Ordway Elementary PTO

06/04/2026

Giant Check Day is quickly becoming one of our favorite BSF traditions!

Last night, Bainbridge Schools Foundation had the honor of presenting a $450,000 check to Bainbridge Island School District, fulfilling this year's pledge to support students, educators, and schools across the district.

This investment represents a year of generosity from across our community and a shared commitment to strong public schools. We were especially grateful to be joined by student representatives from across the district, who helped present the check on behalf of the many students who benefit from academic intervention, educator support, and library and enrichment resources funded through BSF's annual pledge.

Thank you to every donor, sponsor, volunteer, and community supporter who helped make this possible! Your generosity continues to make a meaningful difference for Bainbridge students and educators year after year. We are so thankful! 💙

06/04/2026

06/02/2026

Updated calendars for the last two weeks of school! Who’s ready for summer?

06/02/2026

Ordway’s Spring Garden Club has officially concluded, and we can’t wait to see the fruits (and veggies) of their labors! Led by parent volunteers Sara Daubenberger and Jessica Woersching, this six-week after-school club was designed for 3rd and 4th graders who were eager to learn how to plan a garden, start and plant seeds, how seeds grow, garden maintenance, and the benefits of growing and eating local foods. Students got their hands dirty by pulling weeds, clearing beds, and spreading organic fertilizer and straw mulch on the beds. They played games to ID herbs they planted, transplanted tomato, peppers, and zucchini starts, and started pole beans from last year’s seeds. Additionally, both students and adults spent a few extra hours expanding and prepping the pumpkin patch in front of the garden, so the kids could sow the pumpkin seeds around the sunflowers popping up from last year.

Visiting guest Thyra McKelvie, of Rent Mason Bees, introduced students to Mason Bees! She showed them how to set up and care for a mason bee hive in the garden and taught them all about the importance of these incredible pollinators. Another special guest, Brian MacWhorter of Butler Green Farms, visited to share his passion for farming on the island. He brought freshly-picked carrots (I heard they were delicious!), as well as tomato, lettuce, sunflower, and marigold starts which he also helped them plant. The kids couldn’t stop talking about these amazing guests and everything they learned!

Although the school year is coming to a close, caring for the garden will continue throughout the summer! Parent volunteers plan to install gutters onto the shed that the will connect to a rain barrel. This will create a sustainable solution that will allow the kids to fill up the pond area they‘ve started digging. They’re also hoping to expand the garden fence to make even more space for our future gardeners. Finally, students are signing up for weekly summer duties to monitor watering, and to harvest the fruits and veggies they planted so the Ordway garden will continue to thrive! Thank you, “budding” gardeners, for all your hard work this season!

05/29/2026

Don’t miss Ordway’s biggest event of the year! Carnival will take place from 5:00-8:00pm on Friday, June 5th. Thank you to our Carnival committee who has been working for months to plan this year’s celebration, which will feature new surprises!

Ordway students will receive their wristbands before dismissal on June 5th. We will be selling wristbands for siblings after school until 2:45pm on Wednesday, June 3rd and Thursday, June 4th. Wristbands will also be available for purchase when you arrive for Carnival on June 5th.

Reminder: Carnival doors will open at 5:00pm. Early arrivals will not be allowed in. Additionally, the playground area will be closed until 5:00pm as we set up for Carnival. And unfortunately, due to the size of our venue and other restrictions, we must limit our guests to Ordway students, staff and families only. Thank you for understanding.

We would love to have more volunteers! Please check out the links below to sign up for pre-carnival and day-of activities (volunteers will receive one free ticket for Ordway siblings), as well as cakes and beverage contributions for the cake walk and student volunteers!

Carnival volunteers:
https://ordwaypto.cmail19.com/t/y-l-auitykl-hdhjhdhlit-t/

Cake walk cakes and Volunteer beverages contributions:
https://ordwaypto.cmail19.com/t/y-l-auitykl-hdhjhdhlit-d/

05/27/2026

Happy World Otter Day!!! 🦦💙

05/27/2026

05/14/2026

Families and friends of all ages are encouraged to join us for our annual ParksCorps & Ordway Work Party! BI Parks and Trails Foundation will donate $15 per participant, per hour to Ordway. Thank you so much for volunteering your time to help keep our parks beautiful and healthy!

A few reminders:
- Dress appropriately as typical work parties involve pulling invasive weeds, putting in native plants or spreading gravel on trails.
- Tools will be provided by the Park District, and for the safety of our group, only hand tools will be used.
- Meet us at the Grand Forest East entrance, 7098 Mandus Olson Rd NE. Registration and wavers can be filled out on site.

05/14/2026

Friday, May 15th is Bike-to-School Day! Students can bike, walk, scoot, even unicycle to and from school. We have a variety of locations and times to volunteer, and your support is greatly appreciated. You must have volunteer credentials with the school district - it's an easy and useful training. Last year we had an amazing turnout, and it would not be possible without your help. Click the link below to sign up!
Please be extra patient if you are a driver that day and if you are a participant, be sure you are dressed in high-visibility clothing.

https://ordwaypto.cmail19.com/t/y-l-akduytt-hdhjhdhlit-k/

05/13/2026

We were SOO impressed with all the creative ideas and hard work our students put into their projects at this year's Science and Makers faire! Amazing!
Well done everyone!!!! I wish I could've included everyone's boards in this highlight. Make sure you check them all out in person next year!