| A Note from the Headmaster
Hello Parents,
I would like to use this end of the year blast to consider our calling as humans, our calling to one another. Many of us have different jobs and hobbies, but what is something that we all share, something we should all do?
I believe a great work can shed some light on the subject. Every year, our 7th grade students read through Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This is a familiar story to most of us, but when you read the story, there are little nuggets and gems of dialogue and description that move the soul.
Here is one of those (in my opinion):
`Seven years dead,’ mused Scrooge. `And travelling all the time!’
`The whole time,’ said the Ghost. `No rest, no peace. Incessant torture of remorse.’
`You travel fast?’ said Scrooge.
`On the wings of the wind,’ replied the Ghost.
`You might have got over a great quantity of ground in seven years,’ said Scrooge.
The Ghost, on hearing this, set up another cry, and clanked its chain so hideously in the dead silence of the night, that the Ward would have been justified in indicting it for a nuisance.
`Oh! captive, bound, and double-ironed,’ cried the phantom, `not to know, that ages of incessant labour, by immortal creatures, for this earth must pass into eternity before the good of which it is susceptible is all developed. Not to know that any Christian spirit working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness. Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused! Yet such was I! Oh! such was I!’
`But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,’ faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.
`Business!’ cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. `Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!’
It held up its chain at arm’s length, as if that were the cause of all its unavailing grief, and flung it heavily upon the ground again.
May these words in this beautiful story remind us of our calling to one another, not just this season but perpetually for years to come.
Wishing you and yours a blessed break,
Mr. Navarrette
Semester 2 Schedules
Semester 2 Schedules will be emailed directly to families the week of our return (prior to the first day on Thursday, January 9th).
Semester 1 Report Cards
Semester 1 Report Cards will be emailed to families on Monday, January 13th.
7th / 8th Grade Dance
We are excited to announce the Middle School dance will be held on January 24th from 6:00-8:00 pm and the theme is Anne of Green Gables. All 7th and 8th graders are invited to attend! Tickets are available until January 22nd at 5:00 pm for $20 and can be purchased on the portal HERE. After this time, tickets will be sold at the door for $35 CASH ONLY and parents must accompany their students to pay for the dance and sign a permission slip before their children can be granted entry to the dance. Please take time to review the dress code HERE .
Lastly, phones must be brought in a zip top baggie marked with the student’s last name. They will be kept at check-in and returned at the end of the dance.
Save the Date for France
Dear families,
Exciting news, your student is invited to join us on an educational travel experience to France in 2026! We’ll be hosting an important interest meeting in January to present the trip, its itinerary and conditions (partner EF Tours).
Meeting:
Date: 1/23/2025
Time: 6pm
Location: room 706
For any questions, please contact Madame Cognet-Pereira: ccognet-pereira@glendaleprep.org
College Counseling
The Great Hearts College Symposium: This is an excellent way for families of 10th and 11th grade students to explore and interact with multiple colleges in a single event. Admissions representatives will give presentations on essay writing, financial aid, and more on Saturday, March 1st, from 3:15 PM to 6:00 PM. We strongly encourage all 10th and 11th grade students to attend the Symposium.
This event is held at Scottsdale Preparatory Academy (16537 N. 92nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85260). To register, please go to StriveFair.com, where you will receive a personalized barcode for entry. All students must wear school uniforms when attending this symposium.
ASU High School Leadership Academy: The ASU Center for American Institutions is pleased to offer incoming high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors an opportunity to join them on the ASU Tempe campus on Monday, January 20, 2025, from 9:00 AM to noon and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM during Martin Luther King Day, for their High School Leadership Academy.
Using the 2022 Supreme Court case 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis as a guide, students will participate in a mock trial, taking on the roles of attorneys representing 303 Creative LLC, Aubrey Elenis, the State of Colorado, or Supreme Court justices. Participants will choose which judicial role they want to explore in the trial. Students will also learn about the origins of religious liberty in America and the history of court challenges to religious freedom in the modern era. The fee to attend is $50. Scholarships are available for families who request them by emailing Roxane.Barwick@asu.edu by January 10, 2025.
ASVAB: The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test will be offered to all students on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025, after school at 1:00 PM. Testing will last approximately three and a half hours and students need to be picked up at 4:30 PM. The ASVAB is a standardized test designed to assess a student’s aptitude for various occupations. While it can provide valuable insights into potential career paths, participation is voluntary. We understand that some parents may be concerned about the ASVAB, particularly its potential for military recruitment. Please be assured that, as a school, we do not send ASVAB information to any military office for recruitment. However, the option to send scores for military recruitment will be made available. Please only complete this OPT-out form if you want to prevent your child from participating.
Athletics
Game Schedules, Practice Schedules, and Events
The athletics website (https://greatheartsglendaleathletics.org) will have the most up to date information regarding game schedules. All middle school schedules are updated on the athletics website. A link will take you to each individual schedule. It is a tab at the top titled “MS Team Schedules”. All high school schedules are updated on the athletics website. Click the tab at the top titled “Sports and Activities.”
Home Game Support/Volunteering
We are looking forward to a great Winter Sports Season for all our High School Teams! The APO and the Athletic Department are in need of volunteers to help make our home events successful. Your support is crucial in ensuring everything runs smoothly and the kids have a great time.
Here is the link where all sign-ups are located. This sign up genius link has all of the home games along with the positions we need filled for basketball and soccer. This is also available on the athletics website!
https://signup.com/go/DosdZUv
CV5 Tournament
Join us for our 6th annual Carson Von Aspen 3v3 Basketball Tournament! Celebrate Carson’s life by doing one of his favorite things, playing basketball! Carson Von Aspen was an alumni who graduated in 2018 and played basketball with Mr. Roundy and was coached by Mr. Navarrette. He took his own life in the summer of 2018 and we continue his legacy through playing the game he loved. Come show support or enter in with a team on December 21st. The youth level (14 and below) will be from 11:30-1:30pm, and the adult level (15+) will be from 2:00-5:30pm. It is $90 per team, with up to 4 members per team. Please reach out to Mr. Roundy (nroundy@glendaleprep.org) with any questions you may have. Here is the sign up link: https://glendaleprep.configio.com/pd/1972/2024-cva5-3v3-basketball-tournament |