Communications

The district uses the School Messenger communication system to send email, text, and voice messages. We use this system to send updates, newsletters, weather notifications, building closures, safety and emergency messages, instructions, and more.

Text messaging requires opt-in to short code 67587
The district uses the text message feature only in the event of a weather notice, school closing or emergency. If you would like to receive a text message in addition to an email and voice message, please scan the QR code with your mobile phone. Click the upload symbol, and then choose "Send Message" with "Y" or "Yes" in the message field to opt in. You will receive a text message confirming that you are registered "4 SchoolMessenger notifications." SchoolMessenger is compliant with the Student Privacy Pledge so you can rest assured that your information is safe and will never be given or sold to anyone.

If you are not receiving timely communication from the district, please email communications@orono.k12.mn.us and we will review our School Messenger status reports. 

In the event of inclement weather, and based on information provided by the National Weather Service, the Superintendent may need to (1) close school, (2) announce a Flexible Learning Day, (3) delay the start of school or (4) dismiss school early. Orono Schools will make every effort to notify families and staff as soon as possible. We appreciate your understanding and patience in these weather situations.  The safety of students and staff is our number-one priority!

School closing. If Orono Schools is closed all day, then ECFE programs, full-day Preschool, Discovery Kids and Spartan Kids programs will also be closed. 

Flexible Learning Day. The district may employ a Flexible Learning Day model to optimize student learning when on-campus instruction is not possible. A Flexible Learning Day:

• may be called due to inclement weather or another unexpected event that causes a significant disruption to regular on-campus learning schedules
• can be utilized up to five days in one school year
• counted as an instructional day and included as hours of instruction (Minn. §Stat. 120A.41)

Late start. If Orono Schools announces a late start, buses will follow regular pick-up routes based on the late-start schedule. Spartan Kids and Discovery Kids will also adjust opening times to accommodate the late start schedule (e.g., Spartan Kids and Discovery Kids will open at 9 a.m. rather than 7 a.m.) In the event of a late start, morning ECFE and Preschool programs will be canceled. Dismissal times will remain the same for all schools. 

Early dismissal. If the Superintendent announces an early dismissal, buses will follow regular return routes. Students will either ride the bus home or wait for a designated adult to pick them up. Community Education will communicate separately with Spartan Kids and Discovery Kids families with additional pick-up instructions. Please discuss your family plan if school is dismissed early.

After school and evening events and activities. Decisions to cancel after school and evening activities will be made by 3 p.m. and will not necessarily be tied to a school closing. This decision will be made by the Superintendent in consultation with the Executive Director of Business Services, Community Education Director, Athletic Director and Orono Activities Center Manager.

Communication. Family members will receive a phone call, email and text message through the district’s School Messenger parent/guardian notification system. To receive a text message, you must opt-in to School Messenger SMS notices (see also the accordion, above).

Announcements will also be posted on the district website, Facebook and X accounts, and shared with the following local media: KSTP-TV, Channel 5; WCCO-TV, Channel 4; KARE-TV, Channel 11; and KMSP-TV, Channel 9. These media outlets post School Closings and other notices on their respective websites. 

Review/update your contact information. To ensure that the district has accurate parent/guardian/emergency contact information for your family, please review and update your contact information regularly in ParentVUE. Follow the instructions under "Let's Stay Connected," under the accordion, "How to Update Your Contact Information."

Thank you for reviewing this important safety information.

The district periodically mails the Orono Schools Today newsletter to all district residents and open-enrolled families. Here are the latest editions:

June 2024

Orono Schools Strategic Plan, Profile of an Orono Graduate, 2023-24 Points of Pride, Alumni Awards, Orono's Future-Ready Students, School Board Election Key Dates

March 2024

Orono Schools Named 2024 Exemplary CHARACTER COUNTS! District, Strategic Planning Process, Parent/Guardian Survey Results

October 2023

Orono High School student achievement, 2024 National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Scholars, ACT Data, Technology update and fast facts, 2022-23 Points of Pride, School Board News, Strategic Planning year, 2022-23 Alumni Awards and call for nominations, Senior Spartan Experience call for mentors. 

October 2022

• Technology Updates and Tech Levy Renewal, 2022 Advanced Placement Highlights, National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Scholars, AP U.S. History Perfect Score, Academic Excellence, Facilities & Finance, Safety & Security, Orono Activities Center Updates.

August 2022

• Enrollment report, Tech Levy Renewal, 2021-22 District Points of Pride, 2022 Commencement Recap, School Board Election Candidate Filing Information.

Orono Schools uses Peachjar e-flyers, an eco-friendly way to receive information about school-related opportunities right to your email inbox. 

What you’ll see in your email inbox

Once a week, you will receive an email with district-approved e-flyers. The number of flyers will depend on timely opportunities from Community Education, district communications, your child’s school, PTO, OMSPA, SPA, Orono Foundation for Education, or other internal efforts that support the academic needs and pursuits of students and teachers through their funding/programming. Flyers will have links at the top to learn more, sign up, email for more information, etc. 

The email will be from your child’s school building; for example, Orono High School. The from email is “school@peachjar.com.” An example subject line is, “2 School Announcements or Opportunities for Your Child.”

Parents/guardians — no action needed on your part. You can unsubscribe at any time. 

“Flyer board” on each school webpage

After the weekly email is sent from Peachjar, a “flyer board” for each school is populated with thumbnails and links to view the flyer. You can view flyer boards here:

• Orono Schumann Elementary
• Orono Intermediate School
• Orono Middle School
• Orono High School

Who can send flyers through Peachjar?

Peachjar is open to internal programs and groups (Community Education, district communications, your child’s school, PTO, OMSPA, SPA, Orono Foundation for Education). An 8.5 x 11 flyer (PDF) is due by end-of-day Wednesday to communications@orono.k12.mn.us before the Thursday approval and distribution day.

Peachjar will not be open to outside community groups for advertising or solicitation. (If you are familiar with Peachjar from another school district, this may be a change from what you’ve seen before.) 

How do I create a flyer?

If you are new to creating flyers, we recommend you create a free account at www.Canva.com. You can create 8.5 x 11 flyers, peruse a variety of customizable templates, and then export to PDF.

If you have questions, please contact communications@orono.k12.mn.us

The Orono Schools electronic sign, located at the northwest corner of Old Crystal Bay Road North, is maintained by the district's Communications office. The sign is used for:

• School information
• Recognition for significant achievements by students and staff
• Major school and Community Education events, i.e., open houses, conferences, concerts
• Major co-curricular events, i.e., state tournament participation, homecoming
• Instructional, classroom or statistical information
• Other events, i.e., parent group meetings (PTO, OMSPA, SPA), Orono Foundation for Education events, science and art fairs
• Youth sports accomplishments or registration announcements
• Local government messages
• Civic group messages that are of the general benefit to the entire community

Exclusions:

• Messages that are personal or for personal profit or gain
• Messages for political or religious functions

Submit Electronic Sign Request

Orono Schools uses Schoology as its learning management system for secondary grades. Schoology enables our students, parents and teachers to engage with learning materials and their school community from the classroom and beyond.

With Schoology, students can digitally submit homework assignments, review grades, participate in interactive discussions, receive announcements and feedback, take tests, write academic blogs, and more. As a parent, you will be able to view your child’s activity within the platform.

Log In to Schoology

Students and staff use a Single-Sign-On tool utilizing their Orono Google account while parents use a different login page.

Student and Staff login: orono.schoology.com
Parent login: https://app.schoology.com/login?school=1527876651
When utilizing the mobile app select “Orono Public School District” as the school first.

Students should use the “Log in through your School”
Parents should use “Log in using Schoology.com”
Parents should contact the district at technology@orono.k12.mn.us for login information if they have not already received it.  Schoology also has an online “Parent Guide."

Note:  While you may see scores for some assignments and assessments within the Schoology application, all official grade, attendance, report card information will be found in ParentVUE.

ParentVUE allows parents to easily view:

• attendance
• grades
• health information
• test scores
• unofficial transcripts
• contact information, including emergency contacts (see "How to Update Contact Information" in the accordion, below).

Login to ParentVUE

StudentVUE allows high school and middle school students to access their own information, including schedule, homework assignments, and lunch PIN.

Login to StudentVUE

NOTE: If you have trouble logging in, please clear your cache and cookies and try again.

Orono’s ParentVUE Acceptable Use Policy

ParentVUE and StudentVUE users are expected to act in a responsible, ethical and legal manner and are required to adhere to the following guidelines:

• I will not share my password with anyone.
• I will not attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, school or district network or Internet.
• I will not use ParentVUE/StudentVUE for any illegal activity, including violation of data privacy laws.  Anyone found to be violating laws will be subject to civil and/or criminal prosecution.
• I will not access data or any account owned by another person.
• Anyone who identifies a security problem with ParentVUE/StudentVUE must notify the Orono School’s District Office immediately, without demonstrating the problem to anyone else.
• Anyone identified as a security risk to the ParentVUE/StudentVUE program or the Orono School District computers or networks will be denied access to ParentVUE/StudentVUE.

MyPaymentsPlus is Orono Schools’ payment system for school meals, fees, and activities. You can turn on notifications and receive an alert each time your child’s meal balance falls below a specified threshold. To turn on notifications, log in, click on the ‘manage notifications’ option under ‘manage account,’ and follow the onscreen instructions. Please visit the MyPaymentsPlus webpage for more information and to set up an account.

Your family's contact information and emergency contacts are stored in ParentVUE. This information is used by district staff to provide timely notifications, progress updates, and more. Thank you for ensuring that your contact information is accurate at all times.

How-to verify/update your contact information

1. Log in to ParentVUE.
2. Select the My Account button in the top right corner.
3. To add/edit student emergency contact information, select the student, click the Student Info button and then the Edit Info button. Click Save Changes. 

Important notes

• Parents/guardians will always be contacted first in an emergency. Please do not add yourself as an emergency contact. Emergency contact(s) will be called if we cannot reach the parent(s)/guardian(s).
• Please only designate one phone number per adult as a Primary number (otherwise the system won’t display the numbers in the correct order).
• If you check the “Release To” box under an Emergency Contact’s name, you are giving consent for your student to be released to the friend/relative you have designated; that is, you are authorizing that your child can be picked up by this person.

The district celebrates success stories on Facebook and, to a lesser extent, X. The Orono School Board livestreams meetings through their YouTube channel.

Do you have some great news to share about students or staff in Orono Schools? Please complete the Google form to share your story. We will follow up if we have questions. 

Share a Story

If you have found an error or would like to request an update to the website, please complete the Google form so that we may respond to your request in a timely manner. Thank you!

Submit a website update request

The Communications department highly values the relationship between the school district, students, families, and local media. Out of respect for all parties—and with a firm commitment to data privacy and security—all media requests begin with the Director of Communications. This role is responsible for:

• managing media requests and submitting press releases to local media
• sharing student and staff success stories publicly, with appropriate permission
• discussing requests to photograph students, staff, buildings or grounds
• arranging interviews with staff or students, with appropriate permission
• escorting media on campus

Note to staff: If a representative from the media contacts you directly, please refer them to the Communications office (communications@orono.k12.mn.us or 952-449-8315).

Thank you for partnering with us!

If you are a realtor or relocation specialist serving our area, please email communications@orono.k12.mn.us to request information about Orono Schools for your information packets.

We recommend you verify the assigned school district for any property address. Please visit Hennepin County Property Information Search and enter the property address. If the home/apartment is within our boundaries, you will see School District 278 in the results.