Glacier Ridge Gazette

August 18, 2023

May 24, 2024

End of the Year Principal Letter

Dear GRE Families,

Thank Yous:

What a great year we’ve had! The end of the year was certainly filled with excitement: glow party, field day, talent shows, field trips, 5th grade promotion, musicals, tiger trunk, and more. I would like to say a sincere thank you to the students, families and staff for their hard work, support, kindness, and empathy towards one another this year. Hopefully, your children have come home to share the positivity, joy, and excitement they have felt this year. Each member of the school staff has worked to provide students with a positive, safe, and fun learning environment. Thank you to the families that helped continue that at home, too. The home-school collaboration is essential to the success of a child’s well-rounded educational experience.

Thank you also to the supportive PTO, the many parent volunteers and involved families at home for your investment in your child’s education. A special thank you to Hilary Brooks and Stacie Cordle-Wilkens as PTO presidents and the PTO Board and chairs this year. Be on the lookout for new and exciting events from the PTO next year.

Next Year Staffing Changes:

The end of the year left us with many changes for the upcoming school year. We bid farewell to many students and staff, as a result of new positions around the district. However, those leaving will forever be part of the GRE family. We are also fortunate to be able to hire and attain high quality staff to join our GRE team. Below is the staffing for the 24-25 school year, as of today:

Kindergarten:

Mrs. Kent (AM & PM)

Mrs. Watts-Johann (AM)

New teacher (PM - New to GRE)

First Grade:

Mrs. Birkholz

Mrs. Knostman

Mrs. Thiel

Mrs. Thiry

Second Grade:

Mrs. Eltringham

Mrs. Wilkinson (New to GRE)

Mrs. Macklin

Mrs. Stocke

Mrs. Klopfer

Third Grade:

Mrs. Baker

Miss Fain

Mrs. Liszeski

Mrs. Santiso

Mrs. Shambaugh

Fourth Grade:

Mrs. Shary

Ms. Hayes

Mrs. Manion

Mrs. Raterman

Fifth Grade:

Mrs. Harper (Team w/ Sullivan)

Mrs. Hunter (team w/ Walters)

Mrs. Sullivan (team w/ Harper)

Mrs. Walters (team w/ Hunter)

School Supplies

Don’t forget to order your school supplies by July 1. We suggest that families do it now so they don’t forget. Supplies will be delivered to your child’s classroom for the first day of school. Place your order HERE by July 1.

Yearbooks

For any family that ordered, yearbooks will be distributed next week. If you did not order one, but would still like to do so, you can order by calling HRImaging customer services at 740-369-4215.

Summer Academic Resources:

Families frequently ask for academic resources to help keep students fresh over the summer. Dublin City Schools has a few resources to assist you in keeping your child engaged and sharp this summer. Below are some online resources for you to use with your children.

For security purposes, some of these sites and resources must be viewed from your child’s student Google account.

Math Resources

Dublin City Schools Parent Math Resources page
Bridges Family Support- Click on the grade level you are interested in exploring. Scroll down to the selection of games and activities that will help your child practice math skills at home.
Math at Home- Click on the grade level you are interested in exploring. There are different sets you can choose depending on the content/skills you want to practice. These are great quick problems to think about and discuss with your student.
Math Learning Center Apps- Here are several digital math tools for students to continue to explore visual models for concepts and model their thinking at home.
ST Math- Your student will have access to their ST Math journey in Clever through July. They can continue to work through the content, but will be self-guided and will not continue to be monitored by their classroom teacher. The link has some great resources for parents to explore, such as questions for you to probe your child’s thinking as they progress through the levels and games to extend the ST math learning.

Reading Resources

DCS Summer Reading Resources Website
GRE Media Center (student DCS Google log-in required)
Additional Reading Resources

If you are looking for additional tutoring resources, you are welcome to reference this list of DCS staff that offer private tutoring services over the summer. Cost is determined by individual tutors.

DCS Summer Tutors

We wish everyone a wonderful, relaxing, and productive summer. We look forward to seeing you next year! Please be on the lookout in your email inbox in July for the back to school letter.

Sincerely,

Pete Kurty, Ed. D
Principal

Lisa Orem, M.Ed

Administrative Intern

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

Summer Office Hours

The office will be open from 9-3 weekdays through June 10. If you have any items to pick up, feel free to stop by during that time. Any items left after 6/10/24 will be discarded unless you make special arrangements.

(Please note, the office is closed 5/27 and 5/29).

The office will reopen on Jul 29, 2024.

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Business Opportunity to support our PTO!

Calling all businesses! If you are interested in partnering with the PTO for some upcoming events/opportunities and making an impact at GRE, we invite you to keep reading! We’re thrilled to announce Glacier Ridge Elementary is now on SponsorPlace!

This new all-in-one digital sponsorship marketplace opens the door for greater opportunities within our school — which will bring a huge benefit to our students and staff. If you have a local business and are interested in sponsorship opportunities, visit GRE SponsorPlace to start shopping the assets we currently have available for Field Day! For any questions, please reach out to glacierridgepto@gmail.com.

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Blood Drive at GRE

GRE is hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, May 29. Please consider making a donation and helping to save lives. You can schedule your appointment here.

SIGN UP & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

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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.

GRE EVENTS

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Upcoming GRE Events

May 25-August 14 Summer Break

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

August 16- Kindergarten Phase-in Day 2

Subscribe to the GRE Google Community Calendar

DISTRICT UPDATES

Spring Ohio State Test Results and End of Course Test Results

Detailed instructions and links to access state test results for elementary and middle school students, and end of course test results for high school students, can be found on our website at this link under Test Results. win the ultimate Dublin swag. Swing over to Visit Dublin to learn more!

Summer Camps sponsored by Dublin City Schools

Dublin City Schools staff members and coaches are hosting a variety of summer camps for students. Ranging from basketball, football and volleyball camps to art, artificial intelligence and a college application bootcamp. Additionally, several other local organizations have a wide variety of opportunities for our students to participate. Check them all out here.

Have a great summer!

Watch your email for the summer edition of Inside DCS, which will include Back-to-school information. But for right now…have a safe and relaxing summer!

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