This Week In the Ann Arbor Public Schools

January 9, 2012

  • Happy New Year and welcome back.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, a nice winter vacation and found time to relax, refresh and connect with family and friends.
  • In December, Mrs. Allie Dey's second grade class, from Thurston Elementary, traveled to Bryant for Camp Read-a-Lot.  Thurston second graders rode the bus, across town to Bryant and spent the day with Mrs. Janice Stewart's second grade class.  The two classes have written back and forth to each other three times during the school year and finally got to meet face to face.  The students did some get-to-know-you games, read for almost three hours throughout the day in tents and sleeping bags, completed a writing activity together, and the “pen pals” got to have lunch recess together.  This was a fantastic community experience and literacy activity.  Each class gained so much from their new friends.  Bryant second graders were gracious hosts to their Thurston Pen Pals. Mrs. Dey’s class is looking forward to their chance to visit Thurston Elementary in the spring.  A huge thank you to Principals Mrs. Heyward, Bryant, and Ms. York, Thurston, for supporting such a positive literacy enrichment opportunity for the students.
  • In addition to organizing Pen Pals with Mrs. Dey at Thurston, Bryant second grade teacher Janice Stewart sends a "Thank You!" to Mrs. Martin for organizing the trip to Toledo's, Imagination Station.  Mrs. Stewart has received positive feedback from the parent chaperones and the class, as well.  Her class was still trying to comprehend leaving the state of Michigan (on a school day), traveling to Ohio, and returning to Michigan ... all in one day.  As much as they would have liked to stay the whole day, they enjoyed many new experiences and gained important, hands-on-knowledge from the sound presentation which fits in nicely with the 2nd grade science unit. Thank you for all the set-up, organization, financial duties, and initiative that it took to get this trip together for the whole second grade.  Bryant is doing great things this year!

Patricia P. Green, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Ann Arbor Public Schools