Weekly Blog 11/13

Dear Wines Families,

Well that was certainly an unexpected early winter blast. Thank you to everyone for your patience on Monday as we navigated the unexpected amount of snow we received and had late busses and other end of day challenges. With yesterday’s snow day, there are some changes to schedules. That information is below.

Picture Re-Takes Monday, Nov. 18^th

Our Picture Re-Take day has been rescheduled to Monday, Nov. 18^th. Again, if your child had their picture taken but wants a re-take, please send the original package to school. If your child was absent, they will have their picture taken. An order form was sent home last week. You can also order online at www.inter-state.com/order. Our unique school code is 43846RA.

Science Olympiad Meeting

The WESO parent meeting has beeb rescheduled for Monday, Nov. 18^th at 7:00 PM in the cafeteria.

Science and Builders Fair Thanks!

Another great Science and Builders Fair is in the books. Thank you to the 58 students and families that participated and those that attended to see what the excitement is all about. Click on the link below to see photos from the event! 

https://winesscienceandbuilders.weebly.com/gallery.html

Special Thanks to AAPS teachers: Ms. Schemanske, Mr. Campbell and Mr. Centivany for adding the thrill of PLTW displays and an army of young volunteers. We are truly fortunate to have your support! 

The youth volunteers and parent volunteers were instrumental in visiting all projects and providing feedback. Please reinforce heartfelt Wines gratitude the next time you see these individuals. 

Finally, I want to extend a HUGE thank you to Bryan and Ruthie Kowalk who have organized the Science and Builders Fair since 2015. Putting on an event like this that is accessible to every interested student from Young 5’s through 5^th grade is no easy task and we could not do it without their enthusiasm and organization. THANK YOU! As the Kowalks “graduate” from Wines this year, the Hinesman and Campbell families have come forward to ensure that the Wines Science and Builders Fair will continue long into the future!

Winter is Here…

As we all now know all too well, winter has arrived already. I want to remind everyone that with winter here, kids need to come to school prepared to go outside daily. Most students will go outside at least twice a day as long as the wind chill is above 0 degrees. Hats, gloves, and boots are necessities daily. Snow pants are a great idea as well.

That’s all for this week. Stay warm and Go Blue!

David

Weekly Blog 10/30

Dear Wines Families,

Run-a-Thon Collections: Extended Until Friday

Big thanks to everyone who has contributed/collected pledges for our Run-a-Thon. We are nearing our goal, but still have some work to do. We are collecting pledges through this week. Pledges can be brought via cash or check (made out to Wines PTO) or online at https://wines-elementary-school-pto.square.site/shop/run-a-thon/6. Thank you!

Halloween

We will be celebrating Halloween (rain or shine) tomorrow afternoon. Students can bring their friendly costumes to school in a bag to be put on in the afternoon. Please no fake blood or weapons. Our parade will begin at 2:30. Weather permitting, we will exit the building from the Kindergarten wing near the modular building. We will walk to Cooley and then head left on Saunders Crescent. We will then turn left onto Hillridge and enter the Forsythe property on the path from Hillridge. We will all go straight into the building front doors from there. There are lots of great places to view the parade along those streets or the path through Forsythe’s athletic fields. You can also join us for the walk. We will have a modified indoor parade if the weather is too wet.

Science and Builders Fair Registration Closes This Friday!! 

Have your spot reserved in this years fair! Still need an idea- log into the site and find one based on interests and age.

Parents do you have too much going on? Let your child take the lead....curiosity can be their guide and you can help them keep it simple! 

We need volunteers to visit projects or you may get recruited at check in. Please click on the volunteer tab to learn more and sign up. 

https://winesscienceandbuilders.weebly.com/

Please Alert Office of Absences AND Late Arrivals

Just a reminder to please call the office if your child will be absent from school and also if they will be late to school. We account for each child every morning. Our office phone is (734) 994-1973. You can leave a message at any time at that number. Parents can also alert teachers if you wish, but the office must be notified. Thank you.

Cooley Parking Lot

Lately I’ve noticed many cars in the Cooley parking lot that do not have Kindergarten/Y5 children and siblings. As a reminder, that lot should be used only for these families. If your child is not in Kindergarten/Young 5 or a sibling, please use the main entrance. Thank you.

Bond Proposal Vote Nov. 5

The 2019 Bond Proposal includes upgrades designed to enhance safety and security for students, staff, and the community. Learn more about these proposed changes here. 

  

Learn all about the proposal from our new Informational Video, during the Ann Arbor Public Schools Facebook Live event TODAY at noon, and at the Westerman Preschool and Family Center on Friday, November 1st at 8:30 AM. More information including a video of the presentation and a schedule of additional meetings is available at a2schools.org/2019 bond.

Speaking of the Bond vote, there is no school next Tuesday, Nov. 5^th for Election Day.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions.

David

Weekly Blog 10/23

Dear Wines Families,

Here is the news for the week.

Run-a-Thon: Pledges due Friday!

As I said last Friday, the Run-a-Thon was another fantastic day at Wines! Pledges are beginning to trickle in, but as of today we are well short of our goal. Pledges are being collected all week. While Friday is technically the last day to collect, we will certainly accept pledges after Friday. Online pledges are an easy way for friends and family (or you) to make a pledge. Please go to https://wines-elementary-school-pto.square.site/shop/run-a-thon/6 to make your online pledge. We are hoping to make our Chromebook and iPad purchase soon!! Any support you can give will help.

Science and Builders Fair

20 students have already signed up for this years Science and Builders Fair! Add your name to that list by Registering! 

https://winesscienceandbuilders.weebly.com/

You don’t need to have an idea when registering. In fact, you can FIND an age appropriate idea on the website! The only thing registration requires is your name and if you are going to do a Science or Builders Project.

Also at the Fair will be the Robotics Teams from Forsythe and Skyline! Look for some Wines Alumni and learn what those clubs are all about!  

HELP WANTED: Wines is seeking assistance from a family with children in the lower elementary willing to run the Science and Builders Fair in future years. This year the coordinator will manage all responsibilities leading up to the fair and just needs assistance on the night of from 5:30 to 8:30 with set up- sign in- volunteer coordination and clean up. It’s a chance to learn the ropes and take over next year! 

Please reach out to Bryan and Ruthie at thekowalks@hotmail.com if you are interested or would like more information

Great Ideas Grants

Do you have a great idea? The Great ideas Grant program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program to benefit the Wines community! The grant approval committee meets twice a year to vote on applications. Submissions are now accepted online only.  The first deadline is November 1st. The links for the Adult and Child application can be found on the Wines PTO website: winespto.github.io.

Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now! Submit several! We look forward to hearing from you. Contact: Sumi Sood – sumi.sood1@gmail.com

Science Olympiad Meeting

Please join us for an introductory parent meeting, November 11 at 7pm in the Wines Multi-Purpose Room for those interested in the competitive Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad (WESO). The date of the competition is May 9th, 2020, where Wines typically sends approximately 100 2nd-5th grade students. Our Wines children will need coaches, so please come out and learn about this event, how your child can participate, and all the coaching and volunteer opportunities available.

David

Weekly Blog 10/16

Dear Wines Families,

Run-a-Thon Spirit Week is in full gear and there is great excitement in the building. We are looking forward to Friday’s event!

Run-a-Thon

The big event takes place on Friday morning. We are currently accepting pledges and will through next week. Run-a-Thon is one of our most important fundraisers and we hope everyone can contribute. No pledge is too small! We are looking to immediately purchase 32 new iPads and 32 new Chromebooks once Run-a-Thon is over. In addition, 100% of 5^th grade Run-a-Thon collections will go to support their trip to Camp Tanuga. We are also donating a portion of our proceeds to Anna’s Kindness, a local charity. Anna’s parents spoke to our students at Monday’s Pep Rally. Go to annaskindness.org for more information.

Online Run-a-Thon pledges can be made at https://wines-elementary-school-pto.square.site/shop/run-a-thon/6.

Got Extension Cords?

We run a very long set of extension cords out to the Run-a-Thon site for our music during the day. If you have an extension cord you would like to let us borrow, please email me directly. We will label the cord and I will personally roll it up nicely when we are done! We are looking for an addition 2 or 3 long cords.

Science and Builders Fair: We need Someone to Step Up!

Below is a message from our Science and Builders Fair leaders. We are in desperate need for a parent or two to step up to support the Fair this year. The commitment is really just for the evening itself. Please read below:

Registrations are rolling in for the Science and Builders Fair and in order for the fair to happen as planned we need an assistant to help coordinate the Builders Fair!  This is a great opportunity for a family with children in the lower elementary willing to assist for the next few years. The job requires help with set up, checking kids in, coordinating volunteers and clean up. All of which will take place from 5:30 -8:30 on the night of the fair. All registration duties for both fairs and the management of the Science Fair will be handled by the existing coordinator.

Please reach out to Bryan and Ruthie at thekowalks@hotmail.com if you are interested or would like more information.

Log in now to sign your child up for this great all school event!
https://winesscienceandbuilders.weebly.com/

Great Ideas Grants

Do you have a great idea? The Great ideas Grant program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program to benefit the Wines community! The grant approval committee meets twice a year to vote on applications. Submissions are now accepted online only.  The first deadline is November 1st. The links for the Adult and Child application can be found on the Wines PTO website: winespto.github.io.

Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now! Submit several! We look forward to hearing from you. Contact: Sumi Sood – sumi.sood1@gmail.com

That’s all for this week. Thank you in advance for supporting our Run-a-Thon!

David