Gladys Wood Community,

Happy New Year!

We’re off and running and students are actively refining their skills in reading, writing, math, social studies, science, art, music, health, pe, and library.

The ice rink has recently been hot mopped and available for use. If any parents would like to volunteer to help watch students during recess one day or a couple days of the week please contact Mr. Straw. straw_nicholas@asdk12.org or call 742-6760.

It was good to see families at the PTO Meeting this past Monday, January 8th. If you are not a PTO member yet, please consider joining us at: GW PTO Membership we’d love to hear from you!

The ice rink, the playground, and the sledding hill are available to all of you to use in the evening and on the weekend. Please come get some fresh air and play. Yes adults, you too!

The Straw family wishes you a safe and joyful January and will continue to keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Straw

Gladys Wood Families,

It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through October and the end of the 1st quarter is here. Thank you for all the effort you’ve made to make sure your child makes it to school each day. Drop off begins at 8:45am. Please remember the right lane is for drop off and you’ll want to pull all the way forward in this lane. The left lane is for through traffic and those who are wanting to park and walk their child to the school doors.

The school day starts at 8:50am for students with breakfast and then instruction starts at 9am. Students who arrive after 9am are marked tardy. Thank you for getting your child to school by 9am.

We are halfway through our Gladys Wood Read-a-thon. Thanks for helping your child collect donations to support all of the amazing activities that our GW PTO organizes including field trip buses and scholarships.

Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character Day is on October 19th. Please no full face coverings for safety reasons. We do Favorite Book Character Day as an alternative to dressing up on October 31st. Thanks for refraining from wearing costumes on October 31st.

Students continue to actively learn and grow with teachers diving into all

areas of content. We have also met with all students to talk about school rules, playground safety and kind social interactions. This training

will continue throughout the year.

If you haven’t set up a conference with your child’s teacher, now is a good time to reach out to them. If you’re not able or comfortable with coming in person, just let your teacher know and they can do a phone and/or zoom conference with you.

Gladys Wood is a Title 1 School. We are looking for additional

people to be a part of our Title 1 Team. This is a volunteer position and

would require coming to at least three short meetings each year. If you’re

interested in this, please contact me at 907-742-6760 or e mail me at

straw_nicholas@asdk12.org

Document Updates: If you have important confidential court

documents that pertain to the custody of your children that limits who can

pick your child up, please let us know. Sometimes changes occur and

contact lists are inaccurate. We rely on you to let us know if someone

needs to be removed from the contact list you originally created at the

beginning of the school year. If you have a new phone number or person

you need added to your child’s contact list just call us at 742-6760 and we

can get it updated.

Across the Anchorage School District we take safety concerns

seriously. We teach the students here at Gladys Wood that if they see

something dangerous and harmful to say something. It’s a catchy phrase!

If you see something, say something! Thank you for encouraging your

children when they see something anywhere, including online, that’s going

to hurt someone to immediately say something to the adults in their lives at

home and at school.

As the beautiful warm, sunny days become less in number and as our frosty/snowy mornings become more prevalent, please send warm winter gear with your students as we have recess daily unless temperatures or wind chill factors reach -10 degrees. Also, please know you’re still welcome to visit the Gladys Wood playground after school hours with supervision. Students are encouraged to have an adult join them for everyone’s safety. We have increased how often we are sweeping through the playground to pick up trash. If when you are on our playground, you’d like to help volunteer to pick up trash this would be much appreciated. There is a brown bear proof trash can on the playground where you can discard any trash you find.

If there’s anything at all that we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to

reach out via email straw_nicholas@asdk12.org or by phone at 742-6760.

As seasonal illnesses begin, please know the Straws continue to keep caregivers and those who are sick in our thoughts and prayers.

Have a great rest of your October Gladys Wood!

Sincerely,

Mr. Straw

Dear Gladys Wood Families,

Welcome to the 2023-24 Gladys Wood Elementary School Year. It was so good seeing so many of you at our open house on August 16th. Students are actively learning and growing with teachers diving into all areas of content from day one. I have also met with all students at our annual beginning of the year assembly to talk about playground safety and kind social interactions. This training will continue throughout the year.

Gladys Wood continues to be a Title 1 School. We are looking for additional people to be a part of our Title 1 Team. This is a volunteer position and would require coming to at least three short meetings each year. If you’re interested in this, please contact me at 907-742-6760 or e mail me at straw_nicholas@asdk12.org

Document Updates: If you have important confidential court documents that pertain to the custody of your children that limits who can pick your child up, please let us know. Sometimes changes occur and contact lists are inaccurate. We rely on you to let us know if someone needs to be removed from the contact list you originally created at the beginning of the school year. If you have a new phone number or person you need added to your child’s contact list just call us at 742-6760 and we can get it updated.

Across the Anchorage School District we take safety concerns seriously. We teach the students here at Gladys Wood that if they see something dangerous and harmful to say something. It’s a catchy phrase! If you see something, say something! Thank you for encouraging your children when they see something anywhere, including online, that’s going to hurt someone to immediately say something to the adults in their lives at home and at school.

As the refreshing liquid sunshine days continue, please know you’re welcome to visit the Gladys Wood playground after 4p.m. with supervision. Students are encouraged to have an adult join them for everyone’s safety.

Thank you also for being mindful, safe and respectful of others while visiting the playground.

If there’s anything at all that we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email straw_nicholas@asdk12.org or by phone at 742-6760.

The Straw family will continue to think about all of you and keep you all in our prayers. We’re thankful to have all of you as a part of our family this year!

Sincerely,

Mr. Straw

Gladys Wood Community,

By the time you're reading this, we will have completed our state AK STAR tests for this year for 3-6th grade students. Thanks to parents for continuing to make sure your child(ren) gets plenty of rest and nutritious food to eat to help them come to school ready to learn. These last 5 weeks of school will go by very quickly and we want to give every student as many academic strengthening opportunities as we can.

It is in the spring that we begin to plan for the fall. We have seen a number of families move out of zone during this current school year and, as a courtesy, we have allowed the students impacted to remain enrolled with us to finish the year. For the coming year, if you currently live out of zone, you will be expected to request a zone exemption from the principal. Zone exceptions will be looked at on a case by case basis and may not be decided until after the 23/24 school year has begun. We ask that you reach out to us and your name will be recorded and if we're able to accept your child, we will contact you. Online registration for the 2023/2024 school year will open for returning students on Monday, April 24th. New to District students can register online starting July 15th. It is important that our Gladys Wood family's registers early to provide ASD leaders with a clear picture of our enrollment. We currently have 295 students enrolled at Gladys Wood compared to 292 at this time last year. 

Please make sure to register your child early, as enrollment drives our staffing allocation. If you need your Parent Connect Information, please call the office for assistance at 742-6760.

ASD has adopted a new anonymous application called STOPit. There are posters in the front porch of the Gladys Wood School that you can scan with your phone and/or call 907-416-5005 to report any inappropriate behavior. Thanks for talking with your children about getting help and knowing that when safety is involved, it's the right action to take.

Thank you also for dropping your children off between 8:40am and 8:45am and picking up at 3:30pm.

The Straw family wants you to know we continue to keep all of the Gladys Wood community in our thoughts and prayers and are thankful to be a part of your school family!

Mr. Straw

Gladys Wood Community,

Happy Early St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you have a restful Spring Break with your family.

We are at the very beginning of our 4th quarter now. It's hard to believe we have only 9 weeks left in the 2022/2023 school year.

We are making plans for next school year already and more will be shared as our plans progress.

As the beautiful sunny days continue and daylight increases, please know you're welcome to visit the Gladys Wood playground with proper supervision. Students are encouraged to have an adult join them for everyone's safety. The playgrounds, ice rink, and field are available to the public after 4:00 on school days. Thank you also for being mindful, safe and respectful of others while visiting the playground.

You can go to: District Overview/Staff Evaluations page on the district's website to give the teachers and myself feedback on how we're doing. You are able to give input for classroom, resource, and specialist teachers. The survey is quick and simple and we welcome all the feedback.

It will be good to see families at the PTO Meeting on Tuesday, April 11th. If you are not a PTO member yet, please consider joining. We'd love to hear from you! By signing up now and participating, you'll know what is being planned for next year. There will be a Spring School event happening in April. More to come about it.

We want to recognize those students who have sought out adult help when they've seen something this year that concerned them online or during face-to-face instruction. ASD has a catchy phrase that we use in situations. "If you see something, say something!" This applies to any situation where someone is being unsafe. Thanks for talking with your children about getting help and knowing that when safety is involved, it's the right action to take.

We will be returning to 8:45am till 3:30pm. School scheduled again starting March 13th.

Thank you for dropping your children off at 8:45am and picking up at 3:30pm.

With so many changes happening not only at school, but also in many of our personal lives, I wanted to end with saying the Straws continue to think about and pray for all of our Gladys Wood families and community. Be safe and be well!

Go Woodchucks!

Mr. Straw

Gladys Wood Community,

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today was the Gladys Wood Skate-A-Thon and what a perfect day for every Gladys Wood student to skate on our GW PTO funded rink that was newly renovated by our sponsors Home Depot on Abbott Road and ATS: Alaska Technical Services (Owner: Shannon Price). Students are loving the renovated rink and we're all very appreciative to have this valuable resource available to GW!

Thanks to all parents who are ensuring that their child comes to school appropriately dressed for colder temperatures with hat, coat, gloves, and snow pants or a second layer of pants. Wearing leggings under clothing such as shorts or dresses is encouraged to ensure students avoid frost nip.

I am also sending a link below to our Gladys Wood Handbook and specifically the section about dress code. I've also pasted the section from the handbook below that specifically talks about dress codes. If you'er not sure what is allowed, it gives good details about  clothing and footwear. Thanks for helping us keep our students safe.

If your child has been wearing footwear that doesn't firmly attach to their feet, we are asking that starting February 13th (next Monday) all students leave loose-fitting shoes at home and wear footwear that won't easily fall off. In the event of an evacuation, we want all students to be able to exit safely.

Link to GW Parent/Student Handbook: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yOtszexKyqdlEtFA0xfu8pjwWMlF92DNe3rORB4aWNA/edit?usp=sharing

Excerpt about Dress Code:

DRESS CODE

Students are expected to dress modestly and appropriately for the elementary school environment. No clothing will be allowed that:

1) display explicit or obscene messages,

2) conveys alcohol, drug, or tobacco themes,

3) sags or presents a safety hazard,

4) reveals any part of the body from the shoulder area to mid thigh, or 

5) has excessive holes or tears.

Shorts and skirts must extend below the student's fingertips when standing and shirts must be long enough to extend over the waist of the student's pants, jeans, or skirts. Outer garments, including coats, jackets, and hats are not to be worn in the building. Flip-flops, slippers, heels over 3", sandals and platform shoes may NOT be worn due to safety hazards. If a child wears inappropriate footwear for the weather, they will be asked to either put on their gym shoes, or borrow shoes from the gym. Bandanas, skull caps, gloves, chains or tethers are not permitted. Hats and hoods may not be worn in the building. Individuals may request exceptions to this policy for religious reasons.

Thanks for your help with this!

We want to recognize those students who have sought out adult help when they've seen something this year that concerned them online or during face-to-face interactions. ASD has a catchy phrase that we use in these situations. If you see something, say something! This applies to any situation where someone is unsafe. Thanks for talking with your children about getting help and knowing that when safety is involved, it's the right action to take.

Thank you also for dropping your children off at 8:45am and picking up at 4pm until March 9th.

Go Woodchucks!

Mr. Straw

Gladys Wood Community,

Happy New Year!

We're off and running and students are actively refining their skills in reading, writing, math, social studies, science, art, music, health, PE, and library.

The ice rink has recently been hot mopped and is available for use. If any parents would like to volunteer to help watch students during recess one day or a couple days of the week, please contact Mr. Straw. straw_nicolas@asdk12.org or call 742-6760. Recess times are as follows: 6th/1st Grade 11:25am-12pm, 2nd/3rd Grade 12pm-12:35pm, 4th/5th Grade 12:35pm-1:10pm.

It was good to see families at the PTO Meeting this past Tuesday, January 10th. If you are not a PTO member yet, please consider joining us, we'd love to hear from you!

The ice rink, playground, and sledding hill are available to all of you to use in the evening and on the weekend. Please come get some fresh air and play. Yes, adults you too!

The Straw family wishes you a safe and joyful January and will continue to think about all of you and keep you in our prayers.

Mr. Straw

Gladys Wood Community,

Happy Early Winter Break!

As we end our 1st semester of the 2022/23 School Year, I want to say thank you for your efforts to help get your children to school.

Turkey bingo was a huge success! Thanks to Mrs. Bennett for organizing it this year and the support of the PTO volunteers. Many smiling faces left with turkeys or pies.

Students continue to make a lot of growth in their learning. Students were recently progress monitored and level of success that they're showing is quite promising.

Sledding continues for all students this year every Tuesday and during recess. Thanks to parents for making sure students have a coat, hat, gloves, and snowpants (an extra layer of pants works too!) every day for recess.

The rink is also ready for use and is plowed out weekly thanks to the generous support of our PTO.

It was good to see families at the PTO Meeting in November. If you are not a PTO Member yet, please consider joining. We'd love to have you join us! The next PTO meeting will be Tuesday, January 10th via zoom.

The Straw family will continue to think about all of you and keep you all in our prayers. We hope you have a restful and relaxing Winter Break!!

Mr. Straw