| A Note From Headmaster
Hello Parents,
This week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Many of you sent me emails directly to share your love and care for our teachers. It is a pleasure and honor to serve our teachers who dedicate so much for these students not merely to teach a subject but to model virtues such as patience, diligence, humility, and love. If you have not done so already, please consider sending your son or daughter’s teachers a note of appreciation; better yet, consider encouraging your son or daughter to do so, as well. Many of you have shared your thankfulness for the work teachers and staff have put in as we transitioned to remote learning. Those little notes have been a source of encouragement to me. Thank you for sending those. Lastly, thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued commitment to partner with us; it is very much appreciated during times where we are navigating new challenges together. We are very close to the end of the quarter and I am blessed to finish it out well with all of you.
Sincerely,
Mr. Navarrette
Remote Learning Updates
This coming week will be the last full week of Quarter 4. The following week will be the last week of school, which will require students to complete one culminating assignment for each class. This is very different than a comprehensive final exam. Nevertheless, our teachers will finish up books, units, and assignments this coming week to then prepare students for their culminating assignment, which can be completed in the daily allotted time set aside for each class. To help students to finish out the quarter well, we will have an abbreviated schedule for the week of May 18th.
Last Week of Quarter 4/Culminating Assignments:
- Monday, May 18th- This is a standard, normal day of school. It will be the last day of new instruction. Teachers will also provide information on the culminating assignment for their classes.
- Tuesday, May 19th– Students will work on culminating assignments for Periods 1 and 2 only. They should plan to spend the standard designated amount of time on those subjects.
- Wednesday, May 20th– Students will work on culminating assignments for Periods 3 and 4 only. They should plan to spend the standard designated amount of time on those subjects.
- Thursday, May 21st– Students will work on culminating assignments for Periods 5 and 6 only. They should plan to spend the standard designated amount of time on those subjects.
Parent Service Organization (PSO)
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK: The PSO sent E-Gift Cards to all teachers and faculty this week. We still encourage parents and students to personally show appreciation to their teachers for all they do, such as sending an email, eCard, or video clip. It’s never too late to share a note of gratitude and appreciation for those that have poured into our children.
LUNCH REFUNDS: Refunds are currently being processed for hot lunches purchased for dates after March 15th. Payment will be in the form of a check and will be mailed soon. If you have any questions, please email president@glendalepreppo.org [12].
8TH GRADE CELEBRATION: PSO is still planning to sponsor an 8th Grade Celebration event for the students later in the summer once restrictions are lifted.
Senior Thesis Panels
The Senior Thesis and its defense are an important part of the Glendale Prep tradition. After careful review, we decided to support our students using the Zoom platform. The Zoom “Host” will send invitations to the presenting senior’s parents, all faculty members, and the senior class. In this way, parents, faculty members, and senior classmates will be able to attend the panels.
The panels will consist of two main parts: 1) The Thesis Presentation: a brief presentation (of about 10 minutes) in which the student will highlight the essential ideas of the paper; and 2) The Thesis Panel Discussion: a panel of three faculty readers will be convened to conduct a discussion with the student about his or her Thesis, and finally the audience will submit questions for the student via the “chat” function of Zoom. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. LeTrent [13].
Next Week’s Senior Panelist:
- Trinity Casetta – Monday, May 11th, at 2:30 p.m.
Textbook Returns & Yearbook Distribution
Glendale Prep will provide an opportunity to safely return school-issued textbooks, as well as borrowed school items, and to distribute pre-purchased 2019-20 yearbooks on Wednesday, June 3rd, and Thursday, June 4th. Please ensure that your son or daughter has all textbooks and any other school items currently at home. If you are missing a textbook, please reach out to Mrs. Hayakawa [14] prior to the event. You can view the textbook list by grade level here [15].
Families can SIGN UP HERE NOW [16]; only one time-slot per family is needed. Keep an eye out for more details regarding the process in future Weekly Blasts. We look forward to seeing you!
Senior Drama Production
For the first (and possibly last) time in Griffin history, the Senior Drama class will present the spring Senior Play, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, on Zoom. All are welcome to attend this Zoom “webinar” performance to experience this story of love triumphing over time and social class distinction. The link for the performance will be made available next week. Come support our seniors!
2019-2020 Yearbooks
Order your yearbook online before they sell out! You can secure your student’s yearbook on the payment portal [17] today. Yearbooks will be distributed when families return their textbooks. Check future weekly blasts for details.
If you are unsure if you placed your order, you can log into your payment portal [18] account and click the tab “Account,” “Orders,” and “Order History.”
GP Athletics
- Be sure to check out the new 24/365 “swag” store on the Glendale Prep website and GP Athletic website or click this link: http://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/arizona/glendale/glendale-preparatory-academy [19]. Purchases are processed, printed, and shipped upon completion of your order.
- Stay connected on social media for news and updates
- Athletic Refunds have begun being processed. You should expect to see refunds within the next two weeks. If you have any questions, please email Mr. Garrison – jgarrison@glendaleprep.org [22].
- *Stay Tuned* – We expect to have updates from Great Hearts leadership and the state on potential summer activities. These activities will be safe and approached with care for our students. Please stay tuned for any updates.
- If you would like to join the Athletic Parent Organization, please reach out to gp_apo@glendaleprep.org [23]. We will host an APO zoom call within the next week to update members and review some service opportunities.
Community Investment
We are working to meet our goal for our 2019-20 Community Investment campaign! Will you help us cross the finish line? Community Investment supports our operating budget, which allows our teachers to bring our incredible curriculum to our students in a new way. It’s the best way to support our academy in this uncertain time! In addition to a financial contribution, you can share the hashtag #CommunityInvestment on social media to help us spread the word to our school community. Contact Cathy Sparks at csparks@glendaleprep.org [24] or 602.770.7552 for more information.
College Counseling
- Juniors and Seniors: Continue to check the College Counseling Google Classroom for important announcements, event registrations, and assignments.
- College Board SAT Testing Update: Due to concerns for public safety, both the originally scheduled May and June SAT tests have been canceled. The College Board recognizes the difficulty this creates for the class of 2021. Therefore, provided it is safe for people to gather in larger numbers, they will offer weekend SAT testing every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August. Registration for these tests will begin in May on the College Board website. [25] The College Board will communicate directly with students when an exact date is available. Early access to registration will be given to those already registered for the June 6th test and those in the Class of 2021 who do not yet have an SAT score.
- Pre-college summer programs: A list of programs can be found by visiting the College Counseling webpage [26]HERE [27]. [26]
Volunteers and Chaperones
If you would like to be approved to volunteer or chaperone next year, please click on the link below to complete your background check and gain clearance. It should only take a few minutes to fill out the information and you will receive an answer from our Raptor system within 48 hours. The cost is only $5! All volunteers and chaperones must be approved through this process, with no exceptions. Please note, when selecting the school, it will not separate the Archway and Prep. The system will approve you for both schools. You can choose multiple campuses if that applies to your family. If you have any questions, please reach out to John Lund, Great Hearts Safety Manager at jlund@greatheartsaz.org [28].
https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/volunteer/ [29]
We look forward to seeing you on campus next school year! |