We look forward to seeing you tonight at the inaugural Fall Family Fun Festival from 5-7 PM at Foster Field (corner of Ashland and Simpson)!  A few reminders:

• RSVP so we order enough pizza
• Sign up for the bean bag tournament
• Volunteer to help with the event

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to already!  We were notified by the Evanston Department of Health that we cannot have food from home kitchens. Therefore, please be sure that anything brought to share at the event is pre-packaged and/or shelf stable.  Please email info@orringtonpta.org if you have any questions.

Everyone is in the PTA!  Last school year was so successful with a full PTA membership, we decided to do it again!  

What are the benefits to being a member?  While everyone is encouraged to attend PTA meetings and all PTA sponsored activities, PTA members can vote on budgets and other matters of importance and help guide the direction of the PTA’s efforts and programming. Orrington PTA, through the work of volunteers and the donation of funds, supports many great programs that make our school a special place. 

In order to satisfy IL PTA and national regulations, the Orrington PTA is required to record all members in memberhub (a web based database). You can still be a member of the PTA even if you do not want your name entered into memberhub; please click the button below and fill out the information by Sunday, October 3rd, and we will anonymize your membership.  If, for whatever reason, you do NOT want to be a PTA member please click the button below to OPT OUT by Sunday, October 3rd. 

The Orrington PTA will pay the membership fees for every community member but would gratefully accept donations to offset the cost.  If you would like to make a donation to help with membership costs for our community you can:

• send cash or check to Orrington Elementary School PTA at 2636 Orrington Ave, Evanston, IL 60201 (please note “Membership”) in the memo)
• send a Zelle payment to info@orringtonpta.org (please note  “Membership” in the memo)
• visit https://orrington-pta.square.site/ to make a credit card donation. The Orrington Elementary School PTA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all donations are deductible as allowed by law.

We announced at last night's community meeting that we will be creating and supporting affinity spaces for the Orrington community.  As a reminder, affinity spaces help to disrupt power dynamics that exist within socially constructed identities because of sociocultural, historical, institutional, personal, interpersonal, and systemic realities. These spaces are aimed at creating safer, more authentic conditions for people to acknowledge, address, and imagine new humanizing possibilities for those within and outside of those identities. As part of our Community Equity Project, we're hoping to build strong affinity spaces. Please join us by filling out this form! Thank you!

The District will provide a listing of all families who consented to be included in the Orrington School Directory but this is delayed due to the powerschool issues.  If you would like to begin using the directory (and have access to the PTA newsletter and other communications on a phone app) the see below for directions to join.

Much of the Orrington PTA calendar remains "To Be Determined" as we monitor and follow the district's COVID guidance.  At the PTA meeting we heard the request for a PTA calendar and are releasing our working document for all to reference.  Please come back to the newsletter for more information as events, dates and times are updated.

The Orrington PTA website has an integrated calendar that incorporates all D65 events as well as Orrington events.  If you would like to download this calendar into your personal calendar, please click the link on the website (circled in red below) and then follow the directions.

Please click the button if you prefer a paper copy of the PTA calendar.

Kindergarten Nature Scavenger Hunt & Playground Games

Saturday, October 9 from 1:30pm-3pm

Perkins Woods & Lincolnwood Elementary Playground

Please help support ESCCA at Coldwell Banker's Annual ESCAA Pumpkin Patch by buying their pumpkins on Sat. Oct 9 at Independence Park on Central Street from 9am-2pm. There will also be donuts, coffee, cider, face-painting, and balloons!

Volunteers are also needed to serve at the event. ESCCA Pumpkin Patch Volunteer Sign-up

The PTA is only as strong as those who donate their time.  Please consider volunteering.  We know that you all are asked to do a lot of things on a daily basis - we all have overflowing plates, busy family needs, full time jobs and life in a pandemic.  Volunteering with the PTA can be really rewarding.  It is a great way to build a sense of community by getting to know others as well as being an investment in your student’s education experience.  Unfortunately, if we do not have enough volunteers then we will not be able to follow through on PTA programming.   We will work with anyone to find a role that fits their availability.  Please reach out to info@orringtonpta.org or check out our website for more information.

ESCCA is an organization that makes clothing available to all K-8th grade children of Evanston/Skokie District 65 Schools.  ESCCA is an all-volunteer organization, relying upon the support of parent volunteers through our PTAs, board members, and volunteers from community and religious organizations. 

During a SERVE, volunteers help students choose clothing from ESCCA's "store" at 1500 McDaniel, almost like a personal shopper. Volunteering during a SERVE is an especially fun and rewarding experience as you get to interact with a district 65 student, helping them have a warm and positive experience choosing winter clothing for this school year.  

Please click the button below if you would like to volunteer at Orrington's ESCCA SERVE on October 12, 2021.

Our fundraising team is planning several fun fundraisers for the school year.  In the meantime, you can begin supporting our fundraising efforts by signing up for AmazonSmile and Box Tops for Education.

Click the picture for more information!  Even though the September events have passed, there are events scheduled in October and beyond.

In support of our families and the District, we are reaching out with an urgent ask in completing the free and reduced price meal application if you believe you may be eligible for benefits. It has been brought to our attention that there are a number of families who historically completed applications and received benefits who have yet to apply this year! 

While scholars all have access to free meals this school year as part of a federal waiver, there are so many additional and important benefits for our families! In addition, it allows for greater service and access in our schools with more significant needs. The District receives additional federal and state funding based on free and reduced price lunch numbers and has greater access and opportunity for competitive local, state, and federal grants.

How do families apply? ALL families are encouraged to apply by submitting an online application. Applications must be submitted electronically. US citizenship and immigration status have no impact on eligibility. Families that receive assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) are directly certified and an application is not required. Families will receive confirmation of direct certification via email; if you did not receive this, please call Nutrition Services to confirm.

Applications must be submitted each school year, benefits do not roll over from one year to the next. Applications are available at district65.net/mealapp. The District 65 Nutrition Services Department is available to assist and answer any questions. Please call 847-859-8130 or email nutritionservices@district65.net

For our PTA's, the free and reduced price meal data is especially critical.

Our PEP OneFund financial model is based on using the data for each school. So if 20% of families at Orrington Elementary School who qualify for benefits don’t fill out the form, then Orrington Elementary School will get less distributed to them from PEP. In this scenario, when the school PTA goes to serve its community, they will have greater need than they have funds.

There are many additional benefits for families and for the District overall by completing the application! Check this information out to see the many benefits! One of the most significant benefits to families is access to free or reduced price school and district-issued fees. For example, if a scholar also rides the bus, this eligibility would allow for free or reduced price transportation fees. This could add up to at least $115+/student in savings.

Nutrition Services Website                       Nutrition Services: 847-859-8130

Free and Reduced Price Meal Application (available in multiple languages)  Link to the application is here. 

For a list of other locations where you can fill this out online, click here.

Thank you so much!

Please join SEPAC for its first meeting of the year on Tuesday, October 5 (7-8:30 pm), when two nationally-known inclusion experts will facilitate an interactive session for all district families! Learn about how to increase inclusive practices and help all kids embrace diversity. True inclusion is about making sure everyone belongs. Spanish interpretation available. 

The attached flyers have details and two links: inclusive schooling's website (https://www.inclusiveschooling.com/meet-us/) --  the video on that site gives you a good sense of Julie & Kristie's presentation styles and personalities; and the zoom link, also copied here: 

HTTPS://US02WEB.ZOOM.US/J/87640098572? PWD=WTF5OUPJMMXRN2ORZWRLR0JTZ3HPZZ09 

Orrington Elementary School PTA

2636 Orrington Avenue

Evanston, IL 60201

info@orringtonpta.org