Admissions
Hopefully you've looked around and The Grove School feels like a great place for your child. Fantastic! We’d love to meet up with you in person, answer your questions and tell you more first hand. Shoot us an e-mail or give us a call and we’ll get back to you shortly.
close
 
 
 
Careers
We're looking for rare individuals. Teachers with degrees in early childhood or environmental education and a fire in the belly to make a difference. Administrators with a head for business and a heart for helping children reach their full potential. People who are so invested that they'll stay with us for years, growing and developing our educational community. Is that you?
close
 
 
 
 
Connect
Let's play
Kids learn through play, but what about the grown ups? The Grove School is a playground for everyone. Join the fun!
(Psst, you can move the colored circles with your mouse.)
close
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My son, Oliver, hasn’t even started at the Grove School yet, but I’d count myself among the school’s biggest fans. For anyone who knew me a few weeks ago and heard me talk about how wonderful our current preschool is, this would come as a huge surprise. And we still believe it’s a great place … there are just a few things that bug me that I’ve set aside/ignored/forgotten about, and they’ve recently pushed their way back to the surface and forced me to deal with them.

Let me start at the beginning. When Oliver was born, my husband, Josh, and I both underwent somewhat of a transformation, recognizing the importance of organic, natural products in general, and food in particular. We felt strongly that it was important to our bodies and the planet that we make the best decisions possible when it came to our food purchases. Oliver was so little and … untainted. We wanted to give him the best, healthiest possible start. So, I made all of his baby food from only fresh, organic fruits and veggies, and I bought plain organic yogurt and generally became a little bit crunchy. We started a garden so we could have even fresher, very local vegetables. We switched to cleaning pretty much everything in our house with some combination of water, vinegar and baking soda. I made my own laundry detergent and started shampooing with a combination of baking soda and apple cider vinegar. I obsessed for WEEKS over which sunscreen to buy for him to take to school so as not to poison him with chemicals. Really, every decision about what to eat or put on him was weighed very carefully.

Then, Oliver got older. I got lazier. We got less militant about all of that stuff. He seemed less … breakable. And, importantly, he started eating school food. It bugged me that the school’s food wasn’t up to my standards, but I didn’t really think there was anything I could do about it. I knew we weren’t allowed to bring our own food, and I really liked the school otherwise. I didn’t really think I had a choice, so I just shoved my concerns to the back of my mind. I suppressed a cringe when they served him Fruit Loops full of sugar and artificial colors topped with milk full of antibiotics and hormones. (I just looked online, and did you know that SUGAR is the first ingredient in a box of Froot Loops? Also, did you know they spell it Froot Loops? I mean, they probably shouldn’t legally be allowed to use the word “fruit,” but still.) I knew I’d never buy him that stuff myself, but I tried to “lighten up” about it.

And lighten up I did. Gradually, I stopped buying organic food, trying to “maximize” our rather small grocery budget. We started eating … well, crappy quality food. But it was cheap! We lightened up on other things too, like composting and even the type of diapers we used. We generally fell back into complacency. We cruised along like that for a while, then, on my way to work one day, I noticed that there was a new sign outside a daycare that was only a few steps from our house — the Grove School. I wondered to myself if it was another daycare or if it was a small private school or what. When I got home, I looked it up online — and I was immediately fascinated by and excited about their three-pronged philosophy — healthy body, healthy mind, healthy planet. It seemed like such a cool place for kids.

But, I brushed it aside – surely a place like that was far too expensive for our budget, and even if we could afford it, surely everyone there would be stuck up and perfect and would be off-putting to those of us still trying to figure out our eco-comfort zone, if you will. Or, they would be so focused on environmental awareness and preaching the organic gospel that they wouldn’t provide a well-rounded education. I didn’t really think about it for weeks.

Then I happened to mention it to a friend and co-worker of mine (who’s also a mom) as a possible advertising contact for one of the magazines we work for. She checked it out and then mentioned it again later. Her son attends the same preschool Oliver does right now, and we commiserated about the tater tot casserole and cheese danishes that they’re served on a regular basis. The canned fruit and the processed snacks that “balance out” their meals — totally typical school food, but totally not what I wanted him to be eating. And so I decided to contact the Grove School, just to see.

They invited me to bring Oliver by for a tour, and we went last week. We were both completely blown away, not only by the “eco-friendly” component, but also by the incredible educators, commitment to technology and clearly exceptional learning environment they had created. Even though I may have gone in mainly interested in the organic snacks and ability to bring his own lunch, I came away completely sold on the quality of education and FUN provided there. We were only there for about 30 minutes, but I haven’t stopped telling everyone about what an incredible place it is, unlike any preschool I’ve ever seen, and Oliver has been talking about it almost nonstop too.

So, long story still incredibly long, Oliver starts in the three-year-old room at the Grove School on June 21. He’s been telling everyone about his new school, and while I’m sad to be leaving all of the great people at our current preschool, I feel like this is a really good move for us and for Oliver. He’s getting ready to move up to the three-year-old room at his current preschool anyway, so it’s good timing for us to switch. And I haven’t even begun to talk about the one-on-one attention that he’ll get at the new school or the technology — they have a SmartBoard and two touch-screen computers in his room. Plus, the teachers are clearly lifelong educators, people who really seem to have a passion for education.

Of course, transitions are tough. Oliver is excited about his new school, but I don’t think he quite understands why he’s not going there yet, and I know he doesn’t really understand that his friends won’t be there, although he has mentioned that he’s excited to make new friends. He’s been having a LOT of trouble with drop-offs at daycare this week and with Josh leaving for work in the mornings, and I can only assume that has something to do with his confusion about what’s going on with his preschool situation. So, I think it’s going to be a tough month of transition for him, but I also think that when all is said and done, he will (and we will) be very happy with the new school. Now we just have to make it to June 21.

Kati is a new mom to The Grove School. You can read more at her blog: www.andbabymakeseight.com.

Keywords: , ,

 

 

I can remember being so disappointed by rainy days as a child.  I loved being outside so much that when it rained, I was devastated.  The worst of all was when a scheduled baseball game was cancelled due to the rain.  I would look forward to the game all day long only to have it cancelled by that dang-blasted rain!

I actually enjoy the rain now.  In fact, Sunday I spent some time in the rain…at the pool of all places.

One of our parents sent me these two pictures that were taken after school.  She loves photography and took advantage of our soggy weather to make two nice images.  Of course, she obviously had some willing model participants in her sons!  I can only imagine how much they loved

splashing around in the water…without getting in trouble!  What a nice mom!  Where was she when I was growing up!  (Just kidding of course.  I love my mom.) (I had to add the last disclaimer just in case my mom reads this blog entry!)

Thanks to our parent for sharing these photos with us!

Keywords: , , , ,

 

 

Aside from the holiday season, summer can feel like the only time in a year to connect with your extended family and friends. But scheduling time to visit everyone is nearly impossible. Especially if long distance travel is required, and time off from work. Soon, you might schedule away your free-time and forfeit your no-plan summer.

So how do you make meaningful connections with your loved ones AND keep your commitment to an unhurried summer?

Create a family blog. A blog provides a place online where your family and friends go to see photos of your activities, watch your home movies, and read updates about you and your children.

Blog in 2 easy steps

Blogging is easy with a cool new tool called Posterous. All you do is send an email from your regular email account to post@posterous.com. Attach video, photo albums, links, audio recordings, you name it. You’ll get an email back with a link to your blog. No account set-up. No template management (unless you want to check out their advanced settings). You can do it from your computer or your smart phone.

To involve your loved ones, add their email addresses to your Posterous page. They’ll receive notice when there’s new stuff to see on your blog. Then they can comment for a nice back-and-forth. And Posterous makes it simple for them to download your files for their use. This is handy if you have a mom like mine who likes to print out family photos for her bulletin board. Features like these help unite your family in minutes by giving out-of-towners the opportunity to share in your life as you go.

For a more involved blogging experience, try the group setting on Posterous. It allows you to designate multiple contributors. So your aunt can post. Your brother. Anyone you wish. That way, if you decide to miss a barbecue or anniversary party your family can email in photos and video from the event to share with you.

And if you’re online with Twitter and Facebook, you can tie your Posterous page to those accounts and update them all at the same time. It’s a fast way to stay engaged with your larger network, even as you take more time for yourself.

Of course, there are some extended family events that are important and fun, and blogging is not a substitute. But as you work to plan your summer with care, having a blog will help you feel connected while empowering you to protect your free time. All this and at the end of the summer you can look back at the record of what you did. Kind of like a virtual scrapbook.

To get a feel for Posterous check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6iYxbcGqNo

What do you think? Is Posterous something you’ll try? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Britt is the editor of The Grove School website. She's got 15 years of writing and editing experience, a 6 year old daughter, a garden and a healthy obsession with all things green.

Keywords: , , ,

 

 

As you know, in order to help our students develop healthy minds and healthy bodies, I am sharing with you the North Carolina lunch time nutritional requirements.  Since all of the lunches are coming from home, I thought you may want to review them.

For EACH lunch, the children must have one food from each category: the Milk, Meat, Veggie/Fruit and Grains/Breads.

Food Item                                                          1-2 yrs                       3-5 yrs.
Milk ½ cup                          ¾ cup

Meat/Meat Alternate
 Lean meat, poultry, Boneless fish          1 oz                             1 ½ oz
OR, alternate protein product                  1 oz                             1 ½ oz
OR, cheese                                                         1 oz                             1 ½ oz
Or, egg (large)                                                  ½ egg                         ¾ egg
Or, Cooked dried beans/peas                    ¼ cup                         3/8 cup
Or, Peanut butter (or similar)                    2 tbsp                         3 tbsp
Or, Nuts and/or seeds                                   ½ oz                            ¾ oz
Or, Yogurt, plain or sweetened                 4 oz                             6 oz

Vegetable or fruit or 100% juice ¼ cup                          ½ cup

Grains/Breads (enriched or whole grain)
 Bread                                                                    ½ slice                        ½ slice
Or, Cornbread, biscuit, roll                        ½ serving                   ½ serving
Or, Cold dry cereal                                         ¼ cup                          1/3 cup
Or, Hot cooked cereal                                   ¼ cup                          ¼ cup
Or, cooked pasta, noodles, or grains      ¼ cup                          ¼ cup

Even though we have already been serving milk each day during snack time, we will be serving milk at lunch to help with these requirements.  Therefore, please be mindful of the remaining requirements that will need to be included in their lunch brought from home.

I go into the classrooms almost everyday at lunch.  I must tell you that I am impressed with the food our students are eating.  I have never seen a school with so many children eating healthy food everyday. So…good job parents!!!  Keep up the good work.

Keywords: , , , , , ,

 

 

Earlier this week, I wrote about having a no-plan summer. Perhaps that appeals to your family but it isn’t practical. Like if both parents work. Then you have to find something for your child to do during the week. Still, the larger message applies: You can be deliberate about your summer experience, and you will be happier for it.

How do busy families plan a summer with care? Here are two suggestions:

1. Get the whole family on board

Brainstorming together

Have a family meeting where you invite your family to commit to a more laid-back summer. Tell them what they’ll gain: More quality time with Mom and Dad, less time in the car running errands, a chance to play with neighborhood friends. Describe it like a dream that’s achievable. But be upfront with the fact that everyone will have to sacrifice some activities to make it happen. Then vote.

If everyone’s on board, ask them to list all of the things they want to do this summer. Make sure that they know to include simple things too, like reading in the hammock, making homemade ice cream or riding bikes. If the final list is super long, explain that that is the very reason why summer can feel hectic. The goal is to have a manageable list. Ask everyone to pick their top activities. If prioritizing a list seems hard for your child (or for you), consider that this exercise will set an important example for her about how to plan a balanced life.

Another way to get the family on board is to pick a day of the week where your family will have no plan. Every Sunday, for example. Give it a playful name, like Family Fun Day.

Ice cream on Family Fun Day

2. Decide to say no

If step one feels impossible then it’s time to put on your hard hat and decide to say no to one or more fun activities this summer. This is hard. Especially when it feels like you are declining enriching activities, like dance lessons.

In that situation, ask yourself, did my child list this activity as one of her top things to do this summer? If yes, then let something else fall off the schedule to make room for it. Be sure to include the time it takes to drive to and from the lesson when you schedule it in.

If your child did not list dance, then look at why you or your partner is pushing it. If it’s because you genuinely want your child to be enriched, then consider that unstructured time is improving her too. It allows for unexpected learning opportunities, like witnessing the full growth cycle of a bean spout, or working to foster collaboration and consensus with her friends to build a fort.

Spontaneous family trip

Still can’t say no? Keep that hard hat on. Remember that there will be many summers to come to be busy. When your child has summer school requirements, or summer training. Now is your chance to take the time to just play with your kids. These summer days are expensive in the sense that you’ll never get them back. Resolve to scratch from the list anything that feels hard to manage or anxious. Remember, you will be happier for it.

What are your ideas for savoring an unhurried summer? Share them in the Comments section below. And check back soon for other summer-related topics throughout May.

Britt is the editor of The Grove School website. She's got 15 years of writing and editing experience, a 6 year old daughter, a garden and a healthy obsession with all things green.

Keywords: , ,

 

 

Flying kites with Dad

Summer’s coming. For me, that used to inspire anxiety. Because balancing work, children’s activities and family trips felt impossible. Plus the pace was exhausting.

Then I read an article by news columnist Danny Westneat about the summer that his family didn’t schedule anything. What a compelling idea! Last summer, my family gave it a try. No camps. No lessons. No major plans. In their place: ample room for spontaneity, relaxation and time to bond.

My daughter had nothing to do but be a kid. She spent days with my husband (a teacher with summers off) at local parks and riding bikes. She played with neighborhood friends. She watched ants travel the cracks in our sidewalk. I was in our garden, often with my daughter right beside me. And we learned together about planting flowers and food.

As a family, we savored slower-paced weekends, with time to witness the daily rhythm of our neighborhood. And we took a few ad-lib camping trips. It was all wonderful.

Planting bean seeds

The positive results were immediately clear. My husband and I found that our focus was more on our daughter. Not on the logistics of the next event. She got the opportunity to practice unexpected skills, like nurturing the planet, relationship building and creative play. We all felt energized and close.

What we learned: We were happier because we were deliberate about planning our summer experience.

Do you have stories of a no-plan summer? Be sure to share them in the Comments section below. And check back for more summer-related posts throughout May.

Ava swinging

Britt is the editor of The Grove School website. She's got 15 years of writing and editing experience, a 6 year old daughter, a garden and a healthy obsession with all things green.

Keywords: , ,

 

 

All of us at The Grove School would like to welcome Ms. Katie Markelz to The Grove School family!  She started work May 11.  Katie will be working in our Early Preschool room (2 year olds).

Katie was born and raised in a small fishing village known as Homer, Alaska.  Her childhood spent running in the woods, swimming in rivers and hiking mountains inspired her to study education and learn skills for providing all children with positive childhood experiences.

Katie received her degree in Early Childhood Education and focused on studying educational philosophies including Waldorf, Montessori and Reggio Emilia.  She holds teacher certification in many states including North Carolina.  She has a wide range of experience with children 3 months to 8 years old in varies settings including public schools, private schools, preschools, elementary schools and in-home childcare.

In addition to education, Katie is passionate about ballet and was a dancer for 14 years.  She loves to travel and has lived in Spain, Bermuda, Bahamas and Austria.  She enjoys spending her free time reading and swooning over her black tabby cat Mukluk.

We are thrilled to have her with us!

Please take a moment to stop by, say hello and introduce yourself to help her feel welcome in our family.

Keywords: , ,

 

 

In Latin, the prefix ‘trans’ literally means ‘across’, ‘beyond’, or ‘on the other side.’   As a medievalist, I’m honor-bound to start this posting off with a bit of Latin.

My four-year old twins, Tyler and Henry, started the Grove School about three weeks ago.  My children had been through transitions before and had always come through with flying colors.  After having a nanny for the first two years of their lives, they transitioned to full-time school relatively quickly after being carefully introduced to the culture – as one would lower a bagged fish into an aquarium slowly before releasing it.   At the end of two years in this school, Tyler and Henry were perfectly at home in a room teeming with children and didn’t even blink much of an eye when a favorite teacher moved on to another location.  Although I regretted the teacher’s departure, my husband and I had sought to bring up resilient children and it seemed as if we’d accomplish our goal.

The Grove School had not even opened in Cary, NC, when we decided that we were going to move the children there.  Our four-year old twins were in danger of getting lost in the classroom of 16 students where they received little personal attention and learning seemed divorced from the real world.  Although the twins loved their school (once I left the room, at least), I didn’t think that we would have any trouble leaving it.  In fact, I planned to immediately blog about their success to both herald the Grove School’s charms and my own exceptional decision-making.

It didn’t happen like that.

What I had forgotten was that four-year olds are very different from younger children.  My kids loved the Grove School’s structure, not having to fight for a tricycle, and the experience of creating pet rocks after getting a pet fish for the classroom.  However, I soon realized that I was in a very different place from my children.  On the ride home after their third day, Tyler asked when his friend Sarish was coming to his new school.  Henry said that he wanted Tom Conroy.  When I told them that these boys were staying at the old school, both twins fell silent.  “Don’t you like your new school?” I said.

Both boys nodded.

Tyler said, “All my friends are gone, mommy.”

I tried telling them that they would make new friends, that we would see the old friends, and that everything would be just fine.   My words were true, but they just felt hollow.

Among so many other things, I am used to being the historian.  I take the photos and record the things that the boys might not remember later.  Our transition to the Grove School made me realize that, for the first time, I was not the sole keeper of the past.  Tyler and Henry had their own memories and had already put down roots with people who I only knew by name.  The twins had gone to school for forty hours a week for two years and, quite simply, missed those special little boys who had shared that time with them.

I know that my boys will make important friends at the Grove School; however, these friends will not appear overnight.  It will take time for my boys to find people with whom they resonate and to form a foundation of shared experiences.  In the meantime, I have arranged two weekend playdates – one with Jack and one with Carson.

Tyler and Henry will enjoy this, just as much as they will enjoy running into the Grove School Monday morning to tell Ms. Sue all about it.

And I will remember to keep in mind that my babies are growing up

Suzanne has her Ph.D. in Medieval Studies, but currently works with educational technologies. She lives in Cary with her husband, identical twin boys, and sweet Jack Russell terrier. Her children attend The Grove School.

Keywords: , ,

 

 

Two weeks after Earth Day, and there’s still a lot of talk about recycling, gardening and wildlife around my house. But mostly my talk. And my teaching. How are these subjects developing in the minds of my daughter and her friends? I wanted to find out so I asked them a few open-ended questions and videotaped their answers. Have a look.

Things we can do to help the Earth:

Friends talk about our planet:

This is a fun project that yields the sentiments of your child. Like the idea that Earth is where the people we love live. After viewing TV series like Planet Earth, it’s nice to leave the jungles and ocean floors and return to the idea of Earth as our families’ home. That simple but moving notion brings the Earth Day mission full-circle; back to the concept of saving the planet for the generations to come. Plus it reveals how central Earth is to our children’s sense of family.

What does Earth look like through the eyes of your child?

This projects is easy to pull off. You don’t need a fancy recorder. The video function on your digital phone works great. Here are questions to help start your inquiry:

−Where is the Earth?
−What grows there?
−What do you want to do to help the Earth?

Be sure to share your video with us.

Here’s how:
−Email your video file to share@groveschool.com
−Or, email us the embed link from YouTube
−Check out others’ videos on our YouTube channel

Remember too that we have a fabulous new eco-adventure summer program at The Grove School. In it we’ll introduce your child to the five major biomes of the world—deserts, forests, grasslands, tundra and water.  Learn more.

Britt is the editor of The Grove School website. She's got 15 years of writing and editing experience, a 6 year old daughter, a garden and a healthy obsession with all things green.

Keywords: ,