Hello Parents,

It feels good to be ending the year on some really high notes. Thank you for joining us for the Spring concerts on Wednesday morning. Even from my parking lot station, I could hear beautiful music coming from our students. We are so appreciative of Mrs. Frostman's thoughtful and skillful music and vocal instruction. She kept sharing she has the best job at school!

The weather cooperated for Field Day on Thursday. Despite some misty rain joining the morning group, the afternoon group actually saw the sun!. Mr. Hamlin and the Arts team put together an awesome day. The students enjoyed their time together with fun games and activities.... check out the photos below!

This is the time of year when we share out our teaching roster for next year. You will note some To Be Determined names. Though we still have a lot of hiring to do, the classroom teachers are all finalized and we will share their names and backgrounds once they have officially signed their contracts. See the list below.

Parents, don't forget we have made two big changes to sharing out information, both online:

• Report Cards are not being printed, they will be available in your Student Portal next Friday.
• Student Placement letters will also be shared through the Student Portal later this summer. You might recall we did this last year and it was very successful.

📌 Parents - Don't forget next Friday, June 16th is our last day of school! Dismissal is at 11:30.

Have a great weekend, take some time to read with your child.

Mark T & Olivia K

As mentioned last week, we have three veteran teachers/staff members retiring. Additionally, we are saying happy trails to these awesome staff members:

Jen Carp - 5th-Grade Teacher

Molly Magnan - Special Educator

Lisa Lavoie- English Language Teacher

Sue Adamson - Long Term Building Substitute Teacher

Diane Nelson - Para-Educator

Lukas Handanos - Building-Based Substitute Teacher

Julie Baer - Interventionist

Hannah Kinney - Occupational Therapist

also:

Maisha Prima - Inerventionist, Maisha is moving to NYC to be a classroom teacher!

Leeza Regulbuto - Behavior Facilitator, Leeza is moving to RMCS as a special educator!

We had our final Seed Time of the year today! Students gathered with their groups to share, reflect on the year, play games, create time capsules and say goodbye to any students moving to an older group or away from our school. Seed Time has been a wonderful way for students to connect with adults and other students outside of their grade level, learn games, play, and explore together. We can't wait to see everyone come back together next year!

Warmly,

Abby Hill

​SEL Coach

Orchard’s Girls on the Run (GOTR) team is doing a Community Impact Project. The team has chosen to collect donations for the Chittenden County Humane Society. There is a box in the lobby to drop off donations. We ask that all donations be dropped off by the end of the day on Wednesday, June 14 th so we can take them to the Humane Society before the last day of school.

High Priority Items:

• Wet and Dry Puppy/Kitten Food

• Small Martingale Collars

• Unscented, Non-Clumping Kitty Litter

• Cleaning supplies: Paper towels, small bottles of hand soap, and trash bags

• Clean straw

• Long-lasting chew treats: Bully sticks & chew bones - NO rawhide, please!

• Kong spray or spray cheese

• Canned chicken

Other Wish List Items:

• Wet and Dry Dog/Cat Food

• Tough and durable dog toys

• Catnip

• Dog and Cat Treats

• Frontline Plus flea treatment

Items the Humane Society is NOT ACCEPTING:

• Linens including sheets, towels, pillows, blankets, and Cat/Dog Beds

• Small animal equipment or enclosures

• Used litter boxes

• Wire crates

• Syringes

The Orchard Girls on the Run team appreciates any support you can provide. The GOTR team is excited to be supporting the Humane Society while they work to place over 1,000 animals per year into forever homes. Thank you for supporting our community of furry friends!

Your Orchard GOTR team

Orchard Drama and the PTO are excited to announce that we will be doing…

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

As our show for 2023-24!

There will be fun roles of every size for fourth and fifth graders, and third graders will be able to join the chorus! We will also have opportunities for kids to help backstage on crew!

Auditions will be before Thanksgiving break with rehearsals starting right after. The show goes up on January 19 and 20, 2024.

We look forward to another amazing production!

On the hunt for Safe and Effective Sunscreen?

Consider checking out:

• Environmental Working Group's (EWG.org) Sunscreen Guide HERE
  

  (including top rated: daily sunscreen, recreational sunscreen and sunscreen for babies and kids).

• Get EWG's Guide to Safer Sunscreens HERE and learn about.

• A dermatologist's advice about Common sunscreen mistakes to avoid this summer (NPR) HERE.

Be kind, stay well~

Kara Cassani & Sarah Pineda

Orchard School Nurses

Orchard-Nurses@sbschools.net

"Free" Summer Camp Opportunity with the South Burlington Dolphins

The 2023 Summer Clinic “Speed School” hosted by the South Burlington Dolphins is a month-long, no-cost, event which is designed to help youth athletes, from Kindergarten to 12th grade, become fitter, faster, and stronger. Our goal is to provide each individual with the skills they need to build a strong foundation in their chosen sport. Register here .