School Bells: Tuition preschool open houses in March

Tuition Preschool Open Houses in March

Families with children who will be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2010, are invited to visit one of two open houses for The Ann Arbor Public Schools tuition pre-school program.

The program and open houses will be at two locations:
• Thursday, March 4 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Allen Elementary School, 2560 Towner Blvd. Ann Arbor.
• Thursday, March 11 from 6 – 7 p.m. at Thurston Elementary School, 2300 Prairie, Ann Arbor.

Programs feature a developmental curriculum, certified early childhood teachers and support services. The program operates according to the school district calendar and has flexible scheduling options.

The open houses are an informal opportunity to meet staff, explore the space and hear about the program philosophy. While the presentation is geared for adults, children are encouraged to attend with their parents.

Details: 734-994-2300.

Young Fives Kindergarten application deadline is March 19

The deadline to apply for The Ann Arbor Public Schools Young Fives Kindergarten program at Abbot Elementary School is March 19, 2010.

Interested parents must have completed enrollment packets turned in to the Abbot school office by March 19, after which an enrollment lottery will take place. To be eligible for Young Fives, students must turn 5 years old between Sept. 1 and Dec. 1, 2010.

Following the lottery, parents will be notified if their child was selected and parents have 24 hours to confirm that their child will attend. Children not selected in the lottery process will be on a waiting list and contacted as openings occur.

Details: 734-994-1901 or click here for a Young Fives brochure.

Washtenaw Literacy partners with Stone High School

Stone High School is one of several sites involved in a tutoring partnership with Washtenaw Literacy, a nonprofit organization devoted to eradicating adult illiteracy. At Stone, WL tutors offer on-site support to teachers in English as a Second Language classrooms.

In addition to The Ann Arbor Public Schools, WL has also partnered with Ypsilanti Public Schools and Milan Public Schools to provide tutoring. Two other tutoring programs in Ann Arbor, one at the University of Michigan Hospital with hospital employees to improve communication skills and another at the Washtenaw County Jail where inmates are tutored in pre-GED, are also offered through WL.
Workforce Investment Act II funding supports the programs.  

Details: 734-879-1320 or visit online at www.washtenawliteracy.org.

Dicken Woods Winter Walk brings out dozens


The Friends of Dicken Woods hosted its sixth annual Winter Walk Feb. 2, when some 386 students, parents friends and neighbors came out and walked the candlelit trails.

The event was hosted by Dicken Elementary School and Stephanie Hunter organized the event. Art teacher Theresa Erickson her students created the luminaries that lit the paths. Photos of the event are posted on the Dicken Woods picture page.

Volunteers send food to Haiti

More than 100 volunteered over the weekend for the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor’s Kids Against Hunger project to send food to Haiti. According to a story posted on AnnArbor.com, members of the Pioneer and Huron high schools’ key clubs and other community members took part. Some 10,000 packages of dried food were put together for the shipment. Click here for the full story.

For a listing of more school districts accomplishments and achievements published through the Superintendent’s office, click here or visit a2schools.org and click on “This Week In The Ann Arbor Public Schools” under the publications section.

The AAPS District News welcomes thoughtful comments, questions and feedback.

All comments will be screened and moderated.

In order for your comment to be approved:

  • You must use your full name
  • You must not use  profane or offensive language
  • Your comment must be on topic and relevant to the story

Please note: any comment that appears to be spam or attacks an individual will not be approved.