Orenco Community Newsletter
October 11, 2021
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News and Updates
We are in week 7 of school and so many good things are happening! I hope you are beginning to feel like you are in a routine and part of our Orenco community. This is the time of year that teachers are having children do assessments in reading and math to gauge their levels, in addition to their observations and classwork.
In service to you,
Allison Combs, Principal
She/Her/ella
Remote number: 971-231-5383
Office phone: 503-844-1370
Special Dates
Mon, Oct 11--School Pictures! Picture re-takes will be in December.
Tues, Oct 12--Vision Screening (K,1,3,5 and new 2nd graders)
Tues, Oct 12--4-8 pm Chipotle Fundraiser for Orenco Boosters (details below)
Current News
Please be sure to S L O W D O W N when you are driving through the Orenco neighborhood. Let's keep our neighborhood safe! I am getting complaints about speedy drivers. The speed limit is 25 mph and 20 mph in our school zone.
Tardy Schedule: 8 is late!
Students will need to check-in at the office before heading to class, If you are dropping your student off past 8, please do so at the Birch St. Main Entrance and park at the curb for short-term parking. Students can walk up to the Main Entrance doors and ring the doorbell on the intercom to notify the office of arrival. Please assist your student as needed.
Goodie Bags from home (ex: celebrating a student's birthday with the class)--Please check with your teacher first.
- no candy or things that would involve removing a mask (No balloons, kazoos, candy, gum, lollipops, etc.)
- Since adults cannot be in our building, the child would need to be able to walk them into the building themselves.
- No deliveries
November Parent/Teacher Conferences...Save the dates! Your teachers will reach out to you soon to sign up. No School for students the week of Nov 22-26. Conferences will be virtual.
Monday, Nov 22: 4 pm-8 pm
Tuesday, Nov 23: 8 am -8 pm
We will be posting a few temporary jobs for this school year at Orenco: Special Education assistants and temporary teacher assignments for maternity leaves. Apply at HSD or share the news with someone you know.
Required Absences (RA)--If a student is required to be away from school due to a positive covid test, a close contact, primary symptoms awaiting a test result or quarantine, students may be a part of a teacher's LIVE Broadcast or Record/Post in Google Classroom. The teacher does not have to interact with the child (like in CDL/hybrid), but make the direct instruction available for students. I know--it is not perfect, but is the option that we are using across our district. Please reach out if you have questions.
**If a student is home/excused absence, they can access assignments through Google Classroom, but there is not an expectation of the teacher for the Live Broadcast or Posting of direct instruction videos.
COVID-19 Dashboard
In our effort to be transparent, the Hillsboro School District is publishing data on reported positive or presumptive COVID-19 cases (isolations) and quarantines for students and staff. This data is collected by our contact tracing team and school nurses with help from the Washington County Public Health Department. To protect the privacy of those involved, no names or grade level information will be displayed. Please note that this data may differ from data reported by the Oregon Health Authority because isolations and quarantines will no longer show up in our active data set once the person has returned to school/work and/or the classroom quarantine has ended.
Please click on this link to access the dashboard.
Play, Fit, Fun
It's all about action, movement, the Power of Play and FUN. THIS IS LIKE FIELD DAY CRASHED INTO PE…THEN BUMPED INTO TEAM BUILDING...AND THEN PUT INTO A BLENDER WITH MINUTE TO WIN IT!
(Oct 25-Dec 13th)
Activity Bus is available at 4:15 pm from Orenco, or you may pick up your child.
Flyer pdf below. Or click here to sign up: https://bit.ly/3DyMtXA
$108 is the cost.
Spirit Day... Friday, October 29
Booster News (Pictures below)
Chipotle Fundraiser will be October 12th from 4pm-8pm. 33% of proceeds will go back to Orenco. Be sure to use code PCBLNTH in promo field if ordering online.
Parents can sign up to help with the fall Art Literacy Project, City on Water, here. We will contact volunteers with more details once volunteers are allowed in the school. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080a4aa8ac22ab9-artlit2
(a picture of the project is attached)
We are looking for volunteers to help stock the staff lounge for our amazing Orenco staff. Sign up here to help out. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080a4aa8ac22ab9-teacher
Orenco Car and Bus Drop-Off and Pick-Up Map
Ongoing/Repeat Information Below
School to Home Support Resources
For questions, concerns, support, food assistance (breakfast/lunch) and additional resources, please contact our main office. We are here to support our families:
Repeat News and Notes
Picking up your child at school during the day? Here's what to do:
- You may use the Birch St Main Entrance and park on the curb for short-term parking.
- Walk to the front door. The doors will be locked.
- Use QR code to check out student.
- Push the "doorbell" to get the attention of office staff.
- Overseas or Extended Travel: We are not offering CDL like last year as an option. Teachers will use their Google Classrooms to post assignments for all, including students who are quarantined and must be absent from school due to illness. If you have extended travel plans (beyond 10 days), please reach out to your teacher or our office if you have questions.
- Chromebooks: Because students can quarantine at a drop of a hat as well as a whole class, the expectation is that students are taking their chromebooks home daily K-6. Parents can decline to have them brought home in K-2. Please reach out to your child's teacher.
- Our regular school hours are 8:00-2:20 pm. Wednesday dismissal is at 1:50 pm. Please note that our tardy bell rings at 8 am and Morning Meetings begin in classrooms at this time. We request that you plan on arriving at school between 7:35-7:55 am.
- We will purchase extra, but students should bring a water bottle to school. Community water fountains are turned off but water is available in classrooms and bathrooms.
- It is helpful if you can label items that belong to your child, such as water bottles, lunch boxes, and hoodies & jackets.
- HSD has many open job positions with great benefits! Please take a look on our district site and see if there is a position waiting for you! ESS West is also accepting substitute teachers and classified staff through ESS substitute services.
Remind app
HSD Coronavirus Updates
Stay updated with HSD information
Link: https://www.hsd.k12.or.us/coronavirusTechnology
We can also help with WIFI hot spots and COMCAST connections.
Phone (503)- 886-8956 (Monday-Friday 7:30am- 4:00pm) or email techhelp@hillsboro.incidentiq.com
Online Verification: ParentVUE
Online verification is open and ready for parents and families to update their information. This is one of our best methods for making sure our student and parent/family data is accurate across HSD. In addition, we have added Covid vaccine status into the immunization portion of the verification process. This enables families to indicate if their student has received the vaccine, which can help us better control the virus in schools and make contact tracing more effective.
Since parents must create a ParentVUE account (if they don’t already have one) to complete the verification process, this also gives schools and teachers a better ability to communicate with them.
Here is a link to the information on the HSD website for parents.
Accepting TAG Referrals--Talented and Gifted
TAG (Talented & Gifted) referrals are taken at any time.
Orenco TAG Coordinators: Contact Joe Wilson (wilsonjo@hsd.k12.or.us) and Mandi Bailey (baileya@hsd.k12.or.us)
Parents are welcome to refer their child for services designed for students identified as talented and gifted. Students who score at or above the 97th percentile on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test of overall reading or math or on a mental abilities test, and have other confirming evidence that they learn at a rapid rate and advanced level, are identified as TAG students. With parent input, individual plans are made to adjust the rate and level of the student’s instruction to meet his or her specific needs.
If you think your child may qualify for TAG services, and want information about the referral and identification process, please contact your school’s TAG Coordinator.
Servicios para Estudiantes Talentosos y Dotados (TAG) Los padres son bienvenidos a recomendar a su hijo/a a los servicios diseñados para estudiantes identificados como TAG. Estudiantes cuales sacan más del 97 porciento en una prueba de logro nacionalmente Regularizada, o en habilidades mentales prueban y tienen otra evidencia confirmando que ellos aprenden a una proporción rápida, se identifica como TAG. Con las sugerencias del padre, se hacen planes individuales para ajustar la proporción y nivelar dela instrucción del estudiantes para satisfacer sus necesidades específicas.
Si usted piensa que su niño puede calificar para los servicios del TAG, y quiere información sobre la referencia y el proceso del resguardo, por favor en contacto a TAG Coordinator de la escuela.
District TOSA: Deb Luther
Phone: 503.844.1500Ready Schools, Safe Learners
Principal Combs is available to answer any questions or concerns you have. Please don't hesitate to reach out! Email: combsa@hsd.k12.or.us
Orenco Elementary School
At Orenco
We all belong,
We all learn, and
We all Succeed, because
We all get what we need.
Email: combsa@hsd.k12.or.us
Website: http://schools.hsd.k12.or.us/orenco/Home/tabid/2559/Default.aspx
Location: 7050 Northeast Birch Street, Hillsboro, OR, USA
Phone: 503-844-1370
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Orenco-Booster-Club-136235193790/
Twitter: @teamorenco