Turn In Think Stretch!

Students should bring your Think Stretch books on the first day of school to their teacher.  The books will be examined and students will receive a medal depending on how much of the work they've completed:  Bronze: 50-74%, Silver: 75- 95%, Gold: 96 - 100%.

Turn In Green Cards On Tuesday -- First Day Of School

Please return the green emergency cards and other forms that came home in the welcome back packet. It is important that we have this information so we know who to communicate with in case of an emergency.

Welcome Back Picnic Tonight!

Dear Mitchell Families,

Tonight is the Welcome Back Picnic at Mitchell!

You will:

• Find out your child(ren)'s teacher(s)
• Update your emergency contact information for Power School

Your child will:

• Turn in their Think Stretch summer learning workbook

Everyone will:

• Eat
• Have fun
• Reconnect

See you tonight from 6 - 8 PM at Mitchell.

Sincerely,

Kevin Karr and Matt Hilton

Welcome Back Picnic and Free/Reduced Lunch Apps

Hello Mitchell Families,
Many of you have received my welcome back letter in the mail. If you have not, it will likely come tomorrow.  Either way, we are looking forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday, August 27 at 6 PM for the Welcome Back Picnic!  Click here for more information about the picnic.
If you've already received my letter, you might notice the application for free or reduced price lunches was not in the envelope as described in the letter.  We thought we'd have the applications for the mailing, but we did not.
Instead, we'll have the applications at the picnic.  In addition if you would like the application earlier, you can download and print it.  Click here to download a copy of the free and reduced lunch application.
If you have questions, please email me back or call the school office at 997-1216.
Sincerely,
Kevin Karr

Welcome Back Picnic - Wednesday, August 27 @ 6 PM

We hope all families will come to Mitchell on Wednesday, August 27  from 6 – 8 PM to receive their teacher assignment for the school year. 

In addition, we have organized a pot luck dinner and ask you to participate. All families are welcome to attend.  The PTO will provide hot dogs and paper products.  Please bring a dish to share as follows, but it is not mandatory to stick to your assigned category.

·     Kindergarten Families – Salad

·     First Grade Families – Appetizer

·     2^nd Grade Families – Vegetable side dish

·     3^rd Grade Famlies – Fruit

·     4^th Grade Families – Chips/Pretzels, etc

·     5^th Grade Families – Dessert

 Please bring a blanket or chairs to enjoy the picnic outside (weather permitting).

Let's Make Mitchell Beautiful - Monday, September 1 at 10AM - Come and help

Dear Mitchell Families:

 

 

Let's make Mitchell beautiful!

 

The beautification committee, led by Christine Payne, needs some help Monday, September 1^st 10am - noon!    

 

Starting at 10am we will be "touching up" the landscape of the entrances at Mitchell.  We'll be trimming bushes, laying mulch and weeding flower beds.  With a few great volunteers, it should only take a few hours.  To help us plan for enough snacks and drinks, please email us at ptomitchell@gmail.com to let us know you can make it. 

 

Don't have a green thumb?  Don't worry, Christine has been taking care of the beds for years and knows what's what.  We just need some help getting our great school back into great shape!

 

Volunteering with the PTO is a great way to get involved and meet families.  It's also a great way to get in community service hours!

 

Please bring gloves, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows etc

 

Thank you!

Your Mitchell PTO

Some Exciting Achievement News For Mitchell School

Dear Mitchell Staff, School Improvement Team, PTO, and Parents,

Over the last two years Mitchell has been labeled as a "Focus" school by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).  

In case you don't remember, Focus Schools consist of the ten percent of schools on the Michigan Top-to-Bottom school rankings list with the largest achievement gaps between its top 30 percent of students and its bottom 30 percent, based on average MEAP test scores…in a nutshell.  This is an important indicator because it is indicative of the achievement gap a school is experiencing…..and reducing this gap is the mark of many effective teaching practices and is a clear requirement of the flexibility waiver MDE has received around meeting the requirements of No Child Left Behind.

THE EXCITING NEWS:  Based on the growth scores Mitchell students have shown on the MEAP test, Mitchell School has been removed from the Focus School list for the upcoming school year!  We are no longer one of the schools showing the largest gap. 

This is an important step in our school improvement journey at Mitchell, and it is indicative of the hard work students, teachers and parents have been doing to improve student achievement using the goals outlined in our school improvement plan.  A chart showing the current status of schools is linked here: http://media.mlive.com/annarbornews_impact/photo/081314-scorecard-aapsjpg-ff4318841fab0e95.jpg 

Not being labeled a Focus School, along with the growth we've seen in cohorts of students moving through Mitchell, are two leading indicators of the improvement being seen at Mtichell School.  

That being said, we certainly recognize there is work still to be done.  Our plans moving forward include continuing to implement the set of research based teaching strategies we've outlined in our school improvement plan as well as beginning to implement these same strategies as part of the inquiry based teaching model associated with our three-year transition to becoming an International Baccalaureate World School.

 

The full mlive.com article connected with the chart I linked above is here:

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/08/ann_arbor_area_school_report_c.html#incart_m-rpt-2

One question I anticipate is connected to the top to bottom ranking for Mitchell School this year as I'm noticing a lower score in this ranking.  I am investigating this and will share more later about the formula used to arrive at that number and how the formula was similar or different from the formula used in other years.

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Kevin

Mitchell Family Literacy Fund - GOAL Achieved!

On October 18, 2013, Mitchell School announced the Mitchell School Literacy Fund initiative as a way to support of achievement at Mitchell and the literacy goals in the Mitchell School Improvement Plan.  Our goal was to raise $50,000 in order to create a permanent endowment to provide free books and family literacy events.  

Today I am so happy to share that our initial goal for the Mitchell Family Literacy Fund has been achieved . . . $50,000+!  We'll use the earnings from the endowment to fund book purchases for students to read during the summer months or when they are away from school.

It is with great pleasure I thank the following friends of Mitchell School for their support and donations:

• Akers Foundation
• Suzan Asbahi
• Shirley Axon
• Deana Barch
• Gary and Shelley Bruder
• Daniel Byk
• James and Edna Mae Caris
• Dan Chapman
• Carol Charles
• Columbia Asset Management, LLC
• Marie T. Craven
• Nell Duke
• Mary Anne Drew
• Donald P. Eckber
• Rich Ferdman
• Kevin Flattery
• Gerson Geltner
• Wendell W. Heers
• Norman G. Herbert
• Kevin and Stephanie Karr
• Jean Karr
• Randall Karr
• Blair Kohan
• Roberta Knox
• Brad Levin
• Jay J. Levin
• Keith and Lindsay Lieberthal
• Literacy, Language and Learning Institute
• Jewish Community Foundation - Elana Spitzberg Family Foundation
• David and Louise Lutton
• Mitchell School PTO
• Arnold Moore
• Rishi Moudgil
• Robin E. McGregor
• Teresa McMahon
• Sandra and Ken Michalik
• Charles Newman
• Jan Barney Newman
• Amy Schlecht Pachera
• William Phillips
• Henry Pollack
• Gui and Cecelia Ponce de Leon
• Anne Reader
• Catherine H. Reischl
• Michael and Kathy Sanders
• Manfred Schmidt
• Schwab Charitable Fund - Gardner-Pokempner
• Christine M. Stead
• Douglas L. Strong
• Jeffry Weisman

Sincerely,

Kevin Karr

Mitchell Bookmobile to Visit Arbor Meadows - Thursday, August 14, 5:30 - 6:30 PM

The Mitchell Bookmobile will visit Arbor Meadows this Thursday, August 14 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM.  They will be parked close to the pool.  

Get a book - or exchange a book!  Hope to see you there!

Things to remember:

We all know how important it is for students to read and learn during the summer. At Mitchell we do several things to encourage this:

- Summer school programming for students in all elementary grades is a part of our school and district improvement plans.

- Summer school programming for students who are learning English is available as a part of our partnership with the University of Michigan School of Education.

- The Mitchell PTO purchases Think Stretch workbooks for students to complete during the summer and return at the Welcome Back Picnic on August 27.

- All students receive free books throughout the year to enjoy and keep.

We do all of this because we want Mitchell School students to learn as much as possible, and we want Mitchell School to be the best school it can be.

Mitchell Bookmobile Visits School - August 7

The scene last night at Mitchell as kids came to get and exchange books for summer reading!

Upcoming Bookmobile Visits:
- Arbor Meadows Clubhouse - week of August 10, specific day to be announced soon
- Mitchell Welcome Back Picnic - August 27, 6 PM