Glenwood

Good afternoon, Glenwood Families,

It is hard to believe that we are almost through our first week of school! The 2026-27 school year is off to a great start, and it has been wonderful to welcome nearly 600 students and staff back to the building.

Reconnecting with old friends and meeting new faces is what makes the beginning of a school year so special. Students are doing an excellent job settling into routines and, in many cases, learning new ones as they adjust to new classrooms, teachers, and friends. Throughout the week, students and staff have focused on learning expectations, establishing routines, and settling back into the Glenwood way of life.

I am proud of how our entire school community has started the year. Everyone has been working hard, and I hope your children are as tired at the end of each day as our staff members are!

We look forward to seeing our new kindergarten students participate in the Kindergarten Dash at the Media Bowl tonight. We also hope to see many Glenwood families in the stands supporting the PHS football team as they take on Strath Haven!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Wishing you and your family a wonderful long Labor Day holiday weekend. Enjoy the unofficial end of summer with family and friends!

As a reminder, schools will be closed Friday, September 4, and Monday, September 7.

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.

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

As we begin a new school year, we’re excited to introduce Connecting with the Counselors, a new feature that will often appear in Glenwood’s e-news! Throughout the year, we’ll use this space to share quick tips, helpful resources, and ideas to support your child’s social-emotional well-being and success at school.

This week’s tip: Get back to the basics!

The transition back to school can be exciting, but it’s also a big adjustment. One of the best ways to help children settle into the new school year is to reestablish predictable routines. Consistent bedtimes, morning routines, homework or reading time, and a plan for getting ready for the next day can help children feel more secure and make busy school days run a little more smoothly.

Try this: Pick one part of the day that currently feels rushed or stressful and create a simple routine for it together. In Mrs. Vellios-Miller’s house with her elementary aged children we worked on having a specific spot to hang up our school bags and a place to put important papers for the adults to read. We also added to place our water bottles in the sink to get washed out. And remember, routines don’t have to be perfect to be helpful, and starting small and building on is best with many children. Consistency and predictability are the goal, not perfection.

Wishing all of our Glenwood families a wonderful start to the school year!

Mrs. Vellios-Miller & Miss Segal

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.

If your child requires an inhaler, or requires an Epi-Pen, please be sure to drop those off with the appropriate paperwork as soon as possible.

Asthma Action Plan

Allergy Action Plan

Seizure Action Plan

We are thrilled to welcome almost 600 students back to Glenwood! We look forward to a great year... and we are excited to celebrate every student - every milestone, every accomplishment - every day!

Yesterday we had a special guest: Dr. Meloche, Superintendent of Schools, visited and read a story to Mrs. Bradley's Kindergarten class!

We are fortunate to have amazing employees dedicated to our district. At this year's Opening Convocation, we celebrated milestones for RTMSD staff - and we have many from Glenwood.

Paulette Goolsby was recognized for beginning her 35th YEAR!!!!
Pictured below: Maria Salera (30 years) Julie Plater (20) Kathryn Coatsworth (15) Julie Berkowitz (10) Ellen Moretzsohn (10th year) Kym Bradley (15) Charlie Keeler (25)

We are proud of ALL our students - current and past! And we are thankful when they come back to help... THANK YOU to these Glenwood alums (now Penncrest students) for helping to sell our PTG to sell "Glenwood swag" during our Open House!

St. George Greek Orthodox Church generously donated backpacks full of school supplies for RTMSD students. They were delivered to Glenwood before the beginning of the new year... (and the next day they dropped off delicious homemade treats for our teachers!)

There are so many cool connections and it's fun to witness things go 'full circle'. Heather Wooding is our Title 1 Math Teacher, this year she will split her time between Glenwood and Indian Lane. Her grandmother was a kindergarten teacher at Glenwood, and there is a bench in the second grade hallway (across from the elevator) that was dedicated to her. Pictured is Heather with her mom and two nieces - next to the plaque that reads, "This Bench Was Donated to Glenwood In Memory of Louise Miller, Kindergarten Teacher 1961-1990".

This morning we held Bus Evacuation Drills. Our drivers explained to students the procedures - in the event of an emergency. Students did a great job following our goals of being READY to listen, RESPECTFUL to the drivers, and RESPONSIBLE by completing the drill. Earlier this week our teachers reviewed bus guidelines so students understand the expectations when riding our school buses (to and from home and during field trips).

Please consider signing up and/or updating your student's information for our Parent-Teacher Group (PTG)!

The Glenwood Elementary PTG is pleased to continue providing Membership Toolkit as our school's family directory. 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.

Already signed up for MTK in past years? Your child has already been graduated to this year's grade level - please just log in and update your child's teacher in the database once class assignments have been sent out.

New to the school? Register at glenwoodptg.membershiptoolkit.com and create a new account. You can choose what information you want to be visible in the online directory.

Questions? Contact our system administrator at glenwoodptg@gmail.com.

Install the Free app! After you get your login information, download the app by searching for Membership Toolkit in the iTunes App Store or Google Play. The app allows you to access our directory, manage your family information, purchase in our store and signup for volunteer activities all from your phone!

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.

Have something you'd like to share? We want to hear from you! If you have a question, concern, or issue that you'd like brought to the Principal's attention, please feel free to reach out to the Principal Advisory Board at emily.klinicki@gmail.com. We'd also love to hear about things you feel are working really well or that you think are especially wonderful about our school. Your feedback - both positive and constructive- is valuable and helps us continue to make our school community the best it can be! We will bring the feedback to Mr. Rehak anonymously at our next PAB meeting (October 12th) so your voice is heard. Thank you!

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 Wednesday, September 9th. 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.

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