Gretchko Newsletter

October 27, 2023

Principal's Update

Hello Team WB!

As I type this, I am looking forward to our Spooktacular this evening, an event that brings our community together for costumes, games, dancing, and more. Thank you to our PTO for hosting this annual event and for all of our families who are able to join us. I know it will be a wonderful evening!

Last week, I shared that we had participated in Safety Week. One of the drills that may be new to some of our families, especially those with kindergarteners, is our lockdown drills. We do our best to prepare students for these drills in much the same way we do for fire drills, helping kiddos to know that we practice what to do in emergencies because practice makes perfect. While we cannot share the specifics of what our processes look like for safety reasons, I did want to share this article that you might find helpful in talking to your child/children about emergency drills.

As you may have seen in my email earlier this week, our fall NWEA assessments are now completed. Students took part in the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment this fall. Family Reports will be coming home in backpack mail with students on or before Friday, November 3rd.

We are excited to share that we will be participating in the Lighthouse of Oakland County Thanksgiving Food Drive. Please see the flyer below for designated items for each class. As always, items are suggestions, but food items from anywhere on the list would be appreciated. We will be collecting food items beginning through Friday, November 3. On November 3rd we will be having a full school pajama day ($1.00 donations accepted) along with our scheduled fall classroom parties. This special school-wide pajama day is to help celebrate the final day of our food drive and to raise funds for turkeys to be purchased by the Lighthouse of Oakland County.

Finally, we are excited to welcome families in for our November 3rd PTO-sponsored fall class parties. We would love to have you join us. Times are as follows, with more information to follow from classroom teachers. As a reminder, NO Halloween costumes are allowed for this event.

12:30-1:15 2nd grade
1:15-2:00 1st grade
2:15-3:00 Kindergarten

We hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

Jen Teal, Principal

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Featured Book

Lakas and the Manilatown Fish by Anthony D. Robles

Can a fish talk? Can it jump and play and run -- especially run -- just like a small boy? When Lakas and his dad go shopping, they meet a very special fish that can do all these things and more! But this fish won't stay put in its fish tank. Once it leaps out, a cast of unusual Manilatown characters chases it down Kearny Street and all the way to San Francisco Bay. Hoy, hoy! Will Lakas and his friends ever catch this sly and charming fish? Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown is the first-ever bilingual English-Tagalog story set in the U.S., reflecting the historical heart of the Filipino community.

Star Slip Winners

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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 October 27. Jaina Benjamin, Peter Barber, Henry Purrington, Riley Sangster, Armani Usoro, Connor Kozemchick, Ariah Reed, Julien Van Hoeck, Corey Scott, Se’rayah Blanding, Eli Gutin, Victoria Jenkins, James Hanna, Brielle Horn, Stevie Peterson, Joey Baydoun, and Carson McKenna Also pictured from last week's winners, Macey Reynolds

Why Reading With and To Your Child is Important

Art Workshop

This week Gretchko students participated in Art Workshop during class time. This day is a break from our regular class and happens 4 times per year. Art workshop provides kids with imaginative play and fine motor experience. They paint on easels, make crafts, use modeling clay, draw toys , and make villages with roads, etc. We also had a pizza parlour, pumpkin town and farm play stations.

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November Menu

Help Kids Balance Their Media Lives

WBSD - Trivia Night - November 3, 2023

October is AAC Awareness Month!

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AAC stands for Augmentative or Alternative Communication. AAC is all of the ways that someone communicates besides talking. At Gretchko, we have core boards in our classrooms and on the playground. Core words are defined as the 50-100 words that make up the majority of everything we say. Core vocabulary is beneficial for all students. School staff will be modeling the use of core vocabulary throughout the building. Some students at Gretchko use speech-generating communication devices due to difficulty with verbal communication. Research shows that core vocabulary enhances expressive language, improves comprehension, motivates learners, and improves relationships.

Check out the Communication Bill of Rights.

Math Is Fun!

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Our students use a math curriculum called Bridges. Each month, we will send you resources in our newsletter to let you know what unit the students are working on as well as to give you ideas on how to extend your child's math learning at home. For the month of September, the resources are as follows: