2010 January : The Grove School: A seriously fresh new preschool in Cary and Plano!

Healthy body snow fun!

Scott Andersen | January 30, 2010 | Comments (2)

In some parts of the country, getting a few inches of snow is not a big deal. However, in Cary, NC, it is HUGE!

We received snow (and ice) overnight. Many businesses are closed. However, one location in Cary was hopping: Bond Park, the site of some nice big hills…perfect for sledding. It was heart warming to see this morning the hundreds of families with children taking advantage of this rare event.

There was a non-stop barrage of children, both young and old, sliding down the hills on a variety of sliding apparatus. One of the tenents of The Grove School is HEALTHY BODY and today’s sledding activity was a great way to exercise and enjoy some physical activity.

Watch the video and enjoy a smile.

Scott, a.k.a. Dr. Andersen, is our Head of School in Cary, NC. He brings 16 years of experience as a teacher and school/district administrator. He has also worked as a photojournalist and software developer.

Keywords: Cary, Dr. Scott Andersen, Grove School, healthy body

Music and Me training

Wendy DeSpain | January 29, 2010 | Comment

Yesterday at The Grove School of Plano was very exciting! Kindermusik trained Early Preschool and Preschool teachers on the Music and Me program they will use to facilitate music development and enjoyment in our 2 and 3 year old students. After the staff development session, the kids were brought in and a fun, energetic, and age appropriate lesson followed. Pictures coming soon.

Wendy is our Head of School in Plano, TX. She has deep community ties, having spent 15 years with the Plano ISD in various teaching, administrative and leadership roles. In addition to her zeal for helping children learn, Wendy enjoys being in the great outdoors with her family.

Keywords: Grove School, Kindermusik, Music and Me, Plano

Who are the people in our neighborhood?

Scott Andersen | January 25, 2010 | Comment

I used to watch Sesame Street as a child. I loved that show. I loved the muppets. I loved the humans. I loved the animations of letters and numbers. And I loved the songs. One of my favorites was “Who are the people in your neighborhood?” Bob would sing the song.

Hearing this song today made me thing about the families that are coming to The Grove School of Cary. We have a pediatrician, a dermatologist, an HVAC installer, a work-at-home mom, 2 moms that are educators, a wireless technologies specialist, a mental health field worker, a nurse, an HR specialist, an artist, a pastor and a pathologist. These are just of few of the many people in our “Grove Neighborhood.”

As we continue the admissions process, it is so interesting to see that our school community is a reflection of our greater community. It is going to be exciting to watch how our parents interact with one another and with the community at large. Many of our parents have already volunteered to work on our advisory board or to provide service and advice to our school community. This is exactly one of the outcomes we were hoping for when we developed The Grove School.

Who’s next?

Keywords: Cary, community, Grove School, parents

Fun and learning at the grocery store

Linda Loop | January 25, 2010 | Comment

grocery Can grocery shopping with children be fun and educational? You bet! Grocery stores are literally stocked with learning opportunities children of all ages will enjoy. Here are just a few math and literacy activities you may want to add to your list, next time you and your child go shopping together.

Math Activities for Younger Children
• Opportunities for number recognition and counting are everywhere! How many wheels are on your grocery cart? How many aisles are in the store? How many people are in the aisles? How many grocery-store workers does your child see? How many items are in your cart? How many people are in the checkout lines? Have your child look for numbers—on signs above each aisle, on signs at the ends of aisles, on price tags on shelves, and on the cash-register screen as your items are scanned.
• Compare the different sizes of similar items, such as the different sizes of cereal boxes, milk cartons, and yogurt containers, using words such as big, bigger, and biggest.
• Weigh different items in the produce department. Which weighs more, a potato or an apple? Do two potatoes weigh more than a bunch of grapes?

Literacy Activities for Younger Children
• To enhance vocabulary development, tell your young child what items you are looking for. Name the items as you put them in the cart or ask whether your child sees them on the shelf. Discuss what you will make with the items in your cart.
• Ask your child to look for the letters in his or her name.
• In the produce department, ask your child to look for different colors, for example, red apples, yellow bananas, green broccoli, and orange carrots.

Math Activities for Older Children
• Ask your child to count how many different kinds of the same items there are in various sections of the store. For example, in the bakery section, how many different types of breads or cookies does your child see? In the canned goods section, how many different kinds of soups are there?
• Discuss why certain items, such as boxes of cereal, are priced differently. Does the size of a box of cereal determine its cost? Does the type or brand of cereal determine its cost? Which type of cereal is a better bargain? Why?
• Weigh different items in the produce department to determine how many apples are in a pound or how many heads of lettuce equal a pound. Or challenge your child with simple addition problems. For example, if one pound of oranges costs $3.75, how much does two pounds of oranges cost?

Literacy Activities for Older Children
• Have your child keep a list in a small spiral notebook of all the new words he or she sees on signs around the store or on the items in your cart. When you get home, go over the list of new words together.
• In the produce department, have you child list the different varieties of items, such as pears and squash. What makes the varieties different? Color? Shape? Taste? Why might there be so many choices?
• Examine labels with your child. What kind of information is included on nutrition labels? Why are nutrition labels important?

Linda is a program development specialist. Our curriculum benefits from her 23 years of expertise. She's also taught all age groups of children, with an emphasis on preschool and prekindergarten.

Keywords: grocery store, Grove School, learning, stuff to do with kids

Video: building The Grove School

Dan Flood | January 21, 2010 | Comments (2)

See what both of our recently opened schools in Cary, NC and Plano, TX look like inside and out.

Dan steers our business development. As the father of a toddler and a conscientious consumer, he's energized by The Grove School's focus on high-quality education and the triple-bottom line (social and environmental responsibility in tandem with profitability).

Keywords: building of, Cary, Grove School, Plano, video

Fun facts about our website

Burt Rosen | January 21, 2010 | Comment

The Grove School has come a long way since the launch of our website and the brand back in October 2009. We have incredible people running the schools in Cary and Plano, and a team that consistently demonstrates incredible passion for the schools, the brand, the website, and the families. I thought we should take a moment to reflect on The Grove School virtual experience during opening week of the physical schools.

The site itself has been built by many. In addition to all of the people on The Grove School team, we have articles from like-minded parents and a number of the partners who have helped bring the physical versions of The Grove School to life.

Some interesting facts on the site to date:

- Over 10,000 visits have been made to the site with the average person spending 3 minutes on the site reading the articles and watching the videos.

- As of last week, the site has 96 articles, all written specifically for the site on many topics including education, sustainability, community, nutrition, etc.

- The 96 posts come from 25 different contributors (feel free to become one yourself!).

- 30 videos have been posted on our YouTube channel ranging from construction walk throughs to team introductions.

- Over 121 photos on our Flickr photostream.

So, what’s next? Hopefully you are! Much like we want the schools to be built by the community, we want the site to be built by those with a passion for educating kids about healthy minds, healthy bodies, and healthy planets. So, if you’ve got ideas, articles, thoughts or comments, send them in and we will post them. Let’s build this together!

Burt oversees outreach and online community building, which makes him responsible for all things digital. He wishes his 2 children, now 8 and 11, had something so socially conscious when they were younger.

Keywords: community, Flickr photostream, Grove School, website, YouTube channel

It’s official–we’re open!

John Fread | January 20, 2010 | Comment

The Grove School, a new preschool located in Plano, Texas, and Cary, North Carolina, has officially opened its doors to offer children in these communities exceptional educational opportunities. By incorporating education about organic foods and social responsibility with early reading and writing skills, The Grove School integrates its unique healthy mind, healthy body and healthy planet philosophy into every aspect of its preschool activities and learning environment.

The Grove School prepares children ages 2 to 5 for both today and the future, providing an extensive curriculum that offers them a head start on understanding our quickly evolving world. In fact, after extensive research, a group of professionals with more than 35 years of expertise in early childhood education discovered that many parents nationwide were seeking a preschool that includes both traditional early learning curriculum and instruction in social purpose and a healthy lifestyle to deliver a high-quality and well-rounded education. The Grove School goes beyond serving organic food and using sustainable products to fully implement its overarching philosophy in every element, from curriculum and materials to types of activities and models for the way the children interact with one another, parents and their community.

The Heads of The Grove School, Dr. Scott Andersen and Wendy DeSpain, bring years of educational experience to the schools and are set to lead these inaugural locations with their teams of talented and motivated teachers. As its leaders, they embrace the school’s mission and play an active role in the parents’ and children’s experience, employee growth and school development. The Heads of School are also very involved in the day-to-day supervision of the school staff, providing constant and consistent guidance that maps to the school’s unique principles.

“The Grove School openings offer an exciting start in education, focused on our healthy mind, body, and planet philosophy, to children 2 to 5 years old, said Ty Durekas, president, The Grove School. “Our Heads of Schools, along with their teaching staff, are prepared and motivated to offer children a sustainable learning environment with research-based curriculum focusing on nutrition and a sense of community, as well as the structure and concepts presented in traditional elementary schools.”

“We are excited to provide a dynamic, educational and innovative environment for children at The Grove School,” said Dr. Scott Andersen, Cary’s Head of School, The Grove School. “We look forward to the benefits each child will receive from the excellent academic preparation we can offer them.”

“Being involved in the development of The Grove School has been an enlightening experience, and I am excited to introduce children to this unique and well-rounded curriculum and learning environment,” said Wendy DeSpain, Plano’s Head of School, The Grove School. “One of our greatest goals is to prepare children for K-12 education, and with this combination of traditional curriculum and social purpose and healthy lifestyle education, we know our students will be ready to continue learning and becoming productive members of their communities.”

John oversees public relations for the school. For 20 years he's been helping global consumer brands, non-profits and high-tech companies engage in meaningful conversations.

Keywords: Dr. Scott Andersen, Grove School, Ty Durekas, Wendy DeSpain

Meet the Plano teachers: Opal Coleman

Wendy DeSpain | January 19, 2010 | Comment

Hello, I’m Opal Coleman. I’m a Master Teacher here at The Grove School.

Since 1992, I’ve worked as a Director or Family Enrichment Specialist with the Grady Independent School District, The Gould Child Development Center, and the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC, No Child Left Behind) Program. I also owned and operated Opal’s Early Start Learning Academy.

I hope to offer all of your children my creativity and unique artistic vision. I’m so impressed with The Grove School’s innovative approach to teaching and learning, and I’m especially thrilled about the Art and Theater strands infused in the curriculum.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Community Education. I also have an associate degree in Childhood Development, and I’m certified as a Childhood Development Advisor.

I’ve received numerous academic awards and scholarships, but three of the most notable acknowledgments are:

1) State Inspections—a 100% approval rating on all of my state inspections with a score of 95% or better for more than 15 years.
2) Live Television Recording—I served as an expert panelist on “AETN Television Educational Network Back to School.
3) Grant Award—I authored and was awarded a start up grant for Opal’s Early Start Learning Academy.

I’m eager to meet you and your children!

Keywords: Grove School, Opal Coleman, Plano, teachers

Meet the Plano teachers: Sara Dennis

Wendy DeSpain | January 19, 2010 | Comment

Hi, I’m Sara Dennis. I received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Development, Family Studies, and Early Childhood Education. I’m married to Joshua and have two hairless dogs, Echo and Eyris.

I have four years of experience teaching children newborn to age five. Other passions I enjoy are gardening, the outdoors, nature, mountain bike riding, traveling, and photography.

I want to welcome our new families! The first day of school is upon us and everyone is exuberant about the new The Grove School. We are truly blessed to teach in an eco-friendly environment and use our talents to teach children about taking care of our bodies, our minds, and our planet.

The future of a child’s development lies in our hands as parents and teachers. The roots of a child’s development continue to develop from birth until age 5, when the brain expands the most allowing an enormous amount of learning to be established. Thereafter, development is only fine tuned and further enhanced. Therefore, early education in a preschool is crucial to the life skills of a child’s future.

Keywords: Grove School, Plano, Sara Dennis, teachers

Meet the Plano teachers: Kathryn Qualia

Wendy DeSpain | January 19, 2010 | Comment

Hi! My name is Kathryn Qualia and I am very excited about the opportunity to teach the Early Preschool program at The Grove. I fell in love with the idea of strengthening our children’s minds, bodies and spirit all while teaching them to be aware of our community and environment. I believe this falls in place with the kind of teacher I already am.

Previously, I worked intensely as a classroom teacher for 10 years at the elementary school level. I consider it my responsibility to make sure that each student had a solid foundation before transitioning to the next grade level. My educational philosophy is based on changing strategies and lessons to fit the needs of a classroom and to find out what works to raise student achievement. I know firsthand that if you provide support, training and guidance to students, they will have success in the classroom. I know that working at The Grove School is the next step in making a bigger difference in the education system in Texas.

I was born and raised in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I went to college at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis where I earned my Bachelor of Science in Child Psychology. After college, I moved to Texas and attended Texas Women’s University to complete my teaching certificate. I hold a teaching certificate in General Elementary, Special Education and English as a Second Language. strongly feel that my background and experience makes me a patient, kind, dedicated and organized educator.

I have been married almost 5 years to my husband, Stuart, and we have three beautiful, active children. Emma is 3, Maggie is 2 and Alex is 6 months old. I also credit my children in making me a patient person!!!

I look forward to meeting my students and parents!