Weekly Blast 1.24.2020

• Jan 24 – 7th & 8th Grade Dance
• Jan 31/Feb 1 – Griffin Players Performance
• Feb 4 – Spring Sports Info Meeting
• Feb 7 – Early Release 12:05 p.m.
• Feb 11 – 9th Grade Field Trip
• Feb 15 – High School Winter Dance
• Feb 17 – No School/President’s Day
• Feb 21 – Middle School Epic Cycle
• Feb 25 – National Latin/Greek Exams
• Feb 27 – Galileo Testing 6th, 7th, & 8th
• Feb 29 – PSO Night of the Griffins

1. A Note From Headmaster ^[1]
2. 7th & 8th Grade Dance ^[2]
3. New Student Registration ^[3]
4. Griffin Players Performance ^[4]
5. Dennis Uniforms Sale ^[5]
6. PSO Corner ^[6]
7. GP Athletics ^[7]
8. Semester 2 Tutoring Schedule ^[8]
9. College Counseling ^[9]

Hello Parents,

We all can have days or weeks that can be a bit more exhausting than others. This can be due to stress or an increased need to solve problems or a result of difficult conversations. What often helps me find the silver lining is focusing on the good in my life and this leads me to become grateful.

This past Wednesday night helped remind me of the good in my life connected to my work as headmaster and teacher. Great Hearts put on the annual career fair at the Veritas campus. Potential candidates came to the gym to meet leadership from the schools across our network. It gives me an opportunity to share about GP, our teachers, students, families, and community. With each interaction, I was reminded of the good our school does by the very words that came out of my mouth. Something became clear with each conversation- many current teachers in other schools are becoming dissatisfied with their current educational experience, and they are drawn to Great Hearts because of our values and philosophy of education. In talking to at least seven English teachers and asking what novels they most enjoy discussing with their students, the response was, “We do not read novels”. I tried with difficulty hiding my surprise and then learned that many middle and high school students, at best, will read somewhat longer short stories.

I learned this week, as well, from a colleague in a district school that while they read novels, they may not read the entire book, but only the sections of the book that familiarize students with learning strands connected to the AZmerit test. The very use of a novel is picked apart and piecemealed for the sake of an end of year standardized test. I was humbled in learning about what other schools do; I share this not in the spirit of criticism of what is “out there” but in appreciation for what we love at GP. Thank you for choosing GP and know that our school is doing a great work in the lives of not only our children but in our own hearts as well.

Have a nice weekend,
Mr. Navarrette

7th & 8th Grade Dance
Attention 7^th and 8^th Graders! Get ready to dress up and walk the red carpet as you make your way into the middle school dance. Tonight, Friday, January 24th will be a fun-filled night full of snacks, music, and dancing. The dance will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.; students will not be admitted after 6:15 p.m. If you didn’t purchase tickets online and sign the online waiver you can still come! The entrance fee at the door will be $20 and students must bring a signed permission slip (which can be found at the bottom of the informational flyer). For questions about gentlemen’s attire, please email Mr. Withers (zwithers@glendaleprep.org ^[10]). For questions about ladies’ attire, please email Mrs. LeTrent (kletrent@glendaleprep.org ^[11]).

New Student Registration
The GP office staff and parent volunteers will be registering over a hundred new students for the 2020-2021 school year in the front office from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 28th and Wednesday, January 29th. To help the congestion in the front office and parking lot those days and to help get you the assistance you need, please…

1) Arrive at school on time.
2) Reach out in the afternoon for any requests or needs from the school.
3) Make sure your child comes to school with their lunch if they did not order a hot lunch instead of dropping it off.
4) Arrange appointments on another day or after 1:00 p.m. if requesting to pull your son or daughter out early or bring them in late.

Thank you for supporting our front office staff. Please note, this registration is only for new students not yet attending Glendale Prep. Re-Enrollment for current students will happen in March.

Griffin Players Performance
The Griffin Players present the Pulitzer Prize-winning adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary. Enter the world of two Jewish families as they go into hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands and witness Anne’s struggles and triumphs as she comes of age in the most difficult of circumstances. Come join us on Jan. 31st or Feb. 1st at 7:30 p.m. in the GP gym. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and are available here on the GP Payment Portal ^[12] or with cash or check at the door.

Dennis Uniforms Sale
January 24th-26th receive 15% off Dennis Uniforms ^[13] purchases and free shipping on orders over $25 online or in-store! This is a great time to grab another winter sweater or uniforms for the Spring! Discounts are automatically applied at checkout.

PSO Corner
LUNCH ORDERS: Ordering is now available for February hot lunches and closes today, January 24^th.  Please order online at https://greathearts.boonli.com/ ^[14].

COUNT DOWN!
Less than 35 days until the 2020 Night of the Griffin! This year’s theme is “A Night at the Rodeo” and will be Saturday, February 29^th at Glendale Prep. Enjoy an evening filled with activities for the entire family!  There will be food trucks, games, a mechanical bull, a corn hole tournament, a lip-sync contest, great raffles, and much more!

NIGHT OF THE GRIFFINS – HELP NEEDED: This annual event brings GP Families together in a fun-filled evening designed for everyone. The success of this event is dependent on your generous time and donations. Pre-event help, prize donations, monetary donations, and volunteers are needed. Please sign up clicking here: Planning and Pre-Event Help ^[15] and Donations and Volunteers ^[16].

Donations are needed for our online auction and raffle prizes at the event. Auction items are loaded online and once bidding closes, the successful bidder pays via credit card. Last year was our first year, and it was a huge success. We want this year to be bigger and better with your help. If you, your friends or family members own a business, sell a product, and have something to donate, please let us know. Whether a service or a product, we are looking for donations of all kinds. Businesses will also be advertised on the auction site. We also have a 501 c letter we can forward you too, for tax exemption (where applicable). 

We also accept small donations to create a basket be raffled off. Below here are some examples: Jewelry, Essential Oils, Make-up, Candles, Gift Cards (massages, restaurants, etc.), Games, Electrical Devices, Bikes, Children’s Toys, Birthday Parties, Pet Supplies, Attraction Tickets, Photography Services, Cash Donations (we can buy items or make baskets for you).

Please let me know if you are able to help, or have contacts we can reach out too. We ideally need to get our items collected and put on the system by February 15th at the latest. If you have any questions or ideas, please reach out to Nickie Kennedy at 623-703-4802, Kim Greathouse at 623-734-7929, or Debbie Ayer at 623-628-9815.

GP Athletics

• Highlighted Sports Rankings
  • GP Boys Basketball is currently ranked #2 in the state! Keep going strong boys!
• Weekend Activities
  • GP Basketball vs. Northland Prep. in Moyes Gymnasium on the GP Campus on 1/25
    • JV Girls – 10:30 a.m.
    • JV Boys – 12:00 p.m.
    • Varsity Girls – 1:30 p.m.
    • Varsity Boys – 3:00 p.m.
  • Congratulations to Ani Durell for receiving Cross Country All American honors within the state of Arizona. She receives her plaque this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at ALA Gilbert.
• Middle School Basketball open gyms are here! Flyers have been sent home, and the dates have been posted to social media. Any questions email Mdipietro@glendaleprep.org ^[17]. 1^st Dates: Girls 1/25 at 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Boys 2/1 at 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
• Upcoming Dates:
  • 2/ 4 at 5:30 p.m. – Spring Parent Information Night. GP Gym, Spring Sports information and meet/greet with coaches.

Semester 2 Tutoring Schedule
We encourage students to take advantage of tutoring that is offered by our wonderful GP teachers. The schedule is always available in paper form in the front office and on the Glendale Prep website. For ease, see the Semester 2 Tutoring Schedule here ^[18].

College Counseling

• Sophomores and Juniors: The Jesuit Excellence Tour Program will be on our campus Wednesday, February 5th. We highly recommend ALL students plan on staying at school until 4:00 p.m. that day to take advantage of the opportunity to interact with college admission representatives from 13 different universities.
• Juniors and Parents: Our Barrett Honors College representative, Angela Carter, will be presenting an informational session on ASU Barrett on the evening of Tuesday, February 11th at 6:30 p.m. in the Archway MPR. This program is geared for students who have at least a 3.5 GPA and/or a SAT score 1250 or higher. If your son or daughter is considering applying to Barrett in the fall, please attend this informational meeting.

Contact Information
Silvia Hayakawa, Office Manager
shayakawa@glendaleprep.org ^[19]

Attendance Line:
623-889-0822 Option 4
or attendance@glendaleprep.org ^[20]