Family Newsletter

Hello Laker Nation!

We had so much fun celebrating World Kindness Day and Ruby Bridges Day this week. One of the activities students participated in was making links for a school-wide paper chain of kindness that we have now hung up in the cafeteria! Students enjoyed reading books about kindness and Ruby Bridges as well.

Next week is parent-teacher conferences. Please be sure to sign up for a conference using the link below. We look forward to seeing you in person or virtually to discuss your child's progress!

Beginning Monday, we are going to have a small construction project starting on the South-East side of the building as we remove the old playground equipment and prepare for the outdoor learning space that will eventually take its place. Unfortunately this means that for a week to 10 days, the preschool parking lot will not be available. Preschool families will need to find a parking spot around the building and walk their students to and from the preschool classroom. Thank you for your understanding.

I am very excited to share that this year, Gretchko students will be participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee! Students came home today with a letter in their backpacks explaining the process (click here to see it digitally), and on the back of the letter there is the word list for your child's grade level. We are excited to help students get pumped about spelling! The top 5th grade speller will advance to the next level of competition in the spring.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Jen Teal

Principal

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 we have been handing out many Rockin' Croc tickets. A copy of the ticket goes home so you can celebrate with your student as well, and the other half is entered into our Friday drawing. This week's winners are: Jesany Rosario, Giovana Burch, Taylor Perry, Kane Lauinger, Fizzy Jose, Ben Mattox, Peter Barber, Quinlynn Gandy, Owen Williams, London Habba, James Hanna, Iris Dailey, Reagan Lubaway, Yeily Delgado Vela, Jacob Simms, and Aram Akkashian.

Below, you will find the link to sign up for parent-teacher conferences. Conferences are such an important opportunity for you to connect with your child's teacher(s), and we hope you can join us.

Gretchko artists have been continuing to utilize their creative thought processes as we explored new watercolor painting techniques, construction paper projects and designing Marco's pizza boxes! In STEAM we are learning about coding, programming and algorithms through the use of different unplugged activities and exploring coding sequences on Scratch Jr.

Diabetes Awareness Month

National Native American, American Indian, and Alaskan Heritage Month

• October 31 - November 1 - All Saints Day/All Souls Day/Día de los Muertos

• Nov 1 - National Stress Awareness Day

• Nov 1 – Diwali (Hinduism)

• Nov 11 - Veterans Day / Armistice Day

• Nov 13 - World Kindness Day

• Nov 16 - National Day for Tolerance

• Nov 20 – Transgender Day of Remembrance (LBGTQ+)

• Nov 28 - Thanksgiving

Happy Friday Lakers!

Support our Staff during Conferences: Gretchko PTO: Conference Night Grab and Go Snacks (signupgenius.com) The PTO will be providing them dinner on the 19th, but we wanted them to have some quick grab and go options for their half day too!

Volunteers needed:

• Mileage Club needs you! The more days we have volunteers- the more we can offer it to the kiddos! Mileage Club: Gretchko Mileage Club (signupgenius.com)
• The teachers' rescue team, aka Buoy Crew, needs your help! Join the fun, sign up for a shift, and give some love back to those amazing educators who adore our mini-mes, K-2 mornings, 3-5 afternoons - simple, yet epic! https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0D4FA4A922A6FDC70-51534931-buoy

Gretchko PTO is looking for a treasurer!

Treasurer Job Description:

- Custodian of all organization funds with the authority to disburse funds on behalf of the PTO.

-Provide written financial reports for approval.

-Prepare a year-end financial report, and any necessary federal tax forms.

-Responsible for an official audit of the Treasurer’s books by July 31.

-With the President and Principal, develop a budget to meet the objectives of the PTO. This budget must be presented and approved by the PTO membership at large.

-Secure bond insurance for the organization annually.

Please fill out the attached form by Sunday if you are interested.

Gretchko PTO Treasurer Candidate (google.com)

As you may know, we have a few other fundraiser opportunities:

• TRUE Martial Arts is offering a special to check them out and procedds come back to the school! Gretchko Elementary PTO Fundraiser (sparkpages.io)

• Kalahari is back at Gretchko!! Sunday, December 22, 2024 https://book.passkey.com/e/50898196

• We have partnered with West Bloomfield Fit Body Boot Camp who is helping us raise money for Gretchko Elementary. West Bloomfield Fit Body Boot Camp will be running a special 28- day program for Gretchko parents and grandparents only! You can start anytime between Nov 4-Jan 31st.The cost of this program is normally $160 but all Gretchko parents and grandparents can register at a reduced rate of $125! Buy your 28-Day Program before the sale is up on November 30th. West Bloomfield Fit Body Boot Camp is donating 80% of all proceeds back to Gretchko Elementary AND helping our community be healthier! This IS NOT a military-style boot camp, so don’t let the name fool you. They are an indoor group fitness program, helping hundreds of local community members transform their lives. This fundraiser has limited spots available, and registration for their program is going to start this Monday, November 4, 2024 at 8am. We’re excited to help provide greater educational opportunities for our students, and look forward to your support! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

We are always here for you via ( https://facebook.com/groups/gretchkopto/ ) and subscribe to our linktree Gretchko Elementary PTO | Facebook | Linktree or email pto.gretchko@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Your Gretchko PTO

Please consider joining our Watch D.O.G.S. male parent volunteer group. We really appreciate our volunteers! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E094DA4AF2EA2FA7-52936010-december

If you have time to spare on a Wednesday during the school day OR at home throughout the week, sign up HERE.

We're a team of parent volunteers who are ready to tackle the time consuming jobs that bog down our wonderful teachers! From copies to display boards to anything in between, we're here to fill in the gaps! We'll have 3 groups, 9-12 for our K-2 teachers, 1-4 for our 3-5 teachers & a special 'take home team' who will be managing projects from the comfort of home for anyone who can't make it in during the school day!

Nov 19 and 22 - Parent-Teacher Conferences by appointment

Nov 22 - Half Day for Students, Dismissal at 12:12pm

Nov 27-29 - NO SCHOOL for Thanksgiving Break

Dec 6 - Blizzard Day at Lunch

Dec 11 - Late Start (10:10am, doors open for students at 9:55am)

Dec 13 - Bagel Day

Dec 16-20 - Spirit Week (Details to come) and Classroom Spelling Bees

Dec 23-Jan 3 - NO SCHOOL for winter break

Jan 8 - Late Start (10:10am, doors open for students at 9:55am)

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.

Phone:

• Main Office Phone: (248)865-6570
• SAFELINE to report absences: (248) 865-6572. This is a 24 hour answering machine.