Donations of gently used toys are being accepted until December 1 at The Learning Community building. Toys will be given away on Thursday, December 4, 2014 at The Learning Community. 8:00 am-5:00 pm for Bendle and Carman-Ainsworth families. 5:00 – 6:00 pm for all others. Limited quantities will be given at those times but at6:15 pm it all goes so bring a box! Contact Malinda Baker at 591-7208 for more info. Have question? Contact Malinda at 591-7208. Volunteers are welcomed and needed.

Do your kids use the computer? Do they have access to the Internet? Are they left unattended while using the computer? If your answer is yes to any of the above questions then this class is for you. Internet safety is for parents to learn how to keep their kids safe while using the internet.

Click here for details on Internet Safety courses

Despite budget cuts in many areas, all C-A elementary students continue to receive music and art education, with fifth grade students having the opportunity to select band. Carman-Ainsworth Middle School is one of the few area middle schools with an orchestral program that prepares students for our high school orchestra. In addition, secondary students regularly elect to take art and theater at both secondary schools, culminating in amazing productions and pieces of art at the high school level.

Just this week, we learned of two significant accomplishments in the area of fine arts at our high school:

• The Carman-Ainsworth High School Blue Brigade Marching Band was selected to perform at the State Championships at Ford Field again this Saturday. This special honor is one that the Blue Brigade has qualified for in four of the last five years! This year, Carman-Ainsworth High School enters the State Championships in 11^th place in our division.

• The Carman-Ainsworth High School Men’s Chorale has been invited to sing with the world-renowned University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club in their concert on November 22 at Hill Auditorium on the U of M campus in Ann Arbor. In preparation for this very special event, the U of M Choir Director has visited Carman-Ainsworth High School several times to work with our students…what a tremendous opportunity for our C-A students!

Please join us in congratulating our fine arts staff and students!!!

STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) is a popular term nationally. Many school districts are “jumping on the STEM bandwagon” by getting involved with Robotics and other hands-on learning experiences that engage students in science, technology, engineering and math.

Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools has been a leader in STEM education for a number of years.

•  Our LEGO Robotics program at Rankin was among the first state championship programs and has earned 4 state championships to date, including the 2014 State Championship.
• Randels Elementary has also built a strong LEGO Robotics program.
• The Carman-Ainsworth High School FIRST Robotics program is a perennial statewide powerhouse, earning 3 trips to the World Championships in the last decade along with earning the 2014 State Championship.
• To our knowledge, C-A is the only school district to win state championships at both levels in the same year!

Beyond Robotics, C-A engages elementary students in the Odyssey of the Mind, Science Fairs, and Young Inventors programs. For the first time this Fall, students at Carman-Ainsworth High School are enrolled in a Pre-Engineering program through the nationally recognized, Project Lead The Way initiative. These are tremendous opportunities to get students engaged and excited about science and math…but…to be clear, we don’t “do STEM” at the expense of other wonderful programs, including our comprehensive fine arts programs.