School Closed - 12/19/08

The Ann Arbor Public Schools are closed today, 12/19/08, due to the weather. Please have a restful and safe break.

MLK Building Renovations Update

As part of the 2004 bond approved by Ann Arbor voters, King School is being renovated. The plans for renovation were presented to the MLK Community on October 14, 2008 at the PTO meeting.

Some of the renovations have taken place already including installing the infrastructure for updated electrical service and wireless Internet. In addition, over the winter break, six classrooms will have new floors installed and corridor ceiling tiles will be replaced (which are original from 1969 I believe). I am hopeful that new carpet will be installed in the music room as well.

I continue to take suggestions for "wish list" items which may be purchased if there is"extra" bond money. Here is the complete "wish list" as of today:

• Resurface asphalt areas in front of school and parking lot
• Ident-A-Kid visitor check-in system technology package (computer, printer, webcam) – building techs do not support this direction.
• Ceiling mount existing projectors in art room, computer lab, in media center and in office conference room—NOT in music room
• Update signage around building - parking lot entrance?
• Signage at entrance of front drive making it clear where drop off occurs
• Interior signage
• Update cosmetics of parking lot entrance to make it look like an entrance (sign, planter)
• Can a schematic be provided?
• Is there a way to make it look more organic, less industrial
• New classroom furniture – tables, chairs
• Elmo projectors for all classrooms
• Sink in MP room for handwashing
• Smart/Active boards in each classrooom
• Replace hallway flooring, add pattern
• Replace flooring in classroom storage areas
• Carpet in the media center
• Carpet in teacher’s lounge
• Wireless or data jack in MP Room
• Ceiling tile replacement in media center.
• Upgrade sink and sink cabinet in the staff lounge
• Don’t replace white boards in rooms where they already exist
• Upgrade sink and sink cabinet in the staff lounge
• Interior signage
• Move classroom sinks closer to the middle of the counter space
• New toilet if office bathroom
• Update older drinking fountain across from office
• Cabinet in office for medication
• Stools for the computer lab
• spring/winter rodent problem
• install PA system in RI and resource room
• new door from gym to MP room
• Paint inside and outside of school
• Push-plate on entry door
• Handicapped push plate for main entrance door(s)
• Clean outlet pipe for catch basin in back playground
• Control over our own heat
• Bump out our cubbies to make our rooms larger and then doors leading from each classroom straight outside.
• Ceiling tiles in music room
• Remove old TV in music room

Weather and SNOWMAN HOLIDAY GIVING UPDATE

Given the weather forecast for tonight and its potential impact on school being open tomorrow, it is my hope that snowman gifts will be turned in to the school office today (Thursday) by 4:30 PM.

If this is not possible, we'll work it out one way or another . . . email me or call school today and I will make a plan with you about what to do. :-)

On behalf of the King PTO and the King staff, I am deeply thankful for the generosity our community shows in helping others. The snowman gifts are an excellent example of how King School has been a community leader in this area. I personally know our example is recognized by the Ann Arbor Educational Foundation and members of other area PTOs have discussed how to follow our example. Nice job!

As for the weather and school closings, any decisions about school cancellations will be posted on the school website. I'll do my best to send a community email quickly also. In addition, the information I've shared previously about school closings should still be helpful.


Sincerely,
Kevin

MLK Teachers Read at Borders Fundraiser

You're going to LOVE these photos of the King School staff reading at Borders last weekend for the PTO fundraiser. Thanks to the staff for volunteering their time, and thanks to our great community for supporting your PTO!

Mrs. Gatonez brought her twins to this year's reading!

The fifth grade team shares a book together. Miss Harris, one of the newest teachers to King enjoys reading to the kids.

Ms. Shah reads a picture book to the kids.

Ms. Lake and Miss Guttman

The kids loved the books!

Mrs. Rutila was the media specialist at MLK School for 34 years before retiring just two years ago. It was great to see her again.

Mrs. Gracey and daughter: reading and having fun together

Mrs. O'Keefe, our new media specialist at King. We're glad she is with us.

Mrs. Jones, who retired from King just last year after teaching here for 36 years. She still draws a big crowd!

Look at those great kids enjoying being read to!

Bingo Night Is Coming!!!

BINGO NIGHT IS COMING
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15 6:30-8:00
If you would like to help out with this event, please contact Melanie Snook at mssnook61@yahoo.com

Attention Online Shoppers!

If you enjoy shopping online at sites like Lands End, Eddie Bauer, The Gap, etc., check out www.boxtops4education.com and click on "Marketplace." Our school will earn a percentage of everything you purchase. The amount varies by vendor. What a simple and easy way for our school to earn money!!! Contact Teri Henning (734)332-0503 or tghenning@comcast.net with any questions. Happy shopping!!

Disability Awareness Workshop Volunteers Needed

On Wednesday, January 21st, 2009, all King fourth grade students will participate in the Disability Awareness Workshop. This is the third year that King Elementary has held this hands-on, activity-based workshop whose main purpose is to help students understand how difficult and complex daily living can be for individuals with a variety of disabilities. The program includes activities centered on an empathetic understanding of physical, speech, hearing, vision and learning impairments. The students participate in a wheelchair obstacle course, wear glasses that give them momentary vision impairments, experience speaking with an electric larynx and complete exercises that simulate several reading disabilities. The goal is for the students to learn -- through this hands-on experience -- that people should be respected no matter how they may look, act, walk or talk.

This workshop was developed by parents in the Rochester Community Schools Special Education Parent Advisory Committee in 1998. It has now expanded to many schools in Oakland County. In the Ann Arbor Public Schools, the workshop was first held at Logan Elementary School in 2005. In subsequent years, this increased to 4 buildings (2006), 7 (2007, when King was added), 11 (2008) and again 11 elementary schools for 2009, the workshop's fifth year in Ann Arbor.
Please consider volunteering to help with the workshop. We need 20 volunteers in the morning from approximately 8:30 am until 11:50 am, when the students have their lunch break. You are welcome to remain for the rest of the program (12:45 pm to dismissal). Past experience proves that this is a fun and meaningful experience for all of our children as well as the volunteers.

Volunteers will be trained to oversee students as they rotate through nine different stations, including:
Physical Impairment Centers: Wheelchairs; Walkers; and Fine Motor Activities
Vision, Hearing and Speech Stations: Hearing & Speech; Vision; and Learning Disabilities
Accessibility Checklist (students work in teams to complete a checklist that requires some measuring and math computations)
Thank you for contributing to the success of the workshop. Please contact me with any questions.
Kathy Grijalva, 332-3396, kathy.grijalva@gmail.com
King Parent Coordinating the Workshop

Indian Group Performance And Practice Schedule

All King students are welcome to participate in the Indian group performance for International Night. We will practice on Wednesdays and Fridays in the King multi-purpose room. (See schedule below.) In the past, we have extended practice times and/or added a few more practices in the last week or two before the event. If your child is interested, please come to the first practice on Wednesday, December 17th, at 7:00 p.m. If you have questions, contact Sujata Shetty at sshetty@aol.com or 998-0523.

Practice Schedule (all practices in the King multi-purpose room)

Wednesday, Dec - 17th 7:00 - 8:30pm

Friday Dec - 19th 6:00 -7:30 pm

MONDAY Jan - 5th 7:00 - 8:30pm (Wed not available)

Friday Jan - 9th 6:00 -7:30 pm

Wednesday Jan - 14th 7:00 - 8:30pm

Friday Jan - 16th 6:00 -7:30 pm

Wednesday Jan - 14th 7:00 - 8:30pm

Friday Jan - 16th 6:00 -7:30 pm

Wednesday Jan - 20 7:00 - 8:30pm

Friday Jan - 23 6:00 -7:30 pm

Wednesday Jan 28 -? 7:00 - 8:30pm

Friday Jan - 30th 6:00 -7:30 pm

King International Night Preparations Underway

Hope that everyone who wants to participate in International Night has started rehearsals! It's time! Please let me know asap about your performances. We have a great swath of performances lined up.

International Night is an incredible 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 (325 students last year!) such as Arabic Debkeh Dance, Korean Tae Kwon Do, Bolivian 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!

We need a Queen of the Feast (or two) to organize the potluck, and a tech crew for the simulcast.

Due to a conflict with Clague's 7th grade band concert, which affects many of our families, King's International Night will be moved one week to Thursday, February 5, same time 6:30-8:30pm. Mark it on your calendars now and tell your friends!

We also need 300 red envelopes in case anyone is headed for Taiwan or China over break.

For more information, email fkwang@aol.com .

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
King International Night Chair

Teacher Appreciation

Last year to celebrate the holidays, the teacher appreciation committee filled over 75 bins of cookies for the teachers and staff of King. That's a lot of cookies!!

We need your help to accomplish this once again. As you're baking cookies for your family, consider baking an extra dozen (or two). We'll be meeting on the morning of December 18th at the home of Mylinda Balint (1436 Green Rd) to fill the bins. All are welcome!! If you can't come by that morning, but want to contribute some cookies, please contact me at 623-8173 or jrb-myn@comcast.net and I'll make arrangements to get them from you.

Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad

Attached is some information about the Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad. If you are interested in learning more about this great program, please complete the following form and turn into the office by Dec 19th.

Information about WESO:
Who: Children in grades 2-5
What: Opportunity for your children to learn about science through participating in enrichment activities. All participating students receive recognition at a special Science Night ceremony. 20 students from each grade will be selected to represent King during a competition between 18 other elementary schools on May 16, 2009.
Why: To promote science enrichment in a fun way!
For additional information, go to the website at: http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/wesowizards.home/home

Timeline:
· Now-Dec 19: Recruit Coaches & Volunteers!

· Dec 19-Jan 15: Coaches assigned to events, assistant coaches selected, practice times determined

· January 15: Children can register for events

· February: Practices begin

· TBD: Science Night Celebration

· May 16, 2009: WESO Competition

This is a great program, and has been very popular and successful in the past. To continue this, we need your help! Please complete the volunteer sign-up form and return to the office or bring to an informational meeting. (In the past, more kids have wanted to attend the competitive event than spots have been available. Children of volunteers that help with coaching and planning will receive priority for the available slots.) All parents of children selected are required to volunteer in some capacity, either coaching, planning or helping during the day of the event.

Child's/children's name:____________________________
Child's/children's grade:____________________________
Parent volunteer's name:___________________________
Email address (please write very clearly)_______________________

Volunteer Opportunities (please check off all that are of interest)

_______ Event coach (this would require approximately 1 hour of prep work, and 1 hour of instruction per week in Feb-May)
_______ Day of event coordinator - This position recruits/coordinates 18 volunteers who are required by WESO to help out on the day of the event.
_______ Science Celebration team - Group of people who plan and execute Science Celebration event, which is coordinated with the Silent Auction team.
_______ Fundraiser - WESO requires us to provide a few items to a silent auction on the day of WESO.
_______ Program coordinator - This person gets photos and submits a summary of the King team to the WESO organizer.
_______ Database manager - This person maintains the listing of children participating in WESO.
_______ Banner coordinator - This person gathers the materials, plans the overall strategy for the banner, and works with the students to create the banner.
_______ WESO event supervisor - Each school is required to submit an event supervisor to oversee an activity on the day or the event. This person would also be involved in setting up rules and coordinating with the overall WESO event.

Book Fair Thank You

A huge thank you to all of the King School family & friends who shopped at the Arborland Borders this weekend. We saw many King families stop by for stories and shopping during the King School Borders Book Fair.

A special thank you to the following King School Staff who took time to stop by Borders to read a story (or two, or more!) aloud: Dr. Michalik, Mrs. Haddas, Ms. Harris, Ms. Shah, Mr. Karr, Ms. Lake, Ms. Guttman, Mrs. Rutilla, Mrs. Gracey, Mrs. O'Keefe, Mrs. Jones, & Mrs. Gatonez. We loved your stories and can't wait to hear more! We would also like to thank Mrs. Griffiths for helping us wrap gifts on Friday afternoon.

Additionally, we would like to thank the following King School parents for volunteering to help make the King School Borders Book Fair so successful: Sandy Aldrich, Hong Kaleta, Reates Curry, Rachel Sabb, Laura Boudette, Kathy Grijalva, Diane Alson, Devi Chiravuri, George Schumacher, Chin-Yin Hsu, Brenda Pontillo, Yafei Jin, Leah Xu, Christina Nedeltchev (& daughter Monica), Anna Lu, & Karen Schumacher.

Thank you all for supporting the King School PTO.

-Susan Gechter
Borders Book Fair Chair

SNOWMAN UPDATE: *** * 41 Snowmen left * * **

SNOWMAN HOLIDAY GIVING UPDATE
*** * ** 41 Snowmen left * * * **

This is an annual event to help children in our community enjoy the holiday season with a donated gifts from King families.

What you do to help:
1. Take a snowman (or more) located on the bulletin board between the school office and the parking lot entrance doors
2. Purchase the gift written on the back of the tag
3. Return the gift and the snowman to the King School office UNWRAPPED before December 19. If appropriate, please attach the gift receipts.

RETURN GIFTS TO THE KING OFFICE NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 19 (sooner is better :-).

If you are unable to pick up a snowman at school this week, please contact Susan Aaronson susaaaro@umich.edu Susan will pull a snowman from the bulletin board and inform you, via phone or email, the details of the gift. Thank you for your support in making this program a success!

SNOWMAN UPDATE * * ** 86 Snowmen left * * **

This is an annual event to help children in our community enjoy the holiday season with a donated gifts from King families.

What you do to help:
1. Take a snowman (or more) located on the bulletin board between the school office and the parking lot entrance doors
2. Purchase the gift written on the back of the tag
3. Return the gift and the snowman to the King School office UNWRAPPED before December 19. If appropriate, please attach the gift receipts.

RETURN GIFTS TO THE KING OFFICE NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 19 (sooner is better :-).

For questions contact Susan Aaronson
susaaaro@umich.edu

"No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another."
-Author Unknown

King School Borders Book Fair - Begins Friday

The King School Borders Book Fair is Friday & Saturday (12/12 - 12/13) at the ARBORLAND BORDERS! Come shop for books, games, movies, music, & more! Stop by the King School table for assistance, some teacher recommendations & wish list items, or an extra voucher. Please remember to present your voucher to the cashier when you pay for your purchases.

We will have special guests reading aloud a story &/or poems:
Friday, 12/12
4:15 p.m. Dr. Michalik, Mrs. Haddas, & Ms. Harris
4:30 p.m. Ms. Shah
4:45 p.m. Mr. Karr
6:30 p.m. Mrs. Rutilla (King School's long-time librarian!)
7:00 p.m. Mrs. Gracey

Saturday, 12/13
10:30 a.m. Mrs. O'Keefe
11:00 a.m. Mrs. Jones (She's returning to see her former students!)
7:30 p.m. Ms. Gatonez

See you there! Contact kingpto@gmail.com with any questions.


Read Aloud Time Change at Borders Book Fair
Please note that Ms. Gatonez will now be reading at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, 12/13 at the Arborland Borders.

Teacher Appreciation!

Last year to celebrate the holidays, the teacher appreciation committee filled over 75 bins of cookies for the teachers and staff of King. That's a lot of cookies!!

We need your help to accomplish this once again. As you're baking cookies for your family, consider baking an extra dozen (or two). We'll be meeting on the morning of December 18th at the home of Mylinda Balint (1436 Green Rd) to fill the bins. All are welcome!! If you can't come by that morning, but want to contribute some cookies, please contact me at 623-8173 or jrb-myn@comcast.net and I'll make arrangements to get them from you.

Disability Awareness Workshop Volunteers Needed

On Wednesday, January 21st, 2009, all King fourth grade students will participate in the Disability Awareness Workshop. This is the third year that King Elementary has held this hands-on, activity-based workshop whose main purpose is to help students understand how difficult and complex daily living can be for individuals with a variety of disabilities. The program includes activities centered on an empathetic understanding of physical, speech, hearing, vision and learning impairments. The students participate in a wheelchair obstacle course, wear glasses that give them momentary vision impairments, experience speaking with an electric larynx and complete exercises that simulate several reading disabilities. The goal is for the students to learn -- through this hands-on experience -- that people should be respected no matter how they may look, act, walk or talk.

This workshop was developed by parents in the Rochester Community Schools Special Education Parent Advisory Committee in 1998. It has now expanded to many schools in Oakland County. In the Ann Arbor Public Schools, the workshop was first held at Logan Elementary School in 2005. In subsequent years, this increased to 4 buildings (2006), 7 (2007, when King was added), 11 (2008) and again 11 elementary schools for 2009, the workshop's fifth year in Ann Arbor.
Please consider volunteering to help with the workshop. We need 20 volunteers in the morning from approximately 8:30 am until 11:50 am, when the students have their lunch break. You are welcome to remain for the rest of the program (12:45 pm to dismissal). Past experience proves that this is a fun and meaningful experience for all of our children as well as the volunteers.

Volunteers will be trained to oversee students as they rotate through nine different stations, including:
Physical Impairment Centers: Wheelchairs; Walkers; and Fine Motor Activities
Vision, Hearing and Speech Stations: Hearing & Speech; Vision; and Learning Disabilities
Accessibility Checklist (students work in teams to complete a checklist that requires some measuring and math computations)
Thank you for contributing to the success of the workshop. Please contact me with any questions.
Kathy Grijalva, 332-3396, kathy.grijalva@gmail.com
King Parent Coordinating the Workshop

Bagels and Buns - 12/12 @ 8:15

Bagels & Buns

FREE Starbucks coffee! All are welcome; children and parents, teachers and staff.

Please join us for breakfast and conversation:

Friday, 12 December 2008, 8:15am until school starts

Bagels $1 (cream cheese included)
Buns $2
Orange Juice 50 cents.

Thank you,
Christina Nedeltchev, Angela Johnson, Line vN

Homework Help

The Ann Arbor District Library now has available live online homework help for students grades 3 and up. It is available 7 days a week from 2pm-11pm at any library location (during open hours) or from home with your library card. Chat online with live tutors who will help students: understand homework problems, build skills and critique your writing. Help is available in Spanish and English. Homework Help is powered by Brainfuse and is available with tutoring in these elementary, middle school and high school subjects, including Advanced Placement:

· English/Language Arts
· Writing lab (submit your paper or resume for critique)
· Math (including Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus)
· Science (including Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science)
· Social Studies
Live online at AADL.ORG/HOMEWORK

The Downtown Library is also hosting onsite tutoring by the University of Michigan's Circle K on Wednesdays f rom 4-8pm for school aged children in the story center. For more information contact the youth desk at 327-8301.

Cheap Gift Idea - a King School Water Bottle.

Looking for a little something extra to give your child this holiday season? How about a King School Water Bottle?! They are only $3 each. Fill it with treats for the holidays...then send it to school with your son or daughter to use during the school day. The King School Water Bottles are reusable, recyclable, & BPA free.

Order forms can be found at: http://king.a2schools.org/king.pto/files/water_bottle_form.pdf

Questions? Contact Karen Schumacher at kschu58@hotmail.com .

School Improvement Team Update

The MLK School Improvement Team (SIT), which includes both teachers, parents and the building principal (me :-) has been working this fall to examine our achievement data and identify the most important areas in which to impprove. After the identification process, the areas of improvement were used to write goals. This process is part of the State of Michigan's School Improvement Framework and has involved the SIT team and the entire MLK staff.

For your information and reference, here are the goals we've identified:

• MLK students will write paragraphs as measured by grade level report card outcomes and Grade Level Content Expectations.
• MLK students will revise their writing as measured by the grade level report cards and Grade Level Content Exectations.
• Achievement target list students will read at or above grade level targets as measured by the grade level report card outcomes and Grade Level Content Expectations.

For the SIT, our next job will be to work on how to address the needs of families and/or the community with these goals in mind. As part of the December meeting, we began brainstorming ways in which this could be done. Look for some more SIT news in the coming months!

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

PTO Bylaws Update - PLEASE READ

There have been some new requirements for nonprofit corporations, thus, we need to update the King PTO bylaws.

To paraphrase the changes, non-profits are now required to have a minimum of 3 DIRECTORS. "Michigan nonprofit corporations are required in existence on July 16, 2008, must have a board existing of three or more directors by January 16, 2009." "...If the corporation's bylaws fix the size of the board at less than three directors, the bylaws will need to be amended." Wording in the bylaws like President and VP don't count. They must be classified as Directors.

Additionally, the King PTO Exec Board wanted to make a change to the bylaws that allows the President to appoint a signee for a back-up role to the Treasurer.

The link to the new bylaws is below. We will be voting on their acceptance at the next PTO General Meeting which will be held on Tuesday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the King School Library.

http://king.a2schools.org/king.pto/files/kingbylawsrevised.pdf


Please contact kingpto@gmail.com with any questions.

Gift Card Orders Due 12/9 @ 8 PM

If you are now in the holiday shopping mode and are planning to get gift cards for family members, caregivers, service providers or co-workers, you can order holiday gift cards through the King PTO. Place your order directly with Alena Stocking at alena.stocking@gmail.com no later than 8 pm on Tuesday, December 9 - and you can get in on the last order!

Our most popular items from the first order might give you some ideas (denominations are in parenthesis): Borders ($10 or $25), Gap ($25), Baskin Robbins ($2), iTunes ($15), Panera ($10), Macy's ($25) and of course..... Starbucks ($10 or $25).

But that's not all. Look at the original order form (on the King website under PTO forms) or go to www.glscrip.org to see what is offered. Or..... punt and ask - and Alena can tell you if it is available. Almost everything is available....and on average 9% of your order will make it to King.

So make your shopping easy and support the King School PTO!

Writing Skills Are Life Skills

Over the past two years, over 125 King families participated in parent education workshops that shared ideas on how to write with your child. You might remember these were sponsored by the King School Improvement Team. The text below comes from a National Council of Teachers of English publication and talks about some of the same ideas. The article even quotes one of the King workshop presenters, Cathy Fleishcer. Check it out by clicking the link!

When we encourage our children to do all sorts of writing, they learn to write for life. NCTE members Cathy Fleischer and Dara Mosher are quoted in this OC Family, November 2008 article.

Volunteer at PTO Thrift Shop

PTO Thrift Shop is looking for volunteers to provide gift-wrapping to shoppers in the store on the weekends of Dec 13- 14 and Dec 20-21. The same two-hour time slots as for regular store work are available. No orientation is necessary to work gift-wrapping, but work permits are still required for students. The ability to wrap a package would be preferable. You can sign up by going to the store or calling the store at 734-996-9155 and speaking to Susan or Leslie.

Holiday sales have started at the Shop. Many good toys and gently used items are available for the Holiday season. Great deals!

If you have any questions about volunteering at the Thrift Shop or gift-wrapping at the Thrift Shop, feel free to contact the store at 996-9155 or visit the website: www.a2ptothriftshop.org

King International Night Preparations Underway

Hope that everyone who wants to participate in International Night has started rehearsals! It's time! Please let me know asap about your performances.

International Night is an incredible 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 (325 students last year!) such as Arabic Debkeh Dance, Korean Tae Kwon Do, Bolivian 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!

Performers should start organizing and rehearsing now.

We need a Queen of the Feast (or two) to organize the potluck, and a tech crew for the simulcast.

Due to a conflict with Clague's 7th grade band concert, which affects many of our families, King's International Night will be moved one week to Thursday, February 5, same time 6:30-8:30pm. Mark it on your calendars now and tell your friends!

For more information, email fkwang@aol.com .

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
King International Night Chair

Book Fair - 12/12 and 12/13 at Arborland Borders

The King School Borders Book Fair is next week! Plan on stopping by to shop and listen to stories read by King School teachers (Ms. Shah, Mrs. Gatonez, Dr. Michalik, Mrs. O'Keefe & more!) at the Arborland Borders on Friday, December 12 & Saturday, December 13 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

The King School PTO will receive 20% of your pre-tax purchases (when a voucher is given to the cashier) during the event! Vouchers will be sent home in this week's Friday Folders.

King School will have a table in the Arborland Borders during the King School Borders Book Fair. Stop by the table for teacher recommendations & wish lists. We can't wait to see you there!

Congrats to Matt Kukucka!

Congrats to Matt Kukucka whose hockey team won the Ann Arbor Fall Hockey Tournament for his division on Sunday, November 23. Matt plays in the House Mite division (7 - 8 year olds) for the Ann Arbor Amateur Hockey Association. His team is called the King Cobras (even though he is the only kid from King School on the team) and they won 6 consecutive games in the tournament!

Thanks to Mrs. Kukucka for sharing this information.

School Closed for Thanksgiving Break, 11/26 - 11/28

The Ann Arbor Public Schools will be closed on 11/26 - 11/28 for the Thanksgiving break.

As we observe this break, please know that the staff and I are thankful to work in the MLK community with its great kids and families!

Gobble, gobble!

Report Cards Come Home on 11/25 + Q & A

Report cards will be distributed to students on Tuesday, November 25 at the end of the school day.

Q1: How do I know what my child is expected to know and be able to do at their grade level?
A1: The State of Michigan's Department of Education sets the standards for what students in each grade should know and be able to do. They call these standards Grade Level Content Expectations or GLCEs for short. School districts in Michigan--including the Ann Arbor Public Schools--use the GLCEs to guide what curriculum is taught at each grade level. For example, the third grade math GLCEs say that students should be able to "Use multiplication and division fact families to understand the inverse relationship of these two operations, e.g., because 3 x 8 = 24, we know that 24 ÷ 8 = 3 or 24 ÷ 3 = 8; express a multiplication statement as an equivalent division statement"; because of this, these concepts are taught in third grade with multiple experiences throughout the year. You can download copies of the GLCEs here or if you need a hard copy, please call your child's teacher or the school office.

Q2: Why doesn’t my child get letter grades (A, B, C, etc.) on her report cards in Ann Arbor?
A2: Letter grades are a form of grading many parents are familiar with as part of their own educational experience. Grades as a form of grading are often subjective and do not necessarily reflect what a child knows or what they need to focus on next. Using the concepts reflected in the GLCEs, more of a “standard” can be applied to teaching and learning for students. With the GLCEs and the associated Ann Arbor curriculum, King School and the Ann Arbor Public Schools have established clear targets that reflect what the State of Michigan believes children should know and learn at a particular grade level.

When you receive your child’s report card, you’ll see reading and writing growth is measured in terms of continuous progress, which you might hear your child’s teacher call “the continuum.” This continuum shows which outcomes a child is currently achieving, which outcomes they have already achieved, and which outcomes they’ll be focusing on next in their learning. Sometimes an outcome on the continuum is achieved quickly and other times mastery requires additional practice and time. This is marked for each student by teachers and reported to parents in November, March and June of each school year. Using this assessment information, teachers are better able to meet the individual needs of students wherever they fall along the continuum of skillfulness.

Q3: How do teachers determine a child’s reading level?
A3: Periodically each student in class participates in a “running record” with their teacher. During a running record, the teacher listens to a child read and asks the child questions about their reading. Afterward, the information gathered during the running record can be analyzed to determine a child’s current level of performance. It also gives information about what a child needs to work on to become a more proficient reader.

Q4: I noticed my second grader (for example) is not yet achieving some of the outcomes for second grade. Should I be concerned?
A4: The outcomes represent end of the year targets, so at this point in the year it is not always concerning. If you are concerned or have a question, please contact your child’s teacher.

Guidelines for motorists around school buses

Dear MLK families,

It has recently been brought to my attention that it would be helpful to review safety information and laws for motorists who are around school buses. The following is from the AAPS Transportation website. Please take a moment to read this over to make sure you know

TIPS FOR ALL MOTORISTS

• Slow down and obey all traffic laws and speed limits.
• Red overhead flashing lights, possibly accompanied by an extended stop arm tell you the school bus is stopped to load or unload children.State law requires you to stop at least 20 feet from the front or rear of the school bus when red lights are flashing and not proceed until such school bus resumes motion, or until signaled by the school bus driver to proceed.
• Be alert and ready to stop. Prepare to stop for a school bus when overhead yellow lights are flashing.Drive with caution if you see the yellow hazard warning lights are flashing on a moving or stopped bus. Watch for children walking in the street, especially where there are no sidewalks. Watch for children playing and gathering near bus stops. Watch for children arriving late for the bus, who may dart into the street without looking for traffic. When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch for children walking or biking to school.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

• Help your children learn and practice the safety rules for walking, bicycling, or riding in a passenger car, school bus or transit bus. Be a good role model, especially when you are with your kids. Always buckle up in the car, always wear a helmet when biking, and always follow pedestrian safety rules.
• Supervise young children walking or biking to school or as they wait at the school bus stop.

As always, thank you for following the King School Traffic Safety Rules. If you have just begun to drive your child to school for the first time this year, please CLICK HERE to review the rules.

If you have questions, please ask. We'll do our very best to answer your questions.

Sincerely,
Kevin

Holiday Gift Card Orders Are Due!

Don't run around from store to store to buy gift cards for everyone. Save time & money on gas. Give yourself the gift of some "me time" instead of spending your time shopping!

The Holiday Gift Card Orders are due this Friday (11/21/08)! This is your final chance to do your holiday gift card shopping from home. Gift cards will be available for pick up on Tuesday, 12/12 (contact Alena Stocking if this day/time doesn't work for you).

Oh...and while you are ordering for others, order a gift card for yourself. You deserve a treat too!
Can't find your form? Get one at: http://king.a2schools.org/king.pto/files/holiday_order_form_10-28-08.pdf .

Contact Alena Stocking at alena.stocking@gmail.com with any questions.

Another Successfull Turkey Trot

Although the weather was challenging, all of the classes participated in the Turkey Trot on Nov 14. Many thanks to the parents who volunteered: Alena Stocking, Rachel Sabb, Kathy Grijalva, Laura Boudette, Susan Gechter, Sandra Wong, Lisa Kohn and Darla Dubin.

A thank you is in order for the Busch's Grocery Store on Green Rd. for donating $50 worth of gift cards for the drawing held by Mrs. Arbour. Last but not least, thanks to the PTO for providing the cider and donuts. This treat is a favorite Fall event for the students and teachers!

Going Grocery Shopping This Week?

Remember to use your scrip card when you check out! If you don't have a card yet, please order one. Order forms went out in last week's Friday folders. Busch's, Kroger, Hiller's and Whole Foods all donate 5% of your purchase amount to the King PTO. If you have any questions about grocery scrip cards, e-mail Heather at heatherschweitzer@hotmail.com . Thanks for your support!

Copying for King PTO Events

Effective immediately, when copying for a King PTO event, please use Impress (formerly CopyMax) at the OfficeMax in Arborland or Oak Valley. Self-service & full-service copies will be discounted when you identify yourself as copying for AAPS.

Black & white copy costs will be as follows when using 8 1/2" x 11" paper: $.025/side imprint on white paper, $.028/side imprint on pastel paper, & $.035/side imprint on astrobrite paper.

OfficeMax's store hours are Monday-Friday 8 am - 9 pm, Saturday 9 am - 9 pm, and Sunday 11 am - 6 pm.

King PTO will no longer receive an AAPS discount at Kinko's. Please do your King PTO related copying at Impress (OfficeMax).

For questions or additional information, please contact kingpto@gmail.com .

NetDay Speak Up Survey

NetDay Speak Up Survey

The Ann Arbor Public Schools is participating in the NetDay Speak Up annual national survey, and we'd like to invite AAPS students, parents and teachers to share their thoughts on key educational issues. The survey runs from October 27 through December 19; please consider logging on and participating. At the end of the survey, our district will be able to access the aggregate data submitted by survey takers in our district and use it for future discussions and planning.

To participate:

1) Go to www.netdayspeakup.org/speakup2008

2) Click the link to the appropriate survey

3) Type in your school's name (try the short version first, e.g. Mitchell instead of Mary D. Mitchell, Bryant instead of Clifford E. Bryant), select MI from the State pull-down list, then click the Find School button

4) Click the name of your school in the list presented

5) When prompted for the "secret word" enter aaps then click the Login button.

6) Students, teachers and administrators will be prompted to click the appropriate survey; parents will be taken directly to their survey.

For more information about the Speak Up project, please visit:http://www.netdayspeakup.org/speakup2008/

http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/ins.technology/netday_speak_up_survey

--

Monique Uzelac

Director of Instructional Technology

Ann Arbor Public Schools

phone. 734-994-9246

email. uzelac@aaps.k12.mi.us

Turkey Trot Schedule

The Turkey Trot is a fun, healthy activity and everyone is invited to walk/run around the King playground tract. This is a non-competitive event and parents are welcome to participate with their children. In lieu of a t urkey, children will enter their name in a drawing to win prizes. Cider and donuts will be sered to children after the walk/run.

Here is the schedule of wh en the classes will "trot". Please note the schedule may be subject to change.

8:55-9:31 Haddas, Huyck, Petty
9:31-10:07 Harris, Griffiths, Lake
10:07-10:43 Shah, Michalik, Schaffer
10:43-11:19 Schroeder, Gracey, Knorr

1:00-1:36 Boone, Gatonez, Clarkson
1:36-2:12 Jarjoura, Shafie, Teshima

Bagels and Buns - Nov. 21 @ 8:15 AM

FREE Starbucks coffee! All are welcome!

Children and parents, teachers and staff
Please join us for breakfast and conversation:


Friday, 21 November 2008, 8:15am until school starts

Bagels $1 (cream cheese included)
Buns $2
Orange Juice 50 cents

Thank you!
Christina Nedeltchev, Angela Johnson, Line vN

Need Gift Cards?

Don't forget to order your Holiday Gift Cards through the King School PTO. You pay the face value of the card while the retailer donates a percentage to us. Think about all the gas money you'll save by doing one-stop shopping! Orders are due on 11/21/08.

Help your co-workers with their holiday shopping. Take a Gift Card Office Order Form and Retailer List with you to work tomorrow! Go to http://king.a2schools.org/king.home/king.pto/forms to get & print these forms. Your co-workers can do their holiday gift card shopping without spending time running around to purchase gift cards from different stores. They'll be thanking you!

The Gift Card Office Order Forms are due on Friday, November 21 too! You may turn in your office order payments (cash or checks) when you turn in your order or upon pick-up of the gift cards.

Please contact Alena Stocking at alena.stocking@gmail.com with any questions.

King School's Borders Book Fair & Holiday Gift Cards

Help us increase the King PTO's profit at the King School Borders Book Fair by ordering Borders Gift Cards from the King School Holiday Gift Card sale this month! Then, use your newly purchased Borders Gift Cards to purchase books at the King School Borders Book Fair on December 12 - 13 at the Arborland Borders.

More details will be available about the King School Borders Book Fair later this month.

Contact kingpto@gmail.com with questions or for additional information.

Crossing Guard Update

If there are any questions/concerns regarding the crossing guard at the intersection of Glazier Way and Tremont, please contact Officer Sean Lee of the Ann Arbor Police Department at (734)994-2865.

King PTO Holdiday Gift Card Order Form ONLINE

You can download the gift card order form on the King PTO site in the forms section.

King Students To Dance With Moscow Ballet

Congratulations to the following MLK student who have been selected to dance with Moscow Ballet in the Great Russian Nutcracker at the Michigan Theater on Tuesday, December 9, at 7:30PM. Great job!

• Vallan Roan
• Kallan Roan
• Zephyr O'Donnell
• Vritti Kharbanda
• Siani Woods
• Beatrice Chen

The holidays are coming... what are you going to buy?

Yikes! It's that time of year...time to start thinking of the perfect gift for those special people (teachers, parents, spouse, babysitters, co-workers, etc.)! What do you get that says "thank you for all you do" or "thanks for being you"??? A gift card of course!

Order your Holiday Gift Cards from King School PTO! The gift cards you purchase from the PTO are the same as if you were to buy the gift cards at the store. So order yours today!

Information was sent home in last week's Friday Folders. Do you need another form, or want to have a neighbor or relative look at the list to order their Holiday Gift Cards from the King PTO? Go to http://king.a2schools.org/king.home/king.pto/forms and click on "Holiday Gift Card Order Form" or "Holiday Gift Card Retailer List" for the forms you need.

Contact Alena Stocking at alena.stocking@gmail.com with any questions or for more information.

Family Immunization Program

**Special School Immunization Walk-in Clinic on Monday, November 10 from 4 - 6pm at Pioneer High School**

Clinic is only for children through age 18 years of age
Regular immunization fees will be charged
We are not able to bill private insurance but will provide a receipt
Vaccine For Children (VFC) eligible children will not be charged
No varicella (chickenpox) vaccine is available at this clinic
Please call (734) 544-6770 if you have questions about the clinic
Washtenaw County Public Health promotes the immunization of all children and adults in an effort to prevent serious and sometimes deadly diseases. We believe disease prevention is the key to public health. And we all know it's always better to prevent a disease than to treat it!

Fast Fact: Did you know vaccines prevent disease in the people who receive them and protect those who come into contact with unvaccinated individuals. Vaccines help prevent infectious diseases and save lives? Vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in this country, including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae (Hib).

Immunizations are available by appointment only.
Please call (734) 544-6770 to schedule.

No School - Tuesday, November 4

As a reminder, there is no school on Tuesday, November 4.

A full, up to date school calendar is available by CLICKING HERE.

Trust the school bus for the best safety

From Brad Mellor, the Ann Arbor Public Schools Transportation Director

“American students are nearly eight times safer riding in a school bus than with their own parents and guardians in cars.
The fatality rate for school buses is only 0.2 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) compared to 1.5 fatalities per 100 million VMT for cars”

Unequaled safety record.

There is no safer way to transport a child than in a school bus. Fatal crashes involving school bus occupants are extremely rare events, even though school buses serve daily in every community—a remarkable 8.8 billion student "to-and-from school" trips annually. Every school day, some 450,000 yellow school buses transport more than 24 million children to and from schools and school-related activities. Said another way to give perspective to the huge magnitude of pupil transportation, the equivalent of the populations of Florida, Massachusetts and Oregon ride on a school bus twice every day—almost always without a serious incident.

Trust the school bus for the best safety for your child

The Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences estimates that every year more than 800 school-aged children are killed as occupants in other motor vehicles or as pedestrians or bicyclists during “normal school transport hours.” Most of these deaths could be prevented if children rode in school buses. Parents need to know that driving a child to school—or allowing them to ride to school with other teenagers--is not a safety smart decision—hands down, the school bus is the safest way to and from school. Even worse, allowing a child to drive themselves to school, or riding with other teenagers to school, increases the risk of fatality by 10 percent.

Occupant Fatalities

Last year, 5 children were killed as passengers in school buses (one each in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Texas). 45 states did not have a single child killed as a school bus passenger—an incredibly good national safety record. Between 1990 and 2000, an average of just six children each year died as school bus passengers. These tragedies typically involved unavoidable, severe circumstances.

Pedestrian fatalities

Last year, 26 children were killed as pedestrians getting on or off a school bus, or while waiting at the school bus stop. Other motorists illegally passing a stopped school bus remain a problem in every community and the school bus industry urges strict police and judicial enforcement against violators. Over the past 10 years, an average of 29 children were killed in school bus-related pedestrian accidents - struck while getting on or off a school bus

School buses are the largest mass transit program in the U.S.

School buses provide approximately 10 billion student trips per year ---8.8 billion "to-and-from school" trips and an estim

5K Thank Yous

We wanted to personally thank the following people for their help with the King of Hearts Family 5K last week: Padma Anupindi, Brenda Pontillo, Howard Hughes, Laura Boudette, Karen Schumacher, Qinhe Zhang, Michelle Barton, Hajeong Kim, Anna Lu, Kevin Behmer, Mike Restivo, DJamal Bouzit, Rachel Sabb (& family), Cynthia Gur-Arie, Tamara Seyhun, Nicole Wright, Emily, Steve Carrubba , Carolyn Herrmann, Lisa Kohn, Alena Stocking, Alfhildur Kristjansdottir, George Schumacher, Diane Fingar, Kevin Karr & the numerous others that we have forgotten to mention. Without your help, the King of Hearts Family 5K would not have been the success that it was.

THANK YOU!!!

-Susan Gechter & Christina Nedeltchev King of Hearts 5K Chairs

Healthy School News

Farm Fresh Fridays (FFF) are coming to an end! Our last FFF will be October 31, and what better way to end our harvest season than with acorn squash! The squash will be seasoned and roasted for our students to sample. This year we were fortunate to offer watermelon, peaches,cucumbers, baked potatoes, green beans, coleslaw, turnips, carrots, corn on the cob and grape tomatoes! All of these items were grown locally and some right in Ann Arbor. Each week the local farm is highlighted with a flyer containing nutritional information.

For a chuckle at home with your kids or to share with your school, visit: http://smallstep.gov/kids/flash/watch_tv_ads.html

Watch the 'bullseye' and 'grandpa' quick clip and I guarantee you will giggle - I did! Just how many healthy ads do you see on TV? Most ads are for fast food or junk food - not ads promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. Too bad! Don't forget to send fruits and vegetables for your child's daily snack - a good way to guarantee 5 a day OR 4 cups of fruits and vegetables!

Finally with the Halloween holiday approaching and bags of candy entering our homes and schools, suggest this tasty, healthy and nutritious option for your next school party - ORANGE SMOOTHIES! All you need are:

-Frozen peaches and or mangos (try Trader Joes)
-Low fat vanilla yogurt
-Orange juice or vanilla soy milk
-blender

Blend until desired consistency is achieved and enjoy! Serve with pumpkin muffins, here is a 'healthier" low fat version that I found
online.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Addictive-Pumpkin-Muffins/Detail.aspx

Try to make your party orange and black with as many healthy items as possible - opt for one sweet treat and lots of carrots, orange slices, black olives, pumpkin anything, mangos or peaches. Float cut up fruit in a ghoulish punch - green grape eyeballs and slimy kiwi are a big hit!

In good health,
Susan Aaronson
susaaaro@umich.edu

Storybook Pumpkins

The children are filling me in on some of the wonderful traditions here at King. Many of the kids seem very excited about painting a pumpkin in celebration of the season and of reading. If you are new like I am, my understanding is that if families are interested in this crafty project they obtain a pumpkin and then decorate it to look like a character in a storybook. No carving please, but paint, markers, and glued on trim might help you express yourselves. I found some photos from 1999 with pumpkins made up to look like the Cat in the Hat, D.W., Winnie the Pooh, Clifford and more.

If your family would like to do this OPTIONAL just-for-fun activity, please have your child bring in (or you drop off) your creation next Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, October 29-31. I'll display them in the library, and then will ask the kids to bring them home for disposal. A smaller or medium size as opposed to HUGE might make this work easier!

Thanks for all of the ways you make reading fun for our kids. Enjoy our beautiful fall and lots of good books together.

Ann O'Keefe
Media Specialist
King Elementary

Student Artists

Submitted by: Mrs. Wayne

The following student's art work is on Exhibit at Balas Administration Building (on State Street) until the end of November:

Ian Campbell
Pen-Pen Yang
Evan Wright
Jasper Johns
William Henning
Michael Cohen
Yutake
Zoe Zimmerman
Jonah Henkin
Nesma Doud
Olivia Cell
Laura Hanselman
Albert Hu
Karin Miyas
Tiffany He
Yuna Kawai
Tara Van Nieuwstadt
Anya Bothner
Sami Ghazzi
Minkyung Jee
Katia Kukucka
Alexa Mikhail
Bethany Balint
Emily Fishman
Akane Kawamoto
Kathy Stegemann
Daniel Lee
Connor Wright
Kazuma Kawai

Rules of 3 on 3 Soccer

At King School, we play 3 on 3 soccer. What’s 3 on 3 soccer you ask?

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 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:
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.

Picture Retakes - 11/7 @ 9 AM + More Info

Picture retakes are November 7th at 9 AM.

If parents have questions regarding their pictures please call School Pictures @ 734-677-3400.

Congratulations Kobie!

Congratulations goes to Kobie Mueller who recently placed third in the national Little Mo Tennis Tournament which was held in Austin, Texas. Over 1,500 children from across the United States competed in this tournament. Thank you also to Kobie (and his Mom) for sharing his success with us at school.

DSCN7168.JPG

IMPORTANT: Drop-off Reminders

The following is feedback I received about drop-off this morning from a parent volunteer. It is right on target. As it gets colder, we all must follow the drop-off policy.

This morning was a bit more hectic than previous mornings. I suspect the colder weather had something to do with it. The change in weather increases drop offs and there may have been some parents who are new to the revised drop-off policy for this year. I did observe three incidents where I actually approached other parents:

* Two parents backed their cars up rather than waiting for the cars to move ahead. Both were reminded of the no backing up policy.
* One parent let her daughter exit on the left and actually started pulling away before her daughter was a safe distance from the car. I let her know that she should exit only on the right. The look in the girl's eyes (frightened from the moving car) verified quickly that she would not do that again.
* The woman who needed to exit the car to help her kid(s) should consider parking. I do believe you spoke with her but just wanted to point this out as well.

With that said, I still think most parents are doing an excellent job with drop off. It's clear they know what to do and are following the rules. Many now wave to me as they drive by! Nice job getting the word out and making your presence known out there.

To review in a nutshell:
1. No backing up in the load/unload zone;
2. Students only exit cars by stepping out of the car and on to the curb;
3. Parents must stay in cars while in the load/unload zone. Use a parking area if you need to exit your car.

Thank you. If this leads to any questions for you, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,
Kevin

Fifth Grade Music Night/Open House Date Change

The date for the 2009 5th grade Music Night and Open House has been changed to May 28, 2009. The old date, May 5, 2009, had to be moved because of elections.

Turkey Trot - November 14 - Volunteers Needed

The Turkey Trot is a fun, healthy activity and everyone is invited to walk, skip, hop, trot or run on the King playground track. This is a non-competitive event and parents are welcome to walk/run with their children. A schedule of when individual classes will 'trot' will be announced shortly. In lieu of a turkey, children will enter their name in a drawing to win prizes. 3 parent volunteers are needed each hour in the gym to serve cider and donuts as the children come in from their 'trot'. Please call or e-mail Laurie Galia to volunteer, 996-9946 or lquain@umich.edu

International Night Date Change

Due to a conflict with Clague's 7th grade band concert, which affects many of our families, King's International Night will be moved one week to Thursday, February 5, same time 6:30-8:30pm.

Mark it on your calendars now and tell your friends!

International Night is an incredible 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 (325 students last year!) such as Arabic Debkeh Dance, Korean Tae Kwon Do, Bolivian 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!

Performers should start organizing and rehearsing now.

We need a Queen of the Feast (or two) to organize the potluck.

We will have our first and only organizational meeting on Wed., Nov. 5, 6:30-7:30, location to be announced.

For more information, email fkwang@aol.com .

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang King International Night Chair

King School Water Bottles Still Available

Have you seen the new King School water bottles? They are terrific. These water bottles are reusable, recyclable (#2), and BPA free! Each water bottle is only $3. You may still order water bottles for everyone in your family. Fill out the form at the bottom of this week's e-notes & turn it into your child's teacher.

Contact Karen Schumacher at kschu58@hotmail.com with any questions.

King of Hearts 5K FUN

It was heartening to see so many of our families making such healthy choices together at yesterday's King of Hearts 5K Run/Walk. A hearty congratulations to all of our students who participated yesterday. Of special note: 5th grader Ian Campbell was the first student finisher for the second year in a row. I'm sure that Huron High School Cross Country Coach Behmer (who is also a King parent) took note of his performance!

Please join me in thanking our 5K co-chairs Christina Nedeltchev and Susan Gechter -- and the volunteers that helped them -- for their work to make this annual event such a wonderful tradition.

Sally Foster Orders Due

Please place an order with Sally Foster to help support our King School Space Camp Program!
Extra catalogs are in the office or simply order online! Make checks out to King School Space Camp.

www.sallyfoster.com our account number is 253608 or just remember “King School Space Camp”

We can continue to accept orders through Monday, October 20th!!!

Please Check it Out!
Thanks!
King School 5th Grade Parents, Teachers, and Students

Newsletter from Mr. Karr

October 17, 2008

Dear MLK Families,

We’ve had a great beginning of the school year so far. From the excitement of the first day of school to curriculum night to our first University Musical Society field trips to parent-teacher conferences and MEAP tests this week, things have been moving along well. Even drop-off and pick-up are going fairly well ☺. I hope you agree. In any case, we’ve got a great community here. I hope to see many of you this Sunday at 1:30 for the PTO King of Hearts 5K. I hear that set-up volunteers are coming at 12:30.

Do you have a question? . . . or a suggestion?
Please give me a call, drop me a note, or email me at karrk@aaps.k12.mi.us. Of course, your child’s teacher can help too.

Introductions
At curriculum night I introduced our dynamite new staff members, but I now realize I haven’t written about them for the benefit of those who weren’t able to attend curriculum night. Here they are:
• Mrs. Lisa Teshima joins us as a first grade teacher. Most recently Mrs. Teshima taught at Northside School in Ann Arbor and has also taught in the Grosse Pointe school system.
• Ms. Stephanie Harris joins us as a fifth grade teacher. Ms. Harris is a newly hired teacher in the Ann Arbor Public Schools after student teaching at MLK School during the fall of the 07-08 school year with our own Mrs. Gracey and having two long-term substitute teaching positions last winter in the AAPS.
• Mrs. Ann O’Keefe joins us as our new media specialist. Mrs. O’Keefe spent the last eight years as a media specialist in Indian Prairie School District in suburban Chicago.
• Mrs. Kelly Boone is the teacher in our Cognitively Impaired communications classroom. Mrs. Boone actually started in the middle of last year, but this is the first year she has started at MLK.
• Mrs. Jessica Anderson is the Speech and Language Pathologist at MLK this year. Mrs. Anderson is newly hired and last worked as an intern at the Ann Arbor Preschool and Family Center.
• Mrs. Mary Spence joins us as our psychologist. She is widely known in Washtenaw County for the exceptional work she’s done for the Washtenaw Intermediate School District.

Front Drive Update
How do you think things are going in the front drive during drop-off and pick-up? Please let me know. I’ve appreciated the input I’ve received so far about our procedures. If you need a reminder about what the procedures are, please go to the King School website OR type the following link:
http://karrskingblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/drop-off-and-pick-up-policy.html
If you’d like to receive a hard copy of the procedures, please call the school office and we’ll send one home.

Thank Yous
A dedicated and helpful group of parents helps me each morning and afternoon to monitor drop-off and pick-up. I couldn’t appreciate them more. When you see any of the following parent volunteers, please thank them for what they do (in no particular order):
• Lola Killey
• Padma Anupindi
• Sumi Bhojani
• Luna Ganguly • Ray Stocking
• Jin-Wen Wan
• Mendan Chu
• Amy Cell • Alena Stocking
• Kathy Grijalva
• Michal Morah
If you’ve secretly wanted to help also, I’d appreciate your help as well. Give me a call or email and we’ll get you on the schedule too!

Thank you also to our PTO Board this year. The work and effort of the PTO Board this fall—and all of the volunteers who support them---has been tremendous and has certainly contributed to our good start up. The teachers and I appreciate the support of our PTO!

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Almost all families have signed up for parent-teacher conferences. Our goal is to have a conference with each family. We all know that students do better when there is good communication between teachers and home. The parent-teacher conference is often a starting point for families and teachers to identify strengths, needs and priorities for the upcoming year. If you haven’t scheduled a conference, please call the school office today!

School Improvement Team News
The MLK School Improvement Team met for the first time of the 2008-09 school year on Friday, October 3. The purpose of the MLK SIT team is to:
• Support the requirements of Education Yes!;
• Facilitate the improvement of MLK School through the analysis of achievement data;
• Implement strategies to support Education Yes! strand 4;
• Fulfill the requirements of Public Act 25 of 1990.
If you would like more information about Education Yes! or the School Improvement Team, please call me.

School Renovation Update
The plans for the MLK renovation were presented at the PTO meeting this past week. The general plans can be viewed in the school office if you didn’t attend PTO.

We will have an estimated surplus budget (money projected to be left over after the bond is fulfilled) of $171,000. This money can be used to fund "wish list" items, which were generated last year as part of the planning process. In no particular order, the "wish list" items show below. Not all of what shows on the list will necessarily be purchased. At this point we are brainstorming.

That said, one item will most definitely be at the top of the wish list: asphalt. Here’s why: Everyone on the planning team and who participated in last year’s meetings about the front drive thought it was clear we wanted the front drive to be resurfaced (but not reconfigured) because this is what was recommended. However, somehow resuracing was not included in the projections at the PTO meeting this week. This means that a chunk of the surplus will go towards asphalt and resurfacing. This is only alarming in that the planning team and I were expecting it to be included already. In addition, in the discussions I’ve had with many MLK parents about the renovations, I’ve shared that it was recommended to have the front drive resurfaced. Nevertheless, I've been reassured that this won't be a problem going forward.

If you think of something to be added to the list below for considersation, please let me know.

* Resurface asphalt areas in front of school and parking lot
* Ident-A-Kid visitor check-in system technology package (computer, printer, webcam)
* Ceiling mount existing data projectors in art room, music room, computer
lab, in media center and in office conference room
* Update signage around building
* Update cosmetics of parking lot entrance to make it look like an entrance (sign, planter)
* New classroom furniture – tables, chairs
* Elmo document projectors for all classrooms
* Smart/Active boards for all classrooms
* Replace hallway flooring, add pattern
* Replace flooring in classroom storage areas
* Carpet in the media center
* Carpet in teacher's lounge
* Ceiling tile replacement in media center.
* Upgrade sink and sink cabinet in the staff lounge
* Move classroom sinks closer to the center of the counter space
* New toilet in office bathroom
* Update older drinking fountain across from office
* Cabinet in office for medication


School Dates Coming Up
10/25 - MSU v. UM in football
10/27 - MEAP-Make-up ELA Part 2
10/28 - MEAP-Make-up Science
10/29 - MEAP-Make-up any subject as needed
10/30 - MEAP-Make-up any subject as needed. No testing after today.
11/4 - No School For Students; AM Professional Development and PM report writing.
11/4 – Election Day
11/7 - Popcorn Friday – popcorn will be served as a snack during the school day
11/7 - Picture Retake Day
11/7 – School Improvement Team meets
11/11 - PTO meeting
11/26 - 11/28 -- Thanksgiving break
12/1 - School resumes
12/5 – School Improvement Team meets
12/5 - Popcorn Friday
12/9 – PTO meeting
12/19 - Last day before winter break.

If you have questions or if there is something that needs clarification, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Kevin Karr
king.a2schools.org

King PTO After School Writing Workshop -Back by Popular Demand!

DEAR WORLD: Writing About Your Environment

Are you in 3rd or 4th grade, love the outdoors and being creative? If the answer is "yes," then this writing workshop is for you! Be prepared to go outdoors, observe nature, and become more aware of your environment. You can choose to write letters, poems, stories, songs, or favorite memories. You can also add drawings, photos, or paintings to your written pieces. Bring your curiosity and love of nature with you on this fun writing adventure!

This PTO-sponsored workshop is free to King 3rd and 4th graders. It runs on Wednesdays after school until 5pm, beginning on October 15th with our final celebration on December 3rd. Space is limited, and we enroll on a first-come-first-served basis. Look for the sign-up sheet in backpack-mail soon!

Questions? Contact Camille Ziolek acziolek@oaklandcc.edu

Bagels and Buns - 10/16 @ 8:15 AM

FREE Starbucks coffee! All are welcome: children and parents, teachers and staff.

Please join us for breakfast and conversation: Friday, 17 October 2008, 8:15am until school starts.

Bagels $1 (cream cheese included)
Buns $2
Orange Juice 50 cents.

Thank you,
Christina Nedeltchev, Angela Johnson, Line vN

Community Action News

Each year the King PTO's Community Action chairperson works to implement several programs at King School to bring greater awareness to others. With this, there are also opportunities for King families to help others.

For our first activity of the year, King school students will be participating in the UNICEF coin collection drive on Halloween again. UNICEF boxes have been ordered and will be distributed to students toward the end of October. For more information about UNICEF visit www.unicef.org

We have been collecting a list of 'much needed items' for King School families that are financially struggling this year. If you can help with a donation or the purchase of an item, please contact Susan Aaronson, susaaaro@umich.edu . If you have a middle school student who is selling magazines and you would like to find out more about donating educational magazines to families and community centers that are in need, please also contact Susan.

Our PTO plans to continue with the winter coat drive and community snowflake gift giving campaign in December. We will be working with the Student Council to coordinate other community service activities.

Last year, Community Action encouraged classrooms to raise money for Pennies for Peace - building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Students also collected change and donations for disaster relief in China and Myanmar. This money was donated to Save the Children. We organized our annual winter coat, hat and mitten drive and donated items to House by the Side of the Road. King school families donated over 100 gifts to community families in need at the holidays through our annual Snowflake giving campaign. Our students collected change during the week surrounding Halloween and we donated over $400 to UNICEF. We have a wonderfully generous community and we thank you all for your contributions. Please send Susan any feedback on how better to support both our local and global community in need.

King of Hearts 5K - 10/19 @ 1:30 PM

The 5th Annual King of Hearts 5K Run/Walk is in 5 days...Sunday, October 19th at 1:30 at King! Come participate in grade level dashes, run/walk with your family through King neighborhoods, listen to the AASPA Jazz Band before the race, and watch various bands perform after the run/walk from Ann Arbor's School of Rock. Pre-ordered t-shirts & water bottles will be sent home with your child this week. Please remember that this is a family event -- all children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the entire event.

Did you forget to register? You can register on Sunday -- Race Day for $10/family. A limited amount of King of Hearts shirts will be available for purchase on a first come, first serve basis for $10 each.

Don't forget to wear your King of Hearts shirt on Sunday. We can't wait to see you there!

Contact Susan Gechter at susbg@comcast.net with any questions.

MLK Renovations Update

The plans for the MLK renovation were presented last night at the PTO meeting. The general plans can be viewed in the school office.

We will have a surplus (money projected to be left over after the bond is fulfilled) of $171,000. This money can be used to fund "wish list" items which were generated last year as part of the planning process. In no particular order, the "wish list" items show below.

One thing will be at the top of the wish list: asphalt. While I think everyone on the planning team thought it was clear we wanted the front drive to be resurfaced, this was not included in the projections last night. This means that a chunk of the surplus will go towards asphalt. This is only alarming in that I was expecting it to be included already. I've been reassured that it won't be a problem going forward.

If you think there is something to be added to the list below, please let me know and I'll add it so it can be considered.

• Resurface asphalt areas in front of school and parking lot
• Ident-A-Kid visitor check-in system technology package (computer, printer, webcam)
• Ceiling mount existing projectors in art room, music room, computer
  lab, in media center and in office conference room
• Update signage around building
• Update cosmetics of parking lot entrance to make it look like an entrance (sign, planter)
• New classroom furniture – tables, chairs
• Elmo document projectors for all classrooms
• Smart/Active boards for all classrooms
• Replace hallway flooring, add pattern
• Replace flooring in classroom storage areas
• Carpet in the media center
• Carpet in teacher's lounge
• Ceiling tile replacement in media center.
• Upgrade sink and sink cabinet in the staff lounge
• Move classroom sinks closer to the center of the counter space
• New toilet in office bathroom
• Update older drinking fountain across from office
• Cabinet in office for medication

Not all of what shows on the list will necessarily be purchased. At this point we are brainstorming.

Sincerely,
Kevin

Answers to "What is wrong in this photo?"

Last evening, I invited you to tell me "What is wrong in this photo?" CLICK HERE if you want to look again.

Before I reveal the correct answers, I want to make this clear:
The purpse of this was to continue to bring awareness to our safety practices in and around MLK School. That said . . .

No one really did anything wrong in the picture. So . . . if your neighbor's car (or your Dad's car) is pictured, it doesn't mean they have done something wrong :-) The cars pictured belong to some of the most dedicated and supportive King parents in our community.

Here are the correct answers to "What is wrong in this photo?"

1. There are cars parked in the "Bus Only" zone and cars are not allowed there during drop-off. This was the main thing I hoped everyone noticed.
2. Several of you are very saavy and noticed it isn't 8:37 in the morning. From your knowledge of King School, you might have realized the sun was setting and it was closer to 6:00. The cars that were parked were actually parents who were picking up their children from King Care, the after school program at King. For the convenience of King Care parents, it is perfectly acceptable to park in front of King after 4:15 PM.

If you responded to me or posted a comment on the blog, I will enter your name into the drawing for a major prize. I may even reveal what the major prize is along with my next reminder.

Thank you for your help in making MLK the best it can be. If you have questions or feedback, please contact me.

What Is Wrong In This Photo?

It is 8:37 and morning drop-off is in full swing at MLK School. The scene in front of the school shows below.

So . . . what is wrong with what you see in the photo? Click to enlarge the photo if needed.

Please click the "Comments" link below and tell us what is wrong. Please include your name. All those who respond correctly will be entered into a random drawing for a major award from Mr. Karr :-)

MLK Building Renovations Presentation @ 10/14 PTO Meeting

The AAPS Facilities Department as well as architects and the project manager from Barton Mallow will present the plans for renovations at MLK School at the MLK PTO meeting on October 14, 2008 @ 7 PM.

Some of the highlights of the renovations to take place primarily in the summer of 2010 include:
- 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
- repaving of front drive
- replacing the heating system
- installation of wireless infrastructure

PTO Meeting - 10/14/08 @ 7 PM

The PTO will meet on October 14 @ 7 PM in the MLK Media Center.

Good Luck For 5th Graders

A few MLK 5th graders are very, VERY lucky. They showed me ONE of the lucky four peddled plants on Monday. By Friday, their collection had grown substantially! Below you will see several 4-leaf clovers and even a 5-leaf clover.

DSCN7132.JPG

AAFD Station 5 Visits MLK

Ann Arbor Fire Department Station 5 visited MLK School on Friday, October 3 to visit with Kindergarten - third grade students. The topic of the visit was fire safety and prevention. Below you'll see some photos of the visit. Thanks to Mrs. Jarjoura, one of our wonderful second grade teacher, for being a great volunteer and helping the fire fighters show off their equipment! It was ashame that there could be only one volunteer because first grade teacher Mrs. Teshima was really hoping to try on the fire fighting equipment too. Next time . . . :-)