Orchard Prairie Elementary School

OP Is a great school as far as the teachers go, however My husband worked for OP as a bus driver for over 5 years and was just let go for using the bus cell phone for personal use ( which he was never told he couldn't do) He always paid the extra bill amount.And now they are trying to take away his unemployment!!! They have hired an attorney to try to get the unemployment board to reverse the decision to pay his claim. My husband was always a loyal employee and gave a lot to the school while he worked there he drove all the field trips for free never got paid for them for 5 years, as well as contributed his time to school plays and other functions. and now the thanks he gets is losing his job and then on top of that they are trying to stop him from getting unemployment until he can find another job!!!! THEY told everyone that he quit, he did not!!! You all know him as Bus driver Keith!!!!!

OP is a terrific school! The teachers are enthusiastic and set high expectations. The teachers have multi-grade classrooms (except K) and the inter-grade 'family' group interaction is great, fostering leadership skills and cooperation. I sometimes wonder if the expectations are too high, expecting too much independent learning during school hours. There is homework starting in Kindergarten and increasing each year. Comparing with other area schools, it is 2-3 times what others are expected to accomplish at home. The parents are generally very supportive and many participate in fieldtrips and the PTO activities regularly. There are limitations due to the small size, like not having a library, a gym, or a licensed music program but these opportunities are available at various times of the year in more condensed programs, or via fieldtrips, so the children are at least exposed to them in some way.
--Submitted by a parent

OP is a terrific school with great community support. The teachers are expereinced, compassionate and principled. They teach students to learn and to love learning. They set very high expectations for the students and the students respond. They foster a sense of inter-grade cooperation and respect. Parents are very involved in all aspects of the school. This is like a private school. However because of its size there are no school supported extracurricular activities for students. Parents however, have educational opportunities sponsored by the school to help us understand what is expected of our children and how to support them through the standard pitfalls of childhood.
--Submitted by a parent