Girls on the Run back at Orchard!
Calling all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls! Registration will be open for Girls on the Run at Orchard Elementary soon! Visit gotrvt.org/program-registration for more details. Additional teams will become available as meeting sites are confirmed. Girls on the Run is way more than a running program! We are a positive youth development program dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential. Our tested curriculum blends physical activity with skill development that enables girls to adapt to whatever comes their way. In today’s unpredictable world, the strategies learned at Girls on the Run are more critical than ever.
Our 8-week season begins the week of April 5. To ensure the safety of girls and coaches, our curriculum has been modified to include physical distancing, COVID-19 precautions, and the ability to seamlessly transition to virtual programming should the need arise.
The registration fee is $100. GOTRVT provides financial assistance directly on the registration form for qualifying families. Please contact GOTRVT directly at info@girlsontherunvermont or 802-871-5664 with any questions. Empower your girl by registering today at gotrvt.org/register-now
GIRLS ON THE RUN - COACHES NEEDED
Girls on the Run is looking forward to returning to Orchard School for the spring 2021season, but in order to make that happen we need after-school COACHES!
We welcome enthusiastic and positive volunteers who are committed to empowering 3rd-5th grade girls with valuable life lessons. Coaches are parents, teachers, school administrators, college students and other community members who are dedicated to developing and celebrating our girls.
Our spring 2021 season will begin the week of April 5. The season is 8 weeks, and the teams meet twice per week. We ask that coaches commit to all 8 weeks of the program. It is extremely important that the girls in our program have consistent, committed role models who can volunteer their time for our entire season. You do not need to have running experience to coach.
To ensure the safety of girls and coaches, our curriculum has been modified to include physical distancing, COVID-19 precautions and the ability to seamlessly transition to virtual programming should the need arise.
Over a period of 8 weeks, our coaches facilitate a program designed to allow every girl to recognize her inner strength. The curriculum inspires girls to define their lives on their own terms. Throughout the season, the girls make new friends, build their confidence and celebrate all that makes them unique. Lessons encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development. Participants explore and discuss their own beliefs around experiences and challenges girls face at this age. They also develop important strategies and skills to help them build and/or strengthen their confidence, character, compassion, and their understanding of the importance of community. Physical activity is woven into our program to inspire an appreciation of fitness and to build habits that lead to a lifetime of health. At the end of the season, the girls participate in a Girls on the Run 5k event. This celebratory, non-competitive event is the culminating experience of the curriculum. Completing the 5k gives the girls a tangible understanding of the confidence that comes through accomplishment as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. Crossing the finish line is a defining moment when the girls realize that even the seemingly impossible IS possible.
Please help make this wonderful program a possibility at Orchard! If you are interested in coaching or learning more about becoming a coach:
GO TO or REGISTER HERE:
Contact Jessica Green, Program Manager, at jessica@girlsontherunvermont.org or call (802) 871-5664 for more information.
School Nurse Notes
Let's all continue to do our part in helping keep ourselves and others safe and healthy.
IF YOU ARE CARPOOLING:
Be sure to follow these health department and CDC guidelines:
- WEAR MASKS at all times.
- Limit the number of people you carpool with.
- Carpool with the same people, ideally those who are following the COVID-19 prevention steps in their day-to-day lives.
- Keep a log of who you and your family have carpooled with that includes dates, names of other riders, and the duration of the ride.
- KEEP THE WINDOWS or VENTS OPEN for fresh air.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces often.
- WASH or SANITIZE HANDS before getting in and out of the car.
IF YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL:
- The Health Department advises against non-essential travel, even within Vermont. All travel to and from Vermont requires quarantine. The only exceptions are essential travel and travel by people who are fully vaccinated.
- You may travel outside of Vermont, once you are fully vaccinated, and at least 14 days have passed since your last COVID-19 vaccination. See Health Department information here and here.
**A reminder: Anyone who is not vaccinated and travels with you will need to quarantine (including children) and must follow the cross state travel guidance when they travel to or return to Vermont.
IF YOU PLAN TO GATHER WITH OTHERS:
Please see this link for updates on Vermont's most recent gathering restrictions for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
IF YOU NEED TO GET TESTED
COVID-19 PCR Testing Sites:
- If you/your student has symptoms of COVID-19, contact your health care provider first, to determine if testing is needed. If you don't have a health care provider, call 2-1-1 to connect to care.
- If you/your student are not sick, but need a test, consider scheduling a test at a pop-up site on the Health Department's website: "Where to Get Tested," through your provider, or call the Health Department @ 863-7240.
- Please remember, if a test is indicated, a PCR test is required (not a rapid test) for returning to school.
IF YOU ARE WONDERING ABOUT THE COVID VACCINE:
Visit "Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine" site on the health department's website by clicking here, for information about making an appointment.
Be Well,
Kara Cassani & Darcy Mazlish, School Nurses
Orchard School
SBSD Elementary Health Services
p. (802) 652-7303
f. (802) 652-7354
PTO News
The PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) continues to work to make this year a fun and productive one! We support teachers and the whole school in creating a strong community. We believe it is important to continue to show appreciation and support for our teachers and staff, so we would like to occasionally give some sweet treats! We are also thinking ahead to when things get back to normal and we can bring our events back (Skate Night, Spring Fling, Math Night, etc.) - even if they cannot happen until next year! Your support is still very important, especially since we could not host our major fundraiser, the Fun Run, last fall. If you can, please donate by sending a check to the Orchard PTO, c/o Suzanne Hebeler, 36 Cortland Avenue, South Burlington, VT 05403 OR donate online: Cheddar Up for Orchard https://my.cheddarup.com/c/orchard-pto/item/2556395
Join the PTO: The PTO is actively recruiting new board members, and we always welcome parents who are not baord members to join meetings and share ideas (or just listen to what goes on behind the scenes!). If you have a little room in your schedule, consider volunteering! Email Kristin at orchardschoolvt@gmail.com with thoughts, questions, and ideas.
EASY MONEY FOR ORCHARD WITH BOX TOPS!
Prior to Box Tops going virtual, we used to pull in around $500-800 a year with Box Tops. This year, Orchard has raised a dismal $10.50 so far. Download the app and help us get our momentum back up! It’s an easy way to make a difference. When you buy Box Tops participating products (such as many cereals, granola bars, and Annie's Mac and Cheese) and scan your grocery receipt, Orchard will earn .10 per product. Bonuses for your birthday month and for getting a friend to join! Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need - equipment, supplies or experiences the kids love!
Download the Box Tops for Education app at your App Store or here: https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=VI7J42XS
