Ouachita River School District

Acorn Students Win Top Honors Polk County Spelling Bee On February 7th, Acorn Elementary and Middle School students competed in the Polk County Spelling Bee hosted by Cossatot River School District in the Wickes Elementary School Auditorium. The following students placed top honors in the competition: 1st Grade: Avery Beaty - 2nd Place 4th Grade: Kyelee Horn - 1st Place 5th Grade: Lily Arender - 1st Place Raj Dandikar - 3rd Place 6th Grade: Lily Arender - 3rd Place 7th Grade: Drew Mabry - 1st Place 8th Grade: Drew Mabry - 1st Place Overall Winner: Drew Mabry Congratulations to the Acorn students who participated this year! We are proud of you! Thank you to the staff and parents who helped students prepare for the competition and to Union Bank for sponsoring this annual event for Polk County schools! #orsdlifeprep Ouachita River School District Through a safe, caring, and serving environment, students learn, grow, excel, and succeed...this is our mission in preparing students for LIFE!

Attention Oden Elementary Parents: Read Across America Week is March 4-8. We are ordering t-shirts for this week. If you would like to order one for your child the cost is $14. The order and money is due by Friday, February 16th. Your child brought home an order form on Feb. 8th. We have extra order forms in the main office.

National School Counseling Week - February 5-9, 2024 "School Counseling: Standards-Based, Student-Focused” Celebrating and recognizing the Ouachita River School Counseling Team serving Acorn and Oden Schools: Linda Heath KyLynn Ledbetter Apryl Philpot Tammy Young #orsdlifeprep

ATTN: ORSD Students & Parents/Guardians Please mark your calendars for the schedule of important upcoming dates. Thank you in advance for making every effort to ensure your child attends school and on time. We value this partnership in helping your child to have a successful, meaningful experience! The week of March 5th - 7th, the ATLAS Writing Summative Assessment will be administered on the following dates by grade levels: March 5th - Acorn High School - 7th - 10th & Oden High School - 6th - 10th March 6th - Ode Maddox Elementary - 3rd - 5th March 7th - Acorn Elementary - 3rd - 6th If you have questions or need additional information, please contact your child’s building office. Ode Maddox Elementary School & Oden High School - (870) 326-4311 Acorn Elementary School - (479) 394-4833 Acorn High School - (479) 394-5544 #orsdlifeprep

AHS Celebrates Senior Athletes & Honors Coach On February 6th, Acorn High School hosted Senior Night to recognize the Class of 2024 senior athletes. Seniors recognized for their participation in one or more Acorn High School athletic programs included: Shay Allen August Alvis Kora Carter Buddy Cusson Kenzie Daniels Randy Dill Daisy Dollar Noah Holland Audrey Holliday Ricardo Lopez-Perez Matthew Lyle Harlei McCourtney Hunter Neal Jordyn Prewett Sean Rios Trinity Staggs Sophie Strasner Bella Tedder Sarah Tedder At half-time of the senior girls’ game, Shay Allen was recognized and named 2-A 2023 Girls State Wrestling Champion. Coach Andy Arnold presented Shay with the state championship ring. Congratulations, Shay! We are proud of you! At the end of the SR Boys game, Coach Mike Jackson was recognized for his many years of coaching and serving the Ouachita River School District - Acorn campus. Coach Jackson was surrounded by his family upon receiving the recognition and Mr. Jerry Strasner, ORSD Superintendent announced the Acorn Gymnasium court will be named Mike Jackson Court in honor of Coach Mike Jackson. Congratulations, AHS Senior Athletes, Shay Allen, and Coach Mike Jackson! We are proud of you! #orsdlifeprep Ouachita River School District Through a safe, caring, and serving environment, students learn, grow, excel, and succeed...this is our mission in preparing students for LIFE!

Valentine's Day Announcement for Acorn High School

Ouachita River School District will be in session on the Acorn and Oden campuses Monday, February 19, 2024 This is a makeup day for inclement weather school closings in January 2024.

ORSD Students Participate in Experience the Power Event at UARM On Wednesday, January 31st, students from Acorn and Oden High Schools participated in the Experience the Power non-traditional careers exploration event on the main campus of the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain in Mena. The event is a partnership with UA Rich Mountain and DeQueen-Mena Education Service Cooperative to provide opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in a variety of technical programs: Cosmetology, Welding, Machine Tool, Massage Therapy, Information Technology, Emergency Medical Technician and Phlebotomy. Thank you for the invitation and opportunity for our students! #orsdlifeprep

AHS Senior Night Tuesday, 2/6/2024 Acorn vs Umpire Acorn Gymnasium 5:30 PM - AHS Senior Night Ceremony 6:00 PM - Senior Girls Basketball Game Senior Boys Basketball Game immediately following SR Girls game Ceremony & games livestream link: https://youtube.com/live/undgAmkqEwU?feature=share

ATTN: ORSD Parents & Guardians Ouachita River School District is conducting a survey to solicit your input and feedback on a future school week calendar and schedule proposal. The ORSD 4-Day Instructional Week proposal would be a Tuesday - Friday school week. Mondays will be available as an option if your child(ren) need child care, enrichment/intervention/tutoring, etc...A daily schedule, curriculum, and meals will be provided on Mondays for students in attendance on that day the same as Tuesday - Friday. Thank you for your input and feedback! Your response is important! Please submit by Tuesday, February 13, 2024. If you have specific questions, please contact: Jerrall Strasner, ORSD Superintendent at (479) 394-2348 or William Edwards, ORSD Assistant Superintendent at (870) 326-4311. Survey link to Google Form (Gmail account): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeF_XOFtELRW0B1ZJDA3rDvwBeWBoWRWZc6HpDoeBuqhhNYGw/viewform Website link for survey if you are unable to access form (email account other than Gmail or to access download for printed copy): https://www.ouachitariversd.org/documents/4day-info/579781 #orsdlifeprep

Attention Acorn Tiger Fans: We will be honoring Shay Allen tomorrow, February 6th during half-time of the Sr. Girls game.

On Thursday, January 25th, UA Rich Mountain TRiO Team assisted AHS Class of 2024 seniors and parents with filing FAFSA and the application process for ADHE scholarships. Thank you to the UARM TRiO staff for partnering with our seniors and parents on this important process in making the transition from high school to postsecondary! #orsdlifeprep

ATTENTION: Ouachita River School District Parents, Students & Community Ouachita River School District is conducting a survey to determine the future direction of a school day calendar for students enrolled at Acorn and Oden campuses. The survey will be available Tuesday, February 6th to complete and will include information about Ouachita River School District considering a 4-day week school calendar.The survey will be available to parents, students and community. A video message from Mr. Jerrall Strasner, ORSD Superintendent and Mr. William Edwards, ORSD Assistant Superintendent can be viewed in the link provided. In addition to the video, a letter and 4-day week calendar FAQ’s page are attached for reference. As you view the video and review the letter and FAQ’s page, please discuss with your family prior to completing the survey. If you have questions or need information, please contact Mr. Jerrall Strasner at (479) 394-2348. Video Message Link (ORSD Facebook post): https://drive.google.com/file/d/10MVcSuUjurftHJ4n4hT5myIeAJ21O_31/view Video Message, ORSD Letter & FAQ Page Link (ORSD website): https://www.ouachitariversd.org/documents/4day-info/579781

Jr. High District Brackets

ATTENTION ACORN TIGER FANS: Senior Night When: February 6, 2024 Where: Acorn Gymnasium Time: 5:30 PM Sr. Girls and Sr. Boys games to follow.

22nd ACORN SCHOOL REUNION SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2024 Acorn Old Main Gym/Auditorium 1:00 - 4:00 PM Registration begins at 1:00 P.M., general meeting will begin at 2:00 P.M, and fellowship will be through 4:00 P.M. Contact your classmates, teachers, and staff to encourage them to attend! The classes of Acorn High School Class of 1983 and Class of 1984 will be recognized and honored this year. For more information and event details, contact: Margo Reed Kimp (Class of 1969) margokimp@gmail.com 479-243-5435 Cheryl Anderson Boyd (Class of 1983) cboyd1964@yahoo.com 479-243-6648 Acorn School Reunion letter & contacts attachment

Oden junior class Valentine Announcement. Orders are due by Feb 8th!

AHS Project Prevent is hosting a FOOD DRIVE to support the Acorn Schools' Backpack Program Tuesday, January 30, 2024 Acorn vs Horatio Basketball Games @ Acorn Gym Suggested items for donations including the following single serving/indidivual size items: - Juice boxes - Bottled water - Snack sticks - Snack crackers - Chips - Granola bars - Easy open canned meals (ravoli, mac & cheese, spaghetti, etc...) - Fruit cups - Peanut butter - Bagged snacks Thank you for your support and donations!

Attention Acorn Tiger Fans: The Junior High District Tournament will be held at Foreman this year. If you would like to order a district shirt, please click on the link below. https://osp.osmsinc.com/ForemanAR/BVModules/CategoryTemplates/Detailed%20List%20with%20Properties/Category.aspx?categoryid=UH010

Oden Athletic Announcement: Here is the schedule for the games we have to reschedule: 1/25/24 @Legacy Academy(Sr's Only) 1/29/24 @ Mineral Springs (jg, sr. teams) 2/2/24 Blevins @Oden( jb, sr. teams)