Orion Gazette First Week of School
August 17-August 19 Early Release All Week for Grades 1-5
Important Events for the Start of the Year
8/17 Back to School Breakfast for Families at the picnic tables after morning drop off
8/25 7:30 pm Virtual Parent Teacher Organization Meeting
9/5 Labor Day Holiday - No School
9/6 and 9/7 Back to School Nights
9/9 MidAutumn Festival
9/30 Ice Cream Social
Early Release the first week of school for Teacher Professional Development
k-2: 1:30 Dismissal on Ave del Ora side of school
3-5. 1:40 Dismissal on the Myrtle side of school
Teachers will walk students to the pickup location daily.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures and Start times
Detailed information can also be found in the school handbook https://orion.rcsdk8.net/parent-hub/orion-alternative-school-handbook
Bell Schedule for TK:
Start time: 8:30
Dismissal: 1:30 Monday-Friday
Kindergarten
Start time: 8:30
Dismissal: 2:00 (Thursday early at 1:30)
Arrival and Dismissal Location:
Ave del Ora new building driveway. This is a loading zone and parents must remain in their cars.
A staff member will be present to supervise students getting out of cars to the playground during arrival times from 8:05-8:45.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to park in the neighborhood and walk with their children to school. Students will go directly to the new kindergarten playground.
Gates open at 8:05 am.
Only TK and Kindergarten age students are allowed on the Kinder playground.
Dismissal: Teachers will walk students to the Ave del Ora driveway located at the new building. If your child has not yet arrived you will be asked to circle around the school to ensure traffic does not back into the street. Parents/guardians are welcome to park in the neighborhood and pick up their children from the classroom or loading zone. Students in after-school programs will be picked up from the classroom by the program provider. TK Students riding the bus to Hawes for aftercare will be supervised from Orion to Hawes by staff.
Bell Schedule for Grades 1-2
Start time: 8:15
Dismissal: 2:30 (Thursday early at 1:30)
Arrival and Dismissal Location:
Ave del Ora new building driveway. This is a loading zone and parents must remain in their cars.
A staff member will be present to supervise students getting in or out of cars.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to park in the neighborhood and walk with their children to school. Students will go directly to the big playground.
Gates open at 8:05am.
Arrival: Students go directly to the playground located on the blacktop area. Students line up at their designed area at the sound of the warning bell at 8:13am. (Location to be shared at Maze Day)
Dismissal: Teachers will walk students to the Ave del Ora driveway at the new building. If your child has not yet arrived you will be asked to circle around the school to ensure traffic does not back into the street. Parents/guardians are welcome to park in the neighborhood and pick up their children from the classroom or loading zone.
Bell Schedule for Grades 3-5
Start time: 8:25
Dismissal: 2:40 (Thursday early at 1:40)
Arrival and Dismissal Location:
Myrtle Street is the designation for arrival and dismissal for students in rooms 21-26. This included students in grades 3-5 from the Parent Cooperative Program. This is a loading zone and parents must remain in their cars.
Ave del Ora for students in room 208 and room 9. These two classrooms are grade 3 students in the Mandarin Immersion Program.
A staff member will be present to supervise students getting in or out of cars to the playground.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to park in the neighborhood and walk with their children to school or pick them up from school.
Gates open at 8:05 am.
Arrival: Students go directly to the playground located on the blacktop area. Students line up at their designed area at the sound of the warning bell at 8:23 am.
Dismissal: Teachers will walk students to the Ave del Ora driveway or to the Myrtle side. If your child has not yet arrived you will be asked to circle around the school to ensure traffic does not back into the street. Parents/guardians are welcome to park in the neighborhood and pick up their children from the classroom.
Office Hours - New Front Office Opening delayed due to construction Opens on August 17
Due to construction delays, the new office along with office staff will be open starting Wednesday, August 17 at 7:45 am, the first day of school.
If you have school or enrollment questions, please reach out to the office manager Elizabeth Araiza at earaiza@rcsdk8.net.
COVID19 Protocols for 2022-23 School Year
In the coming days, RCSD will share updated protocols and systems for staff and the learning community in Redwood City.
Starship Parent Teacher Organization Corner
Save the Dates:
8/17: Back to School Breakfast
8/25: August PTO Meeting
9/9: Mid-Autumn Festival Fundraiser
9: 30: Ice Cream Social
Starship Orion Parent Teacher Organization holds a monthly meeting to allow teachers, administration and parents to collaborate to support students. All parents, teachers and administrators are automatically voting members of Orion Starship.
August Starship PTO meeting - 8/25/2022 - Zoom
Kickoff the year and get the campus news with the PTO and Principal Katherine!
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4503835058?pwd=R0RQTHVRKzFOY3NMV1NLSXVObGJjZz09
Back to School Breakfast: Wednesday August 17th, 8:15am - Picnic Tables
Meet all your old friends and make some new friends at our Welcome Breakfast at the picnic tables on Wednesday August 17th at 8:15-9:30am.
Sign up to help with the Welcome Breakfast Breakfast Sign Up Sheet
Our Direct Drive is Officially Open! - $700 per family suggestion
Starship PTO raises money to provide a high quality enrichment environment and support the teachers and curriculum. Our Direct Drive opens at the start of the year and closes on December 31rst 2022. Decisions about what to fund for the next year are made through the budget committee process each year in February. The community supplies input into what should get funded through a survey.
Donations are optional. Orion is a diverse socioeconomic community. We are home to families that need assistance and support. Orion is a community that thrives on friendships. We kindly ask for your contributions at the start of the year! The first 50 families to donate $700 will receive a free school t-shirt!
Starship Orion PayPal link: Donate HERE!
Thank You PTO for the delicious staff lunch
We Love Our Parent Volunteers
To volunteer at Orion, start by completing the online registration:
Due to increasing cases of COVID-19 across the Bay Area and the nation, volunteers will not be able to participate on any school campus across RCSD for the first 30 days of school.
After 30 days our local health and educational leaders will share the next steps.
Back to School Night by grade level bands
Back to School Night- Both Days are early release days
Grades TK-2 Tuesday, September 6
6:00-7:15
Grades 3-5 Wednesday, September 7
6:00-7:15
This event is hosted on two separate nights in order to accomodate traffic and parking needs for families.
Teachers will share the slide deck with families following the event.
Tuesday, Sep 6, 2022, 06:00 PM
Our School
Resources for Parents
Check out the Orion Website along with the School Handbook
Please take some time to review school routines, procedures, schedules, and expectations. Feel free to reach out to the classroom teacher or to the school administration if you have any questions or helpful feedback to improve the handbook.
The handbook will also be made available in English and Spanish at Maze Day.
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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