Weekly Blast 08.09.24

Hello,

I have been so pleased with such a strong start to our school. When popping into classes these past seven days, I see engagement, joy, order, and community. Passing periods, lunch, lyceum, and transitions have been smooth and efficient. The one area of stability but could use clarity and improvement is drop off and pickup. Let me begin by thanking you for your patience with pickup. I am very pleased that we are averaging about 20-25 minutes, which certainly does not take into account your full wait time. However, when compared to other schools both in and out of our network, we are doing well and improving steadily. Here is where we can use your help:

Drop Off

• When dropping off, do not switch lanes. All students can be dropped off on both the North and East curbs. There is no designation by grades or between Archway and Prep. Just continue following the queue until stopped on a curb; then your child(ren) can exit.
• Students should not exit or enter a vehicle on the far side of the car. They must enter the vehicle from the curb side. Again, students should not go to the outer lane to get into a vehicle; vehicles must be entered curbside.

Pick up

• 8^th and high school students should be picked up on the North curb, so it is essential that you enter the campus to be in the correct lane.
• 6^th and 7^th grade should be picked up on the East curb. Again, please enter the campus in the correct lane.
• Siblings must be together on the grade designated curb of the oldest child.
• Please remind your child(ren) to be looking out for your car; the sooner you are spotted, the better.
• Students should not enter a vehicle other than on a curb.

General Reminders

• There are no left turns onto 83^rd, as posted by the city on the sign by the exit, during either drop off in the morning or pick up in the afternoon.
• When entering the school heading southbound on 83^rd, there is only 1 right hand turn lane. Please do not turn into the lane designated for the left-hand turns.
• Planada should not be used as a drop off or pick up area. There are signs posted for no standing, no parking, and no stopping.
• Please pull forward as far as you can when picking up, we want to try our best to keep traffic moving.

It was a wonderful week, and I hope you have a nice weekend.

Sincerely,

Mr. Navarrette

Headmaster

High School Retreat

We are a little over two weeks from our High School Retreat and are putting the final touches on our plans. We have 230 students registered, 21 teachers/staff, and 29 parents/alumni for the work crew, but we are hoping that all students are able to attend this event..

Parents, there are two actions required that we want to share with you today:

1. If you have not signed your child up, it is not too late! Please follow this link- https://glendaleprep.configio.com/pd/916/21-22-hs-retreat?returncom=productlist&source=search.
2. Your student’s room survey is HERE. This survey must be completed no later than Friday, August 16^th. Please be sure to have a conversation with your student around healthy roommate boundaries and appropriate guest behavior. Students who fail to submit their rooming preferences by August 16^th, will be randomly assigned to a cabin.

Tutoring

Each of your students’ teachers will provide weekly tutoring sessions. You can find the tutoring schedule HERE and can always be found at the bottom of the Weekly Blast and linked on our website under the Academics tab.

Student Absences

When absent, it is always the student’s responsibility to obtain the missing assignments and any class notes.  Make-up work due dates are given on a 1:1 ratio.  For example, if a student was absent for three days, they would have three days to complete their make-up work before deductions begin.

Please note that teachers will not have handouts or assignments to give students prior to an absence.  Students must collect these items upon their return to make up.  Middle school and 9^th grade should, however, work to keep up with any readings or assignments that might be completed without a handout as posted daily on the Middle School and 9^th grade Homework Overview Spreadsheet.  10^th-12^th graders should reach out to a classmate to keep up with any missed readings or assignments that might be completed without a handout.

Middle School and 9^th grade Homework Overview Spreadsheet

Robotics

Glendale Prep has FOUR Robotics teams, and 2 are actively recruiting for the 2024-2025 season.  While the 8^th – 12^th grade teams competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge competition are likely full, there are spots for 6^th – 7^th graders that will be competing in the FIRST Lego League: Challenge competition, beginning meetings on Monday next week.  All of the teams are invitation only, so if your student is interested in participating, please reach out to Mr. Roper at broper@glendaleprep.org, if you have not done so already, for an interest form. A first round of announcements of acceptances are going out today and a second round will go out next week.  An official announcement about enrichment courses is coming soon, but please do not pay any dues on the payment portal until your student has been accepted onto one of the teams.

Yearbook Enrichment Course

Do you want to bring your own touch to the Glendale Prep Yearbook 2024-2025?  Writers, editors and photographers… we need talented and committed students! To join the Yearbook Enrichment Course, please come to the Information Meeting on Tuesday, August 20^th at 3:15 pm in room 408.

Middle and High School Students are welcome.

For more information, please contact Madame Cognet-Pereira:  ccognet-pereira@glendaleprep.org

Corporate Matching Gifts =  Free Money for our School!

Do you work for UPS, American Express, Go Daddy, PepsiCo, Vanguard, CSAA, State Farm, or Charles Schwab? These are just a few of the businesses that match gifts made to Glendale Prep through Community Investment. Corporate Matching is an easy way to increase the impact of your tax-deductible donations! Why is Community Investment so important? Glendale Prep receives $1500 less per student per year from the state of Arizona than our local district schools receive to operate. Without these dollars, we would not be able to provide our students a Great Hearts education or provide individualized attention. Community Investment enables us to offer art, music, drama, and foreign language daily while supporting our excellent and dedicated faculty.

What is the first step? If you haven’t already done so, use this link Donate to Glendale Preparatory Community Investment to make a gift to Community Investment. After you’ve made your gift, use the Matching Gifts link Matching Gifts – Great Hearts Glendale Prep, Serving Grades 6-12 (greatheartsamerica.org) to search for your employer for steps to enroll!

Questions? Please contact Tammy Kempton, Family Giving and Community Engagement Officer, at tkempton@glendaleprep.org or 623-889-0822 ext. 1502.  Thank you for your support!

Dress Code Reminders

We are off to a great start this year and our campus is bustling with activity and excitement. Heartfelt thanks to the majority of families who purchased, hemmed, or traded skirts and shorts in order to adhere to our policy of hems touching the top of the knee. Per our earlier communication, the grace period ends this Friday, August 9th. This also means that infractions will begin to be issued on Monday, August 12th, if your child’s skirt or shorts need altering. However, if your daughter is intentionally rolling the skirt to shorten the length, she will receive an automatic detention. We have spoken to many students about both skirt and short lengths, this information has also been on the announcements, and the expectation is clear. If you have notified us about a pending order or a seamstress delay, we have made note of that, and no consequence will be issued. Thank you for your partnership in this matter, it has made a positive improvement on our campus and put the focus back on learning.

Also, beginning August 12th tardies will be issued for students who are not in their seats when the bell rings for the start of class. Every minute of instruction counts!
College Counseling

The College Counseling Team will be holding additional Personal Statement Writing Workshops, after school in room 204. If you are planning to attend, you must sign up on the bulletin board outside the college counseling office.

• Tuesday – August 13th – 3:15 PM until 5:00 PM
• Wednesday – August 14th – 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
• Thursday – August 15th – 3:15 PM until 5:00 PM

TRIP to SPAIN in June 2025 for High School Students

Information Meeting on Thursday August 15th – please RSVP!

Glendale Prep is partnering with EF Tours to provide an opportunity for High School students to visit Spain in Summer 2025. We will visit Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Madrid and Barcelona, and experience many Spanish wonders.

When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and we would love to have your student join us on this adventure.

Here is your RSVP link: https://bit.ly/4fuTxIs to attend our information session on Thursday August 15th at 6:00 pm in room 706-707 where we will share:

• How this opportunity will benefit your student
• What we’ll see and do on our trip
• Everything that’s included in this experience
• How we’re keeping this safe and affordable
• How to enroll on this trip

We look forward to seeing many of you on the 15th!

For any questions, please contact Madame Cognet-Pereira: ccognet-pereira@glendaleprep.org

Athletics

Spiritline: GP will be rolling out a high school Spiritline team for this year. This team will be at many home events to help guide the fans in different cheers and to support our teams. For more information, please reach out via email to athletics@glendaleprep.org.

Game Volunteers: We are always in need of parent volunteers to help run home games. Concession stand, entrance, and other volunteers help our events run smoothly. If interested, email gp_APO@glendalepreppo.org to join or learn more! You can also reach out to athletics@glendaleprep.org.

Fall Sports: All fall sports require documents that need to be submitted to participate. Please reach out to Mr. Roundy (nroundy@glendaleprep.org) for guidance and links to documents. If you would like more general information, please send an email to athletics@glendaleprep.org.