The Core

Hello Parents and Guardians,

As reported in yesterday's email, our student safety team thought it was important, for the safety and privacy of a student, to move from a Clear the Halls drill to a Secure the Building. This was a thoughtful decision and some classes moved into the "lockdown" drill.

Maybe I was overthinking this but I was concerned students were going home with confusing information. Please know I am committed to sharing as many security issues with you as possible.

Our Clear the Halls drills are not infrequent. We have very limited space at Orchard and struggle to find a quiet space when a child is struggling or dysregulated. We clear the halls by making sure the hallways are cleared locations, doors are locked, shades are closed for privacy and students continue with their work until we can help the student get into a better state.

Secure the Building drills go to another level in which we practice an actual lockdown. I'll share a little more about this next week.

We had a very meaningful MLK Celebration today in which we held an Afternoon Assembly via zoom which included members of our own Student Leadership Team sharing and a mini-keynote speech from our Executive Dire tor of Equity, Ms. De-Dee Lofton-Davis. We then watched a mini-documentary on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and had restorative circles on what Dr. King's legacy means to each of us.

This takes us to our MLK Holiday, remember there is no school on Monday!

Have an enjoyable, reflective weekend; take some time to read with your child.

Happy New Year!

Mark T & Olivia K

We ❤️ our PTO, please support them!

Just a quick reminder that South Burlington's school budget is up for a vote on Town Meeting Day on March 7th. This includes a bond issue that plans to address the overcrowding that is impacting the elementary schools.

Information is available on the district website and will be discussed at school board meetings throughout January and February.

Monthly Teacher Treats: Sign ups needed for Teacher/Staff love! Here is the link to sign up to bring in goodies for the next few months of drop-offs.

"Hello Orchard parents and caregivers!

I am currently putting together this year's school Memory Book and looking for someone to come alongside me to assist in the process. This is my daughter's last year at Orchard, so I will not be putting it together again next year. A new Memory Book team (parent volunteers) will need to be formed in order for your children to have a Memory Book made each school year. Having some tech skills is a definite plus as part of the process includes uploading portraits and designing the pages. I would love to get a couple of you trained now while I'm still in the creation process, and also looking for assistance in the creation of this year's book. Please reach out via phone at 802-393-5223 or via email at pay.johnson@aol.com if you are interested in learning this process to take it over for next year."

Rally the Wolfpack January 26-28

Your child will be sent home with a bracelet, which gets all SB students into the events below for FREE! Let’s fill the stands and cheer the Wolves on to victory. We hope to see you there.

Go Wolves!

Thursday, January 26

Girls Basketball vs CVU

JV at 5:30, Varsity at 7:00

Friday, January 27

Boys Basketball vs Burlington

JV at 5:30, Varsity at 7:00

Saturday, January 28

Dance Competition at 1:00

Girls Hockey vs BFA at 4:50

Boys Hockey vs BFA at 7:20

Basketball games and dance competition are held at the gym at SBHS

Concession Stand and Wolves Wear Store will be open at the basketball games

Hockey games are held at Cairns Arena, Rink 1

For a full calendar of SB athletic events, visit sbwolves.com