Enter the T-shirt contest!

We need your RSVP and T-shirt Size!

Please join us for the
annual school fundraiser

Fun Run Fundraiser
Friday, May 17th, 2024
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Fun Run, DJ, treats and more!

Please RSVP using this link:

https://fun-run-2024.squarespace.com/

We are looking for all student artists to join in our Fun Run T-shirt Contest!
Submit designs by April 29th to funrun@orringtonpta.org
or in the PTA mailbox by the front office
Attached is a template:

The winner's design will be featured on the student T-shirts to wear at the Fun Run event.

Each student will receive a shirt regardless of donation.

Please consider making a donation of $15 to help
cover the cost of T-shirts. Every student will receive a T-shirt regardless of attendance.

Payments can be: Zelle to info@orringtonpta.org (Put "Fun Run tshirt" in the memo), Credit/debit card: https://orrington-pta.square.site/product/2024-fun-run-t-shirt/65

Please contact: sachakrasney@gmail.com with questions

Last Friday's Community Day was a success as the students helped plant in the new garden bed. We can't wait to see how it all flourishes over the spring and summer time!

Thank you to our volunteers who have dedicated so much time to the garden. We truly appreciate you!

A group of Orrington kids from the chess club participated in the D65 School Chess Championship last weekend.

We took first place in the district in the 2nd-3rd grade division. This was represented by: 3 third graders and 1 second grader.

We also took first place in the district in the 4th-5th grade decision. This team was represented by only two players. What 's most impressive about this win is that the scoring is not an average across players but a total and our team of two beat out all other teams regardless of player count.

Congratulations to Orrington's Chess Team!

Dance for Evanston Youth! Fortnightly registration is now open for fall 2024. Three Friday night dances featuring DIME, line dancing, and ballroom instruction. Open to rising 6th and 7th graders. All proceeds support Evanston youth and community organizations. Scholarships available. Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/e6a15ec4-e05b-4326-be43-5025cf3282d4 (when checking out, disregard "contribution" and click "other")

Please complete the following survey (HERE) to share insights or important information you feel is necessary for us to know as we create classroom assignments for the coming school year. Please note we are unable to guarantee any educator requests, but we will keep insights in mind as we create new classroom and teacher assignments for the coming year.

This information will be shared with educators while they are building class lists for the coming school year.

All teacher assignments will be shared with families in August.

What are Gatherings for Orrington?
A Gathering for Orrington is part fundraiser, part community-building. GFOs are events of many kinds! Where hosts sponsor an event for Orrington families, students or caregivers, with all ticket revenues going directly to the PTA as a fundraiser. Those funds can then be used for student-teacher support, equity-focused or other community-building efforts, literacy efforts, like book- nook and so much more. Read more about GFOs.

Sign up for these 2 amazing events happening in April:

Bottle and Bottega: Paint, Sip and Socialize at My Art Studio
Come to Jen Presant's studio for an evening of wine, painting and socializing! Get ready to have fun painting and meeting some of your fellow Orrington parents while sipping a glass of wine at my art studio on Noyes St. All supplies are included. No experience needed - beginners are more than welcome to this adults-only event where you will take home some painting, pointers and your own masterpiece!


Double Clutch Beer Tasting and Light Apps

Come join Katie & Andrew Shook and Sara Hines & Nicholas Sabloff at Double Clutch Brewing Company for a fun evening of beer tasting and delicious light appetizers. Sample a variety of our handcrafted brews while enjoying some tasty snacks to complement the flavors. This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to relax, socialize, and discover new favorite beers. Whether you're a craft beer enthusiast or just looking for a good time, this event is sure to please your taste buds. Don't miss out on this unique experience!


Sign up to host an event!! What Kind of Events? GFOs can be:
Service Projects: Like picking up trash at Lighthouse Beach
Games & Fun: Like an adult Kickball game or Poker night
Lessons & Workshops: Like a Cooking Class or Cookie Decorating party
Dinners & Tastings: Like a Wine or Beer Tasting or Pizza Party and Backyard movie
Sports & Fitness: Like a Paddle Party or Pickleball tournament
Other: The possibilities are endless! Be creative.

Save The Date!

D65 student art show

All 1st, 3rd and 5th grade students will participate

Saturday May 18th

Stop by anytime between 10 & 3 pm to admire student artwork

Show located in the parking area near Open Studio

(see website link for map)

Rain plan: show will be moved to the King Arts school building

Show Website Link

Please join members of the Orrington White Anti-Racist Group for a screening of The Big Payback-- ALL ARE WELCOME!

The Big Payback Screening

Wednesday, May 1st

Come anytime from 6:45; Film starts at 7:15

Kindly RSVP here

About the Documentary "A rookie alderwoman from Evanston, Illinois, led the passage of the first tax-funded reparations for Black Americans. While she and her community struggle with the burden to make restitution for its citizens, a national racial crisis engulfs the country. Will the debt ever be addressed, or is it too late for this reparations movement to finally get the big payback?"

From IMDb - The Big Payback is "an inspiring look at Alderman Robin Rue Simmons' fight to redress the wrongs of "redlining" and the legacy of slavery through a groundbreaking reparations program."

Our 5th grade party is quickly approaching!

When:

May 30th from 6-9pm

Where:

American Legion - Post 42

1030 Central St, Evanston, IL 60201

5th grade caregivers, please fill out the google form here to RSVP and for shirt size selection. There is also a Signup Genius found within the google form for donations of food, prizes and other goodies.

Join D65 families for an afternoon of NU Baseball!

NU vs. Purdue - Sunday, April 28th @ 1pm

Purchase tickets here for $10. All proceeds from ticket sales ($5 per ticket) goes to the D65 PTA One Fund to support enriching academic opportunities and community engagement for all District 65 students. Tickets are subject to availability.

For any families where this cost is a barrier, NU and the D65 PTA Council can provide tickets at no cost. Please use this form to request free tickets by Friday, April 19th. Thank you for supporting our community!

Dear Parents/Guardians

We are excited to let you know that we are focused on supporting your child's social-emotional needs this school year!

More than two decades of research have demonstrated the important role that social and emotional skills play in each child's success in school and in the community. Skills such as demonstrating self-control, persisting on challenging tasks, and making good decisions are all necessary to be successful students and adults. The process by which students learn these and similar skills is called social emotional learning (SEL).

As part of our efforts to better support our students in developing positive social and emotional skills, we are using the DESSA SEL assessment for all students in grades K-8.

The DESSA assessment is a brief 8-question survey answered by your child's teacher. DESSA is completely strengths-based, meaning that instead of focusing on deficiencies, it highlights a student's positive social and emotional strengths and builds from there. A strengths-based approach benefits educators, students, families, and the community. By highlighting strengths, we achieve higher levels of participation, academic performance, and higher levels of happiness.

The purpose of DESSA is to identify which SEL skills your child has already learned and which skills he or she would still need to develop. Once our teachers identify the skills their students still need to learn, they will teach those SEL skills. Our goal is to ensure that your child continually develops the SEL skills they need for lifelong success. We believe that the information gathered with the DESSA assessment will be beneficial to your child's overall success both inside and outside of the classroom.

The DESSA assessment is published by Aperture Education. Our district chose DESSA in part because of Aperture Education's strong commitment to respecting and protecting your child's privacy. Hundreds of school districts and after-school programs across the country use DESSA and trust Aperture Education to protect their student data.

We are excited to implement DESSA this school year and continue to focus on whole children! If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher.

Sincerely,

Orrington Elementary

Honor Your Favorite Teachers!

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6-10

Foundation 65’s Honor a Teacher program allows us to say thank you to educators who have been working so hard for all of our children this year.

Educators who are recognized with a donation in their honor will receive a digital card from Foundation 65, including your name and a personal note.*

Your gift will support Foundation 65, an independent grantmaking organization that invests in educator-led initiatives to support educational equity.

Go to www.foundation65.org/honor-a-teacher to make your gift and craft your personal note today.

*Gifts must be received by May 5 in order to send a personal note. The gift amount will not be shared publicly with the teacher.