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!

Summer

Our summer session is in full swing! We are enjoying the outdoors as much as possible this summer with sprinkler days and playground fun. The fresh air and large open spaces provide great fun, and great opportunities for physical development. The last day for summer preschool is Thursday August 22. We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

End of the School Year Wrap Up

3 weeks are left in our 2018-2019 school year. We know they are going to fly right by! This school year has been a great adventure in play, exploring, problem solving and acquiring new skills. Our 10 week summer program begins on June 17th and runs through August 22nd. Our summer will be spent enjoying water days, outdoor experiences and play based learning. Thank you for a wonderful school year!

Music Class

Once a week, our music teacher Ms. Christine, visits the full day early childhood classrooms at Barnes, Trombly, Monteith and Ferry. The children love when she plays the ukulele! Children have opportunities to explore vocal pitch, rhythm, speed, and a variety of musical genres. Music can bring together children and adults of all developmental levels and ages. Music supports many areas of our curriculum including giving children confidence in moving through space, gaining control over their bodies, and the ability to keep a steady beat. It exposes them to aspects of language such as rhymes and alliterations, and gives them opportunities to express themselves and build a strong sense of self. Music and movement activities support Bilateral Coordination which helps children use both sides of their body together. This coordination supports skills needed for reading and writing. We are so fortunate to have this special weekly music time in addition to the music and movement our classroom teachers are providing each day! 

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!

Enrollment Information

We will be accepting applications for the GPPSS Child Development and Preschool Program 2019-2020 school year starting on January 2, 2019 and ending on January 31, 2019. Families on our current waiting list for 2018-2019 will need to re-apply to be considered for 2019-2020.

Visit our website here: https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=960

Application Process:

Online applications will be accepted starting on January 2, 2019. Applications will be collected until
January 31, 2019. If there are more requests for admission than space available, a lottery will be held.
If your name is pulled in the lottery, you will receive notification of your placement. Applications are
located on the preschool website, under each specific age group/program. Please schedule a tour prior
to January 31, 2019 if you would like to visit the center. Tours will not be offered during the time of the
lottery due to time constraints and the high volume of requests.

Deposit:

There is no deposit required to apply. If you are selected for a spot, you will be responsible for a
non-refundable registration fee. The registration fee for full day programs is $100.00, and $75.00 for half
day programs. Tuition pricing is available online.

Program Locations:

Programs will be offered at the Barnes Early Childhood Center, Ferry Elementary School, Monteith Elementary
School, Richard Elementary School and Trombly Elementary School. Please visit our website for the hours
and ages of each location. Offerings vary per location.

Pumpkin Auction

It is time for the annual Barnes Pumpkin Auction! We love seeing the creative pumpkins available year after year! Each child gets a token to cast a vote for their favorite pumpkin. Then the pumpkins go up for auction!! Who will take home their favorite pumpkin this year? All of the proceeds benefit the Barnes Early Childhood Program.

Happy Halloween!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Wow! What a week we've had! We are so grateful to the generous parents who spoiled us this past week! They brought in so many delicious goodies for themed lunches and snacks each day. We have awesome parents in our program who help support our amazing staff.

On behalf of the preschool leadership, we want to thank all of our teachers and caregivers who are the heart beat of this program. We appreciate all that you do each and every day for your students and the whole program. Thank you! #thankateacher

For bios and pictures of our wonderful staff, please visit our website!

#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:

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:

Professional Development

Our teachers are required to attend 16 hours of professional development each calendar year. This includes a variety of safety trainings (CPR, First Aid) and early childhood trainings (workshops, and conferences). Before the first day of school, our teachers participated in a few team building activities, shared music and movement activities and learned policy updates. These opportunities are so important! Our next professional development day is Tuesday November 7, 2017. All programs will be closed for students with staff still reporting. We look forward to learning new ideas and enhancing our skills.

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.

Summer

The Summer Program at the Barnes Early Childhood is in full swing! Our students have been busy playing and learning both inside and outside!  Weekly water days are enjoyed by all ages. Our summer program runs through August 24, 2017.

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.

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.