Class Notes

Hello Parents and Families!

CAMP FUNDRAISER

Our popcorn fundraiser for camp is still going until Monday.  Just download the app, set up your kid’s fundraising page, send the link to folks, and we get 50% of whatever they buy. Thanks go out to Wanda Brann (Sam’s aunt) for setting this up for us!

If you don’t feel like doing any fundraising and you just want to donate some money instead, that’s totally fine! You can donate here!

Speaking of donations…if you happen to have a spare roll of paper towel, we’d love to take it off your hands. (The brown school stuff doesn’t really do much.)  And, if you happen to have some spare boxes of tissue, we’d love those too!

Picture Retakes!

Picture retake day is on Tuesday, November 10th.  If your kid needs retakes, here’s the info.

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: 

• Election Day was this week, and the 7/8 classes organized a school-wide mock election on Monday. Ask your kid how the voting was organized in the auditorium, and what was on the school ballot. 

• We had a conversation this week about the “qualities of a good student,” and generated a list of things that we thought might apply. Everyone copied the list down into their journals and put a star next to the items they felt they were pretty good at, and checkmarks next to the items that they’d like to work on. Ask your kid what they starred and checked. (Ko and Jason did this too, so you can ask them what we think we need to work on too.)  

• We had a factor quiz in class today. We rarely do quiz-type things, so it’s good practice for when it becomes a more common aspect of school life. Ask your kid how they did, and ask them how they feel about taking quizzes in general. (Some kids love it, others are terrified.) 

Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, 11/10 - Picture Retakes

Wednesday, 11/25-Friday, 11/27 - NO SCHOOL

Monday, 11/30 - November Book Projects due 

Wednesday, 12/9  - NO SCHOOL 

Thursday, 12/17 - Showcase!  6:30-8pm.

12/21/26-1/1/27 - Winter Break!  NO SCHOOL!

Hello Parents and Families!

REMINDERS!!

TOMORROW is a half day!  We dismiss at 11:15am.

TOMORROW is the Costume Parade!  The Costume Parade is at 9:50am.  If your kid wants to wear their costume to school that day, that’s fine. (5th graders have Gym before the parade, though).   If they want to change into it before the parade, that’s fine too. If your kid doesn’t want to wear a costume at all, that’s also fine!  If you want to join us on the parade, meet us at the bus loop!

TOMORROW Book Projects are due!!

Looking ahead…NO SCHOOL TUESDAY.  Election Day!  Go vote!

November Book Project

Our Book Project for the month of November will be Realistic Fiction books.  On Monday, we’ll go to the library to check out books and make a plan for the month. 

AAO SHOWCASE

Each year, our school spends much of November and December participating in a school-wide learning event called “Showcase”.  (We told you a little about this last week.)

This year’s schoolwide theme will be Nature/Ecosystems.  Each class will interpret this theme in a different way, with some focusing more on literal interpretations while others might be more abstract.  

Our class will be focusing on Biomes.  If you’ve got some expertise in this area and you’re willing and able to come in and present something, please let us know.  

On Thursday, December 17th, 6:30-8pm, parents and families will be welcomed into our school to check out displays of what we’ve learned.  

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 class theme for Showcase is “Biomes,” but “Caves” was also a strong contender. Ask your kid about some of the things we learned about caves this week. 

• Our writing prompt this week was about Humpty Dumpty and his great fall! Ask your child what they wrote. 

• As mentioned above, we’ll be reading realistic fiction books for November’s book project. As part of that, we began a new read aloud. Ask your kid to tell you about Ghost by Jason Reynolds. 

Upcoming Dates

Friday, 10/30 - Half Day. Dismiss at 11:15.  Costume Parade at 9:50.  Book Projects Due!!

Tuesday, 11/3 - NO SCHOOL.  Election day!  Go vote!

Tuesday, 11/10 - Picture Retakes

Wednesday, 11/25-Friday, 11/27 - NO SCHOOL

Monday, 11/30 - November Book Projects due 

Wednesday, 12/9  - NO SCHOOL 

Thursday, 12/17 - Showcase!  6:30-8pm.

12/21/26-1/1/27 - Winter Break!  NO SCHOOL!

Hello Parents and Families!

AAO SHOWCASE

Each year, our school spends much of November and December participating in a school-wide learning event called “Showcase”.  The AAO Showcase offers students opportunities to pursue knowledge and skills in a multitude of ways (researching, note-taking, writing skills, cooperative learning, problem solving, and creativity).  Every year has a different theme - last year, our school-wide theme was “Change”, and our class focused on “How Music Changed Society”.  Tori’s class focused on “How Fads have Changed throughout the Years”.  The year before it was “How Things Work”, and we focused on “How the Human Body Works.”  Tom’s class focused on “How Languages Work.”  

This year’s schoolwide theme will be Nature/Ecosystems.  Each class will interpret this theme in a different way, with some focusing more on literal interpretations while others might be more abstract.  Our class will discuss and vote on our class theme over the next week. We’re in the brainstorming process. It’s always fun and engaging to see how this class project develops! 

On Thursday, December 17th, 6:30-8pm, parents and families will be welcomed into our school to check out displays of what we’ve learned.  

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: 

• Election season is upon us, so we’ve been talking about different aspects of the democratic process in the United States. Ask your kid to tell you what they’ve learned about gerrymandering, and how the way districts are created can change the outcomes of elections. (We are nonpartisan and had them use maps and math to steal elections for both political parties.) 

• We finished our mystery book read aloud this week. Ask your child what they thought about the book, and how it all wrapped up. 

• Our writing prompt this week was a free write, which means they could write about whatever they wanted. Those who really wanted a specific prompt were given some threatening fingers as an option to work from. Ask your kid what they wrote about this week. 

Upcoming Dates

Friday, 10/30 - Half Day. Dismiss at 11:15.  Costume Parade at 9:50.  Book Projects Due!!

Tuesday, 11/3 - NO SCHOOL.  Election day!  Go vote!

Tuesday, 11/10 - Picture Retakes

Wednesday, 11/25-Friday, 11/27 - NO SCHOOL

Monday, 11/30 - November Book Projects due (details to come in November!)

Thursday, 12/17 - Showcase!  6:30-8pm.

Hello Parents and Families!

Tardiness

It’s really difficult for us to get our day started when kids are consistently trickling in during the first 15-20 minutes of the day.  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.  If you find that your kid is often getting dropped off after 8:10, set that alarm for 10 minutes earlier!

Parking

Ann Arbor Open has over 50 staff members and only 38 designated staff parking spots. The parking lot on the Brooks st side of the school is specifically intended to be staff parking, which is also where the bus loop is. Many families drop their kids off on the Brooks side, but please keep this in mind: 

PLEASE don’t drop your kid off in the bus loop.  The buses are frequently impacted by parents pulling all the way through the bus loop. It has a much bigger impact than it might seem. 

PLEASE don’t park in the Brooks parking lot to drop off your kid, even if you’re just parking for a minute. Staff members frequently have to detour into the neighborhood in search of street parking because of families waiting in cars before school in the mornings. This usually gets much worse in the winter months, so we’re mentioning it now:  PLEASE don’t take up a staff parking spot in the mornings.  (You might think that it would go without saying that people definitely shouldn’t hang out in the handicap designated parking spots, but that has become an issue recently as well, which has impacted the staff members who depend on those accessible parking spots.) 

Halloween/Costume Parade 

Halloween Parade is Friday, October 30th.  It’ll be a half day of school (dismissal at 11:15am) and we’ll have a Costume Parade at 9:50am.  If your kid wants to wear their costume to school that day, that’s fine.  If they want to change into it before the parade, that’s fine too. If your kid doesn’t want to wear a costume at all, that’s also fine!  A reminder that Ann Arbor Open is a pre-K-8th grade school, so please help your child keep that in mind when planning the school version of their costume. Things that might seem edgy but reasonable for a 12 year old could be absolutely nightmarish to some of their six year old schoolmates. Please use discretion. 

Don’t tell me what to write, I can think for  myself!

Quick tech tip…have you noticed that your kid’s Google Docs will try to predict what their next word will be when they’re writing?  Want to try to force your kid to think for themselves?  Here’s how to turn off that predictive text!  

• Open a google doc.

• Go to  “Tools” in the toolbar.  

• Select “Preferences”.

• Unclick the box that says “Show Smart Compose Suggestions”.  

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’ve been talking a lot about the story structure of the hero’s journey. Ask your kid about the various stages of that type of story, and see how many you can think of that follow versions of that format. 

• We’ve been applying the hero’s journey format to the story of the Negatons & Posons this week. Ask your kid to tell you some of the ideas we came up with for stages of the hero’s journey. 

• We’re halfway through October, which is a good time to ask your child about their book project for the month. Are they making good progress and keeping up with their case file document? (They should know what this means, and they can explain it to you.) Are they enjoying their book? 

Upcoming Dates

Friday, 10/30 - HALF DAY, dismiss at 11:15. COSTUME PARADE at 9:50am.  Book Projects Due. 

November 2-9 - Upcoming fundraiser!  Sam’s aunt (Wanda) has set up a fundraiser for us - we’ll be selling Double Good’s award winning popcorn and getting 50% of all sales!  It’s super easy - you just send the link to folks to order.  More info to come! (And thanks, Wanda!!)

Hello Parents and Families!

REMINDER - No School tomorrow or Monday! 

October Book Project:  Mysteries

On Monday, we went to the library and picked out books for our October Book Project.  Please check with your child to make sure they’ve got a book.  We also made bookmarks on Monday to help plan out our reading for the month - check in with your kid to see what their plan is!

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: 

• Have your kids tell you the tale of the Negatons and Posons, and how their endless conflict relates to positive and negative numbers. 

• Our first journal prompt of the year was “Fear is a liar.” Ask your child what they thought it might mean, and what they wrote about in their journal. (What do you think it might mean?) 

• We began a new class read aloud as part of  our October book project. Ask your kid to tell you a little about The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel).

Upcoming Dates

Friday, 10/9-Monday, 10/12 - NO SCHOOL 

Friday, 10/30 - HALF DAY, dismiss at 11:15. COSTUME PARADE at 9:50am.  Book Projects Due. 

November 2-9 - Upcoming fundraiser!  Sam’s aunt (Wanda) has set up a fundraiser for us - we’ll be selling Double Good’s award winning popcorn and getting 50% of all sales!  It’s super easy - you just send the link to folks to order.  More info to come! (And thanks, Wanda!!)

Hello Parents and Families!

Our Mythology Wax Museum was AWESOME! Here are some (Due to privacy reasons, you’ll need to be signed in to an AAPS account to view the pictures and videos.  Ask your kid to sign in with their AAPS account.) pictures and videos.   

For the month of October, we’ll be reading Mystery Books.  Our substitute Librarian, Tracy Scherdt, will have books available for kids to choose from when we go to Library on Monday.  If your kid wants to get a jump start, feel free to help them pick out a mystery book from the public library or from the bookstore.  Just have them check it with us.  

On Friday, we’re walking to Kerrytown Concert House to see the Bridges Quintet perform jazz music.  Right now, the weather looks like it’ll cooperate with us - but please make sure your kid is dressed appropriately (with good walking shoes!).  

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: 

• As mentioned earlier, the Mythology Wax Museum was a big success. Ask your kid how it went for them. How did they feel about their costume? What other costumes stood out to them? How did all the students from the other classes at school react to it? Did they have fun? 

• Ask your child what went well, and what could have gone better in planning their mythological character costume. They had a full month to plan their project. Do they feel like they used the time well? How might they plan things more efficiently for the next project? 

• Our writing prompt was also mythologically inspired. Ask your kid to tell you about what they wrote for our Mythological Visitor writing prompt. 

Upcoming Dates

Friday, 10/9-Monday, 10/12 - NO SCHOOL 

Friday, 10/30 - HALF DAY, dismiss at 11:15. Book Projects Due.  

Hello Parents and Families!

Stormwater Solutions

On Tuesday, we were visited by Coert Ambrosino and Sarah Hill, our AAPS Environmental Ed Naturalists.  They led us through a series of activities and models to explore connections between precipitation events, stormwater management, and the local watershed.  Here are some (due to privacy, you’ll need to be signed into an AAPS account to view these.  Ask your kid to sign in!) pictures from their visit.  

The Environmental Ed folks are also offering an activity called “Bioblitz” on Monday, September 28, 2026 from 1-4 pm at the Freeman Environmental Education Center (3540 Dixboro Lane) for an afternoon of nature observation, appreciation, and documentation.  (That’s our NO SCHOOL day). The goal of the event is to survey the flora and fauna of the 40-acre campus of the Freeman EE Center and enter observations into iNaturalist. If you’re interested in this event, check out more information and register on the AAPS Environmental Ed website (scroll down to the third section that says “Join us for Bioblitz”).

Next week is a busy week!  Here’s what’s coming up:

Monday, 28th - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday - Picture Day and Swimming

Picture Day is Tuesday!   Our picture time is at 8:20am, so please make an extra effort to get your kid to school on time.  If you’d like to order online, here’s the info: https://shop.imagequix.com/895R49G School ID: 26AAOPEN27
Also, the pool is officially open for swimming, so 6th graders should have their swim bags. 

Wednesday - Mythology Wax Museum

On Wednesday, September 30th, our Mythology Book Projects are due.  By that date, kids should have 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.

Also, the pool is still officially open for swimming, so 5th graders should have their swim stuff too!

Thursday - a normal Thursday.

Friday - Field Trip to Kerrytown Concert House

Next 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. A permission slip for this trip was sent home on Monday.  Please make sure to sign and return the permission slip ASAP.  

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: 

• As mentioned earlier, we had presentations from the Environmental Education teachers this week. Ask your kid to tell you about the models they brought and what they demonstrated about how water moves through our community. 

• We’ve continued working with maps this week, as they are a great way to learn about the world. In fact, ask your kid to sing you the map song, and have them tell you about the map they filled in this week. 

• Ask your student who they’re dressing up as for our Mythology Wax Museum. More importantly, ask them what their actual plan for their costume is, and what progress they’ve made on it. (The costumes certainly don’t have to be elaborate, but should reflect some thought and effort.) 

Last reminder!  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.  If you don’t fill it out, that’s okay.  We’ll keep checking our emails all year!  

Upcoming Dates

Friday, 10/9-Monday, 10/12 - NO SCHOOL 

Friday, 10/30 - HALF DAY, dismiss at 11:15. Book Projects Due (Mystery books, if your kid wants a head start!).  

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!)

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!

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