Arctic Blast

Last week, we began our safety drills, participated in our PreK Building Leadership Team Meeting (BLT), and said goodbye to Mrs. Seisser. Here are a few updates.

• The Crystal Lake Police Department gave excellent feedback on our Lock Down Drill, and they commented on how well our students and staff did!
• All students also participated in a bus evacuation drill.
• At our PreK BLT, we reviewed data: academic (GOLD Assessment), Perception (5Essentials), and Process (Implementation of academic and behavioral curriculum). Using the data, we created goals and professional learning plans for improvement this year.
• Mrs. Seisser's last day was Friday. Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Gloff to the K-5 front office and Mrs. Hollander to the PreK front office.

This week, we begin FastBridge testing for our beginning of the year benchmark data. We also meet with our K-5 Building Leadership Team.

We hope to see everyone this week at Parent Night and again on Sunday for our Polar Picnic!

Best,

Dr. Gruper, Mrs. Hensley, and Mrs. Evans

• September 12th - Parent Night, 6pm-7:30pm (Adult Only event)
  
• September 13th - Fun Run Opening Ceremonies (Student Only Event)
• September 15th - Polar Picnic (Glacier Ridge Family Event, details to come)
• September 24th - Fall Picture Day
• September 25th - Early Release, all students dismissed at 2pm

Ms. Adams' Kindy Class circling up for Bridges Math Problems & Investigation.

Mrs. Seegert and her second graders listening to a shared reading story
called This Is Our House by Michael Rosen.

PreK-5th Grade participated in Bus Evacuations.

In order to accommodate all grade levels and families comfortably, we will be hosting two sessions of parent night.

• AM PreK & K thru 5 Families Last Name A-M
  Thursday, September 12th from 6:00-6:40 pm
• PM PreK & K thru 5 Families Last Name N-Z
  Thursday, September 12th from 6:50-7:30 pm

Every year, Dr. Gruper engages in a read aloud with the 5th grade class. Starting October 1st, we will be reading Out of My Dreams by Sharon Draper. This is the third book in the Out of My Mind trilogy. In this book, Melody, a middle school student with cerebral palsy, witnesses her neighbor fall. She uses her assistive technology to call 911. Because of her efforts, she wins the humanitarian award through a local news station which gives her the opportunity to travel to London to participate in a symposium for innovation. Through our read aloud, we will engage in conversations about inclusion, friendship, and humanitarianism. Of course, the students always bring so many more rich conversations.

All 4th and 5th grade students are invited to join our choir! The fall session will meet Wednesdays from 8:10-8:50 AM from September 25th to December 4th, with a concert on December 10th combined with the 5th grade band. Please check your email for an invitation letter and registration form from our music teacher, Mrs. Koll.

• Library books for K-5 have started coming home. Please go over library book care and choose a specific spot at home to put Library Books. Help your Glacier Ridge student bring books back to school by their Library Class Day (at the latest). If you see a "Library Practice Book" in your child's Home Folder, please
  sign and send it back to school. THANK YOU!!
• PreK students will begin attending library on October 1st.
• We LOVE our Volunteers! Please consider signing up here --> Library Volunteer Sign Up Link.
• HELP! Our bulletin board needs YOUR help! Please email photos of Glacier Ridge students wearing sports spirit wear, at a sporting event, reading a sports book, and/or any other connection to reading AND sports. Email photos to gwjohnston@d47.org. Here are some examples from the past:

As we are now in full swing of our routines students are starting to be more comfortable choosing to order breakfast/lunch or even just a milk. Cost for breakfast is $1.50, lunch is $3.35, milk is $.55. Please take a minute to discuss with your student what meal purchase options work for your family and as well as the daily menu choices. Should you decide purchasing is an option or something you allow your children to do, a parent will need to put money on the students account through My Payments Plus or by submitting a check to the school (payable to District 47). (These funds do stay with your student until 8th grade.)

As we begin the 2024-2025 school year, we would like to review our arrival times to make it a successful time for all.

K-5

We greet walkers and car riders onto our playgrounds at 8:30. At 8:45 our first bell rings for students to line up to begin their morning routines; this is essential for their success to the day!

PreK

We greet walkers and car riders at 8:45 to begin our morning routine to set our students up for success.

Please join our PTA!

Glacier Ridge PTA - Supporting Glacier Ridge Pre-K-5th grades

Join us on Sunday, September 15th from 11am-1pm for our Annual Glacier Ridge Family Polar Picnic. Food Trucks, DJ, Plus More!

Crystal Lake School District #47 can not furnish data for a school directory. If you would like to be a part of a directory for Glacier Ridge, please fill out this form. The deadline has been extended until 10/30. This directory is assembled by volunteers in the PTA and is not associated with the school office or school district. Fill out as much information as you would like to share. The school directory includes: contact information for GR families (for those who wish to contribute) AND information on GR staff - including photos, favorite things, and other tidbits to help you get to know the GR staff (for the staff who wish to contribute). The directory will be distributed in early November to all that have entered their student's information. This is ust in time for the holiday season! It’s also a great place to get contact information for play dates or birthday parties! Click this link to submit your family’s information into the directory!

Glacier Ridge PTA plans and implements activities, events, and fundraisers that require parent/teacher volunteers to execute. These are the committees that are currently available and need your support! A few committees already have the chairs and volunteers needed - but if you have a special interest in one or more of them, let us know! Volunteers are needed in order to have these events! Click this link to sign up!

Click here to order your Spirit Wear today.

Want to stay in the know? Be sure to join us on:

• Facebook: Glacier Ridge Elementary Parents Group

For any questions please email us at:

• glacierridgepta@gmail.com