Glenwood

Good afternoon, Glenwood families,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend and had an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. As we officially welcome the fall season, Glenwood continues to be filled with energy, learning, and connection.

We are especially looking forward to celebrating the many cultures and traditions that make our community so special at our Multicultural Potluck next Thursday, October 1. Please visit the information below for event details. We look forward to breaking bread together, spending some quality time as a community, and learning more about one another. Can't wait to see you there!

Please see all the happenings below!

Best,

Josh Rehak, Principal

Picture Day is a PROOF sale... you will receive a proof of your student's picture along with a code if you wish to order at that time. If you have more than 2 students, you can call Barksdale to take advantage of the discounts when placing your order: Contact (800) 220-7667.

Let’s start the school year by coming together, connecting, and celebrating our Glenwood family!

Join Glenwood students, families, and staff on Thursday, October 1st at 6:30 p.m. as we celebrate the many cultures that make our school community special! Bring a small dish that represents your culture, family, or a favorite tradition to share. Sign up here or use the QR code below. We hope to see you there!

Miss Segal and Mrs. Vellios-Miller will often share counselor tidbits with our parent community throughout the year!

This week’s counselor tidbit: Growing Grit with a Growth Mindset!

Last week, we talked about growth mindset and allowing children to struggle a little while developing a new skill. This week, we’re continuing Glenwood’s September character focus on growth mindset by asking: How do we help children keep going when something stays hard?

Dr. Angela Duckworth, one of Mrs. Vellios-Miller’s former professors and a leading researcher on grit, defines grit as passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. But grit does NOT mean never getting frustrated, never taking a break, or doing the same thing over and over when it isn’t working! Sometimes persistence means trying again. Other times it means changing strategies, practicing, asking for help, or taking a break and coming back later. The great news is that grit is something we can all partner on to help kids grow!

When something gets hard, we want children to learn: I have choices about what I can do next.

Try It at Home!

One simple way to encourage grit is to notice your child’s PROCESS, not just the outcome. Instead of only “Great job! You got an A!” try:

• “I noticed how much you practiced for that.”

• “You stuck with that even when you were frustrated.”

• “Your first idea didn’t work, so you tried something different.”

• “You asked for help instead of giving up.”

• “Look how much you’ve improved since you started!”

You can also ask: “What helped you keep going when that got hard?” Helping children recognize what they did during a challenge builds a toolbox of strategies they can use the next time something feels difficult.

Let Them Hear You Do It, Too!

This is where Mrs. Vellios-Miller finds she gets the biggest bang for her buck in the long run with kids! Instead of keeping your own problem-solving in your head, occasionally say it out loud:

• “Well, that didn’t work! Let me try something different.”

• “I’m getting frustrated. I’m going to take a break and come back to this.”

• “I don’t know how to do this yet. I’m going to ask someone for help.”

• “I made a mistake. Let me figure out how to fix it.”

Children don’t need to see adults who never struggle. They need to see what we choose to do next when we do.

Something to Remember

Grit isn’t about never wanting to give up. It’s learning what to do when something worth doing gets hard. Sometimes we try again. Sometimes we change the plan. Sometimes we ask for help. Sometimes we take a break and come back tomorrow.

Helping children build that “what can I do next?” toolbox is something they can carry with them long after September ends! Want to learn more?

Have a great week!

Mrs. Vellios-Miller & Miss Segal

This school year, Rose Tree Media School District will introduce revised standards-based progress reports for students in grades K–5. While elementary students have received standards-based reports for many years, the updated format will provide clearer, more specific information about students’ progress toward grade-level expectations aligned with the Pennsylvania Common Core Standards.

Families will notice two key changes:

• Progress reports will identify specific grade-level skills within each subject area, helping families understand both the skills their child demonstrates and those still developing.
• A simplified three-level Learning Indicator system will be used:
  • 3: Demonstrates understanding and applies the assessed skills effectively.
  • 2: Demonstrates a developing understanding of the assessed skills.
  • 1: Demonstrates limited understanding of the assessed skills.

These indicators are not traditional letter grades or percentages. They reflect a student’s current progress on skills taught and assessed during that reporting period. Because learning develops over time, a 2 indicates that a skill is still developing and should not automatically be interpreted as below-grade-level performance. Our goal is for students to meet grade-level standards by the end of the school year.

The previous “Exceeds Grade-Level Expectation” designation will no longer appear on the report. The revised format focuses on progress toward grade-level standards; however, a 3 is not a ceiling for learning. Students ready for greater challenges will continue to receive enrichment, extension, and deeper learning opportunities in the classroom.

We hope these reports will support meaningful conversations among students, families, and teachers about what students understand, which skills are developing, and how families can support learning at home.

Members of the Curriculum and Instruction Department provided a brief overview at each of Glenwood's Back-to-School Night. In addition, the district website will include a new Elementary Progress Reports section with sample reports, frequently asked questions, Learning Indicator explanations, and other resources. (Links provided below).

We appreciate your partnership as we implement this updated reporting system to strengthen our understanding of each student’s learning needs and progress.

We have recently seen an increase in students using smart watches to communicate with parents and other students during the school day. As a reminder, smart watches must remain off and stored in students’ backpacks throughout the day. We will reinforce these expectations with students and remind them to speak directly with a staff member if they need to contact a parent or guardian. If you need to reach your child, please call the main office, and we will be happy to assist you. Thank you for helping us maintain a focused learning environment.

We’re looking for students who are interested in reading and talking about books AND who can be committed to the team! What does commitment mean? You will...

● come to our meetings every other Tuesday.

● read a complete book every two weeks

● write a summary of each book

● write questions and answers for each book

● share your thoughts with others at each meeting

Open to 4th and 5th graders, the purpose of the club is to read and enjoy books with others. Students will read about 12 books, write summaries and questions for the books before each meeting. During the meeting, they will talk about the books and share their questions. Be sure to return the interest form by Wednesday, September 30.

Please share with parents and caregivers whose families have been impacted by trauma!

CGRC offers FREE monthly gatherings Via ZOOM for parents and caregivers to learn and support one another to move through the pain of trauma towards healing, hope, and growth.

Please see the flyer below (and attached) for more information.

To Register: Parents and Caregivers, click here.

Buy Early and Save 10%! Log in to Treering by September 30th to purchase your 2026-2027 yearbooks to take advantage of this discount!

New to Glenwood? Go to treering and enter Glenwood's passcode:1016000957044042 to register with Treering! From there, you can order your yearbook and upload photos!

We Need YOUR Photos! We are currently collecting photos for 1st Day of School and for our new students who posed with their Welcome to Glenwood sign. We will be collecting photos for the Harvest Hayride and Marple Sports Arena Night, both taking place later this month. Please email your photos to the links below. Photos will be accepted through the end of September!

Email links:

Welcome to Glenwood

1st Day of School

Harvest Hay Ride

Marple Sports Night

Remember to sign up or update your information in Membership Toolkit for our PTG! Membership Toolkit is the PTG's tool for our family directories, online store, field trip payments, volunteer signups and email communications, including emails from your child's homeroom parents. It's secure, easy to use, and free to families of Glenwood Elementary. Install the Free app! Questions? Contact our system administrator at glenwoodptg@gmail.com.

Join us for a Parent's Only Meet Up - because why should the kids have all the fun?

This is an event for our Glenwood parents only and will be held on Wednesday, October 7th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at 320 Market Cafe in Media. Come out and meet and mingle with other parents, enjoy a kid-free evening, and snack on 320 Market's delicious chips!

Save the date for Trunk-or-Treat! As in years past, this event will take place at Arasapha Farm on Saturday, October 17th (rain date: October 18th). This is a free event for our students. We will send more information about candy donations, monetary donations for candy, and volunteers to decorate trunks.

To streamline communication, please use this form for all early dismissals and changes to your child’s regular dismissal plan. The form will notify both the classroom teacher and office staff, so there is no need to call or email separately.

If more than one child has a change to their regular dismissal plan, please submit one form entry for each student. All early dismissals require a photo ID or driver’s license at pickup.

If your child will be late, please call the Attendance Hotline (610-627-6900) and press 2 to let us know. When they arrive, an adult should walk them into the building and sign them in.

Notify us of your child's absence by click on the button below or by sending an email to:

ges-attendance@rtmsd.org. A note (or completion of this form) is required within three (3) days of the student's return to school.

In order for days out of school to be approved for a pre-planned absence, the “Pre-Planned Absence Form” must be submitted to the building principal for consideration a minimum of five (5) days prior to the absence. Please note that pre-planned absences will not be approved during the standardized testing windows. Trips taken without pre-approval by the building principal will be recorded as unexcused absences. No more than 5 pre-planned days will be approved during the school year.

Once completed, please send a paper copy with your child to the Main Office OR you can email it to Leah Benson: lbenson@rtmsd.org. She will request approval from Mr. Rehak and email you the decision. You also do not need to call your student out those day(s).

School hours for the 2026-27 school year are as follows:

Grades 1-5

• Student Arrival: 8:40 - 8:50 AM (Note: School Day starts at 8:50 AM)
• Student Dismissal: 3:30 PM

AM Kindergarten

• Student Arrival: 8:40 - 8:50 AM (Note: School Day starts at 8:50 AM)
• Student Dismissal: 11:25 AM

PM Kindergarten

• Student arrival: 12:55 PM (Note: School Day starts at 12:55 PM)
• Student Dismissal: 3:30 PM

Josh Rehak, Principal

Email: jrehak@rtmsd.org
Website: ges.rtmsd.org

Address: 122 South Pennell Road Media, PA 19063

Phone: (610) 627-6900

2026-2027 SCHOOL HOURS: Monday thru Friday

Grades 1-5: 8:50 am - 3:30 pm
AM-Kindergarten: 8:50 am - 11:25 pm

PM-Kindergarten: 12:55 pm - 3:30 pm