Dear Parents and Guardians:
Welcome to the new school year! As you know, Dr. Kosek and I are the new administrators of Glen Meadow Middle School. While we are new to the building, many of you know us from other buildings within our district. Both Dr. Kosek and I have served as leaders of Glen Meadow, and we are very excited to be returning to the building as a team. We look forward to seeing everyone at our Family Back-to-School Night on September 3rd, at 5:00 pm, and seeing our students on the first day of school on Wednesday, September 4th. As a reminder, our first three days of school are Early Dismissal Days; students will be called to their buses at 12:30 pm. Please be patient with the afternoon bus runs, as it takes a few days to get routes and timing running to perfection.
As you read from our Superintendent’s message this summer, Glen Meadow will kick off the new year with a very special two-day event where students and our faculty will set expectations and goal setting using the “Glen Meadow Way”. Students will experience with team building activities, social-emotional learning opportunities, anti-bullying activities, as well as back to school assemblies. Some of the most important goals during the middle school years is for your child to develop strong study habits, to continue to embrace learning, to value themselves and others, and understand and respect diversity. Our kick-off activities embrace the middle school concept and reflect the Board of Education and district vision surrounding the support of each student so that they continue to thrive.
We look forward to sharing our vision for your children at our Family Back-to-School Night that is scheduled the night before our school year begins, on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at 5:00 pm. Parents and students should report to the gym to receive their “Class of” t-shirt, then report to homeroom. During homeroom, you will hear a special message from Dr. Kosek and me. Having students come to school with their parents can help assuage any feelings or concern about finding classrooms and meeting teachers for the very first time. Both students and parents will be able to learn and hear the expectations from each teacher. At Family Back-to-School Night each teacher will explain what is needed for the class. Please do not buy a lot of supplies beyond the basics of pens and pencils and a few inexpensive notebooks. As you are aware, students receive a Chromebook where a lot of school work is completed. Remember, there is still time to come to school to walk your schedule, as we have our Bagels and Locks event on Monday, August 26, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and two Open Houses on August 27 and 29 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Meet our SCA at Back to School Night: The Glen Meadow Middle School Officers this year are as follows:
President: Mrs. Lally
Vice President: Ms. Piper
Treasurer: Mrs. Pych
Our SCA Officers will be at Family Back-to-School-Night where they will be asking you to support our “Unfundrasier”– This fundraiser is easy….just donate a few dollars to help sponsor the many activities that the SCA brings to our school. The Glen Meadow will also have Selfie Stations for students to take pictures in the cafeteria on this evening. This will be a fun way to promote Glen Meadow and school spirit! This year, the SCA will generously be bringing in two very poignant programs that will be a “must-see” for all families; Screenagers and Ryan’s Story. Both programs focus on raising middle school children and the ways to keep them safe online and how to promote healthy relationships as they grow up and how to avoid bullying behavior. Please visit both links to learn more about these compelling programs. Our first SCA meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 18, at 9:30 am. Come learn about what’s happening at our school and the ways you can stay involved. Remember…we love our parent volunteers! You are very important to our school. Our meeting runs the third Wednesday of every month and is listed on the Glen Meadow calendar.
SCA Apple Picking Event: Please see this flyer for an SCA Apple Picking event at Pochuck Valley Farms, on Saturday, September 14, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. $5.00 per ticket will be donated back to the Glen Meadow SCA. The rain date will be on Sunday, September 15.
Thank you to the many students who came to school on a summer days to thoughtfully design and decorate each bulletin in our hallways. The messages from each of our bulletin boards are very uplifting and reinforce the concepts that will be learned on two-day kick-off at Glen Meadow. This team of students will continue to spread their creativity and positive messages throughout the year. These student leaders set a wonderful example for their peers and give ownership of the school to our most important people…our students!
Welcome to Teddy- Glen Meadow’s Seeing Eye Dog in Training! This year, our school counselor, Mrs. Keane, will be bringing Teddy to school. Teddy will be trained by The Seeing Eye to be a working dog. Mrs. Keane and her family are “puppy raisers” for The Seeing Eye. Teddy will live with Mrs. Keane’s family for the next year, until his official training beings when he is approximately a year old. Teddy has been officially approved by the Board of Education to be in our school to “learn” alongside the students of Glen Meadow. Teddy is a beautiful four-month-old puff-ball, Golden Retriever/Lab mix. Check back from time to time to hear about how Teddy is learning and his interactions with our students. To learn more about this organization go to The Seeing Eye.
Teddy, The Seeing Eye Dog
Count Me In Program– Our Assistant Principal, Dr. Kosek, is excited to bring the Count Me In program to Glen Meadow. The Count Me In program has been initiated at Glen Meadow based on the direct correlation between attendance and academic achievement. Attendance is crucial in a child’s academic success not only in Glen Meadow but during high school, college and beyond. Students at Glen Meadow Middle School will be rewarded this year for perfect attendance for individual months, marking periods and for the school year. Prizes will include sports equipment, electronics, watches, flat-screen TVs, bicycles, and much more.
Glen Meadow After School Activities…we have something for everyone! As students contemplate learning a new sport or joining a new club, parents please check out this link with your child for a full listing of all activities, clubs, and sports offered for all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. After school buses will begin on September 10th.
Schoology, our district’s Learning Management System, will be opening for parents and guardians this year! Parents and guardians will be able to log on to Schoology to see their child’s homework and read announcements, etc. In September parents and guardians will be sent a login via their email that we have on record in Genesis. The password that you receive will NOT be your child’s school account. It will be a parent account based upon the email that you have supplied us. So, it is very important that all of your contact information is Genesis is up to date and accurate.
Some information on communication and the proper channels… As school begins, it is very important that we promote communication with you via this blog, emails, phone calls, our calendar, Friday School Messenger blasts, and the occasional memos that will be sent home with students. With this in mind, below are the steps to use as reference if you need to reach someone at school to discuss an educational matter. These steps support direct, open, and respectful interactions so that problems and concerns can be worked out quickly and efficiently. Any question or concern should always start with the person listed in Step 1, as that person will usually has the most information on the topic. If you have a question or concern, please follow the steps listed below for the relevant topic.
Classroom Issues Involving an Individual Child
(Classroom procedures, behavior, bullying, HIB, grades, schedule, etc.)
OR
Curriculum and Instruction
(Subject matter being taught, teaching strategies, textbooks and materials used, etc.)
STEP 1: Classroom Teacher; if not resolved…
STEP 2: School Counselor; if not resolved…(Grade 6-Mrs. Pisco, Grade 7- Mrs. Keane, Grade 8- Ms. Regan)
STEP 3: Director of Humanities, Mr. Vincent Gagliostro, or Director of Math and Science, Mr. Russ Rogers
STEP 4: Building Principal and/or Building Assistant Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 5: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Charles McKay; if not resolved…
STEP 6: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
Special Education, 504 Plans, and IEPs
STEP 1: Teacher, Specialist, or Child Study Team Member (Psychologist, School Counselor, Social Worker, Speech and Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist); if not resolved…
STEP 2: Case Manager; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Building Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 4: Supervisor of Special Services Grades 7-12- Mrs. Cheryl vonSalzen; if not resolved…
STEP 5: Director of Special Services, Mrs. Deb Merrill; if not resolved…
STEP 6: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
Medical Concerns
STEP 1: School Nurse; if not resolved…
STEP 2: Building Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
School Counseling and Related Services
STEP 1: School Counselor, Social Worker, School Psychologist; if not resolved…
STEP 2: Supervisor of School Counseling- Mrs. Kristin Gudenkauf; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Building Principal or Assistant Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 4: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Charles McKay; if not resolved…
STEP 5: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
Transportation Concerns
(Behavior on school buses, etc.)
STEP 1: Building Assistant Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 2: Building Principal; if not resolved…
STEP 3: Supervisor of Transportation, Mrs. Jamie VanGilist; if not resolved…
STEP 4: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Charles McKay; if not resolved…
STEP 5: Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Karen D’Avino
Thank you for partnering with us!
Rosemary Gebhardt
Principal