Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Weekly Update 11/16

 

Dear Wines Families, 
Well, our 70 degree days are certainly in the rearview mirror but it was nice while it lasted! On that note, just a reminder that we will go outside daily as long as the temperature is 0 degrees windchill or above. Please be sure your child comes to school prepared to be outside daily. 
Here is the news for the week: 

Report Cards
Report cards will be sent via email next Tuesday, Nov. 22. Everyone other than Young 5’s will also receive a second email with your child’s fall NWEA scores. 

Picture Re-Takes Next Tuesday
Our Picture Re-Takes will happen next Tuesday, Nov. 22nd. If you ordered pictures the first time and want to re-take the photo, your child must come to school with the original packet of pictures. If your child was absent for picture day, they will have their picture taken. If you need to order pictures for your child, please go to: https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/70941N and complete the order online. 

Science and Builders Fair Thanks!
Last week’s Science and Builders Fair was a fabulous event. After a two-year hiatus, it was so nice to have this Wines tradition return. The kids’ projects were wonderful and there was great energy in the building that night. BIG thank you to Jennifer and Bradley Hinesman for organizing the event and for the small army of volunteers who helped make the evening so special for our young scientists and builders!

Updated Library Policies 
Please check the revised library page on the Wines website for updated policies and information about student book selection in the library. Please reach out to Rachel Goldberg with any questions (goldbergr@aaps.k12.mi.us). 

Therapy Dog: Family Meeting and Feedback
As I indicated last week, we’ve met a major milestone with our Therapy Dog, Gracie, as she has moved into Lexi Fata’s home. Gracie is getting used to a new home and new “owner”. We hope to begin slowly introducing her to our school—first during times when the school is empty—over the next few weeks. 

Next Monday evening at 6:00 PM, Ms. Fata and I will host a virtual meeting with Wines families to discuss Gracie and answer any questions you may have. I will send out a reminder and Zoom link at the end of this week. In the meantime, we’d like to get some feedback from families regarding any significant concerns that we need to know about in terms of Gracie’s interaction with your child. If there is information we need to know about your child’s ability to interact with a dog at school, please fill out THIS FORM

Thanksgiving Food Drive
It's time for the annual Wines Thanksgiving Food Drive!  Please support Washtenaw County and Food Gatherers by bringing in non-perishable items through Tuesday, November 22nd. Boxes are at the front entrance of the school building. The most needed items include food such as soups, canned meats, pasta, rice, kid-friendly snacks, and baby food / formula.  There is also a need for personal care items such as diapers, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. 

Great Ideas Grants: Deadline Extended until Friday
Do you have a great idea to support Wines Elementary?  
The Great Idea Grants program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program to benefit the Wines community! The grant approval committee will meet only one time this year to approve grants that can be used anytime during the remainder of the school year. Submissions are now being accepted using the Google Form linked here:

Parking Lot Reminders
If you’ve read this far, thank you!! Hopefully you can read just a little more. As we finish up the first 1/3 of the school year, I would like to just send a couple of parking lot reminders. I first want to thank everyone for doing a great job overall this year managing our busy lot and participating in our system. But with winter here, we expect more cars and likely new drivers in our lot, so please take a moment to familiarize or re-familiarize yourself with these procedures. 

• If your child is on a bus route or within walking distance, please bus/walk to and from school. This reduces the number of cars and is the single best way to make our parking lot safe.
• Y5, Kindergarten and 5th grade should be using the Cooley lot. 
• 1st-4th grade should be using the main lot off of Newport. 
• If you have multiple students, please use the lot of the youngest sibling. 
• Please pull as far ahead as possible. 
• Now that we are 1/3 into the year, we expect that even our youngest students are able to independently enter/exit the car. Parents should not need to get out of your car. Please continue to practice this with your child if necessary. 
• Parking is limited. If you want to park, the best place to park is the Forsythe overflow lot off of Newport (regardless of which lot you are using). No parking at any time along any curb. 
• Students are not permitted to cross the cross walk in front of school unattended. They must be accompanied by an adult or they need to walk around on the sidewalk towards the gate. 
•The first bell is at 8:42 and we expect students in class by 8:45. Please arrive in time to have your child at school on time. A few minutes may not sound like a big deal, but the beginning of the day is a critical time and helps students get a great start to their day. 
• At the end of the day, if you are using the main lot, please exit towards Forsythe to the corner of Sunset and Newport instead of going directly back out to Newport. So take a right after the stop sign as you leave the circle. This allows busses to pass the line as they arrive after our line up begins. In addition, this gives access to the Forsythe overflow lot for those who choose to use that to park. Also, if you are parked in the Forsythe overflow lot, when you exit, please turn left and continue to the exit towards Sunset/Newport. 
• Finally, while we have memorized many of your Driveline numbers, please be sure you always have your number handy as we sometimes have different people running the end of day pick up. 

Thanks for reading! 

David



Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Weekly Update 11/9

 Dear Wines Families, 

I hope everyone is having a great week. Here is the news for the week. 

Science and Builders Fair: Tomorrow!

Last call for registration for tomorrow night’s Science and Builders Fair (7:00 PM). Registrations must be in by 5:00 PM tonight. Please visit the website below for more information and registration. 

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

Therapy Dog Update and Feedback

I’m thrilled to announce that we have reached a major milestone as we approach our Therapy Dog, Gracie, joining our school. Gracie has officially completed the first part of her training with our trainer and she moved in to Ms. Fata’s home this past Monday! Lexi is currently working with Gracie on commands, etc. (and helping her get used to her new home). We will begin to have Gracie come to school during off hours to become more comfortable at Wines and sometime near the end of the month we will begin to have her be part of our school day. 

Lexi and I are working on a date for a virtual family meeting to talk about Gracie and answer questions. Please look for an announcement soon for the date and time. In the meantime, we’d like to get some feedback from families regarding any significant concerns that we need to know about in terms of Gracie’s interaction with your child. If there are things we need to know about your child’s ability to interact with a dog at school, please fill out THIS FORM

Thanksgiving Food Drive

It's time for the annual Wines Thanksgiving Food Drive!  Please support Washtenaw County and Food Gatherers by bringing in non-perishable items beginning today through Tuesday, November 22nd.  Boxes are in the entrance of the school building.  The most needed items include food such as soups, canned meats, pasta, rice, kid-friendly snacks, and baby food / formula.   There is also a need for personal care items such as diapers, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes. 

Great Ideas Grants

Do you have a great idea to support Wines Elementary?  

The Great Idea Grants program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program to benefit the Wines community! The grant approval committee will meet only one time this year to approve grants that can be used anytime during the remainder of the school year. Submissions are now being accepted using the Google Form linked here:

Great Idea Grants

Grant limits are: $200 for students, and $750 for adults. It's the same application whether you are submitting an idea as a student, teacher, or parent. You will see that you will have the option to select who you are in the form. The deadline for the first round of applications is November 11th. Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now for your chance to make Wines GREATER than it already is. We look forward to hearing from you.

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

Thanks for reading! 


David


Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Weekly Update 11/2

 Dear Wines Families, 

Welcome to November! Halloween was a great way to end a busy month that also included Walktober, Run-a-Thon, and lots of learning! It has been a great fall to be sure. I have just a couple of new pieces of information today, but I’ve also again included information on the Science and Builders Fair and our Great Ideas Grant opportunities. So far, we have not had many folks sign up for Science and Builders or submit grants. We are hopeful that both of these Wines traditions will be successful!  

No School Tuesday, Nov 8
Just a reminder there is no school next Tuesday for Election Day. 

Dia de los Muertos Cultural Event 11/4
Below is a flyer with information on a great cultural event taking place Friday evening. A Wines parent is involved in organizing this Dia de los Muertos event in Ypsilanti. 


Science and Builders Fair: November 10
Our annual Science and Builders Fair is back!! This event is designed to foster a love of learning and provide an exciting environment for the kids to proudly display their work. The Science and Builders Fair is meant to inspire young minds to learn and innovate! Nothing is too simple! It is not a "judged" event -- all participants receive a certificate. You do not need a project or title to register. There are project suggestions on the Wines Science + Builders site.
Please visit the website below for more information and registration. 

Great Ideas Grants
Do you have a great idea to support Wines Elementary?  
The Great Idea Grants program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program to benefit the Wines community! The grant approval committee will meet only one time this year to approve grants that can be used anytime during the remainder of the school year. Submissions are now being accepted using the Google Form linked here:

Grant limits are: $200 for students, and $750 for adults. It's the same application whether you are submitting an idea as a student, teacher, or parent. You will see that you will have the option to select who you are in the form. The deadline for the first round of applications is November 11th. Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now for your chance to make Wines GREATER than it already is. We look forward to hearing from you.
For questions or more information contact: Anu Huntley at anu.agrawal.huntley@gmail.com

Thanks for reading! 

David


Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Weekly Update 10/26

Dear Wines Families, 

I hope this finds you well as we approach the end of October! That is certainly hard to believe. Time flies when you are having fun! 

PTO Meeting Tonight

Reminder that there is a PTO meeting tonight in the Wines Library. We’d love to see some new parents join us to learn more about the PTO! If you are unable to attend in person, there will be a Zoom set up. Zoom information was sent in today's email. 

UM/MSU Spirit Day Friday

In honor of the big game Saturday, we are encouraging all of our Michigan and MSU fans to wear their team’s colors on Friday. If you are not a fan of either school, might I suggest wearing maize and blue??!! 

Halloween

We are happy to be able to celebrate Halloween again next Monday here at school. Like many things this year, we are returning to our pre-pandemic approach to the day. Students who wish to wear costumes can bring their costumes to school in a bag. Students should not come to school in costume. Our celebrations will take place in the afternoon. We will hold our annual parade through the neighborhood beginning at 2:00 PM. The best place for parents to stand to view the parade is along the sidewalk connecting Wines to Hillridge Street. This sidewalk extends from the Forsythe fields to our front entrance and is the final leg of our parade route. The parade route has us exiting at Cooley, going left on Saunders Crescent, left on Hillridge, and then entering the Forsythe property on the path from Hillridge back to the front of school. 

Each classroom will have celebrations during the afternoon. Please refer to communications from your child’s teacher regarding specifics. 

We ask that if students choose to wear costumes that the costumes be friendly. This means no fake blood and no fake weapons. No exceptions. My general rule of thumb is that if you are wondering if part of your costume is appropriate for school or not, it probably isn’t…

If you would prefer your child not participate in Halloween related activities, please contact me directly and we will have an alternate activity for them. 

Science and Builders Fair: November 10

Our annual Science and Builders Fair is back!! This event is designed to foster a love of learning and provide an exciting environment for the kids to proudly display their work. The Science and Builders Fair is meant to inspire young minds to learn and innovate! Nothing is too simple! It is not a "judged" event -- all participants receive a certificate. Please visit the website below for more information and registration. 

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

Great Ideas Grants

Do you have a great idea to support Wines Elementary?  

The Great Idea Grants program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program to benefit the Wines community! The grant approval committee will meet only one time this year to approve grants that can be used anytime during the remainder of the school year. Submissions are now being accepted using the Google Form linked here:

Great Idea Grants

Grant limits are: $200 for students, and $750 for adults. It's the same application whether you are submitting an idea as a student, teacher, or parent. You will see that you will have the option to select who you are in the form. The deadline for the first round of applications is November 11th. Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now for your chance to make Wines GREATER than it already is. We look forward to hearing from you.

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

Wines Volunteers

It has been so wonderful to see so many volunteers in our classrooms and other spaces lately. Thank you!! Just a reminder, if you are planning on volunteering in any way this year, please fill out the brief form below. This is a critical safety measure. Thank you to everyone who has filled out the form already as we have over 100 volunteers registered!

https://forms.gle/rLKQ9qYJLW3vcjUu6

Run-a-Thon Update

We did it!! Thanks to our incredible community, we have surpassed our school fundraising goal which means first and foremost that our PTO will be able to continue to support our school in myriad ways! Second, it means I’ll be spending a night on the roof—likely in the spring…

In addition, I’m pleased to announce that 10 of our 19 classrooms have met the 100% participation goal meaning very soon I’ll have at least 10 pies thrown in my face! We still have a large number of pledges that are going to be processed tonight so hopefully that number of pies will grow! Thank you Wines community, and thank you to Andrea Burkhart for all your efforts to make this event a fun and successful event for everyone!

Thanks for reading! 

David

 

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Weekly Update 10/19

 Dear Wines Families, 

I hope everyone is having a great week. It does appear that traditional wet and cold October weather has arrived. Please be sure your child comes to school daily prepared to go outside for recess. We do go outside in light/moderate rain. There are a lot of important messages this week. Thanks in advance for taking a few minutes to read through today’s message. 

Early Release Thursday

Our next Early Release Day is tomorrow, Oct. 20. School will dismiss at 1:18. 

Robin is Back!!

I’m thrilled to announce that Robin Moore has returned to her post in our office this week! Robin is still building up her strength and stamina and she still has many medical appointments so for the time being, she is here for half days in the morning. J’Ne has taken a new full time substitute office position at another school so Kathy Kyle, a retired long serving AAPS Office Professional is here in the afternoons. 

Directory

In today's email you received a link to the Wines Student Directory. We use each family’s enrollment information and wishes regarding Directory inclusion to put the document together. If you need information added/deleted, please contact Robin Moore at moorero@aaps.k12.mi.us. The document is live and will be updated in real time. 

PTO Meeting

Our next PTO meeting will take place next Wednesday, Oct. 26th at 7:00 PM in the Wines Library. We’d love to see some new parents join us to learn more about the PTO! If you are unable to attend in person, there will be a Zoom set up. Zoom information was sent in today's email. 

Science and Builders Fair: November 10

Our annual Science and Builders Fair is back!! This event is designed to foster a love of learning and provide an exciting environment for the kids to proudly display their work. The Science and Builders Fair is meant to inspire young minds to learn and innovate! Nothing is too simple! It is not a "judged" event -- all participants receive a certificate. Please visit the website below for more information and registration. 

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

Great Ideas Grants

Do you have a great idea to support Wines Elementary?  

The Great Idea Grants program is an opportunity for Wines students, parents, and staff to turn a great idea into a funded program to benefit the Wines community! The grant approval committee will meet only one time this year to approve grants that can be used anytime during the remainder of the school year. Submissions are now being accepted using the Google Form linked here:

Great Idea Grants

Grant limits are: $200 for students, and $750 for adults. It's the same application whether you are submitting an idea as a student, teacher, or parent. You will see that you will have the option to select who you are in the form. The deadline for the first round of applications is November 11th. Don’t let a great idea go to waste! Submit now for your chance to make Wines GREATER than it already is. We look forward to hearing from you.

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

Library and Computer Use Update

For the past few weeks, we’ve been settling into library routines with book checkouts and computer use (for grades 1-5 so far). Students have been taught how to properly care for our library books as well as the rules for using our school technology, following the AAPS Acceptable Use Policy. The following slides are used to teach the acceptable use policy to Young 5s-2nd grade and 3rd-5th grade, emphasizing that our devices are not personal devices, but school devices that are being loaned out (much like a library book) for school work and to learn. Just like we would not put stickers, add pictures, or alter library books in any way, we should not be doing those things to our school devices. This includes using devices to access websites that are not school sanctioned in Clever, Schoology, or otherwise provided by a teacher for additional learning. Thank you for your support in helping our students follow these same rules and procedures at home. 

Run-a-Thon Pledges

We are getting VERY close to meeting our Run-a-Thon pledge goal (and subsequently, me sleeping on the roof!). While that is wonderful, we currently do not have any classrooms with 100% participation (and subsequently, the opportunity to throw a pie at my face!). Every little amount helps and I can honestly say that I really want all 19 classrooms to hit me with a pie! We are still accepting pledges through this week.  Online pledges can be made at: https://www.ptowines.org/wines-runathon.

Thanks for reading! 

David


Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Weekly Update 10/12

Dear Wines Families, 

It has been a great Spirit Week so far as we inch closer to Friday’s Run-a-Thon. The kids have shown great spirit! 

Early Release Oct. 20

Our next Early Release Day is next Thursday, Oct. 20. School will dismiss at 1:18. 

Run-a-Thon Pledges

As I’ve indicated, Run-a-Thon is our largest fundraiser of the year. We are encouraging all students to collect pledges—any amount helps! Last week I announced two participation incentives for kids. For every class that has 100% of their students participate in collecting pledges, that class will be able to throw a pie in my face. I’m hoping to be pelted by 19 pies! In addition, if we meet our schoolwide fundraising goal of $20,000, I will spend a night camped out on the Wines roof! 

$20,000 is a lofty goal and is works out to approximately $50/student. To reach this goal, we really need everyone to chip in! If you are not able to contribute $50, any amount will help! If you are able to solicit pledges over $50, this will be a great help to our school! Online pledges are a great way to contact out of town friends and families. Online pledges can be made at: https://www.ptowines.org/wines-runathon.

One of the highlights of our Run-a-Thon pep-rally was a discussion of all the wonderful things that our PTO supports via proceeds from the Run-a-Thon. We talked about field trips, our 5th grade Camp Tanuga trip, playground upgrades, our art and music programs, and others. The kids were most excited that this year, our PTO is supporting the training and care for our Therapy Dog, Gracie, who we hope will be joining our school very soon! Below is a recent photo of Gracie. She is making great progress and we couldn’t welcome her without the financial support of our PTO and contributions made by our Wines community. 



Run-a-Thon Schedule

If you want to come and join us to cheer on the kids, the schedule for the morning can be found HERE.

Upcoming Author Visit!

We are beyond excited to share that award-winning illustrator and author, Supriya Kelkar, is visiting our school to celebrate the release of her newest picture book, Brown is Beautiful!  She will read the book and answer student questions in person at Wines on Wednesday, November 2nd. Supriya will also sign copies of the book for families who have pre-ordered them. If you would like to pre-order a book to have it signed by the author, please complete the form sent in today's email and send in your check (made out to Schuler Books) and drop it off to Mrs. Goldberg by October 14. If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Goldberg (goldbergr@aaps.k12.mi.us). 

Thanks for reading! 

David



Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Weekly Update 10/5

Dear Wines Families, 

I can’t tell you how nice it is to be back at Wines this week after my week away last week for COVID. While I was thankful to have minimal symptoms, it was a loooonng week away! The kids have been great this week—it feels good to hear from so many kids that they missed me! I’m feeling good, just a little tired. 

Next week is a big week here at Wines as we host our largest fundraiser and, in my opinion, the most fun day of the year here at school with our annual Run-a-Thon. While most of this week’s message is related to Run-a-Thon, there are a couple of other important items so please read through the whole message. 

Run-a-Thon Pledges

As I indicated, Run-a-Thon is our largest fundraiser of the year. We are encouraging all students to collect pledges—any amount helps! We will have special incentives to classes that have 100% participation and a schoolwide incentive if we reach our fundraising goal. I will be announcing these fun incentives at our Pep Rally on Friday this week. We need everyone to help to meet our goals! Pledge packets are going home in today’s Wednesday Take Home Folder. In addition, online pledges can be made now. Online pledges are a great way to contact out of town friends and families. Online pledges can be made at: https://www.ptowines.org/wines-runathon.

Run-a-Thon Volunteers

We are still in need of volunteers on Friday. This is a very easy and very fun opportunity to volunteer at Wines. No experience necessary! Please go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050f48a9a823a3f49-wines1 to volunteer. 

Run-a-Thon Schedule

If you want to come and join us to cheer on the kids, the schedule for the morning can be found HERE.

Run-a-Thon Spirit Week 10/10-10/14

On Friday we will be announcing our annual Spirit Week days next week as we prepare for Run-a-Thon. I want to give families a heads up on what the days are next week, but try to keep this a secret as we will be announcing this at the Pep Rally on Friday as well. 

Monday: Pajama Day

Tuesday: Wacky Hair or Hat Day

Wednesday: Mismatch with a Moustache Day

Thursday: Favorite Team Day

Friday: Run-a-Thon Spirit Day (all students receive a Run-a-Thon t-shirt that morning). 

Walk to School for Walktober

My apologies to our bus riders this morning as I was a week ahead of myself and our bus service was anticipating us participating in International Walk to School Day next Wednesday, not today! At any rate, we will still celebrate Walktober and will be walking to school each Friday this month starting this week. Busses will drop off at Forsythe on Friday. 

Upcoming Author Visit!

We are beyond excited to share that award-winning illustrator and author, Supriya Kelkar, is visiting our school to celebrate the release of her newest picture book, Brown is Beautiful!  She will read the book and answer student questions in person at Wines on Wednesday, November 2nd. Supriya will also sign copies of the book for families who have pre-ordered them. If you would like to pre-order a book to have it signed by the author, please complete the order form I sent in today's email and send in your check (made out to Schuler Books) and drop it off to Mrs. Goldberg by October 14.  If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Goldberg (goldbergr@aaps.k12.mi.us). 

Thanks for reading! 

David