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Weekly Blast 10.11.19

October 11, 2019 -

School Dates to Note:

  • Oct 14-25 – Fall Break/No School
  • Oct 21-25 – Parent/Teacher Conferences
  • Oct 21-25 – Independent Study Week
  • Oct 24 – GP College Forum
  • Oct 28 – First Day of Quarter 2
  • Oct 28 – Symposium
  • Oct 30 – PSAT 9th-11th Grade
  • Oct 30 – Early Release 12:05 p.m.
  • Oct 30 – GP House Dodgeball Tournament
  • Oct 30 – Winter Sports Meeting
  • Oct 31 – Picture Re-Takes
  • Oct 31 – Last Day to Wear Shorts
Table of Contents:

  1. A Note From the Headmaster
  2. PSO Corner
  3. Traffic Reminders *correction
  4. Parent/Teacher Conferences
  5. Independent Study Week
  6. GP Athletics
  7. Evaluation Distribution
  8. PSAT (9th-11th Grade)
  9. Dodgeball Tournament
  10. Last Day to Wear Shorts
  11. Corporate Gift Matching
  12. College Counseling
A Note From the Headmaster
Greetings Parents,Mr. Withers congratulated me this week because he and I shared our one-year anniversary as the Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster. In all the hustle and bustle, that is something that was not on my mind, but it was a moment of reflection for me, as too was coming to the end of this first quarter. Just yesterday, my 8th grade students and I discussed a poem in which the speaker reflects upon his childhood and love. Finally, some recent events with a family member’s health has also made me stop and think to reflect on life.We tend to not always do that- stop and think.

I believe this is what “breaks” are for ultimately. For some of us, we schedule time away from “work” to force ourselves to stop and think. If not, we tend to find other work that needs to be done, whatever that looks like for each of us in the various aspects of our life. But reflection is part of being a human; it reminds us that we are more than mere beings of feelings and action. It grounds us to consider what is true and beautiful and meaningful. When I actually stop to reflect, I cannot help but find a sense of gratitude for the time and experiences I share with others.

I wish you and your family a restful fall break and hope it provides an opportunity to reflect and cherish what truly matters.

Thank you for your support and trust this past quarter. I look forward to seeing the students and you at conferences.

Sincerely,
Mr. Navarrette
Headmaster

PSO Corner
Homecoming: Thank all the volunteers who helped at the very first Homecoming Game in GP Stadium! We appreciate the support and everyone’s efforts to make this a success.

Restaurant Night: The next Restaurant Night will be at Culver’s on Tuesday, November 5th, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Invite family and friends too; proceeds go to the Senior Trip to Washington D.C.

Traffic Reminders -*correction
Parents, please be conscientious of the neighborhoods in our community. As a reminder, if you are dropping-off/picking-up students off-campus, you may only do so on the north side of Pinnacle Peak east of 83rd Avenue. You may not wait on the east or north side of the park or make use of the green belt. Pick-up and drop-off is also prohibited on Planada Lane and Pinnacle Peak Road west of 83rd Avenue. Thank you for your cooperation.

Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conference sign-ups were sent to all families via email a few weeks ago. Conferences are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one time slot per student, please. We have worked diligently to create a conference schedule that allows for all of our teachers’ class schedules. Please do not send requests for conferences via email. If you cannot find your sign-up email, please reach out to Mrs. Hayakawa at shayakawa@glendaleprep.org right away.

At least one parent/guardian of each student is expected to attend parent-teacher conferences. All conferences will be fifteen minutes long. The format will be a round-table discussion including the parent and a panel of the student’s teachers.

  • 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students do not attend conferences but will complete a middle school self-assessment in response to questions provided in the evaluation. Parents will bring the self-assessment to the conference.
  • 9th-12th grade students are required to attend and lead their conference. Conversation will be based on a high school self-assessment written in response to questions in the evaluation. Students will bring the self-assessment to the conference.
  • In order to set a collegial tone, 9th-12th grade students should come to the conference dressed professionally or in uniform. 

Independent Study Week
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 are provided below. If any books are on backorder, please reach out to Ms. Wegener at kwegener@glendaleprep.org.

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

All high school students will read the same book in preparation for the High School Symposium. High School (9th-12th Grade). Pre-ordered books were placed in lockers on Wednesday. If you did not pre-order a book from the school, you can still order a copy from your favorite vendors, such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble using the correct ISBN provided below.

9th -12th Grade Humane Letters: The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck, ISBN: 978-0-14-018746-5
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.

GP Athletics

  • GP Varsity Football plays its last home game of the year tonight at 7:00 pm. It’s senior night, and we will recognize our football and cross country athletes this evening. It has been a great first year back in the renovated GP stadium, and we want to thank our football team for an exciting year! Make sure you wear pink in support of cancer awareness, and we will see you there!
  • On Tuesday, October 22nd, GP Varsity Volleyball will have a special match. Our own Caitlin Kao will have her senior night. Caitlin suffered an injury this season and has been out all year; we want GP to show up in a BIG way over break and come out to support her on her senior night! We know you will come through for us, and for that, we say thank you! See you there!
  • Glendale Prep Golf will be in the Championship match on October 26th at Mcdowell Mountain.
  • During the break, we will have many open gyms, futsal, and open cages. Please visit glendaleprepathletics.com for the necessary information! Or contact the athletic department to be connected with the coaches at jgarrison@glendaleprep.org.
  • Save the date! Winter Sports Parent Information Night – On Wednesday, October 30th at 5:30 p.m. we will have a merged parent night. This parent information night will give you all the information needed to prepare for the winter season. You will also get a chance to meet the coaches and get tryout information. Light refreshments will be provided.

Evaluation Distribution
Glendale Prep will be using PowerSchool (PS) for evaluations this school year. In order to access the PS Parent Portal, each parent should set up an account. All of your Glendale Prep children may be added to the account you create. You should have received an email yesterday with information on how to set up your account and how to navigate through the portal. If you did not receive an email, please reach out to Mrs. Hayakawa at shayakawa@glendaleprep.org.

Currently, the grades are not open for viewing, but on the evening of Friday, October 18th, you’ll receive another email repeating the information on how to create an account, if needed, as well as informing you that the PS Parent Portal is open and ready for you to review your child’s/children’s evaluation(s). The PS Parent Portal will only be open until Friday, November 1st to view evaluations.

Please remember that using a new system always has its challenges, and we ask that you be patient in creating the account and learning how to maneuver through the new system. Thank you in advance for your patience and your partnership.

PSAT (9th-11th Grade
Each fall, all Glendale Prep freshmen, sophomores, and juniors take the PSAT test, which is a predictor test for the SAT. For juniors, it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship competition. Although only scores from the junior year are considered for the National Merit Scholarship competition, we also offer it for sophomores and freshmen. Taking the PSAT is a good opportunity for students to become familiar with both the PSAT and the SAT. This year the PSAT test will be administered on Wednesday, October 30th at 8:00 am and will conclude around 12:00 p.m.

Please ensure your student: (1) gets a good night’s sleep, (2) eats a nourishing breakfast, (3) brings a small snack, (4) arrives to school on time, and (5) has no appointments scheduled before noon.  Additionally, please have him/her bring: (1) two sharpened #2 pencils and (2) a calculator.

Dodgeball Tournament
The GP House Dodgeball Tournament will be in the gym on Wednesday, October 30th from 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Students and Faculty are welcome to participate, and spectators are encouraged to cheer them on! The cost is $5 to compete and $1 for audience admission on the payment portal. Students should make the necessary arrangements for pick-up and are encouraged to bring a lunch if they plan on staying, although concessions will be available for purchase. Participants may wear their House shirts and athletic shoes. Please reach out to Mr. Fendler with any questions at afendler@glendaleprep.org.

Last Day to Wear Shorts
Beginning Friday, November 1st, only pants and skirts may be worn to school. Shorts may not be worn again until after Spring Break. Please see the family handbook for details.

Corporate Gift Matching
Free Money for our School!

Did you know that you can double or even triple your Community Investment and Tax Credit donations to Glendale Prep?  Many companies will match your donations to our school through their Corporate Gift Matching Programs.  This is an easy way to increase the impact of your donations!

Simply speak with your employer’s Human Resources Department to find out if your company offers a Corporate Matching Gifts Program.  It is usually a simple process of submitting the appropriate paperwork to your Human Resources department to have your gifts to our school matched.  Please contact Cathy Sparks at csparks@glendaleprep.org or call 623.889.0822 with any questions.

Thank you for supporting our students! 

College Counseling
Junior Students and Parents, the Great Hearts Symposium is Saturday, October 19th from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy. You may register here if you have not done so already. Please remind students to be in uniform.

The Christian College Fair will take place Monday, October 21st from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at New Life Community Church.

Sophomore and Junior Students: On Thursday, October 24th from 8:00 a.m.-noon Glendale Prep is hosting 25-30 college representatives for the first-ever Glendale Prep College Forum. Thank you for completing the survey as your RSVP. Registration is now closed. Please note: This is a STUDENT-ONLY event. We are looking forward to this new event for our students. Please ensure your student wears their school uniform.

Be sure to check the College Counseling page on Glendale Prep website, Naviance, and the CC bulletin board for upcoming college fairs and college rep visits.

Contact Information
Silvia Hayakawa, Office Manager
shayakawa@glendaleprep.org

Attendance Line:
623-889-0822 Option 4
or attendance@glendaleprep.org

Websites and Links
Glendale Prep Website
Glendale Prep PSO Website
GP Athletics Website
“Like Us” on Facebook
2019-20 School Calendar
Event Calendar
Tutoring Schedule
Booster Items
GP Family Handbook
Payment Portal
Lunch Ordering – Password “griffins4”