Glenbard West

Hello - this is a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have a student at, or have expressed an interest in, Glenbard West High School. Communication between Glenbard West and our families and community is very important to us. Don't forget to add gw_news@glenbard.org to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! Please email any questions directly to Glenbard Staff, we are happy to respond.

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Our Student Council works diligently to plan an exciting and action-packed week for students. This year's Homecoming theme is Come One, Come All to the Greatest Homecoming on Earth. When walking through the halls, you can feel the energy and see the school spirit as students dress for theme days, prepare for the parade, decorate classroom doors, and our famous Woodchucks build the bonfire. We welcome our alumni back for the weekend's festivities and expect our students to show their overwhelming support at all the events. Throughout Homecoming Week, Student Council will host activities before, after, and even during the school day.

Clubs/teams will be decorating individual classroom doors. Their efforts help to get the entire building excited to celebrate Homecoming.

Students also have spirit days that Student Council plans and organizes. This is a great and easy way for all students to get involved with the Homecoming Festivities. Below are the themes:

Friday, September 24, 2021

2:40 p.m.: Clubs/Activities/Sports decorate classroom doors

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Spirit Activity: Fall captains paint the rock located at Circle Drive, donated by the Class of 2021

Monday, September 27, 2021

Spirit Day: Pajama Day

Lunch Activity: Cotton Candy on Circle Drive and Cafe Ramp

Evening Activity: West Nation presents the Pass, Putt, and Kick competition on Memorial Field

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Spirit Day: USA Day

Lunch Activity: Popcorn on Circle Drive and Cafe Ramp

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Spirit Day: Dress Your Decade Day

Faculty: 90's

Seniors: 80's

Juniors: 70's

Sophomores: 60's

Freshman: 50's

Lunch Activity: Face painting on Circle Drive and Senior Handprints in the Cafe

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Spirit Day: Beach Day

Lunch Activity: Karaoke outside of Biester Gym

Friday, October 1, 2021

Spirit Day: West Spirit Day

Lunch Activity: Swedish Fish Friday

The schedule of events for Friday and Saturday includes:

Friday, October 1

Pep Rally (Biester Gym) 6:00 p.m.

Bonfire (Duchon Field Conclusion of the Pep Rally)

Saturday, October 2

Booster Pancake Breakfast (Cafeteria) 7:30-10:30 a.m.

Homecoming Parade (Main/Forest) 10:00 a.m.

Glenbard West Alumni Tours 11:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.

Varsity Football Game vs York (Duchon Field) 1:30 p.m.

Homecoming Event Outside 7:00-10:00 p.m.

• Please note that participating in an indoor activity requires the use of a mask.

• Any questions regarding the parade, please contact Elizabeth McGann at elizabeth_mcgann@glenbard.org

Pep Rally

(Biester Gym)

6:00 p.m.

Come support our activities and athletic programs at the Homecoming

Pep Rally. The Glenbard West Cheer, Dance, and Steppers teams will

perform to get everyone in the spirit and ready for the Bonfire.

The 2021 Distinguished Alumni class will be announced.

Bonfire

(Duchon Field)

Following the Pep Rally

The prestigious Woodchucks will be hard at work building the annual Bonfire.

They cannot wait to see the school and community come together!

Our concession stand on Duchon Field will be open during the Bonfire!

Booster Pancake Breakfast

(Cafeteria)

7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Join us for the Annual Pancake breakfast on Saturday, October 2nd

from 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. in the school cafeteria. Note: Outdoor seating will be available.

It is FREE for GBW students with an ID and $5.00 for community members.

If you plan to come with a large group (10 or more), RSVP to Rebecca Roscich @ rroscich@gmail.com so we can reserve a spot for you.

Homecoming Parade

Main St.

10:00 a.m.

This family-friendly event showcases the best of Glenbard West past

and present. Arrive early to get a good seat along the route.

Alumni Tours

Glenbard West

11:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m.

The tours allow alumni to revisit the very hallways they walked as

students. They provide a trip down memory lane as well as showing

off some of the recent additions and improvements made at West.

Varsity Football Game

Hilltoppers vs York

Duchon Field

1:30 p.m.

Homecoming Event (outside)

7:00 p.m.

This year, Glenbard West High School is celebrating its 98th year. What better time than now to acknowledge and celebrate our Distinguished Alumni! We have created this recognition to honor and celebrate those former students who have left the hallowed halls of ivy and continued to embody our school's motto of "Pride, Tradition, and Excellence."

The 2021 Distinguished Alumni class includes six Glenbard High School and Glenbard West High School alumni from three different decades: Emmy Star Brown (2004), Brian Markinson (1979), Dick Pond (1956), Nancy Reno (1984), Glenn Spears (1974), and Melody Swartz (1987)

Glenbard West is extraordinarily proud of the accomplishments and record of service represented in this group.

Do you have someone in mind for next year's Distinguished Alumni Award?

Click HERE for the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Nomination form.

Now available! The History of Glenbard West —SECOND edition!

Over 400 pictures and updated information. All copies are signed by the author: Glenbard West High School English teacher, Steve Wiersum.

To order: email steve_wiersum@glenbard.org

or click on this link to go to the GWHS History Webpage here.

100% of profits go towards the Glenbard West High School English Department Writing Scholarship: The Firley Award.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 for The Firley Award. This will continue to allow the Glenbard West English Department to give the award for at least ten years.

Thank you so much…and go Hilltoppers!

EAGLE SCOUT

Andrew Estes

John Goodman

NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS

Alina Bhagwaker

James Doyle

Trevor du Vair

Andrew Estes

Maribella Fues

Aditi Vinay

COLLEGE BOARD NATIONAL HISPANIC RECOGNITION PROGRAM SCHOLARS

Samuel Casas

Maribella Fues

Grace McCarthy

COLLEGE BOARD NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN RECOGNITION PROGRAM SCHOLAR

Joseph Green

The PowerSchool app is a great way to stay up-to-date on your student's grades and attendance. The PowerSchool app gives instant access to grades, scores, attendance and more. Real-time notifications mean you can stay connected to your student’s progress no matter where you are.

If you have previously used the PowerSchool app and can only see last year's courses, please delete the app and reinstall it again. You will need the District Code: TDPZ. Click here for more information about using the PowerSchool App.

Regarding Masks:

We encourage all students to continue wearing masks appropriately at school (e.g., over nose and mouth). Many of our students are doing a fantastic job following this rule. If a student is not wearing a mask or is wearing a mask inappropriately (e.g., not covering nose and mouth), staff will attempt to correct the behavior. If a student refuses to correctly wear the mask or requires frequent reminders to adjust the mask, he/she will be referred to the Dean’s office. Dean interventions related to masks are centered around support and education.

Attendance:

Students who are late to class are required to scan their ID using the HERO stations supervised by our Prudential Security staff. Upon scanning, the HERO system will print the student a pass that will be used to enter class. These tardies will populate in PowerSchool at the end of the day. Please remember to call the attendance office at (630) 858-5060 before 10:30 a.m. to excuse any of your child’s absences.

West has had a great start to the school year with so many student-athletes involved. This fall, we have over 750 student-athletes involved in fall sports who are constantly striving for success in the classroom and on the playing fields. We are very appreciative of the entire West community that supports all of our programs. We have a constant schedule of home events throughout the fall, so please notice the most current schedules here.

Thank you once again to the West Boosters who support all of our students at West in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities. Please look to sign up and participate in some way on one or more of their committees. More information can be found at www.gwboosters.com.

Please note the weekend of October 1st and 2nd on your calendars. This is Homecoming at West and we look forward to showcasing our teams and school that represent Pride, Tradition, and Excellence.

Tentative schedule for Athletic Events Saturday, October 2nd:

9:00 a.m. Varsity Field Hockey vs. Naperville North at Memorial Field

11:00 a.m. Sophomore Football vs. York at Duchon Field

1:30 p.m. Varsity Football vs. York at Duchon Field

GO WEST!

AP Update

Every fall, the AP Program recognizes high school students who have demonstrated outstanding college-level achievement through their performance on multiple AP Exams.This year Glenbard West has 334 AP Scholars, all of whom received scores of at least 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

Eleven Glenbard West students were awarded the AP Capstone Diploma by earning scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and on 4 additional AP Exams. Their names are Madeline Beery, Amelia Boeh, Gabriella Di Domenico, Scott Everson, Lucas Ford, Quinn Hardesty, William Humble, Thomas Lohman, Luisa Metz, Daniel Pasinski, and Elizabeth Short.

This year Glenbard West has three College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars: Samuel Casas, Maribella Fues, and Grace McCarthy. Additionally, we have one College Board National African American Recognition Program Scholar: Joseph Green. These four students have been identified by the College Board because they have excelled on their PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP Exams and in their classwork.

District 87 has partnered with Equal Opportunity Schools in order to increase equitable opportunities for students in Advanced Placement and Dual Credit courses. During the week of September 13 through September 24, students will participate in taking a short survey. Reports generated from the survey provide trends on information, expectations, and belonging in our Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Credit programs. The Equal Opportunity Schools survey provides valuable insight about student strengths and challenges in accessing rigorous coursework, as well as data on student potential and interests.

Glenbard West will host Parent-Teacher Conferences during the last week of October:

• Virtually on Wednesday, October 27th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. using Zoom

• In-person on Thursday, October 28th from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Online registration for parents will begin on Sunday, September 26 at 6:00 p.m. This registration will continue through Sunday, October 24th at 11:59 p.m. Parents will use Power PTC through their PowerSchool accounts to sign up for five minute conferences with each teacher. Additional information, including a Power PTC Quick Start Guide, will be sent the week before registration opens.

Students will be released at 1:10 p.m. on both Wednesday, October 27th and Thursday, October 28th. There is no school on Friday, October 29th.

Front Row: Chris Gladish, Rhiannon Sieck, Natalie Rubino, Beatriz de Ferreira, Lissete Ochoa

Middle Row: Kate Culloton, Margie Kruk

Back Row: Jeremiah Wiencek, Tad Keely, Mike Neberz, Tony Bergantino

The School Counseling Department is excited to officially kick off the college application season with several events for our upperclassmen. First of all, as of the date of this newsletter, we have over 120 college representatives coming to Glenbard West to meet with our students. Last year we had over 200 by the end of the year so make sure your student is monitoring our list of college reps visiting in Naviance and in the School Counseling office! All signups can be done through Naviance under “college visits.” These are excellent opportunities for students to not only gather more information on numerous colleges while at West but also to get a face-to-face meeting with the admissions representatives for specific colleges to which they may be applying.

Also, a reminder that the FAFSA application opening date is right around the corner, October 1st! The FAFSA is now a graduation requirement as of last school year (non-participation form available). Financial aid for college is on a first come first serve basis, so the earlier you file the better. There will be several workshops in the District to assist with this process if needed, including a breakout session at College Night on September 22 for Juniors. There will be additional Financial Aid Workshops (In-person) on October 18th from 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. and October 18th from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the library and cafeteria.

School Counselors met with all their seniors on August 24th to review a detailed college application checklist and discuss the steps for requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation through Naviance. We also have a brag sheet students can share with their teachers to help guide their rec letters. In addition, we reviewed the timeframe for admissions testing, essay writing, scholarship applications, and financial aid. Afterward, School Counselors began meeting with Seniors in small groups and/or individually to walk them through the Naviance and Common App college application process. We encourage all parents of seniors to have a discussion with your child regarding the meetings with their counselor and work with your student on their Naviance account to complete the Parent Input Form in order to enrich the letters of recommendation counselors are writing. All of our College Application Resources can be found here, including links to a Senior Video Series on YouTube we developed last year with step-by-step instructions to help students navigate the application process.

For Juniors, counselors are continuing the developmental process of college preparation by visiting English classrooms this September to work with students on college research and developing their activity resumes in Naviance. In addition, we will bring back the annual College Night on Wednesday, September 22nd, so make sure you save the date! We invite all juniors and their parents to join us as we plan this virtual conference with a panel of college representatives and several breakout sessions to learn more about the college admissions process, financial aid, and Naviance. Stay tuned for a more detailed agenda!

It goes without saying that our world has undergone significant changes/adjustments in the last year or so and it has had an overwhelming impact on everyone, including teenagers. Glenbard District 87 is committed to the well-being and mental health of our students and have taken substantial steps to ensure they receive the necessary support.

One major initiative is that Glenbard is partnering with Elyssa’s Mission-SOS (Signs of Suicide) to conduct a suicide screener with all freshman students via their Health class both first and second semester. This instrument will assist in identifying those that may be in need of additional support. During 1st semester education/screeners will take place during health classes on October 5th.

If you have any questions and/or do NOT want your child to participate in the SOS program, please contact Chris Mitchell, Assistant Principal for Student Services at christopher_mitchell@glenbard.org prior to October 3, 2021. If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in this program.

More information on Elyssa’s Mission can be found at the following link: https://elyssasmission.org/

On these days, freshmen and new students are required to remain at school from 2:00 to 2:35 p.m. for additional enrichment activities. Busses will be provided for students at the conclusion of the meetings.

September 20

October 4

November 1

December 6

Thursday, October 21and Friday, October 22

Performances at 7:30 pm.

Sunday, October 24

Matinee Performance at 2:00 p.m.

• Great Savings!
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• Email reminders when a main stage show is approaching!

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Welcome to a new school year. I am excited about seeing students in the classroom and engaged in extracurricular activities, and I am looking forward to a great year ahead.

Please see below for information about a few important areas:

COVID-19 Safety

Our faculty and staff care deeply about our students and work hard to meet student's academic and social-emotional needs and keep them safe.

As we continue to navigate the pandemic, please note that we adhere to the COVID-19 guidance from local, state and federal agencies. As that guidance evolves, we will communicate with you about what the changes mean to your teen’s experience at school.

In accordance with the state mandate, everyone must wear a mask in all Glenbard schools regardless of vaccination status. While everyone is wearing a mask, we have the ability to maintain a higher level of safety and reduce the number of people who miss school/work due to quarantine. Please note that, under the current guidance, when someone is fully vaccinated and not showing symptoms, they are not required to quarantine. This is an important factor to consider for those who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19.

We are partnering with SHIELD Illinois to offer free voluntary, non-invasive COVID-19 testing at school. SHIELD has a diagnostic (PCR) test that will be available to staff and students at school each week. This saliva-based test will be available to identify positive COVID-19 cases and keep students safe. This voluntary testing program is scheduled to begin the week of Sept. 20, 2021.

The following are additional safety measures in place:

1. Masking for all on buses and in schools
2. Daily health assessments at home; stay home if you have any symptoms.
3. Hand washing and cleaning protocols
4. Social distancing of three feet whenever possible
5. Improved ventilation in buildings

Profile of a Graduate

We continue to focus on our Profile of a Graduate, which is the student-centered vision that is embedded in our work. Our Profile of a Graduate identifies the following abilities that characterize our students:

· Creates

· Communicates

· Collaborates

· Thinks critically

· Embraces diversity

· Is self-empowered

Our Profile of a Graduate focuses on deep learning experiences where students develop skills they can transfer to other lessons and use in new situations. After students participate in impactful learning experiences, they engage in a culminating ambitious task that demonstrates their understanding of the content they learned.

Glenbard Parent Series

The Glenbard Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families is an important part of our partnership with you. The Glenbard Parent Series (GPS) has dozens of free webinars scheduled throughout this school year. Webinars are focused on families with children of all ages and feature topics devoted to helping young people be successful in the classroom and in life. I encourage you to check out the amazing list of webinars at glenbardgps.org. There truly is something for everyone in this year’s GPS lineup of speakers. You may watch these free programs from the comfort of your home as they are presented via Zoom.

I appreciate your continued support of our students, faculty, and staff. I trust you and your family will have a great year.

Events for the 2021 - 2022 school year will be contingent

upon COVID safety guidelines of District 87.

September 22

College Night

(Juniors and parents/guardians)

6:00 p.m.

September 23

Fall Band Concert

7:30 p.m.

September 27 - October 2

Homecoming Week

October 5

Orchestra Concert

7:30 p.m.

October 7

Fall Choral Concert

7:30 p.m.

October 11

No School - Columbus Day

October 12

No School - Institute Day

October 13

PSAT/NMQT Testing

Juniors Only in Attendance

No School for Freshmen, Sophomores, and Seniors

Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22

Fall Play Performances

Midsummer Jersey

7:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 24

Fall Play Matinee Performance

Midsummer Jersey

2:00 p.m.

Schools across the nation are experiencing more and more students who have latex allergies. Often, students with this allergy can have severe and even life-threatening reactions if exposed to latex resins and powders. For their safety, there are certain latex products we no longer allow on campus. Latex balloons and “Silly String” pose a significant health threat to students with a latex allergy. These products are not allowed on campus at any time, including after school, evening, and weekend events. With this in mind, we request your help: Please talk with your children about this health and safety issue. Some students might not understand the reason for a “balloon ban.” At West, we want all parents to know that their children are safe on campus.

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: 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 Attorney General's Safety Tips homepage contains several links that may provide additional helpful resources.

http://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/children/kids/safetytips.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