Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Weekly Blog 9/30

Dear Wines Families,
Yesterday was such an exciting day for us here! Being named a Blue Ribbon School is certainly an honor and I again want to extend my thanks not only to our incredible staff, but also to all of you in our community who make this school so special. If you have time to read our full application you’ll see that while achievement is part of our story, the majority of our story is about this wonderful community. So I thank you! Now, on to lots of important items this week.

PTO Meeting
Our first PTO meeting of the year takes place tomorrow evening. At 6:00 we will host a special “orientation” meeting for new families so you can learn about what our PTO does, who are PTO leaders are, and get a sense of the many ways you can participate in our school. At 7:00, we will hold our regular meeting. As always, free childcare will be available.

Speaking of PTO, we are looking for more volunteers for our numerous events this year. I sent an attachment with today's email with online sign ups for all of our events. If you are interested in helping out, please take a look at the sheet.

Walktober
Tomorrow marks the first day of October meaning our annual Walktober celebration begins. We will encourage students to walk to school every Friday in October as well as next Wednesday, Oct. 7th for International Walk to School Day. Again this year, our students who ride the bus will be able to participate, as the busses will drop kids off at the south parking lot at Forsythe. I will also be picking up our morning care students and walking them over to Forsythe to meet the busses. We’ll need some help greeting the kids as they enter our property and at our entrances to make sure they all get a hand stamp indicating they walked to school. If you are willing to help out please visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0c45a9ac28a2f94-walktober

Run-a-Thon
Next Friday we kick off our Run-a-Thon with our annual Pep Rally. The Run-a-Thon takes place on Friday, Oct. 16th. Every Wines student receives a t-shirt for the event. Historically, we’ve had lots of parents who wanted t-shirts as well. If you are interested in purchasing your own t-shirt, there is a link below. Proceeds go to our Run-a-Thon fundraiser. Also, please look for more information about Run-a-Thon next week as well as the pledge forms that will go home on Oct. 12. Any questions, please contact Molly Bazzani at mollybazzani@hotmail.com.


Skyline Homecoming
Our neighbors at Skyline are celebrating their homecoming this weekend and there Friday evening there are great events that our kids and families might be interested in. On Friday at 5:30 there is the homecoming parade. At 6:00 there is BBQ from Blue Tractor as well as chips, drinks, and ice cream (for purchase). Finally, at 7:00 PM the Skyline football team takes on cross town rival Huron. 

Picture Day
Picture Day is next Tuesday, Oct. 6th. Information went home last week about pictures. If you need financial assistance purchasing pictures, please contact me directly.

Show Your Support
My apologies for the late notice, but this week Wines is participating in the promotional “Show Your Support” fundraising program through the Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop. Shoppers show their support by shopping and – for every $5 spent in the shop – dropping a token into your collection jar.  The Thrift Shop then donates a portion of the proceeds to our PTO.  Token totals at the end of each week determine the amount of funds your group receives.  This week's schools are Abbot, Wines, Clague, and Tappan.

North Campus Criterium
Here is a note from one of our wonderful Wines parents about a special event this weekend.
Hello everyone, my name is Jeremy Zeigler. I have a child in Wines Elementary like all of you and want to share a fun big “little” event I’ve been working on with the powers-that-be on U of M’s North Campus. I’d like to formally and personally invite all of you to bring the kids (and their bikes) to be part of the North Campus Criterium with me this Sunday, October 4, 2015. Kids Race is at 11:30am!  

What is a Criterium, you ask?
It’s really just a fancy word for a bike race… and even if racing isn’t your thing I encourage you to stop by and see what all the fuss is about. There is a little something here for the entire family: a Kids Bike Race, an Open Bike Race for adults, a PRO-AM Race for the local talent (cyclists), and the main event will be a Relay Race for University Students and Staff.  It’s going to be a very fun event to watch and be a part of and I’m happy to say I’ve been placed in charge of the kids event! The kids event is FREE and we will have a closed little .2 mile loop (very safe) all set up for the kids. We’ll divide the kids into groups day-of when we see how many we have at the event. All kids get a NCCRIT ribbon! I would love to see you and the kiddos on Sunday it's guaranteed to be a ton of fun!

That’s all for this week!


David

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Weekly Blog 9/23

Dear Wines Families,
As might be expected now that we are fully in gear here at school, I have a number of important messages today. Before I get to the messages, I want to thank everyone for attending Curriculum Night on Monday. I’m hopeful that you received lots of important information from your child’s teacher. At Curriculum Night, you should have also had the opportunity to sign up for a parent/teacher conference. If you have not signed up, please contact your child’s teacher to set up a time. Our yearly goal is to conference with 100% of our families. Now on to the important items of the week!

Parking Lot
As we have settled into our routines of the year, it does appear that our already busy parking lot is even more crowded this year. I’ve been generally pleased with how things have gone, but I do want to make sure everyone is on the same page so our lot can be efficient, but more importantly, safe. My main focus area currently is at the main entrance at the end of the day. The line up now consistently extends past the stop sign toward the baseball fields and soccer fields. I’ve noticed on a couple days that parents have parked their cars in that line. You cannot park along that stretch as cars are lining up behind and cannot get around you. Please remain in your car and pull ahead as the line moves. Once we dismiss the students, the line actually moves quite quickly. Also, please do not allow your kids to walk to meet you out at that area. Students should be picked up at the front of the building. We will remind students of this as well, but your help is much appreciated. As always, if you would like to park your car and meet your child at the door, please consider the Forsythe overflow lot right across from the soccer fields. There are many parking spots there and it is a short walk to the front of school.

Our Kindergarten lot (we call it the Cooley lot as the entrance is off of Cooley Street) is intended for Kindergarten students and siblings only. I understand that lot can be a bit more convenient if you come to Wines from the west. However, that is a small, crowded lot and our youngest students are there. I appreciate your help.

PTO Meeting Next Week
Our first PTO meeting of the year takes place next Thursday night in the Media Center. At 6:00 PM, our PTO leaders will welcome new families for a special “orientation” so you can become familiar with how our PTO operates and all the wonderful things they have planned for the year. At 7:00 we will hold our full meeting. We will have free childcare available for both meetings.

Run-a-Thon
Speaking of the PTO, I’ve had a few questions from new families regarding the Run-a-Thon. Much more information will be coming out beginning next week regarding this wonderful event. The Run-a-Thon takes place on Friday, Oct. 16. Every Wines student participates and runs for either 10 or 15 minutes depending on the grade. Every student receives a t-shirt. We encourage students to raise pledge money from friends and relatives with our school-wide goal being an average of $50 per student. However, ANY amount helps and all students participate fully regardless of pledge amount. Again, much more information will be coming soon.

Wines Times
The deadline for articles for the October Wines Times is Sept 30th. If you are interested in contributing to our monthly newsletter, please send information to newsletter@winespto.org.

News from our Nurse
Attached to today’s email is an important informational letter from our school nurse, Jacqueline Dufek. Please take a moment to review it.

FREE! Kid Yoga @ Wines after school!
Grades K-5.  Improve your fitness & focus while having fun! This cooperative form of yoga is held in a stress free environment where kids can explore poses and group activities while building self-esteem and teamwork. Please bring your own mat. Instructor: Nancy Herlocher, CYI.  6 weeks. 
Wednesday, October 1 - December 2, no 11/25.
4:10PM - 5:00PM

Cub Scouts
The Adventure is Waiting! Come join Wines Cub Scouts Pack 78 for an introductory meeting tonight to learn about all the great adventures in Cub Scouts. Learn to tie knots, set up a tent, cook a meal on a campfire, build a bird nest, and create the most awesome derby racecar! For boys from 1st to 5th grade - Get hooked with Pack 78!
Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 6:30 PM Wines Multipurpose Room
Unable to attend? Contact Pack Master Bryan Broulette at 734-657-5894 or wolvlute@aol.com for more information.

That’s all for this week!


David

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Weekly Blog 9/16

Dear Wines Families,

As we reach the mid point of our first full week of school, life has taken shape here at Wines and everything is moving very smoothly. I want to thank everyone for a great start to the school year. I have a number of important announcements this week.

Curriculum Night
Our annual Curriculum Night is next Monday, September 21st from 6:30-8:00. From 6:30-7:00 our teachers will present in their classrooms. From 7:00-7:30, I will be speaking to our community in the Multi-Purpose Room. From 7:30-8:00 our teachers will present in their classrooms again. This gives parents with more than one student at Wines to see two teachers. The two teacher presentations will be the same so parents can attend either session. Curriculum Night is an evening for parents only. With such a large event, it is impossible for us to provide childcare at Curriculum Night.

Please Call the Office
If your child is going to be absent from school, please contact the school office. Sometimes parents are bypassing the office and contacting the teacher directly. While it is certainly fine to contact the teacher, our office staff is ultimately responsible for accounting for each child twice daily and so Robin needs to know if a child is absent first. A phone call to the office is the best way to do this. We check voicemail messages throughout the day so if you don’t reach a live person, we will receive the message.

Looking for Lunch Supervisors
We are looking for additional adults for noon hour supervision. If you have time mid-day or if you know someone who does, please consider joining our team. You can work your own schedule (you don’t need to be here every day). If you just want to volunteer your time, we will certainly take volunteers. However, you can also get paid for the position. The pay is $10.15/hour and our schedule is for 1.5 hours a day. You can apply online at http://www.applitrack.com/WISD/onlineapp/. We will cover the cost of your fingerprinting, which is required in order to work. Please let me know if you are interested!

Library Volunteers Needed
Mrs. Evaldson is scheduling volunteer positions for the Media Center. Attached to today's email is a schedule and information about the many opportunities.

Girl Scouts
The Wines Girl Scout Troops are gearing up for the 2015-2016 Back to Troop!  The Daisies (Kindergarten & 1st Grade), Brownies (2nd & 3rd grade), & Juniors (4th & 5th grade) are forming now and planning a fantastic year!  From camping to parades, completing service projects to earning the Girl Scout Bronze Award, making maple syrup to making new friends, Girl Scouts is a great place to Discover, Connect, & Take Action!  Please contact sknmd17@gmail.com if your girl is interested in joining us!  We are also in search of adults interested in joining our leadership team.  No experience is needed! 

That’s all for this week. I hope to see everyone at Curriculum Night next Monday. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Best,

David



Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Weekly Blog 9/9/15

Dear Wines Families,
It has been a wonderful start to the school year! Yesterday was certainly a bit warm, but we made it through and cooler air has returned today. I want to thank our wonderful PTO for sponsoring our coffee and breakfast yesterday and I want to thank all the parents who were able to spend some time connecting and reconnecting during that time.

Our first day was excellent. Our teachers spent part of the morning making sure students learned all of the classroom procedures and building procedures. We had our welcome assembly where we spoke about how we can be respectful, responsible, and safe at Wines. By the afternoon, all of our classrooms were buzzing with the important teaching and learning that we expect every day! As a school leader, I can’t tell you how pleasing it is to see our systems—both big and small—take shape so quickly allowing students to settle in to the familiar routines of school. I want to recognize all of our outstanding teachers for creating such welcoming environments. I also want to give special thanks to Robin Moore in our office who has been working LONG hours over the past few weeks to make sure everyone—teachers, staff, students, parents—had everything they needed for a successful first day. I also want to give thanks to our Head Custodian, Jamil Jackson, who has worked all summer to make sure our building was spotless on day one.

Your child will be coming home today with his or her weekly Wednesday Folder. In the folder are all of the items that do not come home electronically. While there are some early in the year items that go out on paper, we will continue to be paperless here at Wines. Please send the folder back with your child tomorrow. You can also expect a weekly email from me each Wednesday. The content of the email can also be found on this blog. Twitter users, you can find me @winesprincipal.

Please join us for our annual Welcome Back Picnic tomorrow evening from 6:30-7:30 on the back playground. Bring a picnic dinner for your family and a blanket or chairs to sit on. We are asking families with last names A-M to bring fruit to share and last names N-Z to bring dessert. If you can’t bring a dish to share, don’t worry. Just bring your family!!

Please mark your calendars for Curriculum Night on Monday, September 21st from 6:30-8:00.

I can tell already this will be a great year!

Best,

David