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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?
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Kids learn through play, but what about the grown ups? The Grove School is a playground for everyone. Join the fun!
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Wow!  What an exciting morning.  I just finished our preview session of the Mommy and Me! program and it was so much fun.  We had 10 children between the ages of 12 months and 24 months attend.

We took time at the beginning of our class to introduce ourselves.  Some of the moms and children already knew each other and some were meeting others for the first time.  It was so nice to see all the moms talking and sharing stories with each other.  It was also nice to see the moms help out the other moms when needed.

Today we read a book that I made about a fish that wanted to change colors all the time.  The fish has to say a magic phrase, “I am Mitch the fish.  I swim and I swish.  And I can change my color if I wish.”  After the second time of sharing the magic phrase with them, the children were able to repeat with me each time Mitch wanted to change colors.   I made a special fish that changed colors each time we said the magic phrase.  The children loved it!

The children were also able to do an art project where they made their own fish and decorated the fish with scales of paper of all colors, much like Mitch in the book.  We then put sticks on the fish and glued them to the fish so the children could better hold them and make them “swim.”

In order to help the children learn their colors, we also went “fishing” for colored fish.  The children used a fishing pole with a magnet in order to catch the fish.  When the children caught a fish, they named the color and then we sang the “Fish Alive” song.

Of course, you know what we had for a little snack!  Multi-color goldfish.  They are always popular!  Today was no exception.

We ended the class with a few minutes in our outdoor grove.  The weather was so nice and the children enjoyed playing in our lovely outdoor classroom.

I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I took during the class.  I wish I could have taken more, but I am teaching the class after all!!!

The first class of Mommy and Me! begins Wednesday, Sep 8. Click here for more info.

Ms. Stephanie is from Germany and has lived in NC for the last 13 years. She has over 20 years of experience teaching children in both Germany and the United States.

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The Grove School of Plano is recycling! We are recycling rain water, compost, paper and other objects to help care for our earth environment. We are studying this process and how we can positively contribute to it. We even have a recycling center in the classroom! We are especially proud of our Healthy Mind, Healthy Planet and Healthy Body . Come and join us but be prepared for what you may see in room #1, at the Grove School of Plano.

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We are very happy to announce a new teacher at The Grove School of Cary.  Her name is Ms. Stephanie.  She is from Germany and has lived in NC for the last 13 years.  She has over 20 years of experience teaching children in both Germany and the United States.

She will be busy at The Grove School!  She is teaching our Mommy and Me! program, teaching German, cooking and coordinating our outdoor grove projects.

We are fortunate to have her with us!  Please take a moment to stop in and say hello and to welcome her to our school.  Also take a moment to watch her bilingual video.

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I am posting some photos I took walking around the school this morning.  I took this first one of the nature collage with tree bark, moss, and photos. It reminds me of fancy quilts I have seen. I hope you enjoy them.  More can be found on our Flikr page.

Nature Collage

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The Grove School is participating in the North Carolina Star Rated License system.  This is a system that is used to provide parents with information pertaining to the quality and practices of an individual center or preschool, like The Grove School.  The star system rates day cares and preschools on a 1-5 star scale.  Even before the doors of The Grove School were opened, it has been our commitment to attain the highest rating, five stars.

When we opened January 18, we were issued a temporary license, as are all facilities.  The temporary license is issued for a 6 month period.  Since the evaluation of some of our staff was not completed by the end of our 6 month license and results from a test I took in June were not back, we scored three out of a possible five stars.  This is only temporary.  All of our staff credentials have been submitted and are in process for evaluation by the state.  When that evaluation is complete, we are confident that we will be given sufficient points to push our license to a five star license.

During our temporary license period, we had several visits from the licensing consultants from the Department of Child Development and we also participated in the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scales (ECERS) and the Infants and Toddlers Environmental Rating Scales (ITERS).

The NC Star Rated License system rates centers on these three areas: Program Standards, Educational Standards, and Quality Point.

PROGRAM STANDARDS points are based on an evaluation of the daily environment at our school. This includes the following three focus areas:

  1. Program Environment – sufficient space for activities, a variety of play materials and a clean and comfortable play area
  2. The Number of Staff per Child
  3. The Interactions Between – adults and children, children with other children, children with activities and materials

We scored a perfect 7 out of 7 points on program standards.  This includes the results from our ECERS and ITERS assessments.

The EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS component of the star system pertains to the qualifications of the staff.  This is the component that is still under review for The Grove School.

Studies have shown that the more education and experience a child care center administrator has, the greater the impact on the center because of improved management and better classroom practices. Teachers with more early childhood education and experience interact better with children and create more enriching classroom experiences. Studies have shown that children whose teachers had higher qualifications did better both academically and behaviorally at least into early elementary school.

To earn higher points in the education component of the rated license child care staff must complete or have completed more formal education and have experience working with preschool children. The number of points a center can earn for staff education is based on:

  • The education and experience levels of the administrator
  • The number of lead teachers with child care credentials
  • The number of lead teachers with more early childhood education and experience
  • The number of teachers with formal education and/or experience

Our staff education and experience levels qualify us to attain five star status.  We are just now playing the waiting game.

The final component in the star system is the quality point.  We earned our quality point in multiple categories.

Even though we do not control the timing of the staff credential evaluation process, we anticipate its completion some time this fall.  Naturally, we will share the news with you as soon as we get it.

If you would like more information regarding the NC Star Rating Systems, visit the DCD website: http://ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us/parents/pr_sn2_ov_sr.asp.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

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Here at The Grove School, we believe in educating your children not just for 10 months each year, but for a lifetime. As a current student, I can definitely relate to this.

From a young age, I can remember my first days in school. I was enthusiastic to show up every day, and my teachers inspired me to be like them. As I grew older, my teachers proved to be an even bigger part in my life. In middle school, we were all taught to ask for their help if we needed it, a strange, yet big step for us teenagers. We became more independent, yet the teachers were still there for us. They taught us about high school, what to expect, the future, and prepared us for a lifelong journey.

As soon as high school rolled around, there was no messing around; this was the real deal. I took what I learned from middle school and used it to the best of my ability for this new experience. My teachers  played an even bigger role in our school work (and our lives). I established relationships with them outside of the class room. I always had a favorite teacher each year (not to say that all of them weren’t my favorite)! I could see the relationships of the students to the teachers was getting stronger in high school. Students would talk after class, laugh with the teachers, even sit and have lunch with them. Most importantly, they prepared me for a college experience and instilled a sense of a lifelong learning experience for me.

Now that I am an incoming sophomore in college, the bond between student (and now professor) is still strong. Being on my own is a wonderful experience, although tough at times. Being in college has taught me to be independent and to look for help when I need it. The professors play a big role in the student’s lives, and no where else but college is the lifelong journey more present. After college, anything is possible. Medical school, Law school, a career, a job, anything. The professors have taught me, and will continue to teach me, valuable life lessons that will help me further down the road, and prepare me to be a lifelong learner.

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AUGUST

23-27       Preschool Readiness Week
24              Surviving the Terrible Twos—an evening for parents of pre-schoolers
31               Meet the Teacher

SEPTEMBER

2                Teacher Professional Development Day ~ School Closed
3                Teacher In-Service Day ~ School Closed
6                Labor Day, Monday ~ School Closed
9                (6:00-7:00) Back to School Night
17               Packing Healthy Lunches with children’s author, Karen Fine
24               Vision and Hearing Screening for 4 year olds by Sept. 1
25               Recycling Fair at The Grove School of Plano (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

OCTOBER

29               Fall Festival (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.)

NOVEMBER

18                 Grove School Family Feast of Thanks
24                 Teacher Professional Development and In-Service Day, ~ School Closed
25-26          Thanksgiving Holiday ~ School Closed
29-30          Student Conferences

DECEMBER

16               A Family Night of Giving
24-31         Grove School Winter Break ~ School Closed

JANUARY

18               Grove School Family Snow Ball

FEBRUARY

11               “Man in My Life Night”
21               Teacher Professional Development and In-Service Day ~ School Closed
22-23          Student Conferences

MARCH

30-31          Preschool Round Up

APRIL

22               Earth Day
28               Spring Fling, The Grove School Summer Program Preview
11-17          Week of the Young Child
MAY

2-6              The Grove School Teacher Appreciation Week
13               “The Lady I Love Night”

27               Teacher Professional Development and In-Service Day ~ School Closed
30               Memorial Day, Monday ~ School Closed
31               Student Conferences

JUNE

1                 Student Conferences
3                Pre-Kindergarten Graduation
6                The Grove School Summer Program Kick Off

JULY

4                Independence Day ~ School Closed