Weekly Blast 10.04.24

Hello Families,

I am so proud of our faculty, staff, and students for completing our longest quarter of this school year. Quarter 1 is in the books, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership next week in conferences, followed by a restful break and leisure for our students. I wanted to share with you some words I spoke to our high school students on Civics Day. I asked them to consider the meaning of leisure:

Leisure is not work. When you come to Glendale Prep, you have to work. Teachers will present content or pose questions/problems; you will need to learn and solve. If you do not, you will receive a poor grade, which can bring consequences both in the present and possibly the future. So too, your teachers come here to work. They work and receive compensation for their work, however small it may be comparatively to other jobs.

Work can certainly be enjoyable; it can also be a grind.

So, leisure is not work.

Leisure is also not inactivity that could open the door to sloth. You might think the opposite of work is simply doing nothing.

So, leisure then is not work, nor is it inactivity, sloth, or simply passing the time

Leisure is freedom from the need to work for however long, so one can focus on flourishing through coming to know for its own sake, and it is so sweet when you come to know with others.

Leisure is the hope connected to project week with its culmination at our high school symposium on Wednesday.

Thank you for a wonderful quarter; enjoy your time together as a family.

Sincerely,

Mr. Navarrette

Headmaster

Follow up to Mr. Crowe’s Email regarding school safety threats

Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns, but we have been blessed to not have any credible threats, and my prayer is that we will never. However, if we were to receive a report of any threat to student or campus safety, this becomes our priority, and our threat assessment team will convene. It is important for me to make it clear- if any student makes a threat to student safety for attention or in connection with social media, we will suspend for such actions. Again, please contact me if you have questions or concern.

Homecoming

HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING DANCE 2024

We are excited to host the Homecoming Dance for all high school students on Saturday, October 26^th, 2024, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm, in the GP Gym. The theme is “An Olympian Night”! Dress code check will begin at 6:00. All students will enter through the courtyard and will be checked for dress code compliance before entering the event.

This event is reserved for GP students only. Get your tickets on the Payment Portal. 

Tickets are $20 until Wednesday October 23^rd, 2024. After this date, the portal price will increase to $25. It will be $30 at the door.

For more information, or if you would like to volunteer to create posters or help set up, please contact the event-leader Madame Cognet-Pereira: ccognet-pereira@glendaleprep.org

Project Week

The week of October 7-11 is dedicated to an important part of our Glendale Preparatory curriculum, Project Week.  It is important to note that the assessment of these projects will be reflected in Quarter 2 grades and evaluations for Literature & Composition (middle school) and Humane Letters (high school). Students should expect to spend approximately 20-25 hours working on their assignments over the course of Project Week. Please support your children in planning a reasonable study schedule for that week to ensure that adequate time and effort is devoted to the completion of this important assignment.

Middle School

Students will need to acquire these texts; they were listed in the Classics to Keep.

• 6th Grade: The Last Battle, ISBN: 978-0064471084

• 7th Grade: The Miracle Worker, ISBN: 978-1416590842

• 8th Grade: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Armitage translation), ISBN: 978-0393334159

Project Week Packets were handed out in class on Thursday, October 3^rd.  If your student needs a replacement packet, please use the following links:

• 6th Grade Project Week Packet
• 7th Grade Project Week Packet
• 8th Grade Project Week Packet 

High School

Students were given a copy of Out of the Silent Planet  by C.S. Lewis on Thursday, October 3^rd.

• If needed, students may also access the full text via PDF HERE.
• If needed, here is a link to the High School Project Week Assignment .
• Project Week for high school students will culminate with Symposium on Wednesday, October 23^rd.

Power School Portal Access

If you are a returning family for 2024-2025 please make sure you are able to access your PowerSchool parent portal either online HERE or via the app with your username and password before Conference Week/ Fall Break on Friday, October 4^th. Note that you will not be able to view grades at this time but should be able to see the Dashboard. Technical support will be only minimally available the first two weeks of October, so please check that you’re able to log in before the break begins.

New families received an email with information on how to create an account on September 17th. If you have a student new to GP this year, please check for this email and be sure you are able to access PowerSchool also by Friday, October 4^th. Parents will access quarter grades through the PowerSchool portal; please note that this is different from how you accessed the Mid-Quarter Progress Reports, which were via email as a pdf attachment. If you are a new family and did not receive an email on how to access the PowerSchool parent portal, contact Mrs. Haley.

Enrichment Courses

Enrichment Courses are now available on the payment portal! Please click HERE to see the myriad of options. From art and music to writing and film, there is something for everyone!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Make sure to sign up for a time to meet with your child’s teacher during their scheduled day during Conference Week (October 7^th-11^th).

Spirit Week

Homecoming Spirit Week, October 21-25, 2024

Glendale Preparatory Academy

If choosing not to participate this week – please arrive in the complete uniform.

Please see specific guidelines for each day HERE, it is your responsibility to know them.

Monday, October 21st     Literary and Historical figure day; which grade will win for most participation?   

6^th grade – Colonial America and the Revolution (1565-1783); or a character from a 6^th grade “classic to keep”.

7^th grade – Ancient Egypt (1200-1450 BC); or a character from a 7^th grade “classic to keep”.

8^th grade – Medieval history (500 to 1500 AD); or a character from an 8^th grade “classic to keep”.

Freshmen – Gilded Age and progressive era (1877-1917); or a character from a 9^th grade “classic to keep”.

Sophomore – Pride and Prejudice (Napoleonic Wars, 1797–1815); or a character from a 10^th grade “classic to keep”.

Juniors – Greek mythology (late 8th or early 7th century BC); or a character from an 11^th grade “classic to keep”.

Seniors – Thematic idea must be approved before Fall Break; or a character from any grade “classic to keep”.

Tuesday, October 22^nd     House Party head to toe

Sport your choice of a school issued House shirt from any year: Hyrax (green), Lutra (orange), Vulpes (purple), or Falconis (red) combined with your uniform bottoms or full-length pants in your House color. House colored athletic socks/shoes are acceptable or your uniform shoes.

Wednesday, October 23^rd     Ugly sweater, crazy sock and Locker Decoration Day

Wear an ugly sweater with crazy socks, wear just an ugly sweater, or wear just crazy socks – you decide! Uniform shorts, skirts, or pants only today. Locker decorating begins at 7am, and you will only be allowed in the hallway once you show the decorations to the courtyard supervisor. Blue and Gold are the only colors allowed for lockers. Please remove all decorations after school on Friday, October 25th.

Thursday, October 24^th     Class color day – Color me beautiful!

6^th grade – White

7^th grade – Grey

8^th grade – Light blue

Freshmen – Royal Blue

Sophomore – Yellow

Juniors – Black

Seniors – Hot Pink

Glendale Prep will sell a few accessories /items (bandanas, leis, socks, etc.) IN THE FRONT OFFICE during check-in for Parent-Teacher conferences. Please bring cash to purchase.

Friday, October 25^th     Blue and Gold plus Kicks Day- GO GRIFFINS!

Everything blue and gold (shirts/bandanas/socks/earrings) plus your favorite kicks.

Most GP shirts will fit the theme; honor our school colors when putting your outfit together.

Uniform bottoms or jeans (white, denim, or black).

Saturday, October 26^th     High School Homecoming Dance “Olympian Night”

Doors open at 6:00 for dress code

Dance (GP gym): 6:30 to 9:00 pm

No admission after 6:30 PM

College Counseling

PSAT/NMSQT Dates: Students take the PSAT as a practice test for the SAT. Additionally, this test allows for the top 1% to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship.

10th grade: Wednesday, October 30th, 2024

11th grade: Tuesday, October 29th, 2024

October College Rep Visits: We host college admissions representatives from many colleges and universities throughout the year. These 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. This is an excellent opportunity to meet the admissions representative from schools where your student may wish to apply. Often, these representatives conduct the first read of our students’ applications, so personal interaction before applying is beneficial. Please have your child sign up on the sheet posted on the College Counseling bulletin board. Our upcoming visits are:

Biola University: Monday, October 21st, 2024 – 12:15 PM-1:00 PM

Westmont College: Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 – 12:15 PM-1:00 PM

Wyoming Catholic College: Friday, October 25th, 2024 – 12:15 PM-1:00 PM

Creighton University: Tuesday, October 29th, 2024 – 12:15 PM-1:00 PM

Athletics

Winter Sports: Winter sports tryouts begin on Monday, November 4^th. Specific times will be announced on the website along with announcements during the school day. Middle school sports offered during the winter are tennis, baseball, softball, and soccer (boys and girls). High school sports offered during the winter are basketball (boys and girls) and soccer (boys and girls). Student-athletes will need to have their registration documents uploaded and cleared to Big Teams prior to tryouts.  Additional information will be posted to the athletics website (greatheartsglendaleathletics.org). The required documents are also available on the website. If you have any questions, reach out to Mr. Kontak (jkontak@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.

Athletics Website: Please visit our new and improved athletics website! The link is greatheartsglendaleathletics.org. The website now features updated schedules, announcements, pictures, and more!