As we approach the winter break, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful community. Your unwavering support, collaboration, and care have made this year truly special. Together, we've created an environment where our students can thrive. We have seen how much our students have grown in 2024, and we truly can't wait to see how they continue in 2025!

We wish you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season filled with warmth, happiness, and connection. May your winter break be safe, restful, and rejuvenating. We look forward to welcoming you back in the new year, refreshed and ready for all that lies ahead!

Best wishes,

Dr. Schoeffmann & Ms. Yoo

Trimester 1 report cards went home last Friday, and Orrington's Fine Arts, P.E., and Library (FAPEL) prepared an informative newsletter, breaking down what students learned in their spaces.

Check out their newsletter HERE!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

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 SAEBRS SEL assessment for all students in grades K-8.

The SAEBRS assessment is a brief 19-question survey answered by your child's teacher for students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. If your child is in 2nd-8th grade they have the opportunity to complete the mySAEBRS survey, which asks them to self-assess using the same 19 questions their educator is answering. The purpose of SAEBRS and mySAEBRS is to identify which SEL skills your child has already learned and which skills they 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 SAEBRS and mySAEBRS assessment will be beneficial to your child's overall success both inside and outside of the classroom.

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

Sincerely,

Orrington Elementary

Reminder of attendance reporting and procedures

Regular school attendance is essential for student success. When students are present and engaged in their learning, they are more likely to stay on track, remain motivated, and reach their full academic potential. That's why District 65 has set an attendance goal of 95% or better for each of our schools.

We understand that life can present unexpected challenges, but the importance of students attending school regularly and on time cannot be overstated. Excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused, can significantly impact a child's educational progress.

If your child needs to miss school, please call your child’s school to report the absence by 10 a.m. Learn more about D65 attendance reporting and procedures

Thank you all for making the Cultural Arts Fest a success! There were close to 20 countries/cultures represented - a list of a few are Panama, Costa Rica, South Korea, Ireland, China, Czech Republich, and Jewish culture! Wow! Thank you to the families who dedicated the time to prepare and share with us.

It was wonderful to see students, their families, and staff members come together to celebrate Orrington's community. This yearly event is always a fantastic one!

On Friday, December 5th, the kindergarteners were lucky enough to have ANOTHER author visit! Brielyn Flones, the author of Bear Loves Bread, visited to read her book. She also brought along a stuffed animal version of her dog, Bear! (You might see him out for a walk around Orrington!)

Ms. Flones also prepared a presentation about how books are written, which sparked quite the discussion with the kindergarteners. The kindergarteners had many questions, and Ms. Flones made sure to answer each one.

Check out her website HERE.

In trimester 1, the classroom educators focused their own learning around trying a teaching technique called Building Thinking Classrooms in mathematics. In this model, students are given a problem and work together with one student being the person who writes the second and third person's thinking on a whiteboard. This is done at vertical whiteboard spaces so that students are up and standing - many students and educators have nicknamed it "Stand Up Math!"

Orrington was recently recognized at the Committee of the Whole board member on December 9th for our work with this technique, and we wanted to share the model and some highlights of what we are noticing for our amazing students.

K-5 Building Thinking Classrooms

• Low floor, high ceiling tasks provide entry points to problem-solving and high-level reasoning for all students

• Embeds the Standards for Mathematical Practice into instruction

• Promotes critical thinking, deepens mathematical reasoning, and develops strong student mathematical discourse

• Makes thinking, reasoning, and strategy work visible to everyone

• Builds classroom community and collaboration skills

• Supports formative assessment

Student Outcomes:

• Increased student engagement

• Sharing of strategies and reasoning has expanded student problem-solving toolboxes

• Opportunity to revisit misconceptions and revise work based on new learning

• Students are mastering skills earlier in the year than typically expected

• Strengthens student working relationships

Check out some photos below of this happening in action!

The December Community Day was a hit thanks to Ms. Petra Anyakem, an Orrington parent, who prepared art projects for the students to create.

The third, fourth, and fifth-graders created snow puppets by creating a fortune teller and cutting snowflake designs. The kindergarteners, first, and second-graders then used chalk to create a portrait of a cute polar bear in the snow.

Volunteer during Lunch!

Want to make your kid's or kids' day? Volunteer to serve lunch with your fellow friendly Orrington parents!

What: Parent volunteers help students properly compost and recycle their lunch waste. One volunteer are scheduled per day. Bring your ID for check-in in the school front office.

When: Volunteers are needed from 11:15 AM to 1:15 PM.

IMPORTANT: Please sign up only for yourself! Sign up HERE.

Questions: Contact Orrington PTA (info@orringtonpta.org)

Want to know what's going on around the community? District 65 uses a "Digital Backpack" to share community information. Please click the button below to view upcoming community events and activities.