Hello Orchard Families,

We all believe in how positive 2022 will be; however, this first week has put us through our paces. During all of our commotion, we had a communication glitch and did not send out the community notification letter. I apologize for this and we will double down on our efforts to keep you updated. We have worked extensively to keep the virus isolated from the school. One impressive point is that almost all of the students from all the contact traced classes this week have returned the very next day! Testing to Stay is "currently" working very well and it’s remarkable to see how many students are already fully vaccinated. Hats off to our community!

Upon saying that, I also want to say that our staff is maxed out. They are bringing their best selves forward every day but we are thinning out. We encourage all parents to keep in mind there is the possibility we shut down or go fully remote. I am not saying this will happen, but we should be prepared.

Check out the videos below. One has one of our nurses, Kara Cassani, being interviewed on the news of working through the current surge.

Another is a recent YouTube video of the state’s Name a Snowman program – of course we’re in it!

I'm also including a slideshow of our virtual snow people we all created in our last Morning Meeting of 2021 – we had a lot of fun creating them!

Finally, check out our librarian, Ms. Sullivan-Macdonald's webpage. It's a gorgeous display about her refugee book donation project. It's below with photos from this week's Morning Meeting photos (I just figured out how to do screenshots while hosting the meeting).

Don’t forget that we have a holiday on Monday, January 17th, it’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Happy New Year, take some time to read with your child!

Mark Trifilio

Quote of the Week:

“No one is perfect – that’s why pencils have erasers.”

~Wolfgang Riebe, speaker, author and magician

GET THE MOST PROTECTION WITH A BOOSTER SHOT!

You should get a booster if you are 12 or older and you received:

• your Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago or
• your second dose of Moderna vaccine at least six months ago or
• your second dose of Pfizer vaccine at least five months ago

Be well,

Kara Cassani, RN & Darcy Mazlish, RN

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

Bolton Ski and Ride After School Program - we will be heading back to Bolton Valley this year, four Thursdays Feb 17, March 3, 10, and 17, 2022. The program offers rentals, lessons, and lift tickets for 4 weeks of evening skiing and snowboarding.

Please look for additional information on Konstella, Bolton Ski and Ride Program (preferred), or email OrchardSkiRide@gmail.com.

Still not on Konstella? Konstella is a parent portal for people to connect with one another (e.g., to set up playdates), for community event reminders, and for committee sign-ups. Add your child to their classroom today! https://www.konstella.com/cd/YHHCGJ

Questions or Comments for the PTO? Please email Orchardschoolvt@gmail.com