Family Newsletter

Hello Laker Nation!

I'd like to begin by thanking you for your generous donations to our Thanksgiving food drive. Gretchko collected 250lbs of food for the Lighthouse Thanksgiving Drive as well as money towards turkeys! Thank you for your kindness.

This past week, several of our Gretchko teachers learned that they are grant winners from the West Bloomfield Education Association. Jessica Geottes, Stephanie Donnay, Tina Metz , Randi Fogel, Jackie Pace, Brittney Williams, Liz Costello, and I received funds from the WBEF to support projects throughout the building. Thank you, WBEF, for your support!

Next week, we will be recognizing Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Thursday, November 14th to honor the civil rights activist Ruby Bridges and to promote dialogue about activism, anti-racism, and anti-bullying. As you are able, join us in walking your kiddos to school on November 14th. Additionally, we'll all be wearing purple (even just a purple ribbon!) to represent peace!

Below, you will find the link to sign up for parent-teacher conferences, which your classroom teacher also sent home earlier this week. Conferences are such an important opportunity for you to connect with your child's teacher(s), and we hope you can join us. Additionally, next week, your child's report card will be emailed home for you to review.

Finally, next week is a fun tradition called Marco's box week. All Gretchko students have decorated a pizza box in art class this week. Next week, you can order pizza from Marco's Nov 11-14 and get your pizza in your child's decorated box! See more details under PTO updates below.

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: Mila Mershman, Quintin Manning, Galimar Gonzalez, Amir Cottingham, Taniyah Solomon, Aubrey Jobin, Xander Silver, Victoria Korchash, Kingsley White Beck, Milan Sowell, Isaiah Jefferson, Jadiel Ascencio-Sanchez, Adelynne Vasquez, Shelby Hardin, Raidyn Boss, and Antonio Paletta.

In Mrs.Geottes/Mrs. Kirk's third grade class, we have been practicing rhythm with classroom instruments (maracas, hand drums, woodblocks, and more!). Also, we have been singing two fall songs, "Autumn Leaf" and the "Turkey Tango."

In Ms. Tracz's kindergarten class, we also have been exploring classroom instruments including Boomwhackers! One of our many songs we have been singing and moving to is "Shoo Turkey". We have been learning about echo songs and call/response songs.

We have been reinforcing music concepts through singing, playing instruments and participating in musical games. We explored vocal techniques through the use of fun fall and Halloween sounds and used sound effects to help tell musical stories last month.

Happy Friday Gretchko Lakers!

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

We hope to see you at our next meeting. Wednesday, November 13th at 7pm in the iCenter. Child care is provided.

Marco’s Box Week is here!!! Starting Monday Nov 11th through Thursday Nov 14th your family can order pizza from Marco’s Pizza on Cooley Lake Rd and HAVE IT DELIVERED IN A PIZZA BOX DECORATED BY YOUR CHILD!

During art class your child has decorated a very special pizza box!! To get your child's special box, order your Marco’s Pizza by following the steps below!

The class with the most orders wins a pizza party!

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

• 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!

• Be courteous to your driver and other students.
• Observe same conduct as in the classroom.
• Do not use profanity.
• Do not eat or drink on the bus.
• Keep the bus clean.
• Cooperate with the driver.
• Do not smoke or vape.
• Do not be destructive.
• Stay in your seat.
• Students keep head, hands and feet inside the bus.
• The bus driver is authorized to assign seats.

• As posted on every bus: an unauthorized person attempting to board or boarding the school bus is subject to citation for a civil infraction and may be ordered to pay a civil fine of not more than $500.

Multiple positions are available working with students of all ages from preschool through post-secondary.

• Competitive pay and excellent benefits
• Four-day per week and five-day per week positions available
• Additional pay if you have a degree (associate's degree or higher)

Support children who need caring adults!

Contact:

Eric Whitney at West Bloomfield School District

5810 Commerce Road

West Bloomfield, MI 48324

Phone: (248) 865-6426

WBSD Community Education offers an array of enrichment and recreation classes. For more information and online registration, click here. Use the search feature to type in the program.
Stay tuned for Math Pentathlon, FIRST Lego League info, and more!

Fall elementary programming at Gretchko includes:

• Karate on Wednesdays starting 11/13 for 1st-5th

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.