4/21/24 Newsletter
Dear Parent, Student, and Educator,
This week we have a full week for students and teachers, with an early out Wednesday.
Building & Facilities Update: Construction on the wall to enclose the courtyard begins this week. We will replace the fencing that is there and have two 4ft doors with crash bars for egress purposes. This building update makes use of SAVE Funds and will improve safety.
The Conditions for Learning Survey will be taken Thursday, April 25th in RAMS time. This survey will give our school valuable feedback to improve safety, student engagement, and the overall learning environment so that all students have optimum conditions for learning.
- Parent consent for students to participate is passive, meaning all students will be encouraged to participate unless parents or guardians sign and return to the main office a Written Refusal form indicating that their child(ren) should not participate in the survey.
- To review the survey ahead of time, see these surveys: English | Spanish
Senior Reminders: Senior Awards Night is this week, April 28th at 6pm in the Auditorium
Baccalaureate is May 15th at 7pm in the Auditorium; Seniors Last Day is May 16th (all work must be complete prior to this date!); Graduation Practice on the 17th; Commencement is on the 19th at 2pm in our HS Gym. See our Senior Document for more info. Part of the Glenwood High School graduation requirement includes 20 hours of service. Here is the Service Learning Form. Complete this and turn it into the high school guidance office. Fines also need to be taken care of with the main office prior to senior sign out on the 16th.
Thank you to the Transportation Department, and Maddi Sieck of Jim Hughes Real Estate for the bus photo to celebrate our seniors!
Congratulations again to our Distinguished Scholars! See this nice digital recognition!
Prom Update: The deadline to sign up for the Prom Dinner is updated to April 25th.
Prom Dinner is held 4:45pm to 6:15pm, hosted by the After Prom Committee at Bella Terra. $20 per person, payable to “Glenwood After Prom” Check, Cash, or Venmo @Lori-Johnson-113. See the Prom Central website
Thank you parents, students, and educators for your support of ISASP testing!
We had very good attendance and effort shown by our students. Student volunteers also assisted with snack and water delivery and pick up, were incredibly respectful, and kept a quiet testing environment for others. Counselors also used additional time when students were done with testing to have students complete Xello Lessons to support student planning for their career interests and high school course selections. Makeup testing will continue this week.
Glenwood Schools has been Nationally Recognized as a Model PLC District!
DYK – “Did You Know” Facts about PLCs:
- Early out Wednesdays provide dedicated time for Professional Learning Communities made up of job-alike teachers to get together and share student data and reflect on the most effective instructional practices to increase student achievement.
- Effective PLCs: Ensure Students Learn; Build a Culture of Collaboration; and Focus on Student Results. Our Guiding Coalition Team, pictured at the bottom helps promote these 3 Big Ideas with their school leadership and facilitation of content area teacher meetings.
- When teacher teams get together, their work focuses on answering and responding to these Essential Questions: What do we want all students to know and be able to do? How will we know if they learn it? How will we respond when some students do not learn? How will we extend the learning for students who are already proficient?
Wednesday, April 24th is Administrative Professionals Day! The HS would like to thank our secretaries Mrs. Wheat, Mrs. Wilkes, Mrs. Parks, and Mrs. Shari Rodenburg for their support of parents, students, and educators.
FFA Chapter members attended the 96th annual State FFA conference in Ames.
Members attending were Logan Hughes, Grant Schoening, Joli Johnston, Breckyn Petersen, and Codie Mayer. Members toured the ISU meat processing and fabrication facility as an industry tour. Joli Johnston and Breckyn Petersen represented the chapter during the business session as chapter delegates. Codie Mayer competed in the Greenhand Test and earned a bronze.
Thank you to the University of Iowa’s Choir for stopping by and performing for our students! Thank you to Dr. Puderbaugh for the feedback on our choir performance.
MS & HS Teachers attended a professional learning session on April 15th about the dangers and warning signs of drug and substance use. Teachers learned how to administer life saving NARCAN in the event of an opioid emergency. Fentanyl-laced vapes pose deadly risks to individuals and communities. The potency of fentanyl makes accidental overdose a significant and genuine concern. Given the lack of regulation in the illicit drug market, users cannot know the strength of the fentanyl in these vape cartridges, leading to unpredictable and potentially fatal consequences. Parents, we encourage you to visit with your students at home about saying no to tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, and to encourage your students to report and support school safety; if they “See Something, Say Something.”
District Career Academic Planning: As outlined in HF2392, school districts are required to ensure high quality career-related activities and experiences to students to engage in self-reflection, career research, and exploration of post-secondary opportunities and apply and align that learning with personal path and goals. Our DCAP team will get together this week to set goals and plan for increased opportunities for student career learning and exploration.
Wishing you another great week at GHS! GO RAMS!!!
Mrs. Lorraine Duitsman