| A Note from the Headmaster
It is a true honor to fill the Interim Headmaster role of Glendale Preparatory. I step into this role with deep respect for the strong, vibrant culture already established, one rooted in truth, goodness, and beauty. The weight of this responsibility is not lost on me, nor is the great joy of working alongside such dedicated educators and families. Together, we will continue the work of forming young hearts and minds, and I look forward to what we will build this year, together.
As a faculty, we ended our first day sharing moments of joy, connection, and excellence from classrooms. Here are just a few quotes from teachers:
· “I’m tired in the best way!”
· “Students were staying after class to thank me and tell me how excited they were.”
· “A student went out of her way after class to ask how she can be a leader in seminar this year.”
· “I saw several freshmen gentlemen introduce themselves to new freshmen—it was refreshing to see how welcoming and inviting our students are.”
· “It is so great to be back! The students were so excited to be back. It was especially nice to see former students reaching out to new students in their classes. The 6th graders were nervous but so excited to be here.”
· “12th Grade Energy! The 12th graders made a great first impression. They were thoughtful, engaged, and receptive in class. They demonstrated the qualities of a class ready to lead and build our culture.”
· “It’s a great day to be a Griffin! Today reminded me that it truly is always a great day to be a Griffin. The students were very happy to be back and were engaged in learning from the start of class.”
These snapshots remind us that our mission is alive in every classroom, every interaction, and every student who walks through our doors. It is my hope to bring you regular snapshots over the coming months of the continued celebrations and interactions happening campus wide.
Finally, it is a pleasure to introduce you to Glendale Preparatory’s 2025-2026 Leadership Team, as well as the new faculty and staff members joining our community this year.
2025-2026 Leadership Team
Rachel Janssen: Mrs. Janssen stepped into the role of Interim Headmaster after serving the GP community for the past 7 years as a literature & composition teacher, ESS Lead and Student Coordinator, and Assistant Headmaster of Academics. This is her 12th year with Great Hearts.
Conal Tanner: Mr. Tanner will serve as the Assistant Headmaster of High School. He returns to the Great Hearts network after opening and leading a classical, liberal arts school in Edmonton, Canada for the past two years.
Ali Dausend: Last year, Mrs. Dausend made the move to Glendale Prep from Archway Glendale to step into the Dean of Academics role. This year, she will serve as the Assistant Headmaster of Middle School.
*You may note that the structure of our Assistant Headmaster roles has changed from one overseeing Culture & Discipline and the other serving Academics, to now one of oversight of both Academics and Culture & Discipline at the Middle School and High School levels. We believe this structure will support student success as both social/emotional success and academic success go hand in hand.
Jennifer Hayward: Mrs. Hayward moves into the Dean of Academics role, continuing her support of our intervention and 504 departments, but also working to support teachers in curriculum alignment.
Maureen Mure: Mrs. Mure will continue to serve the GP community as one of two Deans of Students. She will also delight our art department, teaching both 7th and 12th grade art.
Cavelle McGrath: Dr. McGrath joins GP this year as our second Dean of Students. She comes to us with a wealth of knowledge after serving Archway Glendale as school counselor.
New Faculty & Staff
Brandi Burt: Mrs. Burt will be serving our ESS department as the new department lead. She comes to us with 21 years of experience in serving both general and special education.
Sierra Christensen: Ms. Christensen joined us mid-year last year, but we want to highlight her addition to the faculty. She will be teaching 11th grade Humane Letters and 12th grade Rhetoric this year.
Matthew Cummings: Mr. Cummings will be teaching 8th grade Earth Science for the first quarter of the school year. He will then transition into a faculty support position, filling in as sub and teaching courses when other faculty are out.
Hunter Hahn: Mr. Hahn is a Veritas Preparatory graduate and comes to us after teaching the Western Canon for 8 years outside of the network. He will be teaching our Latin I/II course for new students, as well as 10th grade Humane Letters.
Emilee Hull: Ms. Hull joins our science department as the 9th grade Biology teacher. Although she was settled in her teaching role outside of the network, one campus visit and the introduction to our strong culture lured her in!
Jared Le Shana: Mr. Le Shana will be leading our 9th and 10th grade music classes, as well as GP’s extracurricular choral ensembles. Mr. Le Shana might be recognized by several of our students after serving the Archway community for the past year and a half.
Sean McGrath: Mr. McGrath joins our science department as the 7th grade Life Science teacher. He comes to us after a year of teaching in the state of Hawaii.
Daylin Oakes: Ms. Oakes joins our classical language team, teaching 8th and 10th grade Latin. This will be her 9th year teaching with Great Hearts.
Julie Tinlin: Mrs. Tinlin joins our 504 and intervention team this year and will also serve as our testing coordinator. She comes to us both as a parent of 6 GP graduates and as an experienced educator with over 8 years of classroom experience.
Andrew Toro: Mr. Toro joins our ESS team as ESS coordinator. He will also serve as 7th grade Literature & Composition teacher.
Elizabeth Wieland: Mrs. Weiland brings 23 years of classroom experience to GP and will support our teachers as part-time substitute. You will also see her assisting the drama department throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Janssen
Headmaster
Tutoring
Hello parents! The final tutoring schedule will be included next week with the Weekly Blast. Please keep an eye out for it! In the meantime, all teachers have informed their students about their availability for tutoring next week.
First Year Students: Study Skills Workshop
We are excited to invite all first-year students and parents to Glendale Preparatory’s Study Skill Workshop. This is the best way to ensure your Glendale Preparatory Student Succeeds this school year!
Glendale Prep’s Study Skills Workshop
- Date: Saturday, August 9
- Time: 8:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- Location: Courtyard Classrooms
Details: This interactive and encouraging workshop is highly recommended for:
- All 6th graders
- Any students new to Glendale Prep
While it is especially geared towards these groups, all GP students are welcome to join!
There will be four 30-minute sessions taught by Glendale Prep teachers:
- Organization and Time Management
- Participation and Tutoring
- Annotating, Test Preparation and Test Taking
- How to Make the Most out of Being a Glendale Prep Student
Students must wear their school uniform. Students must attend the workshop with one parent. Please, no younger siblings.
The cost for each student/parent pair is $20 ($30 for multiple siblings attending with a parent). Please use THIS LINK make this payment through the Glendale Prep payment portal.
Please register by 8:00 am Friday August 8th.
Homework Club
Homework Club begins on Monday August 4th. You can access the required Homework Club Registration Forms HERE and the Payment Portal HERE. You must sign up in the Payment Portal AND send the required forms to Mrs. Hayward at jhayward@glendaleprep.org before attending.
2026 France Trip
Dear families,
We’re thrilled to share that we’re heading to France (Paris, Chateaux of la Loire, Brittany and Normandy Tour) in June 2026 with our partner EF Tours. We’d love for your student to join us!
This is an incredible opportunity for students to explore new places, experience different cultures, and gain lifelong skills like independence and confidence. We’ll be sharing all the details, including what we’ll see and do and the trip costs
Meeting details:
Date: August 14, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Room 706
RSVP here to join us: https://bit.ly/4eBdDAC
Contact: Madame Cognet Pereira – ccognet-pereira@glendaleprep.org
We’ll also open enrollment during the meeting.
In the meantime, please visit EF’s website to get answers to common parent questions. EF Tours is our trusted travel partner, and they have years of experience helping students explore the world safely and affordably.
Textbook Covers
*Please do not tape the brown paper to the inside of the textbook.
Spirit Wear
Spirit Wear Wednesdays Are Here!
We are excited to announce that beginning this school year, Spirit Wear Day will be on Wednesdays rather than Fridays. We are excited to give our students the opportunity to show their school pride midweek while maintaining consistency with our uniform standards.
Please review the updated Spirit Wear Wednesday guidelines below to ensure your student is in compliance:
Tops:
- Uniform top, school-issued athletic shirt, or spirit shirt (non-school-issued apparel is not permitted) tucked into the waist.
- GP Athletic and spirit shirts must cover what the short-sleeve uniform polo covers. If the jersey has any mesh, white undershirts are required.
- Hoodies and pocketed jackets are not permitted in the classroom.
- School-issued athletic jackets without hoods and pockets are permitted.
Bottoms:
- Uniform bottoms or solid-colored jeans (denim, black, white) are permitted.
- Bottoms with rips, outer pockets, frayed edges, embellishments, or accessories are not permitted.
Footwear:
- Uniform dress shoes or uniform athletic shoes only.
Accessories:
- Standard uniform accessory guidelines apply.
- Hats, sunglasses, and headwear are not permitted.
We appreciate your partnership in upholding our school’s values of unity, consistency, and school spirit. Please contact Mrs. Mure and Dr. McGrath, the Deans of Students (Deansofstudents@glendaleprep.org), with any questions.
High School Retreat
2025-2026 High School Retreat to Lost Canyon for 9th – 12th graders is quickly approaching! Seniors will depart from Glendale Prep to Lost Canyon on Tuesday, August 26th for a 1 day/1 night senior retreat to then welcome 9th-11th grade students on August 27th. All high school students will return to Glendale Prep on Friday, August 29th. Deadline to purchase is August 13th, purchase here.
Family Giving
Welcome Back, Glendale Prep Families!
We’re thrilled to welcome you back for another amazing year at GP! As we dive into the new year, we’re reminded that it takes a strong community to support a thriving learning environment. Your continued investment—whether through the Arizona Public School Tax Credit or our Community Investment campaign—helps bridge the gap in funding we receive from the state of Arizona to fund vital programs like classroom resources, curriculum, fine arts, athletics, and even teacher salaries. Together, we’re building a school where every student has the opportunity to shine. Thank you for being part of our school family and for investing in our future! To learn more about how to support our school through Community Investment and the Arizona Public School Tax Credit, please reach out to Tammy Kempton, Family Giving Officer, at tkempton@glendaleprep.org.
College Counseling
We are hosting two application workshops on Wednesday, August 6th in Room 203:
NAU from 1:00 – 3:00 pm in Room 203
University of Arizona from 3:00 – 4:00 pm in Room 203
It is very important that your student attend if he/she is planning on applying to either or both of these schools
Additionally, we are having a mandatory University of Arizona meeting for all seniors applying to the university on Thursday, August 7th during lunch/lyceum starting at 12:05 pm in Room 706. There have been many significant changes to the application process for this school so it is imperative that all interested seniors attend as we will be discussing deadlines and expectations.
Tentatively, we will be hosting a Senior Parent and Student Night on Thursday, August 14th from 6:15 – 7:30 pm and a College Credit Options Night on Monday, August 18th from 6:15 – 7:30 pm. We are awaiting confirmation on room availability so please check next week’s blast for the confirmed day. Please stay posted for dates for the other high school grade levels.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Sarbacker at ksarbacker@glendaleprep.org.
Dual Enrollment
On Wednesday, July 16th, an email from Mr. Mac Esau, Executive Director of Upper Schools, was sent to families regarding Dual Enrollment opportunities. We are excited for the expanding dual enrollment opportunities and hopeful more student pursue these opportunities.
This year, students have the opportunity to enroll in the following: 2025-2026 Dual Enrollment Courses:
· Humane Letters II
· Humane Letters III
· Chemistry
· Economics
· Calculus II
· Spanish III
· French III
· Greek I
For those of you with children in 10th – 12th grade, we highly encourage you to explore these Dual Enrollment courses (now 17 in total) along with the AP and CLEP exams that we are offering for this coming year. Click on the links below to learn more about our College Credit programs and to register for our Dual Enrollment classes today!
Great Hearts College Credit Website
Dual Enrollment Registration
If you have any questions at all, please reach out to our college counselor, Mrs. Katherine Sarbacker at ksarbacker@glendaleprep.org
Athletics
Athletic Sponsorship Information
For information to become an athletic sponsor, please reach out to Tammy Kempton (tkempton@archwayglendale.org) or John Kontak (jkontak@glendalerep.org). For families that have a business, this is a great opportunity to have visibility in the gym with a banner!
Fall Sports Start Dates
High School Football – Started July 28th. If you are interested in joining the team, see Mr. Kontak or Mr. Roundy.
High School Cross Country – Begins Monday August 4th. Practice is at 6:00 PM at GP.
High School Volleyball – Begins Monday August 11th. Tryouts are from 3:30-5:30PM in the GP gym.
Middle School Football – Begins Monday August 11th. Practice is 3:45-6:00PM at GP.
Middle School Cross Country – Begins Monday August 11th. Practice is at 6:00PM at GP.
Middle School Volleyball – Begins Monday August 18th. Tryouts are from 3:30-5:30PM in the GP gym.
Make sure to complete your registration on Big Teams prior to the start date of your sport above. If you have any questions about Big Teams registration, reach out to Mr. Roundy (nroundy@glendaleprep.org).
Fan Fest 2025
Friday, August 8th is Fan Fest 2025! This event is in the GP gym from 6:00-8:00PM. Join us as we kick off another exciting season of Friday Night Lights with Fan Fest — a night full of school spirit, fun, and community! Admission is FREE! Enjoy performances, games, and activities for all ages! Hungry? Grab a meal deal — includes pizza, salad, a cookie, and a drink — all for just $5 a person or $20 for a family. Pre-order your meal now through the configio link (https://glendaleprep.configio.com/pd/2168/fan-fest-2025) to skip the line and help us plan ahead! Food will be available for $7 a person at the event without preordering.
BONUS RAFFLE OPPORTUNITY
Bring a case of Gatorade (any flavor!) and receive a raffle ticket to win:
-A reserved parking pass for all home football games
-A family pass for free admissions to every home football game this season!
Let’s pack the gym, show our Griffin pride, and kick off the season in style!
See flyer for additional information (Fan Fest 2025 Flyer)
New Athlete Orientation
On Tuesday, August 5th from 6:00-7:00PM there will be an optional meeting for families new to GP athletics. This meeting will take place in the GP gym and is open to any family. There will be general athletic information, Big Teams FAQ’s presented by Mr. Roundy, and an athletics website tutorial presented by Mr. Kontak Sr.
Athletics Website
Check out the GP athletics website (https://greatheartsglendaleathletics.org/) for all information regarding schedules, GP athletics, fan gear/apparel, registration information and much more!
Parent Drive Up Pick Up
Please remember not to enter the parking lot for GP pick up until 3:10pm. This will make the pick up go faster.
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