Glenwood

Good afternoon, Glenwood Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day weekend with family and friends. We hit the ground running when students returned on Tuesday, and it has been wonderful to see the energy, excitement, and learning taking place throughout Glenwood.

Our students are continuing to build classroom routines, strengthen relationships, and settle into the school year. They have also begun their beginning-of-year benchmark assessments, which will help teachers better understand each child’s strengths and areas for growth as they plan meaningful instruction.

We are looking forward to welcoming families into our classrooms next week for Back-to-School Night. This is always a special opportunity for families to connect with teachers, learn more about the year ahead, and continue building the strong home-school partnerships that support our students’ success.

Please see all the happenings below!

Best,

Josh Rehak, Principal

Two classroom presentation sessions will be offered each evening. This allows families to select the time that works best for them and gives families with multiple children the opportunity to visit more than one classroom.

• Tuesday, September 15: Grades K-2
• Optional District Progress Report Presentation: 6:10-6:25 PM - lead by Mrs. Loveland-Smith
• Classroom Session 1: 6:30-6:55 PM
• Classroom Session 2: 7:00-7:25 PM
• Support teachers in attendance - Mrs. Plater (Reading), Miss Segal (Counselor), Mrs. McMorrow (LS)

• Wednesday, September 16: Grades 3-5
  • Optional District Progress Report Presentation: 6:10-6:25 PM - lead by Mrs. Consadene
  • Classroom Session 1: 6:30-6:55 PM
  • Classroom Session 2: 7:00-7:25 PM
  • Support teachers in attendance - Mrs. Perilli (Reading), Mrs. Ward (LS), Mrs. Crowley (LS), Miss White (LS), Mrs. Squires (MTSS), Mrs. Vellios-Miller (Counselor)

• 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 PM: Stop in, say hello, and meet our Specialists / Encore teachers in the Library!
• 7/15 - Mr. Leahan (PE), Mrs. Lieberman (PE), Mrs. Nerelli (Art), Mrs. Black (SEE)
• 7/16 - Mr. Grisillo (Library), Mrs. Coatsworth (Music), Mrs. Black (SEE)

Families are also invited to attend the optional District Progress Report Presentation led by our RTMSD Curriculum and Instruction Department. Additional details will be shared by your child’s homeroom teacher.

This is an adult-only event, no students or younger siblings.

Attending Back to School Night on Tuesday??? Make dinner easy:

Penncrest Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night September 15th from 4pm-7pm at the Lima location. The proceeds benefit PHS Class of 2027 Senior Booster. Just mention: Penncrest Spirit Night!

Dear Glenwood Families,

Rose Tree Media students in grades K–5 will participate in fall benchmark assessments throughout the month of September. These assessments provide teachers with valuable information about your child’s current instructional level, strengths, and areas where additional support may be needed. The results help teachers plan individual and small-group instruction and monitor your child’s growth throughout the school year.

Assessments will be administered by members of the MTSS team during the regularly scheduled instructional day. Students should simply do their best so that their results accurately reflect their current skills and abilities.

Fall Assessments by Grade Level

Kindergarten–5th Grade: DIBELS 8

DIBELS 8 (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) consists of brief assessments designed to measure essential early literacy skills and help identify students’ progress toward reading proficiency.

Kindergarten–1st Grade: Acadience Math
Acadience Math is an assessment designed to measure the development of foundational early numeracy and math skills.

2nd–5th Grade: MAP Growth
MAP Growth (Measures of Academic Progress) is a computerized, adaptive assessment that measures student growth in reading and math. Because the assessment is adaptive, the difficulty of each question adjusts based on how a student responds to previous questions.

MAP results provide teachers with information about students’ strengths, instructional needs, and academic growth. This information is used to guide classroom instruction and help ensure that students receive appropriate support and opportunities for continued growth.

MAP Testing Dates:

• Math: Wednesday, September 9th
• English Language Arts: Wednesday, September 16th

If you have questions about these assessments or your child’s results, please reach out to our building's MTSS teacher, Ms. Ann Squires at asquires@rtmsd.org

Friday, September 11 marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. While many of us remember exactly where we were that morning, our students and some members of our staff were not yet born. As a close-knit school community, it is important that we remember the life of one hero connected to Glenwood. This tragedy touched our community in a deeply personal way.

Michael Horrocks, a proud Glenwood parent, lost his life while serving as the first officer, or co-pilot, of United Airlines Flight 175. He is remembered as a hero and a valued member of our school community. Mr. Horrocks was survived by his wife, Miriam, and their two children, Michael and Christa, who are now successful adults.

When I met with Mrs. Horrocks this summer, she shared how meaningful the care and support of Glenwood teachers and staff were to her family during that devastating time. The memorial garden on our playground stands as a lasting tribute to Michael’s life, his connection to Glenwood, and the strength of our community.

As we remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives on September 11, we also pause to honor Michael Horrocks and his family.

Miss Segal and Mrs. Vellios-Miller will often share counselor tidbits with our parent community throughout the year! This week our focus is when talking with your child, to start with what is going well!

The beginning of a new school year brings lots of newness: new teachers, classmates, routines, and plenty of big feelings. As children settle in, one simple way we can support their well-being is by helping them intentionally notice the good moments, too.

Positive emotions like joy, gratitude, pride, and connection don’t just make us feel good. Research shows they can help broaden the way we think and, over time, build important social and emotional resources.

Try It at Home!

We all know the classic after-school exchange:

“How was school?”
“Good.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”

Sound familiar?

Try swapping “How was school?” for a question that helps your child notice something positive:

• What was one good thing that happened today?

• What or who made you smile or laugh?

• What was something that felt easy today?

• If you could do one part of today again, what would you choose?

• What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

You can even make it a family habit at dinner or bedtime by having everyone share one good thing from the day, adults included!

Something to Remember: Noticing the good doesn’t mean ignoring disappointment, worry, or hard moments. It simply helps children widen the lens. A day can have a hard moment and still be a good day. Both things can be true.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Vellios-Miller & Miss Segal

Pictured: This year, students in Ms Mazzella's 4th grade is partnered with Mrs. Megahey's 1st grade class.

This past Friday, all RTMSD Kindergarten students joined together prior to Penncrest High School's football game. It was exciting to see our district come together: elementary and high school students, staff, parents/grandparents/guardians, friends, and fans!!!

Buy Early and Save 10%! Log in to Treering by September 30th to purchase your 2022-2023 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.

The Philadelphia Phillies have invited the Penncrest Marching Band to participate in their Phillies Band Night on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 6:40 pm. This is both a fundraiser for the band and a competition to see which high school sells the most tickets. The band will march in a parade down Citizens Bank Way and then play in a concert about an hour before the game. And if our high school sells the most tickets, our band will also get to perform on the field before the game! We have won this competition for the last decade and would like to continue the winning streak.

Tickets are $45 each. Tickets are on sale until Saturday, September 12th. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the Penncrest Band. You do not need to have a PayPal account to make a donation. You can check out as guest and make your payment safely with a credit card.

Ticket pick up will be at Penncrest HS Parking lot (outside of the band room - near the lion statue):

• Tuesday, September 15: 6 - 8 PM

• Wednesday, September 16: 6 - 8 PM

This is a great opportunity for the kids to perform and help raise money for the band. As an added bonus, the Phillies are on a hot streak so it should be a great game to watch!!

Purchase your tickets here

**Any questions, please email info@penncrestband.org.

Click here for information about Citizens Bank Park.

Glenwood PTG MUM Fundraiser

Mums are $12 each

9 inch hearty plants

Red, orange, yellow, white or pink

Place order through Membership Toolkit

Due September 17th

Pickup orders September 23rd at Glenwood

Please join us at Arasapha farms for an afternoon of Harvest hayride and other fun activities on Saturday, September 19th from 3-5 PM.Tickets cost $20 per student online and $25 at the door. All adults are $5!

Ticket includes access to all Harvest activities and hayride. Children 1 year old and younger are free.

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.

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