Welcome New Families

Save the Date! The 2021-22 New Family Meet & Greet is Thursday, August 19 @ 4 pm

This is a casual, fun get-together on campus before school begins. Come meet teachers and classmates, visit classrooms, chat with school leadership, ask the office staff questions, and meet members of the Old Orchard Service League. We hope you can make it! You will receive additional details during the summer

Make sure to double check the Admission & Enrollment Portal to ensure you have submitted all required forms and records.

• Immunization Records & TB Risk Forms are due by June 1.  If you have questions about these forms, please contact Lower School Office Administrator Colleen Altendorf (c.altendorf@oldorchardschool.com) or Upper School Office Administrator Kristin Wright (k.wright@oldorchardschool.com). You will find a copy of the TB Risk Assessment Form here.

Our Key Dates & Holiday Calendar highlights school breaks, holidays and other notable events throughout the year such as parent teacher conferences, picture day, and more. We will continue to revisit and review the school calendar as health guidelines and requirements evolve. Please be advised, we may need to reschedule or reimagine planned dates and activities. We know how important scheduling is to our families and will keep you informed of any changes as they occur. 

Our 2021-22 Year-at-a-Glance Calendar is available here.

Old Orchard students wear uniforms on a daily basis in Kindergarten (K2) through 8th Grade. Jr. Kindergarteners (K1) do not wear uniforms; they should follow the guidelines for free dress. Our Uniform Requirement and School Dress Code aims to foster a sense of community and to create a positive learning environment, as well as to help students dress appropriately and comfortably for school each day with minimal fuss.

• Purchasing Uniforms: All uniform pieces should be purchased from Merry Mart. Additional information and OOS specific details for Merry Mart can be found here.
• Summer Sale typically runs mid-late June. Details will be provided once available.

2021-22 Supply lists by grade level will be available by early June. If you have questions about your student's supply list, you may contact office (office@oldorchardschool.com)

Old Orchard students entering Grades 4-8 are asked to complete a short summer reading assignment each year. Students have the entire summer to complete the assignment. Details will be posted early June.

New students enjoy meeting current students before school begins. The Grade Level Email Groups document will provide you with a list of grade-level email aliases or groups which you may use to contact all families in your grade, along with guidelines on appropriate use of these addresses. New family’s email addresses will be added to these lists as of July 1.

In partnership with My Green Lunch we offer lunch service 5 days a week across all grades when students are on campus. Meals are prepared fresh from scratch each morning and include a wide variety of options including gluten free, nut free, dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan options. Ahead of the start of school you may create an account for your family by clicking on “Order Now” on the top right of the My Green Lunch homepage.

Each week you will receive News & Notes, our school-wide, e-newsletter packed with information about the coming week as well as photos and highlights from the previous week. News and Notes is distributed via email on Sunday evenings. The first regular issue for the 2020-21 school year will be sent shortly before school begins.

The Old Orchard Service League (OOSL), a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded and led by Old Orchard parent volunteers, organizes community events and raises funds for enrichment programs across all grades. Meetings are held the first Friday of each month in Nelson Hall at the Lower School. All Old Orchard parents are welcome to attend meetings to learn more about the organization, hear what they have planned for the year, and offer suggestions. OOSL is always looking for parents able to support its activities with volunteer opportunities to suit every schedule. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, reach out to ooslboard@gmail.com.

Great word of mouth brings many new families to Old Orchard. When we ask visiting parents how they found us, they almost always tell us that someone – a neighbor, a family friend, or a co-worker – told them what a great school their children attend. We genuinely appreciate your support and we have a Referral Award Program to ensure that we thank you in a meaningful way.

To help ease your transition, we have gathered together common abbreviations you may see in our printed materials.

• K1 = Jr. Kindergarten
• K2 = Kindergarten
• LS = Lower School (K1-5^th Grade)
• US = Upper School (Grades 6-8)
• OOS = Old Orchard School
• OOSL = Old Orchard Service League (our parent run service league)
• CCC = Campbell Community Center (home to the Upper School Campus)