Weekly Updates from Mr. Wright: November 2020

Monday, November 30, 2020

Dear Logan Families,

Welcome back! I hope you had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. This weekly update is a little shorter, but still includes some updates/information from around AAPS. I’ve included information about:

Student and Family Help Desk – Live hours
Fall Free Youth Programming from Rec & Ed
Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience
Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Will Wright

Student and Family Help Desk – Live Hours

Starting on Monday, November 30th, the Student & Family Help Desk will move to new live service hours of 7:30AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. AAPS Parent Help Desk, 734-997-1222. Ayuda en Español: 734-997-1246

Fall Free Youth Programming from Rec & Ed

Ann Arbor Rec & Ed staff are excited to announce a new line-up of FREE online and in-person classes for AAPS preschool - 8th graders. Our goal is to provide a variety of fun, physically active experiences with opportunities to see classmates safely in person. A complete listing of programs will be available at https://www.aarecedonline.com/freeyouthclasses And we also have some new fee-based programs, including a "Scavenger Hunt/Ecology Walk" -- see all that's available here: https://www.aarecedonline.com/youth-enrichment-classes.

Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience

With funding provided by the Miles Jeffrey Roberts Foundation, and with support from the Washtenaw ISD and Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, the AAPS is providing all families with the opportunity to view Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience. For more information, please see the district’s website, or CLICK HERE to register for on-demand access to the documentary. Due to the content of the documentary, it is intended for students in grades 6-12. You may also register to view the original Screenagers documentary which may be more suited for younger children (e.g. 4th/5th grade).

AAPS invites you to attend a Facebook Live event on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, at 7:00 PM. This event will feature mental health professionals and educators from across the county speak to the documentary and the local supports and resources for students and families. Complete details about this event will be shared when we return from winter break, but mark your calendar now!

I want to remind you that the contact information for the members of our school's student support team is listed on our school webpage. If your student or family is ever in need of immediate and urgent support, here are two resources: Washtenaw County Community Mental Health - Crisis Line: 734-544-3050 and Ozone House - Crisis Line: 734-662-2222.

Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

Monday, November 23, 2020

Dear Logan Families,

On behalf of the entire Logan staff, we wish a very happy Thanksgiving to all of our Logan families. We hope that you take some time to shut down, step away from your screens, relax, and enjoy some family-time! We are thankful for the opportunity to spend our days with your children and to work alongside your family. Enjoy the holiday!

In this Weekly Update, I’ve included information about:

Food Distribution
Connecting Together: An AAPS Parent/Guardian Support Group in Arabic, Korean, Chinese and Japanese
Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience
AADL Offers Bookable Meeting Rooms on Zoom
Technology Support
Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Will Wright

Food Distribution

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.

Connecting Together: An AAPS Parent/Guardian Support Group in Arabic, Korean, Chinese and Japanese

Drop-in support groups for parents and guardians of student's in AAPS, 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.

Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience

AADL Offers Bookable Meeting Rooms on Zoom

Connect with family and friends for free with Bookable Zoom Rooms! 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.

Technology Support

Live technical support is available, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the AAPS Parent Help Desk, 734-997-1222 (Ayuda en Español: 734-997-1246). You can also email family_techsupport@aaps.k12.mi.us. Families who need access to better Wifi can complete the Student Mobile Device Hotspot Form

Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

Monday, November 16, 2020

Dear Logan Families,

I wish I remember who suggested it, but in honor of the child who thought we should have robots (actual robots!) as part of online learning, we’re going to have Robot Day this Friday! Encourage your kids to interpret the day any way they’d like. They can dress as a robot, they can use Legos or other toys to build a robot, they can read about robots, etc. If they have an actual robot, they can even bring it to class to show their friends! Have fun with it!

In this Weekly Update, I’ve included information about:

Closing Circle Time Change
Logan Directory
Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience
AAPS Securly Parent Portal Opt-In Service
Thanksgiving Reminder
Technology Support
Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Will Wright

Closing Circle Time Change

Beginning after Thanksgiving break, our teachers will be adjusting the closing circle time to occur earlier in the day. Closing Circle is a valued practice that we want every student to experience. Over the last several months, parents across AAPS provided feedback suggesting that holding closing circle late in the day presented challenges for their families and decreasing attendance rates. We are doing our best to be responsive to the needs of AAPS families and are therefore, moving closing circle to an earlier time. Rest assured that this does not mean the school day ends early. Our day will continue to end at 3:13pm. After closing circle each day, students will participate in asynchronous learning activities. They will also have small group and one-on-session sessions with teachers and support staff during the afternoon time. Finally, our classroom teachers will remain available to support students should they need help. This shift simply means that there will not be any whole-group activities after closing circle. Your child’s teacher will share the specific schedule adjustment with you over the next week. Service providers will also be in contact with families with any adjustments to those schedules.

Logan Directory

Logan’s Student Directory is almost complete! This directory will contain student names and parent contact information for all Logan students, except those who opted out of the directory on their enrollment registration form. Directories will be sent to families via School Messenger and will be accessed via PDF. Directories will be shared with families on Monday, November 23, 2020. If you are unsure if your family will be included in the directory or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Logan’s Office Professional, Christy Landefeld at landefeldc@aaps.k12.mi.us .

Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience

AAPS Securly Parent Portal Opt-In Service

AAPS utilizes a cloud-based web filter called Securly to keep students safe on their school-issued devices. To help parents monitor their child’s online activity, AAPS has enabled the free Securly Home app for parents/guardians. This app allows web-based filtering and parental controls on school-issued devices at home. Parents may set rules to allow or disallow certain websites, pause the internet connection to the device as desired, and receive weekly usage reports.

To OPT-IN to the Securly Parent Portal service, parents/guardians need to follow the steps as highlighted below:

STEP 1: Read about the AAPS Securly Parent Portal Fall 2020 Pilot opportunity available to all families within the district.
STEP 2: Sign-up on the Securly Parent Portal Opt-In Pilot Form.
STEP 3: Look for an email from Securly when your account is ready to go (it can take up to 48 hours).
STEP 4: Download the Securly Home App from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android).
STEP 5: Navigate the App to explore different views into your child’s online safety and check out the AAPS Securly Parent Portal FAQs.

If parents/guardians have any questions, they can reach out to the Student & Family Help Desk at 734-997-1222.

Thanksgiving Reminder

NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, 11/25 (nor 11/26 & 11/27) as the Thanksgiving break begins for students and staff.

Technology Support

Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

Monday, November 9, 2020

Dear Logan Families,

I can’t tell you how happy it made me to see so many Logan families taking books home at our distribution day. We weren’t certain if families would make use of the book giveaway, but you certainly did! We probably gave away several hundred books! Given the success of the event, we’ll try to schedule a few more of these while school remains online.

I am also pleased to share that Logan now has a Little Free Library. Last year, two of our Logan Leopards helped me build it. We finished the library last winter and had plans to install it last spring. However, the school closures delayed these plans. Logan’s team has been talking about ways to get actual books into the hands of kids, and I thought that getting this library installed would be another great way to increase access to books in our community. So last week, I installed the library and stocked it with books and Clorox wipes (for wiping down books). I can see that people are already making use of it. Feel free to take a book or leave a book anytime. We hope that everyone in our community will be able to make use of this resource.

In this Weekly Update, I’ve included information about:

Logan Distribution Day Follow Up
Report Card Update
Winter Coat Drive
Parent Workshop Series
Thanksgiving Reminder
Technology Support
Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Will Wright

Logan Distribution Day Follow Up

We had a great turnout for our distribution day. Nearly everyone in our community was able to be there to get their supplies. We understand that a few families had conflicts. Mrs. Landefeld and Mrs. Oudeif will be reaching out to anyone who missed the distribution to schedule a time to pick up your materials. We will have staff in the building on Tuesday morning and on Wednesday morning from 9:00am until 12:00pm. If you missed the distribution and you are available either of these days, please stop by to pick up your child’s materials.

Report cards - New distribution date

AAPS has delayed distribution of first term report cards for elementary schools. Report cards will now be sent home on Thursday, December 17.

Winter Coat Drive

The attached flyer contains information about a community-based organization that is providing coats to anyone in need. Feel free to connect with them if anyone in your family needs a winter coat.

Thanksgiving Reminder

NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, 11/25 (nor 11/26 & 11/27) as the Thanksgiving break begins for students and staff.

Parent Help Workshop Series

AAPS is hosting a series of parent workshops. Below is list of upcoming offerings. Please use this calendar of upcoming parent support groups to see a complete schedule of workshops. The Connecting Together Groups will be in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean.

Supporting your child’s Elementary Math education - Parent Webinar (11/9 and rebroadcast 11/13)

Hosts: Charlene Mangi, Anthony Stamm, Edward Broom, Ann Marie Nicoll Turner

Do you want to understand more about your Elementary child’s math education? Do you struggle to help your child with their math work? Join us for a one-hour webinar that will provide you with an introduction to Elementary math instruction at AAPS, and resources and suggestions for supporting your child’s learning! Join us Friday 11/13 at 1:30PM. Register here!

Connecting Together: An AAPS Parent/Guardian Support Group

Twice-a-month Drop in support groups for parents and guardians of student's in AAPS. Groups meet on the 2nd Tuesday (7:30-8:30PM) and 4th Thursday (1-2PM) of the month.Connect with other parents to find support and get ideas about how to face the challenges of 2020. Please register here. 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.

Spanish speaking groups upcoming on 11/12 and 11/17:

Conectando juntos: un grupo de apoyo para padres / tutores de AAPS, en español

Únase a nosotros para un grupo de apoyo sin cita previa para padres y tutores de estudiantes en AAPS que hablan principalmente español. Conéctese con otros padres para encontrar apoyo y obtener ideas sobre cómo enfrentar los desafíos de 2020. Únase a nosotros en grupos el 12 de noviembre (1:30 PM), 17 de noviembre (7:30 PM). ¡Registrarse aquí! El año pasado, los padres que participaron en un grupo de apoyo para padres de AAPS informaron constantemente que lo encontraron útil y apreciaron escuchar y conectarse con otros padres que atraviesan dificultades similares.

Help! Who's this Pre-Teen/Teenager in My House?

Parents will learn ways to build and strengthen their relationships with their pre-teen/teen(s) as well as understand ways to navigate those difficult moments when your teen’s view on life totally contradicts all that you have instilled in them. The pre-teen/teen parent group will run the third Wednesday of each month from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., beginning November 18, 2020 through April 21, 2021. Parents can join the group via Zoom by going to: https://a2schools.zoom.us/my/haroldwimberly and using Passcode: 072866.

Technology Support

Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

Monday, November 2, 2020

Dear Logan Families,

It is Election Day tomorrow. If you haven’t already voted, I encourage you to let your voices be heard by casting your ballot. We know that for some, this election season has added an additional layer of anxiety. At Logan, we are prepared to support students regardless of the outcome. We will follow current events and engage students in learning opportunities to help them better understand their world. We also recognize that the outcome of the election may not be immediately known and this uncertainty can be unsettling for children. It is our goal to support students and to offer comfort and reassurance to those who are struggling. We are only a phone call or email away for any child who may need to need to connect with a teacher or staff member. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

In this Weekly Update, I’ve included information about:

Election Day Reminder
Logan Distribution Day
Book Donations and Distributions
Tutoring Supports for Students
Technology Support
Helpful Links on the AAPS Website

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Will Wright

No School Tuesday – Election Day

No school for students or staff on Tuesday. Go Vote!

Logan Distribution Day – Part 2

We will have another distribution day on Thursday, November 5, 3:00pm – 6:00pm. The purpose of this one is to distribute art supplies, music supplies, and few other important curriculum materials. All Logan families should plan on attending. Here are the details:

Who: All Logan Families including A2Virtual Families. If you can’t make it during our distribution time, please reach out to a friend or family member to see if they are available to pick up supplies for your child(ren). We will be keeping track of all families who pick up supplies and reaching out to any family who does not get supplies during the distribution so we can find a way to get these important materials to your family ASAP. We ask that you do everything you can to pick up these materials, and we thank you in advance for your support with this distribution.

What: For this Distribution Day, we are distributing a number of items including:
- Materials necessary for art class (See list of supplies here)
- Recorders for fourth graders
- Musical instruments for fifth graders
- Miscellaneous curriculum materials (Each grade level may have a select set of items to pick up)
- Books! (see below)
When: Thursday, November 5, 3:00pm – 6:00pm. You can come anytime during this window.
Where: Logan Elementary
How: Distribution will be done in a drive-through format (just like the previous distribution at Logan). Please enter the main Logan entrance. Use only the right-hand lane and stay in your car. We ask everyone to wear masks during the distribution. Please write your child’s name, teacher, and grade on a piece of paper in large, dark letters and place the paper on the dashboard on the passenger side of your vehicle so it is visible through the front window. If you are picking up supplies for multiple children, please write each of their names on the paper. If you are an A2Virtual student, please write A2V as well. When you pull up to the front door, our volunteers will check you off our list, gather the appropriate materials for your child(ren) and place them in your car for you.

Book Donations and Distribution

In addition to distributing the above materials next week, we would like to have a collection of books available for Logan families as well. To make this happen, we are asking families to donate used children’s books this week. There will be a box near the front door at Logan to drop donations. Our team will use disinfecting wipes on each donated book. On our distribution day (weather permitting), we will have tables set up displaying all donated books in our parking lot. After picking up supplies, families can park and browse through the books to select some to bring home for their kids. Masks will be required and all families are expected to follow social distancing guidelines. Our hope is to make this book distribution a regular event at Logan. When you’re done with the books you select, you can re-donate them to let another student enjoy them. In this way, we’ll be able to give student’s access to print books along with the digital resources that are already available from AAPS. Of course, we encourage all families to make use of the public library as well.

Tutoring Supports for Students

Are your children in need of extra support with their work? Please see this list of tutoring supports for students.

Technology Support

Helpful Links on the AAPS Website