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

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: 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

Composting ORT

Scott Andersen | March 8, 2010 | Comment (1)

Here is some video from our students doing a little composting today. We had some build up of ort that we needed to include in the composting bin.

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, composting, ort, outdoor classroom, The Grove School

Stories, learning, playing and connecting

Scott Andersen | February 27, 2010 | Comment

We have been running weekly story times and play dates for almost a month now. Every Tuesday and Thursday we hold a story time from 10:30 to 11:30. On Wednesdays we hold a play date from 10:00 to 12:00. We love having these times to invite families into our school and to participate in story telling, learning, playing and connecting.

During all of these times, we share books and other literacy based activities. After all, learning to read is paramount! We also include activities that engage students in hands on learning and the exercise of creativity and imagination. Obviously, during our play dates, we PLAY! It is important for children to have play time together. One of our specialties at The Grove School is to create play time that is also instructional. I love it when our teachers craft activities where the children think they are playing, and they are, but also include very specific learning objectives. This is a win-win for all involved. Finally, we love the story times and play dates because they give parents an opportunity to connect one with another while their children are engaged in the activities. One of our goals is to help create and participate in a positive community and providing an opportunities for parents to interact with one another is one of the ways we can do this.

I invite all to participate in these fun times. No need to call in advance. Just show up and have fun!

Keywords: Cary, events, parents, play dates, story times, The Grove School

The most important arrival–our teachers!

Scott Andersen | January 1, 2010 | Comment

Since mid-October, I have been writing, blogging and making videos about the progress that has been taking place with the facility, furniture and equipment for The Grove School of Cary. It has been thrilling to watch this facility transform from a bare shell of a building into a state-of–the art and environmentally friendly learning environment. Some of you have shared this journey with me.

Well, Monday, January 4th marks the most important arrival of all for The Grove School – our teachers. The best thing we do for our children in any school environment is to put a highly trained and child-centered teacher in the classroom with them each and every day. We have scoured applications from hundreds of teachers from around the country and have selected a wonderful cadre of highly trained professionals who not only embrace the early learning philosophy, but do so with a commitment to instill the ideals of “healthy body, healthy mind and healthy planet” throughout the school day.

The Grove School leadership, at all levels, recognizes and values the role that teachers play in the teaching and learning process. It is the teachers who, in concert with the parents, work the real magic. It is the teachers who will creatively guide, shape, inspire, motivate, stretch, challenge, correct, and praise our children as they begin this most important journey of learning.

I hold great anticipation of the many wonderful experiences the students of The Grove School will have in their expert hands.

Yes, the building is wonderful. Our furniture is beautiful and sustainable. Our technology is first class. However, more importantly, the same words describe the teachers of The Grove School. They are wonderful, beautiful and first class!

Check back soon as we will be posting videos, bios and photos of our staff. I invite you to stop by and meet all of us sometime real soon!

Keywords: Cary, staff, teachers, The Grove School

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

Teaching literacy in high school? What?

Scott Andersen | November 4, 2009 | Comment

I found this wonderful post on Ed Week. This article highlights a school in Alabama that has a literacy emphasis in all that they do. What is great about this focus that literacy is really what schools should be about. It should be taught through authentic means and use content like literature, math, science, etc., to teach the skill. They also state that the school mirrors an elementary school.

One of the takeaways that I got from the article is that by observing many years of high school students and their need to be better readers and writers, and my experience working with adults, like myself, who need to be better readers and writers, I feel an even stronger emphasis to help our young ones get the best possible start on their literacy journey. Getting off to the right start makes all the difference!

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Keywords: literacy, The Grove School

Giving back from the get-go

David Roy | October 24, 2009 | Comment

When the first two schools open in January 2010, our first corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative will focus on tree planting.

We think there are a number of reasons why tree planting is a good fit for The Grove School. It’s something that benefits the local community. It strongly connects to our promise to promote a healthy mind, body and planet. It encourages participation by children, teachers, family, and community members. And there are a number of ways it ties back to our curriculum.

As with any CSR initiative we undertake, tree planting is something that children can do (with adult help, of course!). It also nicely demonstrates cause-and-effect, both in the way a tree grows and in the way a project like this can make a positive effect in a neighborhood.

And of course, we’re THE GROVE SCHOOL—we love trees!

David is our guru of community partnerships. He's the one bonding at the local level with families, schools, groups and businesses. Ever the amiable fellow, he has a background in non-profit resource development, fundraising, government and public relations, and policy analysis.