Weekly Blog 1/16

Dear Wines Families,

There are a number of important pieces of information this week. Sorry for the long message!

Mark Your Calendars
• January 21st: No school in honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday.
• January 22nd: We will have our annual MLK celebration at 1:30. Every student will participate. All are welcome (please note that parent seating will be extremely limited).
• January 29th: No school for students. (This is a professional development day for staff. This date was not on the original PTO calendar sent home earlier this year).
• January 31st: International Night (More information later in this message).
• February 11th: Parent Involvement Day (More information and an invitation coming soon. We hope to see all parents for at least part of the day).

School Security
At the PTO meeting last night, I discussed the current safety procedures in place at Wines in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut. While we have not made any large changes, we have made some small changes and we have reviewed and “tightened” our existing procedures. You have likely noticed that only one front door is open during the day. That door can be locked from the office with the push of a button. In addition, all interior doors are now kept locked so they can be easily closed and secured in the event of a lock down. Please be sure to ALWAYS have a visitor badge on when you are in the building—even if you are a regular volunteer. I have been asked many times about the possibility of installing a camera at the front door and keeping the door locked at all times. This is something the school district is looking into.

International Night
International Night is coming!  On Thursday, January 31, Wines will host a fun and informative event showcasing the many cultures of the Wines community. We need students to create and present projects, parents to assist with cultural crafts and activities, young performers to entertain with multi-cultural acts, and everyone involved to contribute their favorite ethnic dishes for an international buffet! Please sign up online at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0C4FAFAA2EAA8-volunteers. Please contact Shireen Syed (shisy786@yahoo.com) or Annemarie Dolan (akilburndolan@comcast.net) with any questions.

Girls on the Run-Spring 2013
Registration is now open for Girls on the Run for Spring 2013. Our Wines site is almost full, unless we can get more coaches. If you want to sign your daughter up, please add her to the waitlist at Rec and Ed and complete the registration on the GOTR website. If we can find two more full-time coaches (parents, grandparents, family friends, high school or college students), we can accommodate more girls at our site. Please contact Jennifer Hall at a2halls@gmail.com or (734) 213-6037 if you are interested. Registration fees for daughters of coaches are waived by GOTR. Spring session starts March 12. The Wines team meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 5:30. Open to girls in grades 3-5. Come join the fun!

Thanks!

David

Weekly Blog 1/9

Dear Wines Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a nice winter break and were able to relax and have some family time. It was great to see all of the kids arrive back to school on Monday. Students and staff are “back to business” and it seems like we never left.

There are a number of important announcements this week.

Lunchtime Extra Specials start January 15th!
The Lunchtime Extra Specials activities start next Tuesday and we still need volunteers!! We only need a commitment of one lunchtime per week for 7 weeks (skipping mid-Winter Break) and younger siblings are more than welcome!

We are in need of volunteers to lead Board Games and Speed Stacking (Tuesdays). We also need additional help with: Free Dance (Wednesdays), Sewing & Crafts (Wednesdays), Knitting—Beginning & Experienced (Thursdays), Paper Airplanes (Thursdays), and Origami (Fridays)

If you have time to help us with this fun and much-loved activity, please visit VolunteerSpot at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4DA9A629A13-parent and sign up today. You can also email shisy786@yahoo.com with your activity preference and availability. We look forward to seeing you at lunch next week!

REGISTER NOW FOR GIRLS ON THE RUN - SPRING 2013
Registration is now open for Girls on the Run for Spring 2013.  Session starts March 12. Wines team meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 5:30. Open to girls in grades 3-5. Come join the fun! For more information, contact Jennifer Hall at a2halls@gmail.com or (734) 213-6037.

Kindergarten Round Up
Our annual Kindergarten Round Up will take place on Thursday, February 7th from 6:30-7:30 PM. If you have a child who will be 5 years old by Nov. 1, 2013, please come to Round Up with your child! You can begin registering your child at any time beginning now. Please help spread the word to your friends and neighbors as well.

PTO Meeting
Our next PTO meeting will be taking place next Tuesday, January 15th at 7:00 PM. Heather Herrick, our School Social Worker, will be at the meeting and will speak briefly about talking to kids about violence in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut. I will also be speaking about current security measures in place. As always, free childcare will be available.

Thanks for Giving!!
Our four simultaneous giving opportunities in December were incredibly successful. Thank you to everyone for participating in our Food Drive with Food Gatherers, our Coat Drive, the Wish List items for the Ann Arbor Preschool, and/or our Puzzle Collection for Peer Pals. I’m happy to report that we donated 542 pounds of food to Food Gatherers, collected 95 coats or other winter garments, nearly filled all of the wish list items for the preschool, and we have more puzzles than our Peer Pals know what to do with!! Thank you Wines!

David

Weekly Blog 12/19

Dear Wines Families,

The December Wines Times was included with today's email so I won't add much information to this email. I do want to make three quick announcements, however.

First, we have a small calendar change for January. Our amazing music teacher Beth McNally will be presenting at a state conference on January 18th. That is the day we have scheduled for our Martin Luther King Holiday activities. Beth has a performance planned that includes every student at Wines. Therefore, we have shifted our celebration to the day after the holiday. We will celebrate the day on Tuesday, January 22nd with our assembly taking place at 1:30.

Second, I want to point your attention to the International Night Flyer that was also attached to today's email. International Night is January 31st.

Finally, I want to thank all of our parents who have been diligent about signing in at the office this week. Our computer sign in station has been repaired and is now operational again. Please make sure you are signing in and have a sticker on when you are in the building--even if it is just for quick visit. Over the next few days, we know there will be many special activities in the building that parents will be attending. At certain times over the next few days--particularly Friday--we will be expecting many parents at the same time. During these busier times, we will not use our computer station but instead will have a table set up outside of the office with sign in sheets and visitor stickers. Please help us as we work to ensure we are aware of every visitor in our building.

We met as district administrators yesterday to discuss potential updates to our building security plans. In the days to come, we will likely make some minor changes to our existing systems at Wines.  I will let you know as soon as plans are formalized. Major changes (i.e. a "buzzer system" to enter the school) are being discussed as well.

Have a wonderful holiday season.

David

Weekly Blog 12/12/12

Dear Wines Families,
I’ll start today with a quick brainteaser. Today is December 12, 2012. So the date is 12/12/12. This is the last repetitive date for quite some time. Assuming for a moment that the Mayans were not correct and the world doesn’t end today, what will the date be on the next repetitive date on the calendar? As with anything, you can Google the answer quite easily. But challenge yourself to do it the old fashioned way!!

Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad registration closes this Friday, December 14th. Register your child online at: http://winespto.org/ScienceOlympiad/scienceRegistration.html or you may print the form in the attachment and return it to your child’s teacher. We still need coaches to make the event a success. If you have an interest in Map Reading, Describe It/Build It, Endangered Animals, Flowers or Paper Airplanes, we need your help! To all second grade families, this is a great event for your child to become involved. The attachment describes the Olympiad and answers many questions or you may contact kellymichaelssoluk@gmail.com or david.creen@benefitfocus.com for more information.

Quick Survey
Our PTO is making short and long term plans to try to make their meetings as accessible to as many parents as possible. Below is a link to a one-question survey about meeting times. If you could please take a moment to fill it out, our PTO would really appreciate it!
PTO Survey

News from the Library
Attached to today's email was the latest newsletter from Sally Evaldson in the Media Center. Please have a look.

Winter Vacation Learning
I want to again remind everyone that if you are looking for opportunities to keep your child’s brain stimulated (and perhaps keep them busy!) during the winter break, we have again teamed up with ThinkStretch. You can download materials at:http://www.thinkstretch.com/brainfreeze/
Enter promo code: Winter12

Holiday Gifts
I want to remind everyone that it is school district policy that staff members cannot accept gifts from families beyond “token value.” I understand that at this time of year, parents and children like to express their appreciation to teachers and other staff. Speaking for the staff, please know that we feel your appreciation every day! A donation to a local charity in our school’s name or a teacher’s name is a great gift to us for the holidays. The Peace Neighborhood Center is a wonderful organization right in our backyard if you need a good idea.

Thanks!

David

Weekly Blog 12/5

Dear Wines Families.

I have a number of important announcements this week.

Giving Season
Wines is currently participating in four different giving opportunities.

Preschool Family Center Giving Tree. Every December the Wines community looks for ways to support those in Ann Arbor who may need a little something extra during the holiday season. This year we have partnered with the Ann Arbor Preschool and Family Center who have many basic classroom needs. We now have a Giving Tree outside of the office filled with mittens labeled with items to donate. If you would like to help the Preschool, please take a mitten and return the purchased gift to the office before December 21st. This is a wonderful project to involve your child in! For more info, check out:  http://www.a2schools.org/preschool.home/about_our_program.

Winter Coat Drive. The Reinhart Company is currently collecting winter coats for those in need. A box is set up in our lobby near the display case. We welcome all coats in good condition. We have dry cleaners donating their services for wool coats that need to be cleaned. If the coat is washable, it would be great to have them washed before they are dropped off. However, we will clean them if that is not possible. Children’s coats are always in high demand!  Please go through your closets and see if anyone has an extra coat to donate to those less fortunate!

Student Council/Food Gatherers Canned Food Drive. Our Canned Food Drive continues until Dec. 19th. Bins are situated around the building.

Peer to Peer Puzzle Donations. Cleaning out old toys to make way for new? Do you have puzzles your children no longer enjoy? Do you have puzzles with missing pieces? Don't throw them out! Donate them to Wines Peer to Peer program. We will be making projects that use puzzle pieces and would love to put them to good use! Donations will be accepted until Dec. 21. A box will be placed right next to the coat drive box in the lobby.

ThinkStretch Winter Learning
We have again teamed up with ThinkStretch to offer learning opportunities when school is not in session during Winter Break. A downloadable packet is available to every Wines student. Each packet contains:
·       A BrainFreez! reading log
·       Math facts quick review
·       Winter writing activity
·       Winter science and art fun

Here's the link: http://www.thinkstretch.com/brainfreeze/
Enter promo code: Winter12

Extra Specials
A reminder that Lunchtime “Extra Specials” begin in January for grades 1-5. We are still in need of volunteers. Attached to today's email was an informational flyer.

Extra Kids Magazines?
If you have any extra kids magazines (Ranger Rick, etc.) lying around, we have a couple of classroom projects that could use them. You can drop them off in the office or directly to Kathy Perry or Janeen Eckel.

Thanks!

David

Weekly Blog 11/28

Dear Wines Families,

Attached to today’s email is the November Wines Times newsletter. As always, there is lots of important information in theTimes, so please have a look. I want to highlight one item in the Wines Times for families of 2nd-5th graders. Our Science Olympiad registration is beginning. In the Wines Times there is information about the various opportunities. In addition, a paper copy of the information and registration is coming home today as well. I’ve also attached this information (in Word and PDF) to today's email. This year, you can register for Science Olympiad online at: http://winespto.org/ScienceOlympiad/scienceRegistration.html.


A couple of other important items did not make the Wines Times. Please see below.

Canned Food Drive
Student Council is working with Food Gatherers on a holiday canned food drive.  We will be collecting all types of non-perishable food donations from Friday, November 30 until Wednesday, December 19. Students can bring in their food donations to their classrooms or put hem directly into the bins provided by Food Gatherers.  These bins will be stationed at 3 locations around the school building. Student Council thanks you for support!

Lunchtime Extra Specials are starting January 15th!
This is one of the Wines students’ favorite activities of the year and we need volunteers to make it happen! Please contact Annemarie Dolan (akilburndolan@comcast.net) or Shireen Syed (shisy786@yahoo.com) and sign up to lead or assist in an area that interests you. If you have an idea for a different activity that you’d like to lead, please email us as well. Younger siblings are always welcome! Here are some of the activities we have so far:

• Knitting
• Paper Airplanes
• Legos
• Yoga
• Sewing and Crafts
• Beads, Beads, Beads
• Bal-A-Vis-X
• Great Ideas
• Yearbook
• Board Games- including Speed Stacking

We look forward to seeing you at lunch in January!


David

Weekly Blog 11/14

Dear Wines Families,

I have a number of important announcements this week. Sorry for the long email!!

Movie Night
Our first Movie Night is this Friday beginning at 7:00. The movie is Space Chimps. As a reminder, Movie Night is not a drop off event. All students need to be accompanied by an adult.

Lost and Found
Our Lost and Found is full. We will be donating items during the Thanksgiving weekend. Please come and look through items before we leave for break. We will be “displaying” the items on tables beginning Friday. If you are coming to Movie Night, take a moment and look through the tables.

Book Fair
Our annual Book Fair takes place right after Thanksgiving. The Fair begins on Tuesday, November 27th and runs through Friday, November 30th. Our Book Fair Family Night is Tuesday the 27th. Attached to today’s email is an informational flyer. Have a look!

Thank You!!
I’m pleased to announce that Wines received the most tokens during the PTO Thrift Shop “Show Your Support” event. As a result, we earned $365 to help support Lunches with Love. Thank you Wines!! We will again participate from Dec. 30th-Jan. 5th. The PTO Thrift Shop continues to make many generous contributions to Wines and all AAPS schools. They also have lots of great stuff!! So please check them out.

Girls on the Run 5k event at Wines: We need your help!
Our Wines "Girls on the Run" team is holding a practice 5k event after school on Tuesday, November 27 and would like to invite you to run with us, cheer for us, or quench our thirst! We will be starting at the front of school at 4pm. Our route takes us through the Creak Park neighborhood. It would be awesome if some families in the neighborhood could set up water tables for our runners or be in your front yards to cheer us as we run by. Or, come to school at 4pm and run with us! We are practicing for the end of the season run with all the Girls on the Run teams in southeastern Michigan which will take place on Dec. 9th at Eastern Michigan University. We'd love to see you there. For more information about the event or how to sign up to run with your daughter or support your Wines team, go to http://girlsontherunsemi.org/events/GOTR-events.php. If you would like to help with our practice 5k or for more information, contact coach Nasreen Islam at nrislam@comcast.net.

Vada Murray Fund for Cancer Research “Tailgate”
Attached to today’s email is an informational flyer about an upcoming event at Michigan Theater to support the Vada Murray Fund for Cancer Research. You can watch the Michigan/Ohio State game on the big screen at the theater and help raise money and awareness. This sounds like a great event!

Music Room News
Attached to today’s email is the most recent newsletter from Ms. McNally from the music room.

That’s all!

David