Weekly Blog 9/25

Dear Wines Families,
Another busy week here at Wines! Here is all the news for the week.

Early Release Today
Reminder, we dismiss at 1:29 this afternoon. There is no afternoon childcare.

Picture Day Tuesday, Oct. 1
Picture Day is next week. All students will get their picture taken even if you are not ordering prints. In addition, all students receive a yearbook at Wines even if you don’t order prints. If you are ordering prints, you can have your child bring their paper order form and payment on Wednesday. You can also order directly online. Go to: https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/43846B. If you need financial assistance with pictures, please contact me and we will provide that for your family.

Wines Directory
Thanks to Robin Moore, the world’s greatest school Office Professional, the Wines Directory is ready. I sent a link to the directory in today's email.

“Walktober” Begins Next Week
Our annual celebration of Walktober begins next week. During the month of October, we encourage students to walk to school. We celebrate on Wednesday, Oct 2^nd as we participate in International Walk to School Day. We also walk each Friday during the month. If your student rides a bus to school, our busses drop off in the south Forsythe parking lot where I meet them to walk to school. I also pick up the morning childcare students and walk them to Forsythe with me to pick up the bus riders. So everyone can participate! We have created a sign-up for parent volunteers at 3 locations on the way to school. Thank you to those who already signed up to help! We mostly need volunteers at Sunset and Newport. Below is a link to the sign up.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a4fa8af2da1ff2-walktober

Run-a-Thon Oct. 18^th
Mark your calendars for Friday, October 18^th for our annual Run-a-Thon that takes place all morning that day. Every Wines student participates in this annual event that encourages health, school spirit, philanthropy, and community. Run-a-Thon is also one of our most important fundraisers. Look for much more information over the coming weeks. This year's event features a new wrinkle for our parent participants and volunteers: a coffee truck from Bearclaw! If you are interested in helping out, please go to the link below. For new families, please look for more information as we approach the event. However, if you have time that morning, this is one of the most fun and one of the easiest volunteer opportunities at our school!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b4caaae2c7-2019

That’s it for this week.
David

Weekly Blog 9/11

Dear Wines Families,

It’s always amazing to me how quickly it feels like we’ve been in school for months! As I type this on day seven of our school year, I am tremendously pleased with how the year has started. The kids and staff are well into their routines and we are getting down to the business of teaching and learning—and having fun! It’s a busy time of year, so this note is longer than normal. Please take a moment to read the news for the week.

Curriculum Night

Our annual Curriculum Night is next Tuesday, September 17^th from 6:30-8:00. Teachers will present in their classrooms from 6:30-7:00. I will meet with our community from 7:00-7:30 and then at 7:30, teachers will repeat their presentations for any family that did not attend the 6:30 session. The evening is designed for parents only. Unfortunately, we cannot provide childcare.

School Bond Information Session

Please join us on September 24^th from 5:30-6:30 for an informational session on the 2019 AAPS Bond. This is a chance for our school community to learn more about the history of AAPS schools, the impacts of our school buildings on student performance, how the bond was developed, the financial impact of the bond to the community, the goals of the bond, and how we are renewing and re-envisioning our schools. Members of the district staff will be here to share this information. Please join us to learn more about the 2019 AAPS Bond.

PTO New Family Orientation

Immediately following the School Bond presentation, our PTO will host their annual New Family Orientation. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our PTO, the various events our school puts on, meet our boar members, and have your questions answered. There is free childcare available for this meeting and all PTO meetings.

Lunchtime Volunteer Opportunity

If you are interested in a fun outdoor volunteer opportunity, we always love folks to participate during lunchtime. There is a volunteer sign up below. In addition, we do have paid positions to work in the program if you or someone you know would be interested in being paid! You can contact me directly if you are interested in the paid position. Below is the volunteer link.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084cadaa2daafc1-lunch1

Wines Directory

We are just about ready to publish (electronically) our Wines Directory. The directory information includes, your child’s name, parent/guardian name(s) parent/guardian email(s), parent/guardian phone number(s). We take this information from your online enrollment. If you do not wish to have this information included in the directory, please email Robin Moore at moorero@aaps.k12.mi.us. We are not able to edit which information is or is not included. You can simply opt out, however.

Volunteer Opportunities in the Library!

The library is a great place to volunteer. If you are interested, please see the note from Ms. Evaldson that I included in today's email.

Warm the Children

We are now accepting applications for Warm the Children.  Warm the Children is a program sponsored by Kiwanis Club and the Ann Arbor Foundation.   This program provides assistance to children in need in Washtenaw County annually. The program buys warm winter clothing for school aged children (up to age 16) in need ($90.00 per child). A volunteer shopper is assigned to the family to help shop, and handle paperwork.  The family must provide their own transportation to the store where shopping will take place. If you are interested, please email Heather Herrick, Wines School Social Worker at herrick@aaps.k12.mi.us . Families are served on a first come basis so please get your application in ASAP as funds are limited. If you were served from this program last year, unfortunately, you will not be eligible to apply this year.

Fall into After-School! 

AAPS Rec & Ed is excited to offer several after-school classes focused on fun, learning, movement, and discovery. Registration is now open, and spots are filling fast! Please see class options below, and visit Rec & Ed after school classes for details. For scholarship information, click here.

Wines
The Power of Drawing - Early Fall
The Power of Drawing - Late Fall
G-Powers Little Hoopers
After School Chess
    Chess: Beginning/Intermediate - Early Fall
    Chess: Beginning/Intermediate - Late Fall
Spanish
Into The Wild

Thanks,

David

Weekly Blog 9/4

Dear Wines Families,

Yesterday was a fantastic day at Wines! I want to extend a warm welcome to our new families and to everyone in our community. I was a “new parent” yesterday as well as I sent my twin boys off to Forsythe Middle School for their first day of 6^th grade. It was a little strange not having them here at Wines with me, but they came home smiling and happy, so I’m a happy parent!

Welcome to my first “Wednesday Email” of the year.  You will receive a weekly email from me each Wednesday all year. I try to be as brief as possible so that folks will take the time to read the message. This email is the best way to receive information about what is going on at Wines and I ask that you read it weekly. I also post the weekly message on a blog at www.winesprincipal.blogspot.com as well as on the Wines Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wineselementary and on our Twitter feed at @wineselementary. So there is no shortage of ways to keep up!

Back to School Picnic

Please join us for our annual back to school picnic tomorrow evening on the back playground. This is a great informal event to give everyone a chance to connect and reconnect. The picnic begins at 6:30. 

Curriculum Night

Curriculum Night is Tuesday, September 17^th. Teachers will present in their classrooms beginning at 6:30 PM until 7:00PM. I will present in the auditorium from 7:00-7:30. Teachers will repeat their presentations from 7:30-8:00 for those who were not able to attend the 6:30 presentation. Please note that Curriculum Night is an evening for parents, not students. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide childcare that evening.

Crosswalk

Thank you to everyone for a fairly seamless drop off and pick up yesterday and this morning. One thing I want to remind parents of is that students are never allowed to cross the crosswalk at the front of the building without an adult. It is simply too busy in that area. If you are walking  your child into the building or out to your car at the end of the day, please escort them across the crosswalk. In addition, if you are crossing, please utilize the crosswalk only. Walking across in other areas is not only a safety concern, but also disrupts the flow of traffic. Thank you! 

Cub Scouts - Fun for Everyone!

Cub Scouts is now open to children Kindergarten through 5th grade, both boys and girls. Pack 78 meets at Wines and welcomes everyone K-5 to visit and see what Cub Scouting is about. For more information, look for our table at the Wines Back to School Picnic (September 5) or come to our informational night (for interested youth and caregivers) September 11, 7-8pm, at Wines.   Our first monthly Pack Meeting will be September 25, 7-8pm, at Wines.  Join us and learn more about Scouting and all of the fun changes in the program. For more information, you can contact Cubmaster Seth Guikema at seth.guikema@gmail.com.

Girl Scout Discovery Night!

Come learn about Girl Scouts and get started in a troop!

Wednesday, September 18th - 6:30pm - in the cafeteria
Questions? Contact: Michelle Chein - mknezek@hotmail.com or Janice Amin Jamin@gshom.org.

That’s all for now. Hope to see you tomorrow evening.

David