Class Notes

Hello Parents and Families!

Don’t forget - NO SCHOOL TOMORROW or MONDAY! 

If you’re new to our class, welcome! We communicate weekly with families in a couple of different ways. The first is this email! Every Thursday , we send an email home to keep you up to date on important information, and to give you a glimpse into what’s been happening in our class lately. Please try to read it weekly.  (You can also always find them posted on our website.) Today’s installment is much  longer than usual, but in general, we try to keep it concise, useful, and interesting! 

The second weekly communication you should expect from us is an email that contains your child’s responses to our “End of the Week Reflection.” We’ll start them next week, and you’ll receive them on Fridays. You’ll hear more about those next week. 

In general, class emails will come from Ko’s email account, even if your child is on Jason’s class list. (And we write them together as well. In fact, this is Jason typing this sentence, not Ko. Hi!) 

If you need to get in touch about something that is specific to your child, always start with your kid’s assigned teacher. 

Things to Do Lists

               One of our classroom routines is a Things to Do list.  This is an organizational tool that helps students take control of managing their schoolwork throughout the week.  Each day, the kids get a list of assignments and write them on their Things to Do sheets.  (Jeez, there’s SO MUCH information in this email so far!!  We’re sorry… please keep reading….) They then learn to keep track of what’s been assigned, what they’ve turned in, and what they still have to complete.  You’ve probably seen one of these sheets already, and you may have even been asked to sign one.  For now, signing one indicates only that you have seen it.  We just want you to be aware that they exist. More information about these to come on Curriculum Night.  Speaking of…

Curriculum Night

Curriculum Night is Thursday, September 10th.  We’re in rooms 309 and 311 (either door works. They’re connected.) Don’t worry, there will be signs to guide you.  We’re still waiting to hear what the final schedule for that evening will be - as soon as we know, we’ll let you know!  

Schedule

Our specials schedule can be found here.  Some things to note:  

• Swimming for 6th graders is Tuesday, 5th graders on Wednesdays.   Swimming starts next week!   If you have any questions about swimming, please contact Ms. Kinnard at kinnard@aaps.k12.mi.us. 

• 6th graders will have Instrumental Music on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  5th graders will have Instrumental Music on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  More information about Instrumental should be coming to you from our Instrumental teachers, Justin Hammis (hammisj@aaps.k12.mi.us ) and Timario Wilkins (wilkinst@aaps.k12.mi.us ).  

• Our class has lunch at 12:45pm.  Our class has recess first, then we eat at 1:05pm.  That’s a long time to wait until lunchtime!  Our class doesn’t have an organized class snack or snack time, so kids are welcome to bring their own snack to eat during appropriate times throughout the morning.  If your kid is unable to bring a snack, please let us know and we can make snack arrangements.  Our classroom is a Nut Free Zone.

We’ll talk about all of this and more at Curriculum Night. If you’re particularly eager to know more before then, we suggest exploring our class website, which is full of artifacts and information that will give you a good idea of what to expect in the year ahead. (For many of the projects and photos on the website, you’ll need to be signed in to an AAPS account to view them.  This is for kid privacy purposes.  Ask your kid to sign in to their email account and look at the stuff with you!)

Conversation Starters:

As most parents and guardians know, getting a kid to tell you about what’s going on in school can sometimes be… unrewarding.  (“What did you do in school today?” “Nothing.”) To combat this, we’ve set up a few systems in our class to give you a chance of getting your child to tell you a little about their week at school. 

In each weekly email (the one you’re reading right now!), we try to include three “conversation starters” to ask your kid about. The topics vary depending on what has happened that week. Sometimes they’re about a specific assignment or activity, sometimes they’re about an interesting class discussion we had, and sometimes they might be as simple as a silly in-joke that has developed in class. They don’t guarantee an in-depth conversation, but they could be a start! Here are three to get you started: 

• Ask your child about our first book project! This month, we’re studying mythology. Ask your kid to tell you about some of the myths that they’ve read so far. 

• We’ve also been talking about myths that we’ve read together, and comparing them. Ask your kid to tell you about the different versions of the Orpheus and Eurydice story, or about the story about the rabbit on the moon. 

• One of our first assignments each year is called Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond. Ask your kid to tell you some of what they wrote for the categories. (If you attend Curriculum Night on September 10, you can see your kid’s work in person!) 

PHEW.  That was so much stuff.  We promise our emails won’t always be this long!  Thanks for (hopefully) reading (or at least skimming)!

We look forward to working with your kids! 

Sincerely,

Ko and Jason

shihk@aaps.k12.mi.us 

depasqualec@aaps.k12.mi.us

https://www.koandjason.org 

Greetings from Ko and Jason! 

We are very excited to start another adventurous school year!  We look forward to getting to know all the new families in our classroom, and getting reacquainted to those who are returning.  

As most of you already know, we are team teachers who combine our two groups into one big class.  Whether you’re in Ko’s group or Jason’s group, we both work with every student in our class every day.  You can learn all about how our class works at Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 10th.  You’ll also have an opportunity to sign up for conferences and see the classroom in person. 

In the meantime, you will hear from us regularly!  We send a class email home every Thursday.  It will come from Ko’s email address, but it’s always written by both of us.  When you have questions or concerns about your specific child, always contact the teacher who is listed as your child’s “official” teacher.  (Our emails are at the bottom of this letter.) 

Our weekly note home is also always posted on our  class website (koandjason.org), where you can also find other useful and/or fun information about our class. For example, here’s our specials schedule for the year. Or check out OPEN Channel, our occasional class show about Open School. You can also browse through the archives to get a sense of what goes on in our class. (You’ll need to be signed in with an AAPS account to see some of the stuff linked on our page.) 

Our first day of school is Monday, August 31st!  It’s a half day - we’ll dismiss at 11:15am.  Here are a few things to help prepare: 

• We won’t have lunch at school the first day of school.  (If your kid needs a take home lunch, let us know.)  BUT…for the rest of the year, our lunch is relatively late in the day.  It’s a good idea to send in a snack. Kids in our group usually tend to eat a snack (or part of their lunch) at our morning recess. 

• Our classrooms are upstairs in rooms 309 and 311 (they’re attached). The upstairs at Open is very easy to navigate: It’s a big square. On the first day of school, kids gather at any entrance to the school (the main entrance, the bus loop, the pool lobby) and then head inside when the bell rings. There are three staircases that lead to our floor, and all of them will take you to our rooms. We’ll have signs pointing the way, and there will be plenty of people around to help direct any nervous kids to us. 

• If you’re doing any back to school shopping, here are some things that you might consider: 

• Pencils - Small pencil sharpener

• Markers` - Colored Pencils

Most students in our class opt to use a DESKMATE during their time with us. It’s basically a clipboard with a built-in storage space for papers, pencils etc. Here are some examples. We’ve found that it’s a great organizational tool for kids who are learning how to take on more responsibility for their school work.  We have approximately 25 used ones to loan for the year, but many families prefer to purchase their own.  

We generally do not recommend the fancy binders that have several different colored sections with special pockets and the like. In our experience, they’re a little overwhelming for kids who are just getting started with keeping their schoolwork organized. 

One more thing to note: 6th graders have swimming on Tuesday and 5th graders have swimming on Wednesday.  We WILL be swimming the first week of school, so please help your kid remember their swim stuff.

We’re excited to see everyone on Monday! See you all very soon!

Sincerely,

Ko and Jason 

Jason  depasqualec@aaps.k12.mi.us 

Ko       shihk@aaps.k12.mi.us 

www.koandjason.org

Hello Parents and Families!

It was so great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night!  If you weren’t able to make it, you can check out our slideshow above.

Some key takeaways - 

• Remember, there are many ways to check in with your kid about school - Things to Do sheets, keep an eye out for End of the Week checkout sheets on Mondays, End of the Week Reflections on Fridays, Conversation Starters, and of course, this weekly email! 

• NWEA testing will be next Wednesday (9/16) and the Wednesday after (9/23) mornings at 10:30am.  

• When students miss the first part of the day, they’re usually at a disadvantage for the rest of the day’s activities. We understand that tardiness is sometimes inevitable, but in general please make an extra effort to get your kid to school on time.  

PARENT INPUTand CONFERENCE SIGN UP  FORM

Tell us about your kid!  Tell us if you want a conference!  Please fill out this parent input form.  Write as much or as little as you like.  We’ll read it all!  

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES! 

• We need a room parent.  This job is very low stress - in fact, we’re not sure what exactly you’ll do besides be a contact for the AAOCC for us.  If you’re willing and able, please contact Ko. 

• Chaperoning! We go on trips!  In order for you to join us on a trip, the district requires that you fill out this Volunteer Form.  If you’re hoping to join us anytime this year, please fill out the form early so we can make sure we’ve got our ducks in a row.  

• Speaking of chaperoning…On Friday, October 2nd, we’re walking to Kerrytown Concert House to see a performance by Building Bridges with Music.  Building Bridges with Music is a Traverse City based non profit that uses music and the creative arts to help young people explore open-mindedness, understanding, and respect.  We’ll hear live jazz performed by the Bridges Quintet and meet the musicians.  Due to limited space, we can only bring one or two parents with us on this trip.  If you’re interested in joining, please email Ko.  

• CAMP!  FUNDRAISING!!  We’re going to Camp Ohiyesa in May. (May 26-28, to be exact. More details to come!) We’ll need to raise money for this trip.  If you’re willing and able to run a fundraiser for us, please contact Ko.  If you just want to donate money, here’s a link! 

5/6 camp (https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/56-camp-2026--2027)

(and if you’re thinking of chaperoning camp, you can  fill out the Parent Volunteer form now!)

CONVERSATION STARTERS

If you’d like to know a little more about what’s been happening at school this week, try asking your child about some of these things: 

• We’re learning a lot about mythology this month. Ask your child to tell you about some of the stories we’ve read together. Of particular note is the story of Iwarame the caiman, and how humans and animals worked together to steal fire from his jaws. 

• Everyone received their math and cursive packets this week. Ask your kid to tell you a little about them. 

• We’re also starting the year off with some geography. Ask your kid how they think they’ve done so far on our first map-related activity of the year. 

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, 9/16 - NWEA testing, 10:30am

Wednesday, 9/23 - NWEA testing, 10:30am

Monday, 9/28 - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, 9/29 - Picture Day!

Wednesday, 9/30 - Book Projects Due. Mythology Wax Museum at 1:45pm (more details to come!)

And now, a word from the AAO Theater:

Calling all 5th-8th graders- AAO Panda Players Fall Show Auditions!

The AAO Panda Players are holding auditions for our fall show: Just Another High School* Play. Auditions will be held on September 15th in the AAO Auditorium from 3:30 pm until they are complete (between 4:30 and 5:00 pm). If you're interested in acting or technical theatre (the behind-the-scenes-stuff/running the show), please complete this form by September 13th @ 6pm. Information about rehearsals, show dates, and more can be found in the form. Parents and guardians should complete this form with their students. Thank you!

Theatrically yours,

Johnny & Kayleigh

Hello Parents and Families!

Mythology Book Projects - You’re invited!!

On Wednesday, September 30th, our Mythology Book Projects are due.  By that date, kids should read at least 20 myths and kept track of them on their reading logs.  Kids will also dress up as a mythology character and be on display at our Mythology Wax Museum!  Our Mythology Wax Museum will be on the Lower Playground at school on Wednesday, September 30th, 1:45-2:15pm.  If you can, come by and check it out!  If you can’t, don’t worry - we’ll have photos and videos to share.

PARENT INPUT and CONFERENCE SIGN UP  FORM

If you haven’t filled this out yet, here it is again!  Tell us about your kid!  Tell us if you want a conference!  Please fill out this parent input form.  Write as much or as little as you like.  We’ll read it all!  

Volunteers?  Helpers?  

• Room Parent - we’ve got our room parents for the year!  Thanks go out to Rebecca (Ebi’s mom) and Mel (Lena’s mom) for volunteering for this job.  (If you get an email from them, don’t worry.  It’s not stranger danger. They’re our room parents!)

• Chaperoning!  In order for you to join us on a trip, the district requires that you fill out this Volunteer Form.  If you’re hoping to join us anytime this year, please fill out the form early so we can make sure we’ve got our ducks in a row.  

• CAMP!  FUNDRAISING!!  We’re going to Camp Ohiyesa in May. (May 26-28, to be exact. More details to come!) We’ll need to raise money for this trip.  If you’re willing and able to run a fundraiser for us, please contact Ko.  If you just want to donate money, here’s a link. (THANK YOU to everyone who has donated!)

5/6 camp (https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/56-camp-2026--2027)

(and if you’re thinking of chaperoning camp, you can  fill out the Parent Volunteer form now!)

CONVERSATION STARTERS

If you’d like to know a little more about what’s been happening at school this week, try asking your child about some of these things: 

• Our first writing prompt of the year asked kids to tell the tale of an epic race around the world between a sloth and a snail. Ask your child to tell you a little about their story. 

• Tell your child how many continents you think there are in the world, then ask them why that might not be as clear cut as it seems. 

• We watched part of a documentary called How Did the States Get Their Shapes? this week. Ask your kid to tell you about the Toledo War, or to tell you about the town where the US/Canada border goes right through the middle of the local library. 

And THANK YOU!!

Last note…Thank you to our mysterious benefactor(s) who have been sending us books from Amazon.  We truly appreciate it!

And hey - did you also order a car washing water gun contraption?  It got delivered to us too.  If you did, let Ko know and I’ll send it home with your kid.  

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, 9/23 - NWEA testing, 10:15am

Monday, 9/28 - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, 9/29 - Picture Day - An order form was sent home earlier this week, but if you’d like to order online, here’s the info: https://shop.imagequix.com/895R49G School ID: 26AAOPEN27

Wednesday, 9/30 - Book Projects Due! Mythology Wax Museum at 1:45pm (details above!)