From the Principal
Hello Parents,
It was really nice to see so many parents actually in the building for conferences. I could see that many were struck by how long it's been since they've been in our school. For parents who opted to zoom in for your conferences, we know we will see you here in the building sometime soon!
We enjoyed our morning matinee of Moana today. Our 5th-grade cast and crew had an amazing performance. Parents - please know we worked extensively to keep all students in safe pods to reduce the chance of spreading COVID. This was our first assembly in two years, the students did a fabulous job!
We are meeting next year's kindergartners - in the building for registration - on Tuesday, April 12th and Wednesday, April 13th! Because of this, our current kindergartners will have half-days on those 2 days. Dismissal will be at 11:30am. This is a district-wide program that came together quite quickly due to the timing of relaxed COVID guidelines. I want to apologize for the lack of clear communication with parents on this.
Check out my photos, our playground showed up before school on Tuesday! It's currently unpacked in lots of pieces on the side of our building. I will be communicating soon about our next steps, demolition of the old playground starts next Friday.
Thank you everyone for honoring Autism Acceptance Week. We had a lot of fun celebrating our Spirit Week as well as learning a lot about neurodiversity and how amazing all of our brains are.
Woo Hoo!!Spring break in one week!
Have a nice weekend, take some time to read to your child.
Mark T
Our Quote of the Week is from Dr. Seuss. It’s in honoring Autism Acceptance week as well as celebrating each person's uniqueness: “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
MEMORY BOOK ORDERING TIME
Order early! Deadline by Monday, April 24th
Memory Books are a great way to commemorate your child's year at Orchard. Books cost $14 each and can be ordered using the link or QR code 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 already have an account from last year, please update your child’s information so their order goes to this year's classroom teacher. Do so by clicking on the “+Add/Update Information” purple button in your account and adjusting the teacher's name and grade. If you wish to 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!
Volunteer Opportunity: This Memory Book coordinator is graduating in June! If you are interested and willing to take on the Memory Book in future years, please reach out to learn the ropes and be mentored in this current ordering season.
Please Respect Our Neighbors
Our Arrival and Dismissal routes are going much smoother these days so it is so important for parents to use our parking lot pick-ups & drop-off routes rather than dropping off your child on Baldwin Avenue. Our neighbors have been very patient with us and we need to keep off their lawns. It's also not safe so please support our neighbors like you support our school.
Thank you on this.
School Nurse Notes
What are LAMP Tests?
Similar to a PCR test, a LAMP test detects molecular material (RNA) within the virus.
LAMP tests are highly reliable and results are ready within 30 minutes. With parent/caregiver permission, school nurses can administer a LAMP test on a student who becomes symptomatic while at school.
To learn more about different types of COVID tests, visit the health department (translated test directions are also available here).
FREE LAMP tests are available from the Health Department.
Find sites here (walk-ins allowed) or make an appointment here for pick-up.
Testing is recommended for people with symptoms, and close contacts of someone with COVID-19, who are not up-to-date on COVID vaccines, and for individuals who have traveled internationally.
A symptomatic student should only return to school when symptoms are resolved or markedly improved (and they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication).
Please continue to check the SBSD COVID-19 Dashboard for case updates, testing recommendations and illness guidelines, as we will be phasing out email notification.
Be well,
Kara Cassani, RN & Darcy Mazlish, RN
Orchard School Nurses
SBSD Elementary Health Services
p. (802) 652-7303
f. (802) 652-7354
MOANA!
ORCHARD DRAMA is thrilled to announce that we are all ready for our first show in two years!!! Here is everything you need to know about the 5th-grade production of MOANA.
SHOWTIMES
- Friday, April 8th, 6:30pm at Very Merry Theatre, 20 Allen Street, Burlington-Orchard families welcome to attend.
- Saturday April 9th, 4pm at Very Merry Theatre, 20 Allen Street, Burlington-Orchard families welcome to attend.
ADMISSION and DONATIONS
Since this is a 5th grade only production and the theatre can accommodate up to 250 people, we do not anticipate reaching capacity. Should we have to turn people away on Friday night, they would be allowed first entry to our Saturday show IF they have a family member in the cast or crew.
If you are a family member, guardian or caretaker of a child in the cast or crew, we recommend you arrive at least 30 minutes early to secure your seat (cast members have a call time an hour prior the performance and crew will have a call time of 30 minutes prior to the performance). If you do not have a child in the cast or crew, we ask that you arrive 15 minutes prior to show time and you make take any available seats.
This year we will not be charging for tickets, instead we will ask that families give what they can to support the costs incurred for this production such as Disney licensing fees, Very Merry Theatre fee (they were gracious enough to significantly reduce their fees knowing it's been a challenging two years for so many in our Orchard community), costumes, and sets.
Our suggested donation is $10 per person/per show but we just ask that you give what you can, even if that is just a hearty round of applause to the hard-working cast and crew. Anything beyond $10 person would be greatly appreciated...in years past, we have charged a $15 participation fee plus $8 ticket fee. We can collect cash or check (made payable to Orchard PTO, please write "drama" in the memo field) at the door, we can not accept credit card payments.
Thank you for your support!
Orchard Drama Production Team
Farm to School News
Hello South Burlington Families and Friends!
This month in Farm to School, we are discussing one of the ingredients we use A LOT in our recipes - olive oil! We use it so much for cooking with heat, in dressings, and in baking. Olive oil is loaded with healthy fats and vitamin E, which can benefit our bodies inside and out. Fats help give our bodies energy, protect our organs like our heart and brain, and help store energy for our bodies to use later. Vitamin E can help protect our bodies’ cells to strengthen them, especially in our immune system.
We paired our olive oil with some of the first greens to come up in these early spring months - Dandelion Greens and Chives! We figured this would make the most delicious springtime pesto, so we put our muscles to work in the classroom to hand-crush our ingredients with a mortar and pestle. It turned out great! This recipe can be made with many variations, so get out there and gather those greens and herbs to make this vibrant sauce. Put on top of pasta, grain bowls, salads, sandwiches and more!
Dandelion Green and Chive Pesto
Makes ~ 1 cup
Ingredients:
● 2 cups of your favorite greens and herbs (we used 1 cup of chives, 1 cup of dandelion greens)
● ⅓ cup pepitas (or your other favorite nut/seed)
● Juice of ½ lemon
● ½ tsp salt
● ¼ cup olive oil
● Optional additions: 1 clove of garlic, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Pulse pepitas in the food processor (or crush with a mortar and pestle) until coarsely ground.
- Add the greens, chives, salt, lemon juice (and optional additions if using) and pulse until finely chopped and combined with the pepitas.
- With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil until blended and smooth.
- Taste your pesto and adjust with more salt, lemon, olive oil, etc. to your liking!
News from the Common Roots Farm at South Village: 2022 Farmstand Memberships are selling fast. Much like a CSA, but more flexible! Memberships can be used at any time throughout the season on any products sold in our Farmstand. To learn more and sign up: https://www.commonroots.org/farmstand
Till next month, Nourish to Flourish!
Lauren Jones & Nora Scully
Common Roots - Farm to School Educators
