A pair of poems for our children at King School International Night - AnnArbor.com

A worthwhile read from Frances Kai-Wang, the King School International Night chairperson.

A pair of poems for our children at King School International Night - AnnArbor.com

Mid-Winter Break - 2/19 through 2/27

I want to wish the King Community a safe and restful mid-winter break. 

Classes will not be in session from February 19 - 27.  Classes will resume on Monday, February 28.

'Let's Read Math' Saturday Workshops Featured on annarbor.com

Twenty MLK School families signed up to be a part of the Let's Read Math workshops recently shared on annarbor.com

'Let's Read Math' series aims to dispel 'math-phobia' in children - AnnArbor.com

Kindergarten Round Up Presentation

Share your King International Night Photos

Thanks to the Moellers, we have photos from King International Night! Please upload and share yours with the King community! The site is password protected for our children's safety.

http://gallery.me.com/moellerluzio#100724

Username: kingschool
Password: king


Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
King Intl Night Chair

King School International Night Thank Yous

THANKS SO MUCH to all the performers, teachers, parents, friends, families for all your hard work putting together such a wonderful program! We had 29 performances and 350 students performing,  representing over 25 countries and cultures, about 1000 people for dinner, and an amazingly fun time.  This was our biggest and best (and smoothest) king intl night yet! The quality and creativity of the performances continue to amaze me. AND almost every group it seemed had one or two tiny cute little brother or sister who was just unbearably adorable and irresistible. We could not do this every year without so much commitment and support and hard work of all the parents and families and teachers. Thanks all around.

Special thanks to Queen of the Feast Lisa Kohn; Music Maestro Mrs. Vanek; Music Tech Mr. Vanek; Tech Team Leader Wulue Zhao; Security and Parking Czar Carl and Linda Ryan; Stage Managers, Wayne Millette, Kirti Karia, Line VanNiewstadt; Stage Runners: Maya, Catherine, Morgan; Display Divas: Padma Anupindi; Stage Decorations Yunyao Chen, Kirti Karia, Meghna Chauhan  Red Envelope Team: Daphne Lin, Huijuan Tang, Bianca Zhao, Diana Wong, Donna Chen, Linda Ryan, Becky, Catherine, Hao Hao, Niu Niu, Nico, Clague and Huron and Greenhills Alumni esp Chinese Yo-Yo Team and APEX Glowsticking Team; Photographers Mauricio Moeller, Dug Song; Bagels and Bananas Laura Boudette; Principal Karr, Mrs. Greene, Ms. Basta, Mrs. Jarjoura, Mrs. Arbor, Ms. Shah, Jeff Kelly, Cliff Williams, King Care, Rec and Ed, King PTO, and YOU!!

Thanks also to all our alumni now at Clague, Huron and Greenhills who came back to help and perform and watch--they really help contribute to the family nature of this event. And wasn't the Chinese Yo-Yo and Glowsticking amazing?!!

We will be setting up a password protected site for King families to share photos of the event. Anyone who wants to share photos and videos, please do! i have no photos otherwise. :(

Please bookmark or RSS feed http://kinginternationalnight.blogspot.com/ for continued updates and information. You may also enjoy my column, Adventures in Multicultural Living, at http://www.annarbor.com/passions-pursuits/ every Sunday if you want to keep this conversation going year-round.

Think of us during your travels and business trips this coming year--bring us back small coins and stickers.

Thanks again for everything, and thank your children, too! See you all next year!

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
King International Night Chair

King eNotes - 2/11/11

King School eNotes
February 11, 2011


Calendar
Sunday, February 13, 2011
·    eNotes submissions due to kingschoolpto@gmail.com

Monday, February 14, 2011
·    Today:  NAAPID (National African American Parent Involvement Day) – All parents invited to King School today.
·    2 – 3 PM, Jazzistry Assembly:  More at http://www.jazzistry.org/ - Thank you to the PTO for their support of this program.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
·    NO SCHOOL For Students – Teacher professional development day

Friday, February 18, 2011
·    Today:  Mid-winter break begins at the end of the day.  School resumes on Monday, February 28.

February 19 – 27
NO SCHOOL: Mid-Winter Break

Sunday, February 27, 2011
·    eNotes submissions due to kingschoolpto@gmail.com

Monday, February 28, 2011
·    School resumes

Friday, March 4, 2011
·    Today:  Popcorn Friday!  Thank you PTO!
·    7:30 – 8:30 AM – School Improvement Team meets


News and Information - for more information on the news items below, please look for links to the right of this post.
NAAPID Parent Invovement Day - 2/14 - All Day - All Parents Invited

Jazzistry Performs At King School - 2/14 @ 2 PM

Kindergarten Round Up - 2/15 @ 6 PM

Grant Received: Stand Up Desks

Continued Chess Success!

International Night Photos?

If you have one or two really great International Night photos and you are willing to share, please forward a digital copy to karrk at aaps.k12.mi.us.

Thank you.

International Night - WOW!

Good morning,
While I'm sure the buzz our International Night will continue for quite some time, I needed to share that last night's event stands out for me as the best International Night ever at King.  Everything seemed to come together last night in a perfect way - perfect performances, families being together, a rich sharing of culture.  There was happiness in the air last night!
The list of thank yous to pull off an event of last night's magnitude is long.  I'm sure I can't  tell you everyone who was involved, but I can tell you there is one person who makes this event happen more than anyone:  Frances Kai-Wang.

Frances - your energy and commitment to King's International Night is inspriing.  On behalf of the King School community, thank you for your continued dedication to organizing and running International Night.  You've made this "best night at King School" happen for seven years running and after talking to you last night I'm already looking forward to next year's "main event!"
Sincerely,
Kevin Karr

Crossing Guard Update - Waldenwood Drive

Dear King School Families, 

I have been informed that starting February 28, 2011, the Ann Arbor Traffic Safety Committee will place a crossing guard on Waldenwood Drive close to the entrance of the King School front drive.

At this point, I do not know the new crossing guard's name, but I do hope you will join me in welcoming them to our community.

The crossing guard at Tremont and Glazier Way will continue as in the past.

If you have questions, please let me know.  I'll do my best to help.

Sincerely,
Kevin Karr

Invitation: King School International Night

The Families of King School are cordially invited to attend:

King School International Night is here!
Thursday February 10 6:30-8:30
Bringing us together. Celebrating our diversity.

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, Israeli folk dance, Korean fan dance, Bolivian Dance, Dutch song, Greek folkdance, American Hip-Hop, Indian Bollywood dance, Beijing opera, Chinese martial arts, Taiwanese ribbon dance, Japanese Okinawan dance, Gospel music, and more! We also decorate the hallways with informational Country Displays and art projects for a World Tour.

Schedule:
6:30-7:30 International Potluck (don't be late!)
7:00-8:30 Student Performances (Performances will be simulcast into the gym.)

Please bring a dish to pass (enough to feed 18 people!)
With serving utensil
Without nuts or peanuts please!
Label with name of dish, country of origin, and ingredients

Please dress in heritage clothing

Carpool and be prepared for parking difficulties (one year the Superintendent had to park over a mile away on Erhardt Road!)
We still need volunteers! Sign up at http://doodle.com/5w449wxuctnnxebb to be a part of this most wonderful event!

Up to the minute information at www.kinginternationalnight.blogspot.com.
Sponsored by the King PTO

See you soon!
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang (Margot, Hao Hao, Niu Niu, and Nico's mom)
King School International Night Chair

International Night Safety Procedures

Dear MLK Families,

The PTO's Annual International Night will begin at 6:30 on February 10! This is one of the premier events each year at MLK. I hope to see you there! Because this event is typically attended by over 800 people, it is important to review the following information:

1. Evening activities at King are family events. Parents and guardians are responsible for the close supervision of their children. Children cannot attend without a supervising adult.
2. Be aware of the evening safety procedures at MLK--including NO PARKING IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING.


Parking
Due to the limited availability of parking at King, parents should plan to park in the neighborhood during all evening events at King.
There is NO PARKING in front of the school, by the fire hydrant, or on the left-hand side of the front circular drive.

Reason: The front drive is a fire lane and must be kept accessible for emergency vehicles. The fire hydrant area must also be kept clear.
Drop Off/Pick Up
The front entrance will be available for drop off and pick up ONLY. AT NO TIME SHOULD PARKING OCCUR IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL.

Emergency Exits

Below is a map of the school with the arrows indicating emergency exits. Before you come to an evening event at King, please consider designating a place outside the building for your family to meet in the event that the building needs to be evacuated.

Front Entrance

If you have any questions, please call the school office. We'll be happy to help.

Sincerely,
Kevin Karr
Principal
MLK School

Grant Received: Stand Up Desks

With grant funding from the Ann Arbor Educational Foundation (AAEF), King School recently purchased four stand up desks!  Here is what they look like:


These are obviously not the typical kind of desk used in classrooms.  There is no chair and it is adjusted to be the height of a typical counter.  This type of desk allows a student to stand and do their classwork.

This type of tool makes sense in a classroom setting where students are afforded flexibility in experimenting with their best learning position all while keeping focused on learning and the task at hand.  In practice the use of the stand up desk is entirely similar to the ways in which adults complete work--sometimes adults sit to work, other times they might stand or something in between sitting and standing.  It is our hope that the effective use of the desks in accommodating student learning needs will help to increase student achievement.

If teachers at King think the stand up desks might be useful in their classroom, they can "check them out" using what we call our Achievement Team process.

Congratulations (and thanks) to the AAEF grant receipients:  Connie Ehlke, occupational therapist; Dr. Mary Spence, school psychologist; Kevin Karr, King School principal.

Jazzistry Performs At King School - 2/14 @ 2 PM

I’m excited to announce that with support from the King School PTO and grants from Ann Arbor Band & Trust and the Mardi Gras Foundation, Vincent York’s Jazzistry program will visit King School on the second Monday in February – 2/14 – at 2 PM!  This will certainly be an exciting day at school since it is also Valentine’s Day and the date of NAAPID (National African American Parent Involvement Day), a day when parents are invited to come to school and be a part of the day’s activities. 

In case you didn’t know . . .

Jazzistry is an educational program that uses live performance to teach children and adults the story of jazz and its role in American History in order to:

·    Expand how we view our society;

·    Cultivate a personal relationship with our history;

·    Demonstrate the benefit and beauty of our multi-cultural heritage; and

·    Create a new generation of jazz lovers.

In other words, Jazzistry is a history lesson, a music lesson and a geography lesson combined!  It will be an exciting and educational performance.  Parents who are coming to school for NAAPID are also invited to attend the Jazzistry performance.

 

NAAPID Parent Invovement Day - 2/14 - All Day - All Parents Invited

Dear MLK School Parents,

All parents are invited to be a part of King’s plans as we observe National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) on Monday, February 14, 2011. 

What is NAAPID?

NAAPID - "Take Your Child to School/Visit Your Child in School" Day

NAAPID is a national call to action to get all parents, but particularly those of African American children, more involved in the education of their children. It is expected that this national observation will open up dialogue among teachers, parents, and students, which will lead to a more conducive learning environment for all students.

What happens during NAAPID?

Parents are invited to be a part of the school day at King.  This includes being a part of your child’s classes—even the noon hour.  You might want to bring a sack lunch and be a part of the excitement!  Also, the King staff will set up a hospitality table with refreshments.  Please stop by and enjoy the treats!

Also, at 2:00 PM, there will be an all-school assembly called Jazzistry with Ann Arbor’s own Vincent York, who happens to be the father of King fourth grade teacher Cedric York!  It is going to be an exciting and educational presentation.   

We hope to see many, many families at King School on February 14.

Sincerely,

Kevin Karr and the King School NAAPID Committee

Kindergarten Round Up - 2/15 @ 6:00 PM

Kindergarten Round Up—February 15, 6:00 – 7:00PM

I am excited to announce that Kindergarten Round Up at King School will be on February 15 from 6:00 – 7:00 PM.  Children who turn five on or before December 1, 2011 are eligible to attend Kindergarten for the 2010-11 school year. 

At the round up presentation, we'll share important information about the kindergarten year including registration information and information about the kindergarten curriculum.  The presentation is intended for parents, however, you can register for free school aged child care, provided by the King Care staff.  If you anticipate needing the child care option, please note that when you call.

If your child falls into the eligible age range, please do two things now:

1. Call the King School office at 994-1940 to give your child's information.  This will let us know to expect you for the Round Up presentation.  When you call, please also indicate if you'll need childcare on the night of round up.
2. Put Kindergarten Round Up on your calendar.  It will be held in the multipurpose room at King.

Also, if you know of a family who will have a kindergarten aged child for next year (and the family lives in the King School area), please share this information with them.  

If you have questions, please call the school office at 994-1940.

Sincerely, 

Kevin Karr

Principal

Continued Chess Success!

Sixteen King kids were among the 500 participants at the 2011 Michigan
Elementary Team Chess Championship on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Michigan
State University. One of our K-5 teams (Joy Chen, Andrew Alson, Ryan
Li, and Aayush Unadkat) won the state championship, the fourth year in
a row that King has won the K-5 state title, which we believe to be a
record. A second K-5 team (Christopher Zou, Connor Wright, Soham
Naik, and Jack Santinga) also did well. One our our K-3 teams
(Anthony Liao, Jonathan Zou, Aarnav Unadkat, and Christian Wright)
finished 5th in the state, and a second K-3 team of mostly beginners
(Timothy Hamill, Harrison Baker, Haru Iizuka, and Eva Erhardt)
finished 3rd in a reserve section. Several King players won
individual medals.

King also had approximately 20 players at the local Thurston Kids
Chess Tournament on Jan. 22, organized by Thurston and King parents,
and King kids placed first in three of the four sections.

The King chess program continues to thrive under the leadership of
local chess teacher Ray Garrison.

Submitted by Jeff Alson

King School eNotes - February 4, 2011

Calendar
Sunday, February 6, 2011
·    eNotes submissions due to kingschoolpto@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 8, 2011
·    7 – 8 PM, PTO Meets

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
·    Student Count Day – this is the day Michigan school districts count students.  Twenty percent of school funding from the state comes from this number. The other 80% is derived from the number of students counted in the fall of each school year.
·    RESCHEDULED – 6:30 – 8 PM, Family Writing Workshop – Family NIGHT to be held in the music room.

Thursday, February 10, 2011
·    6:30 – 8:30 PM, International Night at King School

Friday, February 11, 2011
·    Today:  Jump Rope For Heart
·    Today:  Wear International Clothes To School

Sunday, February 13, 2011
·    eNotes submissions due to kingschoolpto@gmail.com

Monday, February 14, 2011
·    Today:  NAAPID (National African American Parent Involvement Day) – All parents invited to King School today.
·    2 – 3 PM, Jazzistry Assembly:  More at http://www.jazzistry.org/ - Thank you to the PTO for their support of this program.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
·    No School For Students – Teacher professional development day

Friday, February 18, 2011
·    Today:  Mid-winter break begins at the end of the day.  School resumes on Monday, February 28.


News and Information
King School International Night coming Thursday February 10 6:30-8:30

Food and volunteers needed for International Night Potluck!

Time to Sign Up Your Kid(s) For Science Olympiad!



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King School International Night coming Thursday February 10 6:30-8:30

Bringing us together. Celebrating our diversity.

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, Israeli folk dance, Korean fan dance, Bolivian Dance, Dutch song, Greek folkdance, American Hip-Hop, Indian Bollywood dance, Beijing opera, Chinese martial arts, Taiwanese ribbon dance, Japanese Okinawan dance, Gospel music, and more! We also decorate the hallways with informational Country Displays and art projects for a World Tour.

Schedule:
6:30-7:30 International Potluck (don't be late!)
7:00-8:30 Student Performances (Performances will be simulcast into the gym.)

Please bring a dish to pass (enough to feed 18 people! we have a lot of hungry grandmas)
With serving utensil
Without nuts or peanuts please!
Label with name of dish, country of origin, and ingredients

Please dress in heritage clothing

DVDs of performance will be available for order that night

Everyone, PLEASE PLAN AHEAD TO AVOID GRUMPINESS.

FEAST: We still need volunteers for the feast: contact lisa kohn LKohn@umich.edu

Country Posters: For those who would like to be a part, everyone is invited to make a country poster to teach about a special country or culture that you like! This is a great family project. Posters will be displayed for two weeks before and after International Night. Posters must be flat and able to be taped to the wall. Photos are great! Creativity encouraged! Celebrations of achievements of Americans of that ethnic heritage appreciated by the kids! Maps are cool, but no flags please. Contact Padma p_anupindi AT hotmail DOT com for information about country posters.

More information at http://kinginternationalnight.blogspot.com

Thanks,
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang (Nico, Niu Niu, Hao Hao, Margot's mom) fkwang@aol.com

Food and volunteers needed for International Night Potluck!

Thursday, February 10th is International Night; a celebration of our diverse cultures.  The evening kicks off with an International Pot Luck at 6:30 pm.  Latkes, hummus, Be Bim Bop, Sushi, Dumplings, Chana, Macaroni & cheese--it's all delicious and your contributions are what make it special.  Please bring a LARGE quantity of your favorite ethnic food; enough for 15 people.

Also, please check out the DOODLE calendar as we will need volunteers to help make the pot luck run smoothly.

http://doodle.com/5w449wxuctnnxebb

Lisa Kohn

lkohn@umich.edu

734-417-7129

Time to Sign Up Your Kid(s) For Science Olympiad!

The 9th Annual Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at Skyline High School. Practices will be held at King School throughout the spring, where children learn about science through hands on activities. There are 18 different fun and exciting events! Event descriptions can be found at http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/wesowizards.home/events_2011 .

To sign up your child(ren) for Science Olympiad practices, please go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CQLMWBY    

Vivian Lin and Erika Levin, King Elementary Science Olympiad co-head coaches,

vhl@umich.edu and emlevin@umich.edu .

NO SCHOOL - Wednesday, February 2

The Ann Arbor Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday, February 2 due to the weather. 

PHOTO: Snow Soccer!