In the years I have been at Glen Grove, the beginning of the school year has always brought much joy, the occasional inquiry about why the weather continues to feel like summer well into September, and, of course, new Gators into the Glen Grove Congregation (fun fact- a 'congregation' is the technical term for a group of alligators. Who knew?).

Our community only grows - for even when our past Gators move on, they will always be part of us. After all, as many of the teachers at Glen Grove fondly like to say... "Once a Gator, always a Gator." In the years I have been at this school, it has always resounded true.

Over the past two years, the Glen Grove Community Project (GGCP) has grown with the community. In our first year (click link for video), we focused on getting to know the families at Glen Grove - what you celebrate and what matters to you. All of this was compiled into a digital resource that was then transferred onto a site you can access from the Glen Grove website.

The second year (click link for video) gave us opportunities to deepen our connections. We had three events organized in partnership with various community members, such as the Spanish & Mongolian BPACs, GG/WB PTA, Gator parents, volunteers from the high schools, and many more. The events were:

• Ways We Remember Loved Ones
• Lunar New Year
• Gator Game Night

In addition to these after-school events, we had displays, videos, and even this newsletter to share information with students, staff, and the community about what we had learned. We ended the second year with much to celebrate as the GGCP was awarded funding from the Glenview Education Foundation for the 2023-2024 school year to continue and expand upcoming events.

It has been a wonderful journey thus far, and we invite everyone, both new and longtime Gators, to come with us. We want to continue to grow this endeavor and learn from each other.

This year, the goals of the GGCP are...

1. Foster more partnerships with students and their families through participation in updating our website to add or update our resources
2. Organize and collaborate with community stakeholders to host events at Glen Grove
3. Highlight and celebrate our school community

On behalf of the Glen Grove Community Project members, I thank you for your partnership and collaboration. The positive responses to our events and the support from the community help make all of our endeavors possible. We look forward to learning and celebrating with you!

Sincerely,

Aurora Joaquin

"Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makarating sa paroroonan."

This quote is from Dr. Jose Rizal, whom I admire as a writer, a healthcare provider, and an advocate of justice for the Filipino people during the era Spanish colonial rule. He stated, ' Those who do not know how to look back from where they came from will never reach their destination.'

As a person with type-A tendencies, I always fixate on the future, and in the line of work that I do as a speech-language pathologist, I'm constantly chasing deadlines like moving targets.

What is next? Should this be the next step? What will make things better for all involved?

However, before you can take the next step in life, society, and even multi-year projects such as these... you need to know what you're bringing with you on the journey. Your knowledge, physical and mental abilities, social skills...so many things that comprise the human being that is YOU.

You also bring what you don't know, what you like, what you don't like, what makes you scared, what makes you happy, and what values and traditions are important to the community that raised you.

You are held up by the worlds and words of those who came before you and how they influenced you to become who you are today... you are raised up on the shoulders of others. Collectively, in turn, the young minds in our lives rest on our shoulders to hold them up.

I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors, my family, my past teachers, my friends, and even Dr. Jose Rizal in the work that I do every day, in every way. I teach in the ways that I know and have learned, but also when I don't know the answer to a question. I teach my students about my Filipino heritage, but I also teach when I learn from them about their backgrounds. I share my love of riddles, my experience as a writer and artist, my difficulties with riding a bicycle, being the oldest sibling, and having pets... those are parts of me that I collect and carry with me on the journey of education and life.

I hope that, in turn, I hold my students up and all those who follow after me.

We hold each other up as a community.

As we continue the Glen Grove Community project into its third year, it is my hope that in learning about who we are and where our values come from, we can foster a community that builds on our past while striving forward towards collective goals.

Bring all that you are and come with us. On behalf of the members of the GGCP, we welcome you along for the ride.

Like many holidays around the world, Rosh Hashanah has foods that are traditionally served. Oftentimes fruits like pomegranates and apples as well as honey can be found in celebratory Rosh Hashanah meals, as the new year is a time to welcome good and sweet things into your life.

Watch the video and try some of these sweet recipes at home!

Who are the people in your life that lift you up?

Committee Members

• Katherine Ellison, Glen Grove Principal
• Aurora Joaquin, Glen Grove Speech-Language Pathologist
• Katelyn Kelleher, Glen Grove Psychologist
• Hedy Helfand, Glen Grove English Langauge Learning Teacher
• Marie Chang-Pisano, Glen Grove Reading Intervention Associate
• Sylvia Gorski Duarte, District Title III Family Resource Teacher
• Lindsey Lurie, District Multilingual Instructional Coach

Email: GGCommunityProject@gmail.com

(Published 11/15/2022)

The Glen Grove Community Project acknowledges that the land on which their community, Glenview District 34, lives and works today is in the original homelands of the Peoria, Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi), Myaamia, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk), and Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) People and pay respects to the elders and communities of past and present.

In conjunction with this land acknowledgment, we want to provide resources to learn more about the original peoples and communities of the land.

Resources

• A Story of Survival: The Wampanoag and the English (A Native American Perspective of Thanksgiving)
• The Wampanoag Way (video)
• Native Americans (BrainPop video)
• Native America: A Documentary Exploring the World of America's First Peoples (PBS trailer)
• Glenview Public Library resources
• Visit The Grove to learn more about Native American groups that originally inhabited the area.