Orion Gazette
September 26- September 30
Orion Alternative Calendar of Events
September
9/30 9:00am Mandarin Immersion Advisory Council virtual
9/30 Ice Cream Social
October
10/03 Picture Day Make up for ALL TK-2 students
10/04 School Festival with Lawrence Hall of Science during the school day grades Tk-2
10/10 School Holiday - Indigenous People's Day
10/11 School Festival with Lawrence Hall of Science during the school day grades 3-5
10/11 Early release day for grades k-5 for teacher Professional Development-FOSS Science
10/11 MI Parents-Mandarin Immersion Literacy Parent Workshop with Pearl You
10/14 Schoolwide Celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month 9:00-10am
10/23 2:00pm Julia Robinson Math Festival
10/31 8:30am Halloween Parade around the school campus
November
11/01 11:45 Dismissal at 11:45am for grades TK-5 District Wide PD
11/05 Author Illustrator Fair Live on campus
11/11 Veteran's Day No School
11/18 Early Release grades k-5 at 1:30 or 1:40 Day before Thanksgiving Holiday week
11/21 & 11/22 Parent Teacher Conferences No school for students
11/23-11/25 Thanksgiving Holiday - NO School
Make Up Picture Day
Unfortunately, on Picture Day for grades TK-2, the technology for the camera for individual pictures did not work.
Make up day for grades TK-2 students is: Monday, October 3
Make up day for grades 3-5 is to be announced next week.
Substitute for Our Students at Orion
We need substitute teachers and we find that parents and community members make the best subs!
You must love working with children and you must have a Bachelor's Degree and pass a background check.
You will love substitute teaching for these reasons:
Flexibility: teach when, where, and how often you want.
Money: you earn a fair salary doing something you love.
Recognition: you get honored for a job well done.
Professionalism: you work with other teaching pros.
Students: you can make a positive difference in the life of a child.
Great hours: an ideal job while your kids are in school.
If interested, please call our Personnel Specialist, Gricelda Santamaria gsantamaria@rcsdk8.net or via phone at 650-423-2220.
Counseling Corner from School Counselor Dianne Gutierrez
This is Diane Gutierrez. I am the mental health counselor here at Orion Alternative School. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you already. I will be sharing with you what we have discussed in the visits I make to classrooms. This week (9/19/22) I visited TK and K classrooms. We have discussed kindness…what it is and its importance. We also brainstormed ways we might be kind as it makes both the person being kind and the person receiving the kindness feel good. I will include slides below.
I will also occasionally send helpful articles your way that I might find. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. Take good care!
Mandarin Immersion Advisory
Join Zoom Meeting https://rcsdk8-net.zoom.us/j/5683805514?pwd=Mi83OW9Cb0VLNml6M1pjOUxoY0JBQT09 Meeting ID: 568 380 5514 Passcode: orion1
The purpose of the Advisory Council is to strengthen and uphold Redwood City Mandarin Immersion as a distinguished, world-class immersion program. The council members:
Facilitate and support academic excellence and Mandarin language fluency
Host events to foster community building and cultural appreciation
Develop and iterate on our program missions and values
Recruit and support incoming families for continued growth and expansion of the program
Friday, Sep 30, 2022, 09:00 AM
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Join Us at the Julia Robinson Math Festival at Orion! Sunday, October 23
We are hosting the Julia Robinson Math Festival (JRMF) at Orion again on Sunday, October 23rd, from 2-4 pm. JRMF is an event where students can explore math in a collaborative atmosphere by choosing a table with a puzzle or game, and solving it before moving to the next table. We will have new puzzles and games for the students to explore, along with favorites from our last festival. All Orion families are welcome to attend after registering.
This event is entirely parent-run, so we will need enough volunteers to lead the puzzles and games provided by the JRMF org. Volunteer clearance and a math background are not needed. Sign up to volunteer and register to attend today! Deadline is Friday, October 14th.
REGISTER: https://forms.gle/x4r4KcVvZ3HQRhUA6
VOLUNTEER: https://signup.com/go/FoMNxPD
Starship Parent Teacher Organization Corner
Ice Cream Social 9/30 - 5-7 pm
Join Orion and Mandarin Immersion Families for a social next Friday September 30th in the Garden from 5-7pm. We will admire our new mural, view our orchard plaques, eat picnic dinner with our friends and enjoy FREE ICE CREAM scoops from SF Gelateria in Redwood City, a donation courtesy of Keplar's mom Shiao-Ying Fang! See you There!
Sign Up For Los Dichos!
Los Dichos is a Latino Heritage club that centers on hosting cultural events and reading books in classes that present positive aspects of Hispanic Culture. Los Dichos aligns with our school-wide mission of producing culturally fluent global citizens. All parents are welcome to volunteer as readers and read in their preferred language.
Hispanic Heritage Event: Friday October 14th 9:00 am-10:00am: Join Orion Alternative and Mandarin Immersion to celebrate and honor our Hispanic Heritage! Parents are welcome to join the celebration on campus and assist with students in sampling their traditional Hispanic dishes, view student-made flags from Latin American countries, and enjoy Native Aztec dancers performing their Heritage dances for students and parents. Los Dichos is proud to share Latino Heritage on our campus and we hope many parents come to participate!
Trick or Treat at Orion Sat Oct 29 from 2-4 PM
Spooky season is around the corner! The picnic tables at Orion will be transformed into an enchanting landscape of tricks and treats. Each table will be hosted by a family or team of families, with a special trick or treat theme at each table. Starship PTO will also have a table with treat bags, school t-shirts for purchase, and other surprises. Please consider a voluntary $10 donation to the PTO for each participating student. Sign up to host or better yet, team up with another family to create a table with an experience or display. Get in on the fun of decorating, passing out treats, and/or setting up small games or activities to the theme of your choice. Sign up HERE for an already listed idea, or enter a new theme of your own choice. Examples of themed tables include Hocus Pocus, Pokemon, Minecraft, Star Wars, Dia de los Muertos, Harry Potter, and many more!
Pumpkin Carving Contest on Monday, October 31
We are thrilled to bring back our school tradition of the Halloween Pumpkin Decorating contest. Students can bring their pumpkin "entries" to school on Monday, Oct. 31 and line them up on the stage where pumpkins will await judging!
Prizes will be awarded in categories such as (1) Most Creative, (2) Most Spirited, (3) Best Carved Pumpkin, (4) Best Painted Pumpkin (5) Funniest Pumpkin, (6) Spookiest Pumpkin, and (7) Best All-Around. All entries will receive a certificate.
Please have your student bring home his/her/their pumpkin(s) at the end of the day.
Wurr Flat Memorial Camping Trip: 10/7 - 10/10
Payment for camping is being collected now. Please remember to fill out the confirmation survey and either make a payment for camping fees or ask for payment to be waived.
Camping Confirmation and Payment Survey
Seeking site chair for Healthy Cities Tutoring:
New Dad’s Club BRORION!
First social meeting 9/14 6 pm @ Harry’s Hofbrau
BRORION will host a pancake breakfast fundraiser at Campout-pancake flippers needed!
Shirts coming soon
Ideas or questions contact jitpal_sahai@yahoo.com
Thursday Market to begin this Thursday!
Give your child $1 or $5 to buy some snacks for school. We are seeking snack donations and sales volunteers. Our children cherish this weekly fundraiser.
September is hosted by Grades 4 and 5. October will be grades 2/3. November will be graded TK/K/1. December, we start the rotation over, and grades 4/5 are back at it.
Sign up here:
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Orion Alternative School
Website: https://orion.rcsdk8.net/
Location: 555 Ave Del Ora, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650-482-2406
English Language Advisory Council
What is ELAC?
A school-level committee comprised of parents, staff, and community members designated to advise school officials on English learner programs and services.