| A Note From Headmaster
Hello Parents,
I came to campus this week to make a video with others for New Parent Orientation. You might remember this evening event where we provide a general overview of culture, academics, communication/website, and athletics for all new parents to Glendale Prep. We were unable to have this event due to COVID-19. Nevertheless, we came up with a plan to connect with our new families through video because the information we share highlights what we care about and what we do. What becomes clear for parents are the first principles we value. I came to consider once again that what makes a strong and healthy community is a shared concern regarding what is true and good. As we finish out the school year, apart physically, but together in spirit, may we be reminded that challenges and trials are a life test to put into focus what we desire most; may that be truth and goodness.
Sincerely,
Mr. Navarrette
Remote Learning Updates
Each week, teachers provide students with a weekly outline that reviews the assigned work and corresponding due dates. This document can be found in Google Classroom and can be used by parents to gauge the homework load and regulate computer time if needed. Again, we have set four hours as the daily limit for how much time students should be spending on their work.
We have a little over three weeks left of this quarter, so I wanted to share what we have concluded as far as finals. Given the nature of remote learning and that we are on a pass/fail grade scale for Quarter 4, we have decided we will not be requiring students to complete a longer, comprehensive final. Students will have a culminating assignment (for example- writing reflection, discussion/seminar, activity OR project) to close out the quarter. We believe students will best prepare and produce quality work if we limit the number of classes during the final week.
Here is the schedule for the last week of the quarter-
Monday, May 18th– This is a standard, normal day of school. It will be the last day of new instruction.
Tuesday, May 19th– Students will work on classes for Periods 1 and 2 only. They should plan to spend the standard designated amount of time on those subjects.
Wednesday, May 20th– Students will work on classes for Periods 3 and 4 only. They should plan to spend the standard designated amount of time on those subjects.
Thursday, May 21st– Students will work on classes for Periods 5 and 6 only. They should plan to spend the standard designated amount of time on those subjects.
Teachers will provide information on the culminating assignment by Monday, May 18th.
Re-Enrollment
Thank you to all the families who have completed the re-enrollment online process! This helps us plan classes, schedules, and budget for the following school year, as well as offer seats to families that have been on the waitlist. Thank you for your partnership and support.
Quarter 4 Deficiency Notices
Quarter 4 Deficiencies were sent out this week via email. Due to Remote Learning, deficiency notices are to make parents aware that their student has not completed at least 60% of the work/assignments. If your student received a deficiency notice, please forward the deficiency email to the appropriate teacher with acknowledgment of receiving the notice.
Due to the current circumstances, all students will be issued a pass/fail for Quarter 4 and will be given a letter grade for Semester 2. Please reach out to Mr. Withers [12], Assistant Headmaster, with any questions.
2019-2020 Yearbooks
Order your yearbook online before they sell out! You can secure your student’s yearbook on the payment portal [13] today. Yearbooks will be distributed when families return their textbooks. Check future Weekly Blasts for details.
If you are unsure if you placed your order, you can log into your payment portal [14] account and click the tab “Account,” “Orders,” and “Order History.”
Senior Thesis Panels
The Senior Thesis and its defense are an important part of the Glendale Prep tradition. After careful review, we have decided to support our students using the Zoom platform. The Zoom “Host” will send invitations to the presenting senior’s parents, all faculty members, and the senior class. In this way, parents, faculty members, and senior classmates will be able to attend the panels.
All panels will consist of two main parts: 1) The Thesis Presentation: a brief presentation (of about 10 minutes) in which the student will highlight the essential ideas of the paper; and 2) The Thesis Panel Discussion: a panel of three faculty readers will be convened to conduct a discussion with the student about his or her Thesis, and finally the audience will submit questions for the student via the “chat” function of Zoom. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. LeTrent [15].
Next Week’s Senior Panelists
- Ethan Crabb: Monday, April 27th, at 1:00 p.m.
- Joel Cruz: Monday, April 27th, at 2:30 p.m.
- Sophie Fredrickson: Tuesday, April 28th, at 1:00 p.m.
- Evan Vo: Tuesday, April 28th, at 2:30 p.m.
- Andrea Gameros: Wednesday, April 29th, at 1:00 p.m.
- Calvin Babcock: Wednesday, April 29th, at 2:30 p.m.
- Andrew Lam: Thursday, April 30th, at 1:00 p.m.
- Joel Layne: Thursday, April 30th, at 2:30 p.m.
- Riley Kennedy: Friday, May 1st, at 1:00 p.m.
- Elizabeth Covey: Friday, May 1st, at 2:30 p.m.
College Counseling
- Senior Matriculation Day: Senior parents, you should have received an email this week about this fun event scheduled for May 1st!
- Juniors: May 2nd, from 1:00-2:15 p.m. is virtual Great Hearts Day at Barrett, the Honors College! This event is for all Great Hearts Juniors and their families. Barrett is a program geared for students who have at least a 3.5 GPA and/or a SAT score of 1250 or higher or an ACT score of 26 or higher. Any Juniors interested in applying to Barrett are encouraged to attend with their parents. Please register to attend! [16]
- College Board SAT Testing Update: Due to concerns for public safety, both the originally scheduled May and June SAT tests have been canceled. The College Board recognizes the difficulty this creates for the class of 2021. Therefore, provided it is safe for people to gather in larger numbers, they will offer weekend SAT testing every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August. Registration for these tests will begin in May on the College Board website. [17] The College Board will communicate directly with students when an exact date is available. Early access to registration will be given to those already registered for the June 6th test and those in the Class of 2021 who do not yet have an SAT score.
- Pre-college summer programs: A list of programs can be found by visiting the College Counseling webpage [18]HERE [19]. [18]
GP Athletics
- Congratulations to Ani Durell, who will be attending GCU to run for their Cross Country team! Her virtual signing will be posted to Instagram at gpathleticdept and on Facebook at Glendale Prep Athletics.
- A letter went out to families about important items to wrap up the 2019–2020 school year. Mr. Garrison highlighted sports refunds, trainings, uniform turn-ins, and much more. If you did not receive the email, visit the GP Athletics social media pages. If you would like an emailed copy, please feel free to reach out to the athletic department. Thank you!
Community Investment
DID YOU KNOW?
Through their tremendous care for our students, our teachers are delivering education in a new way through Google Classroom. In addition, the Great Hearts network worked quickly to identify what technological supports were needed for our families. More than 958 devices have been provided so far for successful distance learning. Learn how #CommunityInvestment makes this possible. [20]
Volunteers and Chaperones
Great Hearts has changed our volunteer and chaperone clearance process for the 2020-21 school year. If you would like to be approved to volunteer or chaperone next year, please click on the link below to complete your background check and gain clearance. It should only take a few minutes to fill out the information, and you will receive an answer from our Raptor system within 48 hours. The cost is only $5! All volunteers must be approved through this process, with no exceptions. Please note, when selecting the school, it will not separate the Archway and Prep. The system will approve you for both schools. You can choose multiple campuses if that applies to your family. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to John Lund, Great Hearts Safety Manager at jlund@greatheartsaz.org [21].
https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/volunteer/ [22]
We look forward to seeing you on campus next school year!
Refunds and Reimbursements
Thank you to all our GP families that have opted to contribute their refund to the school! This helps cover the cost to meet our budget for the school year. If you would like to contribute your refund to the school, please submit here [23] before May 1st. All refunds will be issued by May 15th. Thank you for your support.
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