Weekly Blog 4/2

Dear Wines Families.

I have just a couple of quick announcements this week's blog.

First, a reminder that we are off for Spring Break next week. I hope you enjoy the week and if you are staying here in Ann Arbor, hopefully spring will arrive and stay!

Second, we are looking for pictures from the Builders and Science Fair for our yearbook. If you took pictures that night and are willing to share, please let me know and I'll put you in touch with our yearbook coordinator.

That's all for this week!

David

Weekly Blog 3/25

Dear Wines Families,
As I post this I realize that I did not post my weekly blog last week. My apologies!

For this week, all the news that's fit to print can be found in the Wines Times, so I don't have much else. Please click on the link below to access the March Wines Times newsletter.

http://winespto.org/docs/wtMar2014.pdf

The only other message I have is that we will have Friday Floor Hockey this week beginning at 8:00 AM. I apologize for needing to cancel last week. As always, we will have hockey each Friday unless you hear otherwise. Parents, we would love to have you join the game!

David

Weekly Blog 3/12

Dear Wines Families,

I hope today's message finds you well and warm on what I hope is the last blast of the winter season.

I have a few announcements today. First, when our Wednesday Folders come home on Thursday this week, you will see a pink form with information about our annual hearing and vision screening that takes place later this month. Please fill out the form and return it to your child's teacher as soon as possible.

Our Rotary/Food Gatherers Food Drive is off to a slow start with no school Monday or today. However, the bins are out at the front of the building and at the Kindergarten entrance. I hope you can support this worthy cause again this year!

March is Reading Month is in full swing and the kids are doing great. Please have your child turn in his or her reading log each Wednesday (Thursday this week).

The annual Wines Wahoo is next Friday evening, March 21st, at Forsythe Middle School. Look for more information next week.

Stay warm and try to enjoy winter. It will end eventually!

David

Weekly Blog 3/5

Dear Wines Families,

Just a few announcements this week:

First, a quick reminder that there is no school next Monday, March 10^th. Teachers will be working on report cards that day. Report cards will be coming home on Monday, March 17^th.

Disability Awareness Workshop

Our 4^th graders will be participating in the annual Disability Awareness Workshop on March 20^th. We need volunteers for this event. You do not need to have a 4^th grader to volunteer! I attached an informational flyer to today's email.

Wines Wahoo

Are you tired of the snow and cold?  Ready for a tropical escape? The annual Wines Wahoo takes place on Friday, March 21st, 2014 from 6:30 - 8:30 at Forsythe Middle School. The Wines Wahoo is the perfect opportunity to shake off the winter blues! The Wines Wahoo is a luau-themed, fun, family event for all Wines students, their parents and younger siblings. The Wahoo includes music provided by a kid friendly DJ, fun activities in the gym, face painting, and tattoos. There will be pizza, snacks and beverages for sale. A parent or other adult over the age of 18 must accompany each Wines student. Children over 5th grade will not be admitted to the event but can volunteer. Younger siblings are invited to participate.

There is a suggested donation of $5 per family that helps to cover the cost of the DJ and decorations. There is also a nominal fee for the food. In order to make the Wahoo a success, we need volunteers to help with set-up, admissions, refreshments, gym monitoring and clean up. There will be several shifts, so you will have time to socialize and have fun with your kids.  Please use the link below to sign up!

Please sign up for Wines Wahoo - here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

   1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/5atiBq
   2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
   3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Food Drive

Our annual participation in the Rotary/Food Gatherers Food Drive begins next week. There will be bins for non-perishable items at all of our entrances.

That's all for this week.

David

Weekly Blog 2/26

Dear Wines Families.

I think I covered all the important messages with my email earlier this week. Just a reminder that Kindergarten Round Up is tonight at 6:30 and Friday morning floor hockey will continue this Friday starting at 8:00 AM.

The Wines Times is a large file this week so again I'll include the link rather than the attachment. Click below to open this month's newsletter.

February Wines Times

Thanks!

David

Weekly Blog 2/12

Dear Wines Families,

If we are lucky, we’ll have another full week of school this week. Of course, next week we are off for Mid-Winter Break…

I want to start by thanking everyone who was able to attend our Parent Involvement Day on Monday. We had over 260 parents sign in during the day! While having 260 parents in the building is by no means a “typical” day, I hope you were able to gain a good understanding of what life is like at Wines each day. We were thrilled to have such great parent participation! Here are the rest of this week’s announcements:

Kindergarten Round Up

Again, I want to remind everyone that our Kindergarten Round Up has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 26^th at 6:30 PM. This is for parents AND incoming kindergarten children.

Preschool/Young 5’s

Speaking of next year for our youngest kids, our school district is excited to announce an expansion of our Young 5’s program and our tuition preschool. The Young 5’s program will take place at Abbot, Bryant, and Dicken Elementary Schools. Bryant and Dicken will be full day classes and Abbot will have full day and half day options. Eligibility for Young 5’s is determined by birth date (students must turn five between May 1 and October 1, 2014 or by December 1 with kindergarten waiver). Enrollment in Young Fives is conducted via special "Young Fives" application window, open from Feb 3 to March 7. Forms for application, instructions, and information brochure were attached to today's email. Completed applications must be returned to the Balas Administration Building. A lottery will be conducted if demand exceeds space.

For preschool aged students, AAPS is offering full day and half day M-TH programs at Allen Elementary and Thurston Elementary. Families can opt for an additional Friday program with a STEAM focus. The Preschools will offer childcare before and after school.  Hours are as follows:

Full day:  8:30 - 3:30

Half day am: 8:30 - 11:30

Half day pm:  12:30 - 3:30

Eligible families may qualify for free preschool.  

Weekly tours on Thursdays from 1:30 - 2:30 are available at both schools and monthly open houses are posted on the website (www.annaborpreschool.com). Information was attached today as well.

SIT Meeting

Reminder: we will have a School Improvement Team meeting on Wednesday, February 26^th at 4:00PM. Any interested parent is invited to attend. If you need childcare for that afternoon, please let me know.

Disability Awareness Workshop

On Thursday, March 20, 2014, Wines 4^th grade students will again participate in the Disability Awareness Workshop. This hands-on, activity-based workshop helps students understand how challenging and complex daily life can be for individuals living with a variety of disabilities. The goal is for students to experience –through this hands-on event—that each of us should be respected and included in daily community life no matter how we may look, act, walk or talk.  Please consider volunteering to help with this workshop. You do not need to have a 4^th grade student to volunteer! For more information and to sign up contact Jessi Averill at jessi.averill@gmail.com or 267-495-6208.

That’s all for this week. Have a nice week away from school and hopefully we’ll return to spring weather. We can hope at least…

David

Weekly Blog 2/5

Dear Wines Families,

Sorry for the lateness of today's blog entry. With the snow and cancellations, my afternoon sort of got away from me! I hope everyone who has incoming kindergarten students received the notice that our Round Up tonight has been cancelled. We will have a new date posted within the next couple of days. 

Below is all the news for this week!

Parent Involvement Day Reminders

As I hope everyone knows, our annual Parent Involvement Day is next Monday, February 10^th. We hope parents can make it to Wines for some part of the day. To help make the day go as planned, I have a couple of important reminders.

RSVP: If you are planning on attending Parent Involvement Day, please click HERE to RSVP. Most importantly, if you are staying for lunch, please be sure to RSVP so we can have an accurate count. We will be putting in our lunch order Thursday afternoon so please RSVP right away if you haven’t already.

Lunch: We will have pizza, salad, and garlic knots from NYPD Pizza for adult guests. Lunch will take place during the regular student lunch. To help with crowding, we will open up space in the media center for parents to eat and we will bring some tables and chairs into the gymnasium as well.

Drinks: To be good stewards of the environment, we will not be providing bottled water on Monday. We will have our water tank available and cups. Of course, plastic cups aren’t much better than plastic bottles! If you have your own water bottle, please bring it on Monday or bring any other beverage of your choice.

Snacks: Our staff will provide snacks available all day long in the teachers’ lounge. Stop by at any time to enjoy!

Assembly: At 1:30 we will have an all school assembly with a slide show. There will be very little seating for parents, but lots of standing room only seats!

Parking: There will be VERY limited parking available. Please plan ahead and park legally in the neighborhoods around our school. Please walk if you live close enough.

Pictures: Be sure to have your picture taken with your child!

Girls on the Run-Spring 2014

Girls in grades 3-5 are invited to register for Girls on the Run through February 10. Our Wines site is full, but we are seeking two more volunteer coaches so that we can accommodate every girl who would like to participate. Training for coaches is provided, and registration fees for daughters of coaches are waived by GOTR. Please contact Suzanne Admiraal at admiraal@umich.edu or 734-327-0695 for more information. If you want to add your daughter to the waitlist, please follow the registration instructions on the GOTR website (http://www.girlsontherunsemi.org/). The Wines team will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 5:15, beginning on March 11.

Wacky Fridays in February and March

Our student council will be organizing Wacky Friday’s for school spirit during February and March. The dates are as follows:

FRIDAY 2/7: INSIDE-OUT / BACKWARDS DAY

FRIDAY 2/14: PJ DAY

FRIDAY 2/28: FASHION DISASTER DAY

FRIDAY 3/7: FAVORITE BOOK CHARACTER DAY

FRIDAY 3/21: HAWAIIAN CLOTHING DAY

Floor Hockey Fridays

Our second week of Friday Floor Hockey was another success. We had just under 40 students participate allowing us to have a very workable rotation. So, we will continue to allow anyone who is interested to play! We start at 8:00 every Friday and parents are more than welcome to join us for the game!

Be safe and enjoy the snow!

David