Glacier Ridge Gazette
Glacier Ridge Elementary School | September 16, 2022
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Glacier Ridge Gazette
Principal Message
Same but Different
What does it mean to be part of the Glacier Ridge School community? Today it means we are the same but different. We celebrate and appreciate differences, but find connections and build friendships, as part of our Start with hello > Find a connection > Create a friendship initiative.
Today, we celebrated our annual Tiger Trot, where students participated in collaborative community building activities with their classmates. In a world where differences are prevalent, we want students to be proud of who they are and what makes them unique, as opposed to being afraid to show their differences. It is possible to feel included while also feeling/being different. Inclusion is not all about being the same. It’s about making you feel welcome.
Every student received a free shirt today with funding from the PTO! Our shirts represent the unique message of “same but different.” All students wore the same t-shirt as a symbol of inclusion and unity. However, on the back of each shirt is the word “hello” in different languages. Every language has a hello or welcome word, but they look and sound different. The shirt was designed by a previous fifth grade student. Thank you also to the PTO for their donation to purchase the shirts.
In a world where everything feels polarized, children teach us that we can be different, look different, think different, and that’s okay. They also teach us that we can still find connections despite our differences. Furthermore, we can often learn and expand our own perspectives based on those differences.
I hope your children came home excited about the Tiger Trot experiences today. Granted, they probably also came home tired, hot, and smelly.
Have a great weekend!
Pete Kurty, Ed. D
Principal
Some awesome moments from Tiger Trot events today!
Glacier Ridge Information
Tiger Trot a HUGE Success
Today our students participated in the Tiger Trot, one of our biggest events of the year!
Students spent part of their day participating in team building activities in which we focused not only on tiger conservation, but also themes like community building, kindness and empathy. At the end of the activities they enjoyed popsicles outside on this beautiful sunny day!
The culminating event in October will be a visit from the Columbus Zoo. The zoo will bring a variety of animals for students to see in person. Thanks to PTO event chairs Andrea Denman and Casey Mussio for coordinating this event, to our PTO presidents Hillary Brooks and Ellie Moore, PTO Board, to Anitha Bapna for facilitating the popsicle passout and to all the parent volunteers who manned the stations today.
Lastly, a HUGE thank you to our sponsors - we could not do it without your support! Sponsors include Fit Fresh, House Call Aesthetics, Mrs. Goodman’s Bakery, Shilpa Gupta - Cutler Real Estate and The Yang Family.
In addition to the fun and team-building, the Tiger Trot is the PTO’s biggest fundraiser. The school-wide goal this year was $18,000. The result of your combined contributions is a total of $17,034.
If you didn’t get a chance to donate, you can still do so. We are still below our goal of $18,000.
DONATION PROCESS: Set up your student’s fundraising page on Pledgestar and then share with family and friends to gather donations.
Click “Not Registered for this Event”
Enter name and email, then create a password
Scroll down to “Enter Students” section and select “Add Student”
Add your student’s name and select their teacher
“Pledge Request” - you can add a photo of your child to this section
“Add Family & Friends + Track Donations”
Add yourself as a donor to make a donation.
The "Donate Now" button appears after you add yourself.
Then, for the best results, add family and friends to send donation requests by email or text.
Picture Day Reminder - Mark your calendar
Picture Day is on Wednesday, September 21st. Students are bringing home an informational flier and order form. Orders can be completed online, or by returning the envelope to school with payment in the form of a check payable to HRImaging. All students will be photographed, regardless of whether or not you are purchasing. These are the images portrayed in the yearbook.
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.
Bloomz Update
Bloomz is a great tool for quick and easy communication between home and the classroom teacher. We find it more efficient and more convenient than even email. However, there is no perfect communication tool.
This week Bloomz was compromised and inappropriate pictures were posted by cyber attackers overseas. We have been working closely with the company as they put more security features in place. Other than parent emails, we do not upload any other directory information, other than pictures and messages.
Lunch Menu Change Moving Forward
Starting Monday, September 19th, you will notice a change in the lunch menu. It will now be the menu offered by Sodexo rather than the previous catering company. You can view the new menu on the same link on the GRE website > Lunch (dropdown) > Lunch Menus
Family Survey for DCS
COMMUNITY SURVEY OPEN NOW!
Library Volunteers Opportunity
We are excited to be bringing back library volunteers! The Glacier Ridge Library Media Center is a busy place of learning and excitement for our students. Therefore, we will be providing opportunities to volunteer in the library this year. We will have morning and afternoon times available and tasks will include checking in books, 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.
It's easy and takes less than 5 minutes! Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Dublin City Schools.
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!
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
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GRE EVENTS
Upcoming Events
Sept 21: Fall Picture Day
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
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DISTRICT NEWS
District News
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.
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.
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.
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