The Core

Parents & Guardians,

It was kind of funny to walk through the hallways and see teachers speaking aloud with hand gestures without anyone around. Of course they were meeting on Zoom with you and other parents for conferences. I hope your conference went well and you got all the information you needed.

I've observed some speeding and wide turning in our parking lots as students are unloading (in the morning) and loading (in the afternoon). Let's all do our best so that parents can get to work and students can arrive/depart school safely. We're just going to need a little more patience from everyone. Thanks on this.

Finally, a majority of staff members are up for their second round of vaccinations this coming week. We are certainly excited for this though we may have a staff shortage due to the "day-after" effect. This could present a staffing challenge next week. We'll get this done but it will be "all hands on deck" for everyone!

Registration is open for Incoming Kindergarten students as of March 1, 2021. If you would like to register a student who will be 5 on or before September 1, 2021, please visit www.sbschools.net/register .

Have a terrific weekend; take some time to read with your child.

Mark Trifilio

Quote of the week:

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to the human race." ~Kofi Annan, a recent Secretary-General of the United Nations

MEMORY BOOK ORDERING TIME: Order by Friday April 23rd

Memory Books are a great way to commemorate your child's year at Orchard. It certainly was a year like no other! Books cost $14 each and can be ordered using the link below. If you are able, please consider donating an extra book for a family in need.

Order Link:: https://www.memorybook.com/online-pay/parent-pay/
School Code: 920771

You will need the school code above and then follow the directions on the screen to set up an account. If you donate a book, you can put it in your name or your child's name as the system requires a name be entered but we will be sure the book goes to someone in need. Thank you!

Calling all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls! Registration will be open for Girls on the Run at Orchard Elementary soon! Visit gotrvt.org/program-registration for more details. Additional teams will become available as meeting sites are confirmed. Girls on the Run is way more than a running program! We are a positive youth development program dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential. Our tested curriculum blends physical activity with skill development that enables girls to adapt to whatever comes their way. In today’s unpredictable world, the strategies learned at Girls on the Run are more critical than ever.

Our 8-week season begins the week of April 5. To ensure the safety of girls and coaches, our curriculum has been modified to include physical distancing, COVID-19 precautions, and the ability to seamlessly transition to virtual programming should the need arise.

The registration fee is $100. GOTRVT provides financial assistance directly on the registration form for qualifying families. Please contact GOTRVT directly at info@girlsontherunvermont or 802-871-5664 with any questions. Empower your girl by registering today at gotrvt.org/register-now

Girls on the Run is looking forward to returning to Orchard School for the spring 2021season, but in order to make that happen we need after-school COACHES!

We welcome enthusiastic and positive volunteers who are committed to empowering 3rd-5th grade girls with valuable life lessons. Coaches are parents, teachers, school administrators, college students and other community members who are dedicated to developing and celebrating our girls.

Our spring 2021 season will begin the week of April 5. The season is 8 weeks, and the teams meet twice per week. We ask that coaches commit to all 8 weeks of the program. It is extremely important that the girls in our program have consistent, committed role models who can volunteer their time for our entire season. You do not need to have running experience to coach.

To ensure the safety of girls and coaches, our curriculum has been modified to include physical distancing, COVID-19 precautions and the ability to seamlessly transition to virtual programming should the need arise.

Over a period of 8 weeks, our coaches facilitate a program designed to allow every girl to recognize her inner strength. The curriculum inspires girls to define their lives on their own terms. Throughout the season, the girls make new friends, build their confidence and celebrate all that makes them unique. Lessons encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development. Participants explore and discuss their own beliefs around experiences and challenges girls face at this age. They also develop important strategies and skills to help them build and/or strengthen their confidence, character, compassion, and their understanding of the importance of community. Physical activity is woven into our program to inspire an appreciation of fitness and to build habits that lead to a lifetime of health. At the end of the season, the girls participate in a Girls on the Run 5k event. This celebratory, non-competitive event is the culminating experience of the curriculum. Completing the 5k gives the girls a tangible understanding of the confidence that comes through accomplishment as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. Crossing the finish line is a defining moment when the girls realize that even the seemingly impossible IS possible.

Please help make this wonderful program a possibility at Orchard! If you are interested in coaching or learning more about becoming a coach:

GO TO or REGISTER HERE:

https://www.gotrvt.org/coach

Contact Jessica Green, Program Manager, at jessica@girlsontherunvermont.org or call (802) 871-5664 for more information.

Let's all continue to do our part in helping keep ourselves and others safe and healthy.

TRAVEL:

We continue to follow the Governor’s travel guidelines. The health department advises against non-essential travel, even within Vermont. All travel to and from Vermont requires quarantine. The only exceptions are essential travel and travel by people who are fully vaccinated.

If you have been vaccinated and it has been 14 days since you received your final vaccine dose, you do not need to quarantine when you travel to or return to Vermont. However, because children are not vaccinated, they (as well as all non-vaccinated adults) will need to quarantine if traveling to or returning to Vermont. State travel policies are subject to change.

*If you decide to travel, with your student, please inform the school of your return to Vermont date and quarantine/testing plan.

For more travel information, follow this link.

GATHERINGS

Individuals who ARE NOT fully vaccinated:

• may gather with fully vaccinated people or households. You don’t need to wear a mask or stay 6 feet apart, unless someone is at higher risk or severe COVID-19 or lives with someone at higher risk.
  

• may gather with one other unvaccinated person or household at a time. Fully vaccinated people or households can also be at the gathering. Everyone should wear a mask and stay 6 feet apart.

Note: Households with children are not considered “fully vaccinated households” because children are not vaccinated.

Individuals who ARE fully vaccinated:

• may gather with other fully vaccinated people or households and do not need to wear a mask or stay 6 feet apart when gathering.
  

• may gather with up to two unvaccinated people or households at a time. The gathering can also include other vaccinated people or households. If you gather with people from more than one unvaccinated household, or with someone who is at higher risk of severe COVID-19 or lives with someone at higher risk, everyone should wear a mask and stay 6 feet apart.

For more gathering information, follow this link.

Outside No-contact activities:

• You can participate with anyone, though you must stay at least 6 feet away from people you don’t live with and wear a mask at all times.
  

• Avoid gathering at trailheads, access areas, or other outdoor facilities before or after the activity.

Hosting Out of State Visitors:

• Hosting visitors is currently considered a social gathering. See above restrictions.
  
• Visitors to Vermont must quarantine if they are not fully vaccinated. Children who travel with their fully vaccinated parent or caregiver must quarantine.
  
• If you are hosting visitors who are under quarantine in your home or lodging, you do not also need to quarantine.
  
  

COVID VACCINE:

Beginning April 1st, people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a person of color (BIPOC), including anyone with Abenaki or other First Nations heritage and all household members who are 16 years or older can sign up to get a vaccine. See the timeline above for other age brackets.

Visit "Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine" site on the health department's website by clicking here, for information about making an appointment and setting up an account ahead of time.

Can't make an appointment online or need help? Contact the call center at 855-722-7878.

To speak with someone in a language other than English, call the above number, and then press 1.

Be Well,

Kara Cassani & Darcy Mazlish

Orchard School Nurses

We are working behind-the-scenes to help our Orchard community. The PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) wants you to join us, or to pop into a meeting and share your ideas! Our next meeting is this Monday, April 5, at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. You don't have to stay for the whole meeting - you can join in just for a bit! Email Kristin at orchardschoolvt@gmail.com or suzanne@suzannelaw.com for the Zoom meeting link, or email to share your ideas and thoughts if you cannot attend.

HANNAFORD HELPS is happening now through May 29. Shop at Hannaford's, collect your School Dollars, and drop them in the Collection Tower at the store! Or, shop online at the store website.

• Earn money for your local school. Now through May 29, 2021, choose from up to 1,500 participating products.

Help Us Raise $1 Million for Local Schools

4 Products = 3 School Dollars. If 100 families buy 4 products each week (3 School Dollars) for the entire program, your school will raise $3,300!

Learn how to shop, earn and redeem School Dollars.

Shopping In-Store:

SHOP – Look for shelf tags to shop up to 1,500 products in-store.

CHECK OUT – Collect your School Dollars from an associate at checkout.

DEPOSIT – Drop your School Dollars in the Hannaford Helps Schools collection tower in-store.

Shopping Online:

SHOP – Look for the apple icon to shop up to 1,500 products online.

CHECK OUT – Receive your School Dollars with your receipt.

DEPOSIT – Drop your School Dollars in the Hannaford Helps Schools collection tower on your next trip in-store, or send them to school with your child, if they're attending in person.

And, don't forget those BOX TOPS!

Join us in earning CASH for our school by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. Box Tops are worth $.10 each and they add up fast! Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need - equipment, supplies or experiences the kids love!

Download the Box Tops for Education app at your App Store or here: https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=VI7J42XS