November 13, 2015
Gretchko
Elementary
Technical Sergeant
Kenneth Williams visits
Ms. Volin's Kindergarten
class to celebrate
Veterans Day
November 18, PTO Meeting in Media at 7:00 p.m.
Great job Gretchko Stars!
5300 Greer Road
West Bloomfield, MI 48324
Please JOIN US—Second Grade Thanks-
We delivered over 300
cards made by Gretchko students to the Veterans Hospital in
Ann Arbor in time for Veteran's Day. This month our students
are making Thank You Cards for our local police and firemen. Our
Art for Other's program is off to a great start! Art for Others
is a community service program where students make cards for
others in our community every 4-6 weeks. We
would like to thank the PTO for purchasing the
card making materials including a stamp that
says Made For You By a Gretchko Star.
Gretchko Elementary School
giving Show on Monday, November 23 at 2:00 p.m.
FOOD DRIVE AT GRETCHKO
– Great News—several parents have asked us to extend our food drive. We have extended our food drive until
Wednesday, November
16. See the suggested list attached, although all nonperishable donations are accepted.
YEAH! Gretchko Field Trip—Please
mark your calendar. Gretchko students will visit West
Bloomfield High School on Tuesday, December 8th to
see the Play “James and the Giant Peach”. Gretchko
staff will be the chaperones. Students will board the
school bus at 9:20 a.m. and return approximately 12:00 noon. Permission
slips were sent home today. Field trip tickets and transportation cost is
$6.00 each student. If parents and siblings wish to see the play, parents may drive to the high school and watch the play at the same time
as Gretchko students. Tickets will be available at the door. Thank you
for returning your permission slip promptly.
CONFERENCES NEXT WEEK!-PTO is providing dinner for
teachers on Conference nights. They are looking for volunteers
to make pot luck items for dinner for Thursday, November 19.
If you are interested in donating items, please contact
Lindsay O’Malley at [email protected]
Thank you! Mrs. Sokoli! We would like to thanks Mrs.
Sokoli for all of the hard work creating our directory!
CONGRATULATIONS—Gretchko Star
recognition. The following star students were
drawn the week of November 6th. Stella Saxe, Anthony Pawlety, Olivia Berman, Helen Parrow, Dylan Saroki, Shay
Chismody, Angelina Asmar, Cameryn Donagrandi, Annelise Vilalta,
Davon Bass, Alexia Peysakhov, Katelyn Baggett, Dylan Strand.
JUNIOR LEGO LEAGUE TO START
Parents, pease
join us on December 3rd at 5:30 pm in room 17! Learn all about Junior Lego
League. If you have any questions, please email Amy Quinn [email protected]
GRETCHKO APPLE GRAMS Join the fun Share the
cheer. Apple Grams are an apple card that students/parents
can write a message on for a “special” someone. This is a way to
show kindness, appreciation or just a special message to anyone
at school or in your home. Surprise your child and/or help him/her surprise the special people in his/her life with an Apple Gram! The PTO is
selling Apple Grams 12 grams for $5 or 2 for $1.00. We would like to
thank Kroger for their generous donation of apples for our
Apple Gram Day. Each student will receive a free apple on
November 20th.
VERY IMPORTANT–Please
contact the school office
whenever there is a change in your student’s emergency,
health, or phone information. (248)865-6570.
Gretchko Staff Hard at Work -Did you know that each
year during the month of October our Gretchko staff participates in
several activities at school to raise money for breast cancer research?
Kudo’s to Patti Spencer, our Kids Klub spearheading this initiative. This
year our staff raised $500.00 for the American Cancer Society!
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Our first boxtop contest has just finished. Please continue to
cut boxtops, as we will have another contest
shortly. If you have questions or concerns
contact Julie Mellors at [email protected] For more information
about what to save, please visit their website
at www.boxtops4education.com.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
November 17—Parent teacher conferences—5:15—8:30
November 18—PTO meeting at 7:00 p.m.
November 19—Parent teacher conferences 5:15—8:30
Afterschool Classes—forming now! Community Education is
November 20—Apple Gram Delivery
registering students in K-2 for Skyhawks Basketball, Floor
Hockey and Kid’s Karate. Classes run for 5 or 6
weeks and start next week. Join the fun! Stop
by the school office to pick up a registration
sheet.
November 20—Spirit day—Bagel sale—Fun with accessories
Gretchko PTO for 2015 – 2016
Katie Palazzolo, President –[email protected]
Kim Randall, [email protected]
Jennifer Amato, Treasurer – [email protected]
Lisa Swikowski, Corresponding Secretary – [email protected]
Kelly Denawetz, Boad Advisor – [email protected]
Lindsay O'Malley, Recording Secretary – [email protected]
Gretchko Art teacher looking for
helpers—Trish Takata our art teacher has several won-
derful projects planned for our students this year. She
needs volunteers for extra hands to help students with projects in the classroom, cut materials, thread needles, sort
and count items at home. If you are able to donate some
time please e-mail [email protected] She could also use
baby food jars, small plastic containers with tops and
full rolls of paper towels.
Hydroponics lab—You can follow us on facebook at
www.facebook.com/gretchkoelementaryhydroponicsgarden and
watch our plants in progress. The following classes have plants
growing in the lab right now: Mrs. Burke, Mrs. Costello, Mrs.
Hammerick, Ms. Mintz, Mrs. Pawlaczyk, Mrs Quinn/Geottes,
Mrs Reed, Ms. Tschirhart. We ae looking for additional parent
helpers especially kindergarten and first grade. It takes a lot of
“experts” to make this project a success. If you are interested in helping,
please contact the school office at 248-865-6570. or contact Danna Scigaj
at [email protected]
November 20—Apple Gram Delivery
November 23—2nd Grade Thanksgiving Show—2:00
November 25—27– Thanksgiving recess—NO school
December—NO PTO MEETING THIS MONTH
December 3—Parent Jr. Lego Parent Meeting 5:30 p.m.
December 8—Gretchko goes to WBHS to see
“James and the Giant Peach”
December 16—Gretchko Diversity evening 5—7 p.m.
December 18—Spirit Day/Bagel Day
Holiday Dress up day
Gretchko’s Next Green Project! Please send
in your dried up markers and we will send them to
Crayola to recycle them through their Colorcycle program. Each classroom has their own box made by
their recycling club members to collect dried up
markers.
Community Education Department
is LOOKING for: A few people to join our
staff in our school-age programs. If you enjoy
playing, helping with homework, or socializing
with elementary or middle school students we
may have the perfect position for you. We are
also looking for people who are able to substitute
in our early childhood classrooms. If you would
like to sub once in a while in one of our early
childhood classrooms or work in our school-age
programs, please contact Debbie Kshiminskiy
at 248-865-6457 to inquire about either of
these positions. We look forward to hearing
from you.
GIRL SCOUTS/BROWNIES/DAISIES—
Girl
Scout Brownies and Daisies every other Thursday at the end of
school until 5:30. If interested in joining please contact—
Nashana Whittington at 248-345-5644. [email protected].
KIDS IN CHARGE – Volunteers are needed for the Kids In Charge Program. If interested contact Joyce Levin at 248-851-0254.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION The West Bloomfield School District does not discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, height, weight, religion, marital status, disability or sexual orientation its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Mr. Rick Arnett Assistant Superintendent West Bloomfield School District Human Resources, Labor
Relations and Pupil Accounting, 5810 Commerce Road West Bloomfield, MI 48324
Stand Up for Someone Contest
This year Defeat the Label and CW50 has teamed up with Eastern Michigan University for
the Stand Up for Someone Contest.
Students can go to http://bit.ly/CW50StandUp and share how they would stand up against
bullies in school or online.
At the end of the contest, CW50 will select two students to be CW50 Student Ambassadors.
The two students selected will appear in anti-bullying PSAs on CW50 and be a part of a special student round-table on an anti-bullying themed episode of CW50's Street Beat.
The deadline for submissions is November 18th at 11:59 PM.
Apple Gram Sale
Surprise your child and help him/her surprise the special people in his/her life by
sending Apple Grams!
Apple Grams are a fun way for you to send a special message to your child and for
him/her to send to friends in class, the whole class, friends in another class,
teachers, staff members, siblings, parents, relatives or any special people in
his/her life.
The PTO is selling Apple Grams 2 for $1.00 or a dozen for $5.00.
The apple grams will be delivered to each student’s classroom on
Friday, November 21st to share messages of love, friendship or thanks with your child and special people
in his/her life.
Please return all order forms by November 16th. You will receive your blank Apple Grams in a Ziploc to
decorate and/or write special messages. Return completed Apple Grams in your Ziploc to the Apple
Gram Box in lobby (or to your teacher) by Nov 18th.
Questions? Contact Kelly Denawetz at [email protected]
---------------------------------------------------Apple Gram Sale Form
Your Student’s Name: __________________Teacher: ________________
Your Name: ________________Your Contact Info:__________________
(If you have more than 1 child, you may order the apple grams to be sent home with 1 child for completion)
Special – To Brighten the Days of More People!
12 Apple Grams for $5
Number of apple grams I would like to order for my son/daughter, his/her teacher, staff members,
friends in class, whole class, friends in another class, siblings, parents, relatives or other special people
in his/her life.
Total number of Apple Grams ordered: ______ Amount Enclosed $________
Make checks payable to Gretchko PTO
Gretchko Food Drive
LIGHTHOUSE EMERGENCY SERVICES
THANKSGIVING FOOD DONATIONS
We are sponsoring a food drive at Gretchko to assist the efforts of the Oakland County Lighthouse
Emergency Services Thanksgiving Project. The Lighthouse provides Thanksgiving meals and needed
food pantry items for families in our area. Our FOOD DRIVE will run from Monday, November 9—
Friday, November 13. We have requested each classroom different items needed for the Thanksgiving Baskets. Please see the suggested list below. Thank you for caring.
Canned Vegetables (red, yellow or green) - Mrs. Ortbals , Ms. Tschirhart
Potatoes – (instant or canned) – Mrs. Cook/Mrs. Fogel, Mrs. Hill/Cardillo
Sweet Potatoes (canned) – Ms. Volin
Canned Fruit – Mrs. Enfield/Mrs. McFarland
Muffin/Bread Mixes – Mrs. Daniels
Spaghetti Sauce—Mrs. Reed
Soup- Mrs. Bairski, Ms. Lundgren
Dessert Items (cake mixes, etc. & Icing mixes) –Mrs. Merglewski
Peanut Butter -Mrs. Ayar, Geottes/Quinn
Macaroni & Cheese – Ms. Mintz
Cereal – Ms. Sturla, Mrs. Burke
Noodles/Spaghetti -Mrs. Hammerick
Stuffing - Mrs. Pawlaczyk
Canned Tuna, Chicken,or Turkey – Mrs. Wild, Mrs. Costello
JOIN US! Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Dear Gretchko Families,
On behalf of Gretchko School, we would like to invite you to an evening of fun, food, and celebration as we honor our families and community at Gretchko’s Celebrate Our Heritages event. This event takes place on Wednesday, December 16th at
Gretchko Elementary from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. There is no charge for this wonderful event; however sharing a dish
that represents your family is required in order to make the evening successful. Donations are welcomed to help defer the
cost of paper products and decorations. You are welcome to dress in native clothing to represent your cultural heritage.
The main activity of the evening will be food tasting. You will have the opportunity to taste a variety of foods from many
different countries. Please bring one dish to share that represents your cultural heritage or is a family favorite. The foods
to share will be served as “just a taste” (a mini-serving) of each food so that we are able to sample many foods from several countries. When planning what to bring, please plan on approximately 40-50 small portions “just a taste”. Please supply
a list of ingredients on a 3 X 5 card the evening of the event.
We would like to display items from different countries on the tables during the event. If you are interested in sending in
an item, please label it with your child’s first and last name, along with the classroom teacher’s name. At the conclusion of
the event, the items will be returned to you.
We are in need of volunteers throughout the evening. If you would like to volunteer, please check off the time that you are
available. Once we have received everyone’s volunteer forms, we will confirm your time.
Plan on attending Celebrate Our Heritages event! Please fill out the form below and return it to your child’s classroom
teacher by Friday, December 4th, 2015. We are looking forward to this special diversity celebration!
Return by Friday, December 4th
_________________________________________________________________________
Student’s Name_______________________ Teacher_____________________________
Parent’s Name_____________________________ Number of People attending ______
My family is from ____________________________
(Country)
The dish I would like to share is _____________________________from _________________
(Cultural dish or family favorite)
(Name of the dish)
(Country)
ð Yes, I would like to volunteer at the diversity celebration. I can be contacted by
Phone___________________ or E-mail __________________ I am available to help during the following time(s):
ð 4:00–4:30 (set-up)
ð 4:30-5:00 (set-up)
ð 6:00–6:30
ð 6:30-7:00
ð 5:00–5:30
ð 5:30–6:00
ð 7:00-7:30 (clean-up)