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Gretchko Newsletter
November 10, 2023
Principal's Update
Hello Team WB!
Thank you so much for your positivity, understanding and patience as we managed the power outage Wednesday afternoon right at dismissal time. Although the end of the day was very busy, our students and staff handled the disruption with confidence, and our students were delivered home safely with just a slight delay. We would like to thank you for continuing to keep your phone numbers and emergency information up to date on Powerschool. Whenever an emergency arises, we rely on the information available through Powerschool to contact parents.
Today, a few Gretchko staff members delivered our food drive donations to Lighthouse of Oakland County. We are THRILLED to share that our school community donated 1,607lbs of food. This is enough to provide over 1,000 meals! Or, put in another way, it is enough to feed a 4-person family for more than a year! Thank you for your incredible generosity in providing food for our greater community.
We are very happy to announce our full school trip to WBHS to see James and The Giant Peach on December 4th. Our students will ride a WB school bus to the high school, see the live presentation of James and the Giant Peach performed by high school students. They will return to school by lunchtime and continue their normal school day. Gretchko grownups are invited to join us at the HS and will be seated behind our school. (Please see flyer below). This is a PTO sponsored event!
We hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Warmly,
Jen Teal, Principal
Featured Book
Binny’s Diwali by Thrity Umrigar
Binny is excited but also nervous to talk to her class about Diwali, her favourite holiday. Taking a deep breath, she tells her classmates about the fireworks that burst like stars in the night sky, leaving streaks of gold and red and green. She shares with them delicious pedas and jalebis. And she shows them clay lamps (diyas) which look so pretty that all the children ooh and aah. With enchanting illustrations, Binny’s Diwali teaches little readers about the Hindu festival of lights.
Star Slip Winners
Congratulations to the following students whose names were drawn for the week of November 10. Ava Beydoun, Luca Rozycki, Xavier Rochowiak, Lydia Tseeng, Emily Kagel, Grayson Starling, Sarah Smith, Caiden Brown, Lawrence Karmo, Addilyn Angott, Liam Arghavani, Matthew Ketty, Scarlett Doerscher, Sarah Cauley, Vera Monson, and Dominic Mansour.
1st Graders Learn About Veteran's Day
West Bloomfield Education Foundation Grants
On Tuesday, October 24 the West Bloomfield Education Foundation reviewed 88 grant applications from staff across the WB district. The WBEF Grant Committee has selected 57 (fifty-seven) proposals to be funded in the 2023-2024 school year totaling $33,331. For more information on WBEF, click here. Tickets are on sale for the WBEF Casino Night on Friday, February 2, 2024. We are very excited to announce that our Gretchko Star Staff received a total of 15 grants to enhance education at Gretchko. Thank you parents and friends of education for your continuing your support and providing these grant opportunities.
Fall Conferences
Next week, we will be holding our fall conferences. It is our hope that all families will sign up for a conference with their child's teacher(s), as our partnership with you is incredibly important to us. Conferences will take place as follows, by appointment only. Below, please click below to find teachers' links to sign up for conferences.
Tuesday, Nov 14 4:30pm-8:30pm ONLINE
Friday, Nov 17 1:00pm-4:00pm IN PERSON/ONLINE (Please check your teacher's sign up carefully to see if your conference is in person or online)
News from the Gym
Welcome to PE class!
The last couple of weeks our students have focused on Throwing and Catching. Our goal is to improve our technique, accuracy, and catching success. We worked through the proper steps to an overhand and underhand throw as well as tips for catching with our hands. We accomplished this through activities like corn hole, target practice, playing catch, aliens vs. astronauts, and even a little dodgeball!
Zachary Cohen, PE Teacher
ICenter News
Save the date for our fall BOOK FAIR!!! We are so excited for our readers to build their home libraries with some wonderful new books this fall! Students will shop in school during their iCenter class November 28-December 7! More information coming home soon!
Mrs. Smith's Students Say Thank You
Mrs. Smith’s class wanted to showed their gratitude to the WBTPL for the amazing field trip last week. Together they collaborated and wrote a letter thanking the staff for all they learned and for the 100 Books to Read in Kindergarten program! They can’t wait to go back and visit the library after they read all 100 books!
Art to Remember
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:
Whole School Field Trip to WBHS
Why is This Important?
Within our multicultural calendar, we recognize and honor a wide array of holidays and observances from various parts of the world, including those with religious or faith-based significance. These insights and highlights in our newsletters are not just symbolic; they represent the entirety of the West Bloomfield School District, reflecting the shared humanity of West Bloomfield residents and people across the world.
As stewards of our own learning and as a service to humanity, I encourage you to delve into these resources, gaining a more profound understanding, and sharing this knowledge to promote awareness and mutual respect.
Monthly
- National Native American Heritage Month
- Movember
- Child Safety and Prevention Month
- Prematurity Awareness Month
- National Child Mental Health Month
- National Diabetes Awareness Month
- National Education/ Scholarship Month
- National Epilepsy Awareness Month
- National Family Caregivers Month
- National Family Literacy Month
Weekly:
- November 1-7 – World Communication Week
- November 12-18 – World Kindness Week
- November 13-17 – American Education Week
- November 19-25 – International Restorative Justice Week
Daily in November
1-2 – All Saints’ Day
1 – Autistic Speaking Day
1 – International Stress Awareness Day
9 – World Freedom Day
9 – World Adoption Day
11 – Veteran’s Day
12 – Diwali
13 – World Kindness Day
16 – International Day for Tolerance
16 – Dutch American Heritage Day
19 – International Men’s Day: a day uplifting the positive value men bring to the world, their families, and their respective communities
20 – Transgender Day of Remembrance
20 – World Children’s Day
23 – Thanksgiving
24 – Native American Heritage Day
27 – Jain New Year
26- Baha’i
28 – Giving Tuesday
29 – Women Wednesday
An Introduction to Robotics
United We Walk Contest
PTO News and Events
November Lunch Menu
Yearbook Ordering
District Health Policies
It remains the District’s goal to keep our students and staff as healthy as possible. Please see the attached link for the sick policy.
Gretchko Calendar -Newly revised edition 11/5/23
November
11/14 - Conferences
11/15 - Marco’s Pizza Night
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
12/1 - Movie Night 6:00 - 8:00
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
January
1/ 4 - Gretchko at Kalahari
1/ 8 - School Back in Session
1/10 - Late Start (10:10)
1/15 - MLK Jr. Day - No School
1/17 - Global Equity Team Meeting at 8:00 am
1/18 - Half Day (Dismissal 12:12)
1/19 - Half Day (Dismissal 12:12)
1/24 - Late Start (10:10)
1/26- Bagel and Tie Dye Day
1/31 - Marco’s Pizza Night
January
1/ 4 - Gretchko at Kalahari
1/ 8 - School Back in Session
1/10 - Late Start (10:10)
1/15 - MLK Jr. Day - No School
1/17 - Global Equity Team Meeting at 8:00 am
1/18 - Half Day (Dismissal 12:12)
1/19 - Half Day (Dismissal 12:12)
1/24 - Late Start (10:10)
1/26- Bagel and Tie Dye Day
1/31 - Marco’s Pizza Night
Technology Assistance Links
- Help with Canvas
- Help with Chromebook: www.wbsd.org/departments/technology
- Help with PowerSchool: www.wbsd.org/parents/powerschool
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.