Orange Community Education and Recreation -

One of our last mystery readers of the year was none other than Officer Todd!

He read two silly books to our class “If You Give A Moose a Muffin” and “Dog Breath- The Horrible Trouble With Halley Tosis”.

After reading, we asked him questions about being a police officer and also talked about how to identify police officers (patches, badges, radio, etc.), listening to teachers during tornado drills and fire drills, and having safe bodies at school by keeping our hands to ourselves

Our oldest preschoolers graduated from Orange Early Childhood! Congratulations to all of our graduates. We will miss you, but we can't wait to see how well you do in your new school next year!

The Orange Outdoor Pool opens June 5 for the season! We will be open Monday-Friday from 10am-7pm and Saturday-Sunday from 11am-6pm through August 16.

So before you enjoy the pool, be sure to purchase your pool pass for the summer: https://orangerec.arux.app/.../orange-outdoor-pool-pass

Look what we found on our Nature Hike last week! We saw a tree covered in large holes made by a pileated woodpecker.

Pileated woodpeckers are one of the largest woodpeckers in North America. They use their strong beaks to chip away at dead or dying trees while searching for insects such as carpenter ants and beetle larvae to eat. The large rectangular holes they leave behind are a special clue that these amazing birds have visited the area. The woodpeckers help the forest ecosystem. By breaking into old wood to find food, they also create spaces that other animals may later use for shelter, including smaller birds and insects.

Experiences like these help build curiosity, observation skills, and appreciation for the natural world!

Thank you to the OCER Commission for planning an energetic Field Day for our staff! We did some relay races, played Four Square, keep the ball in the air, and more. After all that, we were definitely hungry for lunch, which they generously provided! It was a great way to get up and moving and ready for summer camp!

Room 7 had their own ladybug farm and raised them from larva to pupa to ladybug 🐞These real-world experiments make the learning process engaging and fun, especially when these young scientists start to see ladybugs popping up in the spring!

Thank you to the Moreland Hills 5th Grade Tune-In Choir for a lovely afternoon performance last week at the Orange Senior Center! We heard some favorites from the musical "Annie," under the direction of teachers Kayla Hoye and Matthew Parrotta. Thanks for reminding us "you're never fully dressed without a smile"

Room 11 had parent and community beekeeper, Catherine Lazar, in their classroom for a hands-on learning experience all about bees!

Catherine brought learning to life through storytelling, creative crafts, and real-life beekeeping equipment that students could explore up close. The visit sparked curiosity, thoughtful questions, and excitement as students discovered the incredible work of these tiny but mighty pollinators!

To make the experience even sweeter, students had the opportunity to taste a delicious chocolate-covered honeycomb treat and each child took home their very own jar of honey, a special reminder of this memorable day of learning.

We are thrilled to announce Emilio Marriott is our new Before/After Care Coordinator!! In this role, he will be working with Lions Club, our before and after school childcare program. He will also be working on summer camps and other youth programs and events, so be sure to say hi the next time you see him!

Calling all volunteers! We're gearing up for our second annual Orange Community Art Fest at the Orange Art Center, and we need YOUR help! We would love to see your talents again this year to assist in the following areas:

- Welcome Table Assistants - 10 am - 2 pm
Assist OAC or OCER lead staff person with checking visitors in, helping with digital donations, and passing out special donation tote bags
- Set-up Volunteers - 8:00 am – 9:30 am
Assist with directing vendors to set-up area; help keep vendors on schedule with unloading; Assist Art Instructors with setting up demo area
- Mural Support Volunteers - 10 am - 2 pm
Coordinating turns between participants, refilling supplies, keeping the area tidy, and answering community questions about the project!
- Event Floaters Volunteers - 10 am - 2 pm
Check in with artists and vendors, relay any needs to staff

Sign up to be a volunteer by clicking this link: https://orangerec.arux.app/.../ocer-volunteer-registration

✨SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT ✨

Stagecrafters Teen Summer Stock presents Godspell!

Auditions: June 22 and 23
Callbacks: June 25 (26 if needed)
Performances: August 7 & 8

Sign-ups are open now on Arux

Thank you Camp Ho Mita Koda for the spring field trip in April! We spent the afternoon doing some classic camp activities like archery, holding snakes (!!), and eating lunch by the lake.

The chicks have hatched! Every spring, our preschoolers get a first-hand lesson in the lifecycle of a chicken, starting with eggs and chicks. We received the chick eggs a few weeks ago, and we have been eagerly awaiting them to hatch. Each classroom has a chance to stop by the chicks to pet them and even hold them if they want! After they spend a few days in our preschool, the chicks go back on a farm to be raised into adulthood.

Our Adult Adaptive Recreation participants have been hard at work preparing for the Orange Village Market this Saturday, May 2!

They kicked things off by naming their booth and creating a sign, then spent time building real-world skills by refreshing their money handling and customer service abilities, even taking part in a mock market to practice.

Now they’re ready for the real thing! Stop by on Saturday to show your support and purchase a bouquet. We can’t wait to see you there!

Happy National Volunteer Week April 19-25! Thank you so much for volunteering with us this year. Without your help, we would not be able to achieve our mission of delivering excellent learning, discovery, and active recreational experiences for all. Whether you are coaching a sports team, assisting our teachers in the classroom, or hopping on a bus to Ski Club, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to volunteer with us and in programs that benefit the whole community. You are among the 200+ miracle workers that make participants feel welcome, safe, and excited to engage in our classes and events. We are all so appreciative of your support!

Happy Earth Day! It's such a nice day outside today, so our preschoolers are taking advantage of the beautiful weather and celebrating Earth Day by picking up some trash to help keep our earth clean!

Check out The SCOOP May-June for all the latest news about the Orange Senior Center

We are looking for some Safety Town volunteers! Come be a part of a very important week for our youngest campers, ages 4-6. You'll teach them about the safety of traffic, pedestrian, bus, pool, and fire. Volunteers must be at least 15 years old.
Volunteers needed June 29-July 2 from 9am-1pm. There is also a training day June 26 from 11am-12pm