Principal's March Newsletter

Hi, this is a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have a student at, or have expressed an interest in, Glenbard East High School. Communication between Glenbard East and our families and community is very important to us. Don't forget to add ge_news@glenbard.org to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! Please email any questions directly to Glenbard Staff, we are happy to respond.

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March 26

Award Letter Information Night

6PM-7PM - Rider Hall

March 27

Percuss-O-RAMa

7PM - Biester Auditorium

March 31 – April 4

NO SCHOOL

Spring Break

April 9

Pre-ACT Testing - FRESHMAN & SOPHOMORES ONLY

NO SCHOOL - JUNIORS & SENIORS

April 10

ACT Testing - JUNIORS ONLY

NO SCHOOL - FRESHMAN/SOPHOMORES/SENIORS

April 11

ON THE SPOT: Jazz Concert

7PM - Cafeteria

April 14

Orchestra String Showcase

7PM - Biester Auditorium

April 18

NO SCHOOL

April 21 - May 9

D87 Art Show

Auditorium Foyer during school hours

April 22

NHS Induction

7:30PM - Biester Auditorium

April 23

Lilac Band Concert

7PM - Biester Auditorium

April 24, 25, 26

Spring Play: The Importance of Being Earnest

7PM - Rider Hall

tickets at gefinearts.org

Wednesday, April 9, 2025: PreACT Secure 9 & PreACT Secure for all freshman and sophomores (No school for juniors and seniors). All students in the Life Skills program will have scheduled classes that will conclude with the standard ACT testing schedule.

Thursday, April 10, 2025: ACT Testing with Writing for all juniors (No school for freshman, sophomores and seniors). All students in the Life Skills program will have scheduled classes that will conclude with the standard ACT testing schedule.

The PreACT Secure will be administered to all Freshmen and Sophomores on Wednesday, April 9.

The PreACT Secure serves several important purposes:

❖ It is a state required exam.

❖ We use the information from this exam to measure growth from sophomore year in the areas of reading and math.

❖ These scores will be used for Glenbard course enrollment recommendations.

❖ A student and family can use the results of this exam to gauge a student's progress and readiness towards the ACT, an important college placement test that is administered to all juniors in Illinois.

Make Up Exam: The make-up date for this exam is Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

Contact Marina Brennan (marina_brennan@glenbard.org) or Joan Witkus

(joan_witkus@glenbard.org) if you have questions about this assessment.

The ACT + Writing will be Administered to all Juniors at Glenbard District 87 on Thursday, April 10, 2025.

All Glenbard District 87 juniors will take the ACT exam on Wednesday, April 10, 2025. This exam serves as a college entrance exam and is a graduation requirement for all students in Illinois. Students do not need to register for this exam. To find out more about the School Day ACT, take a look at the 2024-2025 Taking the ACT® Test State Testing and District Testing.

❖ These scores will be used for Glenbard course enrollment recommendations.

Make Up Exam: The make-up date for this exam is Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

Contact Marina Brennan (marina_brennan@glenbard.org) or Joan Witkus (joan_witkus@glenbard.org) if you have questions about this assessment.

Save the Date for our Senior Awards Night

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Biester Auditorium

7:30PM

The first day of school for students, for the 2025-26 school year is Thursday, August 14. Glenbard East will hold Back to School Week events the week of August 4 – 8. These events included: Freshman Parent Night, Freshman Orientation, and Sophomore, Junior, Senior day (when students will get their student ID’s and schedules).

In order for your student not to miss any class time on their first day of school, August 14, please make their attendance at these events a priority. More details will be available in the coming months – please be sure to watch your email and the Glenbard East website for more information.

We appreciate the time and effort you and your student have dedicated to the course enrollment process. At this time, all student course requests have been submitted, and our School Counseling Department and administration are working diligently to develop the Master Schedule for the 2025-2026 school year. This is a complex process that involves balancing student requests, course availability, and staffing.

Please note that at this stage, we are unable to accommodate any course change of minds, as the administration is using students' initial requests to build the school’s schedule. Once the Master Schedule is finalized in April, we will assist any student who has a scheduling conflict in selecting an alternative option.

Beginning June 1, 2025, students will have the opportunity to request schedule changes through a link that will be posted on Schoology. These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and must align with our course change policy. Changes will be considered for academic or career pathway adjustments; however, schedule changes based solely on a change of mind will not be accommodated. We ask that students remain committed to their original course selections, as we strive to honor their requests when building the schedule.

Finalized class schedules will be available in PowerSchool prior to the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

The Glenbard East School Counseling Department has created grade-level checklists to guide students and families through the college, career, and financial aid process. These checklists were recently shared with students during Ram Time Homeroom. We encourage you to review these as a family and take a sneak peek at next year’s grade-level recommendations and summer action items.

School Counseling Checklists Link

If you still need to complete any remaining college applications, please see your counselor immediately. It is not too late to still apply to some colleges, but time is quickly running out. Springtime is the time to get the financial component of the college decision process worked out before finally choosing what college you will be attending next year. Colleges may be sending you a request for a final transcript in the next few months. This transcript cannot be produced until all grades for the entire year are posted in June. Counselors will be surveying seniors in May asking where they want their final transcript sent. Please disregard senior transcript requests when you receive them from the colleges…we've got it covered!

This is a friendly reminder that seniors of the Class of 2025 must complete their financial aid form to receive a high school diploma. If your form has already been completed, our school counseling department will get confirmation from the state. You do not need to provide proof to your counselor.

For seniors who still need to submit a form, you have 3 options to fulfill the graduation requirement:

· Option 1: Complete the 25-26 FAFSA

· Option 2: If not eligible for FAFSA, then complete the 25-26 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid

· Option 3: Complete the Non-Participation Form

Need Assistance? The Glenbard East School Counseling Department has created a list of Financial Aid Form Resources.

The Glenbard East School Counseling Office cordially invites seniors who have not submitted their FAFSA and their parent(s)/guardian(s) to attend our Financial Aid Completion Workshop on Tuesday, March 18, anytime from 9:35 AM to 12:40 PM at Glenbard East High School in the Library.

If you are interested in attending the workshops, you must RSVP by 12PM on Monday, March 17. Please CLICK HERE TO RSVP and please have as much of the information as possible listed on this document: What You Need for the FAFSA.

What if my parents cannot attend?

We encourage you to work with your parents to complete the student portion of the FAFSA. Once this is done you can enter your parent/guardian’s information to invite them to fill out the parent section later. The information that students must enter to invite their parents includes: the parent’s full name, date of birth, social security number (if they have one) and email address. Once you enter your parents' information on the FAFSA, parents will receive an email notification with a link to access their own personalized section of the application. Check out 8 Steps for Parents Completing the Form.

Please join the School Counseling team for our first "Award Letter Information Night" on Wednesday, March 26th from 6-7PM! This is an exciting time for Seniors and their families as you finalize your college decision. We understand that making a college decision may be influenced by the out-of-pocket cost, which is outlined in an award letter. The purpose of our presentation will be to help families understand the purpose of an award letter, learn how to read it in detail, and provide tools that currently exist to support you in this process.

As your school counselors, we’re excited to assist your students not only during the journey through high school, but also in helping you research and develop a plan for after high school, which we call your post-secondary plan. Feel free to email or schedule an appointment with your counselor anytime to discuss your options and be fully prepared for your next endeavors after graduation, whether that is college, work, travel, the military or other incredible opportunities awaiting in the broader world beyond the walls of Glenbard East High School. It’s never too early to get started, and many seniors will tell you that they wish they had started this process earlier.

If you haven’t done so already, you may want to start planning those college visits for Spring Break. If you have a student in the junior class who is interested in attending college after high school but this process sounds completely overwhelming to them, have them reach out to their counselor for more information about how they can sign up for our “College 101” course. This is a FREE seminar offered to students entering their senior year for 3 days in July where they can dive into their college research process and get ahead in their application process before we hit the ground running when we return to school in August for their senior year. If you have a junior and this sounds like a program they would benefit from, have them contact their counselor today to get on the list for this FREE opportunity.

Glenbard East High School does not endorse or support any 'Senior Ditch Day' activities. We encourage all students to attend classes as scheduled to maintain academic success and uphold school responsibilities. Attendance is essential for learning, and we appreciate the cooperation of students and families in prioritizing education.

Glenbard District 87 will administer AP exams to all students in fully digital, digital hybrid, or paper format from May 5–9 and May 12–16. Registration for exams was conducted at the start of each semester when each student joined their class in the AP Classroom portal, and exam fees were collected via your PowerSchool registration over the summer. If you have questions about testing, please contact our AP Coordinator, Beth McNett, at beth_mcnett@glenbard.org. Click here to view the 2025 AP Exam Schedule.

Exam Order Changes

November 15, 2024 was the exam ordering deadline for full-year or first-semester courses. Exams ordered between November 16 and March 14 for full-year or first-semester courses incur a late order fee in addition to the exam fee. This fee doesn’t apply to exams for courses that start after November 15.

If you decide not to take an exam that was ordered for you, the charge is $40 per exam instead of the full exam fee. The $40 fee applies to any unused or canceled exam. If your student does not plan on taking an exam for which they are currently registered, please notify their school counselor or the AP Coordinator, Beth McNett, as soon as possible.

Partial credit (exam cost minus a $40 canceled exam fee) may be available until April 14. Students who are absent on test day will be offered the option of late testing, but will not be eligible for a refund. Click here to view the 2025 AP Exam Late-Testing Dates. If you have questions, please contact our AP Coordinator Beth McNett (beth_mcnett@glenbard.org).

Congratulations to our students who have been named State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Illinois State Scholars rank in the top 10 percent of the state’s high school seniors. Selection is based on a combination of exemplary ACT or SAT test scores and academic achievement.

Congratulations to: Fernando Amezcua, Rylan Anetsberger, Audrey Beales, Eishaal Bhimla, Areej Binmahfooz, Grace Boddy, Stephanie Cao, Emma Carneiro, Lennea Condon, Alexander Cook, Rachel Daciolas, Miles DePhillips, Brendan Farrar, Noella Fennell, Mia Fiorini, Mackenzie Fodrey, Ryan Frano, Jay Garcia, Olivia Gomez, Victor Hanson, Alexander Jeffrey, Kaitlyn Kelly, Shoaib Khan, Christopher Kuswanto, Gavin MacDonald, Lauren Manning, Prentice Marshall, Jewel Mathew, Desmond McClenahan, James Meacham, Pamela Mendoza, Luis Munoz, Emiley Nguyen, Marisa Olas, Jonas Daniel Ong, Cindy Quach, Priya Rajput, Syeda Rameeshah, Joshua Roimicher, Caitlin Rossi, Agnes Ruaika, Jack Rylands III, Nicholas Sommesi, Anna Strag, Anjali Surendran, Marley Szeluga, Syeda Taqvi, Daniel Torres, Sophia Tu, Giovanni Urquiza, Herminia Zacatzi, Celeste Zito.

CONGRATULATIONS!

On Friday, February 21, Glenbard East students of German traveled to University of Illinois - Chicago to compete in the annual UIC German Day event. Congratulations to medalists from the event!

All participants contributed to a great day in the city for our German program!

Congratulations to this year's participants in the Upstate Eight art show and the Visual Arts winners!

Upstate 8 Participants

Jasmine Alcantar

Samantha Anderson

Joana Bustamante

Dae Fennell

Marvin Flores

Lluvia Gomez Esquivel

Natalia Kowalski

Amber Valdivia

Celeste Zito

Glenbard East is proud to celebrate Mr. Brandon Catt and Mr. Tim Fawkes for earning the ISBE Those Who Excel – Award of Excellence honors!

• Mr. Catt, Fine Arts Department Chair and music teacher, was recognized in the School Administrator category for his exceptional leadership and dedication to students and faculty.
• Mr. Fawkes, a music teacher and director of multiple ensembles, was honored in the Classroom Teaching Category for his inspiring musicianship and impact on students.

Both educators exemplify excellence in education, collaboration, and commitment to student success. ISBE will formally celebrate awardees at a banquet on May 17. Join us in congratulating them on this well-deserved recognition!

Congratulations to the eight Glenbard East students who were selected for the Illinois Regional Orchestra Consortium all-region orchestra festival on Saturday, March 8. These students will represent East in collaboration with high schools from throughout the Chicagoland area to present a concert. Selected East students are:

Violins

Grace Boddy

Jenna Donati

Dae Fennell

Madison Maxwell

Violas

Stephanie Cao

Liv Gómez

Cellos

Maddie Bernard

Owen Waldschmidt

CONGRATULATIONS!

The following students have been selected to participate in the 2025 American Choral Directors Association National Honor Choirs, March 19-22 in Dallas, Texas.

Grace Boddy – Soprano 2 - National Vocal Jazz Honor Choir

Serge Dulang – Tenor 1 - National Vocal Jazz Honor Choir

Josiah D’Imperio – Bass 2 - National 7-10 Tenor-Bass Honor Choir

Lucia Johnston – Alto 1 - National 8-10 Treble Honor Choir

Maxine Pascasio – Alto 2 - National 8-10 Treble Honor Choir

CONGRATULATIONS!

Date: Friday, May 16, 2025

Place: Abbington Banquets, S002 Route 53, Glen Ellyn, 60137

Cost: $80 per ticket (cash)/$85 per ticket (online with card and digital payment)

Check in: 6:45PM

Sit-Down Dinner: 7:15PM

No entry after 8PM

DJ & Dancing: 8:15PM - 10:00PM

*Students will not be permitted to leave until 9PM

TICKET SALES:

• Cash, check, and Guest Ticket sales will take place on May 1, May 2, and May 5 during ALL lunch periods & Collaboration hours (4 & 6) in the cafeteria hallway
• Online ticket sales will be available starting on Thursday, May 1 via 5Star. Students will receive the link via email and it will be posted when tickets become available. Standard credit card transaction fees apply. Online ticket sales will close at 11:59PM on Monday, May 5.

TICKET INFORMATION:

All ticket sales are FINAL - No refunds - No exceptions

No ticket sales after deadlines

No ticket exchanges

Non-EAST-Student Guest Procedure To Purchase a Ticket:

• An EAST student may bring ONE (1) non-EAST-student guest who is approved.
• The guest must be at least a freshman in high school and 20 years old or younger.

Please follow these steps to bring your non-EAST-student guest:

1) Pick up a Permission Form: They are available in the Dean’s Office and Bookstore/Activities Office.

2) The EAST student fills out the pertaining information, including their own guardian’s signature.

3) The Non-EAST Student guest needs to fill out their portion & it needs to be signed by the guest’s parent/guardian and high school administrator.

4) The EAST student brings the completed form AND a copy of their guest's PHOTO ID to get approval from their dean.

5) The EAST student brings a completed form with the dean's signature to purchase the tickets. Guest tickets must be purchased in person with cash or check. No online or credit options are available for guest ticket payment. Guest forms and tickets must be completed/purchased by end of day on Monday, May 5.

6) No refunds or exchanges can be made.

When purchasing a ticket, you must have the following:

➢ Glenbard East Student ID

➢ (If applicable) The Student Guest Permission Form with a signature from the dean AND a copy of their photo-ID.

Please click this link to learn more about Social Hosting Information

The Glenbard East Staffulty of the Month Award has been established to recognize outstanding people for their dedication, professionalism, and work. Those receiving this award are nominated by administrators, colleagues, and students for exhibiting our D87 Profile of an Educator tenants.

Each month, we recognize two staff members based on their advocacy for students, empathy for others, critical thinking, embracing diversity, innovation, and collaboration.

Congratulations to this month's honorees!

Bryan was nominated by a staff member for exhibiting the following Profile of an Educator competencies: Innovates, Collaborates. Below is what they had to say:

"Bryan is an amazing colleague and such a huge asset to our counseling department and GBE. While Bryan possesses and excels in all of the competencies of a Glenbard educator, I'd like to focus this nomination on the competencies of innovates and collaborates.

Bryan's commitment to mastering data and his countless hours spent to create his "Master" spreadsheets has truly taken our counseling department to a higher level of efficiency. For a team that relies on data so heavily and that is often tackling multiple deadlines at once, the ability to have data available in real time allows us to tackle our tasks without the turn around time of waiting for the data to be created and/or sent. I personally use his "Master" data document as a source sheet in many of the initiatives/interventions that I am a part of and doing so has saved me countless hours of having to pull the powerschool reports by PS source codes and or waiting for data to create the report.

In addition to being innovative with data, Bryan has been a great collaborator as he is so gracious in sharing his work with the team in an effort to support our efficiency. He has been open to feedback and has made changes to his sheets based on the team's feedback to make it more user friendly.

While data and spreadsheets are a small component of Bryan's many tasks and responsibilities as a Counselor, I wanted to share how powerful his skill truly is. As a fellow data wizard who knows the amount of brain power that goes into spreadsheets as well as the benefits that we receive his data sheets, I simply wanted to share some appreciation and gratitude for his fierce dedication to data and to empowering all of us with the gift of real live data and for giving our department the advantage of having our personal data team.

Disclaimer: Please note that this superpower must only be used to benefit the Counseling Team! =)"

Monica was nominated by two students for exhibiting the following Profile of an Educator competencies: Advocates, Empathizes, Thinks Critically, Embraces Diversity, Innovates, Collaborates. Below is what they had to say:

"Ms Clark is an amazing teacher who provides for her students when needed and always has a positive outlook in learning, this is seen with her quote, “We are failing forwards”, she really is such an amazing teacher who wants nothing but the best for people."

"Ms. Clark always helps students learn and provide support when need and always has a positive outlook in both learning and thinking of things in a more positive way. Ms Clark believe in failing forward as in to succeed you must go through tough moments."

Remember our athletic motto: Students First: VICTORY Will Happen…as victory in life is way more important than just simply winning a game/contest. We continue to implement the Glenbard Profile of a Graduate transferable life skills and its six competencies: self-empowered, communicates, thinks critically, embraces diversity, creates, and collaborates. We feel these skills will afford our students post-secondary opportunities.

Winter Season Championship Summary:

Boys Bowling - IHSA State Finals qualifier

Competitive Dance - IHSA State Finals qualifier

Competitive cheer - coed IHSA State Finals qualifier

Girls Bowling - IHSA State qualifier individual - Jenna Pitts

Boys Wrestling - IHSA State qualifier individual(s) - Ismael Chaidez and Orlando Hoye (top-8)

Girls Wrestling - IHSA State Qualifier individuals(s) - Maria Green and Nadiia Shymkiv (2nd place medalist)

Boys Basketball - IHSA Regional Champions, first time since 2020

SPRING SPORTS AND COACHES' CONTACT INFO:

BADMINTON - Head Coach Scott Llorens (scott_llorens@glenbard.org)

BASEBALL - Head Coach Clayton George (clayton_george@glenbard.org)

BOYS GYMNASTICS BOYS – Head Coach Wayne Hill (wayne_hill@glenbard.org)

GIRLS SOCCER - Head Coach Athena Toliopoulos (athena_toliopoulos@glenbard.org)

BOYS LACROSSE CO-OP - Head Coach Grant Stueve (grant_stueve@glenbard.org)

SOFTBALL - Head Coach Dawn Chantos (dawn_chantos@glenbard.org)

BOYS TENNIS - Head Coach Kyle Black (kyle_black@glenbard.org)

BOYS TRACK & FIELD - Head Coach Patrick Walker (patrick_walker@glenbard.org)

GIRLS TRACK & FIELD - Head Coach Dr. Netherland Joiner (netherland_joiner@glenbard.org)

BOYS VOLLEYBALL - Head Coach Brad Cardott (bradley_cardott@glenbard.org)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (2:00PM-3:00PM in the East Gym or designated location) to celebrate our senior athletes that have been afforded the opportunity to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. More information to come…

WHY should Rams families/parents become members and volunteer for the Glenbard East Athletic Booster Club?

• #1 RELATIONSHIPS…an opportunity to meet and work with very diverse parents/families that make up our Glenbard East Rams Community
• Be members of planning committees contributes to the overall success of the booster club
• Purchase an Individual ($60)/Family Pass ($75); save admission money during regular season contests at any of the Glenbard High Schools
• Participate and contribute to fundraising, including our annual Craft Fair (occurred on October 26, 2024) and our annual Red & Black Trivia Night (occurred on February 28, 2025) with a goal of fundraising over $30,000
• Work concessions (contributes about 25% to the overall boosters budget), and assure our fans are well fed and earn funding for your child’s team
• Shop and wear the Red & Black gear: https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/illinois/lombard/glenbard-east-high-school
• Be one of the athletic families to earn a $1,000 booster scholarship towards college tuition, room & board, etc.

Any further inquiries, please reach out to our current Athletic Booster Club president, Jerri Gapastione, jgw8@comcast.net or visit the booster website: https://www.geramsboosters.org/

Email: ge_news@glenbard.org
Website: glenbardeasths.org
Location: 1014 South Main Street, Lombard, IL, USA
Phone: (630) 627-9250
Twitter: @GE_Rams