Wendy DeSpain : The Grove School: A seriously fresh new preschool in Cary and Plano!

September Dates to Remember in Plano

Wendy DeSpain | August 30, 2010 | Comment

SEPTEMBER

2 Teacher Professional Development Day ~

School Closed3 Teacher In-Service Day ~

School Closed6 Labor Day, Monday ~

School Closed9 (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

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.

Introducing…Misti Johnson-Olthoff, Teacher in Pre-Kindergarten

Wendy DeSpain | August 16, 2010 | Comment

Misty will be joining Ms. Sara in Pre-Kindergarten. Misti has a Bachelors and a Masters of Science in Early Childhood Education from Kansas State University and she is certified to teach EC-4 in the State of Texas. She has three years experience working with preschool children in small group or in a classroom setting. Her experiences with both kindergarten and prekindergarten make her an ideal compliment to Sara Dennis. Misti is a product of the Plano ISD school system, and she is a proud graduate of Plano Senior High School. Her previous employers say that she is creative, responsible, organized, and always acting in student best interest. Her colleagues report that she is a team player, motivational, and resourceful. She has desire to succeed, deep interest in early childhood, and humility. Parents of children with whom she has worked say that she is pleasant, informative, and trustworthy. I am honored and excited to welcome her as part of The Grove School faculty.

Keywords: Grove School, Plano

Introducing….Carrie Fish, Master Teacher in Early Preschool 1

Wendy DeSpain | August 16, 2010 | Comment

Carrie is the Master Teacher in Early Preschool for 18-24 month old students. She will work with the Master Teacher in Early Preschool 2 to develop a program from younger preschoolers and support transition into older classes. Carrie has a Bachelors of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Arizona, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Texas Women’s University, and she is certified to teach EC-4 in the State of Texas. She completed her student teaching right here in Plano ISD. From an early age, Carrie was immersed in the education of preschoolers. Her mother ran a preschool from the home where Carrie grew up. She has gone on to teach in after school programs, educate children identified with autism, teach karate, and nanny for twins. Her experience totals six years, with most of it including preschoolers. Her previous employers describe her as dedicated, dependable, and organized. Her discipline management with early preschool age students was noted favorably as was her demeanor and relationships with young children. Carrie believes in a sensory approach to learning where children learn through play and scaffold each other’s learning. Her knowledge and experience combined with her dedication, dependability, and organization are a recipe for success. I am honored to welcome her to The Grove School faculty.

Keywords: Grove School, Plano

Introducing….Shelley Hill, Education Manager, Plano

Wendy DeSpain | August 16, 2010 | Comment

Michelle “ Shelley” Hill has joined us at Education Manager. Her primary duty is to support the curriculum, instruction, and assessment in The Grove School classrooms. She will ensure developmentally appropriate practices are used for instruction, research based curriculum is fully utilized, and assessment tools are varied, appropriate, and frequent. Shelley has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming and a Masters degree in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University. Shelley has experience teaching after school age kids as well as preschoolers. She taught and directed a kindergarten preparatory program for preschoolers, and she is now certified to teach EC-4 in the State of Texas too. She was the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Park County School District in Wyoming where she worked with the Superintendent and Board to plan after school programs, health fairs, and other activities strategic to student growth and community building. Her experience and knowledge surrounding early learning is extensive, and she herself will tell you there is always more to learn. Shelley has recently moved to Texas from Wyoming. She relocated with her family: her husband Jeff and her two children, Jackson and Mackenzie who are 4 and 6 respectively. You may see her kids in Pre-kindergarten; they are great to have in class! I am honored and excited to announce Shelley’s addition to the administrative team at The Grove School of Plano. I am proud to have her as a team member who will be instrumental in our continued growth and development as a premium preschool. Your students’ needs will be better met and their cognitive growth will be greater with Shelley supporting and guiding our highly qualified faculty.

Keywords: Grove School, Plano

Kindergarten Is Coming!

Wendy DeSpain | July 28, 2010 | Comment (1)

As the beginning of the school year approaches, I am one of thousands of Moms who are beginning to feel more and more anxious about kindergarten. While I am well past 5 years old, I have two sons who will be crossing that threshold for the very first time. I am nervous for them. I so badly want them to have a positive experience that grows their love of learning; I want them to have teachers who will see their gifts and continue to stimulate their creativity, to fuel their curiosity, and to foster cognitive growth. While my stomach churns when I think about it, outwardly I know I have to show only excitement for the change. Kids watch the adults around them to learn how to react to situations. Ever seen your child display anger, fear, or sadness just like you do? We are constantly modeling for them, and they are constantly watching and listening—soaking up all the information they can. So with a smile on my face, I silently pray for good things.

My boys are not nervous, but excited. They are big boys now. Their sister just finished kindergarten, in all its glory, and now by golly it is their turn. I am proud of them.

I realize that my anxiety is due experiences over my lifetime and knowledge gained through adulthood. I know the harsh possibilities of the world, and I know the painful feelings of disappointment, rejection, and shame. Our children do not. They enter into new experiences often with fewer inhibitions than adults who are tainted by knowledge that adulthood brings. They see hope, opportunity, and a special event just for them. If only we could always see through their eyes and preserve that naiveté.

We must remember Robert Fulghum’s words in The Only Thing I Ever Really Needed To Know, I Learned in Kindergarten: “Be aware of wonder and LOOK!” But my favorite quote from this passage is, “when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.”

By the way, Fulghum’s words are observational and insightful, but the NY Times reported recently that there is a scientific basis to the high value of kindergarten….a positive experience in kindergarten…very interesting.

Below is a link to the NY Times article and a longer excerpt of the Fulghum text.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/economy/28leonhardt.html?_r=3&ref=todayspaper

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum

- an excerpt from the book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don’t hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if all – the whole world – had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had a basic policy to always put thing back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Childhood Obesity & Nutrition, part 1 of 5

Wendy DeSpain | July 19, 2010 | Comment

Article 1: What is a “healthy weight”?

Childhood obesity is a current hot topic in the media, in the legislature, and certainly in the minds of families and educators. There are those who believe it is the healthiest look to be super thin; others who believe a body appears healthiest if it is very muscular, and still others appreciate most a fuller body. There are those who believe it is the healthiest choice to eat all vegetarian, vegan, or kosher meals; there are others who believe it is healthiest to eat a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, and still others who deem healthiness by the amount of meat alone.

Each individual’s personal definition of what is healthy is unique to some extent and therefore difficult to collectively represent when putting the beliefs of the masses into public policy or into a widely accepted definition of “healthy weight”.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines “healthy weight” as a child who falls between the 5^th percentile and less than the 85^th percentile based on a child’s Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI is calculated by analyzing age, birth date, date of measurement, height, weight, and gender. Based on what percentile your child falls into, a label is assigned, as listed below.

BMI Calculator for children and teens (there is a different one for adults)

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/

Labels: Percentile Ranking:

Underweight : less than 5^th percentile
Healthy weight: 5^th percentile to less than the 85^th percentile
Overweight: 85^th percentile to less than the 95^th percentile
Obese: 95^th percentile or greater

In my naïve and non-technical opinion, I think a healthy weight is reached when a person feels good, looks good, and receives positive feedback from doctors on routine physicals.

So what is your definition of “healthy weight”?

Stay tuned for future articles on this topic:

Article 2: Lunch Comparison

Article 3: Legislative Response

Article 4: Plan for Attack

Article 5: Nutrition The Grove School way

Calling All 12-18 Month Old Children (and their parents)!

Wendy DeSpain | July 15, 2010 | Comment

We are proud to offer a Mommy and Me program in Plano for 12-18 month old children and their parents. Starting August 16, parents and their child can come to The Grove School for an hour and half of learning, playing, and growing together. We will provide an activity rooted in discovery learning that is reflective of the Early Preschool curriculum, an Outdoor Grove experience, and a healthy, organic snack. We look forward to supporting nurturing and educational relationships betwen parents and children; this bond instills confidence and inspires cognitive growth. Give us a call to join!

Summer Fun Thursdays!

Wendy DeSpain | July 13, 2010 | Comment

The Grove School of Plano has been sponsoring Summer Fun Thursdays at Willow Bend Mall in Plano, Texas. Each Thursday during the month of July, The Shops at Willow Bend invites children and parents/caregivers inside the cool, out-of-the-sun environment at the center to participate in five free activities. From concerts to cooking activities for the junior chefs, Summer Fun Thursdays is a mid-summer dream of fun. Summer Fun activities are designed to capture the imagination of children 14 and younger.

On July 1^st, The David Chicken Live Show Spectacular was a heart-pounding, floor-stomping, jump-out-of-your-seat event that was fun and healthy for the whole family! This talented singer-songwriter led the audience through a high-energy, interactive performance filled with creative movement, motivational messages, and general hilarity. The Grove School had a couple of tables stage side where families planted seeds in biodegradable pots, and took them home to nurture and grow. Kids and adults alike enjoyed the wholesome fun in gardening.

On July 8^th, families made their own pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. Families waiting in line were entertained by people like The Grove School. We focused on, “changing that pizza into muscles”, and shared samples of the Healthy Me curriculum and take home bags. It was wonderful to see many of the same families again and hear updates on how the seeds are sprouting. It was fun and exciting to be back at the Mall.

This week is the Vocal Trash Stomping Sensation, a high-octane stage group that provides an afternoon of music, dance and comedy. The Grove School will also focus on music and recycling. We will share pictures and information about our Kindermusik program as well as our music and movement centers in the classrooms. Take aways include a recycling triangle and a family planner for recycling and reusing common household products.

The next two weeks will be grand too! On July 22, families will be twisting Pretzels with Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, and we will share our healthy body curriculum and take aways include the food pyramid and a student sorting activity. Eddie Coker Live on Stage will be there on July 29^th. It will be a great experience, and we’d love to see you there!

Mid-season Gardening Review

Wendy DeSpain | July 12, 2010 | Comment

Well it is time to do a mid-season review of the gardening efforts at The Grove School of Plano. To review where we’ve been: In February, Ms. Sara, the Pre-Kindergarten teacher led the students of The Grove School in planting over 25 vegetables and herbs in the greenhouse. Most of the seeds that sprouted were transplanted to the planting beds about a month later, and several of those originals are thriving in the garden now. The sweet peas were eaten while students watered them with water gathered in the rain barrel. We can’t keep their hands off of them! The radishes never turned red, and the potato bin failed, but the peppers and tomatoes are beautiful! I can’t get peppers to grow at home but they sure are pretty at The Grove School. While the corn is stunted, it is interesting to illustrate a plant that fruits, “in the middle”. The okra is the biggest I have ever seen in my life, and all of the herbs have grown large and shown great color. Mint, parsley, basil, and oregano is all evident, and the butter nut squash is a little small but very nice in color and shape. A little of each thing planted did sprout and try to fruit, so that is positive I think.

To supplement our summer focus on biomes of the world, we first planted water lilies during the study of water; then we planted a local moss to represent the Arctic ecosystem being studied, and now we are planting cactus while we visit the desert regions through our studies. Some of the water lilies are growing but many are not; I think the bulbs were old. The moss is doing okay as long as we keep it out of direct sunlight. It is a soft moss that is pretty when wet and shaded. The cacti are being introduced this week but right now they are blooming in beautiful colors in the Outdoor Grove.

Preparing the soil, planting the seeds, transplanting seedlings, and nurturing plants to fruit have been amazing experiences. Ones that have been rewarding to our efforts and ones from which we have learned. I have learned that water lily bulbs blow up to many times their original size! Wow! Finding a suitable container that was affordable was challenging! I have learned that potato bins are very interesting and intriguing but fungus must be addressed quickly. I didn’t research an organic fungicide quickly enough to save the young plants. We made it to the first cubic square of 2x4s. I have learned that we need a bigger rain barrel. J In Texas, we have run though our barrel quickly and needed the city water as a supplement several times. I have learned that corn is difficult to grow; I am not successful at home or at school. We planted the sweet peas around the corn intentionally, but the sweet peas outgrew the corn. Maybe corn just isn’t suited for Texas climate. I have not yet learned why the radishes were stunted; I can get them to grow nicely at home, and they are hardy and simple by nature. I thought about sending a soil sample to Texas A & M for analysis.

Overall, I would deem The Grove School inaugural gardening experience enjoyable and successful. The students are engaged, there are obvious fruits of their labor, and they’ve already sampled some of it! They have witnessed the plant life cycle first hand, and they have been responsible for providing the things a plant needs to survive-sunlight, air, soil, and water. You should see the Garden Journals of the Early Preschool students; they are documenting changes in the garden with Ms. Kathryn’s support. Practicing the scientific thinking skill of observation is beneficial to many developmental areas.

I look forward to the planning cycle for our fall panting season. Ms. Sara is just getting started on it; stay tuned for further updates as we reach harvest and begin planting again.

Keywords: child development, early childhood education, early learning, Eco Friends, ecology, gardening, Grove School, healthy planet, outdoor classroom, Plano, Preschool, science, The Grove School, Wendy DeSpain

Outdoors as a Tool for Learning

Wendy DeSpain | June 7, 2010 | Comment

During our recent family car trip to Colorado for camping, hiking, and fishing, I was struck at how many things my kids commented on due to learning taking place at school. I was further struck by the depth of conversation we were able to have. Connecting school learning to real life experiences was remarkable in helping my kids take their learning to a new level. They were able to synthesize information, evaluate it, and create further questions.

While fishing for rainbow trout with salmon eggs, the kids noted the life cycle of fish as they had learned in school and our conversation evolved into wildlife management and ethics of fishing: why we catch and release sometimes and eat what we catch other times, how the limit of fish to be caught in a day is determined, and why we need a license.
While hiking, the kids observed cloud formations they had learned in school and our conversation soon became one about severe weather in the wilderness and how we survive when it occurs.
While driving through west Texas, the kids first saw 18-wheelers carrying pieces of a blade used on a wind turbine to collect wind energy, and then they saw many windmills in action. They had learned about wind as an energy source in school and seen pictures of the wind mills, but now they saw them first hand and could conceptualize better the enormity of the structures, the benefits of it, and its implications.
While exploring, we discovered some old gold and silver mines as well as the log houses that people lived in during the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. This spurred a whole conversation about covered wagons, traveling during that time period, and surviving in this climate without modern day resources.
While hiking, we saw many wild flowers and trees. The kids noted life cycles and seeds. We then talked about how seeds travel and collected samples for identification when we got back to camp with our Plant, Flower, and Tree ID books. The logging that was observed up there instigated questions about the management of trees: why clear cutting is done, why controlled burns are administered, and how we can best care for trees to reduce injury to them.
While building camp fires each night, the kids learned about the process involved, the patience required, and the responsibility necessary. Since it was below freezing most nights, they also learned an appreciation for fire as a heat source and vital component to life.
These are only some examples of the conversations that took place amongst my family of five as we explored the wilderness for a week. The facts they’ve learned in preschool and kindergarten were brought to life through dialogue and first hand experiences. While we create many authentic experiences for kids at The Grove School, the family connection and the enhanced experiences only further solidified their knowledge.

So moral to the story: Do not pass up an opportunity to take a family vacation. Not only is it strong for relationship building, but also it is ideal for learning. Despite the hours of preparation, the patience needed during long car rides, and the opportunity cost of missing work and school, the experience was unforgettable. I am proud that I gave my kids the opportunity to make connections, to have new experiences, and to utilize upper level thinking skills. Even if its a 30 minute walk down the street instead of 6 days in rural Colorado, the experience outdoors enhances cognition in a way that an indor vacation could not have, and you know what else? Not one eletronic device was accessed by any family member during the week away. The kids (and adults) CAN make it without ipods, tvs, video games, and computers.