Glacier Ridge Gazette

August 18, 2023

August 16, 2024

First Week of School!

Happy First Week!

First, I hope your child had a great first few days of school. It is our goal to provide a welcoming, kind, and supportive environment for all students. Every GRE staff member works together to make school a positive experience for students each day! I hope you can see it and I hope they feel it. For students, the first days can be filled with a mix of emotions, but hopefully your child(ren) came home with positive feelings and joy. If your child is still struggling, feel free to talk to them about it to determine if you need to reach out to the teacher or school staff for necessary support.

Need Information? How we communicate (Please read)

Communication between school and home is important. We realize families are inundated with information from the district, school, and teacher. However, families often miss critical information that they need to support their child if they don’t read the information each week.

Our goal is to be efficient and effective with communication to help you get the information you need. Below is how we accomplish getting pertinent information to you.

Teacher Communication - Bloomz: I recommend that you read information from your teacher first. All classroom teachers use Bloomz app to communicate classroom specific information. You should receive information from your teacher about how to join the class group. We use that app as a convenient and consistent way for multiple classrooms to communicate quickly and efficiently to families, especially for those that have multiple children at GRE.

School Newsletter: Each Friday, we email a school newsletter (Glacier Ridge Gazette) with information that is pertinent to the whole school community. This includes events and reminders. Families will often miss information if they don’t read this each week. Plus, there is always a very enthralling and insightful principal message with principal/fatherly advice.

PTO Newsletter: The PTO sends an email newsletter with PTO events and information every Monday. This has information about volunteer opportunities, social events, and community resources.

We try not to be redundant with our communication, except for the most important information. Therefore, reading each communication method each week is important. You won’t want to be the person that calls the office for information that was already communicated in one or more of the methods above.

Thanks for being a collaborator with the school to support your child. Together we can have an even greater impact on their academic and social wellbeing. It’s a lot of information that the school and district sends, but it is absolutely necessary for the most successful GRE experience.

We look forward to a great first full week at GRE!

Sincerely,

Pete Kurty, Ed. D

Principal

Three part series about how we inadvertently treat children differently Part 3: Parents are teachers too Expect growth, not perfection. My generation constantly heard the phrase, “There’s no such thing as perfection.” That concept is absolutely true. I’m not sure exactly why or where that phrase originated from. As adults, we certainly know that to be true. High achievers also know that perfection is an impossible outcome. I’m not a perfect principal, father, husband, or leader. However, we sometimes expect children to be perfect - especially during a time when they are just learning how to navigate life and new skills. Children make mistakes….a lot of them. Not only that, but they should make mistakes. That is how they best learn how to navigate life, problem solve, and build resilience for adversity. Teach, don’t tell: When my children were younger, it was much easier to tell them what to do and how to do it. They would often listen because they understood the authoritative structure of child and parent. However, now that I have two young teenagers, just telling them what to do because I’m the parent doesn’t work any more. Furthermore, telling someone something is not a good teaching strategy either. As parents, we are teachers. Telling and giving information is NOT teaching. When someone can understand the concert, apply the skill, think abstractly about it, and then apply it in a variety of new situations, that is the teaching and learning process. It’s easier said than done (especially with teens AND adults). However, that is the most effective process. Enforce growth & reflection, not outcome: Because we have navigated life for decades, we often forget that children are just learning how to do things for the first time. As a child, you are often doing many things in life for the first time. When doing something for the first time, being good at it initially is a rarity, let alone perfect (which is impossible). Instead of expecting perfection, look for growth and reflection. I have found that my children will often just want to do it the way they want to. Schoolwork is a common example. You would think that having my doctorate would make me an expert in teaching children. Regardless, my children don’t see it that way. Instead of portraying that I know what I’m talking about, I ask them reflective questions to get them to plan and explain what they think they need to do. I force them to reflect and plan ahead of time. What is your goal? What do you want from doing this or this way)? Why do you think this is the best way/plan? What are there things that could go wrong? I’m here to support you and I believe in you. What can I do to help you? Afterwards, regardless of whether the outcome was positive or detrimental, we try to reflect. This is often harder because the children are anticipating a parent lecture. So navigate this with caution and don’t force it. They often know their shortcomings and just don’t want to talk about it. I’m proud of you for carrying out your plan. Is there something I could have done differently to help you? (This shows that you are a team and support them in failure and success). What did you plan that went well? What would you plan differently next time? Feedback: Feedback is an important part of learning as well. Again, in the younger years, it is easier. However, that is what also allows adults to just give feedback in a way that we wouldn’t want as adults. If I try something new for the first time at work, I certainly wouldn’t want my boss to just give me constructive feedback. Instead provide balanced feedback and couple it with the reflective questions above. Teaching and learning is about growth and ownership. If someone just tells me what to do, I don’t have any ownership in it. Growth and change occurs more out of strengths than deficits. In other words, I’m more likely to build on my strengths and success than the things that are harder for me to change. Therefore, begin with the reflective questions above and then feedback about what was positive and successful. Follow that with the reflection questions about what to change and feedback. End with a supportive question to show your support and care. Don’t forget to incorporate conversation, questions, and feedback about their effort. Sometimes they have a great plan, but the outcome wasn’t as expected. Therefore, reinforce the amount and quality of the effort that they put in, and don’t focus solely on the outcome. We are growing and learning as parents, too. We make mistakes and it’s okay for our kids to know that. That allows them to see that making mistakes themselves is okay. However, we all must learn and grow from those mistakes. Ironically, it is better for them to know that a perfect parent doesn’t exist either. Sincerely, Pete Kurty, Ed. D Principal

GLACIER RIDGE INFORMATION

Save the Date! Redistricting Webinar on August 27

As part of the planning for Bishop Elementary, Dublin City Schools needs to redistrict school boundaries. Redistricting will focus on incorporating the new school, balancing existing student populations, and accommodating future enrollment growth. Our school is one of eight that may be impacted by this redistricting. As such, parents are invited to join an upcoming public information webinar hosted by Cropper GIS, the third-party expert guiding the process for Dublin City Schools. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, August 27 at 7 PM via Zoom. During the session, Cropper GIS will walk you through their process and timeline for redistricting and explain how your input can help shape their work. The link to join the webinar will be shared in next week’s e-newsletter. It will also be posted on the district's redistricting webpage the day of the event. We hope to see you there.

Tiger Trot T-Shirts!

Free T-Shirt for Tiger Trot on Sept 20 - We need your child’s size!

Tiger Trot T-Shirt Order (all families): All students will receive a shirt at our Tiger Trot event in September. We need to know your child’s t-shirt size in order for them to receive a free t-shirt on the day of Tiger Trot.

Parent Information Night - Aug. 28

What is that? It is an evening for parents/guardians to learn more about what goes on in your child’s classroom. Teachers will talk about routines, procedures, and important information that establishes a strong home-school connection to support your child.

This event is for parents/guardians ONLY. Students should remain at home. We do not have the space for children to attend. Thanks for understanding.

Below is the schedule: Please attend your child’s scheduled time.

Tuesday, August 28, 2024

Wednesday, August 28th in classrooms

1st @ 4:30 - 5:00
4th @ 5:00 - 5:30
2nd (classrooms) & Gifted (in the library) @ 5:30 - 6:00
5th @ 6:00 - 6:30
Kindergarten @ 6:30 - 7:00
3rd @ 7:00 - 7:30

Tiger Trot Save the Date: Friday, September 20

Get geared up for our BIGGEST fundraiser of the year, Tiger Trot!

We will kick off our online fundraiser utilizing Pledgestar soon and collect donations through the day of Tiger Trot on Friday, September 20th with a school-wide goal of raising $18,000!!! The funds raised go towards school events, classroom enrichment activities, supplies/books for classrooms, and staff appreciation to name a few things.

SEEKING TIGER TROT SPONSORS: To ensure every dollar donated from our GRE families goes directly back to supporting Glacier Ridge, we are seeking (10) $250 sponsors to cover the online processing fees, prizes, and event supplies. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact us at glacierridgepto@gmail.com today!

Birthday Treats

Dublin City Schools implements a wellness policy to reduce student allergen exposure and promote healthy eating. As a result, we no do not share birthday food treats with other students during school. However, we do have great options to celebrate your child’s birthday. The library has a birthday book program which allows your child to choose a book to place in the GRE library. Reach out to our media specialist (gould_angela@dublinschools.net). You can also donate an indoor recess game in your child’s classroom. Another option is to bring in non-food trinkets for your child’s classmates. For those that know about our tiger trunk school store, you can also purchase birthday coupons for the class to spend. However, the tiger trunk will not begin until a little later in the fall.

Changing How a Student Goes Home

If alternate transportation is needed on any given day, please send a note with your child to be given to their teacher and the office. The best method is to send an email to the office at gres_attendance@dublinschools.net prior to 3 PM. You can also find this information on the school website. If no note or email is received, the child will go home as they normally do. Be sure to discuss any changes with your child prior to school that day.

Before School Reminder For Students

Students should not arrive at school prior to 8:55am. When walker students arrive, they should go right to the playground entrance doors to wait for the bell.

Why? We understand that students want to come play with one another and have the neighborhood camaraderie. There are no staff on duty to supervise prior to that time. As a result, there are often issues that arise that can spill over into school.

Please talk with your child about NOT coming to school to play prior to 8:55am. Students that still come to school early may be asked to come into the office.

SIGN UP & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

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.

Morning 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: Morning Tiger Student Announcements

Students can sign up only 1 time per week.

Glacier Ridge Student Greeter Team

Glacier Ridge Elementary believes in creating a caring and comfortable environment for it's community of learners. This begins as students enter the front doors of the school in the morning. Sign up your child to be a greeter. Students gain confidence, become leaders, and learn how to present themselves in a positive way.

Click on this link to find out more specific information.

GRE EVENTS

Upcoming GRE Events

August 15- First Day for Students, Kindergarten Phase-in Day 1

August 16- Kindergarten Phase-in Day 2

August 27-Redistricting Webinar

August 28- Parent Information Night

1st @ 4:30 - 5:00
4th @ 5:00 - 5:30
2nd (classrooms) & Gifted (in the library) @ 5:30 - 6:00
5th @ 6:00 - 6:30
Kindergarten @ 6:30 - 7:00
3rd @ 7:00 - 7:30

September 2nd -Labor Day, NO SCHOOL

Subscribe to the GRE Google Community Calendar

DISTRICT UPDATES

Welcome back!

We hope you had a wonderful summer and we are excited to have all our students back with us! Let's have a fantastic school year!

Need to Transfer Lunch Funds

Families who wish to transfer lunch money from the account of a student who has graduated to a younger sibling can do so easily. Just follow these simple steps:

Log into your PaySchools Central account
Go to Dashboard (if not already there when signing in)
Look for the symbol in the area labeled Meals
Click on the symbol
The Transfer Cafeteria Balance screen appears where you enter the Patron information for the transfer of funds.
Press PROCEED to continue to the next screen to enter the transfer amount(s).
Authorize the transfer details and click on TRANSFER.

After School Activities

New this year, we have a dedicated space on our website to provide families information about activities provided by local organizations in our schoosl. We are still adding classes for the Fall. Check it out: After School Activities

Info Hub

This page is a resource for families to find information about local organizations offering classes and activities to our students throughout the community. This is where you will find links to Dublin Youth athletics, online art courses, Columbus Children’s Choir and more! This page is updated with new opportunities frequently. Check it out here: Info Hub

From the City of Dublin

Know Before You Go: DCRC Annual Shutdown

The end of August means it's time for Dublin Community Recreation Center's annual maintenance and cleaning. The building will be closed Saturday, Aug. 24, through Monday, Sept. 2, reopening Tuesday, Sept. 3. Find more DCRC info.

Summer Fun Doesn't Stop

The Dublin Summer Fun Series continues with Workout Wednesdays and Games on the Green! Join us for the last Games on the Green of the season, Aug. 22, and enjoy yoga with Life Time Fitness through September. See you there.

Riverside Crossing Park Master Plan

It's public engagement in the park! Join the City of Dublin for the second Riverside Crossing Master Plan community input session. Come to the east plaza at Riverside Crossing Park from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 29 to share ideas about the park's future. Learn more.

Dublin City Schools Home

Going to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade? What To Know Get ready for Dublin's St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 9! Plan where you'll watch by checking out the parade route and accessible parking. The City is also partnering with Central Ohio Safe Ride for discounted Lyft rides to or from the parade and Downtown Dublin. Get the Lyft code and find your spot. Dublin Is an Exceptional Community Because of YOU You’re invited to the State of the City from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at The Exchange in Bridge Park. Hear from your City Council, public servants and fellow neighbors about Dublin’s successes and what’s to come this year and in the future. All are welcome to attend. RSVP today! We Need Your Input on the DCRC Refresh Join us for the third and final DCRC Refresh Engagement Session from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, at the Dublin Community Recreation Center in Talla 1. A presentation from the designer will begin at 6 p.m. Guests will have an hour after the presentation to walk around, see different design renderings up close and ask questions in an open house-style session. Can't make it? Share your feedback here.

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://glacier.dublinschools.net/
Location: 7175 Glacier Ridge Boulevard, Dublin, OH, USA
Phone: 614.733.0012
Twitter: @greDCSD

Glacier Ridge Elementary Home