Otto W. Haisley PTO
Haisley Elementary School, 825 Duncan Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-994-1937 • http://www.haisleypto.org/
; “Haisley Elementary PTO” on Facebook
PTO Meeting Agenda June 2, 2016
DOCUMENT REVISION DATE: 5/30/16
TIME: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
PLACE: Media Center
Special Guest 7:00-7:45PM: Dawn Linden, Executive Director of Elementary
I. Announcements, News
II. Public Comment
III. Principal’s Update
IV. Approve Prior Meetings Minutes
V. Open / New Business
- Hello New Board Members J! Goodbye Board Members Retiring L
- Haisley W.E.B. Ambassador program
- Ellen: Beautification plans
- Jen L—WONDER proposal
VI. Recap & Adjourn
FUTURE MEETING TOPICS
- New Board Summer Social
- Summer plans:
- Communication ideas
- Haisley Parent Handbook
- Update Room Parent handbook
- Continuing Town Hall dialogue
Haisley WEB Ambassador program
· Proud Haisley Families
· Reliable, respectful, and responsible
· Welcoming and friendly
· Enthusiastic about our Haisley community
· Community-minded
· Knowledgeable
Link between school and incoming families
First impression they get of Haisley
Want new families to feel welcome and at ease
Kids who are new will have a friend to count on
Contact family directly
Meet up and casually introduce them to the community, assist in navigating the Haisley Hello
Kids can sit with their partner at lunch, help at recess, and help them find their way around school (older kids)
List of incoming families from school; pair them up with families who have signed up to be ambassadors. Grade level/age and location will be considered when pairing families
The PTO will email both families as a “virtual” introduction, and then the ambassador family is asked to take over communication. We ask that ambassador families:
1. Reach out to the new family and arrange a meeting at a location of their choosing
2. Tell the new family a little bit about the school and community, make sure they have contact information for PTO
3. Check in with the PTO regarding their meeting
4. Assist the new family in navigating the Haisley Hello, introducing them to other members of the school
Haisley Husky WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) Ambassador Families
Calling all Husky Families who are interested in making new friends and welcoming new families!
The Haisley PTO is coordinating a new program in order to help support new families joining our community. If you are interested in becoming an Ambassador family, please fill out the sheet below and return it to the office. Haisley PTO will pair families considering age/grade level and location. The PTO will email both families as a “virtual” introduction, and then the ambassador family is asked to take over communication. We ask that ambassador families:
1. Reach out to the new family and arrange a meeting at a location of their choosing
2. Tell the new family a little bit about the school and community, make sure they have contact information for PTO
3. Check in with the PTO regarding their meeting
4. Assist the new family in navigating the Haisley Hello, introducing them to other members of the school
That’s it—a small commitment for a huge payoff J. We want to make sure new families and kids feel welcome and comfortable come the start of school!
Parent Name: ______
Email: ______
Phone number: ______
Names, Age and Grade of children at Haisley for 2016-2017 school year:
______
______
Neighborhood:______
Proposal: Haisley 5th Grade Reads!
Overview:
The PTO would provide all rising 5th grade students (current 4th graders) with a copy of RJ Palacio’s Wonder to read over the summer. Next fall, the students will then discuss the book in classroom “book clubs” during first two weeks of school. In addition to encouraging literacy over the summer months, Wonder touches on key themes of kindness and acceptance that we want to promote at Haisley year-round.
Pilot Project:
1. Provide copies of RJ Palacio’s Wonder to all rising 5th grade students at Haisley elementary school as a summer reading project.
2. Provide each student a pre-stamped postcard to send back to school with their own precept (also provide opportunity to complete precept card at Haisley Hello welcome back picnic).
3. Display student precepts on the large school bulletin board to promote the “Choose Kind” message.
4. Host 5th grade “book clubs” in the first 2 weeks of school to discuss the major themes discussed in the book- could be facilitated by 5th grade teachers, volunteer parents, and Haisley alumni currently serving as WEB leaders at Forsythe Middle School (8th graders).
Rationale for Haisley 5th Grade Reads!:
- Promotes a sense of community for Haisley 5th graders
- Encourages continued learning and reading practice for all 5th graders over summer break
- Wonder addresses many of the themes important to our school community:
o Anti-bullying
o Acceptance
o Kindness
o Friendship
o Diversity
Budget proposal:
- $600 to purchase 65 copies of Wonder to be distributed to 5th grade class during the last week of school (Wonder currently listed at $8.88/copy at Barnes and Noble)
- $50 pre-stamped postcards
- $50 supplies for decorating the “Choose Kind” bulletin board in the fall
Additional information for parents/guardians:
- Alert parents that copies of Wonder are available as an audiobook at AAPL for families who prefer to listen to a book on CD
- Provide other book titles with similar themes at different reading levels for children who would like to read other stories like Wonder
Additional Titles for Summer Reading with Haisley 5th Grade Reads!
Auggie and Me by RJ Palacio
Companion novel to Wonder.
Rules by Cynthia Lord
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him (It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. When Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. Her love for her brother is as real as are her frustrations with him. Lord has candidly captured the delicate dynamics in a family that revolves around a child's disability. Set in coastal Maine, this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance. A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 4–6—Born with cerebral palsy, Melody, 10, has never spoken a word. She is a brilliant fifth grader trapped in an uncontrollable body. Her world is enhanced by insight and intellect, but gypped by physical limitations and misunderstandings. She will never sing or dance, talk on the phone, or whisper secrets to her friends. She's not complaining, though; she's planning and fighting the odds. In her court are family, good neighbors, and an attentive student teacher. Pitted against her is the "normal" world: schools with limited resources, cliquish girls, superficial assumptions, and her own disability. Melody's life is tragically complicated. She is mainly placed in the special-ed classroom where education means being babysat in a room with replayed cartoons and nursery tunes. Her supportive family sets her up with a computer. She learns the strength of thumbs as she taps on a special keyboard that finally lets her "talk." When she is transitioned into the regular classroom, Melody's undeniable contribution enables her class to make it to the national quiz team finals. Then something happens that causes her to miss the finals, and she is devastated by her classmates' actions. Kids will benefit from being introduced to Melody and her gutsy, candid, and compelling story. It speaks volumes and reveals the quiet strength and fortitude it takes to overcome disabilities and the misconceptions that go with them.
Firegirl by Tony Abbott.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7–Tom, a seventh grader, tells about the arrival of Jessica, a new student who was badly burned in a fire and is attending St. Catherine's while she gets treatments at a local hospital. The students in Tom's class are afraid of her because of her appearance but little by little he develops a friendship with her that changes his life. Through realistic settings and dialogue, and believable characters, readers will be able to relate to the social dynamics of these adolescents who are trying to handle a difficult situation. The students who shy away from Jessica are at a loss as to what to say. Tom begins to look beyond her exterior and realizes that his life will not be the same after she leaves, just three weeks later. The theme of acceptance is presented in a touching story of friendship that is easy to read yet hard to forget.
The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5 Based on true events, this inspiring story celebrates the extraordinary influence a teacher can have on her students. As Trisha enters a new school in Michigan, she hopes she won't be relegated to a special class. At her old school, she had trouble learning to read. On the first day, she is disappointed to learn that Room 206 is known as the junkyard. Fortunately, their teacher, Mrs. Peterson, doesn't allow her students to feel like misfits. She divides her Junkyard Wonders into tribes, creating a sense of unity among them. One day, the children visit a local junkyard where they discover a place full of wondrous possibilities and collect objects for a class project. Trisha and her tribe retrieve an old model plane, which they refurbish. The whole class looks forward to the science fair when they will fly the plane from the roof of the school in remembrance of a classmate who has died. The school bully tries to foil their plans, but in the end the Junkyard Wonders launch the plane and watch it soar up into the stratosphere. The touching story is accompanied by Polacco's trademark illustrations in which a motherly Mrs. Peterson presides over her busy classroom. The children's expressive faces convey their devotion to her and to each other.
Courage by Bernard Waber
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-Focusing on a variety of scenarios, from the serious ("Courage is being the first to make up after an argument") to the more lighthearted ("Courage is tasting the vegetable before making a face"), Waber introduces children to the many ways to define this character trait. One or two statements appear on each page, accompanied by a whimsical pen-and-ink and watercolor illustration that offers an amusing interpretation of the captionlike text. Some examples seem to fit attributes other than courage more precisely ("Courage is two candy bars and saving one for tomorrow"), but children will certainly relate to most of them. A good read-aloud to spark conversation about what courage is and isn't, and the many forms it takes.
One by Kathryn Otoshi
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K—This is a deceptively simple color and counting book that turns into a lesson on bullying. Whenever they meet, Blue is picked on by Red: "Red is HOT. Blue is NOT." The other colors like Blue but are intimidated by the bluster so they say nothing, and soon Red is bossing everyone around. But then One comes. It is funny and brave and confronts Red: "If someone is mean and picks on me, I, for One, stand up and say, No." All the other colors follow One's lead and become numbers too. Yellow is two, Green, three, etc. Red begins to feel left out and tries to bully Blue, but Blue ignores him and changes to Six: "Red can be really HOT,' he says, but Blue can be super COOL.'" The rest of the numbers stick up for Blue, but offer Red the opportunity to join in the counting, and all ends well. The book is well designed with bright colored circles and numbers on stark white pages accompanied by black print. The text is very simple but meaningful, and the moral is subtly told. Red is not ostracized but included in the game, and the essential point of one person making a difference is emphasized by the ending: "Sometimes it just takes One." This is an offering with great potential for use with the very young in a variety of ways.
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