Orchard families,
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We understand that some times we experience difficult times. So we would like to support you in any way we can which may mean providing and offering resources.
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Below find important information on
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Food
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Supporting learning at home
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Financial aid, housing
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Social-emotional safety
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Where to get more information on COVID19 and what is happening in our larger community
We know that the school administration, teachers and support staff are working hard to continue to support our children - in ways we know and ways we've never seen before.
We - school staff and PTA - are here for you. Reach out!
-Orchard PTA
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School lunches
School meals are now provided to all student free of charge.
Please still fill out the meal application that you can find on the school website for additional statistical and reporting purposes. Reporting your family information will continue to help our school district with receiving the services we need.
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Need more groceries?
Please contact the district office (DistrictOffice@orchardsd.org, 408.944.0397) or Second Harvest Food Bank (Call 1-800-984-3663, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Staff speaks English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin and Tagalog. Three-way interpretation available for other languages. Afterhours – Call 211. It’s free, confidential and available 24/7 in multiple languages. Operated by United Way Bay Area.
https://www.shfb.org/get-food/)
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Dealing with economic hardship
Local, state and the federal government as well as many non-profit organizations are trying to help families in need. As many of these programs are constantly evolving, we can't provide too much update-to-date information here, but rather point you various websites that stay up-to-date on the available support programs:
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Federal resources: https://khanna.house.gov/issues/novel-coronavirus-covid-19
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State of California: https://www.covid19.ca.gov/
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City of San José: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/news-stories/news/emergency-notifications
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Siliconvalleystrong.org is a resource hub for neighbors to find information and offer a caring hand to people in need. This movement connects the County, cities, schools, nonprofits, private partners, and churches—ensuring no one gets left behind.
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Additional list of (mostly) legal resources by the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley: https://www.lawfoundation.org/coronaviru
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Social-emotional help
You can get help from the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department.
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/bhd/Pages/home.aspx
Mobile Crisis Team: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/bhd/Services/Pages/mobile-crisis-response-team.aspx
And for more information see for example the Mental Health Association of America: https://mhanational.org/covid19
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
If you are concerned about having to self-isolate with an abusive partner, there is help. Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Contact information is below: CALL: 1 (800) 799-7233 TTY: 1 (800) 787-3224 CHAT: http://thehotline.org
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SUICIDE PREVENTION
Suicide and Crisis Hotline 24/7: (855) 278-4204
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More learning at home resources
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Free learning content from Britannica, ProQuest and TeachingBooks
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Really popular: Mo Willems (of "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" fame) is doing daily doodle lessons, so you learn to draw like him. (Thanks to Ms. Lee and Ms. Forrest for sharing) https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems/
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Our art teacher highly recommends the YouTube-Channel "Arts Hub for Kids" as a place to find excellent drawing tutorials. Kids can go at their own speeds and all they need is paper and something to write with
https://www.youtube.com/user/ArtforKidsHub -
Learning materials from Scholastic (Thanks Ms. Binz for sharing!)
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html -
Fun and free ways to learn from home. (Thanks to Ms. Cornejo for sharing). (for larger image click here)
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A great collection of resources for families and educators and for all ages. https://wideopenschool.org
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The Today Show has curated some free educational activities that students and families can engage in here. (Recommendation from National PTA)
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And this is a pretty long list of great things to do! "Take a virtual field trip and stay safe and heathy out there Bruins!" says Ms. McCarthy.
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Where to find more general information
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State of California: https://www.covid19.ca.gov/
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County of Santa Clara Health Department: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/phd/DiseaseInformation/novel-coronavirus/Pages/home.aspx
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City of San José: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/news-stories/news/emergency-notifications
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Guidance from the California School Board Association and a suite of resources
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