5th Grade MAC Program – Parent Meeting

The 5^th grade after school strings and band program is starting is starting in January! This program is in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance and offers free music lessons to our fifth grade students by trained musicians and graduate students.

 

We will host an informational meeting on Tuesday, December 5 at Mitchell School in the media center beginning at 6:00 PM. More information came home in back pack mail this week! 

Mitchell Free Food Distribution

All Mitchell and Scarlett families are welcome to pick up free food at Mitchell School on Saturday, December 2 at 9:30 AM.  If you have registered before, you will not need to register again.  If you have not previously registered, it is a short process.

 

This is available to all Mitchell and Scarlett families on the first Saturday of each month. Thank you to Community Action Network and Food Gatherers for their partnership in bringing this service to our community.

Mitchell PTO Meeting – All Are Welcome!

The Mitchell PTO will be meeting on Tuesday, November 28 at 6:00 PM in the school media center. All families are welcome and encouraged to attend! 

Happy Thanksgiving

At this time of Thanksgiving, I'd like to take a moment to express my gratitude for the students, families, teachers and others who make up our wonderful learning community. Mitchell School is truly a wonderful place. Our strengths of diversity, compassion and caring are evident each and every day. I hope this Thanksgiving break is wonderful for you and your family.

 

Best wishes,
Matt

Late After School Pick-Up

We are noticing some students are not being picked up on time from school. As a reminder, the bell rings at 3:59. It is not okay for students to be left unattended at school. Please plan to arrive in the school pick-up line by 3:59. We will do our very best to move the line of cars through the pick up line as quickly and safely as possible. Thank you for your help. 

Report Cards Sent Home – November 21

Student report cards will be sent home on Tuesday, November 21. This is an opportunity to talk with your child about their learning and celebrate growth. It's also an opportunity to set improvement goals with your child. If you have questions, please talk with your child's teacher. 

Visitor Procedures to Mitchell – Friendly Reminder…

Parents are welcome to visit Mitchell at any time but must stop at the office to sign in and wear a visitors pass while in the building. Anyone who arrives at the office and is not immediately recognized will be asked to show photo identification and will be cross checked against the emergency contact list provided by parents.

 

Thank you for your help in attending to this important safety procedure. 

Mitchell PTO Meeting – All Are Welcome!

The Mitchell PTO will be meeting on Tuesday, November 28 at 6:00 PM in the school media center. All families are welcome and encouraged to attend! 

Mitchell PTO Opportunity

Mitchell School PTO has a unique opportunity to make $1000 in 1 day by cooking and serving concessions at a U of M Men's basketball game on Dec. 2nd. We need 22 volunteers to make this happen! The money will go for 5th grade camp, free field trips, and so much more! 

Please contact Sarah Anton at spesav@gmail.com for further information or visit to sign up: 

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f4aafa729a3fa7-sodexo

For additional info:

https://goo.gl/forms/64KxsMx4rnCplXQz2

School Improvement Update - From Mr. Hilton

Dear Mitchell Families,

I am writing to share that the Mitchell school improvement plan has been updated for the 2017-18 school year. You can find it under the "Our School” tab of the school website or you can access it by using the link at the bottom of this communication.  

The plan is important because Mitchell School achievement data is not yet what we expect. As of fall 2017, we see patterns of achievement that are both encouraging and concerning:  

·       NWEA scores that, on average, show growth rates that represent more than one year of growth in a school year for all grades at Mitchell last year in reading and math;

·       Report card data that, on average, shows growth rates that represents more than one year of growth for all grades at Mitchell last year in the area of reading;

·       M-Step proficiency rates in reading and math that are lower than other schools in Ann Arbor but higher on average than other schools in Michigan;

·       NWEA scores and M-Step achievement rates that indicate certain groups of students predictably achieve less than other groups of students. These groups of students include African American students, Hispanic or Latino students, Special Education students, Economically Disadvantaged students and English Language Learners.

The school improvement plan is based on achievement information AND an analysis of our achievement data to understand which areas of teaching need to be focused upon most this year to best address student achievement needs.  

For the 2017-18 school year, we believe the following areas are most important to address to maximize student growth and proficiency:

·       IB Units of Inquiry:

o    Delivery of units that integrate state standards in science, social studies and literacy

·       Literacy Instruction Including:

o    Guided reading and writing instruction

o    Vocabulary instruction and development

o    Additional reading support for students who show need

·       Math Instruction Including:

o    Guided math instruction

o    Vocabulary instruction and development

o    Extended day and extended year support for students who show need

I’m also asking families to support student achievement at Mitchell by:

·       Reading at home each night for at least 15 minutes

·       Practicing math facts at home – addition, subtraction and multiplication, division as appropriate

·       Attending school events

·       Talking with your child’s teacher regularly

These at home supports will help your child to grow as a learner and achieve at high levels.

The Mitchell staff and I expect even better results to report by the end of this school year.  Our goal is to have all students learning at the expected grade level proficiency at Mitchell School. I hope you’ll feel free to ask questions about achievement and school improvement at Mitchell. I’d be happy to talk with you.

You can find the plan by clicking HERE.

Sincerely,

Matt

Late Morning Arrivals

We are noticing many students who are arriving late to school. As a reminder, the bell rings at 8:56. Please make sure children are dropped off for school on time. Late student arrivals cause disruptions to classrooms when kids and teachers have already begun their day of learning. Please do your very best to have your children to school on time.