Well, our 70 degree days are certainly in the rearview mirror but it was nice while it lasted! On that note, just a reminder that we will go outside daily as long as the temperature is 0 degrees windchill or above. Please be sure your child comes to school prepared to be outside daily.
Here is the news for the week:
Report Cards
Report cards will be sent via email next Tuesday, Nov. 22. Everyone other than Young 5’s will also receive a second email with your child’s fall NWEA scores.
Picture Re-Takes Next Tuesday
Our Picture Re-Takes will happen next Tuesday, Nov. 22nd. If you ordered pictures the first time and want to re-take the photo, your child must come to school with the original packet of pictures. If your child was absent for picture day, they will have their picture taken. If you need to order pictures for your child, please go to:
https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/70941N and complete the order online.
Science and Builders Fair Thanks!
Last week’s Science and Builders Fair was a fabulous event. After a two-year hiatus, it was so nice to have this Wines tradition return. The kids’ projects were wonderful and there was great energy in the building that night. BIG thank you to Jennifer and Bradley Hinesman for organizing the event and for the small army of volunteers who helped make the evening so special for our young scientists and builders!
Updated Library Policies
Therapy Dog: Family Meeting and Feedback
As I indicated last week, we’ve met a major milestone with our Therapy Dog, Gracie, as she has moved into Lexi Fata’s home. Gracie is getting used to a new home and new “owner”. We hope to begin slowly introducing her to our school—first during times when the school is empty—over the next few weeks.
Next Monday evening at 6:00 PM, Ms. Fata and I will host a virtual meeting with Wines families to discuss Gracie and answer any questions you may have. I will send out a reminder and Zoom link at the end of this week. In the meantime, we’d like to get some feedback from families regarding any significant concerns that we need to know about in terms of Gracie’s interaction with your child. If there is information we need to know about your child’s ability to interact with a dog at school, please fill out
THIS FORM.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
It's time for the annual Wines Thanksgiving Food Drive! Please support Washtenaw County and Food Gatherers by bringing in non-perishable items through Tuesday, November 22nd. Boxes are at the front entrance of the school building. The most needed items include food such as soups, canned meats, pasta, rice, kid-friendly snacks, and baby food / formula. There is also a need for personal care items such as diapers, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes.
Great Ideas Grants: Deadline Extended until Friday
Do you have a great idea to support Wines Elementary?
The Great Idea Grants 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 will meet only one time this year to approve grants that can be used anytime during the remainder of the school year. Submissions are now being accepted using the Google Form linked here:
Parking Lot Reminders
If you’ve read this far, thank you!! Hopefully you can read just a little more. As we finish up the first 1/3 of the school year, I would like to just send a couple of parking lot reminders. I first want to thank everyone for doing a great job overall this year managing our busy lot and participating in our system. But with winter here, we expect more cars and likely new drivers in our lot, so please take a moment to familiarize or re-familiarize yourself with these procedures.
• If your child is on a bus route or within walking distance, please bus/walk to and from school. This reduces the number of cars and is the single best way to make our parking lot safe.
• Y5, Kindergarten and 5th grade should be using the Cooley lot.
• 1st-4th grade should be using the main lot off of Newport.
• If you have multiple students, please use the lot of the youngest sibling.
• Please pull as far ahead as possible.
• Now that we are 1/3 into the year, we expect that even our youngest students are able to independently enter/exit the car. Parents should not need to get out of your car. Please continue to practice this with your child if necessary.
• Parking is limited. If you want to park, the best place to park is the Forsythe overflow lot off of Newport (regardless of which lot you are using). No parking at any time along any curb.
• Students are not permitted to cross the cross walk in front of school unattended. They must be accompanied by an adult or they need to walk around on the sidewalk towards the gate.
•The first bell is at 8:42 and we expect students in class by 8:45. Please arrive in time to have your child at school on time. A few minutes may not sound like a big deal, but the beginning of the day is a critical time and helps students get a great start to their day.
• At the end of the day, if you are using the main lot, please exit towards Forsythe to the corner of Sunset and Newport instead of going directly back out to Newport. So take a right after the stop sign as you leave the circle. This allows busses to pass the line as they arrive after our line up begins. In addition, this gives access to the Forsythe overflow lot for those who choose to use that to park. Also, if you are parked in the Forsythe overflow lot, when you exit, please turn left and continue to the exit towards Sunset/Newport.
• Finally, while we have memorized many of your Driveline numbers, please be sure you always have your number handy as we sometimes have different people running the end of day pick up.
Thanks for reading!
David
