GLC Family Newsletter
September 25, 2022
This Week at GLC
- Monday, September 26
7:30 AM - Bluegrass Club begins, Rm 71 (subsequent meetings will not be listed here)
3:15 PM - Volleyball practice
3:15 AM - Middle School Book Club begins, Rm 72 (subsequent meetings will not be listed here)
6:00-7:00 PM - Zumba with Kaweah Health, MPR - Tuesday, September 27
7:30 AM - Art Club begins, Rm 34 (subsequent meetings will not be listed here)
3:30 PM - Volleyball/football game @ George McCann (200 East Race Ave.) - Wednesday, September 28
2:15 PM - Dismissal for ALL students (Gr TK-8)
2:15-3:15 PM - Volleyball/football practice
6:00-7:00 PM - Zumba with Kaweah Health, MPR - Thursday, September 29
3:15 PM - Volleyball/football game vs. Oak Grove @ home - Friday, September 30
GLC Spirit Day - Students and staff are encouraged to wear GLC spirit wear
Student Recognition Assemblies (Gr TK-6) - Families of students being notified will have received a notice. Times vary by grade-level
3:15 PM - Football game vs. Sycamore Valley Academy @ home
Upcoming Events
- Volunteer Orientation and Training - Tuesday, October 4 (8:30 AM in English/Spanish; 5:00 PM in English only)
- Student Recognition Assembly (Gr 7-8) - Tuesday, October 4 (Families of students being notified will have received a notice.)
- Gr 6 @ SCICON - Monday, October 10, through Friday, October 14
- Lunch on the Lawn - Monday, October 17 (Gr TK-4, 11:10-11:50; Gr 5-8, 12:00-12:40)
- Ignite Your Curiosity (Gr 7-8) (optional field trip) - Monday, October 17 (6:00-8:30 PM)
- "Raising a Rock-Star Reader" Parent Book Club - Tuesday, October 18 (4:30-5:30 English; 5:30-6:30 Spanish) (For more information, see below)
- Fall Picture Day - Wednesday, October 26
Parent and Family Book Club (Gr TK-4)
Here are a few stats that reinforce the importance of reading:
- Students who read 15 minutes or more per day made accelerated reading gains. Students who had less than 15 minutes of daily engaged reading time saw below-average reading gains.
- Students who started the year as struggling readers but ended the year at or above the benchmark read just six more minutes per day than struggling readers who did not meet the benchmark.
- More than half of all students do not get enough daily reading practice.
- Nearly 1 in 4 students (23 percent) with “below-basic” reading skills in third grade had not graduated high school by age 19. Among “proficient” third-grade readers, only 1 in 25 (4 percent) did not graduate.
- The score gap between frequent readers and infrequent readers gets bigger as students get older.
- Students who read 30 or more minutes per day with high comprehension (85 percent or higher) were nearly twice more likely than typical students to achieve college and career readiness benchmarks.
We will have two series, one in English and the other in Spanish. Each series will meet three (3) times for one hour each. Childcare and snacks will be provided.
- Tuesday, October 18 - 4:30-5:30 PM in English, 5:30-6:30 PM in Spanish
- Tuesday, November 1 - 4:30-5:30 PM in English, 5:30-6:30 PM in Spanish
- Tuesday, November 15 - 4:30-5:30 PM in English, 5:30-6:30 PM in Spanish
So that we can prepare adequately and also provide interested participants their very own copy of the book, please complete our Raising a Rock-Star Reader Interest Form. Thank you!
Food Safety at School
One of our important school rules related to food is that students are not permitted to share food. (The only exception to this rule is when there is a class event and it has been cleared with the teacher beforehand.) There are several reasons for this school rule, including:
- Students may have allergies
- Parents should choose the food that a student eats at school
- Sources of food cannot be verified
Recent national news about the inappropriate use or marketing of dangerous substances is causing us to be even more vigilant about this rule.
- The One Chip Challenge - This challenge, popularized on TikTok, promotes eating a corn chip made to be extremely spicy. Students should not bring these chips to school and no student should accept chips from another student. (For more information, click HERE for an article for parents from the Today Show website.)
- Smarties - Some students may have seen YouTube videos of people crushing and snorting Smarties. This can lead to infection and scarring. Preferably, students should not bring candy to school. No candy should be shared or taken in any other way than intended. (For more information, click HERE for an article from the LA Times.)
- Rainbow fentanyl - Some parents may have read about the marketing of fentanyl to look like candy. Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous drug and all students should be taught not to accept candy from anyone other than a trusted adult. VUSD is currently in the process of providing all nursing offices with antidotes for this drug (For more information, click HERE for an article from the US Drug Enforcement Agency.)
- Discuss the dangers of taking food from others when the source of that food cannot be verified. Remind them that sharing food is not allowed at school.
- Send only single-size servings with your child to school. To save money, if you buy chips or other items in bulk, pack them in containers or baggies for school.
- Supervise your child during screen time to ensure they are exposed to age-appropriate content. Both TikTok and YouTube do not permit users younger than 13 years old to create accounts. For YouTube, users must have parental permission until age 17.
- Monitor your child's phone use to ensure they are exposed to age-appropriate content.
Red Ribbon Week (October 24-28)
Red Ribbon Week is the nation's largest and longest-running drug-use prevention campaign.
This year our school will be participating by sharing age-appropriate information with students about drug-use prevention as part of Morning Meetings (all grades) and stand-alone lessons (grades 5-8). Sources will be shared in advance with parents as part of our Family Newsletter.
Additional activities that focus on healthy fun and school spirit are frequently organized by the school's PTSA. If you'd like to organize or support Red Ribbon Week activities through volunteering, please contact our PTSA leadership. Call our front office and one of our PTSA officers will call you back!
PTSA Suggestion Box
GLC Spirit Wear
Thanks to all our families who purchased this year's SHINE shirt! Stay tuned for our next sale.
In the meantime, GLC spirit wear is also available from the Visual Ink online store, a local vendor for spirit wear and merchandise. There are t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and hats available. Orders can be picked up or delivered.
After-hours Academic Assistance (AAA) (Gr 3-6)
Important Links
Guided Reading in Kinder!
High Interest Activities in HEART
Volleyball and Football are on a roll!
About GLC
Email: kaure@vusd.org
Website: https://www.vusd.org/glcs
Location: 1051 West Robin Drive, Visalia, CA, USA
Phone: (559)730-7768
Twitter: @GLC_VUSD