Glacier Ridge Gazette
Glacier Ridge Elementary School | September 23, 2022
- - - - - - - - -
Glacier Ridge Gazette
Principal Message:
Information Overload?!
Are you overloaded with information yet? I have a child in elementary and high school and, much like you (as a parent), I receive information from both schools, the PTO, teachers, and the district. As a principal, I know that I contribute to your information overload! However, being on both sides of the information and communication, I have some tips for you.
I want to describe the multiple methods of communication for a few reasons. First, I want to arm you with the types of information and communication, so you know where to focus your time and effort for reading that information. Second, I want to use the channels of information flow so we can all be efficient with communicating information. Using the different channels of communication will help you know where to get all of your information in an efficient manner.
Teacher Communication: Bloomz
Teachers use Bloomz as their primary communication tool. We really try to reserve that method of communication to classroom specific information, which includes instructional activities and general information specific from your child’s teacher. This method is the most direct and efficient for you to receive information quickly, as well as engage in conversations about school with your child. If you have signed up in the app, you get a pop-up notification on your phone with the information and posts. If you haven’t it may be going to your email.
Bloomz communication also gives you direct and quick access to your child’s teacher. Remember that teachers are with students for a majority of their day and may not even see your message when you send it. So, if you send a message at 9:02, they may not see it. Similarly, if you send a message in the PM for dismissal, they may not see it in time.
Therefore, for any ABSENCE REPORTING and/or TRANSPORTATION CHANGES, please use the GRE OFFICE EMAIL (gres_attendance@dublinschools.net) which is also located on the GRE website. Copying the teacher(s) on the same email is helpful as well.
General School Communication: School & PTO Newsletters
You will get long newsletters from both the school and the PTO. The school newsletter comes out on Fridays and the PTO newsletters are on Mondays. Although these may be long, I highly recommend reading through them for current school events, procedures, and helpful information. This is where procedures, schoolwide events, and opportunities for parents are provided. Granted, if you are one that doesn’t read our newsletters to begin with, this principal message isn’t going to encourage anyone to start, since they are reading it to begin with (the irony).
District communication: District Newsletter
The district communicates a newsletter on Mondays to all families of DCS. This has district wide information that may be applicable to most, if not all families. Some of the topics in the district newsletter are also in our District Updates portion of our school newsletter. In addition, they utilize social media for more entertainment types of posts.
In conclusion:
With that said, I would like to recommend a method for digesting all of our school and district information. I would place a high priority on the information that comes from the classroom teacher or school staff that directly work with your child. It is helpful if all parents read that information. Second, I would set the school and PTO newsletters as a second priority. Now, I admit I skim the school newsletters from my childrens’ school. However, I know that I am ultimately responsible for knowing that information. I read the most applicable articles in depth and skim ones that might not pertain to me. Again, having all parents read them is important. Then, district information can be prioritized third, but keep in mind that there is still some information in there that we do not include in our school newsletters.
So, as I conclude my article about information overload, while overloading you with information, I hope it helps you set priorities of what to read and what information is being communicated. Thanks for helping to reduce the numbers of emails that teachers receive by reading the PTO and school newsletters.
Enjoy the beautiful weekend weather,
Pete Kurty, Ed. D
Principal
Lots of Outdoor Learning and Connecting this week at Glacier Ridge!
Glacier Ridge Information
Family Conference Information - Virtual or In-Person
Our family conferences are coming up on October 20 & 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. Cramming all conferences into a two evening window can often feel rushed. Therefore, in addition to those dedicated two evenings, we have a month and a half long window for teachers to conduct conferences with families.
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.
Fall Festival - Last Call for Presale Tickets
Last day is today, September 23rd to purchase your presale tickets to GRE's Fall Festival at Leeds Farm on Friday, September 30th from 6:00-8:15pm.
$15 per ticket = presale price thru 9/23 ( Pre-Registration and Pre-Payment - click here)
$18 per ticket = price at the gate the day of event
Children 2 and under are free
Come hungry because we have some yummy food and refreshment options to enjoy:
Click the Leeds Farm Flier for more details and we look forward to seeing you there! Questions, contact: melissabogner@gmail.com.
3rd grade OST ELA Testing
3rd graders will participate in the OST for ELA (English Language Arts) will be on Wednesday, October 19 and Thursday October 20th. The test is broken up into 2 parts. 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 the following Monday and Tuesday.
Chess Club - Sponsored by the GRE PTO
Chess club will be starting soon. This is an after school activity, instructed by Chess Scholars, an outside agency contracted and coordinated by the PTO. Details and registration information can be found here. Registration is limited to the first 50 entries; no exceptions.
Sign Up and Volunteer Opportunities
Tiger Student Announcements
We have a new and exciting opportunity for 2nd thru 5th graders at Glacier Ridge this year! Would you like to start your day saying “Hello!” to everyone at Glacier Ridge in the morning? 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 Greeter Team
Glacier Ridge Elementary believes in creating a caring and comfortable environment for its community of learners. This begins as students enter the front doors of the school in the morning. Our student greeters help facilitate this goal!
Library Volunteers Opportunity
The Glacier Ridge Library Media Center has opportunities to volunteer, including checking in and shelving books, helping with kindergarten, making copies, etc.
If you are interested in volunteering, please email Carol Naples, Library Aide, at naples_carol@dublinschools.net. Your help is much needed and greatly appreciated.
* Please note - While not necessarily required for a library volunteer, we encourage our volunteers to go through the background check process and become a Secure Volunteer. This is done entirely online, no need to go anywhere for fingerprints, and takes only a few minutes to complete and submit. You will be notified via an email directly from the BIB when you have been approved.
Begin the background check process.
- - - - - - - - -
GRE EVENTS
Upcoming Events
Oct 14: No school - Professional day
Oct 20: Family Conference Night 1
Oct 26: Family Conference Night 2
Oct 26: Fall picture day make-ups
Oct 26: 3rd grade fall Ohio State Test (reading) day 1
Oct 27: 3rd grade fall Ohio State Test (reading) day 2
Oct 28: Harvest parties
Nov 8: No School - Professional day
Nov 11: Veterans Day celebration
Nov 16: General PTO meeting @ 6pm at GRE
Nov 23 - 25: No school - Thanksgiving break
- - - - - - - - -
DISTRICT NEWS
District News
Last Chance to Share Your Thoughts!
Dublin City Schools launched a community survey that will be open during the month of September. You can complete the survey at this link.
Flu Shots Available This Fall
The District is offering flu shots for all students ages 7 and older. You can see the time for your child’s building and download the consent form at this link.
Congratulations to our National Merit Semifinalists
We are proud of the 26 Dublin City Schools students who have been named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Learn more about these students and the honor at this link.
Need more information? Visit our sites below.
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