Glacier Ridge Gazette
August 18, 2023
January 5, 2024
PRINCIPAL MESSAGE
Welcome Back!
Welcome back! I hope you were able to have a great break (if you had one) and holiday. There was a buzz of joy and excitement that could be heard on the first day back. I could see the joy on students’ faces to see their friends and teacher again. I hope your child was excited to be back at school again, especially to gain a little bit of routine.
We also know that transitions back to the routine are hard. It’s natural to have less structure at home and children often will have more autonomy to make their own schedules. Where at school, everything feels structured. This can be a difficult transition for some students to come back to school.
Regardless of whether your child skipped into school with a smile or begrudgingly rolled out of bed, I hope your child came home smiling and filled with joy on the first day back. The staff were certainly excited to see students again. Your students are what gives us the joy and motivation to keep going.
If your child is still struggling with the transition, feel free to reach out to their teacher. That is good information for them to know, if they didn’t know already. They will do everything in their power to make them feel better.
I will continue next week with the final part of our 3 part series on why we inadvertently treat children differently.
Sincerely,,
Pete Kurty, Ed. D
Principal
GLACIER RIDGE INFORMATION
Happy 2024 from the Staff at GRE!
Winter Assessments
How We Use The Data
DCS students are administered benchmark formative assessments three times throughout the year (Aug/Sept, January/February, & April). These assessments provide formative data to teachers in order to inform them of next instructional steps. While they provide a great consistent measure of student progress using the same assessments, the purpose is to really plan moving forward rather than looking in the past. Teacher (and administrators) use this data to make plans for instruction for the class, small groups, and individual students.
There is a natural tendency for families to place a lot of emphasis on performance and outcome of these assessments. Educators certainly take the data and assessments seriously, but they are not our only source of data. The assessments provide a nationally normed consistent benchmark for student achievement. However, they are not always an accurate measure of student learning. The assessments are only administered three times a year. That is not a lot of data points. If you flipped a coin three times, you could very well get heads all three times, which is not an accurate representation of both sides of a coin. Therefore, we use a lot of ongoing classroom data (student work, quizzes, discussions, observations) to determine the learning and understanding of students.
Therefore, we will present all of our data at upcoming conferences, including both the formal assessment data AND the ongoing informal data from the classroom. This will paint the full picture of your child as a learner, rather than just a data point.
Dyslexia Screening Measure
Starting this year, Ohio public schools are required to administer an approved dyslexia screening measure to all K-3 students. Dublin City Schools will be administering the mClass DIBELS 8 assessment, our dyslexia screening measure, to K-3 students over the next several weeks. The assessment includes short fluency measures that detect risk and monitor the development of early literacy skills. Parents will be notified if the assessment results indicate their student is at risk for reading difficulties. Additional information about mClass DIBELS can be found here.
Measures of Academic Progress
It’s that time of year again for MAP testing. What does that mean? During the month of January all 1st thru 5th graders will be taking the Reading and Math Measure of Academic Progress assessments. They are nationally normed assessments that measure growth over time. They are used as an instructional tool to inform instruction, intervention and enrichment as well as monitor progress of student learning. MAP identifies the zone of proximal development (what a student is ready to learn) and is one of many data points that make up a student’s academic story. Your child’s teacher will share testing dates with you via bloomz and will relay information about their growth from fall to winter at parent-teacher conference time.
Grade Cards Posted - January 13
Grade cards will be posted on Saturday, January 13th. If you recall, the district switched to standards based grading. HERE is district information about standards based grading and how to read the grade card.
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
DISTRICT UPDATES
Media Center Resources
DCS Media Centers provide students with educational materials in a variety of formats, with diversity of appeal, allowing for the presentation of many different points of view. Media centers house a collection of materials to meet the curricular needs of the students and faculty. To partner with families, parents may opt in to receive notifications when their student checks out a book. To do so, please complete the form at this link.
After School Enrichment Opportunities
After school enrichment classes begin January 8! But, there’s still time to register for classes that are of interest to your child such as French, Drama, Babysitting, Engineering and more. Learn more here.
Strings Olympics for 5th and 6th Grade String Students
The DCS Middle School Orchestra Department is once again putting on the annual String Olympics, February 10, at Karrer Middle School, open to all DCS students enrolled in our 1st year Strings Class (5th Grade Strings and Level 1 6th Grade Strings). For just $20, attendees will receive a t-shirt and participate in musical competitions, games, pizza, prizes, and much more! Learn more and register HERE! To guarantee a t-shirt, please register by Friday, January 12.
Travel Opportunity for 5th and 6th grade students
Travels Back in Time is a student travel program, led by a DCS teacher, in which students will travel by bus to Boston, walk the Freedom Trail, and visit landmarks from the American Revolution. The program, promotes an understanding of the historical background of our nation, specifically looking at how it has evolved over time. For current 5th and 6th grade students. Learn more here.
From the City of Dublin
Recycle Your Christmas Tree – Trees will be picked up each Monday in January at 7 a.m. Remove all decorations before leaving at the curb free of any bags/wrappings. Trees should be cut into sections no longer than 4 feet. More information - https://bit.ly/3mNuoiz
Fuel the Future of Dublin – Make a difference in your local government! Whether interested in a specific topic or getting more informed about city government and serving our community, you have plenty of opportunities in Dublin. Learn more about serving on a City Board, Commission or Committee. https://fuelthefuture.dublinohiousa.gov/
Smart 911 – Dublin’s newest emergency communications tool, Smart911 enables residents to sign up for severe weather alerts that are automated and sent to registrants immediately after the National Weather Service issues a severe weather warning for the Dublin area. Residents can also opt-in to receive Dublin community announcements. Learn more https://bit.ly/EmergencyPrepDublin
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