Glacier Ridge Gazette
Glacier Ridge Elementary School | April 6, 2023
- - - - - - - - -
Glacier Ridge Gazette
Principal’s Message
How I Survived My Middle Schooler - Part 3
Happy three day weekend! Many students celebrated Passover this week and they enjoyed sharing about their Jewish traditions and how Passover is celebrated. Many students were also excited to talk about Easter and their own traditions around this holiday.
I will now transition to the third and final part of How I Survived My Middle Schooler. There are many components I could continue to describe about middle schoolers, but I will finish some of the most common.
Social Media: All my middle schooler wanted to do was be on social media. It was a hard decision whether to get her a phone. Of course she said that EVERYONE ELSE had a phone except her. I knew that wasn’t the case, but that was exactly what the problem was - the feeling of exclusion. We got the phone so that she could communicate in the event of emergencies. However, she had the strong desire to communicate with her peers through social media, including TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, just to name a few. In my opinion, it’s not necessarily the phone that is the problem, it’s the social component that comes along with it. We had to make the hard decision when to let her get those social media apps and what parameters we were going to put in place. That is different for each family and child. You have to decide the appropriateness as a family, but you can use some guiding questions to help you navigate the timing.
My strategy: A strategy that is applicable to many situations and rules is to explain why you have them in place. “Because I said so” is not necessarily an effective rationale for a rule. A great 2 minute podcast resource is from Brene Brown, where she talks about transition from compliance/rules to commitment/values. We decided to let her have a phone earlier than we let her have social media. Once we felt that she demonstrated some responsibility and some capacity to problem solve and have self control, we allowed one or two social media apps. Prior to allowing it, we set some ground rules and explained the ‘why’ behind it. However, we had to think through what our expectations were in the first place. Below are some guiding questions to help you identify what parameters you want to establish before sharing them (and the why) with your child:
Why do you need a phone? How will you use it? What happens if it gets lost/broken?
What is the purpose of social apps? Why are we allowing you to have social media? It is a privilege not a right.
What are the time limitations? What amount of time and what times of day?
What interactive parameters? Who can she interact with and why?
How to get out of social problems? What does kind social interaction look like and what to do when others are not kind?
What are the consequences of breaking the expectations?
What concerns do I have about social media?
Low self esteem & comparison
Dangerous people and content
It was important that I communicated and my daughter understood why social media can be a bad thing. One of my biggest fears is the impact social media has on self-esteem. We discussed that what you see on social media is not always true and it doesn’t convey the full picture. It often shows the best part of people and comparing yourself to others can be detrimental to one’s own self concept.
Secondly, we discussed that social media can be used by a lot of inappropriate people trying to contact teens. We discussed the dangers of connecting with strangers on social media.
They’re emotional! This is extremely common. I will also say that my wife found herself at the receiving end of this more often than I did. Maybe it’s because my daughter was more comfortable sharing her emotions with her. Regardless, no one was immune to the emotional wrath of our middle schooler. Her emotion would manifest as a short temper, disrespectful tone, and harsh language. This would occur without notice and especially if she didn’t get what she wanted.
My strategy: Press pause. I wrote about this in an earlier newsletter. Our best strategy was to remain calm ourselves. No teenager became calm responding to a frustrated adult. Therefore our first strategy was to try to model calm behaviors and dealing with our emotions in a productive way - talking about them, taking a break, doing something else. We were not perfect with this. When I really focused on my tone, language, and mood, I noticed I was not modeling as much as I thought I could. When we did let emotions get the best of us, I would circle back around and apologize. When we were both ready to talk, I would listen to why she wanted something and we could see where there could be compromise. If the answer was still no, I would explain “the why”. If the emotion came from frustration in general, we would talk through better ways to deal with the frustration. In order to do that, I needed to think through how I dealt with my own frustration. You can’t help someone else calm down if you don’t know how you calm down yourself.
They don’t want to talk to you: As children get older, they gradually rely on you less. This is natural. As part of that process, they talk to you less about their problems and conversation in general. At the same time, they begin to rely more on their friends and desire to spend time with them more and more. As a result, you can often feel disconnected with them.
My strategy: I became frustrated when my daughter didn’t even acknowledge my existence. She would get in the car without even saying anything. I did set some basic etiquette behaviors. She must use simple manners and answer questions. However, my daughter is not a talker or sharer at all. She didn’t want to engage in conversation at all, let alone ask me questions. I had to be okay with that, but still attempt to talk to her. My strategy was to tell stories about my day that I thought she would find interesting. I would also research and talk about topics that I knew she found interesting. In addition, I tried to not significantly react when they come to you with a problem or share something shocking. Finding the right time and manner to guide them becomes essential. If they feel like they are going to be judged, they will talk even less. I would take a listening stance at first. I would then ask a lot of open-ended questions to help guide her thinking. The second that I could sense her frustration, I would stop. I would also be explicit about expressing my appreciation for her talking with me.
These strategies are not research based; nor are they applicable to all children, let alone my own. They did help me ride the storm of my middle schooler. However, with a rising 6th grader, I may need a completely different set of strategies. Either way, parenting (and education) is about meeting the needs of kids. Parenting the way my parents parented me may not be directly applicable to my children. My kids are different from me and the world is different than when I grew up. So, whether you have a current middle schooler, rising middle schooler, or future middle schooler, hopefully my journey will help you.
Lastly, there may be a need for even more support and help for some children. The article, What Parents Need to Know About Their Teen’s Mental Health, is a great resource about the mental health of teens in general. It also has some additional strategies for my common middle school problems.
Thank you for going on the parent journey with me as I share some of my trials, tribulations, and successes of my own parenting.
Sincerely,
Pete Kurty, Ed. D
Principal
Some Moments this Week at GRES!
Kindergarten Students working collaboratively to build 2D and 3D shapes!
Glacier Ridge Information
Thank you Volunteers!
You help in so many ways and we think you are tiki-rific.
Library, PTO, field trips, copycat, classroom, field day, Tiger Trot, special events, fundraisers, Tiger Trunk, GRE Beautification, Spring Fling, staff meals, spiritwear……the list goes on and on.
Please let us celebrate YOU at
Volunteer Appreciation 2023
Friday, April 21, 2023
10:00 am - 10:45 am at the GRE Tiger Tiki
Relax and enjoy presentations and creations by various grade levels and classes
Light refreshments will be served
RSVP please by Friday, April 14 via email to frazier_jenny@dublinschools.net
Field Day - Volunteers Needed
Field Day will be on Tuesday, May 16th this year and we need your help! Please sign up below if you would like to volunteer during your child's field day time. 4th grade, 5th grade, and AM kindergarten classes will have their field day from 9:15-11:30am. 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and PM kindergarten classes will have their field day from 1:00-3:15 pm.
**Please note that we need volunteers to come 30 minutes before the students' field day time and stay 30 minutes after in order to help clean up. SuperGames staff will be training parent volunteers on how to run each station.
Only parents who sign up to volunteer will be able to attend field day. Thank you for your understanding and help!!
Sign up here to volunteer.
Spring Fling - April 23 @ 3:00 pm
Save the date! April 23 at GRE from 3:00 - 6:00 pm, the PTO will be hosting a Spring Fling. Join us for the first ever PTO event that includes activities for students and families to connect. Activities include food and ice cream trucks, a tattoo station, bubble truck and more. More information to come.
Supply Sale Information
GRE Supply Sale:
We are pleased to be partnering with 1st Day School Supplies again for the 2023-2024 school year. The order window is now open and will remain open until July 1. This service is optional; however, if you are interested in ordering we encourage you to order early to help avoid shortages and supply chain issues. Ordering is done online only and cannot be accepted after July 1.
Place your order HERE to have the kit waiting for you child in the classroom on the first day of school.
If you prefer to purchase items on your own, you are welcome to do so. The grade level supply lists will be posted on the GRE website in the near future.
Eversole and Karrer Middle School Information
Eversole Run Supply Sale:
It is now time to purchase your Eversole Run school supplies for next year! Teachers and administrators worked extra hard to get your school store turned on early this year so you can check something off your summer to-do list. Order Now!
BUY EARLY AND SAVE...KITS ARE ALL AROUND $50 THIS YEAR!
Click here to order your 1st Day School Supplies today and help support your Eversole Run Middle School PTO!
Sale closes 7/1/2023.
Karrer MS Supplies and other information:
It’s time to start thinking about school supplies for the upcoming school year! The KMS PTO is again offering families a convenient way for students to purchase school supplies kits. The kits will be available for pickup during student walk through in August. Save yourself the hassle of last minute shopping!
Click here to order.
*Lists of supplies will also be advertised on the Karrer Website for families wishing to purchase on their own.
In addition, KMS would like to welcome new 6th grade students with a small gift from the KMS PTO. Please see the fifth grade website to complete the KMS 5th to 6th grade t-shirt google form no later than April 7, 2023.
Please also mark Wednesday, August 9, 2023 on your calendars for our sixth grade orientation evening, 5-7. More details to follow!
PTO General Meeting - April 19 @ 6:00pm
Join us for the final PTO General Meeting of the school year! We will be voting on executive board positions for those who have declared they’d like to seek election (or re-election). Please check out the details below regarding both Executive Board and Committee Chair positions for the 2023 - 2024 School Year. We need YOU!
For ease of scheduling, PTO General Meetings will be held via Zoom. We will provide the link to the meeting as well as the agenda on Monday, April 17th.
May 6 is Flower Sale Delivery Day - Volunteers Needed
Please sign-up here to help organize and distribute the 950+ items from the 2023 Spring Flower Sale that raised over $4,500! Questions contact: Heather Anderson (heathermailhouston@yahoo.com).
Playground Before School
This is a reminder that students should not arrive at school prior to 8:55am. Staff are not on duty and there is no supervision prior to that time. If students come to the playground prior to 8:55am, they must be accompanied by an adult.
One Dublin's Free Clothing Shop
Spring and summer clothes are now available at One Dublin's Free Shop.
The free shop is open to anyone in the Dublin City School district or the City of Dublin who needs clothing and household items. They provide like-new, in-style clothing and essentials for families at no cost.
Make your appointment today!
Anyone 18+ with proof of residency can make an appointment by calling/texting 614.726.6958 or emailing operations@one-dublin.org
Referrals are not required to visit the free shop.
Families may shop once every three months. Shop limits apply.
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!
- - - - - - - - -
GRE EVENTS
Upcoming Events
April 7th: No School-Teacher Conference Comp Day
April 10th and 11th: 4th Grade ELA OST Testing
April 12th and 13th: 3rd Grade ELA OST Testing
April 17th and 18th: 5th Grade Math OST Testing
April 19th and 20th: 4th Grade Math OST Testing
April 18: Incoming kindergarten family night for 23-24 @ 6:30pm
April 19: General PTO meeting (online)
April 21: Volunteer appreciation @ 10am at GRE
April 23: GRE Spring fling @ 3:00pm
May 6: Flower sale pick-up @ GRE from 8am - 12pm
- - - - - - - - -
DISTRICT NEWS
District Updates
No School - Friday, April 7
There will be no school tomorrow due to a conference exchange day. Enjoy the long weekend!
Science Opportunity
The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will host the inaugural “We Grow Scientists” event on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, from 3:00-7:00 PM at Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory. This afternoon of hands-on learning, wagon tours, and activities will showcase the many STEM fields CFAES has to offer. The event is free and open to learners of all ages.
Summer Youth Activities
Summer is just around the corner and now is a great time to start planning activities for your children. Check out the Info Hub and Community Education pages on our website to learn more about summer enrichment opportunities, athletic training and other camps. Bookmark the pages and visit them often to stay up to date as new opportunities are added frequently.
From the City of Dublin
It’s Earth Month! How To Celebrate in Dublin
From Earth Day hikes to community flower planting opportunities to the City’s iNaturalist Challenge, find how to get involved in Earth Month all around our community! Check it out: https://bit.ly/EarthMonthResources
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