Glendale-River Hills
Parent & Guardian Newsletter February 2021
IMPORTANT! RESPONSE REQUIRED! SCHOOL REOPENING SURVEY SELECT YOUR LEARNING MODEL COMMITMENT BY SUNDAY
The School Reopening Committee would like to thank all of our families for their participation in community input sessions and school reopening planning. At this time, we are asking all families to complete the School Reopening Survey by the end of the day on Sunday, February 7th. This survey gives families the opportunity to read more about the school reopening guidelines and indicate their learning model commitment. This information will be used to make building preparations and final recommendations for the school reopening proposal.
Click on the link to complete the survey. Please complete one survey for each child enrolled in the district:
Updates from Dr. Moeser
Superintendent Search Employee/Parent/Community Input
The School Board of the Glendale-River Hills School District would like to thank the 126 individuals who agreed to be interviewed by the Superintendent Search consultants on January 21 and January 22, 2021. Ray and Associates (Superintendent Search Consultants) sought input from teachers, administrators, staff, community members and parents on the characteristics that should be pursued in a new Superintendent of Schools for the Glendale-River Hills School District. Nine different groups were interviewed in an effort to give a vast segment of the Glendale-River Hills family the ability to be involved in the search. It is expected that the Superintendent position will be posted by the end of January 2021.
School Reopening Plan
Three Co-Chairs have been appointed to a planning committee for the reopening of the Glendale-River Hills School District for in-person instruction in the Spring of the 2020-2021 school year. The Co-Chairs, Dr. Haydee Smith, Ms. Anna Young and Ms. Mallory Umar, have made multiple presentations to the School Board on the process being used to develop plans for the re-opening of the schools and on the status of the plan. The planning process has included getting input from faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and community members on various aspects of reopening. The School Board has received updates from the planning committee on a regular basis to gain insights to the progress of the reopening plan. It is expected that the School Board will receive a final reopening plan recommendation from Dr. Elliott Moeser, Interim Superintendent of Schools on February 17, 2021.
Black History Month
On January 20, 2021, the School Board unanimously approved a resolution recognizing “Black History Month” in the Glendale-River Hills School District. The approved Black History Month resolution was developed by School Board member Ms. Danielle Bailey with assistance from Dr. Haydee Smith. A portion of the adopted Resolution states:
WHEREAS, this year, the Glendale-River Hills School District will work to provide resources to expand teacher knowledge around Black History for the purpose of engaging students in thinking critically about those historical events and how they impact the current racial climate in America. To further this work, partnering with local organizations and expanding our resource base will provide rich, contextualized and authentic learning opportunities for our students. We are committed to intentionally providing our students with rich and robust Afro-centric lessons and activities integrated into the core content areas when recognizing, celebrating and honoring African Americans’ achievements and contributions to the fabric of our society.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Glendale River- Hills School District Board of Education proudly recognizes the month of February, 2021 as: BLACK HISTORY MONTH
2021-2022 School Year Calendar
The Glendale-River Hills School District School Board is making plans for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year. On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, the GRHSD School Board approved the 2021-2022 school year calendar. The first day of school for the upcoming school year will be Wednesday, September 1, 2021. The last day of school for the 2021-2022 school year will be June 9, 2022. The 2021-2022 school year calendar was developed by a panel of GRHSD teachers and administrators. The calendar was then presented to the School Board for review and approval. The 2021-2022 GRHSD calendar includes parent conferences, holidays, breaks, professional development time, teacher extended hours, and early release time.
Here is a link to the full approved calendar.
School Re-Opening Update
On January 27th the Glendale-River Hills School District conducted the second round of School Reopening Community Input Sessions. These input sessions provided the Reopening Committee with a wide array of input from families, faculty, and community members. The Reopening Committee values the diverse perspectives shared around curriculum & instruction, health & safety, and the staff, students, and their families’ social-emotional well being. When stakeholders engage in effective, on-going two-way communication that values and includes all voices in decision making, then everyone can work together to ensure the success of the whole child.
We are now ready for you to fill out your commitment to a learning model for the remainder of the year. Please fill out the survey included at the top of this newsletter
If families have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the Reopening Committee Co-Chairs: Dr. Smith, Ms. Young, and Mrs. Umar.
Professional Development Day
Please note: There will be no school for students on Monday, February 15th.
K4 Registration
K4 Registration Week is Monday, February 8th-Thursday, February 11th. If you are interested in registering your child for our half-day K4 program for the 2021-2022 school year, please stop by between 8:00 AM-6:00 PM on those dates.
Registration forms have been mailed to homes and are available online. If you have the opportunity to complete the forms in advance and bring them with you, it will speed up the registration process. In addition to registration forms, families will also need to bring:
Your child’s certified birth certificate.
A printed copy of your child’s immunization records.
Proof of residency consisting of two items:
A deed, tax bill, or rental agreement in the parent’s name AND
A utility bill showing the parent as the service purchaser.
Families who would like to register virtually should visit our website www.glendale.k12.wi.us and click on the “New Student Registration” tab.
Internet Safety, Security, and Monitoring for Parents & Caregivers
We are pleased to share that the Glendale River Hills School District has added parent access for monitoring district devices at Glen Hills and the addition of Securly 24 monitoring to our currently installed internet filtering system for all school technology including Chromebooks and desktop computers. The addition of these safeguards was board approved on January 20, 2021.
The internet filtering system we currently use is called Securly and it features several components to help ensure the safety of our students and staff. The overarching component is the Securly Filter which is used to block access to inappropriate websites and material on our school-issued devices. In addition to blocking inappropriate content, Securly monitors student online activity 24-hours-a-day and alerts district staff when it detects questionable activity such as searches, sites visited, Google Drive contents, or emails sent/received that indicate a student may be considering self-harm, harming others, or are involved in cyber-bullying.
Securly was implemented so the district can partner with families to provide a safer online experience for students. We also needed to gain greater oversight and mastery of our technology program that provides a device for each student in grades K-8 to make sure students are safe and parents are kept informed during our virtual learning model and beyond.
Securly also offers a parent APP called Securly Home that allows parents to monitor the use of school devices at home. Parents can view recent searches, sites visited, and videos watched on their child’s school-owned Chromebook, as well as turn internet access on or off, set alerts, and sign up for weekly reports. All Glen Hills families have access to the parent APP. Directions for downloading the APP: Securly Parent Portal APP
Securly 24 integrates with Securly’s filter/auditor system to immediately alert authorized district personnel if a student’s online activity may indicate a student is using the internet inappropriately, at risk of bullying, or self-harm. Each flagged alert is also reviewed by a risk assessment team at Securly 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. If necessary, the Securly Team will immediately contact appropriate district personnel and/or authorities to ensure student safety. This ensures an additional layer of safety for students and staff outside of the school day.
SEL at Home: Top Resources to Share with Families
The social and emotional development of students starts at home.
Families and caregivers are, arguably, every school's most important partners in growing a child's social-emotional learning (SEL).
And the research backs this up: The positive outcomes of SEL curriculum can amplify when it extends into the home. Family members who reinforce and model the same SEL skills and competencies that are taught in the classroom can accelerate a student’s social-emotional development.
Yet, parents and caregivers with positive intentions don't always know where to start—or how to help—when it comes to social-emotional learning. As district administrators, school leaders, and teachers, it's up to us to initiate and nurture that consistency between home and school for SEL.
Here are seven resources that you can share with families to help guide their social-emotional learning efforts at home. From free apps, to videos, to games, these expert-designed materials are perfect for helping parents and caregivers turn everyday moments and interactions into “SEL moments.”
REMINDER: Inclement Weather Days
In the event of inclement weather, the Glendale-River Hills School District will run an asynchronous learning day. Students can access an asynchronous learning checklist in their google classroom. Click here to read the letter from Superintendent Moeser for more information.
Our Responsibility
As a district, we are committed to providing a quality education for ALL students.
Our commitment is to EVERY kid, EVERY day, Whatever it takes!
Glendale-River Hills School District
Email: elliott.moeser@glendale.k12.wi.us
Website: www.glendale.k12.wi.us
Location: 2600 West Mill Road, Glendale, WI, USA
Phone: 414-351-7170