Bach Bulletin

October is LGBTQ+ History Month. Let’s embrace diversity, celebrate stories, and learn from the resilience of the LGTBQ+ community.

AAPS Calendar (includes daily times)

Translated copies of the 24-25 AAPS Calendar

October 9: PTO Meeting, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Zoom Link found below)

October 11-14: Fall Break, No School

October 31: Halloween Parade, 11:00 a.m.

October 31: Early Dismissal, 1:00 p.m.

November 5: No School, Election Day

November 12: Picture Retake Day

December 4: Early Dismissal, 1:00 a.m.

The Bach Office is open daily between 8:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. The main contact number is 734-994-1949. If you need to report your child’s absence, please email Bach@a2schools.org.

Please utilize the Bach Information Hub to find important daily information that will help answer frequently asked questions.

Please take time to read through this important information. It will also serve as a source of information throughout the school year.

The next PTO meeting (zoom only) is Wednesday, October 9th 6:30-7:30pm. At the meeting we'll be reviewing the 2024-2025 PTO budget.

As of 10/1/24 all PTO messages will be sent via membership toolkit. If your child's grade and teacher is not up to date in membership toolkit you not be able to receive messages from your child's room parent but you will continue to receive messages about general PTO events.

FUN RUN Update!

The Bach PTO Fun Run on 9/27 was a tremendous success, with Bengals racking up 4,484 laps on the obstacle course... and achieving the $25,000 fundraising goal! THANK YOU to everyone who donated and spread the word, to everyone who helped make the event happen, to our local business sponsors, and to all the Bengals who crushed that obstacle course!!

There's still time to donate and raise even more money to support things like field trips, classroom budgets, curriculum enrichment, community events, family support, library updates, and more! Click here to donate until midnight tomorrow!

If you are interested in volunteering with the Bach PTO or serving as a room parent for the school yearfor the school year please sign up here.

Sometimes parents reach out to find out how they can enact some parental controls on their child's AAPS device, i.e., YouTube blocking, turning off the Internet access for evening hours, limiting non-educational games, etc.

In Ann Arbor Public Schools, we utilize a cloud-based web filter called Securly to keep students safe on their district-issued device. To help parents monitor their child's online activity at home, AAPS offers the free Securly Home app. This application allows web-based filtering and parental controls on district-issued devices at home. Parents may set rules to allow or disallow certain websites, pause the Internet connection to the device as desired, and receive weekly usage reports. To OPT-IN to the Securly Parent Portal service, please encourage families to use the pathway as outlined below:

• STEP #1: Read about the AAPS Securly - 24-25 Parent Portal Opt-In opportunity available to all families.

• STEP #2: Sign-up on the Securly Parent Portal Program Form.

• STEP #3: Look for an email from Securly when your account is ready to go (it can take up to 48 hours to receive).

• STEP #4: Download the Securly Home App from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android).

• STEP #5: Navigate the App to explore different views into your child's online safety and check out the AAPS Securly Parent Portal FAQs.

Are you curious about the special education millage renewal on the November 5th ballot? The Washtenaw ISD will be holding in-person and virtual community information sessions and welcome all community members to attend to learn more about the millage renewal.

•Thursday, October 10 at 4:00 p.m. at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District

•Thursday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m. online virtual webinar via Zoom

•Monday, October 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District

Learn more and sign up at www.washtenawisd.org/SpecialEdRenewal!

Care Solace is AAPS’s free Mental Health Care Coordination Service. Care Solace is available 24/7/365 to connect students, staff, and their families to mental health, substance abuse, and ABA service providers. Using Care Solace is easy!

• Call 888-515-0595 any time. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365. A dedicated Care Companion will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments and follow up with you to make sure it's a good fit.

• Search anonymously by visiting caresolace.com/aaps

• Contact your student’s counselor, social worker or principal and they will submit a referral on your behalf.

  
  

Learn more about Care Solace here. Information is also available in Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish.

All AAPS students and family members are welcome to the Alana’s Foundation Flu Vaccination Clinic at Pioneer High School on Monday, October 7, from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Vaccine is available for those two and up. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged - use above link. ** Get a $5.00 Target gift card for each dose, while supplies last! **

Week of October 15th-18th (No School October 14)-National Lunch Week-Celebrated at all elementary schools. Lunch Food Service Staff will be wearing special T-shirts, prizes to a few lucky winners daily will be given away all week to children by our staff. Every Child will receive a gold coin to "purchase" an apple on apple crunch day.

October 17th-Apple Crunch Day-This is celebrated EVERY year at many school districts nationwide. EVERY CHILD AND STAFF MEMBER will receive an apple to "crunch" at lunch time. We will have local farmers at Thurston Elementary and Burns Park Elementary sharing their apples with students during lunch. This is handled 100% by our staff; there is no leg work that has to be done at any school. A small display will be set up by our kitchen crew in your school.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools is well-prepared to provide student and family assistance when a decision is made that students should not be on school property. AAPS has a trained family assistance/reunification team that responds to schools during emergency situations such as power outages, electrical hazards, gas leaks and an emergency incident or active threat.

You can read more about the AAPS Family Reunification Team process as well as watch a video that explains how the district will respond to serve your students and you during emergency situations.

AAPS Family Reunification Video

The specials' teachers at Bach Elementary would like to get to know our students and their families better! Would you take a few minutes to fill in this Bach Family Survey? One survey per family is all that is needed. Thank you!

Email: iveyc@aaps.k12.mi.us
Website: https://www.a2schools.org/bach
Location: 600 W. Jefferson Street
Phone: 734-994-1949
Facebook: facebook.com/BachPTO
Twitter: @A2BachSchool