Glenwood

Good afternoon, Glenwood families,

It is hard to believe how quickly the school year is flying by! We enjoyed a beautiful first full week of October and are grateful to everyone who helped make the PTG Parent’s Night Out such a success.

A strong school community is built through opportunities to connect, build relationships, and support the experiences that make Glenwood special for our students and families. Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Lots of great things at happening at Glenwood, check them out below!

Best,

Josh Rehak, Principal

Friday October 9th - 8:45 am: BMX Assembly

Wednesday October 14th - PTG Meeting

Thursday October 15th - Wear PINK
Woody's Warehouse during lunches (grades 1-5)

Friday October 16th - 12:20 pm Early Dismissal / NO PM-Kindergarten / NO Lunches Served

Saturday October 17th - 3:30 pm - 5 pm: PTG Trunk or Treat at Arasapha Farms

Thursday October 22 - Birthday Bash during lunches

Friday October 23 - School Pride Assemblies 9:40am (K-2) / 1:40 (3-5)

Tuesday October 27 - Picture Retake

Wednesday October 28 - Family Night / NO Homework

Friday October 30 - Fall Classroom Parties / 2:30 pm Halloween Parade

We are excited to offer a wide variety of before and after school Clubs for students, as explained in our Description of Clubs 2026-2027. If your student is interested in a specific club, be on the lookout for additional information from the Club Sponsor.

Our new Safety Patrol team is officially on the job! Our 5th grade Safety Patrol students have started their first week of helping around Glenwood and are already showing what it means to be ready, respectful, responsible, and kind.

Mrs. Nerelli is offering the following clubs, please click on the links below to sign up!

5th grade Art Club will meet every Tuesday until May 3rd

Junk to Funk is open to 4th and 5th grade students, the club will be held on select Wednesdays: 10/28, 11/4, 12/16, 1/13, 1/27, 2/10, 2/24, 3/10 and 4/7.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Glenwood’s Multicultural Club celebrated rich cultures of Hispanic countries around the world. Students learned salsa dancing, and created a special display inspired by Frida Kahlo’s powerful words: “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”

As listed in the bottom of e-news, we are using a new document this year to inform us of Dismissal Changes or Early Dismissals. We believe this is an easy way that will allow everyone access for changes, helps to avoid emails and phone calls - and is less disruptive for our classrooms.

Our fifth-grade students in Miss Pinsley’s and Mrs. Beller’s classes have been studying the American Revolution and participating in a mock trial in which they are prosecuting King George III. We were pleasantly surprised and honored to welcome Delaware County District Attorney Mr. Tanner Rouse, who spoke with students about the judicial process and the role of a prosecutor.

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

This week’s counselor tidbit: Friendship Starts with Being Friendly!

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and Glenwood's Character Trait of the Month is Empathy. These two pieces align beautifully! While we'll be sharing thoughts about bullying prevention throughout October, we wanted to start with something equally important: helping children build positive, healthy friendships!

Positive relationships are one of the building blocks of well-being. In fact, positive psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman identifies relationships as one of the five elements of well-being. Feeling connected, accepted, and valued matters for children AND adults!

But here's something we sometimes forget: Making and maintaining friendships are SKILLS children are still developing. Some children jump right into social situations, while others need more time and support. And that's okay!

Being friendly and developing comfortable connections with others is one of our favorite things to explore with students! Friendships often begin with small interactions: saying hello, sharing a laugh, asking a question, or playing together. Over time, these positive interactions build familiarity, comfort, and trust. Some eventually grow into friendships!

This is also where empathy comes in. Noticing others' feelings, showing interest, and helping someone feel included are important ways children build connections.

Children don't need to immediately find a "best friend." Sometimes the first step is simply learning how to BE friendly!

Try It at Home!

Help your child notice the small moments that build connections. You might ask:

• "Who did you have a friendly interaction with today?"

• "Did you talk to someone you don't usually talk to?"

• "Who do you feel comfortable being yourself around?"

• "What could you do to get to know someone better?"

Practice simple ways to connect:

• Start small: Smile, say hello, or use someone's name.

• Find common ground: "You like soccer, too? Want to play?"

• Show interest: Ask questions and listen.

• Make invitations: "Want to join our game?"

• Give it time: Friendships develop through repeated positive interactions!

And don't forget to model this yourself! Let your children see how you greet others, make conversation, and include people.

Something to Remember:

Not every friendly interaction becomes a friendship, but every friendship has to start somewhere! Healthy friendships aren't about having the MOST friends. They're about relationships where children feel comfortable, respected, included, and able to be themselves.

Our goal isn't to make every child outgoing or expect everyone to be best friends. It's to help children develop the skills and confidence to build meaningful connections in their own way.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Vellios-Miller & Miss Segal
Glenwood School Counselors

Our Fall Parties will be held at various times throughout the day on Friday October 30th:

Kindergarten - 10 am - 11 am & 1:15pm - 2:15 pm

Kindergarten students kicked off the year learning the Glenwood Goals and how to be ready, respectful, responsible, and kind. Students worked hard earning PAWS and reached the first Kindergarten PBIS goal of filling the Kindergarten treasure chest in the mods. Woody came to visit each kindergarten classroom to celebrate!

After meeting Woody, Kindergarten was inspired to use what they have learned about making lines from CKLA Skills to create portraits of Woody. Look for the artwork to be displayed in the main hallway and see if you can find the different types of lines!

Last Thursday we held our annual "Multicultural Pot Luck Dinner". Students, their families and our staff joined together to try some unique foods, have great conversation, and appreciate time together. Thank you to everyone that attended and enjoyed the opportunity to learn (and taste!) about different cultures.

Penncrest Field Hockey held "Optimist Night" last Thursday night. All current Optimist Field Hockey players joined the high school athletes for their pre-game warm up. The team also held a tribute to Coach Jeff Pettit, founder of the Optimist Field Hockey program, who passed away last month.

It was wonderful to see so many field hockey players: current Glenwood students and many alums! Our Title 1 Math Teacher, Heather Wooding, is also one of the Penncrest coaches!

Please join us for the first PTG Meeting on October 14th!

Attend our Parent Teacher Group meetings to learn more about what is going on at Glenwood! Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. The meetings will be held in the Glenwood Library and over Zoom at 7:00 pm.

Glenwood PTG will have Penncrest volunteers available for childcare so guardians can attend our meetings in person. Please sign up here.

.

It wouldn’t be a Trunk-or-Treat without the TREATS! The candy monster will be collecting candy in the lobby of Glenwood October 1st - October 15th. Feel free to send bags in with your students or donate to our candy fund here: Candy Donation

The Glenwood Fall Spiritwear sale is now live! Included are lots of great options for Glenwood Green Fridays and upcoming field trips! Check out all the fun Glenwood gear here: Glenwood Spiritwear The store will remain open until Thursday, October 15th at 11:59PM. Please note the online sale takes place twice per year. Once the store closes, most of the items will not be available for order again until our next online store in the spring. Orders will take approximately 3-4 weeks to arrive once the store closes. Items can be delivered to your student’s homeroom class or we will be offering a pickup at Glenwood (date & time TBD).

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