Orchard Hollow Limb
Welcome Back to School - August 20th, 2020
A Message from Mrs. Harris
Welcome back to all of our returning families and a very special welcome to all of our new families sharing their days with us here at Orchard Hollow. Though this is not the school year any of us imagined, I am privileged to serve as the new principal of Orchard Hollow Elementary! It is an honor to introduce myself and to join this extraordinary school community.
This is my twenty-eighth year in education and my fifteenth year with Mentor Public Schools. Before arriving in Mentor, I taught in special education and regular education classrooms in San Diego, CA, Kailua, HI, Raleigh, NC, and Culver, IN. While serving for Mentor Schools, I have worked as a Special Education Supervisor, an Intervention Specialist, Department Chair, and as the district's Lead Instructional Coach. For the past three years, I have served as the Instructional Coach here at Orchard Hollow Elementary. It has been an honor to join this amazing school community. I can assure you that I share this school’s commitment to caring for your children each and every day while striving to be our B.E.S.T!
I come to Orchard Hollow as a seasoned teacher and new principal, but in addition to my role as an educator, I am first and foremost a wife and mother. My husband’s career with the United States Marine Corps has allowed our family to experience a variety of different places and communities over the years. These experiences have enriched our lives, created amazing memories, and shaped our core values of honor, courage, commitment, and service before self. My husband, Paul, and I have been married for twenty-five years and have four wonderful children. Our oldest two are now in college while our younger two are in high school and middle school. I look forward to introducing my family to the many wonderful people in the Orchard community soon!
I am so excited because, in just about two weeks, we will be welcoming back our Orchard Hollow Huskies! While the year will not look the same, I am confident that our dedicated staff at Orchard Hollow will continue to work hard to provide the best possible learning experiences for all our students. This is truly an uncharted path ahead that will require a lot of communication. Please take some time to read all of the important information included in this newsletter. You will find that some processes and procedures have changed from previous years. I also kindly request that all families update their contact information in the Parent Portal so that you can be sure to receive district updates as soon as they become available.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via telephone, or email. Attending a PTA meeting is another good way to ensure some conversation! We always strive to increase membership and involvement! The Orchard Hollow staff is excited and eager to welcome our students to another wonderful school year!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Jeniffer Harris
Principal
Hail and Farewell
A warm welcome to the newest members of the Orchard Hollow Family!
Ms. Ally MeKinda will serve as Long Term Sub for Mrs. Sanford
Ms. Melody Reed will serve as Long Term Sub for Mrs. Putney
Ms. Natalie Liebenauer will serve as Long Term Sub for Mrs. May
Ms. Kelly Vantrease will serve as Long Term Sub for Mrs. Lukacs
Mrs. Emily Piacentini will serve as our new HQ Classroom Assistant
Mrs. Sarah Piscsalko will serve as our new Instructional Coach
Ms. Amy Vinopal will serve as our new School Psychologist
Ms. Kelly Stockard will serve as our Long Term Sub for Art
Please join me in wishing FAREWELL and Godspeed to the following staff members
teaching for Mentor School Online this school year!
MSO is so lucky to have each of you! You will be greatly missed in the building and we will be looking forward to the day when we can all be together again!
#stayhealthyhuskies
Mrs. Jen Henk-May
Mrs. Sara Lukacs
Mrs. Michelle Putney
Mrs. Jen Sanford
Mrs. Abbey Strodtbeck
Save the Date!
Kindergarten Screening Appointments:
September 2, 3, or 4 Kindergarten Teachers will send parents a letter with their specific date and time.
Kindergarten Staggered Start:
September 10 Students with last names A-L will attend their first full day of school
September 11 Students with last names M-Z will attend their first full day of school
September 14 All kindergarten will attend
September 16 will be the first Remote Learning Day for Kindergarten
Device Pick Up:
For students attending Mentor Schools Online device pick up will be at Paradigm (the gray building located between Mentor High School and the Board of Education building) on either:
August 24, 8:00 AM -12:00 PM
August 25, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Students who will be attending in person will receive their devices during the first week of school.
Bus Assignments:
Tuesday, August 25 at 4:00 PM bus assignments will be available on the Parent Portal. Bus assignments will be available under the Transportation tab
Friday, August 28th at 4:00 PM the students' teachers will be posted on the Parent Portal. Both in-person and Mentor Schools Online students will have this information available to them at this time.
Virtual Meet the Teacher Night:
On Tuesday, September 1, all families will receive an email from Mrs. Harris sharing general information about the school and Meet the Teacher Night. Teachers will hold Zoom Meet the Teacher sessions that evening. Each hour teachers will hold two sessions to accommodate families that have children at multiple grade levels.
Grades K-2: 5:00 - 5:30 and 5:30 - 6:00 PM
Grades 3-5: 6:00 - 6:30 and 6:30 - 7:00 PM
First Day of School:
September 2 will be the first day of school for in-person students and Mentor Schools Online students in grades 1-5. * Please note that this would typically be a remote learning day, but this will be a full school day for both in-person and MSO students.
Labor Day:
Monday, September 7 Labor Day NO SCHOOL
School Supply Lists
Please CLICK HERE for the school supply list for Mentor Public School Face to Face
Please CLICK HERE for the school supply list for Mentor Schools Online students.
School Hours
Arrival: 8:30 AM
Tardy Bell: 8:50
Morning announcements: 8:50
Afternoon announcements: 2:45
We Care Dismissal: 2:50 PM
Bus Dismissal: 2:55 PM
Walker Dismissal: 3:00 PM
Car Rider dismissal: 3:05 PM
Note that these times are approximate and revolve around the bus routes.
Attendance
If your child will be absent from school, please call the office at 440-257-5955. You may call after hours and leave a message for the office staff to retrieve in the morning. Please note that in the event that the office staff does not get a hold of a parent/guardian to confirm an absence, the absence will be marked as unexcused. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Arrival Procedures
Due to anticipated increased car riders this year there have been some changes to arrival. The scheduled school day begins at 8:50 a.m. There is no supervision before 8:30 a.m. and no students will be permitted to enter the building before that time if not signed into We Care by a parent.
8:30 AM school doors will open and staff will be on door/sidewalk duty.
Walkers, bus riders, and car riders will enter through their assigned doors. Grade level yard signs will be posted and staff will be available to direct students to the correct entrance.
K-1 students will enter through door #12 located near the flagpole
Grade 2 students will enter through door # 13 located near the Grade 2 Center
Grade 3 students will enter through door # 14 located near the Grade 3 Center
Grades 4-5 students will enter through door #1 located near the gym
8:30 AM staff will be on duty in the parking lot for car riders. All AM car riders will pull to the middle lane of the parking lot and exit the vehicle at the opening in the fence marked "Student Drop Off". Children should be ready to exit their vehicles quickly. It is not acceptable at any time to pull up to the sidewalk and drop your child off or for a child to walk unsupervised through the parking lot. This area is to remain clear for busses and emergency traffic at all times. Children should be in their seats by 8:50 a.m. when announcements begin.
8:50 AM Children should be in their seats by 8:50 a.m. when announcements begin. At 8:50 parking lot/door duty will end. The main doors to the building will be locked beginning at that time. If you are bringing your child to school after 8:50 AM, you must park your vehicle and bring your child to the main door where the secretary will greet you and note the reason for the tardy.
Dismissal Procedures
To meet the guidelines for safety, we will be having a staggered dismissal. If you are making changes to your child's dismissal process for the day, please call the office before 2:00 PM to ensure that the information can be communicated to the teacher. No changes to dismissal will be accepted after 2:00 PM, except in unavoidable emergencies. Thank you for your cooperation. Dismissal will begin at 2:50 PM.
2:50 PM - We Care/Day Care will be dismissed by grade level to the gym
2:55 PM - Walkers will be dismissed. The students will walk across the blacktop to the Pinegate entrance to meet parents. Parents of walkers should wait BEHIND the
chained entrance to the blacktop. Parents should not approach/congregate on the
blacktop or the building.
3:00 PM - Bus riders will be dismissed
3:05 PM - Car riders will be dismissed to the media center
3:10 PM (or when the parking lot is clear of busses) - Cars may enter along the sidewalk for pick up.
To ensure safe dismissal for our car riders, we will have a new process this year! Families with car riders must complete this Orchard Car Rider Request Form to receive a tag for their vehicle. Matching tags will then be created for each student's backpack. These tags will allow staff to call cars and correctly match the child to the correct vehicle during dismissal. Tags will be handed out during the first week of school.
Thank you in advance for your patience throughout the first few weeks as we adjust to our new staggered dismissal procedures.
We Care
Lunch:
Students will have a twenty-minute lunch period either prior to or following a recess. This adjusted schedule is to allow for a smaller number of students and social distancing in the cafeteria to eat lunch. The cost is $2.90 which includes milk. The reduced lunch cost for those eligible is $0.40. Milk and water can also be purchased for $0.50. This year lunch will be a grab and go style to allow for safety and efficiency. Lunch menus can be accessed online at www.mentorschools.net and click on Lunch Menus. Our elementary schools will continue to have a prepay only lunch system through the Parent Portal to help increase the efficiency of our food service program. Parents not using this online payment system may submit cash or checks in advance to the office or to your child's teacher, however, cash will not be accepted in the cafeteria.
We have a new online application that is immediately sent to the Nutrition Services Department upon completion. The new interactive application is available through your Parent Portal in Infinite Campus. If you choose to complete a paper application instead, you may download one from the Mentor Schools website or pick one up in the office. If you have any questions, please call School Nutrition Services at 440-974-5227.
Food service for Remote Wednesday and Mentor Schools Online:
Meal pick up for students will be available every Wednesday at 9:00 AM-10:30 AM. This is for all Mentor Schools Online students and all students on Wednesdays since students will be working remotely on this day. You may choose from any of the following pick-up locations:
Mentor High School - Northside of bldg by Fine Arts
Memorial Middle - East side of bldg Door #17
Shore Middle - Southside of bldg Door #1
Ridge Elementary - Back of building Door #9
Meals will be available to all students and charged to their lunch accounts accordingly.
Full Price: Breakfast Elementary $1.60; Lunch Elementary $2.90
Reduced Price Meals: Breakfast All Schools $0.30; Lunch All Schools $0.40
There is no charge for students that are eligible for free meals
Any questions please contact Ginni Vaccaro at 440-974-5227 or vaccaro@mentorschools.org
Recess
Annual Update & Parent Portal
It is REQUIRED that parents or guardians complete the Annual Update promptly. The parent portal can be accessed through the Mentor Schools website, www.mentorschools.net, under the Parent tab.
Medication Drop Off
Medication Administration paperwork is required to be completed by the Doctor and parent. Orchard Hollow cannot accept medication without completed paperwork. Medication needs to be in the original prescribed bottle, with the Doctor's directions on administration at school. The paperwork and the bottle need to match.
Medication Administration forms can be found on the Mentor Schools website.
Our school nurse, Mrs. Kostiha, will be available for medication drop off:
Tuesday, August 25, 10:00 AM--11:00AM or 1:00PM--2:00PM.
Otherwise BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please email kostiha@mentorschools.org.
COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocols
The school will be putting many safety protocols in place throughout each day. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Social Distancing
- Hand-washing and sanitation frequently throughout the school day
- Cleaning and disinfecting throughout the school building multiple times a day and nightly, particularly of high touch areas such as tabletops, doorknobs, handles, restrooms, etc.
- Electrostatic spraying of all areas each Wednesday and Friday
- Playground equipment cleaned and disinfected regularly
- Protective barriers added to classrooms, cafeteria, clinic, and office spaces
- All staff and students will wear masks while indoors and on school buses
- Staff monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms
- Clinic space will be separated into well and sick areas and separate entrances will be used
Parents must be closely monitoring for symptoms prior to sending students to school.