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

My Favorite Drink!

Scott Andersen | March 9, 2010 | Comment

I like to drink. I am not referring to alcoholic drinks, but to flavorful drinks like cherry limeades, diet Pepsi and fresh fruit smoothies. However, after running 6 miles on Saturday and 4 miles this morning, there was nothing more satisfying than a big drink of water!

Over the past several weeks, I have been trying to increase my water intake in replacement of those others drinks which are just bad for me or contain too many calories. Hopefully when you come in the building, you will see a tall stainless steel double-walled water bottle on my desk. Furthermore, I hope you see me drinking from it!

I love the water we have here at The Grove School. Our drinking water goes through our water filtration system (see photo) and reminds me of the delicious water I used to get from my personal well I had when I lived in NH. That water was delicious and so is our water here.

Perhaps you will join me in my water drinking challenge. Some of you may be way ahead of me. But for those of you who seem to have an attached coffee cup or soda bottle to your hand, I invite you to replace it with a delicious drink of water.

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, Grove School, Head of School, Healthy Me, water

Our bus, and fun bus-related songs

Scott Andersen | January 12, 2010 | Comment

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And, in the spirit, some bus-related songs:

For the kids, The Wheels on the Bus (mp3).

For the parents, The Replacements, Kiss Me on the Bus:

Keywords: bus, Cary, Grove School, Kiss Me on the Bus, songs, The Replacements, Wheels on the Bus

Meet the Cary teachers: Susan Davies

Scott Andersen | January 5, 2010 | Comment

Sue Davies

Susan has been married for 27 years to her husband, Barry, and is the mother of three daughters–Amanda, Katie and Emily. Her children have been a blessing to her. Caring, teaching and loving them has reinforced her desire to be an educator of young children. She has over 20 years experience working with young children.

As an early childhood educator, Susan is determined to be a positive influence in the lives of children by providing an environment that is safe, stimulating and developmentally appropriate. She takes great pleasure in seeing children each and every day and being able to contribute to their growth process. It warms her heart to wipe away tears and find a smile, to provide a hug when a friend takes away a toy and to help build up a tower that broke apart. These gestures are simple, but they are so important to a child.

Keywords: Cary, Grove School, Susan Davies, teachers

Meet the Cary teachers: Lisa Wohlschlaeger

Scott Andersen | January 5, 2010 | Comment

Lisa Wohlschlaeger

Lisa has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies and Human Services and is currently working toward a Master’s in Education.

She has spent the last 10 years raising her three children and operating a registered in-home childcare center.

Her passions include early childhood studies, dance, art, and building relationships with others.

Keywords: Cary, Grove School, Lisa Wohlschlaeger, teachers

Meet the Cary teachers: Allison Plute

Scott Andersen | January 5, 2010 | Comment

Allison Plute

Allison is master teacher at The Grove School. For as long as she can remember, she has wanted to be a teacher. She was awarded a Teaching Fellow scholarship to attend Appalachian State University for the purpose of becoming a teacher. She graduated from ASU in 2001 with a bachelor’s in English.

For two years she taught high school English and worked part-time as a tutor for a supplemental education company. It was through tutoring that she gained a love for preschool and early elementary aged children. She left the public school classroom to take a full-time position as the Director of Education in the supplemental education industry. She worked her way up to the position of Center Director. After several years in more administrative roles, she began to long for teaching again, which led her to The Grove School.

As a runner and “gym-goer,” the healthy body concept of The Grove School appealed to Allison instantly. As an educator, the healthy mind focus was a priority. As a responsible citizen, the healthy planet concept attracted her. She believes we can all use continuing education in that respect.

She looks forward to learning and growing with your children.

Keywords: Allison Plute, Cary, Grove School, teachers

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

The right start makes all the difference

Scott Andersen | November 16, 2009 | Comment

In 1979 a large passenger jet with 257 people on board left New Zealand for a sightseeing flight to Antarctica and back. Unknown to the pilots, however, someone had modified the flight coordinates by a mere two degrees. Therefore the plane got off to a wrong start.

This error at the beginning of the flight placed the aircraft 28 miles to the east of where the pilots assumed they were. As they approached Antarctica, the pilots descended to a lower altitude to give the passengers a better look at the landscape. Although both were experienced pilots, neither had made this particular flight before and they had no way of knowing that the incorrect coordinates had placed them directly in the path of Mount Erebus, an active volcano that rises from the frozen landscape to a height of more than 12,000 feet.

As the pilots flew continued their flight, the white of all the snow and the ice covering the volcano blended with the white of the clouds above creating an illusion that they were flying over level terrain. When their cockpit alarms sounded the warning that the ground was rising fast toward them, it was too late. The airplane crashed into the side of the volcano, killing everyone on board.

It was a terrible tragedy brought on by a minor error—a matter of only a few degrees and the result of getting off to a bad start.

Fortunately, the world of educating our young children is not quite as grave as the physical life or death situation depicted in the story above. However, the theme of how you start makes a big difference in how you finish is very consistent with educating our children.

Research abounds in how students benefit greatly from the best possible educational foundation. What is good about the research is that it also is common sense. I love it when research and common sense come together to create practical solutions.

It is not only best for the child to get the best possible start, but it is also best on the pocket book. The savings for parents, communities and taxpayers are tremendous when students are able to meet learning expectations at the earliest possible age.

I love to find win-win situations in life. One of the best win-wins is providing a focus on early childhood learning. It is not just a win-win; it is a win-win-win-win-win-win…etc. (I think you get the point!)

For this reason, I am thrilled to be a part of the important work of The Grove School. And I am competitive. I don’t like to lose. I like to win-win-win-win-win…

Keywords: Dr. Scott Andersen, early childhood learning, Grove School, Right start

Hi, I’m Scott

Scott Andersen | November 9, 2009 | Comment (1)

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be a part of The Grove School. The first time I heard about the idea, I fell in love with it and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

I have been a proponent of the ideas behind Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Health Planet since second grade. My teacher, Ms. Raspen, taught me those concepts and I can still remember them to this day. She taught me to learn, to take care of myself and to be aware of the environment. I remember I won a special award for recycling in her class. The treat was awesome: a ride with her in her yellow VW to go buy a toy at the local drug store. It was one of the best days ever!

I have quite a diverse background. I lived in South America for two years and learned to speak fluent Spanish. I received a degree in computer science from the University of Oklahoma (Go Sooners!) and worked as a software consultant for a few years. I then worked as a photojournalist and photo editor for the Associated Press in Oklahoma City, Dallas and Chicago. Then somehow I got into education, my true love. I taught Spanish, English, Math and Technology before getting into administration. I have been in administration for over 10 years.

I have seven wonderful children ranging from ages 4 to 16 years old. I have twin daughters that are 4. My children’s names are Elias (16), Harrisen (13), Stensen (12), Cristiana (10), Mariana (7), Juliana and Ariana (4).

My experience as an educational leader has taught me a lot. Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned is getting our children off to the best possible start with their learning. It starts as soon as they are born. The Grove School is going to provide the experiences young children need to prepare themselves for many years of learning, performing and growing.

I can’t wait to see all that we will be able to do together for our children.

Keywords: Cary, Dr. Scott Andersen, Grove School

The Head of School interviews

Dan Flood | October 24, 2009 | Comment

I interviewed the Head of School candidates in Cary, and I can say in all seriousness that it was inspiring. The people we spoke with were beyond our expectations–they were energetic, passionate, incredibly credentialed, and diverse.

We loved that beyond their impressive qualifications, they were all energized about what The Grove School stood for as well. This was perhaps the first concrete evidence for me that we had a truly appealing concept. These amazing educators were so eager to jump in and help us build it.

Our Head of School in Cary, Scott Andersen, will have any incredible impact on The Grove School–both at his school and for all schools moving forward. He’s truly an inspirational guy to speak with. I know that he will help us learn and improve on these first two schools, pushing us above and beyond what we hoped to accomplish.

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, Dr. Scott Andersen, Grove, Head of School, Preschool