Author Archives: AAPS News Editor

Local business professionals mentor AAPS principals

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At the March 22 session of the mentorship program, which took place at Menlo Innovations, Pattengill Principal Che Carter and Denise Murray from Briarwood Mall listen to Bryant Principal Roberta Heyward. Photo provided by Annette Ferguson.

By Tara Cavanaugh

Principals in the Ann Arbor Public Schools are partnering with local business professionals in the Principal and Business Mentor Program.

The goal of the program is to help principals learn new skills in customer service, while at the same time helping the business professionals have a greater understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the public schools. Continue reading →

Tech Bond community meeting April 16 to address questions, concerns

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Superintendent Dr. Patricia Green shares the district's educational goals and how they relate to the 2012 Technology Bond at the Feb. 29 kickoff at Huron High School.

Have questions about the upcoming Tech Bond vote on May 8? District administrators will present information about the millage Monday, April 16 at Pioneer High School in the cafeteria annex at 6:30 p.m. Continue reading →

Beyond biology: ‘Project Bluebird’ provides lessons in conservation, carpentry

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Ann Arbor bird expert Dea Armstrong checks out a nest with a Skyline student.

By Tara Cavanaugh

On an unseasonably warm day last month, as the sun beamed from a cloudless sky, eight Skyline students trekked to the ponds outside their school. Their goal was to see if their bluebird houses had attracted any inhabitants yet. Lucky for them, one house was occupied. Continue reading →

Logan Elementary donates over 5,000 books to the Philippines, gets special thanks from Mayor John Hieftje

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After Mayor John Hieftje applauded the winners, Logan Elementary Principal Terra Webster made him an "honorary Logan Leopard," giving him a bookbag printed with the school's logo.

By Tara Cavanaugh

Over the course of just three weeks this month, Logan Elementary students gathered 5,297 books to be donated to an orphanage in the Philippines.

Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje visited the school to congratulate the students, especially the classrooms that collected the most books. Continue reading →

Bagel sale donates $1,000 to Carpenter Reads

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After unfurling the banner, the students lined up and gave piles of cash to the parents who run Carpenter Reads.

Carpenter Reads is a PTO-sponsored program that gives away 3 books to each Carpenter student every year. Today, it got a donation from an unusual source: the weekly bagel sale, held in Marilyn Freeman’s fourth grade class.

The students gave the money, in the form of cold, hard cash, to the parents who run Carpenter Reads at an assembly today. Continue reading →

Photos: AAPS celebrates March Reading Month

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Children's author and illustrator Patricia Polacco shared the stories behind her books at Burns Park Elementary March 28.

Swinging hula dancers, a reading dog, and live storytelling from world-famous authors: our schools sure know how to make March Reading Month interesting.

But even though the month was filled with fun activities, there was plenty of good old-fashioned reading time too.

The AAPS News captured just a sliver of all the great Reading Month events. Check out the slideshow below to view the visits from author/illustrator Patricia Polacco, Colby the reading service dog, a 5,300 book donation to an orphanage across the globe, and a luau that happened the same day as the tornado. Continue reading →

Patricia Polacco shares stories from her childhood

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Patricia Polacco, author and illustrator of "Pink and Say," "My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother" and dozens more children's books, listens to a Burns Park student before he makes a wish on her family's magic wishing rock, which she holds in her hand.

By Tara Cavanaugh

It should be no surprise that world-famous children’s author and illustrator Patricia Polacco comes from a long line of storytellers.

The author and artist, who visited Burns Park Elementary today to celebrate Reading Month, shared with students stories inspired by her childhood and her family. Continue reading →

Dr. Green reads to kindergarten class, celebrates Reading Month

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Northside Elementary kindergarteners bid goodbye to Dr. Green and to Little Mole, the finger puppet.

A Northside Elementary class celebrated March Reading Month with a special guest today: Dr. Patricia Green, AAPS Superintendent.

Dr. Green read “How Big Is the World?” by Britta Teckentrup to Janice Smith’s kindergarteners, who just managed to contain their excitement at the double treat of having a very special visitor read their favorite book. Continue reading →

Fresh and cool: Young rapper ‘MubbiMan’ keeps it positive

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At his first live performance on March 22 at Abbot Elementary School, Mubarak reaches out to his fans like a seasoned professional. His brother Saif, who Mubarak calls his inspiration, records the performance. Students also watch his video, "Fresh and Cool," playing in the background. The video is available below.

By Tara Cavanaugh

Listen up, music moguls: MubbiMan is in the house.

MubbiMan is the stage name of Abbot Elementary fifth grader Mubarak. Just ten years old, and having worked on his craft for less than a year, his clever lyrics and positive messages have already gotten thousands of YouTube views.

The young rapper is confident, even boisterous in his videos, wearing an oversized coat and sunglasses as he raps through the urban landscape of downtown Ann Arbor. But away from the camera, he’s a thoughtful writer, often scribbling rhymes in the notebook he always carries.

“I know people have taken rap the bad way these days, thinking it’s a gangster thing,” he said one day after school this week. ”I want to show that rap is not just a form of music, but it is a form of giving a message out there. And I want to tell all the people and kids that there’s more to it than just rhyming.” Continue reading →

Author Hope Vesterglaad to Bach Elementary students: Keep your eyes and ears open

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By Tara Cavanaugh

Author Hope Vesterglaad has written several children’s books, including “Potty Animals.” She returned to Bach Elementary, which she attended from 2nd to 6th grade, to talk about her books with kindergarteners and first graders.  Continue reading →

CMPP students meet Ukrainian visitors

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Skyline students Talia Dessel and Allison Lang share their internship plan to Pittsfield Township trustees and visiting delegates from Ukraine. Standing next to them is the visitors' translator.

When Skyline students Allison Lang and Talia Dessel began their internship with Pittsfield Township March 19, they probably didn’t guess that their work would play a small role in international relations. Continue reading →

AAPS high school students to perform with Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra

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This spring, a large group of choir students from three Ann Arbor high schools will join with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Carl Orff’s monumental cantata Carmina Burana. Members of the A Cappella choirs from Pioneer, Huron and Skyline high schools are preparing for the performance, along with members of Measure for Measure, the Boychoir of Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Youth Chorale.  Continue reading →

Elementary teacher upgrades writing lessons

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Online social networks like Edmodo encourage students, like these King Elementary fifth graders, to give one another constructive feedback in a regulated setting that protects their privacy.

By Tara Cavanaugh

When you think about using technology in the classroom, you might think of students tinkering with science, math or engineering projects. But King Elementary fifth grade teacher Karen Haddas is using Mac programs and social media to upgrade traditional reading and writing curriculum. Continue reading →

Local cartoonist teaches Bach students about storytelling

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Artist Jerzy Drozd taught Bach third and fourth graders about the artistic elements of storytelling March 14.

–By Tara Cavanaugh

Bach Elementary students learned what gives comics their zip, boom and pow during a mini-lesson in the art of comic strip making yesterday.

Local graphic novel author and artist Jerzy Drozd taught 2nd through 5th graders the tricks of the trade in an hourlong presentation that was part of the school’s Reading Month celebration.

Continue reading →

More Schools of Choice seats open

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The Board of Education voted to open 170 seats for Schools of Choice at its March 7 meeting. This means that more students have the option to request to attend a new district school. In the previous two years of Schools of Choice, the district opened up 150 seats. Continue reading →

Sparking the love of language

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Each lesson, the U-M student teacher selects elementary students to lead the class in song. These four third-graders led the class in singing the Spanish alphabet on Tuesday, March 6 at Bryant Park.

By Tara Cavanaugh

Twice a week, third and fourth grade classrooms at AAPS elementary schools make a transformation that changes everything: no English is allowed. Only Spanish.

The transformation is part of an educational partnership between AAPS and the University of Michigan. U-M students step into AAPS classrooms and give a 30 minute, Spanish-only lesson. The goal of the immersion lesson, called the Ann Arbor Language Partnership (or A2LP for short), is to give students a foundation for learning language skills.

Continue reading →

MEEMIC donates $1,000 to Skyline media and policy magnet

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Skyline CMPP teacher Pat Jenkins and MEEMIC representative Stuart Gordon show off the $1,000 donation. Behind them are the Skyline seniors who are the first to complete the 3-year Communications, Media and Public Policy magnet.

By Tara Cavanaugh

A big check always brings big smiles, doesn’t it?

When MEEMIC, an insurance company for educational employees, donated a $1,000 check to Patricia Jenkins’ media and policy class Friday, March 2, the whole room was full of grins.

The money will be used to purchase a teleprompter for next trimester’s new Skyline TV News, which will create a weekly show filled with news stories and video projects from the Communications, Media and Public Policy magnet students.

Continue reading →