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

Note from Ms. Opal, Preschool Master Teacher

Opal Coleman | August 19, 2010 | Comment

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.

Keywords: Grove School, Plano

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.

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, 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

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

Cary to Plano…It’s All Good!

Scott Andersen | June 1, 2010 | Comment

I have the pleasure this week of working at The Grove School of PLANO while their Head of School, Wendy Despain, is on a nice family vacation in the mountains. I am amazed at how beautiful their campus is. Both the Cary and Plano campuses are wonderful.

There are similarities and differences between the two. The most important similarity is the fact that both are wonderful places for children to learn.

Watch the video below for my commentary during the tour.

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, Plano, tour

P is for Passion

Dan Flood | March 9, 2010 | Comment

The last week in February marked our grand opening celebrations at both Cary and Plano. I had the privilege of attending both events, which made for an exciting, energetic, and (slightly) exhausting week! The schools were in top-notch shape, the faculty was energized, parents were wowed and children were laughing, playing, running, stretching, dancing, and posing (for yoga, that is).

The one word that truly embodies the spirit of that week for me is passion. Every single person who has become a part of our community has done so because they are passionately invested in what The Grove School stands for. Take Dr. Shefali Parmar for example, one of our parents who is also a pediatrician. She spoke at The Grove School of Cary about the importance of children’s health, and gave other parents a great list of things to do for their children to ensure an all-around healthy lifestyle. As I listened to her workshop, I found myself taking notes to use at home for my daughter.

Another great example is Stephanie from Stretch-n-Grow, who at The Grove School of Plano took children through a set of exercises and an obstacle course, all while teaching them the names of various muscle groups. I loved hearing the class of 3-year olds pronounce “trapezius” in unison!

Or, take Ms Ali at The Grove School of Cary, who I personally watched scrape the ORTs from her plate into a bin for composting, and then recycle her plastic plate. Talk about passion!

To me, meeting these folks just helped to reinforce that we’re all here not because it’s a job, or because it’s a convenient place to take our kids. We’re here because we all truly believe in a similar set of ideals, and are passionate about living them out (personally, professionally, or through our children). Of course, I’m no exception. While traveling, I managed to successfully adhere to my diet which consists of lean meats, fruits and veggies, and specific fats (and excludes grains, gluten, legumes, dairy, and heavy starches – check out the Paleo Diet). I also managed to seek out a local CrossFit affiliate, where I train back home 5 times per week. My coworkers gently kid that I’m obsessed.

It’s was great to spend a week amongst such passionate people. But most importantly, it was great to see children getting such a great educational experience at the school. When we sought out to build The Grove School, our goal was simply to create the best preschool a family could ask for. After being there and witnessing such amazing educational experiences, I can confidently label The Grove School “best” in any category.

Here’s a video with footage of both Grand Openings, including interviews with parents and partners of The Grove School.

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: Cary, Crossfit, Dr. Shefali Parmar, grand opening, Grove School, Paleo Diet, Plano, Stretch n Grow

A new referral program for our friends

Dan Flood | March 8, 2010 | Comment

New families are coming to check out the schools every day. One of the questions we always ask is, “How did you hear about us?” Most people answer, “from a friend.”

We’re thrilled by the response to The Grove School and want to thank the people in our community who send new families our way. To do that, we’ve started a “friends” of the school referral program. Here’s how it works:

Friends of The Grove School Referral Program

What You Get:
When you refer a family to our school, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods gift certificate for each new child enrolled.

What They Get:
Besides an amazing preschool education, parents you refer get a $100 tuition credit for each child they enroll. Plus we donate $100 to the Wake Audubon Society (Cary) or the Holifield Science Learning Center (Plano) in their family’s name.

How to Get your Gift Certificate
Contact the Head of School in your area. In Cary, that’s Scott Andersen. In Plano, it’s Wendy DeSpain. They will give you a referral card you can hand out to a prospective family. You’ll need to include your name and contact info on that card to be eligible for the $25 Whole Foods gift certificate.

Leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Legal details:

New families will receive a $100 tuition credit for each new child enrolled. The Grove School will also make a $100 donation per family to either the Wake Audubon Society or the Holifield Science Learning Center (“Donation”). Tuition credits and Donations are only valid for new families who enroll at The Grove School. Families currently enrolled at The Grove School who refer a new family will receive a $25 Whole Foods gift certificate (“Gift Certificate”).

Offers expire 12/31/2010, have no cash value and are non-transferrable. Gift Certificates and Donations are limited to one per family. Offers are not valid with additional offers or discounts and subject to age acceptance and availability. Contact Head of School for further details.

Keywords: $100 tuition credit, Cary, Friends of The Grove School Referral Program, Grove School, Holifield Science Learning Center, Plano, referral program, Wake Audubon Society, Whole Foods

What’s up at The Grove School of Plano?

Wendy DeSpain | March 3, 2010 | Comment

Early Preschool is learning about the sky and going on picnics while using children’s literature as an anchor. Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten are discovering different methods of transportation while focusing on the letter of the week and building vocabulary through experiences and literature.

Also, all classrooms are busily planting! It is time to get our onions, radishes, lettuce, basil, peppers, okra, tomatoes, and flowers as well as lima beans, snap peas, corn, pumpkins, squash, beets, oregano, dill parsley, leeks, cilantro, and carrots in the ground! We’ll be moving some from the greenhouse to the planting beds soon too!

Here’s a video of our recent planting activity:

Keywords: curriculum, Grove School, organic gardening, Plano, planting

Intro to ecology at The Grove School Summer Program

Laura Como | February 22, 2010 | Comments (6)

This summer, as part of our regular school day, children at The Grove School will go on an eco-adventure. This amazing introduction to ecology focuses on five major biomes of the world—deserts, forests, grasslands, tundra and water.

Throughout this science-based program, children will explore the characteristics of each biome’s plant and animal populations. They’ll also learn proactive steps they can take to care for and protect the environment around them.

We’ll use math, literacy, science, writing, drama and art experiences to investigate these fascinating parts of our planet. And there will be lots of ways for parents to encourage ongoing learning about the biomes at home and in the community.

Program Details

- The program runs from Monday, June 7 through Friday August 27, 2010 at both our Cary, NC and Plano, TX schools.
- There is no extra fee for the program. It’s a part of The Grove School’s regular school-day curriculum.
- We encourage parents to sign up now for the program, but you can enroll your child in The Grove School anytime throughout the summer months for them to be a part of this experience.

What Your Kids Will Learn About

Check out these articles about each of the biomes we’ll study:

Golden Sands and Desert Lands
Bees, Trees and Me
Where the Green Grass Grows
Under the Sea
Arctic Adventures
Outside My Window

Laura is our director of school operations. With 3 children of her own and a19-year tenure in the early education field, her expertise is helping to build a community of health conscious achievers with the capacity to love and appreciate the world around us.

Keywords: Cary, early childhood education, eco adventure, ecology, Grove School, Plano

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