Family Newsletter

January 16: Half Day - All Levels
January 17: Half Day - All Levels
January 20: MLK Jr. Day - No School
January 22: Late Start (School begins at 10:10am)

Hello Laker Nation!

It has been so nice having our Gretchko Lakers back in school this week. We've spent time reconnecting, reviewing school rules, having plenty of fun, and braving the cold. We kicked off this week with our read-a-thon. Students across the building read for 60 minutes and earned their first raffle ticket for our winter reading challenge. Students who read an additional 60 minutes before Monday will earn another ticket for our drawing at the end of the month! Please help support our reading challenge by reading to or with your child at home.

We are so grateful to have had West Bloomfield High School partner with us to bring highschool students to our classrooms yesterday to read aloud to our Gretchko kiddos. We had readers in every classroom, and it was a wonderful opportunity for our youngest Lakers to make connections to our oldest Lakers!

Next Monday we will be launching our Best Self initiative, which is tired to our RULER curriculum. Everyday kids are encouraged to be their ‘best selves’ by being active listeners, brave, respectful, honest, and kind. Students that show the above attributes will earn a medal to wear for the day! Each day a learner is chosen to wear the medal at school, then they pass it to someone that they see also being their ‘best self!’

Finally, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Gretchko is collecting Oatmeal packets and chicken-flavored ramen noodles to support Fueling Kids’ Futures. Collection boxes are outside each classroom. See the flyer below for details on our MLK Day activities. I hope to see many Gretchko families at West Bloomfield Middle School on Sunday, January 19th from 2-4pm!

Warmly,

Jen Teal

Principal

Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar

“Music is the heart of our story,” says Momma to young Rosetta, surprising her with her first guitar. Rosetta’s strums sound like ker-plunks. But with practice and determination, she makes music, fingers hopping “like corn in a kettle,” notes pouring over the church crowd “like summer rain washing the dust off a new day.”

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. ROCKIN CROC winners for January 10, 2025 are: Melody Young, Mila Katzaman, Landen McElwee, Kamora Johnson, Cillian Fialon, Rebecca Simerl, Kenahdi Jacob, Walter Smith, Daniel Nikolov, Bethany Robel, Finley Voss, Zelda Brown, Adonis Fowler, Nalaya Jackson, Kai Croskey, and Karter Powell.

Starting next week, we will be sending letters home for students with a high number of tardies or early pick-ups, in addition to our absence letters. It is so important for student success that students are here for the full school day. This means students need to be in class and ready to learn by 9:10am. Our goal is to help eliminate any barriers you may have to getting your student here on time or avoiding early pickups. Thank you for your partnership!

With the new year under way, we are looking to grow our Watch DOG (Dads of Great Students) volunteer pool. Are you a father or father figure of a Gretchko student? Do you have an hour, a half day, or a whole day when you could come help out? Please consider signing up for a time at the link below. We'll provide you with all the details you need to know!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E094DA4AF2EA2FA7-54238676-february

Welcome back Gretchko Families!!!!!

Important Dates to Note:

1-22 Marco's Pizza Night and Blizzard Orders Due

1-24 Bagel Day and Spirit Day- Wear Tie Dye

1-29 PTO Meeting @7pm in the iCenter

1-31 Blizzard Day* (changed from 1-10)

2-4 Rolladium Night 6:30-8:30pm

2-14 Bagel Day

2-21 Blizzard Day

2-26 Marco's Pizza Night

2-26 PTO Meeting @7pm in the iCenter

Ongoing Fundraisers: Box Tops, Kroger Rewards and Mabel's Labels

Spirit Wear: https://1stplacespiritwear.com/schools/MI/West%20Bloomfield/Gretchko+Elementary+School?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0_NzSqjOLl_KW2VIxb_9Fx8So_CrQDgQ_oXaHkrUGZWK2jHG57q6VDRlk_aem_Yzhaff9irXZf9J1xpv5DBA

Volunteers needed:

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

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

• Jan 13: Lohri Maghi (North Indian Festival)

• Jan 13: Korean American Day

• Jan 14: Makar Sankrati (Hindu Festival)

• Jan 14: Mahayana New Year (Mahayana Buddhist holiday)

• Jan 20: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day

• Jan 26-27: Lailat Al Miraj (Muslim Holiday)

• Jan 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day

• Jan 29: Lunar New Year

After the Bell Programs (meet after the final bell at Gretchko Elementary School)

Sunset Theatre Wicked Wiz of OZ
Mondays 4:02-5:30 p.m. Pick up info will be emailed
1st-5th Graders dance, sing, and act!
For more information and to register, click here. Be sure to click on Gretchko Elementary, Drawing is offered at multiple locations.

Drawing in the Art Room for K-5th Grades
Tuesdays 4:02 - 5:02 p.m. Pick up at Main Doors
1/14-2/4 and/or 2/25-3/18
All skill levels welcome, each class will have a new lesson.
Maximum number of kids in class is 12. All supplies are included.
For more information and to register, click here. Be sure to click on Gretchko Elementary, Drawing is offered at multiple locations.

W is for Winter (one day only class)

All Grades, Winter Crafts & Snacks with Teacher Mrs. Monica Hammerick
Monday, January 27

4-5:15 p.m. Pick up at Main Doors
All supplies are included.
Register here, it is sure to sell out! Be sure to click on Gretchko Elementary, W for Winter is offered at multiple locations.

For Community Education questions, contact: andrea.frank@wbsd.org

Attention 1st - 3rd Grade Parents

FIRST Lego League EXPLORE makes learning STEM and coding skills fun! All skill levels are welcome!

STUDENT SEASON THEME: Using creative thinking and LEGO technology to explore the layers of the ocean as they “sea” into the future.

Click here to view the SUBMERGED 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 late Jan/early February
• Ten meetings total, plus the LakerBot Event (Showcase Event in April, date TBD).
• One 90 minute in-person meeting per week at Doherty, Gretchko, Sheiko, and Scotch directly after school
• Each school will have 1 "Teacher Leader" as a facilitator, however, we will need 1-2 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.

STAY TUNED FOR REGISTRATION INFO. Email andrea.frank@wbsd.org for questions.

The WBSD 3-year-old program is tuition based. Call or visit the website for information on the two preschool options available through West Bloomfield Preschool Academy.

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.