Weekly Update 12/16

 Dear Wines Families, 

Well, here we are with the final message of 2020. It’s certainly been a different and challenging year, but I’m happy to have you all part of my life during these times and I look forward to brighter days in 2021! 

Report Cards and Assessment Data

Tomorrow, every family will receive one or two emails from me. All families will receive an email with a secure link to your child’s report card. Grades 2-5 will receive a second email with a secure link to your child’s NWEA report. Grades K/1 will receive a second email with your child’s local math assessment data. Young 5’s will receive just the report card. I’ve done a lot of email gymnastics to get these all set up in our system and I’m crossing my fingers that I did everything right! 

Below are links to letters by grade level with some explanation of the assessment data and for grades K-2, directions for how you can access your child’s Lexia reading data that is part of the fall assessment reporting. 

Please let me know if you have any issues or questions about these items. 

K/1 Letter

2nd grade letter

3rd-5th grade letter

Go Nemo Go!!  

Tune in to the Food Network on December 28th at 9pm & 10pm to watch former Wines student and current Forsythe 6th grader, Nemo Tsai, premiere on the “Kids Baking Championship”. He will be on weekly until he is eliminated. If he’s eliminated!! Here’s a press release about the show. 

Restaurant Fundraisers

On January 12, Wines will be participating with Noodles and Company for a fundraiser. 25% of proceeds of takeout and delivery that evening will go to Wines. Below is a flyer with more information. 

And speaking of Nemo Tsai, we will be partnering with his family’s restaurant, Godaiko, later this winter! 

I hope everyone can find some time for rest and rejuvenation during the upcoming winter break. 

David

Weekly Update 12/9

 Dear Wines Families, 

Sorry for the late message today, it’s been a long day of Zoom!!! 

As always, I hope this finds you well. Having said that, I do know that “well” is a relative term right now. As I said last week, I do find myself with a level of optimism for 2021 but I also know that we are all living in extraordinarily challenging times right now and we are all impacted in myriad ways. While we are a virtual community, we are still a community and I want everyone to know that with Wines being a central part of our community, we are with you and here to support you and your family in any way we can. 

Report Cards

Soon you will be receiving information regarding how to access your child’s fall report card. Report cards will be available next Thursday, Dec. 17. While our traditional report card has undergone some minor revisions due to the virtual environment, in most ways it is nearly exactly like previous years’ reports. Though it isn’t exactly like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, there are some limitations to our report cards this fall with virtual instruction. I say that only to let everyone know that our teachers are doing an extraordinary job of teaching each day and an equally extraordinary job of learning about and reporting on the strengths and growth areas for your child. As with any report card, this is just a snapshot in time for your child. It will provide valuable information, but only a partial picture. It is also just the first report card out of three for the school year and so it is just a beginning. As Shanna Middleton told me when my boys were in her Kindergarten classroom, this is a marathon and not a sprint and so I don’t want families to spend undo time worrying about your child’s report card or progress. Your child IS making progress and we will continue to support them in their learning as the year goes on and work with you in partnership to have a successful school year. 

That’s all for now. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. 

David

Weekly Update 12/2

Dear Wines Families, 

I hope this finds everyone well. It is amazing that we find ourselves here in December. I know we ALL likely are looking forward to the end of 2020, though the struggles of this year will certainly continue into 2021. I do currently find myself with increased optimism that life will ultimately get back to normal for all of us at some point in 2021. 

Book Fair Continues

Just a reminder that our virtual Book Fair continues through Dec. 16. Click HERE for the fair’s website to browse. 

Sora

While the Book Fair will help get real books into our hands, did you know that our students have access to fiction eBooks through a platform called Sora?  Mrs. Evaldson has explored Sora with grades two through five during library class, and it is available for the younger children with some adult help. Sora is found on the Resource Portal on the Library Schoology page of your child’s home base.  Mrs. Evaldson will leave the slide deck with instructions up through December. It is easy to set up and will offer your child many wonderful choices for recreational reading. The AAPS collection was selected by AAPS librarians and the Midwest Collaborative collection comes for the AADL.  

Click here for An Introduction to Sora and Sora FAQs.  Please contact Mrs. Evaldson if you have any questions (evaldson@aaps.k12.mi.us) 

Wines Directory

Recently I’ve received a few inquiries about the Wines Directory. I did send it out a number of weeks ago, but I’m sure many of us have lost track of some of our emails!! In today's email, I again sent everyone the directory. 

Supply Distribution

There are still a handful of families who have not picked up art supplies and/or Math Journal 2 and/or 5th grade instruments. If you still need these items, please email me directly and I’ll arrange a touch-free pick up for you. 

That’s it for this week. Please stay safe and stay positive and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

David 

Weekly Update 11/24

 Dear Wines Families, 

As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to extend my sincere thanks to our entire community. While we all share in the current uncertainty and challenges, we also share in our connection to each other and to our wonderful school. I am so thankful for our students and our families for your support, resilience, and positivity in the face of a school year like no other. I’m so proud of our kids! I’m also so thankful for our staff who continue to learn and adapt to the online environment. I’ve been able to spend a lot of time “in” classrooms over the past few weeks and I continue to be struck by the strong communities that our teachers and staff have helped create. Our first mission this year has been to provide a safe and welcoming place for kids in their virtual classrooms and I believe we have done that in every classroom. When we have such an environment, then learning can take place and learning is taking place! Although this Thanksgiving will likely be different for all of us, I wish you peace and I thank you all for your support. 

The Book Fair is now LIVE until Sunday December 6th! 

Here is the latest from our Book Fair Chair, Stacy Guldal: 

Perfect for holiday shopping (think CyberMonday) and a great way to expand our home libraries! Every book that is in stock and ordered by December 6th is guaranteed to arrive before the holidays. It's safe, easy, and FUN! As an added bonus it will greatly help Wines Elementary be able to provide books and other classroom resources next year for our teachers, classrooms, and school library. 

This link will take you to our book fair website: Wines Elementary Virtual Book Fair. Towards the bottom you will find two ways to shop online, the traditional online shopping site and our 360 degree virtual fair site. You can pick your grade level, browse cases and see the books up close and read their descriptions by using the icons in grey circles. There are lots of other things that interact on the Virtual Book Fair site as well, including posters, bulletin boards, and displays as well as play button icons in the cases to open videos showcasing particular books!

If you are like me, you're constantly looking for ways to bring a little "normal" to our social distancing measures. How about a Virtual Family Night? If your family has a free evening in the coming days, make a plan to sit down and look through the fair together. Take turns navigating the cases and let your kids pick out a book or two for immediate ordering. Add a favorite family dinner and there you have it! A great night for the littles who may need help navigating the fair site and a memorable night for the bigger kids who may really miss browsing the cases and coming to family night. 

Here is a list of recommendations that our teachers have offered if you want to order a holiday gift or need a little inspiration for your shopping! Book Fair Recommendations

If you plan on shopping between now and the end of the day on Thanksgiving, please use code "VIP20" for an additional 20% off of your order!

Wines Spirit Wear Now Available

The online Wines Spirit Wear Apparel Store is now open and will remain open until Nov. 29. Below is a link to the store. Nothing says 2020 like a Wines Wildcat face mask! (joking aside, I'm buying one!!). Please confirm sizing as we cannot accommodate returns. 

https://pogo.undergroundshirts.com/collections/wines-wildcat-apparel

Direct Donations

Thank you to everyone who has been able to make a direct donation to the PTO. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it! We understand the challenges that many in our community are facing right now and we honor the fact that a donation at this time is simply not possible for some. If you are in a position, however, we humbly ask you to consider this opportunity.

If you are able to make a donation, please go to https://wines-elementary-school-pto.square.site

Speaking of supporting our school, I’m pleased to let you know that our new playground structure on the lower el playground is nearing completion. I was at school this morning and it looks great! If you are near school, have a peek at the rear of the building outside of Ms. Shanteau’s classroom and you’ll see the new structure! Projects like these are made possible from the support of our community. Thank you!

David

Weekly Update 11/18

Dear Wines Families, 

I have a few important announcements and updates today: 

Closing Circle Time Change

Beginning after Thanksgiving break, our teachers will be adjusting the Closing Circle time to occur earlier in the day. Closing Circle is a valued Responsive Classroom practice that we want every student to experience. Over the last several months, we have received feedback from many in our community regarding the challenges with holding Closing Circle late in the day and this is evident in our participation rate as attendance at Closing Circle is roughly half of what it is in the morning. Additionally, as we continue to remain in virtual learning status, we are continually seeking ways to provide needed support and flexibility for our families. Your child’s teacher will share the specific schedule adjustment with you over the next week but Closing Circle will take place at some time between 1:15 and 1:45 depending on the classroom schedule. Please know that teachers will continue to be available to assist students individually or in small groups and/or provide asynchronous feedback for the balance of the school day ending at 3:13pm. 

Wines Spirit Wear Now Available

The online Wines Spirit Wear Apparel Store is now open and will remain open until Nov. 29. Below is a link to the store. Nothing says 2020 like a Wines Wildcat face mask! (joking aside, I'm buying one!!). Please confirm sizing as we cannot accommodate returns. 

https://pogo.undergroundshirts.com/collections/wines-wildcat-apparel

Scholastic Virtual Book Fair is Coming Up!

Below is a note from Stacy Guldal, our Book Fair Coordinator: 

Happy Wednesday Wines community! We are getting closer to the launch of our Virtual Book Fair! You guys already know how much I LOVE the book fair and I'm very excited to be able to offer the opportunity to put new books in the hand of our kids! The 360 degree immersive experience of their Virtual Book Fair offers a similar feel to the in person fair by allowing families to experience the joy of browsing the book cases, characters, and more while viewing exclusive book trailers and reading lists. Our fair website will be live November 23 - December 6.

We are working with our amazing teaching and support staff to arrange some time for your kids to look through the fair and put together a wish list. These wish lists are a great opportunity to get some holiday gift ideas for parents and other family members while helping to support Wines, the school library, and our classroom libraries! All in stock orders placed on or before December 6th are guaranteed to arrive before the holidays!

Next week you will be receiving a link to our fair website that will direct you to the virtual book fair as well as traditional online shopping sites and the wish lists will be distributed by your students' teacher to either be printed or filled out on their Chromebook. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and THANK YOU for your continued support! 

Stacy Guldal (stacyguldal@gmail.com)

Supply Distribution

For the few families who were not able pick up supplies, please contact me directly to make an appointment to come by school. Please email me and I will arrange to meet you at Wines. This likely will not be possible until after Thanksgiving. As a reminder, all students received Art supplies, grades 1-5 received the second Math Journal, and 5th graders received instruments. 

Thanks! 

David

Weekly Update 11/11

Dear Wines Families, 

I hope you have had the opportunity to enjoy the summer like weather we've had recently. While it looks like we won't see 70 degrees again for some time, it was nice while it lasted. I don't have a lot of new information today and that is refreshing as it seems like every day since August we've had new things to report! It means we have settled into our routines. Speaking of routines, this is the time of year where I am conducting observations of teachers as part of their evaluations. I have had the opportunity to be "in" classrooms daily and it has been so wonderful to see your children and I have been extremely impressed with their efforts and the work of our teachers. While we'd all rather be inside the school building, I can tell you with certainty that GREAT things are happening in our virtual classrooms. I am so proud of our students and staff and I'm also so thankful to our families who have hung in there with us as this year has taken shape. 

Reminder: Supply Distribution TODAY 3:00 PM-6:00 PM

Please enter Wines from the Newport entrance and proceed to the front of the building where you will be greeted by a staff member. Please have a piece of paper with your child's full name and grade level to hand to the staff member. This will help us get the right supplies to you in a timely fashion. 

5th Grade Families: Please follow the same directions as above where you will pick up art supplies and the second math workbook. After you receive those supplies, continue to the Kindergarten/modular lot. Drive up to the modular area where you will be greeted by a staff member to receive your child's instrument. Please have a second piece of paper with your child's full name displayed to hand to the staff member. 

As a reminder, all Y5-5 grade students will receive art supplies. Grades 1-5 will also receive a second math journal, and 5th graders will also receive your instruments. Please note that the 2nd and 3rd grade art supplies are all labeled "2nd grade". So don't worry if your 3rd grader receives "2nd grade" art materials. Finally, for most grade levels, the second math journal may not be used for some time. Please keep this in a safe place for future use at home or, perhaps, when we return to school. 

That's all for this week. See you later today! 

David

Weekly Update 11/4

Dear Wines Families, 

I hope this finds you well on this fairly odd post-election Wednesday. Regardless of your political position, it is a bit strange not to know the results even though the election was predicted to happen like this. Putting all the rhetoric aside, this is a great civics lesson and our teachers are prepared to field questions and have discussions about the election in a neutral and developmentally appropriate way. Here is the news for the week: 

Supply Distribution Nov. 11

We are confirmed to hold our second supply distribution on Nov. 11 from 3:00 PM-6:00 PM. Included in the distribution will be Art supplies for all students, Every Day Math Journal II for 1st-5th grades, and musical instruments for 5th graders. In order to be efficient and limit staff exposure, we are really hoping to complete our entire distribution on one day. So please mark your calendars. I will send a message later with specific directions for how/where to collect the materials. 

Virtual Book Fair!!

Here is some information from our incredible Book Fair parent volunteer, Stacy Guldal:  

Like most things this year we will be moving forward with the Wines Book Fair in a fully virtual setting! This will help our community keep the health and wellbeing of our families as a first priority. Scholastic has developed a beautiful 360-degree virtual interface that we are really excited about! This interface will give our kids a similar look and feel as our in-person fairs have in the past. The online fair will be open from November 23rd through December 6th. As always, the books ordered within this time frame are guaranteed to arrive before the holidays, as long as they are in stock at the time the order is placed. 

We are hoping to arrange a way for the students to get some time to preview the fair and make a personal wish list, as well as compiling a reference list of teacher recommendations that can help parents or grandparents find books that are age and subject matter appropriate for each grade level. 

The Book Fair is my personal favorite event Wines hosts and I'm SO happy to be able to offer our amazing students the opportunity to get some new books into their hands, encourage a LOVE of reading, and help out Wines all at the same time! 

More information will come in the following weeks, but please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! 

Stacy Guldal (stacyguldal@gmail.com)

That’s all for this week. As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns. 

David