Weekly Update 12/11

 Dear Wines Families, 

It is hard to believe that we are nearing mid-December and our winter break. Time is really flying by this school year and things continue to be humming along quite well here at Wines. The annual excitement about the Book Fair is quite palpable this week! 

Book Fair Ends Friday

Speaking of Book Fair, the Book Fair will run until noon on Friday. Each classroom will have time to purchase books starting today. If parents would like to come to school to browse the selections, you are more than welcome. Please stop in the front office upon entry to school. 

Welcome to Wines Rachael Varga!

I’m pleased to announce that Rachael Varga will be joining us after winter break as our new second grade teacher. Rachael takes over for Ms. Kingkiner who recently retired from AAPS. Rachael comes to us from Mitchell Elementary School where she has been a Kindergarten teacher since 2019. Prior to Mitchell, Rachael taught for eight years at South Canton Scholars in Canton, and spent a year as an intervention teacher in Flint. Clearly Rachael comes to Wines with a wealth of experience both in AAPS and beyond. I could not be more thrilled that Rachael will be joining our team! 

Attention 2nd-5th Grade Families: Science Olympiad: Coaches Needed! 

Only 14 out of 46 events are filled. 

As you may already know, Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad (WESO) 2025 will take place on May 10th next year, at Pioneer High School. This tournament provides an opportunity for students and other participants to meet and interact with peers and adults of similar interests and talents. Last year 35 schools participated in different events. As usual there will be open events with hands-on activities for all attendees. More information on WESO can be found here: https://wesoscience.org/

We need your support in becoming a coach so that more Wines kids have the chance to participate. No experience is necessary. More information on events can be found at: https://wesoscience.org/events/

Events description and available slots are in the link below:

https://shorturl.at/RBkIX

Contact us scienceowines@gmail.com or text/call @ 832-640-0547. 

Shop at Literati and Donate to AAPS Libraries

When you do your holiday shopping at Literati (a Wines family-owned business!) this season, you'll have a chance to purchase books selected for AAPS school libraries. See the attached flyer for more details, and thank you for your support. 

Easy Ways to Support Wines 

Did you know you, friends, and family members can earn money to support Wines with everyday purchases?

Grocery Store Rewards Programs

The Wines PTO has signed up with Busch’s, Kroger, and Ann Arbor Farms for community rewards. Once you, or any family member/ friend, link their account you will be giving back to Wines students every time you shop!! Just log into your rewards programs and add Wines PTO. Links and instructions here. 

Boxtops

No more tops to clip, Boxtop educational savings is now digital! Download the IOS or Android app and sign up to support Wines Elementary. All you have to do is scan your receipt, savings are automatically sent to the PTO! 

Minted.com 

Creating holiday cards? Want to get a personalized gift for your family? Use Wines’ special code of ‘FUNDRAISEWINES’ at minted.com and enjoy 20% off at checkout ALL YEAR and Wines PTO will receive 15% of all purchases! Feel free to share the code with friends and family.

Corporate Matches

If your company supports corporate matches to non-profits you can double your runathon or direct donations to Wines PTO! Not seeing Wines in any of the eligible matches? Reach out to winesptotreasurer@gmail.com and we will set up an account with them! 

Curious what the PTO spends money on? Check out our ‘About us’ page at ptowines.org or drop by for our next PTO meeting!  

That’s all for this week!

David

PTO Thrift JPEG HERE

Weekly Update 12/4

 Dear Wines Families, 

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving break. We were able to spend time with both Trish’s and my family and we had 17 people sleeping at my brother in law’s house for two nights! It was crowded but a lot of fun. Believe it or not, after today we only have 12 days of school before our winter break. We’ll be busy inside and out of the classroom during those 12 days! 

Early Release Today

Just a reminder that today is an Early Release Day. Dismissal is at 1:00. 

Book Fair Next Week!

The Wines Scholastic Book Fair is going to be December 10th - 13th.  Every purchase from the book fair provides fabulous resources for students, teachers, and our school library.  It’s also a great way to get some holiday shopping checked off your list! 

We will host our annual Family Night on Tuesday, December 10th from 6:30-8:00.  If you cannot make it to Family Night, you are welcome to come and shop at the fair during school hours Wednesday and Thursday.  

Here is a link to the fair's website for information on eWallet, online shopping and more: Wines Scholastic Book Fair Website 

If you are interested in volunteering at the book fair, please sign up below.

Book Fair Volunteers

AAPS Winter Giving

Thanks to this amazing and generous Wines community, the Wines PTO is able to provide resources to those in our school community in need this holiday season. If you have the means, please consider making a donation to other schools within Ann Arbor who are working to provide additional resources to their students. This is an opportunity to share and make a positive difference for families and schools who could use a little extra support this season.

All schools wish lists can be found here or donate gift cards through this form. Donations to any school are appreciated, and the Wines PTO encourages you to assist our neighbors at Forsythe (with 55 students in need) and Haisley (with 20 students in need).

Science Olympiad: Coaches Needed! 

Reminder: Crosswalk

Over the past couple days, I have seen a few students crossing the crosswalk at the front of our school. Please, for the safety of our students, students are not allowed to use that crosswalk unless they are accompanied by an adult. This is a critical safety procedure at Wines. Please share this information with anyone who picks up or drops off your child at school. 

Teachers and Staff Out Front on Friday

I wanted to alert families that many of our teachers and staff members will be gathering out at the front flagpole Friday morning before school. This is similar to the “Support Ann Arbor Teachers” gatherings that took place weekly last spring. Our staff members are not “protesting” but are being visible and simply sharing information about issues facing teachers with parents who are interested. If you have a moment to say hello, please do. 

That’s all for this week!

David

Weekly Update 11/26

 Dear Wines Families, 

Just a short message on this shortened week. I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels if you are traveling. 

Report Cards

In just a little while you will be receiving your child's report card and NWEA scores. These will come in two different secure emails. 

Scholastic Book Fair Dec. 10-13

The Wines Scholastic Book Fair is going to be December 10th - 13th.  Every purchase from the book fair provides fabulous resources for students, teachers, and our school library.  It’s also a great way to get some holiday shopping checked off your list! 

We will be having a Family Night on Tuesday, December 10th from 6:30-8:00.  If you can not make it to Family Night, you are welcome to come and shop at the fair during school hours Wednesday and Thursday.  

Here is a link to the fair's website for information on eWallet, online shopping and more: Wines Scholastic Book Fair Website 

If you are interested in volunteering at the book fair, please sign up below.

Book Fair Volunteers

That's all for this shortened week. See you in December! 

David

Wines Weekly Update 11/20

 Dear Wines Families,

Amazingly, we are almost to our Thanksgiving break. This marks the end of our first trimester meaning we have completed one third of our school year together! It has been a remarkable fall and while we have had a lot of “new” this year, it has been incredibly smooth and this is due to our amazing kids, families, and staff at Wines. I am thankful for all of you! As we end the trimester, next Tuesday families will receive your child’s report cards sent by me via secure email. In addition, Kindergarten through 5th grade families will receive your child’s NWEA assessment report in a second email. Look for those emails on Tuesday afternoon. 

Wines Elementary Science Olympiad

We are excited to announce that the next chapter of Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad (WESO) 2025 will take place on May 10th, 2025, at Pioneer High School.  More information on WESO can be found here: https://wesoscience.org/

As the first step, we need the support from the past and present parents/college students/teachers to take the role of event coaches. This is a once a week practice session which will be carried out for 8-10 weeks starting from late February at a chosen location. Events are interactive, hands-on and are mainly fun!!. No experience is necessary. Coaches will be placed in events based on their interests and availability. Once we have coaches placed in events, we will begin recruiting students in grades 2-5. 

Below is the link to the sign up form:

https://forms.gle/rzSxTJC1wcG4Le6L6

You can also contact us via scienceowines@gmail.com

Help Support Our Kids and Our School!  

As we look back on our own school days, we remember the teachers who inspired us, the friendships that shaped us, and the lessons that stayed with us. Now it's our turn to ensure that today's students have the same opportunities to thrive.

Consider giving this holiday season to the Wines PTO to help provide essential resources, educational programs, and enrichment activities that make a real difference in the lives of our children. With your generous donations, we can enhance their learning experience and give them the tools they need to succeed. Every contribution, big or small, helps create a brighter future for the next generation.  Let’s come together as a community to support our kids!

Donate today and make an impact: 

https://checkout.square.site/buy/ROOKQXHKGO7XWCB6LYMZZVZS

As a special thank you, please find these gifts available at different support levels:

Noon Hour Volunteers and Employees Needed!

We are looking for additional volunteers and paid noon hour employees. Both options are quite flexible! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Randa Choate at choate.rj@gmail.com. If you or someone you know is interested in the paid position, please contact me directly. The paid position pays $16.50/hour and, again, is quite flexible. Why volunteer if you can get paid!! 

November Coat Drive

Wines is hosting a Coat Drive in conjunction with Reinhart Realtors during the month of November. A collection box can be found in our front lobby. The drive will support many organizations including: 

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health’s PATH/PORT Outreach 

Emmanuel Clothes Closet 

Northside Center 

Refugee Hope International 

Michigan Ability Partners 

Michigan Foster Care Closet 

Avalon Housing

Lost and Found

We have our own “coat drive” here at Wines as our Lost and Found continues to grow. Please remind your student to check the Lost and Found for missing items. Please also feel free to come to school and help your child search! We will be donating most remaining items prior to our Thanksgiving recess. 

Free Academic Support and Enrichment Classes for ALL AAPS STUDENTS 

The Ann Arbor Public Schools has partnered with Varsity Tutors for Schools! All AAPS students now have access to the Varsity Tutors learning resources around the clock and on demand such as live classes, chat tutoring, fun enrichment classes, and more.  

Everything your student needs to get started can be found HERE. 

• Academic Support - Personalized Learning Courses & Homework Help

• College Preparation - Essay writing, SAT prep and practice 

• Interest-based classes - Chess, Coding, Drawing, Online Content Creation

Check out the Varsity Tutor link in Clever!

Buy a Milkshake and Help our Friends and Former Wines Students at Forsythe

David

Wines Weekly Update 11/13

 Dear Wines Families,

There is lots of news to share this week at Wines! 

Noon Hour Volunteers and Employees Needed!

We are looking for additional volunteers and paid noon hour employees. Both options are quite flexible! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Randa Choate at choate.rj@gmail.com. If you or someone you know is interested in the paid position, please contact me directly. The paid position pays $16.50/hour and, again, is quite flexible. Why volunteer if you can get paid!! 

Science and Builders Fair Thanks!!

Our annual Science and Builders Fair last week was another incredible evening. The projects were simply wonderful and it was great to see students from Young 5’s through 5th grade participating! I want to thank Jen and Brad Hinseman for once again spearheading and planning the event. I’d also like to thank all of our parent volunteers who served as evaluators, Liea Stirling for organizing the UM Robotics Outreach group, the Skyline Robotics team, Manori Gunasekra and family for setting up the Science Olympiad demonstration (please see below for more information on Science Olympiad), and Sarah Schemanske who continues to be a yearly supporter of our kids’ participation. 

Wines Elementary Science Olympiad

We are excited to announce that the next chapter of Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad (WESO) 2025 will take place on May 10th, 2025, at Pioneer High School.  More information on WESO can be found here: https://wesoscience.org/

As the first step, we need the support from the past and present parents/college students/teachers to take the role of event coaches. This is a once a week practice session which will be carried out for 8-10 weeks starting from late February at a chosen location. Events are interactive, hands-on and are mainly fun!!. No experience is necessary. Coaches will be placed in events based on their interests and availability. Once we have coaches placed in events, we will begin recruiting students in grades 2-5. 

Below is the link to the sign up form:

https://forms.gle/rzSxTJC1wcG4Le6L6

You can also contact us via scienceowines@gmail.com

Wines Rain Garden Wins Award!

Thanks to the tireless work of Angie Wolney and the support of Nick Mosher and the 5th Grade Student Council, we recently received the Washtenaw County Rain Garden Leadership Award. Angie has been a parent at Wines for many years and has spearheaded numerous gardening projects around the school (pretty much every great plan/tree/garden on our property has Angie’s hands on it!). Thank you Angie and our Student Council for your incredible work. Below is a link to more information about the recognition. 

https://www.washtenaw.org/693/Leadership-Awards.

November Coat Drive

Wines is hosting a Coat Drive in conjunction with Reinhart Realtors during the month of November. A collection box can be found in our front lobby. The drive will support many organizations including: 

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health’s PATH/PORT Outreach 

Emmanuel Clothes Closet 

Northside Center 

Refugee Hope International 

Michigan Ability Partners 

Michigan Foster Care Closet 

Avalon Housing

Lost and Found

We have our own “coat drive” here at Wines as our Lost and Found continues to grow. Please remind your student to check the Lost and Found for missing items. Please also feel free to come to school and help your child search! We will be donating most remaining items prior to our Thanksgiving recess. 

Do you have a great idea to support and benefit the Wines Community? The Great Ideas Grant program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program. Examples of past funded grants include birdfeeders, grade-level sensory items, grade-level curriculum materials, technology for listening centers, playground balls, yoga calm supplies, ukuleles, and more!

Grant submissions are accepted using the Google Form linked here:

Great Idea Grant Application Link

It's the same application whether you are submitting an idea as a student or teacher/parent. You will see that you will have the option to select who you are in the form. Students may submit a grant for up to $250 and parents and teachers may submit a grant for up to $500. Grants will be selected by a Wines committee of parents and the number of grants awarded will depend on the cost of projects submitted. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2024 with grant recipients announced before the winter break. Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now! Submit several! We look forward to hearing from you. 

Student submissions are highly encouraged! Teachers, kindly share this with your classrooms! We know there are a lot of creative ideas out there.

For questions or more information contact: Anu Huntley at anu.agrawal.huntley@gmail.com

David

Wines Weekly Update 11/6

 Dear Wines Families,

I hope this message finds everyone well today. It was nice to see so many people at our Common Conference Night on Monday and many thanks to all parents who have already met with your child’s teacher or are planning on having your conference in the days to come. Our goal is to meet with every family and our teachers are willing to be flexible to meet the schedules of our families as best as they can. If you have not signed up for a conference, please refer to your child’s teacher’s newsletters or contact them directly to secure a time. 

Last Call for Science and Builders Fair Submissions

The deadline to register for tomorrow night’s Science and Builders Fair is today by 5:00 PM. All projects welcome. No project is too small or too simple! 

Here is the link to the registration page!

November Coat Drive

Wines is hosting a Coat Drive in conjunction with Reinhart Realtors during the month of November. A collection box can be found in our front lobby. The drive will support many organizations including: 

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health’s PATH/PORT Outreach 

Emmanuel Clothes Closet 

Northside Center 

Refugee Hope International 

Michigan Ability Partners 

Michigan Foster Care Closet 

Avalon Housing

Lost and Found

We have our own “coat drive” here at Wines as our Lost and Found continues to grow. Please remind your student to check the Lost and Found for missing items. Please also feel free to come to school and help your child search! We will be donating most remaining items prior to our Thanksgiving recess. 

Do you have a great idea to support and benefit the Wines Community? The Great Ideas Grant program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program. Examples of past funded grants include birdfeeders, grade-level sensory items, grade-level curriculum materials, technology for listening centers, playground balls, yoga calm supplies, ukuleles, and more!

Grant submissions are accepted using the Google Form linked here:

Great Idea Grant Application Link

It's the same application whether you are submitting an idea as a student or teacher/parent. You will see that you will have the option to select who you are in the form. Students may submit a grant for up to $250 and parents and teachers may submit a grant for up to $500. Grants will be selected by a Wines committee of parents and the number of grants awarded will depend on the cost of projects submitted. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2024 with grant recipients announced before the winter break. Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now! Submit several! We look forward to hearing from you. 

Student submissions are highly encouraged! Teachers, kindly share this with your classrooms! We know there are a lot of creative ideas out there.

For questions or more information contact: Anu Huntley at anu.agrawal.huntley@gmail.com

Easy Ways to Support Wines 

You don’t have to wait for the Auction to help support the Wines PTO! Here are some great ways for them to earn funds from everyday purchases.

Boxtops

No more tops to clip, Boxtop educational savings is now digital! Download the iOS or Android app and sign up to support Wines Elementary. All you have to do is scan your receipt, savings are automatically sent to the PTO! 

Grocery Store Rewards Programs

The Wines PTO has signed up with Busch’s, Kroger, and Ann Arbor Farms for community awards. Once you link your account you are giving back to Wines students every time you shop!! Just log into your rewards programs and add Wines PTO. Links and instructions here. 

Minted.com - NEW

Creating holiday cards? Want to get a personalized gift for your family? Use Wines’ special code of ‘FUNDRAISEWINES’ at minted.com and enjoy 20% off at checkout ALL YEAR and Wines PTO will receive 15% of all purchases! Feel free to share the code with friends and family.

Curious what the PTO spends money on? Check out our ‘About us’ page at ptowines.org or drop by for our next PTO meeting!  

Pioneer Theater Guild Presents: Newsies

The Pioneer Theatre Guild (PTG) is producing Disney's NEWSIES at Pioneer High School this week! 

Show Dates: 

Thursday, November 7th @ 7:00pm

Friday, November 8th @ 7:00pm

Saturday, November 9th @ 2:00pm

Saturday, November 9th @ 7:00pm

Sunday, November 10th @ 2:00pm

TICKETS: 

$15 Students/Seniors/Pioneer Staff

$20 Adults

www.cur8.com/projects/ptg

Performances are in Schreiber Auditorium at Pioneer High School (601 W Stadium Blvd).

David

Wines Weekly Update 10/30

 Dear Wines Families,

I’m sure you join me in my enjoyment of this incredible spring/summer like weather we are having here at the end of October. While I don’t mind cold weather in general, a shorter cold season is certainly fine with me! Speaking of nice weather, it does appear that it will remain fairly warm for Halloween tomorrow and it should stay dry for our outdoor parade through our neighborhood. 

Halloween 2024

Tomorrow is Halloween! Due to the Early Release, our celebration will begin early and so if students plan on wearing costumes, they should come to school in costume. This includes all last minute arrangements. Our parade will take place beginning at 9:15AM. The parade route takes us out Cooley Ave., where we then go left onto Saunders Crescent. We will then go left onto Hillridge until we reach the cut through into the Forsythe ballfields. We will then proceed down that long sidewalk back to Wines. If parents would like to watch the parade, the best place is along that long sidewalk from Hillridge to Wines. If you live in the Crescents, please feel free to share our route with your neighbors in case they want to watch us walk by. Please alert neighbors to please refrain from handing out candy, etc. 

Costumes: We ask that costumes be friendly in nature. This means no fake weapons, fake blood, etc. Our general rule of thumb is that if you aren’t sure if a costume or a prop is appropriate for school, then it probably isn’t. 

If your child would prefer not to participate in Halloween activities, please let me know and we will have an alternate activity for them. 

Science and Builders Fair Nov. 7th

Here is the link to the registration page!

The Final Walktober is Friday, Nov. 1st

Our final morning Walktober celebration is this Friday, November 1st. Please sign up to volunteer! By popular demand, the Bike Bus returns for our last Walktober event of the year! (see flyer, please ignore the date, it is happening Nov. 1st) And, after the kids are dropped off at school, parents and caretakers are invited to the picnic tables for coffee and donuts where we will be sharing information about family biking. Come ask your questions or share what you know!  

What is Walktober? It's an event that encourages Wines families to explore greener ways to get to school and to move away from commuting alone by car. Its aim is to bring awareness to the benefits of travel options such as bicycling, walking, and scooting, and to inspire families to give them a try! This can also include parking a little further away from campus than usual and walking, biking or scooting from there. There will be volunteers at the four entrances to the school grounds (see flyer) giving out stamps to the kids and cheering them on. 

Parent volunteers are needed ***** Check out the Sign Up Genius to join our parent morning cheer squad to hand out stamps to the kids from 8:15-8:45. We’ll have music and noise makers while we enjoy our Michigan fall and a little less car congestion. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084DA9AF23A4FCC25-51464434-wines

What's a "bike bus"?

A bike bus is a group bike ride where kids and adults join together on a route to school for the morning commute. Skates, scooters, and all other riders are welcome to join!

How can I join?

Meet at the locations on the flyer at the time stated. Someone will be there waiting and the group will come pick you up!

It's time to submit that GREAT IDEA you have been thinking about all summer!

Do you have a great idea to support and benefit the Wines Community? The Great Ideas Grant program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program. Examples of past funded grants include birdfeeders, grade-level sensory items, grade-level curriculum materials, technology for listening centers, playground balls, yoga calm supplies, ukuleles, and more!

Grant submissions are accepted using the Google Form linked here:

Great Idea Grant Application Link

It's the same application whether you are submitting an idea as a student or teacher/parent. You will see that you will have the option to select who you are in the form. Students may submit a grant for up to $250 and parents and teachers may submit a grant for up to $500. Grants will be selected by a Wines committee of parents and the number of grants awarded will depend on the cost of projects submitted. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2024 with grant recipients announced before the winter break. Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now! Submit several! We look forward to hearing from you. 

Student submissions are highly encouraged! Teachers, kindly share this with your classrooms! We know there are a lot of creative ideas out there.

For questions or more information contact: Anu Huntley at anu.agrawal.huntley@gmail.com

David