Winter Break, 12/22/07 - 1/6/08

Winter break is upon us! We'll look forward to seeing students again on
January 7--ready to learn!

Please notice that all of the students below are using their Lifelong
Guidelines and Lifeskills. There is no snow throwing, everyone is
included in the fun, and there is lots of cooperation. Nice job to
our MLK boys and girls!

Building Project Committee update

Today I met with representatives from the MLK building project committee including representatives from Barton Mallow, Mitchell and Mouat Architects, TMP Architecture, AAPS district representatives, and MLK teacher Karen Haddas. Our meeting was the second meeting this year to plan for the 2005 bond identified building renovations at MLK. The work will include all of the following:

- electrical upgrades

- installation of a new security system

- replacement of classroom flooring

- updating of all bathrooms in the building

- installation of lockers in hallways

- replace cabinetry and sinks in classrooms

- reconfigure drop off area in front of school to better insure safety of students

- replace heating system

- install wireless infrastructure

The exciting part: Conceptual Drawings! At this point, I have conceptual drawings from the architects of what would be done at MLK . . . so . . . it is time to share the concepts and offer any final input on the concepts. With this goal in mind, I've left the drawings and the design specifications in the school office conference room. Please feel free to look them over. In addition, I will be available to share them on Thursday, December 20 from 11:30 to 1 and on Friday, December 21 from 9 to 10. I hope to see you at one of the meetings.

School Closed - 12/17/2007

Due to the weather conditions, the Ann Arbor Public Schools will be closed on Monday, December 17, 2007.

Barnes and Noble Funraiser

Thank you to everyone who helped make the PTOs Barnes and Noble fundraiser happen. In particular, thank you to Susan Gechter for her leadership.

As you can see from the pictures, it was a lot of fun!

First Healthy Bake Sale

The first 5th grade healthy bake sale was a GREAT success. Thanks to all who helped bake!! Sometimes it took awhile for students to try the healthy items.... but once they did, there was a rush to buy them.

Publishing Kid Writing

After finding out Lily Mohr will be featured in Highlights magazine, our media specialist Ms. Hughes said there are some other great places for kids to get their writing published. Read on to find out where!

Publishing Resources for Young Writers

From: Shutta Crum www.shuttacrum.com

CHILDREN'S WRITER'S AND ILLUSTRATOR'S MARKET: Writer's Digest Books. Published annually. Lists publishers and contests, including a section for young writers only.

Magazine Outlets:

AMERICAN GIRL (www.americangirl.com) 8400 Fairway Place, Middleton WI 53562. (608) 836-4848. Bi-monthly magazine. Uses material written by 8 to12 year-olds.

CREATIVE KIDS (www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=411). P.O. Box 8813, Waco TX 76714. (800) 998-2208. Quarterly magazine. Uses material written by 8 to 14 year-olds.

NEW MOON (www.newmoon.org) P.O. Box 3620, Duluth MN 55803. (218) 728-5507. Bi-monthly. Uses material written by 8 to 14 year-olds.

SKIPPING STONES (www.efn.org/~skipping). P.O. Box 3939, Eugene OR 97403. (541) 342-4956. 5 times/year. Material written by writers younger than 18.

STONE SOUP (www.stonesoup.com). Children's Art Foundation. P.O. Box 83, Santa Cruz CA 95063. (831) 426-5557. 6 times/year. Uses material written by writers through the age of 13.

Online Resources:

www.amazing-kids.org/contest.html. Amazing kids site, lots of writing opportunities for kids, and interviews with well-known writers. Sponsored by a non-profit educational organization with a TV show, etc.

www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~david/derya/ywc.html. A young writer's club.

www.kidpub.org. Kid Pub. Requires a small registration fee to post, but stories can be read free.

Student Writing In Highlights Magazine

Congratulation to MLK's own Lily Mohr whose poem will be featured in an upcoming issue of Highlights magazine! Nice job!

Snow and Safety at School

Since the first snowfall of the year, we have been working with students to help them understand snow and safety at school. Essentially this means:

• No throwing snow.
  
• If a child is sliding on the snow (on the grassy areas), take turns.
• NO sliding on ice.
• We must maintain safety at all times.
  

In the beginning we had a few issues with a few students not following these school rules. Since then we have done better (and I suspect we will continue to get better), but we do have a ways to go still. When you have a moment, please ask your child about how they are doing with snow and safety at school. Thanks.

The MLK Green Team!

Have you heard about the King School Green Team? Every student at King is on this special team. The challenge for each member is to help keep the grounds at King clean... you know, no littering, period! The idea started with several of Mrs. Knorr's fourth graders, Zoe Zimmerman and Michiko Ota. In their minds, thoughts about the Green Team might involve more conscientious recycling, encouraging people to car pool, reducing wastes, and as a starter, keeping the grounds clean. I, Linda Ryan, chair the landscape committee and have picked up litter over the course of the year now and then. On my last round, I thought maybe this job could be become everyone's responsibility, but how would I pull this off? When I chatted with Mr. Karr about the issue, he told me about the Green Team ideas. As a matter of fact, he had a pile of great ideas that had been accumulating on his desk. He was looking for a way to enable Zoe and Michi to put their green thoughts into action! Thus, the Green Team challenge evolved. The challenge will last for one month ending right before winter break. At that time Mrs.Ryan will surf the King grounds for litter. If less then 3 cafeteria trays of litter are found, then the students at King will each get a reward. Posters, trash buckets by the doors, and weekly skits will encourage us all to keep the grounds clean. Are you up to the challenge?

Report from Parent Writing Workshop

Good evening! I am writing from the MLK media center on the evening of December 3, 2007 surrounded by parents from 22 families who have assembled for a Parent Writing Workshop for the purpose of understanding writing instruction and how it pertains to their children. This event has been planned and implemented by the MLK School Improvement Team both this school year and last. In fact, I am very happy to announce that with tonight's participation, over 150 families total have participated in the workshop. In the near future, I will announce a second parent opportunity for families to learn about writing, again sponsored by the MLK School Improvement Team. Watch for it!

Back to tonight's blog entry . . . Here are a few pieces of information that were shared at tonight's presentation that would be helpful for all of us to remember:

1. All children can and should write. From the time your children can hold a crayon, encourage them to draw, scribble and write. In order to be successful and fluent writers, students need to know they can write--even if it doesn't look perfect!
2. Teachers must help student find real purposes to write. Help your children communicate their hopes, dreams, fears, and concerns. When your children see writing as serving a real purpose, they will be more likely to try it.
3. Students need to take ownership and responsibility. Kid writing should sound like kid writing! When kids believe that their writing is their own, they will become more likely to invest themselves in it.
4. Effective writing programs involve the complete writing process. Our children like all writers, have different ways of approaching writing tasks. Tune in to your children's learning styles and needs as writers. Writing in different styles and genres will take time. Some genres will take just one draft while others will take multiple drafts.
   
5. Teachers can help students get started. Talk with your children about their ideas and encourage them to draw, freewrite, and make lists of verbs in order to get started.
6. Teachers can help students draft and revise. Listen to our children's drafts and ask real questions about content. Heartfelt questions are the best way to encourage kids to keep on writing.
7. Grammar and mechanics are best learned in the context of actual writing. If you notice errors in conventions in your children's writing, pick just one area at a time to work on (such as punctuation, dialogue, or capitalization). You might also refer to real texts (books, newspapers, letters, magazines) to see how published authors tackle issues of punctuation, spelling and more.
8. Students need real audiences and a classroom context of shared learning. Help your children find real audiences (famliy, friends, neighbors) to communicate with.
9. Writing should extend throughout the curriculum. You can write just about anything at home: letters to family and friends, songs and plays to perform for the family, lists for grocery shopping . . . The list is endless!
10. Effective teachers use evaluation constructively and efficiently. Your job as a parent is to encourage and support any effort your children make in writing. Be lavish in praise and specific and limited in your suggestions for improvement.

I hope that everyone will find the above information useful and helpful, even if you couldn't attend one the parent nights.

Please also join me in thanking the Eastern Michigan Writing Project, Susan Lake, Diane Massell and the MLK School Improvement Team for their work around tonight's workshop and achievement at MLK.

King School Barnes & Noble Book Fair this Friday & Saturday!

A new & exciting event is happening this week for King School families & friends! On Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8, the King PTO will be hosting the King School Barnes & Noble Book Fair at Barnes & Noble on Washtenaw Avenue!

The King School Barnes & Noble Book Fair is a great way for our families & friends to purchase holiday gifts for themselves & others as well as books to read while traveling over the winter holidays. The best part about this book fair is that almost every single item in the Barnes & Noble store including: children & adult books, music, movies, games, bookmarks, calendars, gift items, cafe items, & more will be available & will count as purchases towards the King School Barnes & Noble Book Fair (when a King School voucher is provided at checkout)!

Various activities will occur at Barnes & Noble throughout the two days. On Friday, there will be a dance performed by King School students in the High School Musical class at 4:15. At 4:30, Dr. Michalik, Mrs. Haddas, & Mr. Taylor will read a story followed by Mr. Karr reading at 4:45! Saturday's readers include Mrs. Jones at 11:30, Ms. Gatonez at 6:00, and Mr. Clarkson at 6:15! There will also be a variety of activity stations for families to try out at Barnes & Noble.

Invite your family & friends to come shop at Barnes & Noble on 12/7 - 12/8. Make sure to hand the cashier the King School voucher at checkout!

Please contact Susan Gechter if you have any questions.

Community Holiday Giving

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day."

Once again King School will help children in our community by purchasing small holiday gifts. Look for snowflakes in the courtyard windows with coded numbers. Take a snowflake to Mrs. Greene or Mrs. Basta and they will inform you of the age, sex and "wish" list item for the child in need. Please wrap your gift and attach the snowflake to the top of the gift. All gifts should be delivered to school and placed in the teachers lounge by Wednesday, December 19. We have many snowflakes this year so more children at King can participate by helping other local children. Thanks in advance for your generosity. Questions? Please contact Susan Aaronson.

AAPS Gift Policy

With the upcoming gift giving season upon us, please be aware of the following AAPS Board of Education policy: "Ann Arbor Public School employees may not accept gifts of more than token value from individual students or parents or from groups of students on school property."

Report Cards - Friday, November 30

Your child will bring home their report card on Friday, November 30. This report indicates the progress your child has made since the beginning of the school year. Please pay close attention to the end of the year targets to see how your child is progressing toward the targets. Also, please note if the teacher has indicated areas that need additional practice or focus.

If you have questions, please call us at school--or stop by.

MLK PTO eNotes Archive

In case you are looking for more news that might now get posted here, please check out the MLK PTO's eNotes Archive. You'll find lots of useful information :-)

Fifth Grade Bake Sales

The King School 5th graders sponsor popular Baked Food Sales throughout the year in their efforts to raise money for end-of-the-year field trips and specific classroom needs. This year we are promoting an even greater variety of snacks that include healthy choices. As your child looks over the appealing selections, he or she may not even notice the changes!

The focus on healthy snacks is consistent with nutritional guidelines adopted by the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Our school district supports Project Healthy School, a 3-year-old initiative that partners the Ann Arbor Public Schools, health practitioners, and local agencies to promote our children’s health. (For more information, visit http://www.med.umich.edu/projecthealthyschools/.) Also, check out the MLK website for updates related to the Bake Sale, including postings of recipes for healthy snacks.

The first Baked Food Sale will be on December 5. Items are priced at 25¢ each. Look out for some great snack selections!

Help Make Healthy Chioces

As we get closer to Thanksgiving and winter break, I want to encourage families to help school make healthy choices as teachers plan any winter celebrations. Here is list of healthy snack choices to consider. Serving all healthy foods and incorporating physical activities make a powerful statement for our kids as they become more independent in making choices.

• Fresh fruit and vegetables
• Yogurt
• Bagels with lowfat cream cheese
• Baby carrot and other vegetables with lowfat dip
• Fig cookies
• Animal crackers
• Baked Chips
• Lowfat popcorn
• Granola bars (but may contain allergens)
• Soft pretzels and mustard
• Pizza (no extra cheese)
• Pudding
• String cheese
• Cereal bar
• Single-serve lowfat flavored milk
• 100% fruit juice
• Flavored bottled water*
• Deep-fried Twinkies with hot caramel and/or fudge, whipped cream and those little multi-colored sprinkles

* This line and above recommended by Michigan Action for Healthy Kids.

Parent Opportunity: Presentation on how to help your child with writing

Dear King Parents:

This year the School Improvement Team (SIT) will provide a series of presentations and workshops for parents on writing. The first is led by the Eastern Michigan Writing Project and is called “How to Help your Child with Writing.” This 90-minute presentation is for parents and caregivers who want to learn more about how to encourage their student writers at home. Dr. Cathy Fleischer and Kimberly Pavlock of EMU will explore family activities that promote writing as well as effective ways to respond to children about their writing. If you have not attended this event before, we strongly encourage you to attend. In the future, SIT will offer this year other presentations about the Ann Arbor writing curriculum, culminating with a writing workshop for the whole family.

For your convenience, the EMU presentations will be repeated three times. Please sign up for one of the following evenings:

• Monday, November 19 7 – 8:30 pm.
• Tuesday, November 27 7 – 8:30 pm
• Monday, December 3 7 – 8:30 pm

KingCare will offer childcare compliments of the MLK PTO.

Please return the form sent home previously by Friday, November 16 or call Secretary Mary Greene at 994-1940. Also, don't forget to indicate whether you will need childcare and the names and ages of your children (school aged children only).

Over $500 raised from Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

On behalf of the PTO, thank you to everyone who participated in this year's work around Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF which raised over $500! Nice job MLK community!

King School International Night Meeting Monday 11/12 6:30-7:00

Join us for a planning meeting for International Night tonight from 6:30 - 7:00 in the MLK Media Center!

What is International Night?

International Night is a fabulous evening of pride and celebration for the King School community. We begin with an International Potluck of delectable dishes from around the world. Then we have a Showcase of Student Performances (225 students last year!)—such as Arabic Debkeh Dance, Korean Tae Kwon Do, Guatemalan Dance, Dutch song, Thai dulcimer, American Hip-Hop, Indian bhangra dance, Chinese fan dance, and more! We also decorate the hallways with informational Country Displays and art projects for a World Tour. We also try to help with International Crafts during lunchtime enrichment that week. We are also always open to new innovative ideas!

When is International Night?

International Night will be Thursday, January 31, 2008, 6:30-8:30 pm.

How can I be a part?

If everyone does a little bit, it won't be too much work. We have this one meeting in the fall, then everything else is done by email. We need parents to organize performances—either perform a special talent with your child and/or organize/teach a group of students—dance, song, poems, music, martial arts, be creative! We also need parents or students to make informational displays about different countries or cultures. The day of the event, we will need a lot of help with setting up the potluck, clean up, Security, Parking, and the Stage Management Team. We also need technical types for the Technical Team (video simulcast and recording, microphones, make DVDs, etc.). Those who are good at crafts can do international-themed crafts during lunchtime enrichment that week. There is something to fit every schedule and talent. Everyone is welcome!

What if I can't make it to this meeting?

Email Frances Kai-Hwa Wang at fkwang@aol.com to volunteer (or phone 930-2162).

Thanks on behalf of all our children!--Frances Kai-Hwa Wang (Hao Hao and Niu Niu)

Nominate MLK teachers and staff for the Celebration of Excellence!

I recently received the piece below from the Board of Education secretary and thought it would be a good time to remind MLK families that you can recommend MLK teachers and staff for the Celebration of Excellence Award. Thank you for your consideration.

Forwarded message:

We have made some exciting changes to the Celebration of Excellence awards! As you know, awards are given to staff who perform above and beyond what is expected in their jobs, and staff may only receive the award once. We will now award a "Gold Star" to recognize those staff whose nominations are received for a job well done, and will also include repeat nominations up to 1 per year. These "Gold Star" awardees will receive a gold star lapel pin and a $25 Borders gift card. Names of our Gold Star recipients will also be read by the PTOC chair at a Board Meeting.

Information about this change in our selection process will be on our website:

http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/boe.home/celebration_of_excellence

We are happy to continue to offer our employee recognition program. Keep those nominations coming!

POLL RESULTS

Recently, families were asked to express how often they checked the MLK News website.

The results were that 63% of families check this website at least once a week, and 72% check it at least once every two weeks.

Newsweek Magazine: Handwriting Feature

One of the curricular areas we're looking closely at this year at MLK is handwriting. My goal is to implement a comprehensive handwriting program by the fall of 2008, if not sooner.

With this end in mind, the MLK staff participated in professional development around handwriting on Tuesday, November 6. Parents may be interested in reading a feature in Newsweek! online (link below) about handwriting.

The Writing on the Wall

Academic Games: No Practice Tuesday, November 6

Due to the students having the day off on Tuesday, November 6, we will

not be holding Academic Games practice on that day.

Our next practice will be Thursday, November 8.

Mr. Vanek & Christy

Fruit and Vegetable Bar

Each and every day at MLK, the lunch program offers a free fruit and vegetable bar for all students to choose from to help make healthy choices. There are typically 4 - 5 fruits or vegetables from which to choose--and it is available to all students even if they bring lunch from home.

Guidelines:

• Students should take only what they believe they can eat during the lunch period.
• Once a student goes through the line for the fruit and vegetable bar, they should let others go through the line before they get "seconds."
  

Incident at MLK - 10/30/2007

Dear MLK Parents and Guardians,

Today our school had to address a very serious incident where one student did not make it into school in the morning.

The incident immediately initiated a response procedure, which formally included MLK staff, district staff, and the Ann Arbor Police Department. In addition, many MLK parents helped in the search effort.

I am very pleased to report that the missing student was found unharmed and very close to school.

Your child may have seen police cars and/or a fire truck around MLK that were deployed during the search effort. Please reassure them, as we will, that they were in no danger and that we were only attempting to find a student who did not make it into school.

My observation: the response of the entire community was amazing! Immediately everyone rallied together to find the missing student. Thank you to everyone who helped in the search effort.

Please understand that because of privacy issues I cannot elaborate more on the incident but do know that our response process was praised by the police department, and the result was very positive.

Most of all, we are happy and very relieved that the child was found and is now doing well with the parents.

Sincerely,

Kevin Karr

King of Hearts 5K a Success

The 5K run this year was awesome! Great weather, good friends, and fun times were what it was all about! Look below and see for yourself. :-)

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

If your family participates in Trick-or-Treating, please consider the following from the MLK PTO:

The bright orange UNICEF box for trick treating arrived in your child's Friday folder this week. Developing responsible, caring and compassionate children is one of the most important jobs of a parent. This year, you can encourage these values in your children by having them participate in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. Encourage your child to bring the bright orange box with them as they travel through your neighborhood and ask for spare change or donations for disadvantaged children around the world.

Here are some ideas to encourage the values above:

-talk to your child about things that he or she probably takes for granted (easy access to food and clean water, school, medical help)

-tell your child about the lives of kids who live in other parts of the world

-discuss the many ways that UNICEF helps kids around the world (builds wells for clean water, immunizes children, builds schools, trains teachers, and provides school supplies)

Bring your orange box (filled with donations) to school by Monday November 5 and we will tally our school total and donate the coins in the local Coinstar Center machines, where donations go directly to UNICEF. Our school goal is $1,000! Make checks payable to USA Funds for UNICEF.

For more information on UNICEF visit www.unicefusa.org/trickortreat

American Heart Association Award

King School received an award today for its participation in the American Heart Association's Jump Rope For Heart last school year. The award was for the most improved school. King School increased their participation 525% from 2005-06 to 2006-07. Thanks you to Mrs. Arbour and Mrs. Knorr for their participation and leadership in this event!

MRSA information from Michigan Dept of Education

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Recent reports on the prevalence of MRSA, and recent unfortunate student deaths associated with MRSA have prompted much telephone activity and many questions regarding available data in Michigan. Additionally questions regarding available educational resources have been received. Individual case reports of MRSA are not reportable in Michigan; therefore prevalence rates for either Healthcare Associated –MRSA (HA-MRSA) or Community Associated –MRSA CA-MRSA) is unknown. Outbreaks, defined as "three or more culture positive cases in a facility or in a community that are epidemiologically linked where transmission/spread is plausible" are however, reportable to the local health jurisdiction.

MDCH has two educational brochures on prevention of MRSA and can be located as follows:

MDCH MRSA Prevention and Control Tri-Fold Brochure is available at:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MRSA_brochure_FINAL_167898_7.pdf

MDCH MRSA Prevention and Control Poster is available at:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MRSA_poster_FINAL_167902_7.pdf

Treatment guidelines for CA-MRSA http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/ar/CAMRSA_ExpMtgStrategies.pdf

Massachusetts State Health- Schools and MRSA - also has translated materials for MRSA in a variety of languages:

http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/antibiotic/mrsa_school_health.htm

Resource Update: 10/24/2007

The CDC has released a new website that will help answer many questions about managment of MRSA in Schools. The website is listed here below. This was not included on the HAN last Thursday, as it recently became available.

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/

MRSA

This is an update on what the Ann Arbor Public Schools is doing in regard to MRSA.

First, there are no reported cases of MRSA in the district. I am sharing information now so everyone understands what is being doing in regard to MRSA prevention and response-- if needed.

Custodial Services has been proactive about MRSA prevention issuing a disinfectant spray that kills the MRSA staph bacteria. This is being used by our custodians now to clean our gyms, cafeterias and restrooms.

In the case a true MRSA case is reported in an AAPS school, a response protocol is being developed now. This includes verification of the infection by the school nurse with the child's doctor. This is being done to prevent any confusion between a MRSA infection and another staph infection.

Outside of MLK, field turf areas are (and have been sprayed all season) with a disinfectant that kills MRSA.

More information about MRSA can be found by clicking here.

If you have any questions please call the school office.

Please check lost and found before 11/2

Mr. Harris will empty the lost and found on November 2. If you are missing items, please check before then.

Teachers will also walk students by the lost and found and give an opportunity to check during the day :-)

Attention: Fifth Grade Parents

Dear 5th Grade Parents,

You may have heard or read about the recent news story concerning a security breach on the 5th and 6th grade MEAP writing test that occurred in another district in the state. The prompt for essay portion of the writing test in those two grades was mistakenly printed in that district’s local newspaper and its website. In order to assure fairness to all students and to protect the validity of the scores reported for the test, the Michigan Department of Education has determined that all 5th and 6th graders should be given a replacement writing prompt, regardless of whether they have already taken that portion of the test.

To prevent any other security breaches, the state has designated the morning of Wednesday, November 7 as the time when all 5th and 6th graders will take the replacement test, as the first school activity in the morning. Consequently, we will be administering the test at the time. The test is untimed, but is estimated to take about an hour for the students to complete. Students who are absent that day can make it up within the week that follows.

While it is unfortunate that our students will have to spend the time to take the replacement test, we will endeavor to have it run as smoothly as possible in order to provide fair and accurate scores for all of our students.

Sincerely,

Kevin Karr

New Staff at MLK

Please join me in welcoming two fantastic additions to the MLK staff: Catrice Bridges and Meadow Snyder are two new teaching assistants working in our communications classroom.

If you haven't already, I hope you'll take a moment to stop by and introduce yourselves. :-)

Farm Fresh Friday at MLK

Rutabagas were on the menu today at MLK for Farm Fresh Friday! It was great to try something new!

3 on 3 Soccer

Late last year, the full-size soccer goals were removed at MLK (as they were at all AAPS elementary schools) due to safety concerns. Since then it has been a little hard to play soccer at MLK--until a couple weeks ago. That is when we began playing 3 on 3 soccer!


3 on 3 soccer is a game suggested by Curt Hinson in his book Games Kids Should Play At Recess, "Solutions For A Trouble Free Playground". The exciting parts of this game for our kids are:

• everyone gets to play;
• kids get to touch the ball more often during a game;
• everyone knows and understands the rules.

So that parents know too, here are the rules of 3 on 3 Soccer at MLK:
Objective: Kicking; trapping; dribbling with feet; teamwork
Equipment: Soccer ball; four cones; four wiffleballs
Organization: Students form two groups of three. The cones are set up to represent goals, approximately 8 - 10 feet wide, with a wiffleball on top of each cone. The goals should be about 60 to 75 feet from each other. Each group designates one player to be the goalie and the other two players to be the offensive/defensive players. The goalies stand between the two cones at opposite ends of the field.
How to play: The two offensive/defensive players from each team attempt to get possession of the ball and try and kick it, knocking a wiffleball off the opponents cones. A point is scored when a wiffleball is successfully knocked off. The game is continuous. As soon as a goal is scored, the other team may get the ball and head up the field.
Lifeskills tip: The players on each team should switch places with the goalie every three goals or so.

King PRIDE--it shows!

Over the past few weeks, teachers and I have taken note of many, many positive events, routines and small acts of kindness taking place each day at MLK. Some examples:

• Helping someone who fell on the playground;
• Talking about the Lifeskills at home;
  
• Comforting a new student who felt anxious the first time she rode the bus home;
• Telling someone they did a great job;
• Saying "thank you" to the teacher for holding open the door;
  
• Inviting people to play who are by themselves;
  
• Playing 4-square carefully and safely when less-experienced players are on the court;
  
• Discussing King PRIDE in class and writing about it;
  
• Cheering someone up who is feeling down.

These are all wonderful examples! I really appreciate everyone's hard work to make sure we all know how to treat each other during the school day. I hope parents will also continue to talk about King PRIDE at home and praise your children when appropriate. :-)

Update on Measles in AAPS - 10/11/07

Dear MLK Families,
On Thursday, October 11 we were informed by the Washtenaw County Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control new information on the cases of measles in Ann Arbor district.

Burns Park
The "index" or first case from Burns Park originally tested positive but the CDC confirmed there was a reporting error on their end and determined this case was a negative. Because of this reporting error this case is being retested by the CDC and we expect results in the next 24 hours. The Health Department and CDC have ruled out two other cases at Burns Park, but there are still two additional cases suspected pending test results. Students without proper MMR immunizations will continue to be out of school at Burns Park until October 29 or if they receive the MMR vaccination.

Bach
The suspected case has proved negative and all students who have been excluded from school are allowed to return on Friday, October 12.

Wines
The suspected case at Wines is still being investigated. Students excluded from class because of lack of immunizations are still not to return until October 29 or until they receive the immunization.

Angell
The case at Angell has been confirmed as positive by blood tests conducted at the U of M. The test is now being conducted by the CDC for further confirmation. Students who have been excluded at Angell will continue to be out of school until October 25 or until they receive the immunization.

We know that the information coming out through the media is complex but we continue to work directly with the Public Health Department and the CDC to ensure that all families have the most recent information available.

We will continue to send out reminders to AAPS families as we receive information from the CDC on any of the outstanding suspected cases.

If you have questions about your child's immunization status please contact your family doctor or you may contact the Washtenaw County Department of Public Health at 544-6700.

Sincerely,
Kevin Karr

Update on Measles in AAPS - 10/8/07

We were informed on Monday, October 8 of another suspected case of measles at Angell Elementary directly related to the confirmed case at Burns Park.

Right now in the district we have one confirmed case of measles and three suspected cases (2 at Burns Park and 1 at Angell). All of these students were immunized and did have some type of direct contact with the confirmed case.

The Public Health Department is instructing all students at Angell who are not up to date on their MMR immunizations not be allowed back to school until they receive their immunizations or until October 29th.

At this time Public Health is not concerned with any outbreaks beyond these two schools. The Public Health Department continues to request that families who have not completed the two series MMR vaccinations for their children to do so and for those who are not immunized to seriously consider getting the MMR vaccinations. If adults are unsure of their immunizations status please take the time to contact your doctor. A booster shot for adults is available by contacting the Public Health Department or your doctor.

We will keep you updated on any further developments. We expect some sort of confirmation by the CDC later in the week.

King of Hearts 5K RUN 2007 Still Accepting Registration Forms - Extended Regular Registration

Dear King Families,

The 4th annual King Elementary School King of Hearts Family 5K Run is on Sunday, October 28, 2007! This family friendly event will take you through King School neighborhood. We would like to encourage you to send in your King of Hearts 5K Run Registration Forms. Regular registration is extended until Thursday, October 11, and will guarantee you King Family 5K Run Shirts.

Please call Christina Nedeltchev at 734-998-1499 with any questions.

Christina Nedeltchev
King PTO 5K Run Chair

Still Time to Order Sally Foster!

King Families,

You can still order Sally Foster online for a few more days. Just go to www.sallyfoster.com and use our school's account: 253608.

Remember it's a fundraiser to help send all fifth graders to Space Camp this Spring.

Still not sure about ordering Sally Foster's great wrapping paper, candy, gift items and more? Click here to read some very persuasive letters written by King School fifth graders!

Questions? Please contact Cynthia Gur-Arie at cynthia@gur-arie.com.

AAPS Measles Update

Dear MLK Families,

As you may know from media reports there is one confirmed case of measles at Burns Park Elementary with potentially two other unconfirmed but probable cases. The school district is working very closely with the Washtenaw County Department of Public Health and is following their established protocols. At this time there are no other cases reported at any other Ann Arbor Public School.

Measles is considered an eradicated disease. There are less then 100 cases across the U.S. each year this is why even one case is considered an epidemic and medical personnel act quickly when it is confirmed. You should know that the confirmed case and the probable cases occurred in children who had the complete MMR vaccinations. Public Health informs us that the vaccinations offers 99% protection. Because they were immunized the children who have the symptoms experienced very light cases of the disease.

The Department of Public Health has required that all students at Burns Park who do not have up-to-date immunizations or have signed immunization waivers to be out of school for 21 days based on the onset of the disease or until they receive the MMR immunization. This is to protect their health. The Department of Public Health is urging every child to be immunized with the MMR vaccinations.

Adults who work in schools and are unsure of their own immunization records may want to consider a booster shot. More information about this can be found HERE or by calling the Washtenaw County Department of Public Health.

The district will continue to keep us informed of any further developments which I will pass on to you.

Sincerely,
Kevin Karr

Safety—Drop Offs and Pick Ups

The piece below is a re-post from last March. The concerns expressed around pick up and drop off times are still an issue for us today.

To address this, I know that some of you have seen my increased presence during drop-off and pick-up. I'll continue to use this strategy, but I know that parents safely monitoring their own drop off and pick up behavior is what is ultimately needed.

Reading below, please note the issues/concerns and what we can do to act in safer, more responsible ways during drop off and pick up.

My disappointment (from 3/4/07): several parents approached me recently to express dissatisfaction and disappointment with safety during drop-off and pick-up times. After watching in the front drive of the school on several occasions, I couldn’t agree more. Our problems during these times are serious and are on-going issues. We need to come together to address this NOW!

What’s wrong:
• Parents dropping off and picking up students from the left hand lane of the circle drive in the front of the school. This means students cross in front of other cars to get to and from the school.
• Driving too fast in the front drive of the school.
• Parking in front of the school during pick up and drop off. This is not allowed.

Popcorn Friday!

Popcorn Friday is a monthly PTO event where popcorn is distributed to students during lunch, free of charge to any student who would like it. This Friday will be our first Popcorn Friday of the year!

Thank you to the PTO and parent volunteers Mika Burch and Rachel Sabb for making this wonderful event possible.

REMINDER: Please help me in reminding students that no food is allowed on the school playground--which means all popcorn will need to be consumed in the cafeteria/multi-purpose room before kids go to recess.

Order Sally Foster!

If it's fall at King School, it's time to order Sally Foster gift wrap and other great products.

The Sally Foster fundraiser raises money to support King fifth-graders to attend Space Camp in May 2008.

Since 1999, King has had the wonderful tradition of sending all fifth grders to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, for a week each spring. While most fifth grade families are able to financially support most of our expenses, fifth graders each year need the whole King Community to help make Space Camp happen for the whole class. When your child is in fifth grade, other King families will support you, too!

Parents recently received a complete Sally Foster packet and order form. You have until Thursday, October 4, to turn in your order. Orders will be available for pick up at school on November 1.

Remember, you can order Sally Foster online. Go to www.sallyfoster.com and use the school's account number 253608.
Sally Foster offers really high quality products and a full 50 percent of the earnings go directly back to King's Space Camp program.

For more information, please contact Cynthia Gur-Arie (cynthia@gur-arie.com) at 718-5683.

Picture Day is Friday, September 28

Picture days is on Friday, September 28--which is this Friday :-)

For your convenience, picture orders can be placed online at schoolpictures.com using our school ID: AA0404

Of course it is also acceptable to send orders to school using the schoolpictures.com envelope sent home with children. Just look for the flyer about pictures, and the envelope is attached it it.

Farm to School Initiative

New this fall in the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) elementary and middle school cafeterias - Farm Fresh Fridays - which will provide children, for free, a taste of fresh, healthy produce grown right here in Southeast Michigan.

Students will find these items available either on the food line or handed out by volunteers in the cafeterias. Signs will be posted every Friday describing the farm where the Farm Fresh Friday food was harvested.

AAPS is also are pleased to introduce the new fruit and vegetable bars in the elementary schools that are available to all students whether they purchase a meal or not. The middle schools are also serving more fresh produce in the cafeterias.

Farm Fresh Fridays are a project of the Ann Arbor Farm to School Collaboration whose members are:

• Ann Arbor Public Schools
• Chartwells Dining ServicesProject Healthy Schools
• Ann Arbor Farmers Market
• The Agrarian AdventureFood
• System Economic Partnership
• Washtenaw County Health Department

The Farm to School Collaboration embraces local and regionally grown produce as not only a healthy choice for students but as a way to educate students on the availability of fresh foods in their area as well as supporting local and regional farms in their efforts to be sustaining contributors to our local economy.

The Ann Arbor Public School District serves the City of Ann Arbor and parts of eight surrounding townships covering 125 square miles. The district has 20 elementary schools, one K-8 open school, five middle schools, two comprehensive high schools, three alternative high schools, one pre-school and one adult education program. As of September 2006 enrollment totaled 16,680 (excluding adult education and a portion of pre-school). The district employs 3,000 full and part-time staff members. Approximately 76 percent of the teaching staff holds a master's degree or above. 100 percent of district teachers are highly qualified according to No Child Left Behind regulations. The district serves a diverse ethnic and socioeconomic population of students with over 36 different countries represented by students in the district. The Ann Arbor Public Schools has opened a new preschool and family center and looks forward to opening a new comprehensive high school with with four magnet programs of study in September 2008. Every school in the district will have facility renovations and updates to be completed over the next two years.

Keys to Sucess and Improvement at MLK, 2007-08

At the PTO meeting this week, I was sharing information from the State of the School address from Curriculum Night, and I realized that some didn't know what I was talking about . . . because they weren't able to be at that part of Curriculum Night.

During that address, I shared what I saw as being the keys to success and improvement at MLK for 2007-08. Here they are again:

• Continue emphasis on reading and math--we have done exceptional work in these areas
• Writing emphasis
• Consistent implementation of AAPS curriculum
• School Improvement Team emphasis
• Parent Writing Presentations
• Parent Writing Education Night--learn about the Lucy Calkins Writing Program
• Family Writing Workshop--experiencing the writing process as a family
• PTO support by organizing and implementing after-school writing opportunities in conjunction with 826michigan.org

• Continued use of the Lifelong Guidelines and Lifeskills by our school community
  

These "keys' were developed collaboratively with the King teachers, the School Improvement Team, and the King PTO. I hope everyone will keep these goals in mind as we progress through this year. Our collective attention around them will bring us ever closer to fulfilling them.

School Closing Information

If it becomes necessary to close school because of weather or emergency, information will be shared in the following ways:

• District website: http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us
• District hotline: 994-8684
• Television:
• WJBK - Channel 2
• WDIV - Channel 4
• WXYZ - Channel 7

• Radio:
• Ann Arbor
  
• WAAM - 1600 AM
• WUOM - 91.7 FM
• WEMU - 89.1 FM
• WQKL -107.1FM
• WWWW - 102.9 FM
• WTKA - 1050 AM
• WLBY - 1290 AM
  
• Detroit Radio:
  
  • WJR - 76 AM
  • WWJ - 950 AM
  • WDTW - 106.7 FM
  • WNIC - 100.3FM
  • WDFN - 1130 AM
  • WDTW - 1310 AM

Wednesday October 3 IS INTERNATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY!

This is a great opportunity to teach your child about the importance of daily exercise. If possible, walk, bike or scooter with your chid to school. Join other families in your neighborhood that will also be walking. We would love to see the bike racks full!

For those of you whose children ride a bus, you also have an option. In the past (unless it storms like last year) we have arranged to have the 4 King buses drop students at the end of Waldenwood, close to Earhart where there are sidewalks, and have staff and other parents greet the students and walk with them to school. This fun activity enables even the bus riders to get a taste of walk to school day!

Look for a permission slip in your child's backpack and return it to school by 9/28 so that your child can participate. If you would like to help be a parent walker, please contact Susan Aaronson at 741-9878 or susaaaro@umich.edu

King of Hearts 5K Date Set

The tentative date for the 2007 King of Hearts 5K run has been set for Sunday, October 28 at 1:30 PM.

I'm sure the PTO will be sharing more information soon, but I hope you'll mark this on your calendar because we'd like to see you at this wonderful event!

Medicine At School

Dear Parents,

If you have children enrolled who have need of emergency medication(s), please bring the medication, alone with a completed physician and parent authorization forms, to the school office. Blank forms for the physician and parent authorization of the administration of medication at school may be obtained from the school office or click here. This process must be followed for all medications, including those that are "over-the-counter." In other words, no medicine can be administered at school without doctor's orders.

Thank you assisting in this very important matter.

Sincerely,

Mazie Hamilton
King School Nurse
(734)994-8292 x52126

New faculty at MLK for 07-08

Many families already know we have some new faculty at MLK this year, and they bring tremendous skills, dedication, and enthusiasm to their work—all complemented by a good dose of friendliness! Here is a listing of who is new on the MLK faculty roster this year:
• Mrs. Becky Gracey, 3rd grade teacher. Mrs. Gracey taught at Pattengill Elementary School last year.
• Karen Hadddas, 5th grade teacher. Mrs. Haddas taught at Pattengill Elementary School last year.
• Jeff Taylor, 5th grade teacher. Mr. Taylor taught at Clague Middle School last year.
• Veroncia Monford, communications classroom teacher. Mrs. Monford taught at the Preschool and Family Center last year.
• Laura Wayne, art teacher. Ms. Wayne was hired this summer to be a part of the MLK faculty. She brings a vast amount of teaching experience outside of the AAPS, ranging from preschool through adult art education.
• Caroline Hughes, media specialist. Ms. Hughes taught at Abbot Elementary School last year.
• Helen Chamberlain, speech and language pathologist. Mrs. Chamberlain was hired during the summer to be a part of the MLK faculty.
• Patricia Goucher, psychologist. Ms. Goucher was hired during the summer to be a part of the MLK faculty.
Please join me in welcoming these fine teachers to the excellence that represents our collective work in the MLK community.

PTO meets this Tueday at 7 PM

The first meeting of the 2007-08 School PTO will be this on Tuesday, September 18 at 7 PM in the MLK media center. I hope to see you there!

Welcome Back Dessert Night--9/6 at 7 PM

Join us tonight for the PTO's annual Welcome Back Dessert Night!

Thursday, September 6, 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM on the back playground.

For everyone's safety, please do not bringing nuts and/or nut products to this event.

Curriculum Night, September 11

Curriculum Night 2007 will be on September 11 beginning at 6 PM. This is a perfect opportunity for parents to become better acquainted with the world-class curriculum their child will be learning this year as well as with their child's teacher. It is also a time to sign up for the fall parent-teacher conferences.

The schedule for Curriculum Night is as follows
6:00 Classroom session #1
6:45 State of School address in MP Room, everyone please attend
7:10 Classroom session #2
7:50 Curriculum Night ends, thanks for coming!

CHILD CARE: The PTO will sponsor child care for Curriculum night Tuesday Sept. 11th, 2007.

Advanced reservations are REQUIRED to help insure there are enough adults to care for children (children 4 years and older, not in diapers please). Please contact KingCare/Heather Brescol kingcare@sbcglobal.net or 734-994-4485.

Fridays are Spirit Days at MLK

Fridays are special days at MLK because we show our spirit! Everyone is invited to wear their:

• Maize and Blue
• Blue and white (King School colors)
• The colors of their favorite team
• Favorite colors

We hope this will be fun!

Paying For Lunch Online = Meal Pay Plus, NOT Parent Online

Meal Pay Plus is the online breakfast and lunch program offered by the Ann Arbor Public Schools. This is a new program replacing Parent Online. You are still able to pay for student meals using your credit card or by calling a 1-800 number. You can combine payments for multiple students, access their accounts to monitor what they are purchasing and ensure they have sufficient funds in their accounts. An information flyer will be sent home with your student in their school packets including information on how to register and what the new program offers. Look for information on Meal Pay Plus soon!

Note: Please know that if you still had money left in your ParentOnline account, it has been transferred to Meal Pay Plus.

You can access Meal Pay Plus from the AAPS parents page too: http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/aaps.forparents/especially_for_parents

Nametags, PLEASE, on the first day of school

Please please please.....make sure students (especially our youngest ones) have name tags with bus numbers attached to their shirt/blouse AND their backpacks. The MLK staff will be in front of the school, by buses, and in the hallways to assist and make sure everyone gets to the right place. You might remind your child to ask questions to an adult at school if they are confused--or just ask for help getting to their classroom.

At the end of school, we'll dismiss kids in order:
1. Walkers will exit first. Parents should wait outside the front door or a spot you designate with your child.
2. King Care students will exit second and go directly to King Care.
3. Last, students who ride the bus home will be dismissed. Buses will not leave until we are sure everyone is in the right place . . . so the buses may be a little late coming home on the first day of school.

We're really excited to see your kids at MLK on Tuesday!

Welcome Night for New Families

Bring your new to King student(s) to school tonight to hear a welcome message from Mr. Karr and the PTO, tour the building, find details about daily routines and discover other valuable information such as how to get a second slice of pizza at lunch time.

The fun starts at 7 PM! Hope to see you then.

Class Placement Information

Class placement information will be mailed to families on Wednesday, August 29. The letters families receive will also contain other important beginning of the year information. Please look for the letter in your mailbox.

As a reminder, the first day of school is a full-day on September 4.

Academic Games Teams Forming Now

Dear Parents of 4th and 5th Graders,

We would like to invite you to an informational meeting about the Academic Games program being offered for 4th and 5th grade students at King Elementary School. This meeting will be held Monday, September 17 from 7:00 to 7:30 PM in the King Multipurpose Room. Even if your children attended 4th Grade AG last year, please plan to attend.
Practice times have been set for Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, and will be held in the King School Music Room. Practices will begin for interested students in either 4th or 5th grade on Thursday, September 20th. Academic Games is sponsored by the King School PTO.
We look forward to meeting with you on Thursday the 13th.

Sincerely,
Mike Vanek and Christy Vanek


What is Academic Games?

Academic Games (AG) is a group of games designed to test and improve a student's knowledge in several different subject areas. There are games that cover math, English, social studies, and logic. The primary purpose of AG is to make learning fun for students. All too often it seems, students turn off to Math, English, or Social Studies because they are bored or not challenged by the material. AG helps to solve that problem by making learning about the subjects more interesting and fun. There is also the added motivation to do well in order to succeed in competition.

Which games do students play in AG? *

The first game students learn is Equations, a mathematics game created by University of Michigan Law Professor Layman Allen in the mid 1960's. Players use numerals and mathematical symbols on special dice to create a goal, and then try to come up with a solution before their opponents.

Similar to the popular card game, "Set", On-Sets is a game that involves Set Theory, where students must find groups of colors using set operations.

Linguishtik is an English Grammar game, where students must find a word and place it into a particular type of sentence.

On-Words is a word game involving spelling, counting, grammar, phonetics, word roots, inflectional endings, prefixes and suffixes

Presidents is an American History game that tests students' knowledge of the American Presidents, and the events that happened during their presidencies.

In Propaganda, students learn to recognize and understand different techniques of persuasion.

Wff N' Proof is a game of symbolic logic, where students must construct proofs to prove logical arguments that they create.

In World Card, students must research a particular topic and create a reference book to be used in competitions.

(These brief game descriptions came from the Michigan League of Academic Games website: mlagonline.com, where more information on games and rules can be found.)

* Our King Elementary students will be learning Equations, On-Sets, On-Words, Presidents, and Propaganda.

826michigan.org after-school writing programs for kids

Below is a message I received from 826michigan.org. This organization has been helpful to many kids at MLK. Parents might consider looking into their opportunities this year.
--Kevin

826michigan is a non-profit organization that works with area youth ages 6-18 years old in tutoring, and creative and expository writing. Since we opened our doors in 2005, we have provided our services to hundreds of area youth. We hope that the coming 2007-2008 school year will be our best year yet. Please join us!

826michigan is one of seven "826"'s across the nation that serve youth at little or no cost. Chapters exist in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, New York City and Boston. Please visit http://www.826national.org/ to learn more about the 826 family.

At 826michigan(www.826michigan.org) our primary goal is to empower youth in their creative and expository writing and helping teachers inspire their students to write. 826michigan is a vibrant community of nearly 200 volunteers from all walks of life dedicated to assisting area youth with all things writing.

All of our services are offered free of charge to students: after school tutoring, writing workshops, in-school workshops. In the last year 2006/7, 826michigan completed over 150 in-school writing workshops and over 60 in-house workshops, tutored 15 students a day and published a literary journal, Vacansopapurosophobia, that consists entirely of student work. As well as working with AAPS, 826michigan partners with Ypsilanti Public Schools, Willow Run, Ozone House, In-Gear at EMU, among others.

We believe that the more fun a student has, and the more directly we speak to a student's interests, the more we can help students find the fun in learning. Students can come to 826 for help and inspiration for all kinds of things, from poetry to storytelling, writing songs to writing college entrance essays, finishing novels to starting haikus.
All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student's power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice. And best of all, all 826michigan events and activities are offered completely free of charge.

Please review our website( www.826michigan.org) to learn more about how we might better serve Ann Arbor Public Schools. We look forward to helping in anyway, be it in-school workshops, creative writing ideas, or after-school tutoring.

Information Especially For Parents

As I've been working on getting things organized and started at MLK, I've noticed several times how useful the parent page is on the AAPS website. New and old families alike will likely find answers to their questions. Check it out: http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/aaps.forparents/especially_for_parents

Lunch at MLK

Lunch will be served the first day of school in the cafeteria. The prices are as follows:
Regular lunch: $2.50
Reduced lunch: $0.40
Students may also bring their lunch from home. Milk may be purchased for $.50. It is preferred that payment for hot lunch is made by the week or the month; however, lunch purchases can be made the same day. The Ann Arbor Schools DOES NOT ALLOW STUDENTS TO CHARGE LUNCHES. If a student forgets their lunch or lunch money, we provide an alternative lunch for them.

Note: reduced price lunches are available for qualified students. If you wish to apply, please complete the enclosed application. Please fill out the application completely. The District uses family applications so only one application per household is needed. A new application is required every school year. Students who received free or reduced meals in the 2006-07 school year are eligible to receive free or reduced meals on the first 10 days of the 2007-08 school year. Students who qualify for free/reduced lunch automatically qualify for free/reduced breakfast.

Fruits and Vegetable Snacks Only/Food Allergies

Snacks at school: Please send ONLY fruit and vegetable snacks to school until all food allergy plans can be evaluated and implemented at school. This is necessary to be responsive to the increasing number of medically sensitive situations with which we are faced.

Wellness policy: Beyond that, I also want to note the AAPS has adopted a new Wellness Policy that covers both nutrition education and nutrition standards. In particular, the policy states that foods of minimal nutritional value will not be served during the instructional day, including the meal service period. The effect of this policy will be seen in the food service program with new healthy food choices more prevalent than before. In addition, I strongly encourage families to consider healthy choices, such as non-food items, as part of birthday and classroom celebrations.