Needed: Popcorn Friday Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to help with monthly Popcorn Fridays at King School.  Help isneeded from 9 am - 11 am. Please email Rachel Sabb at  rsabb@hotmail.com if you are available. 

Picture Day @ King - Friday, 10/1

REMINDER:  Picture Day at King School will happen this Friday, October 1.


ORDER PICTURES:  Families can order picture packages using the previously sent home schoolpictures.com envelope or can order online at http://schoolpictures.com/


VOLUNTEER:  We would like four parent volunteers to help during picture day.  This would be a great way to help in your child's school and have fun at the same time!  :-)
If you can volunteer, please reply to this email or call Mrs. Greene in the King School office.  Thank you!

Spirit Wear Reminder

Don't forget...all King School Spirit Wear ORDERS ARE DUE — WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6th!

Show your school spirit while supporting the PTO!

Come see the designs at school in the cases by the front door. 

Extra order forms are in the main office.

If you have questions please email Belinda at belindapinto@msn.com

Lifelong Guidelines Quote Of The Week

Be Yourself.
An original is always worth more than a copy.

How Does Space Camp Connect To The Curriculum?

At last night’s Space Camp parent information meeting, an excellent question was asked, “How does Space Camp connect to 5th grade curriculum?”

Parents were given a general answer but we wanted to provide more specifics. Listed below are the 5th Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) for science that 5th graders are taught or use while participating in Space Camp activities.  Michigan’s GLCEs (K-8) provide schools, teachers, and parents with information they need to understand what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of each grade.  You can find this information at: http://www.michigan.gov/mde


5th Grade Science GLCEs that relate to Space Camp:

Science Processes – Inquiry Processes
- S.IP.05.11 Generates scientific questions based on observations, investigations, and research.
- S.IP.05.12 Design and conduct scientific investigations.
- S.IP.05.13 Use tools and equipment appropriate to scientific investigations.
- S.IP.05.14 Use metric measurement devices in investigations.
- S.IP.05.16 Identify pattern in data.


Science Processes – Inquiry Analysis and Communication
- S.IA.05.11 Analyze information from data tables and graphs to answer scientific questions.
- S.IA.05.12 Evaluate data, claims, and personal knowledge through collaborative science discourse.
- S.IA.05.13 Communicate and defend findings of observations and investigations using evidence.
- S.IA.05.14 Draw conclusions from sets of data from multiple trails of scientific investigations.
- S.IA.05.15 Uses multiple sources of information to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of claims, arguments, or data.


Science Processes – Reflection and Social Implications
- S.RS.05.11 Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of claims, arguments, and data.
- S.RS.05.12 Describe limitations in personal and scientific knowledge.
- S.RS.05.13 Identify the need for evidence in making scientific decisions.
- S.RS.05.15 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models, exhibits, and activities.
- S.RS.05.16 Describe how science and technology have advanced because of the contributions of many people throughout history and across cultures.


Physical Science - Forces and Motion
- P.FM.05.21 Distinguish between contact forces and non-contact forces.
- P.FM.05.22 Demonstrate contact and non-contact forces to change the motion of an object.
- P.FM.05.31 Describe what happens when two forces act on an object in the same or opposing directions.
- P.FM.05.32 Describe how constant motion is the result of balanced (zero net) forces.
- P.FM.05.33 Describe how changes in the motion of objects are caused by a non-zero (unbalanced) force.
- P.FM.05.42 Describe the motion of an object in terms of distance, time and direction, as the object move, and in relationship to another object.


Earth Science – Earth in Space and Time
- E.ST.05.21 Describe the motion of planets and moons in terms of rotation on axis and orbits due to gravity.

Physical Science – Energy
- P.EN.06.41 Explain how different forms of energy can be transferred from one place to another by radiation, conduction, and convection.

Our Hallways Are Named After The Lifelong Guidelines

Academic Games Starts Up - 4th and 5th Graders

Dear Parents of 4^th and 5^th Graders,

 

            King School Academic Games will begin Tuesday, September 21^st.  For this first session, parents are required to attend briefly to sign up your student and be sure we have your correct phone number and email address.

            Practice times have been set for Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, and Fridays, also from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, and will be held in the King School Music Room.  Practices will begin for interested students in either 4^th or 5^th grade on Tuesday, September 21^st from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in the King School Music Room. 

            King Academic Games will be coached by Vivian Lin and Mike Vanek, and is sponsored by the King School PTO.  Students who wish to compete in tournaments can participate in the Michigan League of Academic Games (MLAG) Saturday Tournaments, held once per month from September through February at various schools in southeastern Michigan.  The league requires any student who wishes to participate in the MLAG State Tournament, at Grand Rapids on March 9-11, 2011, to have participated in at least 3 Saturday Tournaments.  Tournament dates are at the bottom of this note, and more information on tournament locations will be available in a handout at our first practice meeting.

We look forward to meeting with you and your student on Tuesday the 21^st.

 Sincerely,

Mike 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 elementary 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.

 

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.

 

 

 (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.)

 

 

Saturday Tournaments are set for Sept. 25, Oct. 16, Nov. 20, Dec. 11, Jan. 8, and Feb. 5. The State Tournament is March 9-11, 2011.

 

 

Contact us at: KingAG.Coaches@gmail.com

Dessert Night Is On!

If it is raining this evening, the King School Welcome Back Dessert Night will be held in the Multipurpose Room beginning at 7 PM. 

I will be appreciated if families closely supervise children.  In particular please instruct them to stay off of the stage.

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Math Olympiad Sign-Up Begins

The Math Olympiad team at King School offers an enrichment opportunity for 4^th and 5^th graders.  We participate in the Math Olympiad for Elementary and Middle Schools program (MOEMS, www.moems.org), which has been a major math contest for school children for 30 years with hundreds of thousands of participants each year from more than 30 countries.  The King School team welcomes all 4^th and 5^th graders who want to meet challenges, there is no minimum requirement of math proficiency.  A detailed description and sign-up form went home with the children earlier this week.  The sign-up deadline is Sept. 24^th.   If you have any questions, please email jingliu01@gmail.com or ljing@umich.edu.

SLOW DOWN! Thank you.

Several parents have recently called the Ann Arbor Police Department
regarding speeders on Glazier and Waldenwood close to the time school
begins.

I anticipate increased police presence during these times. Please be
aware at all times. Safety first.

What Is Elementary Humanities Class?

This fall, for the first time ever in the AAPS, elementary students will be taking a Humanities class.  

These classes will focus on fine arts literacy—including physical education and information literacy technology-- with an interdisciplinary connection to the core curriculum, most specifically outcomes identified in science and social studies. Arts Integration is commonly recognized by the Kennedy Center and other educational referent groups, as an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form.  Students engage in a creative process, which connects an art form and another subject area that meets evolving objectives in both. For purposes of the proposed plan in Ann Arbor Public Schools, this would also include integrating understanding through participation in physical education and media class.

The arts platform will allow teachers to make learning more relevant by integrating science and social studies outcomes through special area class instruction. For instance, vocal music GLCE's (Grade Level Content Expectations) focuses on sound generation; so does the 2nd grade science unit on sound. The Humanities course will focus on the interdisciplinary connection between the two disciplines. Similarly, vocal and instrumental music speak to the importance of composition; extending the attributes of music composition to prose and poetry as a natural link.  Another example, Art education stresses observation and descriptors. Art journaling can be extended to include science writing and illustrations. Physical education can naturally address force, motion (3rd grade science) and some aspect of the human body skeletal/muscular systems (5th grade science) within contextual learning.  Media specialists will teach the media curriculum with a focused lens on reinforcing social studies and science outcomes through interdisciplinary literacy and technology integration.

The interdisciplinary outcomes connecting science and social studies in the humanities strand are often time assessed (by the Michigan Education Assessment Program--MEAP) in third, forth and fifth grades but the units are sometimes introduced as early as first grade. Repetition of concepts and academic vocabulary during the Humanities classes and throughout the elementary grades will increase relevancy and proficiency. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the science and/or social studies concept through interdisciplinary applications of the outcome (s) through Humanities classes.

 

Humanities instruction is a collaborative teaching opportunity. Classroom and special area teachers will come together to reflect the best in effective instructional practice: an understanding of multiple learning and teaching styles, the importance of hands on learning, conceptual learning grounded in real life demonstrations, repetition and extended learning, cooperative and inquiry based learning, and technology integration.

 

We are very excited about the new Ann Arbor Elementary Humanities Program.

King School's Welcome Desert - September 16th at 7 PM

Hello everyone and welcome back to King School!

The King School Welcome Dessert will be held on Thursday, 9/16/10 from 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm on the King School playground.

Bring your family and your favorite desert to share. Enjoy the company of others in the King School community!
Feel free to drop off your desert in the King School office any time on Thursday, 9/16/10.

We need some volunteers to help with set up, clean up etc.. Please sign up at this link: http://www.doodle.com/mfrr7vzix8va2efs

Please contact Sujata Guduri at sguduri@gmail.com with any questions.

Food Allergy Planning In The AAPS

When working with students who have severe food allergies, the Ann Arbor Public Schools has established a set of guidelines to keep all students safe through a collaboration between the student, parents, physician and the school.

Highlights of the food allergy planning process:

· Safe lunch practices:

o A “No Nut” hot lunch program from Chartwells food service;

o Determining if a food-allergic child needs to sit at a “No Nut Table” in the lunchroom or if they can be safe at a general lunch table

o Allowing students who buy hot lunch to sit at the “No Nut Table” but NOT allowing students who bring lunch from home to sit at that table

· Safe classroom practices

o Determining if the child’s classroom should be designated as a “No Nut Classroom”;

o Requiring “safe” treats from home be stored in the classroom so there is always a treat for a food allergic student when there is special classroom occasion like a birthday party

· Safe school practices

o Requiring families to only send fruits and vegetables in the first 4 weeks of school while food allergy plans are being updated;

o Keeping potentially life-saving medication for each student in the school office;

o Requiring that parents of food allergic children send “safe” treats to be used whenever there is a special classroom occasion like a birthday celebration.

Parents can download the entire food allergy planning guidelines on the AAPS website from the following address:

http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/aaps.forparents/files/foodallergyhandbook.pdf

5th Space Camp Parent Information Meeting - 9/20 @ 6 PM

All 5th grade parents are invited to attend an information meeting
about Space Camp on Monday, September 20 from 6-7 PM. Details about
the trip will be provided by the 5th grade staff. Parents will also
have the
opportunity to ask questions. It is important for all parents to
attend.

PTO Volunteer Opportunities 2010-11

SIGN UP NOW to volunteer for the King PTO by CLICKING HERE.

Lifelong Guidelines and Lifeskills Video

Today at the beginning of the year assembly we reviewed the Lifelong Guidelines and Lifeskills as ideas we focus on at King School. I then showed the first half of the video below and asked students which Guidelines and Lifeskills the monkeys show.

You might watch it again with your son or daughter and ask them what Guidelines and Lifeskills they see.