Principal's Newsletter

Hello - this is a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have a student at, or have expressed an interest in, Glenbard West High School. Communication between Glenbard West and our families and community is very important to us. Don't forget to add gw_news@glenbard.org to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! Please email any questions directly to Glenbard Staff, we are happy to respond.

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November 10th

Turkey Trot

2:30 - 3:45 pm

Duchon Field

November 12 - 14th

Musical - Les Miserables

7:30 - 10:00 pm

Auditorium

November 18th

Glenbard Gratitude Day

November 25-27th

No School

Thanksgiving Break

November 30th - December 4th

Toiletry Drive

December 3rd & 4th

Madrigal Performance

7:00 - 9:00 pm

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

393 N Main Street, Glen Ellyn

December 8th

Winter Music Festival

5:00 - 10:00 pm

December 11th

Winter Fest Donut Breakfast

7:30 - 7:55 am

Cafe

December 16 - 18th

Final Exams

December 21st - January 4th

No School

Winter Break

January 5th

School Resumes

Brynna Frank, Ty Gambrel, Ben Hambell,

Roomesa Khan, Anna McLaughlin, Lachlan Polakoff,

Ruben Sanchez, Jessica Sandusky & Vince Schoettle

Tuesday, November 10th is Student Council’s annual Turkey Trot from 2:30-3:45pm on Duchon. It is $1 or non-perishable food item to participate.

All donations benefit the Glen House Food Pantry.

Reality Illinois, the Teen Advisory Board for the DuPage County Health Department, is a group of engaged teens dedicated to improving the mental and physical health of youth in DuPage County. Become involved in discussing important issues (such as well-being and life in and outside of school), organizing workshops, advocating for policy reform, and serving as the student voice for positive change!

Join Ben Peterselli and the Glen Ellyn Rotary for the 40th Annual Citrus Sale! Stock up on oranges, grapefruit, and mandarins while supporting college scholarships and local community grants. It’s Peterselli-approved, with plenty of a-peel!

Full case: $48 | Half case: $33

NEW! Ship citrus to friends, family, clients—or yourself—for $13.95 per box.

Pickup depends on how you order:

• Order directly through Glenbard West: Pick up at Glenbard West. Pickup will be Friday, December 11th.

• Order online for local pickup: Pick up at the Village Links Golf Course maintenance building on December 11, 1–5 PM, or December 12, 9 AM–noon.

To order through Glenbard West, pay Wendy Rosario by Zelle: 847-571-0240 or Venmo: @Wendy-Rosario-326.

To order or donate online, visit glenellynrotary.org/page/citrus.

Deadline to place your order is December 1, 2026

Orange you glad helping others can taste this good? Money raised helps fund scholarships for Glenbard West students as well as other not-for-profits in the community.

Juniors will take the school-day ACT in April, while freshmen and sophomores will take the PreACT. These assessment results, along with teacher input, will be used as part of the course enrollment process for the following school year.

The testing calendar for this school year is as follows:

• Wednesday, April 14, 2027: School-day ACT for Juniors. Students will be automatically registered at no additional cost. This is a non-attendance day for all freshmen, sophomores and seniors.

• Thursday, April 15, 2027: Pre-ACT 9/10 testing for freshmen and sophomores. This is a non-attendance day for all juniors and seniors.

A strong ACT score can significantly expand your student's college options and help them qualify for valuable merit-based scholarships. With this in mind, all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will have access to an online platform called Progress Learning to support ACT preparation this school year. This program is designed to help students build confidence and improve their ACT scores by focusing on their individual strengths and areas for growth.

No additional registration is necessary. Progress Learning will be provided at no cost to all freshman, sophomore, and junior families across District 87.

On Tuesday, October 27, all juniors completed a Diagnostic ACT, while sophomores completed the PreACT 10 assessment through the Progress Learning platform. Students received their scores directly through the platform immediately after submitting their completed assessments.

Beginning in the second semester and continuing through the spring testing window in April 2027, students will be expected to complete the following minimum number of hours in Progress Learning:

• Juniors: 8 hours of required practice

• Sophomores: 4 hours of required practice

This required practice will be incorporated into students' core academic classes (math, science, English, and social studies) throughout the second semester. Students will also have unlimited access to the platform and are strongly encouraged to dedicate additional time to practice outside of class.

Consistent practice and targeted skill development can help students build confidence, strengthen areas of need, and improve their performance on the ACT.

We are excited to welcome the families of our incoming freshmen to Glenbard West for 8th Grade Family Curriculum Night on Wednesday, January 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. This evening will provide an opportunity to learn more about our academic offerings, summer school enrichment opportunities, and the registration and enrollment process. Additional information will be shared directly with incoming freshman families in December. We look forward to welcoming you to West!

Did you know that students entering 12th grade must provide proof of two doses of the meningococcal vaccine?

Start scheduling your appointments now! You can receive this vaccine at your annual checkup or sports physical. Be sure to bring this form with you to your appointment! Afterward, please submit proof of vaccination to the Health Office.

Not sure if you’ve already received both doses? Stop by the Health Office, and we’ll be happy to check!

Did you know that all freshmen must submit proof of a dental exam?

Dental exams completed within the last 18 months (on or after 11/15/2025) meet this requirement. If you haven’t submitted your proof yet, please turn it in to the Health Office ASAP! If you still need an exam, bring this form to your next appointment and submit the completed form to the Health Office afterward.

Need help accessing dental care?

If you don’t currently have a dentist or are unable to schedule an appointment, the Health Office is partnering with the DuPage County Health Department’s Smile Squad to offer a FREE dental clinic during the school day for all West students on January 8, 2027!

More information is coming soon! If you’re interested in signing your student up for this free clinic, please complete the clinic registration form and submit it to the Health Office.

Email: stephanie_brezwyn@glenbard.org

Fax: 630-942-7559

Mail: 670 Crescent Blvd, Glen Ellyn IL 60137

We will begin our enrollment and course selection process for next school year soon. From October 19 through November 6 teachers will begin talking to students during class about available course options in their subject area. Recommendations are informed by PreACT scores, current course performance, and each student’s post-secondary goals.

Students will see recommended courses automatically entered in PowerSchool for Math, Science, English, and Social Studies. Our goal is to recommend students for the most challenging courses aligned with their post-high school goals, while giving every student and family the opportunity to review and adjust these selections. School Counselors will then meet one-on-one with students from January through early February to ensure an overall healthy schedule balance before final course choices are set.

Look for additional updates from the School Counseling office by early December!

Important Dates & Timeline

• October 19 – November 6: Teacher recommendations and course discussions in classes.

• November 23:

• Course selection videos presented during Glenbard Hour Advisories.

• Course recommendation emails and instructions sent home to families.

• November 23 – January 4: Families review and adjust recommendations, choose electives, and submit requests in PowerSchool (Student/Parent portal).

• January 5 – February 5: 1:1 meetings between students and School Counselors to finalize course requests.

Planning Tools & Guidance

• Worksheets & Course Lists: The draft Course Selection Worksheet and List of Courses can be used to plan options at home.

• Academic Program Guidebook: Detailed course descriptions are available in the online Glenbard West Academic Program Guidebook.

• IEP & EL Support: Students with an IEP or academic support through the EL program will view course selections developed through their individualized team process.

Please give careful consideration to your course choices. Parents, we highly value your input—you best understand your student's overall workload, interests, and daily balance. Note: Any changes requested after February 5 must be discussed with the student's School Counselor and will be accommodated on a space-available basis only.

Check out our School Counseling College Application Resources online for information on scholarships, application support videos, and college research tools.

Seniors: We know you are feeling relief as the bulk of November 1st college application deadlines have passed! Please remember to update your college decisions in SchooLinks as you receive them. While applications for December and January deadlines continue, our seniors have already submitted thousands of applications! Don't forget to write thank-you notes to teachers who wrote your letters of recommendation. We are also excited to share that we’ve hosted visits from 123 college representatives with 784 student attendees!

• FAFSA Reminder: Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (studentaid.gov) is a graduation requirement and is required for both need-based aid and many merit scholarships. Create your FSA ID if you haven't yet.

• Local Scholarships: Applications open in December on SchooLinks.

Juniors: Save the date! College Night is tentatively planned for February 24th. Keep checking SchooLinks to sign up for upcoming virtual college rep visits this spring. Counselors will also visit English classes in February for in-depth college research.

Sophomores: Be sure to discuss junior-year recommendations with your current teachers. In the spring, counselors will visit English classes to guide you through a SchooLinks personality assessment, career/major exploration, and building an activity resume.

Freshmen: Counselors are meeting with you in small groups over the next month to get connected, introduce SchooLinks, set post-secondary goals, and map out your sophomore-year schedule.

As the school year continues, the Dean’s Office wanted to remind our families of all the support built into the school day for all of our students.

Glenbard Hour is a full period between 2nd and 3rd period on Mondays and Fridays. Most Glenbard Hours are called Support Days where students sign up for a teacher/room. All teachers are available during this time. The Cafe and Auditorium are available as a study area for students in good academic standing. Students are expected to maintain their attendance through the G87 app on their iPad.

Collaboration Hour is a 90-minute period on the Block Day during the students' Monday, Tuesday, Friday lunch periods. Juniors and Seniors in good academic standing are allowed to opt out. Students turn in their phones at the start of the period and have them returned for the last 30 minutes. Students can schedule time to meet with their teachers, counselors, Social Workers, sign up for the Test Center, STEM Lab, or Library through the 5-Star App, or sign up for the Write Place.

Collaboration Intervention is an academic intervention during Collaboration Hour for students failing multiple courses. Juniors and Seniors who are opted out have that privilege revoked until they are passing all classes. Freshmen and Sophomores are reassigned from Collaboration Hour to the following rooms.

The STEM Lab and The Write Place are available during lunch periods and Collaboration Hour, and The STEM Lab is also available during Glenbard Hour. These two locations provide Science, Math, and Writing supports during student free periods.

All absences should be communicated to our Attendance Office before 10:30 AM. Call (630) 858-5060 anytime, day or night, to speak with one of our Attendance Office Assistants or leave a voicemail.

Please provide any documentation of absences to the attendance office whenever possible. These can be sent in with your student or emailed to the attendance office directly.

Sometimes, speaking up is not the easiest thing to do. If you know your student is struggling to confide in or communicate with their Dean or another school official regarding something serious, harmful, or dangerous, Glenbard West provides the Hilltopper Help Form.

Go West!

It has been great to see so many of our Hilltopper student athletes competing this fall with great weather for the majority of the fall season. We will update all of the successes in the next newsletter.

Many of our winter sports have already begun (Competitive dance and competitive cheer, bowling, girls wrestling and girls basketball). Please note the following winter sports that will begin practices on the following dates:

Boys basketball, girls gymnastics, and boys wrestling- Monday, November 9

Boys swimming Coop with Glenbard South- Monday, November 23

Anyone interested in participating must register on PowerSchool. All physicals must be current within the last 13 months in order to participate. Physicals can be dropped off in the Athletic Office or emailed to ellen_reifel@glenbard.org . Ms. Reifel. Please check our athletic website at https://schools.snap.app/glenbardwest for current schedules.

Please remember that athletic schedules change daily and the Glenbard West 8 to 18 site is the ONLY schedule that is updated daily.

The mandatory winter parent athlete meeting will take place on Saturday November 14 at 10:00am in Biester Gymnasium.

GO WEST!

Please note that students are not allowed to take early final exams due to a pre-arranged absence or family vacation. If these situations arise, students can either take their exam(s) during our makeup periods or receive an Incomplete and make up the exams upon return from Winter Break. If you know that your student will miss final exams, please alert our Deans’ Office as soon as possible.

Students who miss an exam due to an unexpected absence can make arrangements with their teacher to take the exam during the Makeup Exam slot on Friday at 11:10 AM. The Test Center will be open until 4:45 PM on Tuesday, January 12th, Wednesday, January 13th, and Thursday, January 14th to accommodate make-up final exams.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Join Glenbard West Boosters for 2026-2027

Glenbard West Boosters is a parent-led fundraising organization dedicated to enriching the GBW student experience through grants, scholarships, school traditions, and community-building events.

As we begin the 2026-2027 school year, we invite all families to join or renew their membership. Every membership, volunteer hour, and donation helps support the students, teams, clubs, and programs that make Glenbard West an exceptional community.

Join today: https://gwboosters.ejoinme.org/membership
Visit our new website: https://gwboosters.ejoinme.org/west

West Nation is an organization led by Glenbard West students, staff and parents. We engage the school community through social activities, service events, and support opportunities.

• Social- Circle Drive, PPK, Dodgeball, Post Prom, Badminton Tourney

• Service- ACTS (Advocating Character Through Service)

• Support- Faculty Appreciation, Live Life Well Breakfast, Castle Conversations

Please visit west-nation.com to volunteer, make a donation, and/or purchase a membership. We invite all students and parents to be a part of West Nation. We proudly support Glenbard Parent Series (GPS).

Follow us on Instagram/GWWestNation & Facebook/GlenbardWestNation

Ever wish you had an expert to turn to when parenting gets complicated?

From college decisions and career planning to perfectionism, anxiety and school avoidance, GPS brings nationally recognized experts directly to families with research-backed insights and practical strategies to help children and teens thrive.

November's lineup includes:

🎓 Nov. 5 | Ana Homayoun + Panel — Help your teen discover their strengths, explore career possibilities and find meaningful pathways beyond high school.

🧠 Nov. 10 | Dr. Ellen Hendriksen — Understand how perfectionism, social anxiety and negative self-talk affect confidence—and learn ways to help your child quiet their inner critic.

💰 Nov. 17 | Ron Lieber + Jeff Selingo — Get expert guidance on choosing the right college, understanding costs and making informed financial decisions without unnecessary stress.

💛 Nov. 18 | Dr. Sheryl Gonzalez Ziegler + Catherine Price — Navigate the emotional, social and developmental changes of puberty and support children through these crucial years.

🎒 Nov. 23 | Dr. Anthony Puliafico — Discover what's behind school avoidance and learn compassionate, practical strategies to help children manage anxiety and return to learning.

The November 5 and 17 presentations are part of the GPS College and Career Discovery Series, offering families valuable guidance for helping young people prepare for life after high school.

All GPS programs are FREE, with no registration or subscription required! Most are offered at noon and 7 p.m. CT via Zoom, making it easy to participate from home, work or wherever your day takes you.

Whether you're navigating the teenage years, preparing for college or simply looking for ways to strengthen your connection with your child, GPS is here to help.

👉 Explore the full lineup at GPSParentSeries.org and share these free resources with friends and family! Looking for one of our past events? Check out our library of Past Programs on the website or visit the GPS YouTube channel.

You can keep up with Glenbard information throughout the year by signing up for Glenbard News, our district-wide enewsletter, at this link.

Each week, you will receive district-wide news about students’ achievements in school-sponsored activities; upcoming events; fund-raisers; school board information and more.

Crisis Text Line - Text REACH to: 741741

This sends information to a Crisis Counselor, a real-life human being trained to help individuals return to a healthy/stable level of functioning.

Safe2Help Illinois Call 844-472-3345 or Text 72332(SAFE2)

Safe2Help Illinois offers students a safe, confidential way in which to share information that might help prevent suicides, bullying, school violence or other threats to school safety. This program is intended to get students to “Seek Help Before Harm.”

Students who wish to report a potential act of school violence at Glenbard West may also leave an anonymous message with our School Resource Officer at (630) 681-3177 or call the Bullying Hotline Call (630) 942-7406

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call/Text 988

This number has trained staff to answer calls and respond to texts from individuals at risk for suicide as well as those experiencing other mental health and substance use-related emergencies. Specialized services will be available for veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and other groups.

Email: gw_news@glenbard.org
Website: glenbardwesths.org
Location: 670 Crescent Blvd.
Phone: 630-469-8600
Instagram: @glenbard_west_hilltoppers