Glacier Ridge Gazette

August 18, 2023

December 6, 2024

DR. KURTY'S CORNER

STOP - PLEASE READ!

Are you reading the newsletters? I know, parents are inundated with so many emails. I’m a parent in the district as well, and I completely understand the overwhelming number of emails you get from a variety of sources - district, school, teachers, PTO. It’s a lot.

We try to be efficient with our communication.

Schoolwide information - School newsletter on Fridays
PTO only information - PTO newsletter on Mondays
Teacher information - Bloomz
District information - Monthly newsletters

However, there is often information in there that you don’t want to miss. The biggest example is the opportunity to provide feedback about your child’s learning when it is time for us to create class lists. Parents realize they didn’t submit the form because they weren’t reading the newsletters, potentially missing the deadline.

Therefore, I have some tips for you:

Prioritize: Read the items from the teacher first. That is likely the most pertinent information. Then read the information from the PTO and school next. You can read the district newsletters last.
Skim: You can quickly scroll through the school and PTO newsletters and look at the titles. We try to keep the article titles simple and explanatory. Read the items that you think are important or you don’t know what they are.
District Updates: There are district updates at the bottom of the GRE newsletter. The district provides the most important information from the district in each school’s newsletter. So, if you are prioritizing reading district newsletters last, you can at least read those updates each week to get important district information.

If you’ve made it to the end of the principal message, good for you. I know that many people may skip or skim my messages, which is okay. I try to make them engaging and helpful because I hate reading the typical boring updates from principals, “I can’t believe it’s already December!” Regardless, thanks for reading this far and have a great weekend!

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

KINDNESS POST OFFICE - Starts on Monday

Starting Monday, December 9 through December 18, students will be able to purchase stamps in the mornings from 9:00-9:10 from the fifth graders. The stamps are used to mail Choose Kind letters to other students and staff at Glacier Ridge that are delivered at the end of the day. The proceeds from the sale of the stamps goes to benefit One Dublin. You can find more information about the Kindness Post Office HERE.

Fifth grade students experience the business of creating postage stamps to sell to students. The idea of supply and demand, opportunity cost, labor and division, banking, sales experience, customer service, and profit / loss are all linked to our fifth grade economics standards.

Square One Art Fundraiser - Extended to Monday, Dec. 9th

Each student, grades 1-5, has received a personalized catalog of items with their original artwork. Items available range from magnets and keychains to water bottles and tote bags– perfect for keepsakes and gifting!

Ordering is done online via the QR Code in your catalog or by typing your student’s name, school name, and state into the Square One website HERE, so you can share your student’s art items with whomever you wish. Orders will be delivered to your chosen address 2-3 weeks after your order date. Our sale runs from now until 12/9, so order your keepsakes today!

All proceeds will benefit the GRE Art Program. By supporting this fundraiser, you are supporting all the special supplies, events, and experiences that our art program provides for GRE students.

Fundraiser timeline:

Online order deadline 12/9

Items shipped to home 2-3 weeks from order date.

Support One Dublin Families—We Need Your Help!

There are still many lists that need items or grades that need volunteers. We know this is a time when there is so much need. So, if you can still help, click on a list below - even if it is not your child’s grade level. Our goal is to complete all lists so all adopted families have a complete list.

Wish Lists:

Kindergarten - Complete

1st Grade - McCormick, Knostman, Birkholz (3 items needed) (Need volunteers)
1st Grade - Thiel, Thiry (Need volunteers)
2nd Grade - Eltringham, Klopfer, Macklin (Need volunteers)
2nd Grade - Stocke, Wilkinson (Need volunteers)
3rd Grade - Shambaugh, Baker (3 items needed)
3rd Grade - Flahive, Liszeski, Santiso (10 items needed) (Need Volunteers)

4th Grade - All slots filled
5th Grade - All slots filled

Thank you for helping us bring joy to these families and for making the season brighter for our community!

Raising Cane’s Dine and Donate Event - TONIGHT

On Friday, December 6th, any time between 1PM - 8PM, stop by the Raising Cane’s at 9581 Sawmill Parkway, Powell, OH 43065 to feed your crew and help the GRE PTO raise money while you are at it. Mention the GRE PTO or show them our digital flyer below at the register.

Cookie Dough Pick-Up Date

If you sold or ordered from the PTO cookie dough and pastry sale please pick up your items on the time and date listed below. If you cannot pick up that day/time, please make arrangements for someone to pick up your order. Items cannot be saved for a later date.

Pick-Up Details:

December 12, 2024 from 5:00 - 6:30pm at the side GRE parking lot

Cookie Dough Sale Pick-Up Help

The PTO is looking for a few more parent volunteers to help this month with cookie dough pick-up on December 12.

SignUp: Cookie dough signup genius

Are you subscribed for text alerts? Don't miss winter communications and other important information! Opt in for Texts from DCS

For school closures, emergencies, urgent alerts, and important reminders, our district utilizes SchoolMessenger to deliver text messages straight to staff and/or mobile phones. You can participate in this free service just by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number, 67587, or scanning the QR code below. You can also opt out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”. We recommend saving this short code and Caller ID to the contacts on your phone. This will help prevent any 3rd party call blocking systems from interfering with your receipt of important messages sent by the school or district.

SIGN UP & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Parent/Guardian Volunteer Background Check

VOLUNTEERING: 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.

Background Check Sign-up

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 the sign-up link below.

Students can sign up only 1 time per week.

Morning Tiger Student Announcements Sign-up

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.

Student Greeter Sign-up

GRE EVENTS

Upcoming GRE Events

December 6th-PTO Cane's Dinner Night Out (Powell location)

December 12th-Cookie/Pastry Sale Pick-Up 5-6:30 @ GRE

December 13th- Adopt-A-Family Wrapping @GRE

December 17th- 4th Grade Caroling after school

December 20th- Celebration of Giving Assembly

December 21st-January 5th- No School Winter Break

January 6th, 2025- NO SCHOOL Teacher Work Day

January 7th-School Resumes

January 9th-PTO Dinner Night Out @ Black Dog Pizza

January 17th-Yearbook Sale Begins

Subscribe to the GRE Google Community Calendar

DISTRICT UPDATES

Scioto Theater Presents Inspecting Carol

Get your holiday cheer on with this hilarious, madcap comedy! This laugh out loud holiday spoof makes for a night at the theatre that is anything but show business as usual. Showtimes are December 6 and 7 at 7:30 and December 8 at 2:00 p.m. Purchase tickets here.

From the City of Dublin

Healthy Guide Online Now!

From fitness and adult programming to teen and youth activities, find all your favorite Dublin recreation programs in one place! Read the Winter/Spring Dublin Community Recreation Center Healthy Guide today. Program registration begins Dec. 10 for City of Dublin residents and Dec. 17 for Dublin City Schools district residents and non-residents. View it here.

2024 Fill-A-Cruiser Toy Drive

Dublin Police officers are collecting unwrapped toys and gift cards for the annual toy drive to help share some holiday cheer with first-responder families in need. Visit the Justice Center event Dec. 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Find more Fill-A-Cruiser details.

Dublin City Schools Home

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

To help students discover their interests and enrich their learning, Dublin City Schools partners with local businesses and community organizations to offer After School Activities outside of school hours. These experiences, which vary in content, time, location, and cost, are taught by course instructors employed by a sponsoring business or organization.

Activities List & Registration

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