Gretchko Newsletter
December 8, 2023
Principal's Update
Hello Team WB!
What a week! We got to kick off our school week with our highly anticipated field trip to see James and the Giant Peach at WBHS. The high school students put on a terrific performance, and our Gretchko stars loved it! From riding the bus (a new experience for some) to seeing the high school and watching a play in the auditorium, it was truly a special experience. Again, a big thank you to PTO for sponsoring our tickets.
Thursday and Friday, students also enjoyed our presentations of Holidays Around the World. This interactive performance allowed students to learn about the many celebrations observed around the world. And thanks to PTO, students were able to engage as part of just two classes at a time, allowing for great learning.
And finally, our second graders got to learn from our high school students again as the Capstone class students came over to teach our Gretchko students all about science through interactive experiments. Dr. Bazzi was able to join us as well!
Next week, don't forget that we have a late start on Wednesday, December 13, with school starting at 10:10am. And Friday, December 15 is our next bagel day AND crazy hair day!
Enjoy your weekend!
Warmly,
Jen Teal
Featured Book
Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas by Pamela Ehrenberg
Instead of latkes, this family celebrates Hanukkah with tasty Indian dosas. To her brother's chagrin, little Sadie won't stop climbing on everything both at home and at the Indian grocery store, even while preparing the dosas. As the family puts the finishing touches on their holiday preparations, they accidentally get locked out of the house. Sadie and her climbing skills just may be exactly what is needed to save the day.
Star Slip Winners
Thank you to all of our students for continuing to work hard to follow our social contracts. We have so many good citizens to draw names from in our bins in the front lobby. Congratulations to the following students whose names were drawn for the week of December 8: Mckynzie Ellison, Liam Sloan,
Mckinley Wilbur, Charlie Perry, Juliette Lubaway, Sawyer Goidosik, Londyn Allos, Alan, Kali Sledge, Gutierrez, Matthew O’Malley, Riley Freeman, Sufyan Samarah, Sammy Toma, Kingston Spratt, Jessica Tran, and Lilliana Brown.
Welcome to PE Class
The last couple of weeks our students have focused on the importance of health and fitness. We just finished working off our Thanksgiving calories through fitness stations. We went through proper techniques for push-ups, sit-ups, balancing, jumping jacks, and wall-sits. This week we start our soccer unit. We will be focusing on dribbling, passing, shooting, and learning how to play games with good sportsmanship! -Zachary Cohen, PE Teacher
ICenter Update
The Gretchko Book Fair was a great success. The fair has now ended. We would like to thank everyone for your book fair support and helping us fund our Gretchko library. We would like to thank all of the volunteers for their assistance helping our students during our recent book fair. We would especially like to thank Kayla Herzog for her extra effort during our family Movie Night.
Upcoming Celebrations
December 7 - 15 - Hanukkah (Judaism)
December 8 – Bodhi Day (Buddhism)
December 10 - International Human Rights Day
December 12 - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexican Holiday)
December 16-24 - Las Posadas (Mexican Holiday)
December 21 - Winter Solstice
December 25 - Christmas (Christianity)
December 26 – Zartosht No-Diso (Zoroastrianism)
December 26 - January 1 - Kwanzaa (African-American tribute to African festivals of harvest)
Bagel Day - December 15
WBEF Casino Night Volunteers Needed
The WBEF has impacted every grade at every school in the district. Can we count on you to attend the event? Tickets are on sale now for the WBEF Casino Night Friday, February 2, 2024. This is their one fundraiser to support all the grants they give to the District.
December Lunch Menu
United We Walk: January 14, 2023
Join the Fun in Lego League
Attention 1st - 3rd WBSD Grade Parents:
FIRST Lego League EXPLORE makes learning STEM and coding skills fun! All skill levels welcome!
This season, we’re stepping into the world of exploring how people share their hobbies and interests in creative and captivating ways.
If you and your child are interested in participating, please join us for a Parent Info Meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 from 7-7:30 p.m. The Zoom meeting is to provide parents with basic information about the FLL Explore Program. Zoom Meeting Link below.
Click here to view the MASTERPIECE Explore Set and here to check out the EXPLORE story.
Program Highlights:
-Students will work in teams of 6, with 1 or 2 parent coaches per team
-Team Meetings will begin in February, the week of February 8th
-Ten meetings total, plus the Extravaganza (Showcase Event).
Our Lego Extravaganza Festival will take place Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 9 am - 12 pm at West Bloomfield Middle School Auditeria
-One 90 minute in-person meeting per week at Doherty, Roosevelt & Gretchko directly after school
-Scotch 3rd-grade students will be bussed to Gretchko & Sheiko 3rd grade students will be bussed to Doherty (TBD)
-Each school will have 1 "Teacher Leader" as a facilitator, however, we will need 1 parent volunteer for every 6 students to help coach teams. The number of volunteers will determine the number of teams we will offer. Guarantee your child's participation by volunteering to coach.
Gretchko Calendar
December
12/13 - Late Start (10:10am)
12/15 - Bagel Day and Crazy Hair Day
12/20 - Marco’s Pizza Night
12/23-1/7 - Winter Break
January
1/ 4 - Gretchko at Kalahari
1/ 8 - School Back in Session
1/10 - Late Start (10:10)
1/15 - MLK Jr. Day - No School
1/17 - Global Equity Team Meeting at 8:00 am
1/18 - Half Day (Dismissal 12:12)
1/19 - Half Day (Dismissal 12:12)
1/24 - Late Start (10:10)
1/26- Bagel and Tie Dye Day
1/31 - Marco’s Pizza Night
Gretchko Contact Information
Website: https://www.wbsd.org/gretchko-elementary-school-home
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.