Weekly Blog 11/28

Dear Wines Families,

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a very relaxing few days and other than that horrible football game Saturday, we enjoyed every minute of the long weekend. Today’s message is fairly lengthy which means we have a lot of great things happening at Wines. Please take a couple minutes to read this week’s news.

Lunchtime “Extra Specials” Needs You!

One of our students’ favorite activities of the year, Lunchtime Extra Specials, urgently needs a coordinator! Extra Specials are scheduled to begin the week after we return from winter break and we still need a volunteer to oversee this activity.  In Extra Specials, students are offered the opportunity to take one lunch recess period per week (for each of two, three-week sessions) to stay indoors and engage in an activity that is facilitated by a parent volunteer.  Responsibilities of the coordinator include the following:

• Establish a list of activities offered during extra specials, based on parent volunteer preferences (we have a long history of offering extra specials so most coordinators simply repeat what was done in prior years)
• Assign students to one extra special activity of his/her choice for each of the two sessions
• Ensure available space and materials are available for participants

The parent volunteer who coordinated Extra Specials last year is still at Wines but has taken on additional responsibilities and needs someone to manage the Extra Specials process.  She is happy to help show a new volunteer the ropes and get kids assigned to activities.  We have plenty of parent volunteers who have offered to run various Extra Special sessions and now just need someone to manage the details.  We must have a volunteer in place by December 12 in order for Extra Specials to proceed

Any questions, please contact Jill Coultas or Stacy Guldal at jcress18@hotmail.com or stacyguldal@gmail.com.

Book Fair Next Week!

 The Wines Scholastic Book Fair is coming next week!  This is a great fundraiser for the school and provides fabulous books for the school and for your Holiday shopping needs!  We always need volunteers for a successful fair. Please sign up to volunteer for a shift or two at the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E49A8A722A64-book

Email sknmd17@gmail.com with any questions.  Thanks!

Spirit Wear

Wines Spirit Wear is still on sale. Please go to the link below to make an order. There are samples of the items in the front hallway at Wines. Sales end Monday, Dec. 3^rd.

https://pogo.undergroundshirts.com/collections/wines-wildcat-apparel-fall-18

Girls on the Run Needs Coaches

Girls on the Run is looking for additional coaches. Girls On The Run is a program for 3rd-5th grade girls to encourage physical and emotional wellbeing. Practices run from 4:00pm-5:30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 4-May 17. Practices entail a lesson, games, and running laps. If you are interested, please contact Naomi Veidlinger at naomiveidlinger@gmail.com.

STEAM Expo

The AAPS District STEAM Expo is tomorrow, Thursday, November 29th from 6:00-8:00 pm at Skyline High School. It is a great opportunity to see various ways STEAM curriculum is implemented Young 5s through 12th grade, including the middle and high school robotics teams. A few Wines 5th Graders will be showing off their robots at the STEAM Expo. Hope to see you there! 

That’s all for this week. As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

David

Weekly Blog 11/20

Dear Wines Families,

I want to first wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. It's hard to believe we are already nearing December as this school year flies by. I continue to be thankful for our students, families, and staff. This is truly a remarkable community and I'm so thankful to be part of it!

Report Cards
Report cards will be going home with students today. Please take some time to read through them. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher. Please return the report card envelope so we can use them again in March.


Wines Spirit Wear Sale
It's time for Wines' annual Wines Spirit Wear sale! Please follow the link below to place your order for t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, or sweatshirts in both youth and adult sizes.  Please note that in addition to the standard, basic t-shirts, there are also softer tri-blend shirts available as well as athletic wicking shirts (called " cooling performance crew").  Online orders will be accepted through Monday, December 3.  Spirit Wear orders will be delivered to students prior to winter break. 

Wines Wildcat Apparel Fall 18

Your Form will be open until Monday, 12/03/2018 at Midnight EST

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

David

Weekly Blog 11/14

Dear Wines Families,

As usual, lots to report today. I’ll send out an abbreviated Wednesday message next Tuesday before we leave for Thanksgiving break. Please note that report cards will go home with students on next Tuesday. There is no school Wed.-Fri. next week.

Wines Auction Date Change: April 27

I want to alert everyone to a date change for the Wines Auction. The date has changed from April 13^th to April 27^th. Our fantastic partners Null/Jolly Pumpkin had a conflict on the 13^th and we gladly moved our date! The change announcement gives us a perfect opportunity to remind everyone to save the date on your calendars and arrange childcare for our best (and only!) adults only Wines event.

Science and Builders Fair Thanks!

Thank you so much to all of the young scientists and builders that were at this years' fair. The parent and teacher support and enthusiasm was incredible! This year we were fortunate to have exhibits from PLTW at Wines and Forsythe, and robotics teams and displays from Forsythe and Skyline. We appreciate all of the adults and students affiliated with these groups for making it possible. It added another layer of inspiration for our Wines students. This all school event would not be possible without the many families that volunteered!  Thank you! A BIG thank you goes out to Bryan and Ruthie Kowalk for organizing the event again this year. Check out some photos from the event on the website!

https://winesscienceandbuilders.weebly.com/gallery.html

Wines Science Olympiad

The Science and Builders Fair is a great way to start the conversation around Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad (WESO).  We're so lucky to have WESO, the largest elementary Science Olympiad competition in the country right in our backyard.  WESO is open to all 2nd through 5th graders in the Washtenaw County.  The date for competition, May 11th, 2019.  

What does this mean to Wines students? Every 2^nd-5^th grade Wines student is given the opportunity to participate in this program.  Hour long practices are held once per week, usually before or after school, for approximately 10 weeks prior to competition. This year, practices can start right after Winter Break.  

There are 21 event categories from biology to electronics to physics. I included a description of the events with today's email. Please show your children the events and start the conversation.  

At Wines, we are an all volunteer coaching team.  There are plenty of opportunities and benefits to coaching.  We will host an introductory coaches meeting on Jan. 10^th for all parents possibly interested in coaching and our veteran coaches who know they will coach again this year.  It is a tradition at Wines that the children of our coaching volunteers get first choice for event placement. SO: please consider coaching and attending the information meeting on Jan 10 @ 7pm.  Event sign ups will release on Jan. 31^st via sign up genius. Placements (other than coaches’ children) will be made on a first come, first serve basis. Any questions, please direct to scienceowines@gmail.com.

That’s all for this week.

David

Weekly Blog 11/7

Dear Wines Families,

Before I give the news for the week, I wanted to share a quick experience and appreciation I had yesterday. As many of you know, I have the unique opportunity of living in the Wines community. Being the principal of the school in my neighborhood is something that I’ve always enjoyed and I’ve considered myself extremely lucky. Yesterday, it struck me again how fortunate I am. While voting at Skyline High School, the voting area was literally full of current and former Wines families. The sense of community was palpable and again reinforced to me how wonderful it is to be part of this community and to be in my position at Wines. I assure you; I don’t take this opportunity and responsibility for granted!

On to this week’s news:

Picture Re-Take Day: Nov. 13

Picture Re-Take Day is Next Tuesday, Nov. 13. If your child did not have their picture taken on our first picture day, we will send home a new order form. If your child had their picture taken and you would like a new set, please bring your original picture packet to school that day. Orders can also be made online at www.inter-state.com/order and our code is: 327770PA.

Important Modular Construction Information

Beginning this week, construction on one of the final pieces of the modular building will commence. A covered canopy is being constructed that will connect the modular building to the main school. As a result, a temporary fence will be set up in the general area outside of Mrs. Middleton’s windows (the Young 5’s have assured me they can make more noise than the construction workers!). The main sidewalk around the Cooley lot will remain accessible. However, we will just have the narrow sidewalk so please be careful at arrival and dismissal.

Science and Builders Fair Tomorrow!

I encourage everyone to stop by Wines tomorrow evening to see all of the incredible student displays and projects. You don’t have to have a child participating to enjoy this family event.

2018 STEAM Expo

Mark Your Calendar: The AAPS District STEAM Expo is Thursday, November 29th from 6:00-8:00 pm at Skyline High School. A great opportunity to see various ways STEAM curriculum is implemented Young 5s through 12th grade, including the middle and high school robotics teams. Hope to see you there!

Lost and Found

We will empty our Lost and Found for the second time this year next Friday, Nov. 16^th. Please remind your child to have a look if they are missing anything. This is also a great time to remind families to try to label your children’s items. Lunch boxes, sweaters/sweatshirts, and jackets are especially important.

David