Hello Laker Nation!
On this sunny Friday, we are wrapping up a wonderful week at Gretchko. We enjoyed having families here for Curriculum Night for those who could make it, and thank you to PTO for holding a warm and welcoming meeting afterwards. If you were not able to attend one or both, please see below for additional information. Classroom teachers will be sharing out their slideshows as well.
Earlier in the week, the Greater West Bloomfield Community Coalition sponsored an assembly for our 1st-5th grade students. Check out the article below about "Mr. Peace."
Next week, our NWEA testing window opens. Students will take this assessment to gauge their skills in literacy and math. We encourage students not to stress about this test. Our message is to simply get a good night's sleep the night before, enjoy breakfast at home or at school, and do your best! Grownups can see here for more information.
We are excited to share that our playground project is nearing completion. We have decided to have a ribbon cutting event on September 27th from 4:00-5:30pm, so mark your calendars! Families will be able to enjoy ALL of our new playgrounds and spend time building community together.
See below for additional upcoming events:
Tuesday, September 17th 6:30-8:30pm Rolladium Family Fun Night!
Wednesday, September 18, 9-10am: Volunteer Training Option 1
Thursday, September 19, 6-7pm: Volunteer Training Option 2
Friday, September 20, 5:00-6:30 WBHS Homecoming Parade!
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Jen Teal, Principal
Featured Book
Ana loves stories. She often makes them up to help her little brother fall asleep. But in her small village there are only a few books and she has read them all. One morning, Ana wakes up to the clip-clop of hooves, and there before her, is the most wonderful sight: a traveling library resting on the backs of two burros‑all the books a little girl could dream of, with enough stories to encourage her to create one of her own. Inspired by the heroic efforts of real-life librarian Luis Soriano, award-winning picture book creators Monica Brown and John Parra introduce readers to the mobile library that journeys over mountains and through valleys to bring literacy and culture to rural Colombia, and to the children who wait for the BiblioBurro.
Here at Gretchko, we love recognizing students who are following our classroom social contracts and demonstrating responsibility, respect, safety, and kindness. This week, we have been on the lookout for students who are setting a great example and have been handing out Rockin' Croc tickets. Half goes home so you can celebrate them as well, and the other half gets entered into our Friday drawing. This week's winners are: Shayenne Tabares Mora, Axel Gandy, Parker Thouin, Jackson Cockerill, Lucy Ghedotte, Mia Marcus, Armani Daniels, Brielle Horn, CJ Kimball, Ivana Djokic, Hank May, Blair Tarleton, Filip Djokic, Anneliese Stubblefield, Madison Samona, and Parker Starling.
Please see below for the Curriculum Night videos from Mrs. Teal and our specials team. Classroom teachers will be sending out their slideshows as well!
Mrs. Myers (or "Ms. E" as the kids call her) is our daytime lead custodian and has been at Gretchko for four years. She leads her team with dedication, organization, and warmth for our staff and students. Ms. E is always making sure that students have what they need and that our building is clean and safe. And to top it all off, she loves the kiddos and is a welcome, smiling face for them each and ever day. Next time you're in the building, make sure to say hello and thank her for all she does!
We were very lucky to have Mr. Peace, a National-Recognized Youth Motivational Speaker in our building this week. He spoke to our students about Bullying-Look At The Heart First. Ask your student about the program and see what they learned from Mr Peace. We give a special that you to the Greater West Bloomfield Community Coalition (www.gwbcoalition.org) and West Bloomfield Youth Assistance(www.wbyouthassistance.org) for sponsoring this special event.
Visit https://mrpeace-100971.square.site/ to see Mr. Peace’s promotional items that share his important messages and enjoy his video recap below.
Gretchko readers are practicing being good library citizens in our iCenter when they visit each week. We have the opportunity to participate in choice time where students are able to choose from a variety of learning activities. We are now ready to check out books from our iCenter! Please see the attached letter regarding our book checkout procedures and information. Thank you for helping your reader be responsible with their library books and encouraging them to return library books each week.
Monica Hammerick Icenter
Hello Gretchko Lakers,
Our first bagel day was today! Thank you to all the volunteers that help make Blizzard and Bagel days so successful- we appreciate you! Also, THANK YOU to those who donated for the teachers to have that extra boost for curriculum night! It was great to meet many of you last night at our first PTO meeting of the year. With your help and support, this school year is going to be amazing!
Next Tuesday, the 17th of September is our first Rolladium Night of the year, come roll with us!!! It is a lot of fun and a great way to see friends outside of school : ) $7 Admission includes regular skates, add $5 to upgrade to inline skates.
Mileage Club is an easy and fun way for kids to stay active during recess and earn charms. It is a Running/ walking club kids can choose to do at recess (no long-term commitment, they just run/walk when they want to!). There is no cost and you don't even need to register them. We take care of all the details! In order to run mileage club, we do need volunteers to come during recess hours and scan/record kids laps. Sign up here:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0D4BA5A82BA7FAC16-50968183-gretchko
2024 Gretchko Lakers Spirit wear can be purchased here: Gretchko spirit wear, West Bloomfield, MI, Lakers | 1st Place Spiritwear
Stay up to date at all times by following our Gretchko PTO 24/25 Private Facebook Group!
( https://facebook.com/groups/gretchkopto/ ) and subscribe to our linktree Gretchko Elementary PTO | Facebook | Linktree
Your Gretchko PTO,
Lindsay, Tiffany, Katie, Cassie and Allison
Our FunD Run is a school-wide fun fitness event that is also a fundraiser. The kids will be running on the track and can get tallies marked for their laps!
All Gretchko students participate in the event on September 27 during the school day and get a Gretchko T-shirt to wear, sponsored by Hersh Beattie Isenberg Orthodontics.
Families can come watch and cheer on the kids and even VOLUNTEER at the event:
Gretchko Volunteer Sign Up for Fund Run 2024.
Fund Run is the main fundraiser of our school to help fund the PTO’s educational enrichment operation throughout the year. Every donation helps! Please register and share on social media to support school field trips, assemblies, staff appreciation, and much more. Register your child for fundraising here!
Thank you,
Your Gretchko PTO and Fund Run Chairs (Jacob and Lindsay Steinbrecher)
WBSD has partnered with ParentGuidance.org to give parents free access to resources and helpful information. We have shared this information with our families. We hope that it will be useful for some of you as well!
ParentGuidance.org is an online service by licensed therapists that provides trusted and specialized courses, professional support, and a safe community for parents to learn how to support their children and get answers to mental health questions.
There are many community resources available to families in need. See the Oakland County Community Resource Guide, which includes resources about topics including Abuse & Protective Services; Food Pantries, Clothing & Household Support; Healthcare Services; Housing Assistance; and Parenting & Pregnancy Resources.
211 (United Way) offers resources/connections for family support as well. Parents/adults can call, text, or email. Here is the link to the 211 website, which is searchable by topic. Additionally, see these 211 flyers in English, Spanish, and Arabic.
Finally, here are some resources for Food Pantry/Supplies near WB/Oakland County.