Gretchko Newsletter
September 8, 2023
Principal's Update
Hello Team WB!
This has been a wonderful week with all of our Gretchko stars! I always love the second week of school, as our bulletin boards come alive with student work. And I hope to see many of you this evening at our West Bloomfield Family Fun Night! I'll be over by the dunk tank from 6:00-6:30!
Next week is a busy one, and I would like to highlight a few particularly important new items.
First is that we are going to make a small change in our Curriculum Night structure that we hope will make it a bit more convenient for families. Thank you in advance for understanding that this is an evening for adults only.
- This year, Gretchko classroom teachers will deliver their Curriculum Night presentation twice: once from 6:00-6:30 and again from 6:45-7:15. Grownups can attend either session for each teacher. We will let parents into the building at 5:50pm.
- Additionally, we will be moving our first PTO meeting to 7:30 on the same evening in the hopes that more adults can attend (and save you from being here two nights in one week!). I will gather feedback from families following Curriculum Night so we can get a sense of how the change worked for you! In case anyone needs it, here is the link to the private Gretchko Facebook Group for Families.
On Curriculum Night, our PTO will be selling spirit wear as well as Bagel Day punch cards. More information to come!
Speaking of PTO, a huge thank you goes out to our families for your support. PTO hosted grab-and-go breakfast for teachers on the first day of school and also sent home a brand new book with every Kindergartener at the end of the first week. Thank you for all you do!
FunD Run is right around the corner. Please see the news items below for important information, including the Signup Genius for FunD Run Volunteers!
I loved seeing our students' big smiles for Picture Day yesterday! If you child was absent or you decide you want reakes, picture retake day will be Wednesday, November 1.
Finally, new this year, we are offering a volunteer training for those of you who would like to help out at Gretchko throughout the year. If you cannot attend, you are still welcome to volunteer! We want to make sure our volunteers feel comfortable with our safety and security procedures, know a bit about how to support teachers in the classroom, and even know a bit about our Maker Space. We are offering two trainings:
- Tuesday, September 19, 9:15-10:15am
- Wednesday, September 20, 6:00-7:00pm
Warmly,
Jen Teal, Principal
Featured Book
Dreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It's the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. It's a story about family. And it's a story to remind us that we are all dreamers, bringing our own strengths wherever we roam.
Curriculum Night: Thursday, Sept 14, 2023
- Session 1: 6:00-6:30
- Session 2: 6:45-7:15.
Grownups can attend either session for each teacher. We will let parents into the building at 5:50pm. We kindly remind you that this evening is geared for adults only.
Powerschool Parent Portal Sign Up
Parents/Guardians, if you are having difficulty setting up your powerschool parent portal please review the video found here.
WBSD's Family Fun Night - TODAY!
Attendance
West Bloomfield School District expects students to be in school and on time for school on a daily basis. Absent and tardy students will be recorded daily and parents will be notified.
- If your child will not be in school or will be late to school, you must call the 24-hour answering machine at 248-865-6572. Leave your student’s name, teacher’s name and reason for absence. For the safety of our students, please do your best to remember to call before the start of school.
- To excuse a health-related absence from the county-counted total, please provide the main office with a note from the medical facility your child visited.
- Students arriving after 10:15 a.m. will be marked absent for the full morning. If a student is picked up before 3:00 p.m. they will be marked absent for the full afternoon.
Changes to Your Child's Arrival or Dismissal Plan
Any changes in a child’s routine transportation “the day of” must be written and received by the school. We cannot accept any transportation changes after 3:00 p.m. Please do not EMAIL OR LEAVE VOICE MAIL MESSAGES regarding student transportation on the day of the change. Teachers may not receive the message in time regarding the change.
If your child will be riding home with a friend on the bus, both parents must send in a signed note giving the children's names and bus number. This should be used sparingly, not as a regular occurence.
Math Is Fun!
Our students use a math curriculum called Bridges. Each month, we will send you resources in our newsletter to let you know what unit the students are working on as well as to give you ideas on how to extend your child's math learning at home. For the month of September, the resources are as follows:
Do you have 45 minutes to spare?
We are looking for volunteers who might like to join us for Kindergarten lunch and recess one or more days a week. As our kindergarten students learn all the procedures, extra hands on deck are always welcome. If you could spare some time between 12:30-1:10 any day of the week, we'd love to have you. Please email Mrs. Teal if you are interested!
Just fill out an iChat form and then email/bring it back to us along with a photocopy of your driver's license.
Maker Space Supply Donations
We are working on setting up the MAKERSPACE area opposite the I Center. Anyone interested in donating the following items are needed. section to the newsletter? toilet paper tubes, red, orange, yellow tissue paper, pipe cleaners, plain white paper plates, and craft sticks. Please send the items to Monica Hammerick, in the I center. Amazon wish list for families wanting to purchase directly from and send right to school! https://a.co/cxBRCp5
Yoga is Back!
Safety Turning Into Gretchko From Greer Rd
As I shared yesterday, there was unfortunately an accident right at the entrance to Gretchko from Greer Rd. as dismissal began. If you are approaching Gretchko from the West, please come completely to the top of the hill and check for oncoming traffic before turning left. Thank you!
FunD Run 2023!
Community Education is Hiring!
World Celebrations
September is Hispanic Heritage Month
September 11: National Day of Service and Remembrance
September 15 – 17: Rosh Hashanah
September 16: Mexican Independence Day
September 17: Constitution Day
September 22: American Indian Day
September 24 – 25: Yom Kippur
September 26 – 27: Mawlid al-Nabi
September 29 – October 6: Sukkot
September 29 – October 14: Pitru Paksha
Gretchko PTO Calendar
September
9/8 - WBSD Family Fun Night
9/13 - PTO General Meeting at 7:00 pm
9/14 - Curriculum Night 6:00-8:00 pm
9/19 - Volunteer Training Option 1 from 9:15-10:15 am
9/20 - Volunteer Training Option 2 from 6:00-7:00 pm
-HRP meeting to follow 7:00-8:00 pm
9/22 - FunD Run during the school day
9/25 - No School
9/27 - Marco’s Pizza Night
9/29- Bagel Day and Gretchko Spirit Wear Day
October
10/10 - PTO General Meeting at 7:00
10/11 - Late Start (10:10)
10/25 - Late Start (10:10)
- Marco’s Pizza Night
10/27- Spooktacular 5:00-7:00 pm
10/27- Bagel Day and Hat Day
November
11/3- Fall Parties (during school)
11/7 - No School
11/8 - PTO General Meeting at 7:00 pm
11/13 - 11/16 - Marco’s Pizza Box Week
11/14 - Conferences
11/17- Half Day of School (Dismissal 12:12)
- Bagel Day and Favorite Sports Team Day
11/22-11/26 - Thanksgiving Break
11/29 - Late Start (10:10)
December
12/13 - Late Start (10:10)
12/15 - Bagel Day and Crazy Hair Day
12/20 - Marco’s Pizza Night
12/23-1/7 - Winter Break
*All dates are subject to change*
Gretchko Spirit Wear Now Available Online!
Does your child (or you) need some more Gretchko spirit wear? Now you can order online at https://gretchko-pto.square.site/
Gretchko Contact Information
Website: https://www.wbsd.org/Domain/12
Location: 5300 Greer Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, USA
Phone:
- Main Office Phone: (248)865-6570
- SAFELINE to report absences: (248) 865-6572. This is a 24 hour answering machine.