Movie Night Volunteers Needed!

To help us fund our annual trip to Camp Storer, the PTO helps us organize a couple of Movie Nights during the school year.  We're hoping the first of these will be on Friday, October 9th.  In order for this to happen, WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Duties we'll need help with include:
     • Food Preparation (popcorn, pizza, baked goods, water, lemonade)
     • Admissions
     • Food Sales
     • Clean Up
We'll have a volunteer sign-up sheet at Curriculum Night.  Please consider helping out.

Week of September 28th

Tuesday September 29th is an important night!
5:30 p.m. Informational Camp Meeting
Please attend this meeting to find out more about what your child will experience on our trip to Storer Camp.  Thank you to those parents who have returned the camp donation form.  If you have not yet returned this form please consider doing so as soon as possible.  This will help us to plan for funding for our trip.
6:00 p.m. Curriculum Night
Classroom presentations will take place at 6:00 p.m. and 7:10 p.m.  Mr. Karr and Mr. Hilton will present at 6:40 p.m. in the multipurpose room.  It's good to find out how achievement at Mitchell School is growing and how our School Improvement Plan supports that growth.

Planner
Each morning your child fills out their planner with the learning that will take please that day.  In the evening, when your child brings their planner home please take a few minutes to see what your child has been learning and sign at the bottom of the column! Your child knows it is their responsibility to bring their planner to school each day.  Routine helps to make your child successful.  Is there a place they can put the planner when they get home?  When is a good time for them to talk to you about their planner?  Please help your child build a consistent routine around using a planner to stay organized.

The Human Body
We've been having a lot of fun finding out about how our bodies work!  Below are a few photos taken as we built physical models of how an arm moves.  The kids enjoyed the challenge and creativity this task involved.

Week of September 21st!

Fifth Grade Camp Informational Meeting
September 29th 5:30-6:00p.m.
 
Please plan on attending this important meeting about our annual trip to Camp Storer.  For convenience, we've scheduled this meeting for the half-hour before Curriculum Night begins.  We'll be discussing...
     • The benefits of camp
     • Payment options for families
     • Fundraising Events
     • Your support for this trip
     • Recruiting parent cabin leaders


Camp Health Forms 
In order for students to attend Camp Storer, they will need completed and signed health forms.  We will have all these forms available on September 29th, but if you would like to download them ahead of time, I have updated our camp information site with all the current forms.  Please note that additional forms are necessary for children with asthma, diabetes, or anaphylaxis.  There are also forms for any parents wishing to volunteer as cabin leaders, including a consent form to do a background check.


If you would like to volunteer to be a cabin leader please click here.

WE NEED DADS!
 
Google Accounts
This year we will be completing certain assignments using an online service called Google Classroom.  This requires students to have a Google account created under the AAPS domain.  Many students already have Ann Arbor Public Schools Google accounts from last year.  For those who do not, I will be sending home a form asking for your permission for the district to create one for them. Forms will also be available for your signature at Curriculum Night. 

Please Consider Volunteering for the Mitchell PTO!

Welcome and welcome back to Mitchell, the Coolest School on Earth! 

Please join us next Tuesday, Sept 22nd at 6pm in the Media Center at Mitchell.  This is a crucial meeting to form a new PTO Board and set the schedule for this year's activities and events.  It’s also a great way to hear from our Principals about the happenings at Mitchell.
As we gear up for a new school year, I’d like you all to take some time to talk to your kids about our activities outside of normal school hours.   What was their favorite activity?  Would you be willing to help in the planning and running of that event? We are beginning the 2015-16 school year with one board member and need your help.  We are currently in need of a Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Fundraising Chair, Member-at-large and additional volunteers for PTO events.
If you are unfamiliar, we sponsor activities such as: the school directory, book fairs, Fun Run, Talent Show, Ice Cream Social, Family Fun Night, teacher appreciation events, Fall Fest, Science Olympiad, spirit wear, and restaurant nights.  We do this to create family fun activities for our community as well as fundraise for field trips and extra curricular activities. 
Please consider joining the PTO board for the 2015-16 school year.  No Experience Required!  This is a great time to bring new ideas or expand on old ideas and help lead the Mitchell community.  Many functions do require planning ahead, others require a few hours a year. 

Remember, as a parent/guardian at Mitchell, you are already a member of the PTO.  You may notice early on, things will not be as they have in the past.  Please realize this is not an oversight…activities are volunteer dependent and we’ll need a strong group to make events happen.    

Please contact me at ptomitchell@gmail.com or come to a PTO meeting.  Our first meeting is scheduled for September 22^nd at 6pm in the Media Center at Mitchell.  In the meantime, I’m happy to email you or meet with you or call in the evenings.  As we do our best to raise the next generation of leaders, let’s do it by example! 

Thanks for reading and I hope to see many of you soon!

Stacie Jackson

Mitchell PTO President and 5th grade mom

Week of September 14th

Greetings Families,
What a great first week of school!  We spent lots of time getting to know one another and settling into the routines of our classroom.  This week we will plan for our Hopes and Dreams for 5th grade as well as create our classroom rules to help guide the work we will do together this year.

Planners
Hopefully you have had a chance to see your child's planner.  Planners will go home daily and should be signed by a parent or guardian before returning to school the next day.  This is a good way for you to know what your child is working on in the classroom. 

Home Study Period
Fifth grade students should engage in approximately 60 minutes of study at home each evening.  This time is used to complete the daily math home link, read, write, or practice math skills.  To find suggestions of online tools children might use during this time, please click here.

Curriculum Night
Curriculum Night takes place this year on September 29th.  This is an opportunity for you to learn more about the 5th grade curriculum, find out more about academics at Mitchell School, and meet the teachers and staff.  You will also sign up for your child's parent teacher conference.  Conference dates this year are October 14, October 19, and October 22.

Camp!
Fifth Graders at Mitchell School Storer Camps each Fall.  This is a two-night camping experience.  Please come to the Fifth Grade Parent Camp Information Meeting September 29th at 5:30. (That's just before Curriculum Night!) We'll be discussing...
     • The benefits of camp
     • Payment options for families
     • Fundraising Events
     • Your support for this trip
     • Recruiting parent cabin leaders
Our trip this year will be October 26 - 28.  For more information about Camp Storer, click on the link under Mitchell Community Blogs at the right hand side of the page.

Upcoming Dates to Remember
9/29 5:30-6:00 p.m. Fifth Grade Parent Camp Information Meeting 
9/29 6:00 p.m. Curriculum Night
10/7 Count Day
10/7-10/9 Scholastic Book Fair
10/9 Movie Night
  

Welcome Back!

It was good to see so many faces old and new at the Welcome Back picnic tonight!  I'm excited to begin our year in 5th grade and learn more about our classroom community.  If you were unable to come to the picnic tonight please feel free to stop by and say hello some time. 

Just a reminder that Mitchell has a new bell schedule this year.  School begins at 8:53 a.m. and ends at 3:59 p.m. 

As you get ready to begin the school year all necessary school supplies will be provided by the school and used as community materials.  If you would like to donate to our classroom please consider:
-kleenex
-hand sanitizer
-sanitizing wipes
-sandwich size resealable bags
-pencils

Looking forward to our year of learning together.  Please contact me with any questions! (734) 997-1216 or padgensa@aaps.k12.mi.us.