Weekly Update 9/28

 

Dear Wines Families, 

Greetings from quarantine! 

I continue to have mild COVID symptoms and so I feel quite fortunate as I know many of you and your families have had more challenging cases. I also feel very fortunate that we have such an amazing team at Wines and I know our kids and families are in great shape during my absence. Special thanks to Sarah Schemanske who I hope has a good data package on her cell phone as I have been texting her seemingly every five minutes!! I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday. In the meantime, here is the news for the week: 

Picture Day Tuesday Oct. 4

Picture Day at Wines is next Tuesday. All orders are done online this year. Please go to https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/70941DF to make your order. All students will have their picture taken regardless of whether you purchase a package or not. All students at Wines will also receive a yearbook regardless of package purchases.  

Walktober

As the calendar turns to October, we will again participate in our annual “Walktober” tradition at Wines and encourage walking to school. We will begin next Wednesday, Oct. 5th, when we will participate in International Walk to School Day. We will then celebrate walking to school every Friday in October. Next Wednesday and every Friday in October our buses will drop the students off in Forsythe’s south parking lot so our bus students can walk as well. It’s always great to see groups of kids and families walking to Wines! 

Run-a-Thon is Coming Up!

Our annual Run-a-Thon is right around the corner on Friday, Oct. 14. The event takes place during the school day and is a great community event! In addition to just being a great day to spend at Wines, Run-a-Thon is also a fun and easy volunteer opportunity. If you are interested in helping out that day, please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050f48a9a823a3f49-wines1 and sign up. 

The Run-a-Thon is our largest fundraiser and pledge packets will be coming home next week. We will also host our annual “Pep Rally” featuring the Skyline Drumline next Friday, Oct. 7. While we are still a couple weeks away, friends and family can start supporting our students now! Online pledges can be made at https://www.ptowines.org/wines-runathon. This is a great way to reach friends and family from out of town. There is a link for corporate sponsorships at that link as well. Corporate sponsorships are due no later than this Friday. 

Cub Scouts Returns to Wines

Cub Scout Pack 3078 is returning to Wines! Cub Scouting is open to all genders, grades K-5. We will be having a kick-off meeting at 7:30pm tomorrow (9/28) in the Cafeteria. If you can't join us and would like more information contact Cubmaster Seth Guikema at seth.guikema@gmail.com

Volunteers

Thank you to the many parents who have registered to volunteer at our school. If you have registered already, we have processed your background check and you are all set to begin. If you have not registered, please fill out the form below. I realize many of you did this last year. Please note that this is a yearly requirement to register and provides an important layer of safety for our students.

https://forms.gle/AQqQnH7SFcN28xdE8

That’s all for this week. I’m looking forward to being back with the kids next Monday! 

David

Weekly Update 9/21

 Dear Wines Families, 

Another great week is halfway complete and we near completing our first month of school together. I could not be more pleased with how this year has started out! Here is the information for the week: 

Reminder: Important Office Information

As I indicated a couple of weeks ago, Robin Moore was involved in a car accident over the Labor Day weekend. She and her family are recovering from their injuries but Robin will be out of the office until at least the middle of October. Please be sure that all messages for absences, etc. are called in to the office at (734) 994-1973 as Robin is not responding to email. J’Ne Powell is filling in for Robin and she has been awesome! But as I said earlier, Robin has been at Wines for 13 years and her knowledge is hard to replace in such a short time. J’Ne’s email is powellj@aaps.k12.mi.us. 

PTO Meeting Tonight

Our first PTO meeting of the year is tonight at 7:00 PM in the library. We'll review and vote on the budget for the school year and start talking about our first major event, the annual Run a Thon, scheduled for October 14. All are welcome, and free childcare will be provided at the school if you need it.

Run a Thon Sponsorship

Do you have a business and would like to be a corporate sponsor for our Run-a-Thon? Your logo will go on our t-shirts (that all students receive) and on our other promotional materials. If you are interested, please go to https://www.ptowines.org/wines-runathon and scroll to the “Become a Corporate Sponsor” link. The deadline is Sept. 26. If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Burkhart at dredvm18@gmail.com. 

Volunteers

Thank you to the many parents who have registered to volunteer at our school. If you have registered already, we have processed your background check and you are all set to begin. If you have not registered, please fill out the form below. I realize many of you did this last year. Please note that this is a yearly requirement to register and provides an important layer of safety for our students. 

https://forms.gle/AQqQnH7SFcN28xdE8

Picture Day Oct. 4

Picture Day is coming up on Oct. 4th. All orders are done online this year. Please go to https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/70941DF to make your order. All students will have their picture taken this year regardless of whether you purchase a package or not. All students at Wines will also receive a yearbook regardless of package purchases.  

Security Guard

I’ve received a few inquiries regarding a security guard that has been on campus for the past number of days. We learned two weeks ago that our fire alarms are not fully functional due to something that happened during construction over the summer. The Fire Marshall has ordered that a security guard be present until the alarm is repaired. The fire alarm repair was completed yesterday and so our security guard is no longer on site.  

Thanks! 

David

Weekly Update 9/14

 Dear Wines Families, 

It was wonderful to see so many families at Curriculum Night last evening! 

I have a number of important messages today, so please take some time to read through this message. 

Volunteer Registration and Current Volunteer Needs

We are thrilled that our school is fully open to volunteers! In order to volunteer, we need volunteers to complete a registration. In addition to classroom and special area volunteers, we are looking for volunteers in our lunch program. This is a flexible volunteer opportunity and is a great way to interact with lots of kids in a fun environment. If you are interested in any volunteer opportunity, please fill out the form linked below. If you are interested in lunch, please indicate that on the form and our coordinator, Epiphani Raabe, will be in touch with you. 

https://forms.gle/9Ro7n9Gnjs8awqch8. 

The lunch position can also be a paid position if you are interested in employment. If you are interested in being paid to be a noon hour supervisor or know someone who would, please contact me directly (deyoung@aaps.k12.mi.us) and I will help you begin the application process. 

Back to School Picnic Tomorrow!  

The Wines PTO invites families to a picnic tomorrow from 5:30-7:30 PM on the Upper El playground. Bring some food and drink and catch up with other Wines families at this low-key, casual event. 

Early Release: Tuesday, Sept. 20th

Our first Early Release Day is next Tuesday, Sept. 20th. School will dismiss at 1:18. Lunch will take place at school as usual and busses will run as usual (bus drop off time will be 2.5 hours earlier than normal). 

PTO Meeting Sept. 21

The first PTO Meeting of the school year will be next Wednesday, September 21, from 7-8pm in the Library at Wines Elementary. We'll review and vote on the budget for the school year and start talking about our first major event, the annual Runathon, scheduled for October 14. All are welcome, and free childcare will be provided at the school if you need it.

Picture Day Oct. 4th

Our annual Picture Day is Oct. 4th. Ordering is done all online. To order pictures, go to www.inter-state.com/order and use the code: 70941DF. If your child will be absent on Oct. 4th, don’t worry! Re-Takes are on Nov. 22nd. 

Spirit Wear

Wines Spirit Wear is on sale now! Sale ends on Sept. 18th. Please visit https://pogo.undergroundshirts.com/collections/wines-elementary-apparel-1 to browse and purchase. 

That’s all for this week! 

David

Weekly Update 9/7

Dear Wines Families, 

Week two at Wines is well underway and things continue to go very well here at school. Below are this week’s announcements. There are a couple of updates from last week with as well as some new information. 

Important Wines Office Update

Unfortunately, our beloved Office Professional Robin Moore was in a fairly serious car accident with her family over the weekend. Robin and her husband and daughter were all injured, but fortunately we expect them to all recover. However, the recovery may take some time. Therefore, Robin will be out of the office indefinitely. The family is currently out of town where the accident took place and plan on returning to Ann Arbor to continue to recuperate in about a week or so. They have friends and family with them to assist so at this time so all they need are our healing thoughts. If any needs arise later, I will let our community know. At this time, we ask that everyone give Robin her space and privacy and allow her to take care of herself and family. 

We are fortunate that J’Ne Powell has stepped in to fill Robin’s shoes. J’Ne is an experienced Office Professional and teacher and jumped right into action yesterday. While Ms. Powell brings experiences and professionalism, “replacing” Robin’s 13 years of experience at our school is a challenge for anyone—especially on short notice. we ask for your patience and understanding as our office may not run as smoothly as you’ve come to expect. 

While Robin is away, all student absences, etc. need to be called into the office as she will not be checking email. Please call (734) 994-1973. If we don’t answer, you can leave a message and we will check messages throughout the day. 

Curriculum Night Tuesday, Sept. 13th

Curriculum Night will be in person on Tuesday, Sept. 13th starting at 6:00 PM. Teachers will host two identical sessions. The first session will be from 6:00-6:30 and the second session will be from 6:40-7:10. We will not host an all-parent meeting in between as we’ve done in the past. Curriculum Night is for parents and is not a student event. 

Back to School Picnic Thursday, Sept. 15th 

The Wines PTO invites families to a picnic next Thursday, September 15 from 5:30-7:30 PM on the Upper El playground. Bring some food and drink and catch up with other Wines families at this low-key, casual event. 

Spirit Wear

Wines Spirit Wear is on sale now! Sale ends on Sept. 18th. Please visit https://pogo.undergroundshirts.com/collections/wines-elementary-apparel-1 to browse and purchase. 

PTO Annual Fund 

I’d like to again point your attention to the PTO annual fund. Each year, the PTO spends about $250 per student to provide classroom supplies, field trips, teacher support, and several academic and social events throughout the year. Please consider making a donation at www.ptowines.org. You can also sign up to volunteer. The PTO is an important part of the Wines community, and we need your help to make this our best year yet.  

That’s all for this week! 

David