Principal's Newsletter

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Glenbard West Community -

Hard to believe, but we are definitely in the final stretch. This newsletter is filled with information and accolades that should remind us of how much is accomplished by students and staff throughout our campus. Our students have performed very well this year, and my sense is that they are excited to experience a more typical finish to a school year.

Student achievement has always been important at Glenbard West. This year U.S. News and World Report ranked Glenbard West at 27th in the state, and it should be noted that ten of the schools ranked above us are “selective enrollment.” Much of our success has to do with our outstanding teachers and incredible students. Hopefully, as you glance through this newsletter, you will get a sense of what that means. On May 10th, we will hold our Senior Recognition Ceremony, where up to 318 seniors will be awarded some kind of recognition. Also on this night, we will hand out 82 local scholarships provided to us by generous donors who are motivated to help our seniors.

We know that in order to have high expectations and have students achieve at a high level, we must also support our students. While most of our seniors are exempt from finals, freshmen through juniors have finals on the final three days of school. In order to help them succeed, our instructional coaches in coordination with our head librarian, have developed the Finish Strong program. We will present a comprehensive guidebook to all underclassmen and expand our library hours to allow additional study opportunities. Note the information from our head librarian, Alicia Hollander, within this newsletter.

On Friday of this week, our counseling staff will celebrate “Decision Day” with our seniors. It is so exciting to recognize our senior class for their post-secondary decisions, ranging from a College of DuPage experience to a four-year college to the armed services. Regardless of their chosen path, we know that they will be well-prepared for the challenge!

I want to be sure and thank the entire Glenbard West community - our parents, guardians, and parent organizations who support the school and are committed to the success of our students. We could not do it without you!

Rotary Significant Achievement Award

Joseph Enright

Allyn Gordon

Margaret Meyers

Shahrbano Moosavi

Cristian Morataya

Elizabeth Williams

Livingston Human Relations Award

Anna Benkert

John Burt

Anya Dela Merced

Aleksandra Dronjak

Jane Pieper

Sean Rath

Elisa Schiralli

Thomas Sear

Simone Shapiro

Jocelyn Torres

Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) inducted new members into the National Technical Honor Society this year. To qualify for the induction, students received an A in the first semester of the school year; joined the ‘A’ Team of TCD; had no more than four unexcused absences; and submitted five volunteer hours or were part of a service project.

Congratulations to West students Oswaldo Araos, Hailee Badger, Priya Chaudhari, Arran Ciske, Tyler Lucas, Erick Rodriguez, Joanna Romero, and Gwen Slomka.

Congratulations to the following students who qualified for the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics state math contest, Ishaan Gupta and Maanav JaJodia, Geometry; and Ellis Irwin, Pre-Calculus.

Students inducted into Société Honoraire Français include Simone Annan, James Clark Boyd, John Patrick Boyd, Mallory Brannegan, Vivian Joy Burtis, Haya Choudhary, Clay Coyle, Molly Creech, Ava Dunham, Maggie Fischer, Madeline Freeman, Dylan Patrick Gasaway, Jack Jensen Humble, Mary Ikens, Olivia Janninck, Helena Kamenica, Cameron Keller, Elise King, Chloe Lobdell, Jack Lobdell, Mia Malesevic, Katie McAlpine, Anna Morgan, Francesca Nicastro, Rhett Pierce, Katharine Rath, Samuel Schoettle, Karley Selcke, Kalee Shah, Fareehah Siddiqui, Annabelle Sinta, Matthew Custodio Sioson, Peyton Smith, Bridget Wharton, Nathan Williams, Luke Wyrick, and Amelia Yob.

Students inducted into Delta Epsilon Phi, the German Honor Society, include Rustic Boulton, Heide Brazier, Audrey Coe, Joseph DeMarco, Kara Kabat, Minela Halilic, Emily Kotarba, Jack Martin, Aidan Nelson, Sophia Schulz, Annika Sorenson, Ethan Zagortz, and Joseph Zerr.

Students inducted into the Chinese Honor Society include Reese Atkinson, Lydia Billings, Elayna Boeh, Alexander DeLeo, Theodore Georgitsis, Andrew Gusanders, Lily Kalivas, Ashlynn Kousgaard, Ashley Krebs, Avery Krudop, Auon Naqvi, Connor Pettit, Robert Pruim, Megan Semple and Haiyan Tanner, Hafsa Uddin, Briney Vo, and Anne Williams.

Students inducted into the Gabriel García Márquez chapter of Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica include May Adduci, Jennifer Avelar, Ellie Beaudoin, Annika Bhagwakar, Ava Callaway, Abby Carter, Kyle Conoscenti, Anne Crum, Camryn Daigel, Angelee, Divinagracia, Ella Erickson, Andrew Fanter, Angelica Favela, Isabela Gallegos, Anakissel Guadarrama, Ishaan Gupta, Grisel Gutierrez, Julia Hamberg, Ava Harrington, Abbie Herbold, Maggie Hibbard, Samantha Hopper, Zaahi Hussaini, Lina Jensen, Anastasia Jimenez, Micah Johnson, Tejaswini Baskar Joshi, Lucy LaForte, Angy Lopez, Lilly McCarthy, Grace McCarthy, James McKinnon, Angel Mendoza, Greta Millar, Jonah Miller, Mariana Montesinos, Jessica Morris, Madeline Murin, Melanie Nguyen, Amanda Okrie, Mia Palacios-Arteaga, Khadija Patel, Olivia Pauer, Jessica Ramirez, Aaron Reynoso, Diana Sanchez, Audrey Sawyer, Mihir Sharma, Mohsin Siddiqi, Yubritnia Soto, Casey Sury, Elizabeth Torres, Camila Velásquez, Brynn Wheeler, and Angelina Yorgova.

The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school district in recognition of students who have studied and attained a high proficiency in two or more languages, with one of those languages being English, by high school graduation. The Seal of Biliteracy is noted on the high school transcript and takes the form of a gold sticker provided with the diploma of a graduating senior. The seal serves as a statement of accomplishment for future employers as well as college admission.

Nilton Aguirre, Kimberly Amaxal, Anna Andres, Oswaldo Araos, Maria Avalos, Katherine Bachman, Marilyn Baez, Alina Bhagwakar, Lukas Breunig, Christian Cadas, Giovanni Carbonara, Andrew Carlson, Daniel Carpenter, Samuel Casas, Paula Davila, Cooper Dirks, James Doyle, Aleksandra Dronjak, Elizabeth Fausey, Cooper Feinberg, Maribella Fues, Anne Gathof, Diego Gonzalez, Leslie Gonzalez-Flores, Rene Guadarrama Davila, Julia Hamberg, Audrey Harrington, John Hatlestad, Olivia Hedley, Zaahi Hussaini, Ellis Irwin, Anastasia Jimenez, Ava Johnson, Tejaswini Baskar Joshi, Zahra Kazi, Devon Kelleher, Mohammedyaar Khan, Emma Kluge, Connor LaForte, Elizabeth Latta, Kacper Lazinski, Nicole Marin, Grace McCarthy, Jack McCluskey, Margaret McDonnell, Amal Memon, Jonathan Meza, Cristian Morataya, Alexa Moritz, Marilu Munoz, Carolyn Nelson, Molly Nelson, Guadalupe Patino, Nghi Phan, Nathaniel Pinto, Joel Ramirez Vargas, Sean Rath, Fernando Rodriguez, Erick Rodriguez Barranco, Anna Rojas, Joanna Romero, Nicolas Rosy, Nawera Salman, Eduardo Sanchez, Elisa Schiralli, Marcel Slowikowski, Jessica Varela, Isabella Vega, Mareli Velazquez, Benjamin Vogel, Brynn Wheeler, Katelyn White, and Emily Zimmer.

As part of our Finish Strong Week initiative to help students prepare for finals, the library will be extending its hours until 6.00 p.m. from May 9th to May 17th. We will be offering the following services:

• Group-study cubicles with study supplies (highlighters, flashcards, whiteboards, etc).
• Snacks and beverages
• Relaxation Station (coloring, fidget toys, etc.)
• Study methods workshops
• Late bus for students who stay until closing

Congrats to Inspire, Empower, Succeed Award recipients Oscar Alcantara, ABM daytime maintenance staff member; Amanda Meyer, school psychologist; & Robert Nero, business teacher.

Students appearing in the photo from our recent production of Little Women, the March sisters (from left to right) Sophia Savarese, Kira Campagna, Maggie Meyers, and Taylor Gottsman.

Photo credit: Bruce Medic

As we approach the final weeks of the semester, please see below for resources available at Glenbard West. There are a variety of ways that you can stay informed and connected about your child’s grades, as well as additional resources that are provided in this Glenbard West student supports document.

We encourage you to frequently check Schoology and PowerSchool, and to keep an open line of communication with your student’s teachers.

STRIVE After School Tutoring:

2:45 to 3:45 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in the MURC. All are welcome. No sign up needed.

Academic Resource:

Teachers are available to provide help in their departments. Link to schedule

Evening Virtual Tutoring:

6-8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays via ZOOM.

English Tutoring Link

Math Tutoring Link

Lunch Intervention: Assistance during all lunch periods. Contact Nolan_Shaw@glenbard.org to sign up.

NHS Tutors:

Schedule a time to receive peer tutoring by contacting meghan_rio@glenbard.org.

AP Cafe:

Open to all AP students during all lunch periods.

The Write Place: Writing support during all lunch periods in room 400.

Mental Health Resources (Link)

Each Quarter our teachers across the various departments at Glenbard West choose the one student who best exemplifies excellence within their discipline. The Glenbard West community

remains strong because of these students. We congratulate the Departmental Recognition Award Recipients and we thank the families and teachers who have helped them along the way.

Back row (L - R) Xzavion Willett, Henry Johnson, Trevor Powell, Ivan Kostetskiy

Front row (L - R) Maheen Ali, Amal Ammar, Elisa Schiralli, Maggie Meyers, Elisa Kirchman, Sean Kern, Hailee Badger

Not pictured: Emma Arturi

For the 2022-2023 school year, every senior must show proof of receiving two doses of the meningococcal vaccine (1st dose on/after the 10th birthday and the 2nd dose on/after the 16th birthday). If you have not received this required vaccine for senior year, please make your appointments now and provide proof to the health office ASAP. Students who fail to provide proof of vaccine status will NOT be allowed to attend school in the fall until compliant and will not be able to participate in back to school days in August. The health office is requesting proof of the vaccine be submitted by July 15th for processing.

Check the health office website for needed forms and further information.

Student Services hosts Matter of Pride Ceremony. For those that are not familiar with our Matter of Pride Award, it was created over 30 years ago at West as a way to recognize students with outstanding character. This is the only award at West that focuses on a student's kindness, willingness to help others, going above and beyond for their school and/or community and positive attitude. Basically, Matter of Pride recipients are what makes West the Best!

Front (L to R): Khadija Patel, Lesly Araos, Clarissa Sanchez.

Back (L to R): Mimi Hoffman, Lizzie Halkyard, Nico Ruoti, Sean Kern, Shria Patel.

Not Pictured: Renata Diaz-Ruiz and Anthony Gutierrez.

Pictured: Deandra Bass, Nisa Gabbidon, Pam Hagstrom, Caitlin John, Claire Leoni, Amanda Meyer, Chris Mitchell, Bridget Mazzone, Kristie Smalley, Jessica Walters, and Mary Yangas

As we enter the next few months, the Student Services department wanted to give you a few tips/recommendations to support your student during the spring and summer break.

During unstructured times, such as the summer break, it is important to help our students navigate and manage their time effectively and efficiently. As we know, idle time can cause boredom which may lead to unhealthy choices. According to research from Psychology in the Schools, students benefit from structured activities which generate higher levels of self-esteem, satisfaction, engagement in life activities, and overall improved mental health. Encourage your student to stay active, take care of themselves, and be productive. Below are a few ideas for your student to consider:

• Obtain a summer job.

• Join a summer camp in Glen Ellyn (link) or Glendale Heights (link).

• Have fun outside!

• Volunteer in the community (link).

• Enroll in a FREE Bridge summer school class, credit course (link).

Finally, if you are concerned about your students’ mental health, here are a few local counseling resources to consider during the summer months:

As this school year is coming to a close very quickly, we congratulate our Seniors for their commitment and dedication to Glenbard West.

Many of our spring sports will be entering the IHSA State Series in the upcoming weeks. Please continue to support all of our teams as we wish them the best of luck. We look forward to hosting IHSA Regional Baseball at Village Green on Wednesday, May 25th and Saturday, May 28th.

We look forward to all of our current and future Hilltoppers being involved and staying active during the summer. These camps will run through the Glen Ellyn Park District, and information can be found on their website at gepark.org and more specifically here.

Please note that this year all fall sports will begin on Monday, August 8, 2022. Fall sports to include Boys and Girls Cross Country, Boys and Girls Golf, Football, Boys Soccer, Girls Volleyball, Girls Swimming, Girls Tennis, and Girls Field Hockey. In order to participate, registration must be completed on the parent portal for PowerSchool which includes the Athletic Code agreement and concussion awareness agreement. In addition, a current physical within the last 13 months MUST be turned into the Athletic Office prior to practicing.

GO WEST!

You can find 2022 AP testing dates below. Students can view their MyAP account to see the exams for which they are registered. All exam start times and locations were sent to students this week.

For last minute questions or changes, please contact the Assistant to the Assistant Principal for Instruction, Ms. Zeenat Hussain, at zeenat_hussain@glenbard.org.

We encourage all students to enroll in a course this summer. Credit courses are available to satisfy graduation requirements and if a course needs to be repeated. Also, our noncredit (Bridge) courses help students prepare for a course they plan to take and provide an opportunity to explore areas of interest.

You can review our course offerings at sr.glenbard.org. All courses this year are free of charge. Need help setting up your account and registering for classes? Watch this tutorial.

If you have any questions, please contact our in-year Summer School Principal,

Peter Baker: peter_baker@glenbard.org or (630) 942-7479.

We offer a robust summer school program that has something for everyone. Check out the variety of our free summer courses at this link. A balance of continued learning in the summer and time for relaxation, work and sports camps is a healthy way for students to spend their summer.

Among our free summer classes are enrichment courses designed for freshmen, sophomores and juniors as support over the summer in preparation for the upcoming school year.

The variety of bridge and enrichment courses includes:

• Algebra 2 Bridge/Enrichment

• Algebra 2 with Trigonometry Bridge/Enrichment

• Algebra 2 with Trigonometry Honors/Enrichment

• Geometry Honors Bridge/Enrichment

• Geometry with Trigonometry Enrichment

• Integrated Algebra/Geometry Bridge/Enrichment

• Chemistry Enrichment

• Chemistry Honors Enrichment

• Physics Enrichment

• Physics Honors Enrichment

• French 2 Bridge/Enrichment

• Spanish 2 Bridge/Enrichment
  

We also offer a variety of Advanced Placement (AP) enrichment courses, which are designed to prepare students with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in AP. Our AP enrichment courses include:

• AP Biology Enrichment

• AP Calculus Enrichment

• AP Chemistry Enrichment

• AP Computer Science Enrichment

• AP English Language and Composition Enrichment

• AP European History Enrichment

• AP Spanish Enrichment

• AP Launch
  

Preparation for First AP Course

Our AP Launch summer class is for students taking their first AP course. The class teaches study habits, intellectual curiosity, reading analysis, test-taking strategies, time management, argumentative writing, mental toughness, self-advocacy and more. This course is a great way for students to set themselves up for success in their first AP class.

Free College 101 for Seniors

In addition, we offer College 101, a free class to help rising seniors with their post-high school planning. Students will begin preparing their applications, college essays and activity resumes. Through the use of Naviance, students will explore college options and narrow down their college choices by choosing safety, sure-entry, and reach schools. Students will complete their senior information profile, submit an initial college essay and begin their college applications using the Common Application.

I encourage you to make time this week to explore the free summer courses at this link and register your son or daughter.

Circle Drive Dance is an exciting tradition at West and we strive to create a safe and fun event.

Circle Drive tickets can be purchased in advance at gbwnation.com and will also be on sale Friday, May 6th in the SCIENCE WING during all lunch periods 10:00 -1:45. Students must bring their student ID (not a picture) to receive their ticket or pass.

Circle Drive tickets are $10 (cash, check, or credit card).

• Students must show a WEST NATION PASS OR a Circle Drive ticket to enter.

• Tickets WILL NOT be sold at the door.
• Tickets are limited so purchase soon!
• Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and all students must be in the dance by 8:00 p.m.!!!

Events for the 2021 - 2022 school year will be contingent

upon COVID safety guidelines of District 87.

Tues. May 3, at 7 p.m.

Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington — Grown and Flown: How to Support Your Teen, Stay Close as a Family and Raise Independent Adults

From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with teens (15-25) and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart. Join us as they discuss anxiety, mental health, and college life. Learn how to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.

Zoom link: https://glenbard.zoom.us/j/87253564876

At Glenbard West, we offer a violence and bullying hotline which allows students to provide anonymous information to school officials regarding potential school threats or bullying incidents. The number is (630) 942-7406.

Additionally, students can text a CRISIS Test Line: Text HOME to 74141 which sends information to a Crisis Counselor, a real-life human being trained to help individuals return to a healthy/stable level of functioning.

The State of Illinois is launching a school safety program called Safe2Help Illinois in an effort to raise awareness of the 21st-century threats facing schoolchildren in Illinois. Safe2Help Illinois will offer 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.” Call 844-472-3345 or Text 72332(SAFE2) to report.

The Attorney General's Safety Tips homepage contains several links that may provide additional helpful resources https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/children/index.html

Students who wish to report a potential act of school violence at Glenbard West may also leave an anonymous message with our Police Liaison Officer at (630) 942-7463.

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