Skip to main

Independent Study Week & Parent Teacher Conferences

September 24, 2020 -

Independent Study Week and Parent-Teacher Conference Information
October 12th – October 16th

Parent-Teacher Conferences: October 12th-October 16th
Each year, we make a commitment to families to provide a fifteen-minute conference at the end of First Quarter. These days are very long for our teachers, as they are required to be on campus from 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Nearly every teacher must attend at least four days of the week, while others attend double the number of conferences in a day because they teach two of the scheduled grades. I know you understand how we have asked more of our teachers in First Quarter than ever before. I appreciate you recognizing their sacrifice and also appreciate the gratitude so many of you have shared with me directly.Special Request
If you strongly desire a conference with your child’s teachers, we want you to have that opportunity; however, if you do not believe that a conference is absolutely necessary, we ask that you consider not signing up for a time. This will enable teachers to have a shortened day and a bit more rest before returning for Second Quarter, since many of them finish their evaluations during Fall Break.

Seniors are highly encouraged to attend, as their final conference serves as one of the capstones of their time at Glendale Prep, and is such a valuable occasion for them to reflect on their growth and goals for the year by leading their own conference.

Format for Conferences
All conferences this year will be remote video-conferences held on Zoom. As usual, they will be fifteen minutes long. The format will be a round-table discussion including the parent and a panel of the student’s teachers. The Zoom link for each section will be emailed to you, along with instructions for sign-up.

  • 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students do not attend conferences but will complete a self-assessment in response to questions provided in the evaluation. Parents are asked to review the self-assessment with their student prior to the conference and to have it during the conference as a reference.
  • 9th-12th grade students who elect to have a conference should attend and lead their conference. Conversation will be based on a self-assessment written in response to questions in the evaluation.  Students should bring the self-assessment to the conference. 
  • *Students attending conferences must be in uniform.

Sign Up Instructions and the Schedule
A separate email will follow early next week with a link to reserve a time slot for your conference. Please do not send alternate date requests for the conference. Conferences are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. We will limit the number of time-slots available at first, and add more as needed. The sign-up will only be open between September 28th and October 2nd for planning purposes. Please be sure to sign up right away if you would like to have a conference. 

The schedule for conferences is as follows (high school conferences are determined by Humane Letters teacher):

Monday, Oct. 12th Tuesday, Oct. 13th Wednesday, Oct. 14th Thursday, Oct. 15th Friday, Oct. 16th
6D 6A 6C 6B 7A
8B 7B 7C 7D 8D
9th Mr. Maratea 8A 9th Mr. Fendler 8C 12th Mr. Gonzalez
10th Mr. Fendler 9th Ms. Roiger 10th Ms. Hartig 9th Mr. Wiebe
12th Mr. Dyer 10th Ms. Wegener 11th Mr. Mobbs 11th Mr. Thompson
11th Mr. Dyer 12th Mr. Boyer 12th Mr. Mobbs

Please be sure to read your student’s semester evaluations carefully prior to conferences. Student evaluations will be emailed to parents before Monday, October 12th.

Please click the link to enter the Waiting Room for your Zoom conference 5 minutes prior to your scheduled conference time. Conferences are scheduled back to back; therefore, your timeliness is very important. We thank you in advance for your support in helping to make these important academic events a success.

Independent Study Week: October 12th-October 16th
Independent Study Week is an important part of the curriculum at Glendale Prep. During the week, all students will complete an independent study assignment at home (reading and writing) on a specific text related to a particular subject in their grade’s curriculum and will need to acquire this text prior to the beginning of Independent Study Week, if they have not done so already. Students do not attend school that week.

MIDDLE SCHOOL
All middle school students will read a different book depending upon their grade level. Middle School (6th-8th Grade) Independent Study Week books were included in the Classics to Keep list that students were asked to purchase at the beginning of the school year. If your Middle Schooler does not own a copy yet, the title and ISBN is provided below. 

6th Grade Lit/Comp: The Magician’s Nephew, ISBN: 978-0064471107
7th Grade Life Science: All Creatures Great and Small, ISBN: 978-1250057839
8th Grade Medieval History: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Tolkien translation), ISBN: 978-0345277602

Middle school students will submit their Project Week assignment on the first day back in the class in which it was assigned (Please note, Monday, October 19th will be a Block A day, Tuesday, October 20th is a Block B day).

HIGH SCHOOL 
All high school students will read the same book in preparation for the High School Symposium. Onsite High School (9th-12th Grade) students can purchase the Independent Study Week book on the GP Payment Portal while supplies last. All high school students read the same book. Onsite students can click here to reserve their High School Independent Study Week book. For onsite students, the last day to reserve your book through the payment portal will be Tuesday, September 29th. All books will be placed in student lockers by Friday, October 2nd. If supplies run out, you can still purchase a copy from your favorite vendor, such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble, using the correct ISBN provided below.

9th -12th Grade Humane Letters: O Pioneers! By Willa Cather, ISBN: 978-1593082055 See link here: (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/o-pioneers-willa-cather/1005704522)
Note: Seniors will be required to complete the reading portion of the assignment; however, they will not be required to complete the written portion, in order to focus their writing attention on their Senior Thesis.

The assignment for high school students will culminate with the Humane Letters Symposium on Monday, October 19th, with a day-long academic conference that will feature seminars and a guest lecture. The school will provide lunch for high school students that day (please do not purchase a lunch online for your 9th-12th grader(s)). Students should bring their own lunch if they have dietary restrictions. The PSO will be providing snacks for breaks throughout the day.

All reading and writing for the assignment must be completed and brought to school on Monday, October 19th, and will be reflected in the Second Quarter grade. Students should expect to spend approximately 20-25 hours working on their assignments over the course of Independent Study Week. Please support your children in planning a reasonable study schedule for that week in order to ensure that adequate time and effort is devoted to the completion of this important assignment. Teachers will distribute the written assignment to students prior to Fall Break.

Because we stress the importance of building a personal library and annotating readings, we request families obtain their own copies of the required readings. However, if you cannot afford a copy, the school is happy to provide one. Please reach out to Mrs. Hayakawa by Monday, September 28th, so she can set a book aside a book for your child to borrow. Copies will remain the property of Glendale Prep and must be returned with no markings. All annotating must be completed on a separate sheet of paper.

Warmly,
Glendale Prep Leadership Team