Ouachita River School District

AHS Hosts CLUB PALOOZA On Friday, August 27th, Acorn High School hosted a club palooza event for new and returning students. The purpose and goal of the event was to provide the opportunity for AHS students to learn more about clubs, organizations, and extracurricular activities so they can be more involved and engaged in student life. The teachers, staff and advisors went above and beyond in helping to create a festive atmosphere and reaching prospective members through peer-to-peer sharing in an information and experience exchange. Students and advisors engaged in mentoring other students to help them be better prepared for life and to find enriching, meaningful experiences along their high school journey. For more information about student life organizations, clubs, and extracurricular activities at AHS, contact: Tammy Young, AHS Counselor at (479) 394-7339.

Good Morning Tiger Family! Your Acorn Tiger Wrestling Team is doing an Apparel fundraiser. For every piece of apparel you buy we make between 3-7 dollars. This is included in the price of the item. Please take a look and order whatever you want. Thank you in advance for supporting our team. Acorn Wrestling Team Fundraiser http://coachsassistant.gtmsportswear.com/acorn

On Saturday, August 21st, the 2021 Miss Polk County Fair Pageant was held by the Polk County Fair and Rodeo Association. AHS sophomore Kenzie Daniels and 2020 AHS graduate Brickie Sachs participated in the event. Out of all of the contestants, Brickie Sachs was crowned as the 2021 Miss Polk County, and Kenzie Daniels was crowned as the 2021 Jr. Miss Polk County. We are all so incredibly proud of these ladies for their hard work and accomplishments. Congratulations to both of them!

ORSD Family, After two weeks of school, I thought I would share out a quick progress report. First, we have 764 students enrolled at ORSD. 764 is a district record of enrollment. We are up 30 students at Oden and 17 students at Acorn! We are really excited about ALL of our students back on campus learning this year. Parents we are conducting weekly grade checks on each student in ORSD this year. Please join us by weekly monitoring your child's learning as well. Our Covid-19 rates so far are very low. We have 5 active cases in all of ORSD. Please know we are monitoring our rates very closely each day and if we see a rise in positive cases we will be sure to take appropriate steps. Again, we have had the best start to the school year in my ten years at ORSD! Our administration, teachers and staff are working very hard to have a successful year. Thank you for all of your help and support. Let us know how we can continue to SERVE you! Respectfully, Jerrall A. Strasner Superintendent of Schools

Attention Acorn Elementary parents: It is time to sign up for peewee basketball. Please copy the link below, paste it into your browser, and go fill out the form. If you have more than one child playing you need to fill out a form for each one. This is for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade girls and boys. Deadline is September 3. Thank you James Spradlin https://forms.gle/QwYBXQPtm4R3nF4x7

ORSD Family, Please avoid the American Legion Road in the morning when coming to school. Repairs to the road will begin at 6:00 am and should be completed before lunch. Please use Polk 96 only when coming to the Acorn Campus. The repair work will only be for tomorrow morning August 24th. Tomorrow evening should allow normal traffic down the Legion Road. Respectfully, Jerrall Strasner Superintendent

Acorn Preschool slots are now available for the 21-22 school year! Your child must turn 3 on or by August 1, 2021 to be eligible for this upcoming school year. You must turn in the following documentation to complete the enrollment process: 2020 taxes (adjusted gross income amount) only turn in a months worth of current check stubs if tax information does not reflect your current financial status (Tax information preferred, if applicable) Social security card Updated shot record Birth certificate Physical (needs to be completed before school starts in August) If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kim Larucci, Acorn Preschool Director/Lead Teacher at 479-234-3438

School is right around the corner, and the safety of our children is top priority. Please be on the lookout for School Buses dropping off and picking up children for School on our local roads. This picture gives a good description of what to do when you approach a stopped School Bus.

Reminder from SRO Harvey. State Law says "Stay off Cellphone in School Zone".

ORSD Family, Welcome to the 2021-22 school year! We are excited to see all of you today as we conduct our Open House and Public Meetings. This year we are continuing our safety measures on all of our campuses to help stop the spread of Covid-19. Remember if you have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 recently and are experiencing symptoms please do not come to campus tonight. We are encouraging the use of masks especially in areas where we cannot socially distance. Also, we are NOT under a mask mandate on campus at this time. We will keep you posted on any changes as we monitor the positive rates in our communities. Again, we are excited to see you and your children on our campuses this evening. If you have questions when your scheduled time is this evening, please reach out to your campus principal today. Respectfully, Jerrall Strasner Superintendent ORSD

I am so excited to be back home! I graduated from Acorn, and have looked forward to the day I could return. I have taught a total of thirteen years. Two of those years I taught at Van-Cove as a P.E. Teacher, G/T Coordinator, Assistant Boys Basketball, and Girls Softball Coach. I taught adult GED classes for two years for RMCC. Most recently, I coached volleyball, track and taught P.E. at Waldron Schools for nine years. I love anything outdoors with my family. We camp and play at the lake as often as possible. I place my faith first, and truly believe this is exactly where I need to be. I look forward to the opportunity to teach and get to know these kids!

We have a new drop off and pick up plan for Preschool and Elementary. Please study the map, and use it as a guide when you drop off or pick up students at Acorn School. Please share with family that might drop off and pick up.

**The phones on Acorn campus are currently down. If you are needing to contact: Acorn Elem: email abosch@orsd.k12.ar.us Acorn High: email rhill@orsd.k12.ar.us There is also faculty available in both buildings to assist you. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Farm Bureau Women's Committee Donates School Supplies The Polk County Farm Bureau Women's Committee generously donated school supplies to Acorn High School to help make the transition and welcome back to school a successful one for students. Charlotte Wiles, Committee Chair stated, "Farm Bureau values the educators of our community and extends a thank you to all who are involved in the education process." In addition to providing resources, the mission of PCFBW is to conduct community-based activities and programs that promote agriculture and the mission of Farm Bureau. "We appreciate their support and donation to provide a much needed resource for our students to start the year", stated Dewayne Taylor, Acorn High School Principal. Ouachita River School District values the partnership with this community organization in helping students be prepared for life. Photo l to r: Dewayne Taylor, Charlotte Wiles, and Colt Wiles.

I graduated from Acorn High School in 2016 and began my college career at UofA Rich Mountain; I graduated with my Associate of Arts summer of 2018. From there I transferred to Arkansas Tech University pursuing a Bachelors in Fine Arts and graduated December 2020. I am currently enrolled at Southern Arkansas University where I am pursuing my Master of Arts in Teaching degree. I love all things creative and enjoy spending time outside. A lot of my inspiration and drive for my art projects stem from nature. I am getting married in September and my fiance and I are in the process of buying my first home. I'm excited about this opportunity to share my passion with students and fellow teachers!

My name is Stacy Morris and I will be teaching in 3rd grade at Acorn Elementary this year! I graduated from the University of Arkansas with my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Upon graduation I got married my now husband, and moved to Missouri! I taught in Missouri for the last two years and am excited to get back home to teach! I love sports, dogs, kayaking, and spending time with my family and friends. I am so ready to start this year!

Attention: AHS Parents & Students! The Tiger staff and faculty welcome YOU to Acorn High School for the 2021-2022 year! We are excited and prepared to serve in achieving student success!  Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 11, 2021 and the following events and times: * Acorn Schools Public Meeting - 6:00 PM - @ Acorn Cafetorium * Acorn High School Open House - @ Acorn Gymnasium  Student schedules will be distributed and Chromebook devices will be available for checkout. We encourage you to visit with faculty and staff during your timeframe “meet and greet”.  Timeframes by grade level are: 4:30 PM - 7th Grade 5:00 PM - 8th Grade 5:30 PM - 9th Grade 6:30 PM - 10th Grade 7:00 PM - 11th Grade 7:30 PM - 12th Grade The first day of school is Monday, August 16, 2021. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the AHS Office at (479) 394-5544. Updates, news, important student and school information are posted on the school website at www.ouachitariversd.org. Be sure to check out and LIKE the Ouachita River School District Facebook page! Students, please check your school email regularly to receive important information and updates! Through a safe, caring, and serving environment, students learn, grow, excel, and succeed...this is our mission in preparing students for LIFE!

1995 graduate of Oden High School Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education-Henderson State University Master's degree in Educational Leadership-Arkansas State University Library Media Certification 20 years of teaching experience at Oden Married to Jason Bergum 3 children: Megan, Sarah and Trent 1 granddaughter: Sadie I love spending time with my family, going to the beach and snorkeling, and I am a huge Razorback fan.

Surprise birthday party for W.T. Youngblood at the Acorn Cafeteria. Come celebrate with him and his family.

*Oden High School Athletic Reminder* High School athletes can get their physical tomorrow on campus . Healthy Connections will be here with their mobile unit to give physicals to our athletes. Physicals will start at 8:00 a.m.