Weekly Blog 2/13

Dear Wines Families,
As we know, the snow day on Monday caused us to postpone Parent Involvement Day. While we will host the event this year, trying to schedule a new day is a bit tricky as it seems every day for the rest of the school year has something that will need to be rescheduled. However, we are looking at a couple different days in March and April that seem workable. I will let you know when we have a new date and we will again send out invitations and a new RSVP.

Wines Wahoo - Friday, March 8th, 2013 from 6:30 - 8:30 @ Forsythe Middle School
Are you tired of the grey and cold?  Ready for a tropical escape?  The Wines Wahoo is the perfect opportunity to shake off the winter blues! The Wines Wahoo is a luau-themed, fun, family event for all Wines students, their parents and younger siblings. The Wahoo includes music provided by a kid friendly DJ, fun activities in the gym, face painting, and tattoos. There will be pizza, snacks and beverages for sale.  A parent or other adult over the age of 18 must accompany each Wines student. Children over 5th grade will not be admitted to the event but can volunteer. Younger siblings are invited to participate. There is a suggested donation of $5 per family that helps to cover the cost of the DJ and decorations. There is also a nominal fee for the food. In order to make the Wahoo a success, we need volunteers to help with set-up, admissions, refreshments, gym monitoring and clean-up.  There will be several shifts, so you will have time to socialize and have fun with your kids.
 Please sign up for Wines Wahoo - it's easy:
 1. Click this link to go to our invitation page: http://vols.pt/uMRxLu
 2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)

Questions? Contact Denise Duffy (dduffy@isr.umich.edu) or Bobbi Coluni (bobbi.coluni@gmail.com)

Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run at Wines has spaces for 3rd-5th grade girls interested in running and fun!  Registration closes this Friday, February 15th.  The Wines team meets Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 5:30pm.  Season starts March 12.  Sign up here: www.girlsontherunsemi.org/signup

And just a reminder, there is no school next week.

David

Weekly Blog 2/6

Dear Wines Families, 

I just have a couple of messages today. First, I want to remind everyone that we are inviting all Wines parents to our annual Parent Involvement Day next Monday, February 11th. You can spend any part of the day with your child or even the entire day! We would like to have a good estimate of how many folks we are expecting and how many parents are staying for lunch with us (complimentary pizza lunch will be provided for adults). If you are coming on Monday and have not RSVP'd yet, please click on the link below and let us know you are coming and if you are eating. 

RSVP

I also want to send out one final reminder about Kindergarten Round Up. Round Up is tomorrow night (Feb. 7th) from 6:30-7:30. If you have a child entering Kindergarten next year (or if you have friends or neighbors who do), please come to Round Up along with your child tomorrow evening. 

Finally, for parents in Mrs. Rodriguez and Mrs. Caruso's class, just a reminder that to save on paper costs and do our small part for the environment, we are only printing limited copies of programs for tonight's performance. I sent out an email attachment with the program to you today as well as last week. 

Thanks!

David

Weekly Blog 1/30

Dear Wines Families, 

Sorry there was no blog message last week due to our internet outage. The January Wines Times was  attached to today's email with lots of important information so I'll keep my message brief. I do want to bring your attention to three important items that are also in the Wines Times. 

First, just a final reminder that International Night is tomorrow night (Jan. 31st) beginning at 6:30. It is shaping up to be a great evening. 

Second, today every family will be receiving a yellow invitation to our annual Parent Involvement Day celebration on Monday, Feb. 11th. We hope to see you for some or part of the day on the 11th. I will be sending out an electronic RSVP either Thursday or Friday. If you are coming that day, please fill out the RSVP--particularly if you are staying for lunch so we are sure to order enough food. 

Finally, a reminder that Kindergarten Round Up is next Thursday, Feb. 7th from 6:30-7:30. If you have a child coming to Kindergarten in the fall (or if you have friends or neighbors how do), please bring your child to Round-Up next week. If you can't make Round-Up, please call Robin in the office so we have your child's information and Robin can arrange with you when to pick up your registration and information packet. 

Thanks and please read the WInes Times! 

David

Weekly Blog 1/16

Dear Wines Families,

There are a number of important pieces of information this week. Sorry for the long message!

Mark Your Calendars
• January 21st: No school in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday.
• January 22nd: We will have our annual MLK celebration at 1:30. Every student will participate. All are welcome (please note that parent seating will be extremely limited).
• January 29th: No school for students. (This is a professional development day for staff. This date was not on the original PTO calendar sent home earlier this year).
• January 31st: International Night (More information later in this message).
• February 11th: Parent Involvement Day (More information and an invitation coming soon. We hope to see all parents for at least part of the day).

School Security
At the PTO meeting last night, I discussed the current safety procedures in place at Wines in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut. While we have not made any large changes, we have made some small changes and we have reviewed and “tightened” our existing procedures. You have likely noticed that only one front door is open during the day. That door can be locked from the office with the push of a button. In addition, all interior doors are now kept locked so they can be easily closed and secured in the event of a lock down. Please be sure to ALWAYS have a visitor badge on when you are in the building—even if you are a regular volunteer. I have been asked many times about the possibility of installing a camera at the front door and keeping the door locked at all times. This is something the school district is looking into.

International Night
International Night is coming!  On Thursday, January 31, Wines will host a fun and informative event showcasing the many cultures of the Wines community. We need students to create and present projects, parents to assist with cultural crafts and activities, young performers to entertain with multi-cultural acts, and everyone involved to contribute their favorite ethnic dishes for an international buffet! Please sign up online at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0C4FAFAA2EAA8-volunteers. Please contact Shireen Syed (shisy786@yahoo.com) or Annemarie Dolan (akilburndolan@comcast.net) with any questions.

Girls on the Run-Spring 2013
Registration is now open for Girls on the Run for Spring 2013. Our Wines site is almost full, unless we can get more coaches. If you want to sign your daughter up, please add her to the waitlist at Rec and Ed and complete the registration on the GOTR website. If we can find two more full-time coaches (parents, grandparents, family friends, high school or college students), we can accommodate more girls at our site. Please contact Jennifer Hall at a2halls@gmail.com or (734) 213-6037 if you are interested. Registration fees for daughters of coaches are waived by GOTR. Spring session starts March 12. The Wines team meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 5:30. Open to girls in grades 3-5. Come join the fun!

Thanks!

David

Weekly Blog 1/9

Dear Wines Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a nice winter break and were able to relax and have some family time. It was great to see all of the kids arrive back to school on Monday. Students and staff are “back to business” and it seems like we never left.

There are a number of important announcements this week.

Lunchtime Extra Specials start January 15th!
The Lunchtime Extra Specials activities start next Tuesday and we still need volunteers!! We only need a commitment of one lunchtime per week for 7 weeks (skipping mid-Winter Break) and younger siblings are more than welcome!

We are in need of volunteers to lead Board Games and Speed Stacking (Tuesdays). We also need additional help with: Free Dance (Wednesdays), Sewing & Crafts (Wednesdays), Knitting—Beginning & Experienced (Thursdays), Paper Airplanes (Thursdays), and Origami (Fridays)

If you have time to help us with this fun and much-loved activity, please visit VolunteerSpot at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4DA9A629A13-parent and sign up today. You can also email shisy786@yahoo.com with your activity preference and availability. We look forward to seeing you at lunch next week!

REGISTER NOW FOR GIRLS ON THE RUN - SPRING 2013
Registration is now open for Girls on the Run for Spring 2013.  Session starts March 12. Wines team meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 5:30. Open to girls in grades 3-5. Come join the fun! For more information, contact Jennifer Hall at a2halls@gmail.com or (734) 213-6037.

Kindergarten Round Up
Our annual Kindergarten Round Up will take place on Thursday, February 7th from 6:30-7:30 PM. If you have a child who will be 5 years old by Nov. 1, 2013, please come to Round Up with your child! You can begin registering your child at any time beginning now. Please help spread the word to your friends and neighbors as well.

PTO Meeting
Our next PTO meeting will be taking place next Tuesday, January 15th at 7:00 PM. Heather Herrick, our School Social Worker, will be at the meeting and will speak briefly about talking to kids about violence in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut. I will also be speaking about current security measures in place. As always, free childcare will be available.

Thanks for Giving!!
Our four simultaneous giving opportunities in December were incredibly successful. Thank you to everyone for participating in our Food Drive with Food Gatherers, our Coat Drive, the Wish List items for the Ann Arbor Preschool, and/or our Puzzle Collection for Peer Pals. I’m happy to report that we donated 542 pounds of food to Food Gatherers, collected 95 coats or other winter garments, nearly filled all of the wish list items for the preschool, and we have more puzzles than our Peer Pals know what to do with!! Thank you Wines!

David

Weekly Blog 12/19

Dear Wines Families,

The December Wines Times was included with today's email so I won't add much information to this email. I do want to make three quick announcements, however.

First, we have a small calendar change for January. Our amazing music teacher Beth McNally will be presenting at a state conference on January 18th. That is the day we have scheduled for our Martin Luther King Holiday activities. Beth has a performance planned that includes every student at Wines. Therefore, we have shifted our celebration to the day after the holiday. We will celebrate the day on Tuesday, January 22nd with our assembly taking place at 1:30.

Second, I want to point your attention to the International Night Flyer that was also attached to today's email. International Night is January 31st.

Finally, I want to thank all of our parents who have been diligent about signing in at the office this week. Our computer sign in station has been repaired and is now operational again. Please make sure you are signing in and have a sticker on when you are in the building--even if it is just for quick visit. Over the next few days, we know there will be many special activities in the building that parents will be attending. At certain times over the next few days--particularly Friday--we will be expecting many parents at the same time. During these busier times, we will not use our computer station but instead will have a table set up outside of the office with sign in sheets and visitor stickers. Please help us as we work to ensure we are aware of every visitor in our building.

We met as district administrators yesterday to discuss potential updates to our building security plans. In the days to come, we will likely make some minor changes to our existing systems at Wines.  I will let you know as soon as plans are formalized. Major changes (i.e. a "buzzer system" to enter the school) are being discussed as well.

Have a wonderful holiday season.

David

Weekly Blog 12/12/12

Dear Wines Families,
I’ll start today with a quick brainteaser. Today is December 12, 2012. So the date is 12/12/12. This is the last repetitive date for quite some time. Assuming for a moment that the Mayans were not correct and the world doesn’t end today, what will the date be on the next repetitive date on the calendar? As with anything, you can Google the answer quite easily. But challenge yourself to do it the old fashioned way!!

Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad registration closes this Friday, December 14th. Register your child online at: http://winespto.org/ScienceOlympiad/scienceRegistration.html or you may print the form in the attachment and return it to your child’s teacher. We still need coaches to make the event a success. If you have an interest in Map Reading, Describe It/Build It, Endangered Animals, Flowers or Paper Airplanes, we need your help! To all second grade families, this is a great event for your child to become involved. The attachment describes the Olympiad and answers many questions or you may contact kellymichaelssoluk@gmail.com or david.creen@benefitfocus.com for more information.

Quick Survey
Our PTO is making short and long term plans to try to make their meetings as accessible to as many parents as possible. Below is a link to a one-question survey about meeting times. If you could please take a moment to fill it out, our PTO would really appreciate it!
PTO Survey

News from the Library
Attached to today's email was the latest newsletter from Sally Evaldson in the Media Center. Please have a look.

Winter Vacation Learning
I want to again remind everyone that if you are looking for opportunities to keep your child’s brain stimulated (and perhaps keep them busy!) during the winter break, we have again teamed up with ThinkStretch. You can download materials at:http://www.thinkstretch.com/brainfreeze/
Enter promo code: Winter12

Holiday Gifts
I want to remind everyone that it is school district policy that staff members cannot accept gifts from families beyond “token value.” I understand that at this time of year, parents and children like to express their appreciation to teachers and other staff. Speaking for the staff, please know that we feel your appreciation every day! A donation to a local charity in our school’s name or a teacher’s name is a great gift to us for the holidays. The Peace Neighborhood Center is a wonderful organization right in our backyard if you need a good idea.

Thanks!

David