Parent

Updated as of February 6, 2018

Q: Do I need to fill out a transfer application in order to attend Orchard Hills for 2018-19?

A: If you reside within the Orchard Hills Attendance Area, you do not need to complete a transfer in order to attend Orchard Hills School. The attendance locator should be used to make sure a student’s address falls within the appropriate attendance area. If you do not live within the OH Attendance Area, but want to attend Orchard Hills School in 2018-19, you would need to seek a transfer. Transfer placements at OH will be made according to space availability.

Q: When can I enroll at Orchard Hills?

A: On approximately February 26, 2018, the enrollment of new students for the 2018-19 school year will begin. The enrollment window continues up through the start of the following school year.

Q: What are the steps to enrolling at Orchard Hills?

A: Enrollment for students new to TUSD can be done online by making an Aeries parent portal and by entering your student’s information. It is then typical for parents to call the school to schedule an appointment to provide their proof of residency (proof of residency, utility bills, etc).

Q: Will there be combo classes at Orchard HIlls in grades K-5?

A: TUSD aims to have grade level specific classes wherever possible, but combos can occur if student enrollment (especially in smaller sites) is not balanced from grade to grade. Therefore, it is possible that Orchard Hills School may have combo classrooms. Combination classes occur at many elementary sites in California, and can be a positive thing for many students.

Q: Will Orchard Hills School have a “GATE” program?

A: Yes. The same GATE program that is provided at all TUSD elementary schools will be provided at Orchard Hills School. While Tustin Memorial Academy (TMA) is the “GATE Magnet” site for Tustin Unified School District, all TUSD schools provide differentiation that supports students at every ability level. This includes the students identified as APL/GATE. Further, Orchard Hills School will make every effort to provide GATE trained teachers at every grade level.

Q: Will Orchard Hills School have a special curriculum?

A: No. Orchard Hills School is designed to be a neighborhood school and to offer a comprehensive K-8 curriculum. Curriculum within Tustin Unified is similar from site to site (including magnet school curriculum). While teachers may have autonomy to approach given topics in a variety of ways, the standards and materials used are fairly uniform.

Q: What time will the school day start at Orchard Hills?

A: The exact start times for Orchard Hills School are still being identified. It is anticipated that arrival and departure times for students would be staggered according to grade level to help in traffic flow and to reduce interaction between younger and older students wherever possible.

Q: Does Orchard Hills have a Child Development Center (CDC) program?

A: Yes. Orchard Hills School does have a CDC located on campus to serve K-8 students. The CDC has limited space availability and is operated independently from TUSD sites.

Q: How do you keep the elementary and middle school students apart while they are on campus?

A: Students at K-8 environments are kept separated by both the layout of the campus and through purposeful scheduling. Orchard Hills School was designed to house grades K-8 from initial concept. It has two classrooms and a separate playground area designed for kindergarten. Orchard Hills School also has two specific sets of classrooms (one set for grades 1-5 and one set for grades 6-8) that each have separate quad areas. Any shared spaces like libraries, gyms, playgrounds, multi-purpose rooms, and lunch areas are located in the center of the campus. These shared facilities would be level-specific through intentional scheduling. Arrival and departure times are likely to be staggered to allow for better traffic flow and to keep the grade spans separated to the best of our ability.

LUNCHES

Parents will no longer need to enter the Front Office to drop off forgotten lunches.

The Lunch Cart will now be located outside the Front Office. Please make sure the Lunch is labeled with your student;s

OTHER FORGOTTEN ITEMS

These items can be left on the counter INSIDE the Front Office. You will find Pens, Tape and Instruction Sheets on how to leave items for your student.

MESSAGES FOR STUDENTS

Please note that we do have Orchard Hills students that have Nut Allergies.

• Our cafeteria and vending machine does not serve any items that contain nuts.
• We have a lunch table designated as "nut free".
• We strongly encourage parents to avoid sending nutrition and lunch items containing nuts to school with their students.
• Please note that this notice includes ALL categories of nuts, not just peanuts.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Due to the importance of student safety, students may NOT be on campus prior to 7:30 a.m. Gates will be locked until 7:30 a.m. Students may enter the campus at 7:30 a.m. and need to go to the lunch benches and wait there until 7:45 a.m. At 7:45 a.m. a bell will ring and students may then go to their locker, enter the quad, or line up by their classroom. We appreciate your cooperation. This procedure is for the safety of your child and our entire school community.

Interested in Ordering a 2017-2018 Orchard Hills Yearbook?

• The deadline for ordering Yearbooks has passed.

Interested in being a part of the 2018-2019 Orchard Hills Yearbook Staff?

• Please check back in Spring 2018 for more information regarding the Application Process.

Aeries AIR – Online Student Enrollment allows a parent to quickly start the process of enrolling a student for school. Information about the student such as emergency contacts, medical and language information will be collected. Upon completion, the student's information is electronically sent to the school. Please click here for instructions on how to enroll your child online.

To get started enrolling a new student, please click here. Please note enrollment is not complete until you bring all paperwork into the school's office. Click here for required documents and forms to complete the enrollment process.

• Online Data Confirmation via Aeries Parent Portal Instructions
• Aeries Parent Portal Login

Your current 6th grade child is required to submit proof of TDAP vaccine for entrance into 7th grade for the next school year 2017-2018. Thank you to the parents who have submitted proof of TDAP. Thank you for clearing your student early. The second letter of "Tdap Due" notification will be mailed to your home in March for those in need of Tdap.

Click HERE to access the form that needs to be completed.

If you scan proof of Tdap and wish to submit by email as an attachment, please email to: Lizette Quintanar Embarcadero at lquintanar@tustin.k12.ca.us who will clear your student.

"Without TDAP clearance, your child may not receive their first or second choice of electives and registration will be delayed"

Please click HERE to read the full Public Media Release regarding this important program.

The National School Lunch Program is a federally-funded program that assists schools and other agencies in providing lunches to children at reasonable prices. In addition to financial assistance, the program provides donated commodity foods to help reduce lunch program costs. The United States Department of Agriculture is responsible for overseeing the program nationally. In California, the program is administered by the California Department of Education’s Nutrition Services Division.Students will be able to purchase lunch and milk at all schools in the Tustin Unified School District. Breakfast and lunch prices will increase 25 cents for the new school year, according to Nutrition Services Director Teresa Squibb.

“It’s the first price increase in three years even though food costs have increased five to seven percent each year,” Squibb said.

• 2016-17 Breakfast Menu LINK
  
• 2016-17 Lunch Menu LINK