Greetings Glen Hills Students & Caregivers!

The information in this issue of the Glen Hills Gazette focuses on many of the exciting learning and opportunities for students. It is a delight to see how the Glen Hils Way shines through in our community as our staff and students demonstrate Respect, Responsibility, and Inclusion. Teachers will close out the month of September by selecting a student of the month for each grade level, Physical Education, Allie Arts, and Music. Additionally, our students will have the opportunity to select the staff member of the month. Nominations will be for those individuals who go out of their way to demonstrate the Glen Hills Way in their daily actions. We look forward to highlighting our students and staff of the month in our next issue of the Glen Hills Gazette.

Anna M. Young, Principal and Willie Williams, Associate Principal

Link Here For The School Calendar

Directions For Parent Portal Set Up For Infinite Campus

Cell Phone Policy Reminders For Caregivers

Glen Hills Middle School recognizes the importance of technology and communication between students and families. Each classroom at Glen Hills will be equipped with a telephone to place and receive calls. Parents needing to contact students during the school day should reach out to the main office at 414-351-7160. Students who need to contact parents during the school day should ask to use a classroom or office phone. In order to promote a productive and safe school environment for staff and students, Glen Hills expects the following:

Cell phones, smart watches, and airpods shall be powered off when entering school campus
Cell phones, smart watches, and airpods shall be kept in a scholar's locker and not in clothing pockets. (Backpacks and jackets need to be kept in lockers. Scholars may carry a small bag/pouch no larger than 5” x 7”)
Cell phones, smart watches, and airpods are not allowed to be used in classrooms, the library, common areas, restrooms, or locker rooms
Cell phones, smart watches, and airpods are not allowed to be used during transition times or between classes
If a student needs to make an emergency call or text during the day, they are to do so only under staff direction in the classroom or office.
Cell phones, smart watches, and airpods can be turned back on at the end of school bell and used to communicate directly with parents/friends who are assisting in transportation

In order to foster a culture of responsibility around technology, violation of this policy above will result in the following progressive consequences:

1st Misuse Violation

An Office Referral will be submitted to administration, the cell phone smart watches, and/or airpods will be confiscated, families notified, and the device will be returned to the student at the end of the day.

2nd Misuse Violation

An Office Referral will be submitted to administration, cell phone, smart watches, and/or airpods will be confiscated, families notified, and the device will be returned only to the parent/guardian at the end of the day.

3rd Misuse Violation

An Office Referral will be submitted to administration, the cell phone, smart watches, and/or airpods will be confiscated, families notified, and the device will be returned to the parent/guardian at the end of the day. Administrator, Family & Scholar meetings will be held and scholars/families will sign a contract for electronic devices to be checked into the office each day for a 30 day period.

Additional Misuse

An Office Referral will be submitted to administration, the cell phones, smart watches, and/or airpods will be confiscated, families notified, and the device will be returned to the parent/guardian at the end of the day. Contract for daily phone turn in will be reinstated for another 30 days.

News From Student Services

Written by: Marian Guillen, School Counselor Grades 4-6.

Second Step:

Every Wednesday is Wellness Wednesday at Glen Hills. During this time students will engage in SEL (Social Emotional Learning) curriculum through Second Step. This month we are focusing on Community Rebuilding activities. This week 4th and 5th grade reacquainted themselves with their school community and got to know the new students in their class to build a strong sense of community, this will help them feel comfortable and confident at school so that they are ready to learn. 6th- 8th grade talked about challenges they might face as they return to school after summer break. They also identified support people to go to for help with these challenges.

REDGen:

We are happy to share that we are now part of the REDgen School Chapters. REDgen stands for Resilience through EDucation for a new generation. This is a peer-to- peer resilience education program. The focus of the program is to educate and empower students to be advocates for mental health and well- being within their school community, creating a school culture that builds resilience. We are looking for 7th and 8th graders to join this Club led by our school counselors. One goal is to represent the diversity of our school community. If you think your student exemplifies leadership, willing to learn and practice empathy, authenticity and compassion please send them to their school counselors (Ms. Guillen or Ms. Gleba) to fill out an application.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness and spread hope and vital information to people affected by suicide. We want to ensure that our community have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and seek help.

-Child Mind Institute: Signs a Child Might be Suicidal

-Preventing Suicide Among Black Youth

-High School Student Mental Health Strategies

-Visit REDgen.org for more Suicide Prevention Resources

National Resources

Hope Line -Text 741741

National 24hr Suicide Prevention Hotline-Dial 988

The Trevor Lifeline-for LGBTQ Youth: call 1-866-488-7386

8th Grade

2023 Canoeing Field Trip Written by: Logan McMahon, 8th Grade Student

The current of the water was gentle, but strong enough to help us go in the right direction. We submerged our paddles under the water, pushed them behind us, took them back up and repeated. We saw another boat, and rowed our canoe towards them. “We want to race you!” yelled our trip leader, Mrs. Murali. The other boat agreed. It was time to test our skills. We rowed down the stream, staying right next to our competitors at first. But we were able to push our limits and our boat forward, and beat them by a landslide.

This is the highlight of the Glen Hills 8th Grade 2023 Canoeing trip, an experience organized and led by Mrs. Murali and chaperoned by our 8th grade teachers. It was a great experience that was as fun as it was educational. We participated in other fun activities as well, such as guessing which furs belonged to which animals, and counting the rings inside of tree trunks. And, if all that wasn’t enough for a perfect trip, we were given carry-on bags with items in them like compasses and frisbees. I haven’t gone on a field trip this fun in a while, and I and the other students can thank Mrs. Murali for planning such an amazing adventure.

8th Grade Reminders for Student & Families

Washington,DC Field Trip

Trip Dates: 5/22/24 - 5/24/24
Sign up at Glen Hills Middle School Washington, DC Trip using Trip ID #: 210948
Questions? Contact: Michelle Young at michelle.young@gdrh.org

Snacks

The 8th graders can snack in the classroom at the beginning of the 5th period. Mr. Johnikin will make sure students who don't have a snack receive one. If you want to donate snacks, please drop them off or contact Mr. Johnikin at kevin.johnikin

National Junior Honors Society

Every 8th-grade student at our school is eligible to join our National Junior Honor Society. To get recognized at the end of the year, you need to maintain good grades and complete 20 hours of service. You can do 10 hours outside of school and 10 hours in school-related activities. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Murali. Please fill out this link to join: https://forms.gle/F3qtbo6rknLigCBN6

An Evening ith Dr. Mae Jemison

Dr. Mae Jemison, former NASA astronaut and the first woman of color to venture into space, is the guest speaker at UWM on October 10, 2023, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Tickets for students are $5.00. To purchase a ticket, click.

7th Grade

Written by: Davis (Tre) Brown, 7th Grade Student

My classes are going by a bit faster than they were last year, but I’m having fun in 7th grade. All my teachers are nice! In science, we have been learning about chemical reactions. We made bath bombs using different recipes and watched them dissolve. In math, we played games and learned about scale factors. In social studies, we learned about longitude, latitude, and cardinal directions. I am excited to go on the field trip to Kletzch Park on Thursday!

6th Grade

Written by: Grace Kroeger, 6th/7th Grade Teacher

Our 6th graders are continuing to work hard to transition into the “middle school” way! In math, they are learning all about ratios, while in ELA, they are learning how to write personal narratives. It’s so fun to watch them grow on a daily basis.

Parents often ask how they can help with their child’s reading skills at home. One amazing way to do so is by starting your own family Book Club! Go to the library, pick out a book that you can all read together, and discuss the book over some snacks and treats! Thank you for being such a wonderful support system for our Stars!

5th Grade

Written by: Jade Mcphearson, Avery Wilkes, Harper Williams, & Blythe Richardson , 5ht Grade Students with the support of Julie Brown, 5th Grade Teacher

September seemed to fly by!! We will begin new units in Reading and Writing. Our Reading unit, Interpretation Book Clubs, students will choose a book of interest and work in small groups discussing important story elements. In our Writing Unit, Narrative Craft, students will have the opportunity to write their own personal story. The Word Study Program, a phonics based program is off to a good start.

In these first couple of weeks of math we are learning how to read pictures of clocks/coins and creating equations around the pictures in order to solve a problem. We are also learning about dimensions. For example 24 baseballs with 6 layers can be arranged as (4x1)x6=24. The 6 stands for the number of layers and 4x1 is the number in the first layer.

4th Grade

Written by: Kally Kibitlewski, 4th Grade Teacher

It is hard to believe that our newest Stars have already been at Glen Hills for almost 3 weeks! They are already pros at opening their lockers, have mastered locations of music, Allied Arts and PE rooms, and know exactly when lunch is. We have a fantastic group of 4th grade scholars and are excited to see all of the growth that has already taken place as well as future growth.

Our first units of Science and Social Studies are aligned with our field trip that will take place in mid October. We are studying where Wisconsin is on the map, who the first people were in Wisconsin, glaciers and earth science. We will continue to learn about how the land we live on has changed, what caused it, and what happened to the various groups of people who first called Wisconsin home.

Math has started off strong with scholars diving right into multiplication and division. We are learning about strategies and patterns of various facts as well as understanding number sense and why those fact solutions are reasonable and make sense.

In ELA, we have been working hard to set up binders, learning how to keep organized, and the characteristics/ expectations of a high-level reading and writing scholar. We are starting our first units of study in both subjects. Reading will be accompanied by the mentor text The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo and students will be looking into identifying character traits and using text to support their thoughts. In Writing, we are working on short realistic fiction stories, taking small moments in our lives and turning them into fiction pieces, and getting a feel for writing longer pieces.

Our newest subject is Word Study. We have started the basics of the program and will head into the first actual lesson next week. This is designed to help fill in any phonics gaps that will allow scholars to improve spelling, vocabulary, sentence structure, and phonemic awareness.

We are so proud of all of the achievements scholars have already reached and look forward to many more.

4th Grade Reminders for Students & Families

Author Visit on 10/6 with Dhonielle Clayton
4th Grade Field Trip to Schlitz Audubon 10/19 & 10/26- More information to come.
Snacks- Students will have snack during the first 5-10 minutes of period 10. If possible, please send a healthy snack that is able to be stored in a bin in the classroom. Please remind your scholar that snacks should not be shared.

TALENT DEVELOPMENT UPDATES

Written by: Lalitha Murali

Glen Hills National Junior Honor Society

All of our scholars in 7th and 8th grade are invited to apply for this great leadership opportunity. In order to get recognized at the end of the year, students have to maintain good grades, display positive behavior throughout the school year, and complete 20 hours of service. We will provide service opportunities for students at school. The deadline to apply is end of October, 2023. Here is the link to the application:

https://forms.gle/YAzGS5VuhDkk6SRn6

Leadership Workshop: The Wisconsin Association of Talented and Gifted is organizing a teen conference on Sunday, October 8, 2023, from 9 a.m.-12 noon for students in 6th grade and above. The cost to attend the conference is $60 per child. If you are interested, please click the link below and register your child. It is a great opportunity to attend a state conference to develop leadership skills and also enjoy the water park.

https://watg.org/meetinginfo.php?id=4&ts=1682615742

Glen Hills STEAM Fair

We will be hosting our annual STEAM Fair on Saturday, December 9, 2023, from 9 am-2 pm. If any of the parents are available to talk to our scholars about their careers or do STEM activities, please reach out to Mrs. Murali (Lalitha.murali@gdrh.org). Students in Grades 7 & 8 who volunteer for this event will receive 5 hours of leadership hours for their NJHS.

Glen Hills Spelling Bee

The Glen Hills Spelling Bee will be held on Friday, January 12, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. in the Commons. Classroom bees will be held during the first week of January. Interested students can contact Mrs. Murali or their ELA teacher to get a study list.

World Language

Written by: Heather Swenson, Spanish Teacher

Bienvenidos a la clase de español! Click here for the Spanish department syllabus.

Hispanic Heritage Month:

We have started our investigation of HIspanic Heritage and the differences across the Spanish speaking world.

8th graders have been making electronic trading cards. Watch for the links in the next newsletter
7th grade is finding one notable hispanic to focus on and sharing how this person’s accomplishments have brought about positive change in our world today.
6th grade is learning about dates of independence for the 20 Spanish speaking countries and 1 territory

Reminders

Language Learning takes practice. Having your student review their vocabulary 10-15 minutes a day will increase their language skills measurably.

Please make sure your student has a charged Chromebook

Keep track of your student’s progress on Infinite Campus

We have been teaching students to use Word Reference as a tool for words they don’t know. Google translation isn’t always correct.

Updates From The Music Department

Written by: Cheryl Miracle, Band Teacher

We are making solid progress this school year in the music department. Each ensemble has been reviewing fundamentals and starting to work on concert repertoire to expand their knowledge and skills as musicians. There is a direct relationship between our successful student musicians and those that spend time outside of class reviewing what we do in our rehearsals and lessons. Here are some tips for home practice for our vocalists or instrumentalists:

Set a regular time to practice or otherwise make practice part of your homework routine.
Practicing for shorter periods daily or several times a week is always better than "cramming."
Find a comfy, quiet place to practice without distractions like computers or phones.
Set goals for each practice session. Challenge yourself!
Spend time listening to professional musicians and the pieces you are working on in class.

Extra Curricular Opportunities beginning in October:

Drum Line, Mr. Torrence - Mondays & Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 PM

Jazz Combos/Open Band, Ms. Miracle - Mondays 4:00-5:00 PM

Jazz Lab, Ms. Miracle - Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 PM

Chamber Orchestra, Mrs. Day - Tuesdays 7:45-8:45 AM

Jazz Ensemble, Ms. Miracle - Thursdays 7:45-8:45 AM

Upcoming Performances:

North Shore String Festival (Orchestra 7 & 8) is at Glen Hills MS on Tuesday, October 17th at 7 PM.

North Shore Band Festival (Band 7 & 8) is at Nicolet HS on Monday, December 11th at 6:30 PM.

GHMS Winter Concert (Band, Choir & Orchestra in Grades 5-6 ) is at Glen Hills MS on Wednesday, January 17th at 6:30 PM.

GHMS Winter Concert (Band, Choir & Orchestra in Grades 7-8) is at Glen Hills MS on Thursday, January 18th at 6:30 PM.

Updates from Physical Education

Written by: Laura Sanders, PE Teacher

Hello Glen Hills community! Our first fall units went great! Hopefully your scholars enjoyed them. On October 2nd, we shift to our second fall units. Mr. Higgins classes 4th, 6th, and 8th grade classes starting their soccer units and his 5th and 7th grade classes will begin speedball. All of Mr. Kaufmann’s classes will be starting outdoor pickleball and tennis units. Ms. Sanders 4th through 6th grade classes will begin their first swim unit while her 7th and 8th grade classes will begin their flag football units.

Please continue to help your student remember to bring gym shoes and gym clothes to class to change for PE. It is recommended that students bring a t- shirt, shorts, jacket or hoodie, long pants, and an extra pair of socks just in case to prepare for the Wisconsin fall weather.

Special reminder to Miss Sanders’ 4th - 6th grade classes that they will need swim gear (swimsuit, towel, and goggles if desired) on October 2nd when they start their swim unit.

Athletics & Activities

Glen Hills continues to offer something for everyone this year with club, teams and activities.

The Glen Hills Cross-Country Team has three races left this season. Check out the schedule and come cheer us on!

Other upcoming activities include: Cheerleading tryouts, Girls Basketball tryouts, Dungeons and Dragons, and Rainbow Rights club.

Cross Country Schedule

Week of Oct. 2nd to Oct. 6th

Tuesday, October 3rd: Lake Shore Meet at Rotary Park - Time 4:00 Teams: Lake Shore, Maple Dale,Steffen, MJDS, Bayside, Glen Hills

Week of Oct. 9th to Oct. 13th

Conference Meet - Date, Place and Host TBD Teams: Bayside, Brown Deer, Eastbrook Academy, Glen Hills, Lake Shore, Maple Dale, MJDS, Shorewood, Steffen, USM

Link Here For Upcoming Fall Clubs & Activities

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