This Week In the Ann Arbor Public Schools

October 10, 2011

This Week’s Good News

  • The 33rd delegation of Hikone students visited Ann Arbor from Friday, September 30 through Friday, October 7.  The delegation was led by chaperones Masafumi Ikeda of the City of Hikone's Planning Division and Hitomi Shikatani, an English teacher at Higashi Junior High School.
    The Japanese students attended school with middle school and high school students while in Ann Arbor.  Sixteen Ann Arbor students hosted the Hikone students in their homes.  In addition to attending school with the Ann Arbor students, the Hikone students visited The Henry Ford and participated in a number of activities with their host families.
    Below are the names of the Ann Arbor students who served as a host for a Hikone student:
    Jora Wayne, Huron High School; Kirby Winters, Ann Arbor Open; Kate Monnett, Clague Middle School; Christina Galia, Clague Middle School; Katy Stegemann, Clague Middle School; Lizzie Schmidt, Forsythe Middle School; Allison Young, Forsythe Middle School; Olivia Jane O'Neill, Scarlett Middle School; Sarah Lancaster, Slauson Middle School; Claire Hesseltine, Slauson Middle School; Britta Carlson, Slauson Middle School; Zoe Dorsey, Tappan Middle School; Jadal Williams, Tappan Middle School; Taimor Williams, Tappan Middle School; Jack Margolis, Tappan Middle School; and Miranda Reed Twiss, Tappan Middle School.
    Thank you to Larry Dishman and all of the staff, students and families who organized a wonderful experience for our Sister City guests.
  • Players from Pioneer’s Field Hockey team and Huron’s Varsity Football team were recognized by Helen Starman, Director of Development for Alpha House, the local shelter for homeless families, for volunteering to help at its annual fundraiser, “Gimme Shelter.”  Ms. Starman sent letters of appreciation to coaches Jane Nixon and Cory Gildersleeve for the hard working, polite and helpful athletes who assisted at the fundraiser.  They raised over $100,000 to directly fund Alpha house as well as programs for local children and families who are homeless.
  • Logan Occupational Therapist Connie Ehlke delivered a poster presentation for EMU's OT Program 70th Anniversary Celebration on Sat. Sept 23rd about her Wee Deliver In-School Mail Program at Logan School.  Wee Deliver was developed by the United States Postal Service in 1991 as a way to improve children's reading and writing skills in a meaningful and fun way. With the direction of Logan's Social Worker Angela Warr and teacher Heather Gray, Logan’s 4th and 5th grade students partner up with students from one of the self-contained classrooms as part of Logan's Peer-to-Peer program.  Students work together and take on the roles of postal workers to collect, sort, cancel and deliver mail written by students and staff to classrooms around the school.  They also write letters and address envelopes.    Some teachers use the program as part of their writing units.
  • This past Friday, October 7th, the Logan community participated in the annual "Walk to School Day!"  Additionally, the school was awarded a Certificate of Participation signed by Governor Rick Snyder.  The Logan staff also wishes to thank our Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Amanda Naugle, Washtenaw County Public Health and Chris Berry, AAPS Grants Coordinator!

Patricia P. Green, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Ann Arbor Public Schools