Open House

The GPPSS District Open House will take place on Sunday October 20, 2019 from 1:00pm-3:00pm. All schools will be open including The Barnes Early Childhood Center! No appointment is necessary if you would like to come tour our building and learn more about our programs!

See you there!

Preschool Volunteer Day

On May 4, several staff members from the Child Development and Preschool Program volunteered at Gleaners Community Food Bank. This was a great morning to give back to the community, and to grow closer as a team. Our group packed bags containing all of the ingredients necessary to make a delicious bean soup. In about 3 hours, we packed nearly 10,000 pounds of food.

We enjoyed our second annual Gleaners trip and are already looking forward to next year!

Having fun!

Here is a look at some of the things we have been up to already in 2019! Learning every day and having fun while doing it!

#WOYC18 Wrap Up

Wow! We had a super fun week celebrating the National Week of the Young Child. The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, and families. Each day had a different theme with plenty of fun to go around! Here is a picture review of our week:

Music Monday:

Tasty Tuesday:

Work Together Wednesday:

Artsy Thursday:

Family Friday:

#woyc18

Today begins the National Week of the Young Child 2018! This annual celebration is hosted by the National Associate for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Our classes have different activities planned for each day. Teachers will also be sending home some activity ideas for home, and informational articles from NAEYC. Check back at the end of the week to see pictures!

Music Monday

Tasty Tuesday

Work Together Wednesday

Artsy Thursday

Family Friday

Spring Fever!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

We are looking forward to the first day of Spring on March 20th! This is always a great time to double check your child's extra clothing and make sure they are weather and size appropriate.

Here are some helpful spring reminders:

March 30-April 8 - Closed for Spring Break

April 16- April 20- Celebrations for National Week of the Young Child

May 28- Closed for Memorial Day

June 13- Last Day for Half Day Programs

June 15- Last Day for Full Day Programs

Taco Thomas

Taco Thomas is the newest addition to the Barnes Pre-K Family! Our Pre-K teacher, Ms. Danielle, was awarded a grant to support a classroom pet! He is a bearded dragon and his name was selected by the students.

This is such an enriching learning opportunity for the class. Children will learn responsibility in helping to care for Thomas. They will learn science and math information about what he eats, or what his habitat is like. They are learning new vocabulary words, and enjoying new dragon based stories.

We hope Taco Thomas is enjoying his new life in Pre-K!

September

We can't believe September is almost over! Our first month of school has flown by!! Take a look at some of the things we have been up to:

2017-2018 School Year

The 2017-2018 school year is quickly approaching! We cannot wait to spend another fun filled year with your child! The first day of school can sometimes be a little hectic. We have a few tips to hopefully make your first day easier:

• Start talking with your child about the first day of school. If you are excited, your child is likely to be excited as well.
• Practice your morning routine before the first day. If your child has had a different schedule during the summer, you may want to practice going to bed early or waking up early. 
• Create a consistent drop off routine. Maybe you'll give two hugs and one kiss before you say goodbye. Maybe you will help your child sign in, and give a high five. Whatever you decide, we recommend saying goodbye and letting your child know you will be back after school instead of slipping away or using distraction. Drop off will get easier every day.
• Double check your supplies. Label everything with your child's name or initials. This will help ensure that your child will have the items intended for your child. It will also help prevent items from getting lost or going home with the wrong family. Bottles for the infant room should be labeled with your child's name, date and contents. A supply list is posted on our website.
• Send in a lovie. If your child has a special blanket, or stuffed animal that helps them feel safe, you can send it in. You can also send in a family photo so your child can see you all day long. 
• Check in on your child. If you are feeling nervous about the first day, feel free to call your child's teacher or send an email to see how they are doing. Your child's teacher will also send an update to all parents around nap time with pictures and news about the day.

Please make sure your paperwork is complete and up to date including your child's health appraisal. Please call the Preschool Office if you have any questions regarding the updated enrollment paperwork or handbook- 432-3809. Billing questions can be directed to 432-3067.

We can't wait to see everyone starting on Tuesday September 5, 2017.

Gardening

Our Barnes Pre-K class has been busy in the school garden. The Pre-K students, along with their teacher Ms. Sam, have been weeding, watering, planting, and spending time in the garden. The students grew flowers and plants inside their classroom and are now ready to transplant them out into nature. This is an awesome learning experience for the class! We are always seeking donations to help our garden grow. Our currents needs are: child sized gloves, a watering can, and yard waste bags. Thank you for supporting our garden!

Author's Tea

Pre-K students at Maire invited friends and family to join them for an 'Author's Tea' this morning. Students have been working hard to author and illustrate their own picture books. The morning began with tea, hot coco, lemonade and various treats to share. After, students read their books with their loved ones. Each student wrote an author's biography about themselves too! Families were able to color a tea cup, play a tea-cup stacking game, and a take a photo together at the selfie station. We are so proud of the amazing work done by our students and their pre-k teachers!

Curriculum

We had a great time meeting and talking with families last night at the Preschool Fair. Many families were interested in learning more about the curriculum of our program. All of our early childhood programs from infancy through 5 years old follow an emergent curriculum with aspects of Highscope.

Emergent curriculum lends itself to play-based learning. The goal of emergent curriculum is for our teachers to respond to the children’s interests and generate lesson plans based on these things. It is open-ended, providing a wide canvas for the learning process. It is individualized, allowing for our teachers to interact with and expand upon each child’s questions and interests. It is process-based, enabling our teachers to give considerable attention to the quality of how learning is happening.

We encourage anyone with questions about our curriculum, tuition, hours or enrollment to call the preschool office. We'd be happy to talk with you about the variety of programs offered through the Grosse Pointe Public School District.

Applications

The application period for enrollment in the 2017-2018 Child Development and Preschool Program is currently open. If you are interested in enrolling your child, please submit an online application by Friday Feb 3, 2017. Detailed information about the application process is available on our website. Click here for more information.

Representatives from our program will also be at the Grosse Pointe Library Preschool Fair on Wednesday Feb 1, 2017 at 6:00pm to answer questions and meet with families.

If you have questions regarding any of our programs, please contact the Preschool Office.

Winter Break

This is a reminder that GPPSS will be closed December 24th-January 8th. Preschool and Child Development Programs will re-open on Monday January 9th. We want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!

Enrollment for the 2017-2018 school year will open on Monday January 9th and continue through Friday February 3rd. Please visit our website for more information and for an online application. If you have questions about enrollment, please call the preschool office.

Half Day Preschool

 Half Day Programming is new for the 2016-2017 school year! Our half day programs will give early learners an opportunity to gain confidence in an Elementary setting while learning at an appropriate level and pace. Teachers will create play based activities that support each learning domain. Some favorite activities in the half day programs this year have been dramatic play and the sensory table. Classes have also had opportunities to attend school assemblies. Children must be fully potty trained to enroll in half day programming. Children will return to their neighborhood elementary school for K-5. For more information, please visit our website. 

Play With Purpose

This week our program was featured in the Grosse Pointe News. The article called 'Play with Purpose' by staff writer Mary Anne Brush detailed the history of our program and our philosophy on play based learning. We believe that play provides a natural opportunity for teaching, learning and exploring. The article can viewed online: click here

We thank the Grosse Pointe News for their time and interest in our program.

Photo by Renee Landuyt

First Day of School

The first day of school will be Tuesday September 6, 2016. Full Day programs will open at 7:15am, and Half Day programs will begin at 8:30am.

If you have not received a welcome email from your child's teacher, please call the preschool office. 

As a reminder, updated enrollment forms are due by the first day of attendance. Forms can be found online, under First Day. 

The Preschool Office will be closed Monday August 29- Monday Sept 5. 

Tot Tree

The Tot Tree has been installed in our infant and toddler play yard! Thank you so much for all of your support and fundraising efforts! We could not have provided this climber and grass cover without the generosity of our school families and the support of the district.

The playground is an extension of our learning environment. We know that important skills develop outside while climbing, running, jumping and exploring which makes us even more excited for the Tot Tree. Toddlers will have new opportunities to strengthen motor skills and social interactions. This will be a great addition for our upcoming school year. 

Back to School Preparations

Back to school preparations are beginning for the GPPSS Child Development and Preschool Program! We will be sad to see the summer go, but we are looking forward to all of our new programs that will begin with the 2016-2017 school year!

New early childhood classrooms at Ferry, Maire, Monteith and Richard are in the process of transforming in to beautiful and safe spaces for our young learners. These new classrooms will be a wonderful additional to our programs at Barnes and Trombly. 

Your child will need updated enrollment forms prior to the new school year. These forms can be found on our website. If your child attends a program at one of our Elementary sites, forms may be turned in at the Open House. If your child attends Barnes, forms may be dropped to the Preschool Office any time. 

As a reminder, Child Development and Preschool summer programs will end on Thursday, August 25th. The first day of school is Tuesday, September 6th. 

We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. 

Memorial Day

Just a reminder... Programs at Barnes and Trombly will be closed Monday May 30th for Memorial Day! Enjoy the warm weather and sunshine!