Glacier Ridge Gazette
Glacier Ridge Elementary School | February 17, 2023
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Glacier Ridge Gazette
Principal’s Message
Please read. This is a long one, but so important about student safety!
I wanted to take a moment and empathize with how hard and scary this world is as a parent. With the most recent incident at Michigan State University, along with other countless acts of violence, it has become a scary time for protecting our children. I’m sure every parent has their challenges and fears for their children, but with nothing to compare to, this current time feels enormous.
As a father, I often feel helpless and rely on hope as a strategy for the safety of my own children. Sometimes that is good, but sometimes that can’t be enough; however, there are things that we can do to help support our children in today’s world. I will first talk about strategies that you can do at home and I will end with what we are doing at school.
PARENT STRATEGIES:
First, knowing how to talk to your children about scary things is important. The world is scary and as much as we want to shield them from that part of our world, it is inevitable that they will see or hear about it. On Our Sleeves is a resource that both Laurie Coon and I recommend to help navigate difficult conversations with your child(ren). It has many topics, including how to talk about scary current events. Other topics include, dealing with divorce, anxiety, race, mental health, and more. It will help you with age appropriate language and how to broach the subjects.
Second, I recommend talking with your child about joking about violence and weapons. I remember as a child being explicitly told by my parents to NEVER joke about bombs while going through TSA at the airport. They talked about why the TSA takes that very seriously and how my joke can cause fear for others. Children’s
exposure to violence, whether through media, video games, videos, or current events, has become significantly more abundant. Therefore, it has almost become normalized. A flippant comment or joke about bringing a weapon can cause fear in others, while the student saying it doesn’t have the understanding of the real life implications. Exposure to violence is occuring at a younger age and their maturity is not ready for it. Therefore, as parents (and school), we need to be prepared.
I suggest having a conversation with your child about the seriousness of talking about weapons at school and how a joke or comment they make can have implications. First, focus on the empathy of how it might make others feel if they make the comment. Feeding empathy first is a softer way to communicate the purpose. Second, talking about the consequences is important, too. This is not to instill fear, but to paint the full picture of how serious the comment or mistake would be.
SCHOOL & DISTRICT STRATEGIES:
We continue to focus on inclusion and a sense of belonging. We monitor this through our bi-annual student Panorama survey for students in grades 3-5. Sense of belonging is a large component of that survey to monitor if students feel accepted for who they are and
If they have peers they connect with. Coping strategies for stress, worry, and anger is another component of the survey. Laurie Coon (guidance counselor) and classroom teachers focus heavily on both of those concepts in the classroom and in guidance lessons. Mrs. Coon teaches guidance to every classroom at least 14 times throughout the year. Classroom teachers have weekly (and sometimes daily) conversations to talk about these concepts and strategies. So, focusing on a strong foundation of school inclusive, empathetic, and kind culture is our first strategy. In addition to these general practices, we have more specific support as well. Dublin City Schools contracts with Sentero, an outside counseling agency, that can offer in-school support to students.
Second, we have procedures in place for safety. We practice safety drills with students monthly and there is ongoing training with school staff, including the November 8th professional development day. In addition, we have a DCS Director of Safety and Security, A school resource officer (DPD Police Officer), and a coordinator of safety and security, all of which come to GRE and all DCS schools on a regular basis and collaborate with schools on all their drills and security procedures frequently.
There will be a DCS community safety forum on April 20 at 6:30pm at Emerald Campus. Dr. Marschhausen and Dublin Chief of Police, Justin Paez, will discuss Dublin School safety procedures and implications for families and students. More information will come closer to the date.
My last advice is to hug your kids. As a dad, I would often cringe wherever my kids would ask me to jump with them on the trampoline with them. My old knees and back couldn’t really handle it well and I was often tired from a long day at work. I would often pause and shift my mindset to appreciate the moment. Spending time with them as children would not last forever. I was right, I don’t get those opportunities anymore because they don’t ask me as much. I try to seize every moment with my kids that I can. Everyone with older kids would tell me to appreciate it while it lasts because they grow up so fast. At the moment, I don’t believe them because I feel like I’m burning the candle at both ends. However, it’s true. When I began being principal at GRE, my oldest child began kindergarten. I blinked and now I’ve been at GRE for 11 years and my oldest is in high school.
Sincerely,
Pete Kurty, Ed. D
Principal
Glacier Ridge Information
No School on Monday
Just a reminder that there is no school on Monday. Enjoy the long weekend and we will see the students on Tuesday.
Valentine's Day Party Moments
Thank you to all the room parents and volunteers for their help to plan great activities for students.
Negative Lunch Balances
Sodexo is the new lunch catering company for Dublin City Schools. Now that they have settled, they are implementing a process for notifying families of their negative balances. Each parent of a student with a negative balance greater than $14.75 will receive a letter from Sodexo with instructions on how to resolve those balances. If you need assistance on paying the balance, you can work with Sodexo.
You can stay current with your child’s lunch balance by checking the PaySchools website.
Curriculum Review Parent Input
As part of our Curriculum Review Phase 2 process, we plan time for the community to explore and provide feedback on the resources we are considering at various levels. That event is taking place Wednesday, March 1, from 5-7 p.m. at the EC Union.
At the elementary level, parents/community members will be able to explore decodable text options from Pioneer Valley and Flyleaf, classroom library options from Reycraft, the word study program from 95 phonics for grade 4 and 5, and classroom supplementals from Scholastics (Storyworks)
Upcoming Flower Sale
The PTO is once again partnering with Foertmeyer for our spring flower sale. The sale dates are March 1 - 17, with delivery scheduled for Saturday, May 6th. Flyers won’t be coming home for a few weeks; however, in preparation for the sale, please note the following opt out option:
If you would like to opt out of this service, please email frazier_jenny@dublinschools.net (or the office email link on the GRE website) by noon on Friday, February 17, stating that you would like to “Opt Out” and we will remove your child(ren) from the online ordering option. Please include your child’s name, grade, and teacher in the email.
Family Conferences
Our family conferences are coming up on February 23 & March 1. 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.
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!
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GRE EVENTS
Upcoming Events
Feb 17: No School - Staff PD/work day
Feb 20: No school
Feb 23: Family conference night 1
Mar 1: Family conference night 2
Mar 1: Flower sale begins
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DISTRICT NEWS
District Updates
NO SCHOOL FRIDAY OR MONDAY
There is no school tomorrow, February 17 due to a teacher work day/professional development day and no school on Monday, February 20 in observance of Presidents Day.
Last Call for Community Champion Awards/Scholarship Applications
The deadline to nominate a student or staff member for a Community Champion Award is fast approaching (February 20) Submit a nomination here. The senior scholarship applications are also due on February 20. Apply here.
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