Orchard Primary School

Dear Wonderful OP Families,

We certainly missed seeing everyone this week during our week of snow days! I hope everyone stayed warm and enjoyed the extra time with their family this week. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday morning and are ready to hit the ground running with lots of great learning! As a reminder, we are still NWEA and DRA testing this upcoming week. On the day your child’s class is testing, please encourage them to eat a good breakfast and encourage them to do their best on their test!

While next week looks to be considerably warmer than this week, please continue to send your students with their winter clothes to stay warm and dry on the playground. Speaking of which, if you’re missing hats and gloves they may have found a new home in the lost and found. If you’re in the building for Bingo Night on 1/30 please stop by the lost and found and see if those lost winter clothes can become found!

Have a great weekend and we will see everyone on Monday!

Mr. Bruno

Doors Open 6:15 ~ Games from 6:30-7:45

$5 per Player for Games & 2 Snack Tickets

Over 25 Prizes to Win!

Family members of all ages welcomed with their O.P. student

The link to the online pre-registration is: https://forms.gle/DzYvSf7XUtBqyZeq6

The link to sign up for testing will be available on our website on February 3rd! 🙂

Current 24-25 Young 5s do NOT need to register, they will be placed automatically for the 25/26 school year. Current ACS 24-25 Preschoolers will receive a letter from our office the week of Jan 27th with specific instructions for registration, these students should NOT do the pre-registration screen on the website as they are already in our database. Thank you!

• Kindergarten Dental Health Assessment Requirement: (within 6 months of the start of school) Please take this form with you to your child's dental check up: Dental Health Assessment Form
• For Vision & Hearing Screenings: Vision & Hearing Techs from the Lapeer County Health Department will be at Orchard Primary during your child's Kdg Testing Appointment in April, OR you may bring in proof of these screenings from your child's doctor.

Mrs. Chayka, our OP Gym Teacher, is looking for donations of gently used soccer balls (size 4 or 5) and footballs (any size, but preferably smaller ones (6 lbs)). Thank you!

Please be sure to send your students every day with winter snow gear and dressed for the cold snowy season! We will only stay inside if the temperature (including the wind chill) falls below zero ~ so please send them prepared to enjoy our Michigan winter outside for recesses!

Spills happen and zippers break ~ donations of winter coats in larger kids sizes are needed (sizes 10-16), or adult small for kids to borrow while at school. We have several already on-hand in the smaller sizes. Thank you!

• Jan 30th - 1st Grade to Flint Children's Museum
• Jan 30th - OP Family Bingo Night! Doors Open 6:15PM; Games from 6:30-7:45PM
• Jan 31st - RAD Lunches w Mr. Bruno
• Feb 3rd - 25/26 Kindergarten/Young 5s Round Up Begins
• Feb 3rd-Feb 14th OP PTA "Snowball Fight" See PTA Section Below!
• Feb 7th - Progress Reports Emailed to 3rd Grade Families
• Feb 7th - PTA Chocolate Fountain Party for Fall Fundraiser Participants 1:30 PM
• Feb 12th - Count Day - Wear a Number to Stand up and Be Counted!
• Feb 12th - PTA Meeting in the OP Library at 4:30 PM - Please join us!
• Feb 13th - LEAF Deposit Day
• Feb 17th - 18th - Mid-Winter Break - No School
• Feb 20th - Breakfast With Bruno 8:45 AM in the OP Library
• Feb 28th - RAD Lunches with Mr. Bruno

Be sure to keep scrolling to the bottom of the newsletter for more news and opportunities!

Hello from your Almont PTA!

• Chocolate Fountain Party: 2/7/25 (for students that sold 1 or more items for fall fundraiser)
• OP "Snowball Fight" Feb 3rd - Feb 14th - Click the Button Below for Flyer & Details
• Sundae Fundae: 3/28/25 (for students selling 25 or more items for fall fundraiser)
• Teacher Appreciation Week: 5/5/25 – 5/9/25
• Color Run: 5/16/25
• Field day: 6/5/25

Our next meeting is February 12th at 4:30 in the OP Library. Join us to see how you can help the staff and students at Orchard Primary!

Contact AlmontOP.PTA@gmail.com for more information on how to volunteer for our many activities throughout the year like color run, field day, teacher donations, Santa shop and stock-the-staff!

We are so excited to begin a new year of WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) - a nationwide program that promotes father involvement in schools. Dads, grandpas, stepdads, uncles or other father figures are invited to sign up here: Watch DOGS Sign Up Link 24-25

If you missed the Watch Dog kick-off meeting, here’s the sample schedule of what your day at OP will look like. If you have questions, please email abruno@almontschools.org. Watch DOGS T-shirts are available to borrow on the day you are volunteering, but if you'd like to purchase your own, please click here: Dads of Great Students Website

We follow the RAD Raider Code. RAD stands for:

R - Ready to Learn

A - Always be Safe

D - Do the Right Thing

Students can earn RAD tickets by demonstrating expected behaviors, and these tickets are entered into a weekly drawing as recognition for positive behaviors. These students will also get to eat lunch with the principal at the end of the month.

Our book vending machine is ready for some RAD Raiders who've earned a token! At the end of each month, we will select a different character trait from the Positivity Project and ask teachers to select a student who has embodied that trait throughout the month. That student will earn a token to use in the book vending machine.

If you have questions for us regarding the roles our para pros fill and the important jobs they cover at Orchard Primary, please stop in or give us a call! We'd be happy to answer your questions.

Part-Time Special Education Para Professional

Almont Community Schools are in need of substitutes! If you're interested, please feel free to get started with our substitute provider EDUStaff! We are in need of substitutes throughout the District for the following positions: Recess/Lunch Para Pros, Classroom Para Pros, and Teacher Subs!

If you have questions for us regarding the roles our subs fill and the important jobs they cover at Orchard Primary, please stop in or give us a call! We'd be happy to answer your questions.

We must ask that students not enter our lots without a parent escort for safety reasons. When picking your child up, please park, exit your vehicle and wait outside the door your child exits. Thank you!

As always, we ask that the students keep valuables such as toys, Pokemon cards, watches, cell phones and other items at home. These can be a distraction in the classroom and a source of difficulty among students. There is also a chance that these items could be lost, stolen or broken. The school is not responsible for items brought from home. If a child must bring these items to school they must remain in their backpack. If the item becomes a distraction the teacher may hold the item and return it to the student at the end of the day. If it happens repeatedly, the item(s) may be turned over to the Principal to be retrieved by a parent.

For transportation information or questions please contact Helen Hacke in the Transportation Department at 798-8773 or hhacke@almontschools.org

School Hours, 8:30 - 3:45

Half Day Hours, 8:30-11:45

• Students may be dropped off/line up outside at 8:30 AM/doors open at 8:30 AM, doors will promptly close at 8:35 AM. After 8:35 AM, students must enter through the main doors.
• Breakfast begins at 8:10 AM
• Breakfast students who are bus riders are permitted off the bus to go into breakfast at 8:10 AM or as soon as the bus arrives at school.
• Daily dismissal is at 3:45 PM
  
• All early dismissal days are at 11:45 AM for all OP students

Email: abruno@almontschools.org
Website: www.almontschools.org
Location: Orchard Primary School, Kidder Road, Almont, MI, USA
Phone: (810) 798-7019