Friday, October 3rd Weekly Update

Posted Date: 10/03/25 (3:52 PM)

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Orchard Hill Weekly Update

Friday, October 3, 2025

From Mr. Tortora

Dear Orchard Hill Families,

Well, September certaily flew by! With October upon us, we are looking forward to so many great events:

PTO Book Fair (10/6-10/10)
4th-Grade Bike Week (10/6-10/10)
PTO Fun Run (10/17) **help us reach our school goal of raising $25,000
Picture Day (10/23)

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the summer-like weather!

- Mike

A spotlight shines on the words 'STAFF SPOTLIGHT'.

Three men stand together, smiling, wearing casual clothing and baseball caps.

Our Awesome Custodians

In honor of National Custodians Appreciation Day!

A man and a boy in matching baseball jerseys pose for a photo.

Greg Smith - Head Custodian

# of years at Orchard Hill and # of years in education? 6 years at OH 13 years in district
What do you enjoy most about working at our school? The friendly staff and strong community relationship
What inspired you to become an educator (or work in education)? I enjoy making a difference in the school community.
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Manchester, Ct.
Do you have any siblings? I have 2 sisters and 1 brother.
What was your favorite sport/activity as a child? My favorite sport is baseball.
What’s your favorite childhood book or show? My favorite childhood book was Where the Wild Things Are.
What college did you graduate from? Manchester Community College and ECSU
What’s your favorite food or favorite snack? My favorite food is pizza and favorite snack is popcorn.
What do you like to do outside of school? I enjoy coaching travel baseball for the CT Mustangs AAU team.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? I really would love to travel to Poland.
Do you have any pets? I have 2 cats named Rocket and Meg.
If you weren't in education, what would you want to do? My dream job would be to be a coach in some MLB organization.

Two men wearing firefighter hats smile at the camera in an office setting.

Lloyd Roberts - Evening Custodian

# of years at Orchard Hill and # of years in education? This is my 4th school year with OH, I did 1 year at TE before here.
What do you enjoy most about working at our school? The staff here is the best, feels like family.
Where did you grow up? East Hartford/East Windsor
Do you have any siblings? I have two sisters, one is older then me and the other is my twin.
What was your favorite sport/activity as a child? I loved baseball and played a few seasons in elementary school.
What’s your favorite childhood book or show? I loved Goosebumps books
What college did you graduate from? Manchester Community College and ECSU
What’s your favorite food or favorite snack? Pizza
What do you like to do outside of school? Playing games with my kids.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Italy
Do you have any pets? We have three dogs. Two big golden doodles (Simba & Hazel) and a tiny poodle (Romeo)

A family poses for a photo in front of a statue and Main Street, U.S.A. at a theme park.

A fluffy dog rests on a gray couch with a plush toy.

Sean Thompson - Evening Custodian

# of years at Orchard Hill and # of years in education? This is my 8th school year
What do you enjoy most about working at our school? Working with the amazing staff
Where did you grow up? Manchester CT
Do you have any siblings? Yes (3 brothers and 1 sister)
What was your favorite sport/activity as a child? Basketball
What’s your favorite food or favorite snack? Lasagna
What do you like to do outside of school? Golf
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Ireland
Do you have any pets? I have a cat named Kitty who is a spoiled cat!
If you weren't in education, what would you want to do? Own the Boston Red Sox

Upcoming Events

A colorful banner and books decorate a table, with the text 'It's Book Fair Time!'

PTO Book Fair All This Week!

The Book Fair is HERE!!!!!

October 6-10th you student(s) will be visiting the Book Fair! This week bookmarks and the Scholastic Flyer are being brought home by your child. Teachers will be communicating with you regarding when your students' shopping day is!

Things to Know!!!

OCreate your students eWallet to make for an easy shopping day. No cash the morning of: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/how-ewallet-works.html?fairId=5712750

Evening Hours on Tuesday & Wednesday from 4-7pm! Shop with your entire family!

BVOLUNTEER - Day & Evening Hours Available! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4CA4AD29A3FA7-57722499-ohfall

oSupport our teachers classrooms by contributing to their eWallets: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pW6WG7dJMmhIsTPtaiQ6x6IAwbQ4TGapH67mTM2aufg/edit?usp=sharing

Book Fair reminder poster with dates, times, and QR codes for easy shopping.

Monday, October 6th

Girls On The Run (GOTR) - 3:40 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, October 7th

PTO Book Fair Evening Hours - 4:00 - 7:00 (gymnasium) **Please use door D12

A yellow sticky note reads 'Early Release Day!' pinned with a blue tack.

Wednesday, October 8th

Early Release - 12:45 p.m. dismissal

PTO Book Fair Evening Hours - 4:00 - 7:00 (gymnasium) **please use Door D12

Thursday, October 9th

Girls On The Run (GOTR) - 3:40 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

PTO Early Release Wednesday After-School Activities Session 2

Mad Science Registration

Art Ventures Registration

PTO Information/Events

A promotional poster for the Orchard Hill Elementary PTO Fun Run, with running silhouettes and event details.

A fun run goal tracker shows progress towards a $25,000 goal, with runners and stars.

PTO Fun Run **Help us reach our school goal!

Hello OH Families,

It is that time of year again when the PTO kicks off the annual Fun Run fundraiser! This is our largest fundraiser of the year. We have a school goal of $25,000!! All you need to do is sign up your student(s) (it’s free) and share their page with family and friends via email, text or social media. That’s it! Nice and simple.

Each student signed up will get a Fun Run Spirit Stick keychain!!

All the money raised during this fundraiser goes right back to the school and students. The PTO uses the money for curriculum enhancements to the teachers, support field trip costs, fund scholarships for alumni, offer lots of OH community events at minimal costs (think ice cream truck at the picnic), staff appreciation week and much more!

The Fun Run will be held on Friday, October 17th. All students will participate in a fun obstacle course during their recess. It is a really fun day! Be on the lookout for a volunteer sign up in the coming weeks!

Please reach out to orchardhillpresident@gmail.com with any questions!

Want to collect donations but don’t want to use your individual students page, click on the button below and you can share this link with family & friends.

Fun Run Community Donation Link

Fun Run Volunteer Sign Up

A flyer announces upcoming PTO events, including a Fun Run and Bookfair.

October PTO Minutes

Image promoting volunteer opportunities with hands holding hearts and thumbs up.

PTO Volunteer Opportunities

The PTO has a lot of opportunities for families to get involved with Orchard Hill events and activities all year long!

Interested in seeing what you can be a part of?

Click here: https://forms.gle/DuFRgL9KKXxtRYJj9

When Should You Keep Your Child Home From School?

A guide titled 'Should I keep my child home or send them to school?' lists health guidelines.

2025-2026 District Calendar