick-up arrangements.)  This program is designed to ensure that students get caught up because of absences, and do not fall so far behind that they feel hopeless or discover their missing work is no longer relevant to in-class lessons.

An invitation to join the FFO
Finally, I invite each of you to participate in our FFO.  Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 24, from 8:30-9:30am.   A special thank you to our FFO for providing so many wonderful things for our classrooms and supporting important projects on campus.

6th Grade and New Student Orientation is tomorrow  and we can’t wait to meet our new 6th grade students.  On Wednesday, August 9th from 10:30-12:00, students will have a chance to join our staff in the multi-purpose room, (MPR) located at the west end of the school.  During orientation, students will have an opportunity to meet their first-period teachers, hear about Panther Pride, and find their way around.  (6th Grade parents are invited to join our Counselors and Curriculum Technology Integrator in the Library for an overview in how OGMS partners with you to know our different communication venues and resources you can tap.) Your meeting is from 10:45 till-11:45

To help make drop off and pick up run smoothly, we are asking parents to use two different entrances.  If your child’s last name is from A-K please go to the north lot / bus bay to drop off your child.   If your child’s last name starts with L-Z, please drop off at the front of the school.  Teachers will be there to direct students to the MPR.

After the event at 12:00 please pick up your child in the same location you dropped them off.

Thank you for helping us to make this a safe and fun experience.









Mark Rubin-Toles, Principal






North Parking Lot
A-K Student Drop off and Pick Up
(for New Student Orientation only - NOT to be used while school is in session)








South Parking Lot
                           L-Z Student Drop Off and Pick Up

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