Weekly Update 4/2

Dear Wines Families, 

As I write this, we are in the middle of some terrible “spring” weather! My sons are hockey players and we spend a lot of time in hockey rinks. At this time of year, they play lacrosse. Trish and I always say during the spring lacrosse season that we REALLY miss the cold ice rinks—no rain, no wind, no snow! 

Wines Parents Night Out and Auction!

Join us at Circ in downtown Ann Arbor April 4th from 6-10PM!  This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with parents and teachers outside of school in a low key, casual, adult-only environment and support our school!

Tickets are available now! $40/person or consider purchasing a VIP sponsorship at $100 for 2 people.  Learn more at ptowines.org.

Please note: We are having some technical issues with Square, Tickets will not sell out, please try to reload the page if having any trouble.

Volunteer: We need your help to make the event great. Please consider volunteering and sign up here.

We have some amazing art projects created by each classroom that will be part of the Live Auction.  You must be present to bid on the Live Auction, so be sure to get your tickets! A link to view the projects was in today's email.

Silent Auction will open this Thursday (you do not need to be present to win).

MSTEP Testing Information for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Families

MSTEP testing begins next week for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Please click HERE for important information about MSTEP. 

Friday is National School Librarian Day!

Our amazing School Librarian, Rachel Goldberg helps to make Wines an inclusive, educational, and fun place for our kids to be. If you are able to, please consider showing your appreciation on Friday, April 4th - National school Librarian Day - for Ms. Goldberg by wishing her a happy appreciation day, sending a card or flower, or having your kid read an extra book that day!

Reminder: Upcoming Construction on Miller

As you have likely noticed, construction has begun on Miller. You may have also noticed that the intersection of Miller and Newport is still open. I contacted the city yesterday and they indicated that later this month, that intersection will close. I do not know when this will take place. So please keep in mind the various options to avoid that intersection including exiting Wines north on Newport or arriving to Wines from the north. Or, using Pinetree/Westport on the south end of Newport to arrive from Miller or exit to Miller. 

David

 

Weekly Update 3/19

Dear Wines Families, 

As we approach spring break, I’m hoping everyone can stay healthy or get healthy as we are in a period of increased illness among students, staff, and families. Due to the increased illness, we are asking for parent support in keeping your student home should they exhibit signs of being ill.

To protect your students and others, please take the following steps:                                                             

• Monitor your child for any signs of illness, such as cough, sore throat, runny nose, fever, and fatigue and stay home if ill.

• Please read When Should A Child Stay Home From School,

• No matter what the illness, your child should not return to school until free of fever, vomiting and diarrhea for at least 24 hours (without medication). Use your best judgment if they are fever-free but are experiencing symptoms that make it difficult to learn at school.  

• Students are encouraged to mask at school during this time of increased illness. 

Family Literacy Night Tomorrow!

Please join us tomorrow night at 6:30 for our annual Family Literacy Night. 

This is a highlight of the year with guest readers, staff participating in Readers’ Theater, and lots of other activities. Please see the flyer below! 

Dress as Your Favorite Book Character Friday

As we conclude our celebration of March is Literacy Month, we encourage everyone to dress as their favorite book character on Friday! 

Wines Parents Night Out and Auction!

Book the sitter the evening of April 4th (Friday after Spring Break) from 6-10PM to join us at Circ in downtown Ann Arbor.  This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with parents and teachers outside of school in a low key, casual environment.

Tickets are available now! $40/person or consider purchasing a VIP sponsorship at $100 for 2 people.  (Please note, TICKETS ARE NOT SOLD OUT! If you receive this message from Square, please try reloading the page).

Learn more at ptowines.org.

Items Needed for Our Silent Auction!

Do you have or know someone with a business that could donate an item or service for our silent auction?  Or do you have any unopened/unused items, tickets, fun experiences, or even a rental vacation home that could be used? No item is too big or too small!

Please reach out to jane.lardo@gmail.com

New Wines Design Open House April 1st

All are welcome to stop by any time during and interactive Open House event to learn more about the New Wines Elementary and participate in engagement activities on April 1st. The Ann Arbor Public Schools Capital Program team will be hosting an Open House in the Wines Elementary Auditorium. Meet the architects and design experts planning the New Wines Elementary building for AAPS. Say “Hi” to community partners. The Open House format will allow visitors to move at their own pace throughout multiple stations of project information and updates with a chance to provide feedback. Feel free to stop by at any time during the event as it will take about 30-45 minutes to engage with all the content. This open house is intended for any community member in our area interested in the new project. 

Reminder: Upcoming Construction on Miller

Beginning next week and impacting our school when we return from Spring Break, Miller Rd. will be closed from Newport to S. Seventh. The project closes the intersection of Miller and Newport making Wines (and Forsythe) inaccessible from Miller Road at Newport. Wines will be accessible from the north coming from Maple/Newport. In addition, it seems as if Miller will be open from Maple until just before Newport which would potentially allow access from Miller going east if you turn on Pinetree which then runs to Westport that empties onto Newport. This would give access to Wines (and Forsythe) from both the north and the south. Below is a map with the Pinetree access circled. 

 

Please note, while it also appears that Wines will continue to be accessible from the Crescents neighborhoods and Cooley Ave., our Cooley entrance cannot accommodate additional traffic flow so we ask that, as always, unless you have a Young 5 or Kindergarten student, that you continue to use the Newport entrance via detours.

It is during these times that it is more important than ever that if your child(ren) live within walking distance or if they are assigned to a bus, that you utilize those options. I will keep everyone posted if things change with our traffic flow. 

For more information about the closures, please click below https://www.a2schools.org/departments/transportation/miller-road-closure-and-detour-information

David

Weekly Update 3/12

 Dear Wines Families, 

There is a lot of important information today, particularly right at the beginning of the message. Thanks in advance for your attention. 

Upcoming Construction on Miller: PLEASE READ

We have learned over the past 24 hours that a major construction project on Miller Rd. will close Miller in both directions from Newport to Seventh Ave. The closure begins next Monday, March 17th and will extend through the end of the school year.  The project closes the intersection of Miller and Newport making Wines (and Forsythe) inaccessible from Miller Road at Newport. I apologize that I am just sharing this information now, but unfortunately, we just received the information yesterday from the city. While I don’t know every detour associated with this project, Wines will be accessible from the north coming from Maple/Newport. In addition, it seems as if Miller will be open from Maple until just before Newport which would potentially allow access from Miller going east if you turn on Pinetree which then runs to Westport that empties onto Newport. This would give access to Wines (and Forsythe) from both the north and the south. Below is a map with the Pinetree access circled. 

 

Please note, while it also appears that Wines will continue to be accessible from the Crescents neighborhoods and Cooley Ave., our Cooley entrance cannot accommodate additional traffic flow so we ask that, as always, unless you have a Young 5 or Kindergarten student, that you continue to use the Newport entrance via detours. 

This construction will also impact bus routes and times. District leadership and Durham Transportation will be providing updated routes and times as early as today. 

It is during these times that it is more important than ever that if your child(ren) live within walking distance or if they are assigned to a bus, that you utilize those options. I will keep everyone posted if things change with our traffic flow. 

For more information about the closures, please click HERE  

PTO Meeting Tomorrow

The PTO Meeting will take place in the Wines Conference Room.

Please find the agenda here.

If you cannot make it in person, you can join via Zoom (link sent in today's email)

Pajama Day Friday

During our celebration of March is Literacy Month, the staff are sharing their favorite books we read as children that kept us up beyond our bedtimes. The books are a mystery now, and students are guessing which book belongs to which staff member. In honor of this, on Friday is “You stayed up too late reading, wear pajamas day”. So kids and staff will have Pajama Day Friday. 

Wines Family Literacy Night: March 20th

Please save the date for March 20th when we will again host our annual Family Literacy Night. This is a highlight of the year with guest readers, staff participating in Readers’ Theater, and lots of other activities. Please see the flyer below! 

Wines Parents Night Out and Auction!

Book the sitter the evening of April 4th from 6-10PM to join us at Circ in downtown Ann Arbor.  This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with parents and teachers outside of school in a low key, casual environment.

Tickets are available now! $40/person or consider purchasing a VIP sponsorship at $100 for 2 people.  Learn more at ptowines.org.

Items Needed for Our Silent Auction!

Do you have or know someone with a business that could donate an item or service for our silent auction?  Or do you have any unopened/unused items, tickets, fun experiences, or even a rental vacation home that could be used? No item is too big or too small!

Please reach out to jane.lardo@gmail.com

Rotary Club/Food Gatherers Drive

We’ve had a great start to our Food Gatherers/Rotary Club Food drive. Thank you to everyone who has made a donation! This year, as opposed to a traditional food drive, they have asked for a financial drive. Wines has a team and you can donate directly to the drive from our team site. If you are able, please consider a financial donation at https://give.foodgatherers.org/teams/24231-wines-elementary.

Two More Floor Hockey Games

Our Friday morning floor hockey games will come to a close when we leave for spring break. So we have two Friday’s remaining. We start at 8:00 on Friday’s. All kids need are dry shoes. Kids can be dropped off or parents can play as well! Big thanks to Darcy Knoll for running 

Young 5’s Openings

We continue to have strong interest in our Young 5’s program and, therefore, we are planning on once again hosting two Young 5’s classes next year. At the current time, we still have openings in Young 5’s. If you know of families who may be interested in Young 5’s at Wines, please alert them that there are openings for both Wines residents and In-District-Transfers (within AAPS boundaries) at the current time. Feel free to pass along my contact information or they can go to: https://www.a2schools.org/about-aaps/new-enrollment to apply for next fall. We are enrolling Kindergarten students as we always do. The In-District-Transfer application for Kindergarten is also open for limited spots at the same website above. 

David

Weekly Update 3/5

 Dear Wines Families, 

Before we get into this week’s news, I want to extend a sincere thank you to Celeste Kanpurwala for organizing another incredible International Night last week. Celeste has organized the event for many years (even putting on a “drive through” International Night during COVID) and it has become a wonderful tradition at our school. Celeste is passing the baton next year and we are deeply indebted to Celeste for helping highlight our international school for many years. 

Wines Parents Night Out and Auction!

Tickets are available now! Learn more at ptowines.org.

Items Needed for Our Silent Auction!

Do you have or know someone with a business that could donate an item or service for our silent auction?  Or do you have any unopened/unused items, tickets, fun experiences, or even a rental vacation home that could be used? No item is too big or too small!

Please reach out to jane.lardo@gmail.com

Volunteers Needed: Wines Auction Art Projects

We’ve had a great response from parents willing to help with the student art projects that are auctioned off at our Parents Night Out in April. We are still in need of a volunteer in a few classrooms. We need volunteers for: Shanteau, Buehler, Varga, Mable, Duggins, Mosher.

Anyone interested please email Lauren Cunnane at lmbrooks27@gmail.com

Wines Family Literacy Night: March 20th

Please save the date for March 20th when we will again host our annual Family Literacy Night. This is a highlight of the year with guest readers, staff participating in Readers’ Theater, and lots of other activities. Please see the flyer below! 

Rotary Club/Food Gatherers Drive

We are again participating in the Food Gatherers/Rotary Club Food drive. This year, they have asked for a financial drive as opposed to a traditional food drive. Wines has a team and you can donate directly to the drive from our team site. If you are able, please consider a financial donation at https://give.foodgatherers.org/teams/24231-wines-elementary.

Three More Floor Hockey Games

Our Friday morning floor hockey games will come to a close when we leave for spring break. So we have three Friday’s remaining. We start at 8:00 on Friday’s. All kids need are dry shoes. Kids can be dropped off or parents can play as well! Big thanks to Darcy Knoll for running 

Young 5’s Openings

We continue to have strong interest in our Young 5’s program and, therefore, we are planning on once again hosting two Young 5’s classes next year. At the current time, we still have openings in Young 5’s. If you know of families who may be interested in Young 5’s at Wines, please alert them that there are openings for both Wines residents and In-District-Transfers (within AAPS boundaries) at the current time. Feel free to pass along my contact information or they can go to: https://www.a2schools.org/about-aaps/new-enrollment to apply for next fall. We are enrolling Kindergarten students as we always do. The In-District-Transfer application for Kindergarten is also open for limited spots at the same website above. 

Interested in a Drama Club? 

Is your child interested in a Drama Club? No experience necessary! A Wines parent is organizing an after school Drama Club and is looking to see the level of interest. If your child is interested, please fill out the form below. 

DRAMA CLUB INTEREST SURVEY

David

Weekly Update 2/26

 Dear Wines Families, 

Is this spring? Likely not…But the warmer weather has been a nice change over the last few days. I don’t need to point out that with melting snow our grounds are quite muddy. While winter will likely return before too long, this is a good reminder that the “muddy season” is right around the corner. Please continue to have your children bring boots to school daily for the foreseeable future. My favorite pictures of students are in the warmer months when they are wearing shorts and t-shirts along with snow boots!

There are many great things happening at Wines right now, so please take a moment to read through this week’s message. 

Reminder: Crosswalk

Just a reminder that students are never allowed to use the crosswalk at the front doors unless accompanied by a parent. This is a high traffic area and it is simply not safe. Students who are alone may walk around the lot on the sidewalk in front of the gate. Students may use the crosswalk near the baseball diamond as there is a three way stop there. As always, use extreme caution while driving in our parking lot.

International Night Tomorrow from 6:30-8:00 PM

We are looking forward to a wonderful International Night tomorrow! Even if you are not representing a country, this is a wonderful event for all families. There is great food and an opportunity to experience and learn about other cultures. We hope you can join us! We still need volunteers, especially someone to work the welcome table for one hour from 7-8 PM. Please sign up to help at https://bit.ly/internationalnightsignup! 

Volunteers Needed: Wines Auction Art Projects

A highlight of the Wines Auction (Parents Night Out) each year is the live auction of student art work. Each classroom will create a unique art project that will be live auctioned off that night. This is a fun way to get the kids involved with raising money for the PTO and has produced some amazing pieces of art over the years.  We are looking for a few parent volunteers from each classroom to help plan and create projects. No art experience is needed.  We had a great response from our call for volunteers last week, but we are still in need of volunteers from a few classrooms. The classrooms that need volunteers are: 

Middleton, Shanteau, Martinez, Carlin, Varga, Parsons, Rodriguez, Detering, Mable, Duggins, and Mosher.

Anyone interested please email Lauren Cunnane at lmbrooks27@gmail.com

Save the Date: Wines Parents Night Out & Auction

The silent auction is part of a larger event, the Wines Parent Night Out and Auction. Book the sitter the evening of April 4th from 6-10PM at Circ in downtown Ann Arbor.  This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with parents and teachers outside of school in a low key, casual environment.  Interested in helping? Email Jane.Lardo@gmail.com for volunteer opportunities.

Wines Family Literacy Night: March 20th

Please save the date for March 20th when we will again host our annual Family Literacy Night. This is a highlight of the year with guest readers, staff participating in Readers’ Theater, and lots of other activities. Please see the flyer below! 

Young 5’s Openings

We had another excellent Young 5’s/Kindergarten Round Up a couple of weeks ago. We continue to have strong interest in our Young 5’s program and, therefore, we are planning on once again hosting two Young 5’s classes next year. At the current time, we still have openings in Young 5’s. If you know of families who may be interested in Young 5’s at Wines, please alert them that there are openings for both Wines residents and In-District-Transfers (within AAPS boundaries) at the current time. Feel free to pass along my contact information or they can go to: https://www.a2schools.org/about-aaps/new-enrollment to apply for next fall. We are enrolling Kindergarten students as we always do. The In-District-Transfer application for Kindergarten is also open for limited spots at the same website above. 

Update from the PTO Great Ideas Grants

The PTO was thrilled to receive many interesting Great Ideas about how to make Wines even better than it already is! We are excited to announce the following five Great Ideas were funded:

• Creating a four-square court in the upper El

• Improving sand toys and play areas in the lower El

• Supporting the Bike Bus program that was launched during Walktober

• Reviving the Tetherball Courts

• Launching a school-wide suggestion box

Additionally, three initiatives are being funded through the school and PTO. These include quiet-time problem-solving toys for first grade, school-wide sensory tools/fidgets, and a fourth grade pilot program to reduce wintertime messes. We’re also exploring funding for two more ideas through the PTO. Stay tuned for updates! Thank you to everyone who submitted a grant! 

Interested in a Drama Club? 

Is your child interested in a Drama Club? No experience necessary! A Wines parent is organizing an after school Drama Club and is looking to see the level of interest. If your child is interested, please fill out the form below. 

DRAMA CLUB INTEREST SURVEY

David

Weekly Update 2/19

 Dear Wines Families, 

I hope everyone had a nice mid-winter break. Our boys were gone for most of the long weekend so Trish and I had a few “practice” days of being empty nesters which will happen to us after they graduate from Skyline is 2026. We are not even close to being ready for that change in life so we are glad they are home and we have another year with them! On to the news for this shortened week: 

International Night NEXT WEEK, Thursday, February 27 from 6:30-8:00 PM

NEXT THURSDAY is our annual International Night. In order to have a successful evening, we need volunteers! If you can help out, please go to https://bit.ly/internationalnightsignupgenius. If you are interested in signing your child(ren) up for a table or parade for a country, there is still time! We ask that you complete this form by the end of this week to ensure that we have the appropriate amount of tables set up in the gym - https://bit.ly/winesinternationalnight2025. We look forward to an eventful evening! 

Save the Date: Wines Parents Night Out & Auction

Book the sitter for our annual Parents Night Out & Auction. This year’s event will be held April 4th from 6-10PM at Circ in downtown Ann Arbor.  This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with parents and teachers outside of school in a low key, casual environment.  Interested in helping? Email Jane.Lardo@gmail.com for volunteer opportunities.

Volunteers Needed: Wines Auction Art Projects

Speaking of the Auction, a highlight of the event each year is the live auction of student art work. Each classroom will create a unique art project that will be live auctioned off that night. This is a fun way to get the kids involved with raising money for the PTO and has produced some amazing pieces of art over the years.  We are looking for a few parent volunteers from each classroom to help plan and create projects. No art experience is needed.  Anyone interested please email Lauren Cunnane at lmbrooks27@gmail.com

TRAILS Newsletter

Below is the February TRAILS newsletter. 

David

Wines Weekly Update 2/12

 Dear Wines Families, 

As I’m sure you are, we are watching the weather as snow is on its way. As of the writing of this note, there are no closures or cancellations but I will keep everyone posted as things move ahead. Please look for district announcements as well. 

BIG Thank You!

I want to start today by sharing some important recognitions and thanks. First, I want to recognize Robbie Weeks who once again organized a great Wines Wahoo. It seems like Robbie is able to improve on this tradition every year! Thanks also to the many parent volunteers who stepped up to support Robbie and our kids making it a great evening. 

I want to thank the well over 300 parents who were able to attend NAAPID on Monday. We hope you enjoyed the day and got a glimpse of what an amazing place Wines is! Thanks also to the incredible Wines staff who helped make the day special as well—it is no easy task for teachers and staff on a day like that! 

PTO News

Due to weather, the PTO Meeting will take place tonight on Zoom only.

Please find the agenda here.

Zoom link was shared in today's email. 

Show Your Support Saturday February 15th at The Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop

Troop 40927 is Selling Girl Scout Cookies!

The 3rd and 4th grade Girl Scouts of Troop 40927 are selling Girl Scout Cookies in February and March. They will be selling cookies at three different booths, and all Wines families and community members are invited to purchase the treats!

The first cookie booth will be right in front of Wines Elementary, on Saturday, February 15th, from 10am to 2pm. We can accept credit cards, cash, checks, PayPal, and Venmo. Come cheer on your Wines Girl Scouts!

Don't want to eat cookies? Consider dropping by to donate a box to Hometown Heroes!

Can't make it on February 15th? There will be 2 more booths this season!

o Sunday, February 23rd from 9am to 12pm, in front of Kroger on South Maple

o Sunday, March 2nd from 9:30am to 1:30pm, at Dozer Coffee on Jackson Road

Save the Date: Wines Parents Night Out & Auction

Book the sitter for our annual Parents Night Out & Auction. This year’s event will be held April 4th from 6-10PM at Circ in downtown Ann Arbor.  This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with parents and teachers outside of school in a low key, casual environment.  Interested in helping? Email Jane.Lardo@gmail.com for volunteer opportunities.

Mid Winter Break: Feb. 14-18

Just a reminder that our mid winter break begins Friday. There is no school Friday, February 14, Monday, February 17, and Tuesday, February 18.

David