The Core

August 27, 2021, Volume 13, Issue 3

Notes from the Principal

Welcome Back Parents & Guardians,

Wow, what a week - masks, social distancing, and lots of heat & humidity on the first week of school! Hats off to all of our students and staff for their hard work and dedication to get through the heatwave.

Parents - I cannot tell you how impressed I am with drop-off and dismissal. We are getting better each day as we recreate a very efficient system. Thank you to all the cooperative parents who had the forethought to park off to the side to let the last two busses in yesterday afternoon. That was amazing!


Please join us - Our first virtual zoom Curriculum Night! This Thursday, September 2nd, we will be hosting our first Curriculum Night from the Classroom. Teachers will be sending zoom links out to families to join the class to hear about the curriculum, see the classroom and ask questions.


  • 5:30 - 6:00 Kindergarten & 1st Grade Classrooms
  • 6:00 - 6:30 Grades 2 & 3
  • 6:30 - 7:00 Grades 4 & 5


I hope you can join us!


Finally, in an attempt to get parents to meet our staff, please check out these quick little flipgrid videos: https://flipgrid.com/422aab4a

They are fun to check out, you may need a guest password, here it is: Orchard2021


Have a cool weekend, take some time to read with your child.

Mark Trifilio


Quote of the week,

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day."

Sally Koch, author

PTO Meeting this Wednesday!

PTO Meeting this Wednesday!

PTO meeting: Join the PTO for our first meeting of the new year! Wednesday, September 1st at 6:30 pm. Please email Orchardschoolvt@gmail.com for the Zoom link. Hope to see you there!
PTO Meeting this Wednesday!
Bus Route Updates

Bus Route Updates

Parents -

Here is the link to the district transportation. We are thinking the bus routes will continue to be updated so check the transportation website on the district website for changes: https://www.sbschools.net/Page/1260

Bus Route Updates

Photos from the Week

Drop-Off & Pick-Up Reminders

Main Points:

Arrival Time is 7:50 - 8:05. Busses arrive at 7:50 and the tent is open from 7:50-8:05.

Students will enter at the front door or south door (near the bike rack for walkers & riders). We will have the students disinfect their hands

Dismissal - Students begin dismissing at 2:20.

Parents - please fill out the survey below if you would like to opt-out of your children taking the bus.


The daily app (RUVNA) started this week at 6:00 am! Please fill it out every day to ensure safety for all students and staff.

Keep an eye out for the Superintendent's message, he always has important updated information to share.


Because of the high volume of survey responses, we are going to open up the bus lane for a second drop-off & pick-up location.

  • If your child's last name starts with A-L, please use the tent parking lot (also known as the teardrop): mornings 7:50-8:05, afternoons 2:20-2:35
  • If your child's last name starts with M-Z, please use the bus lane after the busses, after the busses leave: mornings 7:55-8:05, afternoons 2:25-2:40.
  • If you are driving your student to school, please have your name on a piece of paper in your car window. This will help to match student/parent.

If you have children with multiple last names, we will go by the last name of your youngest child.

It's never too late to opt-out of riding the school busses, here is the link one more time: https://forms.gle/V85oxLBsogPVqXsZ6


We are asking everyone to be patient with us and your fellow drivers. This schedule will probably be tweaked as we move forward.

Mr. Schmidt's Morning Meeting in the Outdoor Classroom

Big picture

New from our Library

Picture

As you may have seen in David Young's newsletter, Summer Library at Orchard School was a HUGE SUCCESS! Attendance ranged, on average, somewhere between 70-80 people EACH WEEK, over the 8 weeks of only being open 3 hours each week. A whopping 1,094 books were checked out over the summer! I'm thrilled that books left a library shelf and went into students' hands for summer reading! Many thanks to Orchard's PTO for providing funding for this very important program.


I am SO excited to welcome students back into the library this school year! Each class has a scheduled weekly 30-minute lesson with me and then an additional 15-minute Book Choice time that is assisted by the classroom teacher. Although choosing the physical book is preferred, students in grades 3-5 may also place a "hold" on books through the Destiny Discover online catalog. This program may be accessed through the "Student" directory on the Orchard School website. Books reserved in this way are typically delivered to the student's classroom by the following school day.




Orchard School is on social media! Our Instagram handle is @OrchardSchoolVT and our Twitter handle is @OrchardVT. Follow us!


Happy Reading!

Donna Macdonald

Librarian

Picture
Big picture
School Nurse Notes

School Nurse Notes

Welcome back to school! While school nurses were all not at all anticipating that we would need to follow the same illness protocols as last school year, we find ourselves readjusting and refamiliarizing ourselves with COVID illness guidelines, including testing, quarantining, and isolating requirements. We appreciate and thank you for your patience, support and understanding as we continue to navigate these unchartered waters.


A reminder to please fill out the Ruvna app each morning before arrival at school and continue to keep your students' home with ANY illness symptoms (this includes a runny nose, headache and any other symptoms noted on the RUNVA app) and inform the school of your student's absence. If seasonal allergies are present, the school nurse must have documentation of the condition.


Nurses are following guidance provided by the Vermont Department of Health. Please reference this form: COVID-19 Information for Families Return to School Following Illness* to navigate guidance.

*Please click here for translations and scroll to the "return to school following illness" heading.


Please keep the above document easily accessible in your home for times when your student shows signs or complains of illness. The fact sheet provides you with symptom-specific guidance of next steps. School Nurses are also making an effort to touch-base with parents/guardians, when a student is absent for illness reasons, to help guide those individuals as well.


State guidelines are constantly being evaluated and updated. Your efforts, understanding and compliance do not go unnoticed as we continue to navigate illness-related protocols during this pandemic. Thank you.


Please consider sending in 2 EXTRA MASKS in your student's backpack.

Click here for more guidance on wearing masks.


Be well,

Kara Cassani

Kara Cassani, RN

Orchard School Nurse
SBSD Nurse Liaison
SBSD Elementary Health Services
p. (802) 652-7303
f. (802) 652-7354

School Nurse Notes
Alternative Drop-Off & Pick-Up Survey

Alternative Drop-Off & Pick-Up Survey

Our plan is to provide an alternative plan for parents who prefer for their children not to ride the bus daily. We are starting the year with one alternative drop-off/pick-up site - it will be at the tent site (aka "teardrop").

If you would like to try alternative transportation (AT), please complete this brief survey: https://forms.gle/YRpsk5U2ZCcziotL6

The tent is meant as a long-term commitment, it's not intended for a daily change.

Alternative Drop-Off & Pick-Up Survey
Big picture