Weekly Blast 11.22.24

Hello Families,

As we enter a time of year that involves reflection, appreciation, joy, and gratitude, I invite you to join us in celebrating gratitude with our academy on December 3^rd for #GivingTuesday. This day of giving was created to focus on doing good for the community after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

I am grateful to our parents who already support our classrooms through Community Investment. On Giving Tuesday, our intent is to fulfill our Community Investment goal and raise $15,000.

I invite families who have not yet supported our school this year to make a gift during #GivingTuesday to show their gratitude. All gifts made on Giving Tuesday will support our operating budget and help us close the funding gap of $1,500 per student.

You can give by clicking here or by connecting with Tammy Kempton, our Family Giving Officer.
To see what our faculty, staff, community, and students are grateful for this year, follow us on social media on Tuesday, December 3^rd. Thank you again for your endless support of our academy; we truly could not do it without you.

Sincerely,

Mr. Navarrette

Request From Mrs. Sarbacker

Mrs. Sarbacker has a unique request. If you, or someone you know, graduated from Geneva College, please contact her at your earliest convenience (ksarbacker@glendaleprep.org). One of our students has an opportunity to receive a scholarship, but we need to touch base with an alumni.

Epic Cycle

Final Epic Cycle update – thank you for signing up your child for the 12-hour adventure starting this evening. We have over 175 students attending and probably many last minute attendees paying at the door. Mr. Hayward and Mrs. Mure visited classrooms yesterday and this is what was shared with students:

Epic Cycle 2024 – The Aeneid

• Check-in – Students must check-in at the gym lobby between 7pm-7:30pm.  Doors close at 7:30pm. Students must arrive with phones in a zip lock bag with your name written in sharpie on the bag. Phones will be checked-in upon arrival, but may be used to contact parents, if necessary.
• Attire – Comfortable warm clothing such as pajamas, sweatpants, hoodies, and onesies may be worn. (Attire should be free of inappropriate or political messages. Sports team logos (e.g., Diamondbacks, Notre Dame), and apparel brand names (e.g., Adidas, Nike) are acceptable, provided they do not make inappropriate allusions). Clothing must cover what the uniform short sleeve shirt and shorts cover (no spaghetti straps, sleeveless shirts, crop tops, inappropriate wording on clothing, or short shorts). Leggings and yoga pants are allowed when worn in a modest and appropriate way. Students who dress inappropriately will be asked to call home and wait in the office to receive appropriate attire or leave the event (no refunds).
• Permitted items – Students may bring school appropriate playing cards, board games, or other non-electronic games. Please bring blankets, pillows, sleeping bags, or sleeping pads. No tents/mattresses allowed.
• Food and drinks – Students with dietary restrictions should bring their own food. We will provide pizza and snacks, but we will not be accommodating special requests. No energy drinks allowed. Students should bring a refillable water bottle.
• Pickup – All students will be required to help clean up before being picked up at 7:00 AM on November 23, 2024. Students are required to stay the night unless alternative arrangements were made with Mr. Hayward.

Semester 1 Final Exams

As you know, the final week of Quarter 2 is devoted to Semester 1 Final Exams.  So that your students might best prepare, we would like to offer several tips to employ throughout this quarter.  It is also extremely important to communicate the final exam schedule and attendance policy for the week of conferences.

Semester 1 Final Exam Preparation Tips

• Make corrections to graded tests and attend tutoring to review corrections with the teacher throughout the quarter.
• Save all returned tests to study from in preparation for final exams.
• Check in with each teacher on a regular basis and ask specific questions.
• Utilize the free account offerings at Quizlet.com to build study materials and review in preparation for each test OR begin making index card flash cards to prepare for Q2 tests and keep them to use again for finals.  If utilized, Quizlet will then combine any selected materials to better prepare for final exams.

Final Exam Week Schedule

Final Exam Attendance

Final exams are a culmination of the material students have learned through the entirety of the first semester and account for 10% of a student’s final semester grade in each course.  Please schedule appointments and vacations outside of the final exam testing window.

Students who miss a final exam due to illness with a doctor’s note will make up any missed final exams according to the following schedule. Unexcused absences or illness without a doctor’s note will result in the score of a zero for any missed final exam.

*Additional arrangements will be made with the Dean of Academics for any students who miss more than 4 Final Exams due to illness with a doctor’s note.

Family Giving

6th Grade Field Trips

6^th Grade: On Friday, December 6^th, 6^th graders will venture to Lake Pleasant Regional Park. You MUST wear your school uniform, even though it is spirit day, tennis shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty are encouraged. If you are not in uniform, you will not be permitted to attend. Please bring a sack lunch with disposable containers/bags as well as a disposable water bottle.

Culture

With the colder weather finally here, it’s a perfect time to buy GP spirit wear for our Friday spirit days. Remember that any outerwear with a hood or exterior pockets cannot be worn in the classroom. The link to purchase these items is located here. https://www.gpapo.org/shop/

College Counseling

November College Rep Visits: All visits are held during lunch and lyceum in Room 706. 9th-12th grade students interested in learning more about these schools are invited to attend. Our upcoming visits are:

• Arizona State University – W. P. Carey School of Business: Tuesday, November 26th, 2024 – 12:15pm – 1:00pm

The Great Hearts College Symposium is an excellent way for Great Hearts families of 10^th and 11^th grade students to explore and interact with multiple colleges in a single event. Admissions representatives will give presentations on essay writing, financial aid, and more on Saturday, March 1st, from 3:15 pm to 6:00 pm. We strongly encourage all 10^th and 11^th grade students attend the Symposium.

This event is held at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy (16537 N. 92nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85260) and to register, please go to StriveFair.com where you will receive a personalized barcode for entry. All students must wear school uniforms when attending this symposium.

Community College Application Workshop Tuesday, December 10, 2024 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM in Room 706:

This workshop is for students interested in submitting applications to one or more community colleges and who would like application support. Please, RSVP on the College Counseling Bulletin Board.

Athletics

Winter Sports Participation Fee

As rosters are finalized, participation links have been sent out or will be sent out by coaches.  Before a student receives a jersey, they will need to complete the participation fee payment. Links are on the website and below.

https://glendaleprep.configio.com/pd/1943/2024-25-high-school-winter-sports

https://glendaleprep.configio.com/pd/1948/2024-25-middle-school-winter-sports

Game Schedules, Practice Schedules, and Events

The athletics website (https://greatheartsglendaleathletics.org) will have the most up to date information regarding all things schedules (games and practices).

Middle school games will start the week of December 2^nd. Schedules are still being finalized.

High school games began this past week. Schedules can be found on the athletics website (link is above).