Gretchko Newsletter
September 22, 2023
Reminder: No School Monday, September 25, 2023
Principal's Update
Hello Team WB!
We had a BLAST today at FunD Run! All of our Gretchko Stars did such a great job running around the track. A big shout-out to our FunD Run co-chairs Kayla Herzog and Britni Rosemeyer as well as all of the Gretchko grownups who volunteered and/or came to cheer us on today! As a reminder, this is our main fundraiser for all of the amazing opportunities PTO supports throughout the year. This includes assemblies, Kindergarten books, our recently-purchased yoga mats, Spooktacular, and so much more. Thank you for whatever you are able to donate!
Next Friday is our first Bagel Day. Families can send their child in with the newly-available bagel punch card or $2 in case to enjoy a bagel in the morning.
And looking a bit further ahead, I wanted to let you know that October 4th is our count day. This is one of the two days each year that the state uses to directly determine our funding! Please make sure that you do not schedule any appointments for your child on this day if at all possible. Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Warmly,
Jen Teal, Principal
Featured Book
Across the Bay by Carlos Aponte
Carlitos lives in a happy home with his mother, his abuela, and Coco the cat. Life in his hometown is cozy as can be, but the call of the capital city pulls Carlitos across the bay in search of his father. Jolly piragüeros, mischievous cats, and costumed musicians color this tale of love, family, and the true meaning of home.
Star Slip Winners
Morgan Cronk, Rahje Ford, Ria Gupte, Laney Sproat, Nolan Hendrix, Tyson Fedrick, Raya Alkhafaji, Brooks Waryszak, Katarina Duvnjak, David Gaines, Natalie Appling, Camden Manning, Drew Baker, McKinley Wilbur, Judith Dickinson,and Harper Kincaid. We are very proud of all of our good citizens and look forward to next week's drawing and super draw. Once a month we have a second chance drawing and all of the month's entries are entered into the drawing. The winners (1 each grade) of the monthly drawing will have an opportunity to have a special activity with the principal. Good luck to all of our good citizens for next week's monthly super drawing!
Art Room News
We had a great start to the school year! The first and second graders made a community mural of their self portraits and decorated the frames. Kindergarten practiced making different kinds of lines to use in their next art projects. We are also just finishing up artwork for a school fundraiser. Please stay tuned for information in an upcoming newsletter.
Global Equity Team
We had a great kick-off meeting for our Global Equity Team on September 13th from 8:00-8:45am. We engaged in continued learning together around neurodiversity. All staff and Gretchko grownups are welcome to attend. Our next meeting is October 18th from 8:00-8:45am in our iCenter.
G.E.T. exists to build a community that supports a restorative culture through relationships and educational equity for all. The three main focus points of the Global Equity Team are student outreach, culture and climate, and training and development.
Who will we be as a team?
We are students, caregivers, staff; and anyone who is part of the West Bloomfield community! Anyone who is passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion, and social-emotional health and well-being can join our G.E.T. Each building has two slots for partnership at this time.
What kind of work might G.E.T. be involved in?
Continued learning around equity topics
Shared articles, learning, and discussion around various topics relevant to our school and district
Examining school materials with an equity lens
Development of language protocols on school documents
Reviewing and updating school policies and practices through an equity lens
Sharing classroom practices that lift up equity work
Discussion of concerns that arise around equity within a building
Elevating student's voice
Our next meeting will be held on Oct 18, 2023.
ICenter Update
This week in the iCenter readers learned where to locate various genres…picture books, easy readers, series chapter, graphic novels and traditional literature. Students will continue to bring home library books every week. Students always have the choice of what book topic and format they would like to checkout. Then they have the opportunity to participate in iChoice time where they are engaged in a variety of literacy activities. Thank your for treating our library book respectfully and responsibly.
District Wide Free Meal Information
For the 2023-24 school year, the State of Michigan created the Michigan School Meals Program allowing all students to receive one free breakfast and lunch meal daily at school, no matter their free/reduced meal status. However, filling out a free/reduced meal form is very important to families who are eligible and for the District to receive funding.
Family Benefits for Qualifying for Free/Reduced Meals
When families qualify for free/reduced price meals, students may be eligible for the following benefits:
Reduced Summer School fees
Reduced field trip fees with request
Reduced SAT, ACT and AP testing fees
Reduced college application fees
Potential additional benefits for Bridge Cards/P-EBT
Potential support for household cable/internet
Potential programs that provide holiday support
West Bloomfield School District Benefits for Qualifying Free/Reduced Meal Families
Did you know the federal government uses the number of free/reduced meal eligible students to determine how much money the district receives in grant funding?
West Bloomfield School District becomes eligible for Federal funds (Title I) when qualifying families fill out their free/reduced meal applications. If families do not fill out their forms, the District is at risk of losing funding for staff who provide critical services to our students.
Visit the application page to view the complete the application today!
À La Carte Items
Students are welcome to bring meals from home and purchase à la carte items as needed (including milk, second meals, bottled beverages and snack items).
Community Education Offerings
Attendance
West Bloomfield School District expects students to be in school and on time for school on a daily basis. Our school day starts at 9:10am and ends at 4:02pm. Absent and tardy students will be recorded daily and parents will be notified.
- If your child will not be in school or will be late to school, you must call the 24-hour answering machine at 248-865-6572. Leave your student’s name, teacher’s name and reason for absence. For the safety of our students, please do your best to remember to call before the start of school.
- To excuse a health-related absence from the county-counted total, please provide the main office with a note from the medical facility your child visited.
- Students arriving after 10:15 a.m. will be marked absent for the full morning. If a student is picked up before 3:00 p.m. they will be marked absent for the full afternoon.
Math Is Fun!
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:
Trivia Night November 2, 2023
Gretchko PTO Calendar
September
9/25 - No School
9/27 - Marco’s Pizza Night
9/29- Bagel Day and Gretchko Spirit Wear Day
October
10/4 -Oakland County - Student Count Day
10/10 - PTO General Meeting at 7:00
10/11 - Late Start (10:10)
10/25 - Late Start (10:10)
- Marco’s Pizza Night
10/27- Spooktacular 5:00-7:00 pm
10/27- Bagel Day and Hat Day
November
11/3- Fall Parties (during school)
11/7 - No School
11/8 - PTO General Meeting at 7:00 pm
11/13 - 11/16 - Marco’s Pizza Box Week
11/14 - Conferences
11/17- Half Day of School (Dismissal 12:12)
- Bagel Day and Favorite Sports Team Day
11/22-11/26 - Thanksgiving Break
11/29 - Late Start (10:10)
December
12/13 - Late Start (10:10)
12/15 - Bagel Day and Crazy Hair Day
12/20 - Marco’s Pizza Night
12/23-1/7 - Winter Break
*All dates are subject to change*
Gretchko Spirit Wear Now Available Online!
Does your child (or you) need some more Gretchko spirit wear? Now you can order online at https://gretchko-pto.square.site/
Gretchko Contact Information
Website: https://www.wbsd.org/gretchko-elementary-school-home
Location: 5300 Greer Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, USA
Phone:
- Main Office Phone: (248)865-6570
- SAFELINE to report absences: (248) 865-6572. This is a 24 hour answering machine.