Letter from Dr. Roberts

Dear Parent/Guardian:

I want to thank you and our many staff, student and community volunteers who worked extremely hard to educate our community about the financial state of public education in our district and the county. I am extremely disappointed with the outcome of the county schools millage vote. While voters in Ann Arbor did support the millage with approximately 55% of voters voting yes, this result locally was not enough to help carry the county.

The county schools millage proposal was a local response to the statewide funding crisis. This effort was to increase funding locally through the only means available to us under the law. With voters in the county having made their decision regarding this millage, we must now work together to move forward and develop our budget so that costs are in line with the revenue we project to receive from the state. We must also continue to strongly advocate that Lansing restore funding for our schools and develop a more sustainable model for funding education.

The next steps in our budget process will take careful and thoughtful planning that will include input from parents, staff and the AAPS community. We are faced with some difficult, but not insurmountable challenges and decisions. I commit to each of you that this will be an open process as we develop budget plans for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years that align our costs with revenue projections. We will hold a series of meetings in December and January where we will be presenting options for reducing costs and enhancing revenues. During these meetings we will gather feedback about the possible options and plan to complete our draft budget plan for 2010-11 in February.

We also need to address the reduction in state funding for this school year. Over the next two weeks we will be taking steps to address the loss in funding for the current fiscal year. Our goal in addressing the loss of funding for this school year is to reduce costs through means that will be least disruptive to our students and educational programs. I will also continue to push leaders in Lansing to restore funding for education this school year. I encourage you to do the same and contact state legislators and the Governor. Also, I want to let you know that there will be a rally of people from across the state in Lansing on November 10^th at the State Capitol Building to urge legislators and the Governor to adequately fund schools. The rally is scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM if you would like to attend.

I am proud of our community and its support for public education. The commitment of parents, staff and the community to the care and success of our students is why this school district is one of the best in the state and nation. I know that we will continue working together collaboratively to ensure our students receive an outstanding education despite the challenges we face. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Todd Roberts

H1N1 Clinic Update

H1N1 Vaccination Clinic UPDATE

All school-based H1N1 vaccination clinics have been canceled by the Washtenaw County Department of Public Health including the two schedule in Ann Arbor at Huron and Pioneer.

A mass vaccination clinic for high priority groups is scheduled for Eastern Michigan University (EMU),

Convocation Center on Thursday, Nov 5th from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. The Center is located at 299 North Hewitt Road, Ypsilanti MI 48197.

According to CDC guidelines, high priority groups eligible for H1N1 vaccine while supplies remain limited

include:

• Pregnant women

• Household and caregiver contacts of children younger than 6 months of age

• Children from 6 months though 4 years of age

• Children and adolescents aged 5 through 18 years who have medical conditions associated with a higher

risk of influenza complications

• Health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient care

Individuals within these priority groups should live, work or attend school in Washtenaw County. Specific

documentation of underlying medical conditions is not necessary; health care and emergency services personnel

should bring their employment identification.

Important Information: rumor clarification

Dear Slauson Parents and Guardians,

As we know in a small community such as Slauson rumors can be spread quickly. I want to clarify rumors that are circulating among the students about an incident with a non-functional air soft gun at school today.

Based on the initial investigation a student brought this non-functioning plastic air-soft gun to school today. It was shown to some students in the hallway, passed around and quickly was thrown out a bathroom window where it was found.

Due to the misinformation circulating with students and with the weekend upon us I want to make clear that no one was in danger and we are dealing with the student(s) involved.

If the "dinner table" conversation turns to this incident please share this information with your students.

If you have any questions please contact me.

Sincerely,
Christopher Curtis, Ed. D.
Principal

S.O.L.A.R. - cooperative learning directions

Ms. Townsend uses S.O.L.A.R. strategy to guide students in cooperative learning activities.

S - Silently listen to your partner

O - Orient your body to the speaker

L - Lean in and use a quiet voice

A - Affirm listening with body language

R - Respond when the speaker is finished with a reflective list

I love these concrete strategies that help students to achieve the best performance when engaged in cooperative learning.

Getting ready for the new school year!

I am unbelievably excited to see the students arrive next Tuesday!

My anticipation has been maximized by the excellent staff development time I was able to share with the Slauson Staff. Since last Spring, I've had an accumulating appreciation and awareness of the excellence of the team at Slauson. The two days we just had working together as a Professional Learning Community have truly unveiled the caring, dedicated, and enthusiastic nature of the Slauson Staff. I am truly honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this team.

Bus Schedules released electronically

2009-10 Bus Schedule

Back to School Guides are now available in electronic form

2009-10 Back to School Guide: AAPS