The February 27, 2024 election will feature two millage proposals, which are designed to maintain the current tax levies. One will be for the 10-year operational millage, which the state of Michigan requires every public school district to pass to receive full foundation allowance for each student. The second proposal is to replace the 10-year sinking fund, which pays for infrastructure repairs (parking lots, HVAC, computers, etc.) throughout the district. Information about the millage proposals, including Frequently Asked Questions, is located on the School Election Information page.

LOCS voters can vote:

 

• Early in person through Sunday at Orion Twp. Hall or the local community’s election location
• By absentee: If you have your ballot, please submit it in person at the clerk’s office before 8 p.m. Tuesday
• The traditional in-person voting on Tuesday until 8 p.m.

 

The winter issue of Orion Living magazine also features an explanation on the two LOCS millage proposals.

Lake Orion Community Schools began celebrating its 2023-24 Teachers of the Year in recent weeks, with the elementary, middle and high school levels recognizing an individual for the district honor. Each will advance to the Oakland Schools group, where the Oakland County Teacher of the Year will be selected in each category. Orion Oaks Elementary’s Norman Wright is the elementary representative, Oakview Middle School’s Nick Shaskos is the middle school selection and Lake Orion High School’s Michael Steele was picked for the high school level. Watch all of their announcements.

The 2024-25 Lake Orion Community Schools calendars are now available by visiting the LakeOrionSchools.org calendar page. A single sheet of the important dates is also listed on that page.

Throughout the 2023-24 school year, the LOCS Teaching and Learning Department will offer evening programs for parents/guardians to be able to take a more active role in their child’s education. Some of the workshops are in-person evening events that last approximately an hour. Parent University will also be sharing out some recorded videos for parents/guardians to view at a time that fits into their schedule.

Upcoming in-person sessions:

• For parents of Grades 6-12 (Wednesday, March 6, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Scripps Middle School, 385 E. Scripps Road, Lake Orion): Graphic Novels are Real Books too!
• For parents of all students in Grades K-12 (Tuesday, March 19, 2024 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Lake Orion High School Kiva at 495 E. Scripps Road, Lake Orion): Helping Your Child Through Feelings of Anxiety
  • The Lake Orion Community Schools Parent University program announces a partnership with the North Oakland Community Coalition for an opportunity relevant to all parents and guardians in the district from Grades K-12. The subject of the evening event will be the important topic of mental health.

In November, the Vaping 101 presentation for all families featured a number of resources.A Parent University calendar for the 2023-24 school year is located on the Parent University website page.

In the 2024-25 school year, LOCS will be flipping the elementary school start times. The schools that are currently early start/release times (Paint Creek, Stadium Drive, Webber) will shift to the late start/release schedule. The schools that are current late start/release times (Blanche Sims, Carpenter, Orion Oaks) will move to the early start/release schedule. The change is to allow a different group of district families to be able to schedule earlier after school appointments and the advance notice of nearly 16 months is to allow those families to make long-range plans if necessary. The change will return on a regular three-year cycle.

 

• The School Age Child Care program (before and after school care) will be available for families who need it. School Age Child Care (SACC) is available at all elementary schools. Parents of currently enrolled children (including siblings) will have the opportunity to re-enroll for SACC in April. New families will have an opportunity to enroll in May. The hours of care will change due to the change in early and late start schools’ schedules. Early start school SACC hours are 6:30-8:15 a.m. (start of school) and 3:15-6 p.m. (starting at the end of the school day). Late start school SACC hours are 6:30-8:50 a.m. (start of school) and 3:50-6 p.m. (starting at the end of the school day). Tuition rates for the program are located on the School Age Child Care website page. Please contact the Early Childhood Office at (248) 693-5439 if you have any questions.
• All of the current school year times will remain in place for the duration of the 2023-24 school year and are posted on the LOCS school start times page.

 

When you or your child needs help, it’s hard to know where to turn. In an effort to ease the burden of finding the mental health and substance use services you need, Lake Orion Community Schools has partnered with Care Solace.

Care Solace will help you find the right help at the right time, 24/7/365. Care Solace’s services are available at no cost to you – and all of your information is kept completely confidential. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance.

You can access Care Solace services in three ways:

1. Call 888-515-0595 at any time. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365. A dedicated Care Companion will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
2. Search anonymously to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at caresolace.com/lakeorion
3. Contact your school elementary social worker, middle school behaviorist, high school counselor or building principal, and they will submit a referral on your behalf.

For more information visit the LOCS Care Solace page.

The Lake Orion Education Foundation has partnered with the Detroit Red Wings to organize the LOCS night at Little Caesars Arena for the Wings’ game hosting the Buffalo Sabres on March 16, 2024, at 12:30 p.m.

To purchase tickets with the LOCS group, visit https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Lakeorion and plan for an exciting night.

A portion of each ticket will support the LOEF, which in turns provides teacher grants and opportunities to support students throughout the district.

The LOEF is a group of parent, community and LOCS staff volunteers, fundraising to obtain resources to provide grants to teachers and scholarships to graduating students. For more information and to join or support the LOEF, visit LakeOrionSchools.org/LOEF.

As part of its agreement to protect water quality, LOCS is collecting information about how students/staff/community members engage with the watershed, their water quality concerns, and actions they’ve taken to prevent pollution or protect the environment. This understanding could help LOCS select the best PEP topics to highlight in educational materials to better educate the community going forward. If you would like to participate in the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2N99LZ7

Lake Orion Community Schools has opened registration for the 2024-25 school year for Kindergarten students. All children living in the LOCS school boundaries are eligible to enroll at LakeOrionSchools.org/Enroll. Kindergarten information is available at LakeOrionSchools.org/Kindergarten. On March 18, 2024 at 6 p.m., all LOCS elementary schools will hold a parent information night at neighborhood elementary schools (Blanche Sims, Carpenter, Orion Oaks, Paint Creek, Stadium Drive, Webber) for families to find out more.

LOCS Superintendent Ben Kirby’s monthly podcast, “Champions of Hope and Leadership,” spotlights leaders who impacted those around them.

The inspiration for the podcast comes from the amazing people that have shaped, inspired, and given Mr. Kirby hope as he has navigated his career as an educator and the people he has witnessed as Champions of Hope and Leadership.

LOCS will make a sincere effort to call snow days as early as possible when a significant weather event is approaching. The district administration understands the challenges a late snow day call creates for families and will make every effort to avoid that. But there are often circumstances when a decision must be made in the morning of a school day. With safety as the top priority, the goal every day is to have students in school, safely traveling to and from the buildings.

If LOCS sends an emergency message, including snow days, families will be contacted in the traditional manner, via School Messenger email, text message and phone call. The information will also be shared with the local media via the traditional broadcast outlets, posted on the LOCS website and social media channels, and on the school digital signs when possible.

Lake Orion Community Schools is launching a program in 2023-24 to recognize LOCS staff members for their excellence.

The intent of the Distinguished Dragon program is to ensure that staff members who go above and beyond their regular duties are appreciated. The additional effort or support can range from helping an individual to helping a group or any effort that seems worthy of praise.

The staff member can be nominated by a student, parent, community member or colleague by completing the form at LakeOrionSchools.org/DistinguishedDragon. We ask for the submitter’s name and contact information to follow up with specific questions if necessary. Please make sure to select the appropriate school/department form so the message is routed in the proper direction.

Please complete the form entirely so the individual can be appropriately honored for the contributions.

Lake Orion Community Schools has a number of paths to communicate with families and the community. Information on social media, district email communications, the LakeOrionSchools.org website and mobile phone app, as well as external flyer information is available.LOCS tested its emergency communications on Sunday, November 12. If you did not receive any of the outlets (email/text/phone call) and would like to in the case of an urgent school or district-wide matter, please adjust your School Messenger settings.

LOCS parents and staff who are interested in receiving text messages from the district and the student’s school through School Messenger must opt in to receive them. LOCS sends text messages when there is a time-sensitive circumstance (usually a school closing or a bus delay.)If a parent/guardian is not receiving text messages from LOCS and is interested, please opt in by texting Y to the number 67587. More details are available in the attached form.

Lake Orion Community Schools consistently hires the best and brightest staff members to bring our students an elite education.

The district is always looking for talented individuals to work in a variety of areas and offers competitive pay and benefits for most positions.

If you know anyone interested in a position — from driving a bus, to working in a cafeteria, to connecting in a classroom — chances are there is a great opportunity available.

All available jobs

The Transportation Department is available during business hours.

During the school year, families can use the Versatrans My Stop App to check on their students’ bus progress (available on iTunes and Android.)

Earlier this spring, the Lake Orion Community Schools Board of Education approved the strategic plan to guide the district from 2022-2027. The plan includes a mission statement, a vision statement, belief statements and focus areas to guide the district administration. Three times a year, the LOCS Administration offers updates to the Board of Education on the recent progress. The most recent update was presented at the end of November.

 

Belief statements

We believe…

• Preparing Dragons is a collaboration of students, staff, families and community.
• We have a responsibility to provide a safe, welcoming, equitable learning environment where all individuals are respected and valued.
• In fostering an environment that cultivates each individual’s maximum potential.
• Character development is an integral part of education.
• In a dynamic innovative approach to educating Dragons.

 

Mission

Empowering the Dragon community to achieve excellence

February 29 — High School — Parent-Teacher Conferences

March 5, 7 — Middle School — Parent-Teacher Conferences

March 15 — Elementary/Middle Half Day

March 25-29 — All Schools (Spring Break)

Counseling Resources

LOCS has counseling staff available at each building with multiple support staff members.   We have posted the North Oakland Community Coalition list of outside professionals where counseling and help is available.   There are connections and suggestions on how to talk to your children about highly-publicized events.   All of these resources are available on this page: LOCS Counseling Resources

Bond Projects

The Lake Orion Community Schools Bond was passed in November 2018 and the impact continues to be shown throughout the district. Waldon, Oakview and Paint Creek Elementary will receive updates in the summer of 2024.   Specific information on each project is available on the Bond Projects page.

Have a question or concern?

The district understands and appreciates the interest of parents and guardians in their student’s school experience and the desire to find out more information on a particular topic. LOCS asks parents to follow the district chain of communication to achieve the best results.

Lake Orion Community Schools shares information about district news and updates on the social media channels: @lkorionschools on Twitter, @lkorionschools on Instagram, @lakeorioncommunityschools on Facebook and @lakeorioncommunityschools on YouTube.

 

Email: [email protected]
Website: lakeorionschools.org
Phone: 248-693-5400
Facebook: facebook.com/lakeorioncommunityschools
Twitter: @lkorionschools