Good News Gazette

the gretchen’s house

In This Issue

Bulletin Board ........... 4–5

CPR & First Aid .............6

Important Notes ............2

Inclement Weather ........7

Medication ..................6

Neighborhood News ....3

Outdoor Clothing..........6

Parking Lot Safety .........7

Play Ideas ....................8

Staff News ...................7

Upcoming Events ..........3

NAEYC Accredited

Everyone Should Have a DitchSeveral years ago, I read a book titled “Children and Nature: Design Principles for Educators” by David Sobel. Researchers have studied the lives of environmentalists to determine whether there are any similarities in their childhood experiences that might have led to their having strong ecological values and their choice of an environmental career. This is where I got interested. Not because our main goal at Gretchen’s House is to raise the next generation of environmentalists (but wouldn’t that be wonderful?), but because I was curious what effect childhood experiences have on our knowledge, beliefs and values as adults.

They found a striking pattern. Most environmentalists attributed their commitment to a combination of “many hours spent outdoors in a keenly remembered wild or semi-wild place in childhood or adolescence, and an adult who taught respect for nature.” A similar study expands this finding to adults in the general population. I particularly liked the description by Robert Michael Pyle of the urban semi-wild place that inspired him:

My own point of intimate contact with the land was a ditch. Growing up on the wrong side of Denver to reach the mountains easily and often, I resorted to the tattered edges of the Great Plains, on the backside of town. There I encountered a century old irrigation channel known as the High Line Canal. Without a doubt, most of the elements of my life flowed from that canal.

From the time I was six, this weedy watercourse had been my sanctuary, playground and sulking walk. It was also my imaginary wilderness, escape hatch, and birthplace as a naturalist.

Even if they do not know “my ditch,” most people I speak with seem to have a ditch somewhere – or a creek, meadow, woodlot, or marsh – that they hold in similar regard. These are places of initiation, where the borders between ourselves and other creatures break down, where the earth gets under our nails, and a sense of place gets under our skin. It is through close and intimate contact with a particular patch of ground that we learn to respond to the earth, to see that it really matters. Everyone has a ditch, or ought to. For only the ditches – and the fields, the woods, the ravines – can teach us to care enough for the land. (1993)

Developmentally, we know that play is the precursor to knowledge and understanding of how the world works. Involving our senses and emotions is an integral part of that play. As parents, your role in providing free and unstructured places for your child’s play, and making it a priority to encourage and “just be” with them makes a difference. A sentence in one chapter really struck me as it validates our commitment to active learning

continued on page 7

February-March 2015

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VHow To Reach UsWeather Hotline: 734.480.8592

700 Mt. Vernon Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.769.4402 shannon.peitz@gretchenshouse.com

721 Mt. Pleasant Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.662.2739 chrissy.mckiddie@gretchenshouse.com

1745 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.663.4720 sara.guoan@gretchenshouse.com

1735 Wagner Rd. (WISD) Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.994.8111 ext. 1696 beth.renner@gretchenshouse.com

2625 Traver Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734.761.7030 lea.augustine@gretchenshouse.com

2340 Oak Valley Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.327.6125 karin.nowak@gretchenshouse.com

1580 Dhu Varren Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734.821.2800 jamie.hillson@gretchenshouse.com

Chelsea Schoolage Program North Creek Elementary School South Meadows Elementary School 734.433.2652 shannon.steinbach@gretchenshouse.com

Early Learning Children’s Community (“Early LCC”) 601 Washington Sq. North Lansing, MI 48933 517.483.1100 b5stoessr@lcc.edu

Human Resources Director Michele Davis 734.761.2576 michele.davis@gretchenshouse.com

Executive Director Heidi McFadden 734.761.2576 heidi.mcfadden@gretchenshouse.com

President and Owner Gretchen Preston 734.761.2576 gretchen.preston@gretchenshouse.com

Summer CampOur planning for this year’s Scamp program has already begun. Our Oak Valley and Dhu Varren centers provide programs for children ages 5-11. Mt. Vernon will serve children ages 5-7. At Traver, newly enrolled Scampers must have completed kindergarten – fifth grade.

We will also have a Scamp program at our Chelsea location. This program will serve children who have completed kindergarten through 5th grade, and will be located at North Creek Elementary School.

Scampers enjoy crafts, sports, swimming at local public pools, weekly local field trips and several special trips to the Toledo Zoo, Greenfield Village, and other popular destinations.

Registration forms are available at the centers and on line. Check out our website for more information, or see your center Director if you have questions about our summer programs.

Insurance UpdatesIf your family’s insurance information changed in January, please notify your center director. We can make the changes on the emergency card if you email or call us with your new information. This is a good time to double check those contact numbers as well!

2014 StatementsIf your child attended our program in 2014, you should already have received a statement for the year, showing your childcare tuition and payments. If you have not received this and need it for tax purposes, please see your center Director or Office Manager (Oak Valley and Dhu Varren) for assistance.

Ann Arbor Public School Closings3/9 No School for Elementary

Students

4/3-10 Spring Break (school resumes 4/13)

Reminder: Oak Valley’s AM PS is not in session on days the Ann Arbor Public Schools are closed.

Chelsea Public School Closings3/12 ½ day for students

3/13 Schools closed

4/3-10 Spring Break (school resumes 4/13)

If you need care for your kindergarten or school age child on days the schools are closed, please sign up in your child’s classroom or speak with your center Director.

Important Notes

“Children are likely to

live up to what you

believe of them.”

Lady Bird Johnson,

former U.S. first lady

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9These staff members are celebrating Gretchen’s House anniversaries this February and March!

Years

Susan Petit 17

Allison Rogers 11

Eva-Marie Hatfield 8

Hala Hilmi 8

Tammara Hale 6

Tessa Hyrkas 4

Jill Hegarty 3

Sarah Milner 3

Deborah Bossenberger 3

Tabatha Hewitt 2

Jessica Crider 2

Anne Wilber 2

Paula Steffen 1

Mallorie Brazeau 1

Elyse Cawetzka 1

Krista Nathaniel 1

Mary Hirth 1

Amaiya Harris 1

Laura Murphy 1

David Parker 1

Mason Bailey 1

Quinton Makgale 1

Janelle Nystrom 1

Michelle McDaniel 1

Autumn Jervis 1

Maxwell Lewis 1Mariah Mitchell 1

The children at GH-Oak Valley had a visit from Andy the Ambulance, through Huron Valley Ambulance.  Andy spoke to the children about emergencies and emergency personnel.  The children enjoyed the little ambulance equipped with lights and siren. 

The GH-Mt. Pleasant Baby House has been enjoying “Music with Erin” on Wednesday afternoons. Erin Dixon, preschool teacher at Gretchen’s House on Mt. Vernon has extensive training on music with young children and she joins us to lead us in a music group time. The children experience and explore all aspects of music, such as-moving to music, dancing with objects, instruments and steady beat.

GH-Stadium held their Winter Wonderland in January. Families spent time getting to know each other while playing games, dancing outdoors, decorating cookies, getting their faces painted and working on arts and crafts. The children were already asking when the next party would be and a great time was had by all!

During the month of December, the GH-Dhu Varren staff and families partnered with Food Gatherer’s to collect non-perishable items. We’re happy to announce that we collected 127 lbs of food! Thank you to all who contributed!

The Winter Wonderland was held at GH-Oak Valley in December. We had a tremendous turnout of families. Parents and children were able to play games, make crafts, decorate cookies and enjoy lights and music in the gym. Thanks to the staff for their preparation and planning, and to the families who spent the evening with us.  We are already looking forward to Winter Wonderland 2015!

Neighborhood NewsDuring the month of December, we held a Scholastic Book Fair at GH-Dhu Varren. Thank you to Marie Gaab for organizing, and to all the staff who helped facilitate! We had a profit of $546 and received 25 hardcover books, 7 paperback books, and 12 board books for free that we incorporated into our classrooms!

The GH-Mt. Pleasant Baby House had its Winter Party in December. Many parents and siblings came to visit with us. The children and families got to explore foam and water colors in the sensory table, play dough and a variety of tools, and decorated cookies with frosting.

GH-Mt. Vernon hosted a community event called the “Art Hop” where local artists displayed their work for purchase. Our Great Room was filled with beautiful art on a cold December day.We also enjoyed a wonderful holiday party with our families where the children got their faces painted, created at the art table, and participated in holiday music sing-a-longs.

GH-Traver’s main house renovation (on the first and second floors) is underway! Thanks to all of our staff for their hard work moving the Preschool program to the Barn. The preschoolers and teachers are settled in and enjoying their new space. Once our renovation is complete, we will have improvements to the main house kitchen and the staff work and lounge areas, a new conference room, and expanded space in the former Preschool space. The classroom updates will allow us to provide more room for infants and/or toddlers, as the need arises. We appreciate everyone’s patience with the work in progress and look forward to a big reveal in April!

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Mathematics

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Let’s count how many jumps I can

make without falling.

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When I have the opportunity to

work individually with materials,

it gives me the chance to explore

patterns and seriation.

Scooping & pouring involves a lot

of measuring volume.

How many frogs are on the log?

What if one jumps in the water?

How many will be left. This is a

favorite song of ours and I have

props to go with it.

Dominoes are perfect for lining up and exploring one-to-one correspondence.

At Gretchen’s House we believe children need concrete experiences with real objects in order to learn about math. As they play, we provide tools and vocabulary to help children synthesize concepts such as size, shape and quality.

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How many steps can you take?

In our School-Age programs we can count money and work it into our play. Here we set up a store.

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Working with geometrical

shapes at Small Group Time

Putting together puzzles, tracks and blocks gives me the opportunity to work with two and three-dimensional objects in different spatial contexts.

At GH we provide a lot of materials that can be taken apart and put back together. Understanding part-whole relationships involve being able to group and regroup objects.

At small group time I get a basket of materials all to myself. Here I am working with blocks that are different geometrical shapes. This helps me learn about basic shapes and their properties.

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CPR/ First Aid

Parents are welcome to sign up for CPR and First Aid training through Gretchen’s House. We schedule regular trainings each month for our staff. Cost for First Aid/ CPR = $30; CPR renewal = $20

Please contact Heike at our Oak Valley center to register: 734-327-6126 or email her at heike.hampel@ gretchenshouse.com.

Upcoming Classes:

March 3 CPR/First Aid Renewal

March 4 CPR Renewal

April 6 CPR/First Aid Renewal

April 7 CPR Renewal

Cold weather is here! Please send your child to school with the appropriate outdoor gear, because we go outside every day, unless the wind chill is below 0. At this time of year, each child needs:

• awarmcoat• snowpants• waterproofmittens• hat• snowboots• slippersor“insideonly”shoes

We also recommend having 2-3 extra pairs of socks along with size and weather-appropriate extra clothes in your child’s

Outdoor Clothing Neededcubby. We are working on establishing a good supply of extra outdoor gear at each center. If you have gently used coats, snowpants, gloves or boots that your child has outgrown, please consider donating them to our “extras” box. Any surplus that we receive will be donated to the Salvation Army’s coat drive. Thanks for helping us make outdoor play more convenient and comfortable for all of our children!

If you are interested in learning more about our approach to outdoor play, please ask your teacher for a copy of the purple page on the subject.

Staff NewsStephanie Lingo and Pam Preston from GH-Oak Valley attended the Michigan Collaborative Early Childhood Conference in January. 

Karin Nowak attended the Early Childhood Directors Association’s training on “Resilience” in January. 

We will say goodbye to Preschool teacher Emily Palmisano in February. Emily is making the transition from teacher to mom, and we wish her all the best.

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MedicationIf your child needs medication while in our care, please remember that we can only administer medications which are in their original pharmacy or OTC container, labeled with your child’s name. We must have a signed permission slip filled out by you that includes the dosage, frequency, and any observed side effects. We do not administer medications to reduce fever. We suggest that parents ask their pharmacist to split the prescription between two containers, so that one can be left at the center.

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Gretchen’s House centers in Ann Arbor may close when the Ann Arbor Public Schools close for inclement weather. We have several ways parents can get updates on center closings:

Our Hotline (480-8592) will be updated as soon as we have information;

Subscribers to the GH Twitter account will receive notification of center closings.

The GH Facebook Page will have updated postings on delayed openings or closing status.

If the Ann Arbor Public Schools close due to weather, our Ann Arbor centers will have a delayed opening at 10:00 a.m. If conditions do not improve, we will make a decision about whether to close for the day by 9:00 a.m. When we close for the day, we make every attempt to contact parents individually, but parents may also call the snow line (or check the website, Facebook or Twitter) for information.

Many of our teachers live outside the immediate Ann Arbor area, and treacherous

driving conditions put them and your family in danger. Although it is our desire to stay open, safety must remain our first priority. Staff members may not care for children during days when the center closes for weather conditions. We suggest that parents trade care with other families on snow days if your work does not permit you to stay home.

Please note – on days that the public schools close only due to low temperatures, we usually open at our regular time. While we know that this might confuse some parents, we are making every effort to be open on time as often as possible. Please check the hotline, twitter and/or facebook to confirm our status.

Closing Due to Inclement Weather

Everyone Should Have a Ditch

continued from page 1

Parking Lot

SafetyPlease drive slowly through the parking lot at our centers, even if you don’t see children nearby. This is especially important during the winter months, when ice patches may be present, despite our efforts to keep the parking lots clear.

Gretchen’s House has a snow removal service, and staff work extra hard to keep the walkways clear and lightly salted during cold weather. You can help us by notifying the office when the parking lot needs attention.

Young children or infants should not be left in unattended cars, even if they are asleep in car seats. Finally, we ask that you not leave your car running unattended in the parking lot. Although they are rare, tragic accidents do occur when children are left alone, and when cars are left running unattended. We want to maintain a safe environment, inside and outside of our centers.

with real objects in the real world: “Virtual adventure can’t hold a candle to kinesthetic adventure.”

Can you remember your “ditch?” What will your children’s special place be?

~ Gretchen

How Many...?Here are some questions to help your child practice counting:

• Howmanynosesarethereinthisroom?

• Howmanymouths?Eyes?Toes?

Don’t forget to count teddy bears’ and pets’ noses and toes too!

T

…because learning should be fun!

Gretchen’s House Inc.

4531 Concourse Drive

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

Play Ideas for Infants & ToddlersTextures

Loosely wrap your toddler’s toys in various fabrics. Your child will enjoy exploring a range of textures as she unwraps them. You could use a pillowcase, washcloth, paper bag, or scarf. Your child may want to explore some of the wrapping by chewing on it, so make sure it’s clean and safe.

Looking Toy

Fill a clear, plastic jar with water and add a small, brightly-colored object. Screw the lid on tightly and turn it upside down so your baby can watch the object drift down through the water.

How Many...?

Here are some questions to help your child practice counting:

• Howmanynosesarethere in this room?

• Howmanymouths?Eyes? Toes?

Don’t forget to count teddy bears’ and pets’ noses and toes too!

T