February 23, 2024
February 23, 2024
Observations Around Saline Area Schools
We've had a great two weeks at Saline! Here's what we observed in our buildings the last two weeks.
Harvest
- Students engaging in morning meetings as a way to check-in with their peers and teachers and prepare for learning
- Young 5 students participating in morning choices activities
- 2nd Graders in Innovation Lab designing parachutes to help satellites land safely using household materials
- 3rd Graders reviewing equivalent fractions
Pleasant Ridge
Kindergarten students participating in activity choice time
Kindergarten students practicing phonics and the “h” family
1st grade musicians practicing call and response singing our “Big Beautiful Planet”
2nd graders engaged in math workshop focused on multi-digit subtraction
Woodland Meadows
- Kindergarten students building magnetic structures, and working on their fine motor skills by drawing during activity choice time
- Principal Washington reading Shel Silverstein poems to 1st graders in Media Class
- 3rd graders using ballpark estimates with 3-digit subtraction
Heritage
4th graders working on Valentines poems and letters for family members
Physical education students exploring the world of Pickleball
Heritage artists working on collage and printmaking techniques using an unknown planet landscape
5th grade choir students working on pronunciation and diction
Middle School
6th graders focused on their integrated ELA and Social Studies unit on National Parks
7th grade chemists exploring ions, acids, substances and reactions through “pHun questions to explore”
8th grade mathematicians factoring and solving polynomials using the Greatest Common Factor (GCF) method
8th grade English students critiquing argumentative writing samples using the ABCDE paragraph (Assertion Background, Citation, Discussion, Ending)
High School
Pottery students working with different types of clay and making stoneware teapots
Drawing and Painting students illustrating a heavily cropped image of a teacher who has made an impact on their life
Auto Technology students working in the lab on wheel alignments
Game Design students using Scratch and Piskel software to create game characters and code and design video games.
Web Design students collaborating to design and advise on future iterations of the SAS website.
Liberty
Early Childhood Special Education students exploring with various shapes in a moon and stars unit
Alternative Education students practicing their volleyball skills during Fitness Friday
Young Adult Program students discussing the first US moon spacecraft landing in over 50 years
Curriculum Corner
Young 5 and Kindergarten Enrollment
Know a child who's turning five soon? Spread the word! Saline Area Schools offers an informational webinar for all prospective Young 5 and Kindergarten families, scheduled for Wednesday, March 6 at 6 p.m. Online enrollment begins the week of March 18. Additionally, elementary buildings will be open for building walk-throughs for new families in May, following the schedule below:
- Woodland Meadows: May 8, 6-7 p.m.
- Pleasant Ridge: May 15, 6-7 p.m.
- Harvest: May 22, 6-7 p.m.
Families are also invited to attend Open Houses and Orientations in the fall, in conjunction with the start of the 2024-25 school year. More information is available on our District Registration website.
Federal Tax Credits for Families
The official start of the federal tax filing season is here! Tax credits are often missed by eligible families. The IRS shares information with school districts across the United States as a way of informing families with school-aged children about tax credits available to them. Click here to learn more!
Upcoming Events
- February 26: 6th Grade Information Night- Class of 2031, 6:30 p.m., SMS Auditorium
- February 27: Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Liberty School Board Room
- February 28: Saline Middle School Science Fair, 6-7:30 p.m., SMS Cafeteria (Sign-up by February 21)
- February 28: Saline High School Polar Plunge, 10:00 a.m.
- March 6: Young 5 and Kindergarten Information Session, via Zoom, 6-7:30 p.m.
- March 9: Foundation for Saline Area Schools Blue Jeans and Bling Fundraiser, 6-10 p.m., Sheraton Hotel, Ann Arbor
- March 11: Heritage/4th Grade Orientation- Class of 2033, via Zoom, 6:30 p.m.
- March 16: Saline Spring Craft Show, 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saline Middle School
- March 18: Online Enrollment Opens for 2024-25 School Year
- April 6: Saline Fiddlers Hometown Show with Special Guests Kittel & Co., 7:00 p.m., SHS Auditorium
- April 30: Save the Date! School and Family Partnership Series: Creating and Maintaining Summer Routines (literacy, math, and behaviors/coping strategies)
I hope you have an excellent weekend!
Sincerely,
Stephen D. Laatsch, PhD
Superintendent
Saline Area Schools, The Pursuit of Excellence
7265 N. Ann Arbor St., Saline, Michigan 48176
734-401-4001
laatschs@salineschools.org