QUESTIONS?
For any school-related questions, please email Kathy Cramer our School Office Professional.
cramerk@aaps.k12.mi.us
Dear Burn Park Families,
I was up north this morning where the ground was clear with no precipitation and Mrs. Hatt sent me a picture of the Ann Arbor snow which came as a bit of a surprise. It became more real as I drove back home. I hope that your students were excited by the first bit of the white stuff this year and got a chance to play in it.
As the winter weather comes, we want to say thanks to everyone who contributed winter clothing for our Burns Park Winter Clothing Swap, sponsored by our PTO! If you'd like to shop for winter clothing for your children, look for the link to the Google form in next week's email.
This week, due to the Thanksgiving holiday, AAPS Food Distribution will only occur on Monday, November 23. Seven days worth of food will be distributed at each location. Regular twice-a- week food distribution will begin again on Monday, November 30 until winter break when AAPS will again distribute seven days worth of food on December 21 & 28 at all locations.
During the coming holiday season, we want you to know that you can connect with family and friends for free with Bookable Zoom Rooms through the AADL.! The Ann Arbor District Library is offering free Zoom Online Meeting Rooms to any AADL card holder. You can book a Zoom meeting of two or more attendees for up to two hours. Zoom Meeting Room Bookings require at least one week's notice. Learn more and book a room here.
Mr. Leonard wants to give your students a heads up for P.E. class this week on Monday and Tuesday. He’s asking students to gather the following to be ready for upcoming lessons.
Y5-5th Grade Supplies
- Some type of ball that bounces
- Six spots to stand on or near
- One laundry basket, box or bin to use as your basketball hoop
We celebrate our student’s literacy! Ms. Erdstein introduced our new online library service Sora to students in a lesson last week. Since then, 257 students have signed in for the first time; 132 students checked out a book; 730 books were opened; and 257 hours were spent reading. We think that's pretty impressive for our first week, especially considering how many families are trying not to be on screens after "school hours". Please ask your student about Sora if you want to learn from them about their experience with this program.
Also, of interest to readers, we want you to know that the 2020 Middle East Book Awards have been announced! Here is a list of all of the titles which would be engaging for all Burns Park Penguin families.
PICTURE BOOK AWARD WINNERS:
- SALMA THE SYRIAN CHEF by Danny Ramadan, illustrated by Anna Bron (Annick Press, 2020)
- THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2020).
Honorable Mention: THE GHOUL by Taghreed Najjar, illustrated by Hassan Manasra; translated from Arabic by Michel Moushabeck (Crocodile Books, 2019).
YOUTH LITERATURE AWARD WINNERS:
- NO BALLET SHOES IN SYRIA by Catherine Bruton (Nosy Crow Ltd, 2019)
- OTHER WORDS FOR HOME by Jasmine Warga (Balzer + Bray, 2019)
Honorable Mention: ONCE UPON AN EID: STORIES OF HOPE AND JOY BY 15 MUSLIM VOICES edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed, illustrated by Sara Alfageeh (Harry N. Abrams, 2020)
Drop-in support groups for parents and guardians of student's in AAPS are conducted in different languages. Connect with other parents to find support and get ideas about how to face the challenges of 2020. Last year, parents who participated in an AAPS parent support group consistently reported that they found it helpful, and appreciated hearing from and connecting with other parents going through similar struggles.
Arabic: November 30th at 1:30PM
Chinese: December 4th at 1:30 PM
Korean: December 11th at 1:30 PM
Japanese: December 14th at 1:30PM
Please register here.
We have learned that there will be a virtual Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad for 2nd-5th graders this year. In past years WESO has been a significant event for Burns Park students. We will need a coach to participate this year and there is a quick turnaround for a decision to be that person. If you are interested, please see details below in Laura’s PTO announcements.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we have so much to be grateful for in our community. I want to say a special thanks to you for all of your work in supporting our students with digital learning. We realize now, as much as ever, that learning is a partnership between families and school staff. As I’ve visited in several classrooms this past week, I have seen that genuine engagement and learning is occurring and I am moved to see the power of it. We all long for the day when we return to brick and mortar schooling, but we are happy to see that our Penguins continue to grow in learning and friendship through this difficult time.
We hope that you are staying safe as you develop your holiday plans. Please let me know if I can be of any help to you during this coming week. While there is no school on Wednesday through the coming weekend, please feel free to contact me at any time with questions, needs or concerns.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Chuck Hatt
Your PTO Update
- WESO 2021 (Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad for 2nd-5th graders) Head Coach Needed! For WESO 2021 to happen for BPE, we need a volunteer head coach. Please see this email from the WESO board for details on this year's virtual event and please see this document for specific information on head coach responsibilities. There’s a head coach meeting on Thursday, December 3rd at 6:30 and WESO requires a representative from each school participate in that meeting.
- 2020/2021 Room Parent Sign Up! Like everything else this year, the room parent role will be reimagined and teacher dependent. If you are interested in being a room parent, please complete this form by Wednesday, December 2, 2020. If you'd like to be the room parent for multiple classrooms please complete it multiple times. We understand that some classrooms have already identified room parents, please fill out the form even if you have already communicated with your teacher about it. The form contains additional information.
- Burns Park Winter Clothing Swap. Thanks to everyone who contributed winter clothing for our Burns Park Winter Clothing Swap! If you'd like to shop for winter clothing for your children, look for the link to the Google form in next week's email.
- Donate to Your PTO. You should have all received an Annual Fund letter from Rachel Ufer. You can donate online here or send a check made out to Burns Park PTO to: Jane Hollingsworth’s (PTO Treasurer). 1707 Morton Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Thanks in advance for your incredible generosity. We have raised almost $10,000 toward our Annual Fund goal. Thank you!
- Attend your next PTO Meeting on Tuesday, December 8th. Thank you to the 20 BPE community members who attended the last meeting. Meeting minutes are here.
- Join the Directory. This is the best way for families and students to connect and create community with others in their class. Please note that you have absolute control over what information is seen.
On behalf of your BPE PTO,
Laura Hayden
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