Orchard Farms PTO

Welcome back to Orchard Farms for the 2009-2010 school year. Mr. Antonio and his crew have the building sparkling and ready for our students. Teachers have spent many hours readying their classrooms with many new materials…and locations. The K, 1, and 2 classrooms are now located in the library media wing; the grade 3 and 4 classrooms are in the center wing; and the 5th and 6th grades are in the north wing.

We have held our first grade orientation last week and we are set for our Kindergarten orientation on Friday, August 28, 2009. The AM students are scheduled 9:30-10:15 and the PM students 11:00-11:45.

There are many issues connected with our new school year but first and foremost is a smooth start to the year. School begins for all students on September 1, 2009 at 9:00. Bus students will be picked up at the stops and dropped at the main entrance to the school.

The student bus arrival and student drop off procedures are the same as last year. The buses will drop off at the main entrance. The bus circle is off limits to private vehicles during drop off and pickup. Students will gather in the cafetorium before being dismissed to their classrooms. Private vehicles must drop students at the side entrance. From that location students will walk to the cafeteria. The school day officially begins at 9:00 and ends at 3:00 but parents should plan for some delay in the first few days and begin dropping off at 8:40. There is no adult supervision before 8:40 in the cafetorium.

During dismissal, buses will pick up students in the circle and again the circle will be off limits to private vehicles. Students designated as walkers can be dismissed from the side cafeteria exit…the same door as drop off. The side road is closed to vehicles in the afternoon for the students’ safety. To dismiss a student, an adult must park their vehicle in the parking lot and come to the side entrance. Teacher assistants will have a dismissal sheet with a list of who can dismiss the student. This list is compiled from parent permissions. Please have your picture ID (license) ready for identification every day as the teacher assistants may not know you.

When dismissing a student from the office; 1.) You must be listed on the Emergency Care Card and 2.) You must show a picture ID (license). This policy will be adhered to at all times per state regulations and for your child’s safety. Please remember to bring your license or other picture ID inside with you to save a return trip to your car.

The swine flu (H1N1) virus has gained media attention. Rest assured the City of Cranston, The Cranston School Department, and Orchard Farms are monitoring the situation. We receive constant updates and advisories for the Rhode Island Department of Health and have developed a plan to address the situation. We (I) will keep you advised of developments and updates as the situation warrants. For now the advisory is this: if your child becomes sick with flu-like symptoms and a fever he/she must be kept out of school. The child must remain out of school for 24 hours after the fever has subsided. This is the standing recommendation for this type of illness.

Orchard Farms open house is scheduled for Thursday, September 17 and fall pictures are scheduled for the next day Friday, September 19, 2009. In the next few weeks, you will be receiving information about pictures and the packages available directly from Lifetouch.

The Orchard Farms staff is ready and willing to make your child’s educational experience a rewarding one. With communication, effort, and cooperation we will succeed together in this goal.