Glenwood

Good evening, Glenwood Families,

What an amazing week at Glenwood! It was wonderful to see such an incredible turnout at our Back-to-School Nights. Our hallways and classrooms were filled each evening, and the energy throughout the building reflected the strong sense of community that makes Glenwood such a special place.

Back-to-School Night is an important opportunity for families to meet their child’s teacher, experience the classroom environment, and learn more about the routines, expectations, and learning experiences that will shape the year ahead. Your presence and participation send a powerful message to our students that their education is valued and supported.

I continue to be impressed by the engagement, enthusiasm, and partnership of our Glenwood families. Thank you to our teachers and staff for preparing such thoughtful and informative presentations, and thank you to everyone who joined us.

We are off to a great start and look forward to a wonderful year filled with learning, growth, and many more opportunities to welcome our families into the school!

Best,

Josh Rehak, Principal

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!

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.

"Glenwood's Broadcast Club is responsible for making our morning announcements. Reliable and dependable students interested in being part of this group should apply using this link or the QR code below. The club is limited, so not all applicants can be accepted. Thanks for your interest!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome back to Glenwood! As we are back together, we are more at risk for potential lice cases. While lice are common in school-aged children, we ask that you routinely check your child’s head for any signs of lice as part of your normal hygiene care routine.

To help keep you informed, here are some important facts about lice:

• How Lice Spread: Lice are most commonly spread through direct head-to-head contact. They do not jump or fly. To reduce the risk of spreading lice, please remind your child to avoid head-to-head contact and avoid sharing clothing, hats, brushes, and hair accessories.

• Lice and Fabric: Although lice are less likely to spread through fabric, it is still possible. If you suspect your child’s clothing or bedding has been exposed, wash the items in hot water (at least 130°F) and dry them on high heat. If laundering isn’t possible, seal the items in a plastic bag for one week.

• Lice Lifespan: Lice can only survive for about 48 hours without a host. They do not live long on surfaces, so the risk of spreading lice through the environment is minimal.

• Symptoms: Symptoms, such as itching, may not appear until 4-6 weeks after exposure. By the time lice is detected, it has most likely been present for a month or more. Routine scalp checks at home are key to early detection and prevention.

• School Attendance: Based on evidence-based guidelines from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), excluding children from school due to lice is not recommended. However, if you prefer to start treatment immediately, you may choose to pick up your child from school.

• Lice Facts: Lice are not a sign of poor hygiene and can affect anyone, regardless of hair length, type, or texture. Studies show no significant correlation between frequency of hair washing or brushing and lice infestations.

If you discover lice on your child, please contact your pediatrician for guidance on treatment. To prevent lice, continue routine scalp checks, encourage your child to avoid head-to-head contact, and avoid sharing personal hair care items. While lice can be stressful, it’s important to remember that they do not spread illness or disease, and are not indicative of poor hygiene.

Below are helpful links to information that may be helpful to you:

RTMSD Lice Control Procedures

Center for Disease Control Lice Guidelines

American Academy of Pediatrics Lice Control Information

How to Check for Lice- Video

How to identify Lice- Video

Sincerely,

Demi Shade Shields BSN, RN, CSN Certified School Nurse dshields@rtmsd.org
(610)627-6903

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

This week’s counselor tidbit: Let them struggle…a little!

Throughout September, Glenwood is focusing on developing and recognizing a growth mindset in our students as our character trait of the month. You may have heard using the language “I can't do it- YET!” One important part of developing a growth mindset is helping children learn that struggling with something doesn’t mean they can’t do it or won’t be able to ever do it- they are just developing the skill. However, developing a new skill can bring up many uncomfortable feelings. Often struggling is simply part of learning- and it can feel hard. (Mrs. Vellios-Miller was reminded of this while trying to do stand-up paddle boarding over the summer- eek!)

As adults, it can be hard to watch our children struggle. Whether it’s a tricky homework problem, learning a new skill, dealing with disappointment, or trying something they haven’t mastered yet, our instinct is often to step in, fix it, or make it easier.

But when the challenge is safe and manageable, a little struggle can be a good thing! It gives children opportunities to tolerate frustration, make mistakes, try another strategy, ask for help, problem solve and experience the satisfaction that comes from making progress. Frustration tolerance is one of the building blocks of childhood that actively shouldn’t be avoided.

Try It at Home!

When your child says “I can’t do this!”, try resisting the urge to immediately solve the problem or convince them that it’s easy.

Instead, you might say:

• “You can’t do it yet. What could you try next?”

• “What part feels hardest?”

• “What have you tried so far?”

• “Your first strategy didn’t work. What else could you try?”

• “Would you like a hint, some help, or a little more time?”

• “I know this is frustrating. You can do hard things.”

We can also help children develop a growth mindset by noticing the process, not just the outcome, and commenting on that:

“I noticed you kept working even when that was frustrating.”

“You made a mistake and figured out what to do differently.”

“Look how much easier that is now than when you first started!”

Something to Remember:

Our goal isn’t to make things unnecessarily hard for our children. It’s also not to remove every obstacle from their path. Confidence isn’t built by succeeding right away. It’s built in the moment a child realizes, “That was hard, and I handled it.” and then finding repetition in that action and thinking.

FYI: Works for adults too (If you made it this far: Mrs. Vellios-Miller DID end up stand-up paddle boarding for a medium distance after many falls into the lake!!) And modeling this language for your own struggles aloud in front of kids is a GREAT way to teach this by using yourself as an example.

If you’d like to learn more, check out Carol Dweck’s Ted Talk.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Vellios-Miller & Miss Segal

We repeatedly use the phrase "it takes a village"... but that's truly what our school community is all about!

ALL of our staff have the same goal: to support the safety and well being of every student. That mission is clear on a daily basis, and we have amazing people that help out and will do whatever is needed for our students - - even if it's taking a stroll to walk a Kindergartener to class.

Each year our Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Harkness, works with Penncrest Child Development Teacher, Mrs. Anderson. They have created a program that allows a few high school seniors the opportunity to work with elementary students, allowing them to learn from each other. We are thrilled to welcome this group to our school... and are excited to see some familiar faces, as some of them attended Glenwood in their early RTM years!

We have some pretty amazing volunteers! This summer our PTG took on another project, remodeling one of our outside classrooms. This 1st grade class went outside this morning to have their snacks, read, and enjoy the new and improved Nature Center!

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.

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