April Newsletter
April 2020
A Note From the Principal
Greetings Orion Families,
Let me begin by saying how much we miss all of our Orion Lion students. We are concerned for our students’ health and well-being, as well as their families. Although none of us have experienced a pandemic before, we are working diligently to adapt to our temporary new normal. We would like to thank everyone for your understanding, flexibility and support, during this unusual time.
All of Orion school staff are working together to continue to bring the very best to our students, families and educational community. We are working hard to to serve our most important assets- your children! The next few weeks will not be easy. There will be mistakes, problems, mishaps, and concerns along the way. However, there will be more successes, happiness, hope, laughter, fun, and purpose! We understand many of you are still working and have several children to help. There are financial concerns, health issues, and other issues that are now effecting daily life for many. Please do not stress over the school work via distance learning or any school related items during this time. Orion is not looking to increase frustrations or stress on our families. We are providing assignments and schoolwork to keep our students' minds moving forward. But you are the parents and they are with you, so you have control to adjust as needed for your child/children.
Please contact your child's teacher via email or call the school number and leave a message, if you need help. We will be posting teacher/staff office hours for you and your child to have a set time to reach our staff. We also ask for your patience and understanding as we navigate this new territory, too. Our teachers and other employees are working long hours from home to support our families.
There have been many questions about how extended school closures will affect school life like grades, promotion, activities, scheduled field trips, fees paid for services and so much more. Policies and procedures are being developed and ASD will provide more information and guidance as we go along. You will be kept abreast of information and answers to these questions as we move forward.
In closing, please take care and be safe. Please follow the CDC guidelines using social distancing and hygiene protocol. It is my hope that after this experience is over, we will all come out stronger than ever with a deeper appreciation of each other and our school community.
Thank you,
Principal CheathonNotes From Nurse Wurm
Hello Orion Students!
I sure miss seeing your smiling faces, I hope we are all back together at our school site soon.
Meanwhile, I want you to be healthy during this time of COVID-19. We all need to work together to “slow the spread”, and help protect those in our community who are high risk.
Remember the most important thing you can do is WASH YOUR HANDS, OFTEN AND THOROUGHLY!
While you are at home you can also help to stay healthy by drinking lots of water, eating more healthy food and less “junk” food, keep a routine with some schoolwork and some relaxation activities. Get plenty of sleep, fresh air during these warmer days is also good for your health.
I’m going to end with a silly joke:
Why did the jellybean go to school?
To become a smartie!
Looking forward to seeing you back at Orion, feel free to call or email with any concerns.
(907) 742-0266 Wurm_Terri@asdk12.org
Mrs. Wurm, RN. Orion School Nurse
Hello from Kindergarten!
Parents- we appreciate your patience during these ever-changing times. The Anchorage School District is making decisions on a daily basis and is very fluid. A decision was made to have our school staff work from home this week. There will not be any staff to hand out supplemental packets for Friday, this has been cancelled.
Kindergarten has been working together to come up with some sites for students to practice their skills at home. You can use as many or as few of these sites as you like. Our academic focus is keeping students brains sharp and in learning mode.
Lexia (Reading Program)
We use Lexia on a regular basis in the classroom. It can also be accessed at home. To get on Lexia, go to https://lexiacore5.com/register. Or you can download the Lexia Core 5 app from the app store. It will ask for your teacher’s email address the first time you are logging in with a new device. Then students are to log in using their LASTNAME.FIRSTNAME. Their password is 1234.
Kindergarten Teacher’s Email address for Lexia: Galloway_cherry@asdk12.org Pollock_tommi@asdk12.org
Through March 27, the Anchorage School District will focus on providing a variety of supplemental learning activities for students at home. This will not take the place of regular classroom instruction. Any activities completed are not required assignments and not graded at this time. To access the ASD supplemental materials please go to asdk12.org, click on the red banner, click on education resources, then click on elementary grades.
Be safe during this time and enjoy time with your family. Continue to check the Anchorage School District’s web page, & Orion’s Facebook page for updates. We will send more information home next week in regards to supplemental learning materials and at home learning activities.
Please tell each and every student that we miss them and look forward to seeing them again soon!
Mrs. Galloway
Ms. Pollock
Hello 2nd and 3rd grade families,
We would like for you to take this time to get the students familiar with being able to login to the sites we sent out last week like Clever. From Clever students can access Lexia and Mathwhizz.
Our team has also put together a suggested schedule to keep students on a consistent schedule. We want to stress that these are suggestions. We want to make this transition as smooth as possible. Please let your teacher know if you have any questions. We are here to help. Stay tuned for more information as if changes frequently.
Hello 2nd and 3rd grade families. We would like for you to take this time to get the students familiar with being able to login to the sites we sent out last week like Clever. From Clever students can access Lexia and Mathwhizz.
Our team has also put together a suggested schedule to keep students on a consistent schedule. We want to stress that these are suggestions. We want to make this transition as smooth as possible. Please let your teacher know if you have any questions. We are here to help. Stay tuned for more information as if changes frequently.
Mrs. Batts
Ms. Miller
Mrs. Wirth
Mrs. Gutierrez
Mr. VonGemmingen
"S" is for Specials!
Hello Orion Lions,
We (Specials Teachers) miss you!
As you do your learning from home this week,
please check our Google Classrooms
for ideas on activities for
P.E., Library, Art, Health, and Music!
Have fun in your learning this week!
Hello Orion Lion Families,
In light of recent events, our yearbook staff is compiling this years yearbook remotely. We are hoping to include some photos of our students learning from home to show just how resilient our Orion Lions are! If you are interested, please send photos of your student(s) to your teachers e-mail as either medium or large files. We ask that you refrain from sending photos via text, to ensure optimal resolution and photo quality.
For those families who purchased Spring Photos, these photos will be mailed to you upon arrival.
Yearbook orders will be made available through online sales only at YBPay.lifetouch.com, and our school ID code is 14209520. The cost is $20 per yearbook, or $25 should you wish to have the cover personalized.
Counselor's Corner
Hello students and parents! During this time of uncertainty you may have feelings of stress or anxiety. Please remember, just do your best and try not to get overwhelmed. I’m attaching a Social Emotional Learning website called “Centervention” which contains activities for students to practice and gain awareness/skills to manage anxiety & stress, fear, emotional regulation, empathy, impulse control, and social initiation. Again, this is totally for fun and it is free.
https://www.centervention.com/social-emotional-learning-activities/
Parents it’s important to listen to our children and understand that they handle things differently. Please listen carefully and try to help them sort things out, take their feelings seriously and know, that I am here for them/you.
Parents/students you may contact me via my school email to set-up a phone call meeting for students who may be struggling with stress, anxiety or just need to talk.
Mrs. Kim Bise
Orion Elementary School Counselor
Email: Bise_kim@asdk12.org