Glacier Ridge Gazette
August 18, 2023
October 13, 2023
PRINCIPAL MESSAGE
I LOVE DUBLIN!
The first year I became a principal in Columbus City Schools 17 years ago, we had our first child. My first year in Dublin as a principal, she began kindergarten. Therefore, for my entire Dublin career, I’ve had a child that attended Dublin City Schools and at least one of my two children in elementary school. Now, my youngest daughter is a 6th grader, so this is the first year that I don’t have a child in elementary school. Not only that, one of them now has a permit and the other one is living her best middle school life. If you were a GRE parent last year, you may want to look back at my newsletter series of How I Survived my Middle Schooler. I’ll certainly have to look back at those too.
I grew up in a household of educators. My mother was a teacher of almost every grade from kindergarten to 6th grade. My father was an elementary instrumental music teacher. They both loved their jobs, as do I. They loved it so much that they now teach extracurricular classes and perform music in nursing homes.
I received my undergrad at The College of Wooster, my Masters at The Ohio State University, and my Doctorate at Miami University. Although I grew up in Vermont, I went to school here, stayed, and now consider myself an Ohioan - and an avid Buckeye fan. As you can see, I have a diverse background of education.
Ultimately, like many families in Dublin, I moved here for my children to attend Dublin Schools. We moved here well before my children attended and before I got my job at Glacier Ridge. As a principal, I will talk to many families that have moved to Dublin from all around the country. Many of them say that Dublin is their favorite place to raise a family. I also have family all around the country in gorgeous places like Colorado, Michigan, Maine, and Georgia and I still love Dublin the best out of all of them.
I’m grateful for the experience that my children have in Dublin and I can see it from both sides as a current employee and as a parent. I know what else is out there and I am grateful for the experience that my children have. Of course there is always opportunity for growth, which is part of our DCS values - “Always Growing.” Dublin isn’t afraid to get better. In fact, we thrive on it.
I’m grateful for the experiences and opportunities that the school system and community provides for my family. Thank you Dublin!
Sincerely,
Pete Kurty, Ed. D
Principal
GLACIER RIDGE INFORMATION
Glacier Ridge Got a Makeover!
GRE got a makeover this week, thanks to the PTO and the PTO beautification committee. You'll notice a new front entrance window decor which was funded in collaboration with the PTO and the 5th grade committee and families. The design incorporates our school colors, GRE motto, and the logo, which was designed by a former GRE student.
Additional fall decor was coordinated by the PTO beautification committee. The decorations are at each of the entrances that students and families enter, so everyone can enjoy them.
GRE Harvest Party Information
Harvest Party Date and Time:
Friday, October 27th, 2023
AM Kindergarten (10:45 a.m.)
AM kindergarten students should come dressed in their costumes.
PM Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grades (2:45 - 3:20 p.m.)
PM kindergarten students should come dressed in their costumes.
Costumes
Costumes are welcome, but not required. It is up to the child/family whether or not to wear a costume and each choice is equally respected. For those that choose to wear a costume, please consider the appropriateness of your child’s costume choice. Simulated weapons or any other dangerous costume parts should be left at home. Grim and violent costumes can scare young children and should be reserved for trick or treating in the neighborhood. Students must be able to dress themselves in their costumes.
KINDERGARTEN (AM & PM): Students should come to school dressed in their costumes and be able to remove their costumes themselves.
Volunteers
VOLUNTEERS: Classroom parties are limited only to those parents, volunteers and families that planned the party. Due to space within the classroom, the number of volunteers may be limited by the room parent and teacher. The parties and volunteers are coordinated collaboratively with the room parent(s) and classroom teachers. Parent volunteers can go to classrooms no earlier than 2:15 p.m. Volunteers must be out of the building by 3:30 and out of the way of dismissal/bus traffic.
Food: Please adhere to the food allergies of the students in the classroom. All food items should have ingredients list on the packaging. A letter from the clinic should have come home with students in classrooms that have known food allergies. Please use the SnackSafely allergy guide. Please do not send any food items that contain or may contain those allergens . If you have questions about allergies in a particular classroom feel free to call the office. Parents of students with allergies are welcome to send alternate food items as a safety precaution.
Parking for Volunteers
Please observe the No Parking signs along Glacier Ridge Boulevard. All cars parked in the dismissal lanes must be removed prior to 3:30. Also, observe the Fire Lane Restrictions on school property. Local police may ticket you. We also will open our playground for parking.
If you have questions regarding the Harvest Party, please feel free to contact the school at 614-733-0012.
Erica Kelley Memorial Planning
We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences on the loss of Miss Erica Kelley. Her unwavering commitment as a Classroom Teacher and Gifted Intervention Specialist in Dublin City Schools will live on indefinitely.
There are multiple ways that we’d like to honor Miss Kelley over the course of this school year; we’ve been taking our time with the planning, so that we can be thoughtful and truly memorialize how much we loved and appreciated her.
Wishtree: Miss Kelley’s favorite book was Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, so we will be planting a tree in her honor this Fall through the generosity of the Ahlum family. To go along with the theme of a “Wishtree”, we will be gathering wishes from students, parents, staff, and friends to plant in the roots of the tree. You are welcome to stop by our Wishtree table during the two GRE Fall conference nights (October 18th and 26th from 4 - 7:30) to write down your own wish. Or, if you’re unable to come in person, please mail a written note to Glacier Ridge (gdovin_michelle@dublinschools.net), noting - Attn: EK Wishtree. Please submit any mailed wishes by October 26th.
Light-Brite: The giant Lite-Brite was a passion project for Miss Kelley and her students. This will become a permanent fixture at Glacier Ridge and will be installed outside of the library. One of Miss Kelley’s former students, Gavin Wolf, will be making a plaque to denote the importance of this creative space and to let students continue to benefit from the creative mind of Miss Kelley.
Butterfly Bench Sculpture: Miss Kelley was one of the originators of the GRE butterfly garden. A butterfly sculpture bench is tentatively planned (pending donations) to be purchased and installed in the Butterfly Garden that meant so much to Miss Kelley.
Memorial Service: A service will take place on May 6th at Glacier Ridge to dedicate the tree and the butterfly sculpture bench. More details to come.
In addition to your written wishes, and if you feel so inclined, you can make a donation to help fund these memorial projects to:
Venmo: @GlacierRidgePTO (Attn: Erica Kelley Memorial)
Checks can be made out to: Glacier Ridge Elementary PTO (memo: Erica Kelley Memorial)
Thank you in advance for your contribution; you can send checks into the school office or Venmo payment by November 30th, 2023. Of note, November is the cancer awareness month that highlights Neuroendocrine Cancer, which is the form of cancer that took Miss Kelley from us far too soon.
Sincerely,
Pete Kurty, Angela Gould, Michelle Gdovin, Kiley Wilkins, and Halie Miller
Erica Kelley Memorial Team
What is the New Grade Card System: Tool Yourself Up!
The elementary grade card is changing starting in the 23-24 school year. DCS is transitioning to a standards based grading system and grade card. Students in grades K-5 will receive M (meeting), P (progressing), or N (needs improvement) in the grade level end of year standards in each subject on the gradebook and grade card. These grades will be assigned to specific grade level standards (or groups of standards) rather than an overall subject.
So, what does this mean?
The major shift of this practice is away from traditional grading based on tests, quizzes, tasks, and correct answers averaged in a grade. The emphasis now shifts to how the students are demonstrating their performance compared to the end of year grade level standard expectation. Throughout the year, teachers provide instruction and work to students as stairsteps up to the end of year standard. It is a progression of learning working towards the end of grade goal. For example, if you are training for a marathon, you don’t run 26.2 miles right away. You gradually train and work your way up to 26.2, which is the end of year expectation.
With the example of a marathon, the goal is to get all students to the level where they can run a marathon by the end of the year. However, everyone works, trains, and performs at a different pace. That is where the teacher provides differentiated instruction based on the students’ needs and readiness.
What will I see about my child’s performance?
Grade Card: At the end of each semester, parents will be able to access the student grade card in Infinite Campus. The grade card will ONLY report standards that have been taught to your student based on the end of year standard mastery. For example, if your child is able to run a marathon by the end of the 1st semester, they will receive an M on the grade card for that standard, even though it is an end of year expectation. If they have not yet met end of year mastery, it will be BLANK for that standard. Therefore, you will get more information about ongoing progress in the gradebook. Therefore, you may see many blank fields on your child’s grade card because most standards are not taught to mastery until close to the end of the year.
Gradebook: The teacher gradebook is where teachers put ongoing grades (N, P, M) on student work and assessments as related to the end of standard. If the student is performing as expected on the work provided, they will likely get a P on assignments in the gradebook. If they are being instructed and performing at the end of year standard, they will get an M. An M will not be common in the middle of the year until the standard it taught to completion. If the students is performing below where they should be at that part of the year, they will receive an N. In the example of running a marathon, think of your training sessions like student work or assessments. These are the practice sessions leading up to the final marathon race. If a student can already run 26.2 miles before the end of the year, they will receive an M. The student will receive a mark for various practice sessions. If the student is on pace to be able to run a marathon by the end of the year, they will likely receive a P. If the student is behind the pace that will get them to running a marathon by the end of the year, they will get an N.
So, as you can see, this is a significant shift from a focus on the grade card towards more focus on the gradebook to show progress towards the end of year goal. The grade card traditionally shows our learning based on grades or a score on the work or tests. The grade book shows their learning as compared to the end of year standard.
Want more information?
Yearbook Art Cover - Entries due Monday
Students in all grades have the opportunity to design the cover of the yearbook. We incorporate as many designs into the yearbook as possible, which include one on every teacher’s classroom page and a few dozen on the back page. We often select designs that reflect effort and thought. All entries need to be returned to the office by Monday, October 16th.
3rd grade OST ELA Testing
3rd graders will participate in the OST for ELA on Tuesday, October 17 and Thursday October 19th. We appreciate your attempts to ensure that your child is present at school on those days. If you know you will be absent please let your classroom teacher know. Makeup Testing will occur on October 18th, 24th and 25th.
Call for Parent Coordinators for One Dublin’s Adopt-A-Family
GRE will once again be supporting One Dublin’s Adopt-A-Family Holiday Help program. The PTO seeks Parent Coordinators to lead in mid-October through mid-December. This team will be fully guided by the Committee Chairs to assure collective success. More details shared in the Sign Up Genius HERE!
Family Conference Information - Virtual or In-Person
Our family conferences are coming up on October 18 & 26th. We will offer both in-person or virtual options. Your child’s teacher will reach out soon (if not already) to begin scheduling your conference.
During conferences, your child’s teacher will address three main criteria:
What I know about your child as a learner and a person
Evidence of ways I’ve gotten to know your child using formal and informal data
Next instructional steps for instruction
If you have specific questions about your child that you want the teacher to prepare for and address within the allotted time, please reach out to let them know.
Student Absences
If your child will be absent from school, late to school, or leaving early, please notify the office in writing whenever possible. Email notification is the preferred and most effective way.
To notify the office of an absence, please do one of the following:
Email the attendance line at gres_attendance@dublinschools.net
Complete an absence notification form (forms are located in the office or vestibule)
Send a note and/or medical excuse with your child upon their return
Please note that for any absence to be excused it must be received in writing AND fall into one of the following excused absence conditions: personal illness, illness in the family requiring the presence of the child, quarantine of the home, death in the family, observation or celebration of a religious holiday, national "take your child to work day", and travel (up to 4 days per school year) to participate in a district-approved enrichment activity. If your child is out for a reason not specified above, the absence will still be marked as an unexcused absence and you will still receive an automated phone call; however, notification is still much appreciated to help us account for the safety of our students.
Scholastic Book Fair at GRE!
** SAVE THE DATE **
The Scholastic Fall Book Fair will take place from October 13th to October 27th. Students will be previewing the Book Fair October 13th-18th by making a “wish list” to bring home with prices and titles of books.
Students will be able to purchase books during their Library class beginning October 19th. The Book Fair will be open on Wednesday, October 18th from 4pm-7m during conferences.
Acceptable payments will be cash, credit cards, check (made payable to Dublin Library Association) and ewallets (visit our book fair homepage to create: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/glacierridgeelementary)
Thank you for supporting the GRE Book Fair!!
SIGN UP & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Tiger Student Announcements
Would you like to start your day saying “Hello!” to everyone at Glacier Ridge in the morning? Are you in 2nd thru 5th grade? Then sign up to read the morning announcements! If you would like to find out more about this opportunity and sign up to be a Tiger Student Announcer then go to this link via SignUp Genius: GRES Tiger Student Announcements
Glacier Ridge Student Greeter Team
Parent/Guardian Volunteer Background Check
SECURE VOLUNTEER BADGE - Dublin City Schools takes the safety of our students and staff seriously and requires a background check for all volunteers interacting with students. In order to attend field trips or volunteer in the classroom, you much go through the background check process. The process is free and easy and takes only a few minutes to complete. This is required for any parents or caregivers wishing to volunteer with students.
GRE EVENTS
Upcoming GRE Events
Oct 16: Yearbook cover art contest ends
Oct 17: 3rd Grade OST ELA Part 1
Oct 18: Family conferences - night 1
Oct 19: 3rd Grade OST ELA Part 2
Oct 20: No school
Oct 23: No school
Oct 25: 5th grade class picture day
Oct 26: Family conferences - night 2
DISTRICT UPDATES
No School Next Friday or Monday
There will be no school next Friday, October 20 due to professional development for staff and no school on Monday, October 23 for Fall Break.
Levy Q&Q Video Playlist
If you were not able to tune in to last night’s Virtual Community Conversation focused on levy questions and answers, we have posted the playlist on our district YouTube channel. The questions and answers are viewable as individual clips to help you digest the information. Check it out here.
From the City of Dublin Sustainable Saturday: Document Destruction Day Expands Services
We've upgraded the ever-popular Document Destruction Day to become Sustainable Saturday. Drop off clothing for donation to Goodwill, linens and towels for donation to the Ohio Wildlife Center, e-waste and Styrofoam materials for recycling (and, of course, that stack of old docs)! Drive up and drop-off on Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon. Details.
Vehicles Galore to Wow You and More
EASE Logistics’ annual Touch-A-Truck event features family fun from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 15, including appearances by Your Dublin Police! Interact with loads of vehicles, food trucks, inflatable and more entertainment. Where to see the trucks.
Join the Slow Down Dublin Movement
The City of Dublin is asking students and families to help our community focus on safe driving, including in school zones, with the launch of the “Slow Down Dublin” campaign. Display vinyl stickers, car magnets and yard signs to help create safe, comfortable streets for all residents and road users in Dublin. Items can be picked up at City Hall (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays) or the Dublin Community Recreation Center (5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday). Learn more at bit.ly/SlowDownDublin.
GRE CONTACT INFORMATION
Attendance
If your child will be absent from school, please email our attendance line at gres_attendance@dublinschools.net.
Glacier Ridge Elementary
Email: glacierridge_info@dublinschools.net
Website: https://www.dublinschools.net/Domain/18
Location: 7175 Glacier Ridge Boulevard, Dublin, OH, USA
Phone: 614.733.0012
Twitter: @greDCSD