Can you believe it? Spring Vacation is here! Even though we've been away from school for about a month I know we are all looking forward to a break. Orchard School will be closed except for Wednesday when we will be available for meal pick-ups. Remember, the walking track is open but the playground is closed.

How did your Morning Meeting(s) go? I've received so much positive feedback from our teachers, they are so sincerely excited to see their students! Two notes about the Morning Meetings:

The Grade 2 Chromebooks are very glitchy but we have our IT team working to minimize this. In the meantime, I recommend families use a different device (parent's laptop, smartphone, iPod ...) until we can fix the Chromebooks.

Families with siblings - perhaps the older student could share the Chromebook (or middle school laptop) for the morning meeting for PreK-1 students.

Morning Meetings are starting in earnest after the vacation. Remember, we are legally bound to take attendance, every day, so please keep in touch with your teacher daily.

We have been pulling all student belongings out of classrooms and organizing in the gym. The job is almost done but please contact your teacher for details. We will be open after the vacation for pick-up.

More photos please, email them to me at mtrifilio@sbschools.net.

Special Note: some schools may be planning a teacher car parade through neighborhoods. I want you to know that our staff was on this from the beginning but their no-fun principal thought we should follow the governor's decree and stay home :(

In the meantime, check out our Music Message right below my message. Mrs. Frostman did an amazing job, so whatever you do this week, CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO!!!

Sorry, but the playground is closed. Have an awesome & safe spring vacation; be safe, be well and take some time to read with your child.

Mark Trifilio

With the much needed April break upon us we wanted to make sure that our Orchard families are set up to have what they need for a restful, safe and enjoyable break. More specifically, we are thinking about the potential need for food. Here are the resources that are available to families during our vacation week.

Please see these links below from David Young regarding the meal resources that are available through the district. There is information about a form to complete, the days and times of food delivery and pick up and a description of the menu items.

Information on Free and Reduced Lunches -- April 14 2020 Final.pdf

From Nutritional Services to Families Final-- April 14 2020.pdf

If you are finding that your family is in need of more food resources than the school is currently providing please refer to these local, county and state food shelves.

www.southburlingtonfoodshelf.org/

https://feedingchittenden.org/need-help/

Feeding Chittenden

And if your family has used the above resources and is still struggling with food insecurity due to a change in income during this CoronaVirus time please contact your child’s classroom teacher or one of the school counselors for assistance.

Aili Beeli abeeli@sbschools.net (grades K-2)

Auriel Gray agray@sbschools.net (grades 3-5)

Hello Orchard families! Despite the change in venue for the last 3 months of school, we are still collecting photos for the Orchard School Memory Book. We are looking for photos of classroom activities, field trips, special school events, and your valiant efforts at homeschooling. Please send photos in their original or large size for optimal resolution. Photos can be emailed to MemoryBookOrchard@gmail.com. Thank you! Laura Smith and Carrie Lyon

Hope you all are well, look forward to hearing your thoughts on the above!

Be well!

Laura & Carrie

TICK TOC!

Those parasitic pests are here and in full force. Yep, it's TICK SEASON! Unlike mosquitoes that fly in, bite and buzz off, ticks latch on and can hang out for days. A tick's saliva can transmit bacteria that cause debilitating infections, such as Lyme Disease. Take these action steps to protect yourself and your family:

• Wear a repellent containing up to 30% DEET
• Check your body DAILY for ticks.
• Limit your exposure to ticks and tick habitats

Check out the CDC's website for helpful information about tick bite prevention, tick identification, tick removal and symptoms to look for during tick season.

Is your dog a tick magnet? Learn how to prevent ticks on your pet. Check out this catchy tick check video for younger students and this animated tick removal video for everyone!

Wash Your Hands and Stay Healthy!

With Care,

Kara & Darcy

Orchard School Nurses

Check out the new resources (some shown below) on Orchard's Cool Tools for Schools web page. If needed for Scholastic, the username and password are case sensitive - Username- Learning20 and Password- Clifford

Enjoy!

Donna

Donna Sullivan-Macdonald

Library Media & Instructional Technology Specialist