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

Let’s Help Our Friends…Have a Meal

Scott Andersen | July 12, 2010 | Comment

For now, the bags shown in the photo at left are empty. However, by close of business Friday, these bags will be full of food to help feed those in our community who need help.

In support of the Durham Rescue Mission and their efforts to feed individuals, families and children in our community, we will be collecting food items from the list shown in the photo below.

We have bags set up in the lobby and we will accept your generous donations through Friday, July 16. The food items will be delivered this Sunday.

I hope we can all join together to share in our abundance with those who fight each and every day for something so basic as a meal.

Let’s show our friends in the community what it means to be a part of The Grove School family.

Let’s dig deep and fill up the bags in our lobby!

Thanks for your help!

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, community, Durham Rescue Mission, food

Children’s Health

Dr. Debra Bell | April 7, 2010 | Comment

Children’s health is a topic that gets a lot of attention. You can’t pick up a parenting magazine without finding at least 5 articles about health issues. Unfortunately, even with all of this attention, our children are facing severe and worsening health challenges.

One out of four children suffers from allergies
One in ten children has been diagnosed with asthma
Type II diabetes is being diagnosed in children as young as 10
25% of our kids are overweight
One in twelve children has ADD or ADHD
One in ninety-one children is on the autism spectrum.

And for the first time in recent history, our children are not expected to live longer than we are. Luckily, there are many steps you can take to help your children move in the right direction on the path toward better health. The following are my top five things to do on your quest for better health. Of course there are more things you can do, and I encourage them, but for the sake of space, here are the top five.

Put good things into your body. This is the number one thing in achieving better health. Our body needs good building blocks. The food we eat should be whole, fresh, organic, clean, unprocessed, and full of nutritive value the way nature designed. We should avoid “edible food like substances” – processed foods full of chemical additives, dyes, and sweeteners (especially artificial).

Our drinks should be clean and pure as well. Water is the best liquid you can put into your body. 75% of your body is water and it needs to be replenished daily.

Get proper amounts of sleep. Sleep is the time that our bodies use to build, process, heal, regenerate and rest. We all need it. Without it our brains, digestive systems, immune systems, and muscular systems don’t work as well. Most children require 10-14 hours of sleep per day (newborns need more).

Have a positive mental attitude. It is absolutely true that our bodies are affected by our attitudes. In order to have a positive mental attitude, children need a home where they feel safe, happy, comfortable and confident. The saying “laughter is the best medicine” is very true. It boosts immunity, thereby making our children healthier. Focus on giving your child an environment where they feel loved, accepted, and confident.

Get plenty of exercise. Children are little balls of energy and they need to move. Kids should be getting at least one hour of structured physical activity and one hour of unstructured physical play per day. It stimulates their brains, balance, dexterity, muscles, and bones. And, it prepares them for a lifestyle of activity as they grow. Children who are active are more likely to become adults who are active.

Make sure the nervous system can integrate all the information coming in. Your nervous system is responsible for reading and adapting to your environment. This is the system that regulates the other four key aspects of good health. Without a properly functioning nervous system, the body cannot adapt to the demands put on it and injury or illness can be the result. The best way to determine if your child’s nervous system is functioning properly is to visit a chiropractor for a check up.

Dr. Debra Bell received her Doctor of Chiropractic at Life University in March of 1999, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She received her undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology from UNC-Chapel Hill. Before becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Bell was a Coach with Gymnastic groups in Georgia and North Carolina.

Keywords: Cary, child development, community, healthy body

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 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

A day to honor our ideals

Wendy DeSpain | January 18, 2010 | Comment

225px-Martin-Luther-King-1964-leaning-on-a-lectern Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for freedom, excellence, and dignity. As we officially open our doors to the families of our communities, I’m humbled by his accomplishments and our own mission. The Grove School seeks to teach Dr. King’s ideals through strong curriculum, highly qualified teachers, and building of community. One of his quotes describes it well:

“We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.”

–From Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, Strength to Love

Learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr. (Wikipedia).

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: community, early childhood education, Grove School, Jr., Martin Luther King

Children need us

Scott Andersen | December 21, 2009 | Comment

I had the pleasure this past week to help purchase some much needed books and toys for children in the Cary area. As we were shopping for these toys, I kept thinking about how much children need us.

They need us to put them first. This can manifest itself in many forms. They need us to provide the basics of life: food, shelter and clothing. They need us to provide them a great education. They need us to provide them a safe, healthy and sustainable environment in which they can thrive.

However, as we completed the shopping and delivered the goodies to the wonderful retired former Marines on Friday, I was struck by this one word: love.

Children need love.

As I saw the proud retired Marines, along with the branch manager of the local bank participating as a drop off location for the Toys for Tots program, I was filled with a peaceful feeling that what we were doing this day was one of the many ways to express love. So many people freely giving of their time to benefit children.

One of the major goals of The Grove School is to help develop and be a part of our community. Even though it was only in a small way, I feel that we did just that, along with our Marine and banking friends.

I believe we did it for the right reason. We all love children.

Keywords: Cary, child development, children, community, Dr. Scott Andersen, giving, The Grove School, Toys for Tots

Goodbye corporate speak, hello open forum

Burt Rosen | October 24, 2009 | Comments (2)

One of the unique things about The Grove School is that it’s truly being developed to offer an experience as opposed to a product. What do I mean? An experience is driven from a top down strategy and everything aligns with the strategy.

For example, The Grove School is about healthy body, healthy mind and healthy planet so everything follows those filters. The food is healthy, the curriculum is designed to spur creativity and curiosity, and materials and sensibilities are all focused on what’s good for the planet and instilling those values in our kids and our families.

The web is an incredible tool that helps further and validate the experience. The Grove School website itself is organic, built by a broad variety of people who all share a passion around the school and our families. Everyone is focused on issues that matter to parents, not corporate speak.

The site is an open forum. This is as new an approach to a school website as The Grove School is to preschool. The site is not a collection of buzz words, but is a forum that highlights unique perspectives and invites parents, educators, staff and anyone else to offer their opinions. Together, everyone will help build the site and the community of families at The Grove School.

Keywords: community, Grove School, Preschool, website