Fall 2014 Parent Teacher Conferences

The dates for fall parent-teacher conferences are October 15, October 20, and October 23. If you were unable to attend curriculum night, please call your child's teacher to schedule a parent-teacher conference. It's an important moment for teachers and parents to communicate around academic, social, and emotional growth. 

The Excellence of Mitchell School

Thank you to everyone who came to curriculum night this past week.  It was wonderful to see so many families.

After reflecting on my "State of the School" presentation, I wanted to take a moment to share my succinct thoughts on the Excellence of Mitchell School.  

The excellence of the educational experience at Mitchell lies in the growth that occurs for students while attending Mitchell.  We know - for several valid reasons - that not all students achieve on the MEAP test at Mitchell.  However, it is also true that the work teachers and families do together have been shown to be effective at helping students grow academically (and socially).  This growth trend is true for all students at Mitchell - those who are achieving "below" grade level targets as well as those who are "above."

So, in a nutshell, while Mitchell does not look as strong as some other schools relative to MEAP scores, it is also true that other schools do not look as strong as Mitchell relative to the growth that occurs for students during a given school year.

Mitchell PTO Meeting - Tuesday, September 16 @ 6 PM

What to check out the PTO? - Join us for our first meeting on Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 - We will meet in the Media Center at 6PM. Come find out what we have planned and how you might be able to help!

Movie Night - Friday, September 12 @ 6 PM - Family Event - Students Come With Parents :-)

Join us Friday, Sept. 12, for a great community event- our first Movie Night of the year! We will try to enjoy the movie outside(weather and light permitting), otherwise it will be in the cafeteria - Doors open at 6pm, and the movie will start at 6:30. There will be concessions for sale. Be sure to bring your blankets and pillows. You can also bring a lawn chair if you don't want to sit on the floor with the kids.

School Beautification Help - Thank You!

The Mitchell PTO and the Mitchell School staff would like to thank the following families that gave up part of their Labor Day to help pull weeds, spread mulch, trim, haul stuff, and make Mitchell Elementary gardens beautiful:

The Payne family- Christine, Craig, Katelyn, Kevin and Cameron

The Engholm family – Jason(provided the tools), Tara, Claire and Maya

Sharon and Anna Tuinukuafe

Laura and Eli Weber and their son Brandon

Jessica and Patrick Murphy and their sons Finn and Conor

Ellen Patnaude and Dani Leach, and their children, Sam, Joe and Chloe

Lunch Payments

Dear Parents,

You have two options when paying for hot lunch here at school. You may pay by credit or debit card online at www.mypaymentsplus.com or you can send cash or a check to school with your student. Please make checks payable to Ann Arbor Public Schools Food Service. If you have additional questions please contact the Ann Arbor Schools Food Service at (734) 994-2265.

Academic Games Beginning for 4th/5th grade - Mondays/Wednesdays 7:30 PM - Begining 9/15

Join Mitchell Elementary’s First Academic Games Team!

WHAT is Academic Games (AG)? Academic Games is a fun way to learn through playing games in several different subject areas. Students use math, language, etc. creatively to outsmart their opponents.

We have practices in the evenings twice per week from September to May, and will compete against other schools in our region at tournaments once per month on Saturday mornings from September through February. For students who qualify, there is a State tournament in early March.

Students will need to demonstrate emotional maturity and attend at least 3 regional tournaments to qualify for the State tournament.

The games we will play this year are Equations, Propaganda (recognizing techniques of persuasion), and Presidents (American history).

Depending on time and student interest, we may also learn On-Sets (set theory), On-Words (points are earned by building Scrabble-like networks of words), Linguishtik (grammar), and/or WFF ’n Proof (logic).

WHO is eligible to join? All 4th and 5th graders! Parents are also welcome (and encouraged) to attend practices and help out.

WHEN are the practices? Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 PM SHARP to 8:30 PM. The first practice is on Monday, September 15, 2014. We will NOT meet during school holidays or on evenings of major school functions (such as Curriculum Night).

WHERE are the practices? Mitchell Elementary ROOM 7.

WHAT do we bring to practice? At the first practice, students will receive a 3-ring binder with 5 tabbed dividers—that binder should be brought to all practices. Paper and pencils will be provided.

Donations of reams of 3-hole punched white multipurpose paper, 3-hole punched lined paper, and pencils are appreciated throughout the year.

Please DON’T bring spiral notebooks, some students find it irresistible to rip off the bits along the edges of the paper, leaving a mess. Drinks and snacks (not messy please!) are OK.

WHY join Academic Games?

• AG is a fun and effective way to learn math, history, and critical thinking!
• Ann Arbor Public Schools has strong AG teams through 12^th grade, so AG is an extracurricular activity that students can build on through high school. Currently, there are teams at Ann Arbor Open/Angell, King, Tappan, and Clague; and the high schoolers from all the different high schools are on the Ann Arbor High School team. A Scarlett team is in the works, as is a Greenhills team!
• Going to the tournaments helps students become accustomed to handling the pressure of competition, and develops sportsmanship and teamwork.

HOW MUCH does it cost? Practices and Saturday tournaments are free. The State tournament will be approximately $350 (need-based scholarships are available—we want every student who qualifies to be able to go if they wish).

HOW do we sign up? Come to the first practice and fill out a registration form!

For more information, contact Vivian Lin, vhl@umich.edu, 734-741-1984 (home), 734-834-4367 (cell).