On Saturday March 24 at Chelsea High School several Skyline students earned superior or excellent ratings in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Associate State Solo and Ensemble Festival.
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
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
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
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, 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
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
Thanks to funds from an Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation Idea Grant and the Huron PTO, all Huron High School biology students saw a live “Birds of Prey” presentation Friday, March 23. Sarah Gilmore from the Leslie Science and Nature Center showed students a red-tailed hawk, a barn owl, and a bald eagle. Continue reading
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
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
Now in their 22nd year, the Tappan Players announce the 2012 performance of award-winning musical Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Under the direction of Alex Mendiola and Kathy Kauffmann, the production will feature more than 150 Tappan middle-school students. Continue reading
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
That’s right: We’re having another giveaway for the AAPS social media fans and followers. The winner will be announced next week. Continue reading
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.
By Tara Cavanaugh
The U.S. Navy Band, widely considered one of the best in the world, honored Pioneer High School with a free two-hour performance to a full house on Saturday, March 10.
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
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.
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.
Photo of a 2011 performance provided by the U.S. Navy Band.
The U.S. Navy Band will perform to a full house at Pioneer High School 7 p.m. this Saturday. All tickets for the free performance have been claimed.
By Tara Cavanaugh
An anonymous survey was conducted in January 2012 to learn what teachers, media specialists and principals think of the current technology available in the district.
As of the end of February, all AAPS computers are out of warranty. This means the district is facing rising repair costs and shrinking inventory, said John VanRiper, director of information technology.
Superintendent Dr. Patricia Green shares the district's educational goals and how they relate to the 2012 Technology Bond.
More than 75 staff, administrators, PTO members and union representatives attended an informational meeting at Huron High School on Feb. 29. The event kicked off the informational campaign for the 2012 Technology Bond May 8 vote.
The PTO Thrift Shop began as a small sale 18 years ago. The nonprofit now donates hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to the public schools. See slideshow below for more photos.
By Tara Cavanaugh
On the south side of town, tucked away on South Industrial Highway, rests a little thrift shop that is nearly a million-dollar enterprise.
Blink and you’ll miss it. The shop looks like the several other small secondhand stores on “Resale Row,” with a small storefront, a warehouse and two dozen parking spaces.
The PTO Thrift Shop exists solely to benefit the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Since its small start 18 years ago, it’s found homes in several buildings, survived a fire and IRS threats, and most recently has been overwhelmed by a surge in profits.
The little nonprofit shop is a real enterprise now. And it’s giving away its money as fast as it can.
AAPS kicks off its 2012 Technology Bond campaign 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29 at the Huron High School cafeteria.
Daniel Varner, a State School Board member, shakes hands with a Slauson parent after discussing the achievement gap on National African American Parent Involvement Day Feb. 13.
By Tara Cavanaugh
Daniel Varner, a member of the State School Board and executive director of Excellent Schools Detroit, visited Slauson Middle School for National African American Parent Involvement Day Feb. 13.
A lack of snow didn't stop the Pioneer special education students from competing–and winning–at the Special Olympics Winter Games. Photo by Meaghan Glanville.
Eight Pioneer special education students took home medals after attending the Michigan Special Olympics Winter Games in Traverse City last week.
A life-size blue whale at the Forsythe Science Fair was just one of many natural wonders to discover.
–By Tara Cavanaugh
Forsythe Middle School science teacher Dan Ezekiel isn’t sure if the school’s annual science fair really is the biggest one in the state, but he calls it that anyway: “No one’s corrected us yet!” With more than 400 student participants and 300 projects on display Feb. 11-12, there was opportunity for all students to explore science in their own way.
Photo by Lon Horwedel for annarbor.com via flickr.
It’s that time of the year again: time for Orchestra Night, which showcases the talent of more than 800 students in the middle school and high school orchestras at the University of Michigan Hill Auditorium.