Dear OPES Family,

We hope you and your families are well and are making lasting memories from the summer of 2020. We are preparing for the new school year and will post updates on PTO activities soon. We may be adjusting our sails a bit this year, but what hasn't changed is our continued goal to support our great OPES teachers, staff, and students, and to make a positive impact to our school community. We look forward to seeing you in the new school year.

Best,

Orchard Park Elementary PTO

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**Teachers' Favorite Things Link**

Summer Resources

To help you through this unique summer, here is a list of resources from our website-host Membership Toolkit:

Web Resources:

Reading and Educational Sites ~

Celebrity read aloud: https://www.storylineonline.net/
Free online Scholastic Resources with daily plans: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
E-Books & Read aloud (12 years and younger). Free 1 month trial from Epic: https://www.getepic.com/
At Home ideas from Kiwi Company, a STEAM company: https://www.kiwico.com/blog/2020/03/14/
Khan Academy- Free online learning site: https://www.khanacademy.org/
Education.com (K-5th). Many free resources for learning at home and independent learning. https://www.education.com/
National Geographics for Kids: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
Fun educational website (elementary age only): https://www.abcya.com
Great for brain breaks; Go Noodle! (elementary age): https://www.youtube.com/user/GoNoodleGames
Audible by Amazon has a free collection of stories available to stream: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

Virtual Field trips:

Learn about your favorite zoo animal through the Cincinnatti zoo: http://cincinnatizoo.org/home-safari-resources/
Tour one of 12 famous museums from around the world: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours
Learn about our national parks and take virtual tours: https://www.nps.gov/index.htm
Other virtual field trips: https://www.weareteachers.com/best-virtual-field-trips/

Device-Free Ideas:

Get Outside ~

Take a walk, hike or family bike ride.
Complete PE assignments, make it more fun with the entire family!
Practice sport skills, ask your coach for ideas or google training videos.
Catch up on yard work or plant flowers.

Spring Cleaning ~

Clean out the closets; have the kids put on a 'fashion show' to decide what they've outgrown. Bag up your unneeded items to donate to a charity or prepare for a future garage sale.
Sort/organize your legos.
Clean out your toy room and set aside items to be donated or sold.
Paint a room.

Family Time ~

Movie Night ~ make popcorn & black out the windows to make an authentic movie experience.
Find some yoga on youtube or other streaming source and get the entire family involved!
Enjoy board games or puzzles.
Build a fort with boxes or sheets.

Crafts ~

Go through old photos and create a scrapbook.
Paint
Elhke Art - Follow along with Mrs. Elhke and her children as they draw and paint.
Coloring books
Make slime or playdough.
Create jewelry.

Kitchen ~