Weekly Blog 3/25

Dear Wines Families,

I first want to reach out and express my sincere hope that this message finds everyone in good health. The DeYoung’s are healthy and hunkered down at home. My wife and I have turned our dining room into a shared home office as working from home is new for both of us and so we don’t have any kind of home office. I’ve seen a few social media posts about couples learning a lot about their spouses now that they are working together. One post I saw had a wife say about her husband, “who would have thought he was a ‘let’s circle back to that’ kind of person.” There is a bit of that happening in our house as well! Here is the news as we know it today:

Joe Reilly Facebook Live Event Today at 4:00 PM

Our friend Joe Reilly who works with our 4^th graders each year is hosting a free children’s concert on Facebook today at 4:00. If you don’t know Joe’s work, he is an accomplished singer/songwriter with a focus on children’s music. Each year he works with our 4^th graders and helps each classroom write, perform, and record an original song. For more information about today’s event, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/246456059729127/

Can We Help??

These are, obviously, extraordinary times in our community. With work stoppages for nearly all of us, this means disruption in income for many of our families. If you are in immediate need of financial assistance, food, etc. please click on the link below so we can have a sense of the needs in our community. I will work with our PTO to support everyone as best as we can. Your survey information is private only to me.  

Can We Help Survey?

Can You Help?

If you are in a position to help support families financially or in other ways, we need you! Please fill out the form below to help us identify you. Your responses are private only to me. The survey does not ask for any donation today. I will follow up later with how you can best provide support.

We Can Help Survey

School Closure Extension

As you know, there is now a statewide shelter in place directive in Michigan until at least April 13. This means that our school closure will last at least that long. Please continue to read emails, etc. from our school district for any additional information. I will certainly send out this information as well.

Teacher Communication

Our teachers have been remarkable in communicating with families and students. I have been very impressed with how quickly this has taken place. As teachers have shared, for now the activities being sent are optional. The goal is to stay connected and provide opportunities for kids. This should not add pressure to your kids or your family.

Spring Break

Next week is Spring Break and we are asking all of our teachers and staff to disconnect next week and focus on their families. Teachers will be back online beginning April 6.

Food Distribution

Please click on the link below with information about food distribution around our community.

https://www.a2schools.org/Page/15641

News from Ms. Wahl

Ms. Wahl is working on revising her website. In the meantime, I will be sharing info from PE for her. Below is her message for this week.

Hi Wines Wildcats!

I miss all of you!  Remember staying active is very important.  Everyday try to get outside and ride your bike, run, walk, shoot baskets, jump rope and play. You can always do the PE daily warm up just run laps outside around the house (not in the house). Wahl's Walkers can earn 30 miles walking, biking or running.  Create your own log for your miles.

Here are a couple websites to try: 

GoNoodle    https://gonoodle.com

Cap'N Pete's Power PE.   https://tinyurl.com/HomePEActivity

Feel free to let me know how you are staying active wahl@aaps.k12.mi.us

TTFN-Miss Wahl

That is all for this week. Try to get out and enjoy the sunshine today. I am available daily via email with any questions and concerns you may have.  

David

Weekly Blog 3/18

Dear Wines Families,

Good morning! I hope everyone is healthy and getting used to this new reality. Although, it seems like our reality changes daily! I want to send just a few notes out today but more importantly, I just want to say hello and let you all know that I’m thinking about everyone and missing everyone.

Need Technology?

Nearly all of our students took the technology survey last Friday. The school district has used this data to identify families in need of technology for home learning. Please look for a district announcement later today (likely after 4:00) with the technology distribution plan. I will follow up after the district message just to make sure everyone knows the Wines plan.

Teacher Communication

As I said the other day, teachers are beginning to have daily communication with kids and families. They have also been engaged in staff development (remotely) this week on ways to make virtual learning possible. Most teachers have already begun sending home activities and opportunities. Please know that these experiences are meant to provide enrichment and engagement and are not meant at this time to be new material. Our hope is that for now, this keeps kids connected with school, but these assignments are not “graded” and are optional for students.

Food Distribution

Please click on the link below with information about food distribution around our community.

https://www.a2schools.org/Page/15641

News from Special Area Teachers

Library

Hello, Wines learners!  I will be sharing specific ideas for each grade level as we begin this new adventure.  I encourage every family to bookmark the library website (https://www.a2schools.org/domain/469) for a wealth of resources.  Students are familiar with our best databases already, but I am adding new links as publishers and authors are making their resources available for free.  This is a great time for students to improve their keyboarding skills.  Building Bridges is a great place for our younger students to land.  --Mrs. Evaldson

Music

Hello, Wines students and families! I hope this email finds you well. I certainly missed seeing our students, staff, and families this week! In the weeks ahead, I will be updating the music website to include short assignments, music games, songs/skills we'd been working on in class, and more. Grade-level specific items can be found under the "Classroom Activities" heading. The link to the music website is: https://winesmusic.weebly.com/

I plan on being available through email during normal school hours (8:53 AM-3:59 PM). Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Wishing each of you good health! 

All the best,

Ms. Glaser

glaserj@a2schools.org

Physical Education

Hello Wines Wildcats! I would like all of you to stay active.  Get some fresh air and play, go for a walk or run, ride your bike, roller blade.  All Wahl's Walkers can earn 30 miles.  Just keep a log.

Miss Wahl

I continue to wish everyone good health. I am available at any time via email so please do not hesitate to contact me.

David

Hello Wines! Updates for 3/14

Hello Wines Families,

I want to first simply reach out and say hello. I am thinking about everyone in our community and I know this is a time of uncertainty and fear in our world and in the Wines community. We will ride this out together and today I want to give a few pieces of important information. Before I do, I just want to thank everyone as we all navigated the past couple days. I want to first thank the Wines teachers and staff who were in full "what can I do to help?" mode these past few days. They were supporting our kids and families and supporting each other. Friday was a unique day of learning, but one that was also very normal in our school. A sense of normalcy was exactly what our kids needed. Friday was a day I will reflect on for many years to come and I know I will always reflect on the feelings of pride and admiration I had for our staff. I also want to thank our parents and families who trusted us, offered your support, and contributed to a sense of calm and normalcy for our kids. What a community! Ok, here is some information for today and the days ahead:

Communication
Classroom teachers will be in frequent communication with families. During the next week, teachers are planning and collaborating digitally to best support student learning during our time away from schools and will begin to implement these plans in the days to come. For the first few days, this may simply be in the form of daily check ins and reminders. Ultimately communication will include more academic content opportunities. While the Wines teachers are the finest I have ever seen, turning their classrooms 100% digital literally overnight is a lot to ask. But as we met yesterday, our teachers were fully engaged together and I expect we will see great things. I will be in frequent communication as well. As with the regular school weeks, sometimes less is more so I will try to limit my messages--though things are changing daily so I will likely send more notes than normal. I also ask that families please read the larger AAPS communications

Food Service for Families
AAPS, Chartwells, CAN, and other community providers have partnered to provide food for families in need during this time away from school. We know well that many families depend on school provided meals. In my email earlier today I included a link to information and locations for food delivery. I've also been contacted by many in our community about how you can help. Right now, I ask that you spread information about these opportunities and if we think we need additional support, I will most certainly reach out.

Wines Auction
The Wines Auction Friday evening has been cancelled. Our PTO is actively looking to reschedule for later in April or May. If we aren't able to reschedule, we have plans for an online opportunity for both the silent and live auctions.

That's all for today. Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have. Like I said before, we will ride this out together.

Be well,
David

Weekly Blog 3/4

Dear Wines Families,

Wines Auction: March 21^st

the annual Wines Auction takes place on Saturday, March 21st. Please join us at Stonebridge Golf Course for an amazing night of mingling and fundraising for our Wines community. This exciting, adult only event is a definite must for your calendar. You can meet and mingle with other Wines parents, teachers, and staff in a relaxed and fun environment while helping to raise funds to enrich our children’s educational experience. There will be a silent auction of exciting items in addition to a live auction of all the wonderful classroom art projects made by your very own kids! We will also have fun activities such as the Heads or Tails Game and the Wine Pull.

Like any big successful event, we need help from the Wines community. We are looking for donations of wine worth $30+, sports tickets & memorabilia, vacation homes, restaurant & services gift cards, or anything you think would be a great bidding item. Contact Michelle Chien at mknezek@hotmail.com with your items or questions about the auction. If you have wine to donate, please contact Stephanie Zillich at stephzillich@hotmail.com. We also need volunteers that evening to make the evening a success. Below is a link to volunteer. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4ba5a929aa8-wines1

Finally, tickets for the Auction are on sale now. Safe money by purchasing tickets in advance. Below is a link to purchase tickets. 

https://wines-elementary-school-pto.square.site/shop/auction/4

Used Book Collection/Sale

As part of our March is Reading Month celebration, we are hosting a Used Book Collection and Sale. Do you have used kids books in your house looking for a new home? Pleases consider donating them to our sale. The collection started this week and collection bins can be found at each of our entrances. Students will visit the sale March 18-20^th. All books are $.50. Look for more information as we get closer to the event. Please send in used books beginning next week!

The Disability Awareness Workshop is in 2 weeks!

The Disability Awareness Workshop is on Wednesday, March 18. We really need more volunteers to help us host this wonderful event for our 4th graders.

Please consider volunteering for one of these open slots:

· Media Center activities – 7 needed

· Gym activities – 7 needed

· Classroom Checklist – 2 to 5 needed

· Setup day before – 2 more would be great!

· Equipment p/u and/or drop off – 1 to 2 needed

To volunteer, click here for the online sign up. 

Any questions, please contact Jessi Averill 267-495-6208 or jessi.averill@gmail.com. Thank you!!

Rotary Food Drive

Beginning next week, Wines will participate in the annual Rotary Club/Food Gatherers Food Drive. Boxes will be at our entrances.

Big Thank You: Wahoo!

I want to extend a HUGE thank you to Jane Lardo and Jaimie Sussman for organizing the Wines Wahoo last week. We had a huge turnout and the kids had a great time. I also want to thank the small army of volunteers that made the event so special!

David

Weekly Blog 2/26

Dear Wines Families,

I hope everyone is enjoying the snow day today. I know I have a couple of middle school students in my house who were dancing with joy last night. Maybe their dad danced a bit as well…Here is the news for the week.

Wines Wahoo: Friday Night

Please join us for the Wines social event of the year - the Wines Wahoo! There is something for everyone at this tropical celebration with a DJ, face painting, a photo booth, open gym, board games, and crafts! This is always a highlight of the year for the kids. The event begins at 6:30 at Forsythe. Thanks to the many families who are volunteering that evening. There are still a few open positions where we need volunteers. Please click on the link below for opportunities.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0944a4a62da2fe3-wines

March is Reading Month

Our annual celebration of March is Reading Month commences next week. There are lots of activities all month long. See the calendar below

Used Book Collection/Sale

As part of our March is Reading Month celebration, we are hosting a Used Book Collection and Sale. Do you have used kids books in your house looking for a new home? Pleases consider donating them to our sale. The collection starts next week with collection bins at each of our entrances. Students will visit the sale March 18-20^th. All books are $.50. Look for more information as we get closer to the event. Please send in used books beginning next week!

Disability Awareness Workshop - Still Need LOTS of Volunteers!!

Our annual Disability Awareness Workshop is coming up next month. It’s on Wednesday, March 18. This is a wonderful event that gives our 4th grade students (and volunteers too!) an understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities as well as the innovative solutions they have created.

We're in need of parent volunteers to help out with this event. You do not have to be a parent of a 4th grader to volunteer! 

We’re still in need of volunteers for:

·         Media Center activities – 7 needed

·         Gym activities – 9 needed

·         Classroom Checklist – 2 to 5 needed

·         Setup day before – 2 more would be great!

·         Equipment p/u and/or drop off – 1 to 2 needed

To volunteer, click here for the online sign up. Any questions, please contact Jessi Averill 267-495-6208 or jessi.averill@gmail.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 final deadline for this school year is March 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

Influenza Update

Many schools are reporting multiple absences due to Influenza A or B. Unfortunately, classrooms are an environment where the flu can spread easily.

For parents:

• If your child is diagnosed with flu or suspected flu, please plan to keep him/her home for at least four days, and only if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours. The CDC states that people with flu are contagious for 3-4 days after symptoms begin, so keeping sick children at home is critical to stop the spread of disease. 
• Teach your children to wash their hands, blow their nose into a tissue and throw it away, and cough into their elbows. 
• Get a flu shot if you haven’t already. The vaccine is offering some protection against this year’s strains of flu. 

In addition, AAPS is following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to prevent the spread of flu in schools, including implementing disinfection protocols and daily cleaning of “high touch” areas.

Enjoy the snow!

David

Weekly Blog 2/19

Dear Wines Families,

I apologize in advance that this is a pretty lengthy message this week, but that just means we have a lot happening at Wines. Please take a moment to read through all of the information.

Wines Wahoo Next Friday: We need You!

The annual Wines Wahoo is next Friday evening at Forsythe. We are still in need of volunteers to make the evening as success. Please click on the link below to help!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944A4A62DA2FE3-wines

Spirit Week

In honor of the Wahoo, we have our annual Wahoo Spirit Week next week.

Monday: Twin Day

Tuesday: Favorite Team Day

Wednesday: Class Color Day (TBD by classroom)

Thursday: Twin Day

Friday: Hawaiian Shirt Day (Wahoo Day)

Early Release Tuesday, February 25^th

Next Tuesday is an Early Release Day. Dismissal is at 1:29. There is no PM childcare.

Last Call for Science Olympiad

We have a few slots left on the following team events; practice times are listed as well.   

Second Graders (8 slots open)

• Pasta Bridges - Monday 4pm
• Photon Phun - Wednesday @ 8:10 am
• To Infinity and Beyond - Monday @ 4pm

Third Grade Team is FULL

Fourth Graders (12 slots open)

• Circuit Wizardry - Tuesdays 6-7 pm
• Feathered Friends - Friday 4-5pm
• Genius - Monday 4-5pm
• Geology Rocks -  Tuesday 8am
• Photon Phun - Wednesday 8am 
• To Infinity and Beyond - Monday 4pm

Fifth Graders (3 slots open)

• Circuit Wizardry - Tuesdays 6-7 pm

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 final deadline for this school year is March 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

Wines Auction: Volunteers Needed 

The Wines Auction is right around the corner on March 21^st. We are in need of volunteers to make this a great event. Please go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BA5A929AA8-wines1 if you can help out.

Disability Awareness Workshop - Still Need Volunteers!!

Our annual Disability Awareness Workshop is coming up next month. It will be on Wednesday, March 18. This is a wonderful event that gives our 4th grade students (and volunteers too!) an understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities as well as the innovative solutions they have created.

We're in need of parent volunteers to help out with this event. You do not have to be a parent of a 4th grader to volunteer! 

To volunteer, click here for the online sign up.

Box Tops: Earn Money for Our School

Parents, you can continue to help Wines earn money all year long through the Box Tops for Education program, and all you need is your smartphone! Simply download the Box Tops for Education app and use it to scan your grocery receipt within 14 days of purchase. The app automatically identifies any Box Top earnings and instantly credits them to our school. While you can continue to clip Box Top labels from participating products and send them to school, the traditional Box Top clips are being phased out from production. So, to help our school earn the most money possible, please get the app and scan those receipts! For more information, visit www.btfe.com.

Generosity Project Bags

Just a reminder that if your family is participating in filling bags from the Generosity Project to support House by the side of the Road, the bags are being collected tomorrow. Bins are located in the front vestibule. If you picked up a bag at Parent Involvement Day but were not able to fill it, please return the bag to the same bin and it will be used for future projects.

That’s all for this week!

David

Weekly Blog 2/13

Dear Wines Families,

I want to thank everyone who was able to attend our Parent Involvement Day on Monday. It was a great day with over 300 guests! While we try to have parents experience a “normal” school day with your child, it is certainly far from normal for our staff. I want to thank our staff for continuing to support this special day. Here is the news for the week:

Wines Times

The latest PTO Wines Times newsletter is hot off the presses. Below is a link. Please take a moment to read through it.

https://winespto.github.io/docs/Feb2020WinesTimes.pdf

Last Call for Science Olympiad Sign Up

There are still slots available.  Please register for Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad (WESO).  Mark your calendars for competition day on May 9th.  Practices will start the week of February 17th and continue weekly until competition.  The teams will be formed on a first come first serve basis.  Notification of teams will occur on a rolling basis as teams are filled. Below is a link to sign your child up to participate (Grades 2-5 only). 

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD SIGN UP

Wines Wahoo February 28^th

Please join us for the Wines social event of the year - the Wines Wahoo! There is something for everyone at this tropical celebration with a DJ, face painting, a photo booth, open gym, board games, and crafts! The event is open to all Wines students and their younger siblings. Middle and high school students are welcome to volunteer. Parents are advised to stay within the building as this is not a child drop-off event. Suggested donation of $5 per family.

We need lots of volunteers to make this PTO sponsored event possible. Please see the sign-up for all the ways you can help! Thank you SO much! 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944A4A62DA2FE3-wines

Disability Awareness Workshop - Still Need Volunteers!!

Our annual Disability Awareness Workshop is coming up next month. It will be on Wednesday, March 18. This is a wonderful event that gives our 4th grade students (and volunteers too!) an understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities as well as the innovative solutions they have created. We're in need of parent volunteers to help out with this event. You do not have to be a parent of a 4th grader to volunteer! 

To volunteer, click here for the online sign up
Any questions, please contact Jessi Averill 267-495-6208 or jessi.averill@gmail.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 final deadline for this school year is March 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

Thank you!

David