Glenbard News for August 8, 2025

In this issue:

• School starts August 14 – make sure your school physicals and vaccines are up to date
• GPS speakers to teach time management and organizational skills
• GPS speaker spotlight: Ethan Kross

School starts August 14 – make sure your school physicals and vaccines are up to date
School starts August 14, 2025!
Do you need a school physical (required for entering 9th graders)?
Do you need vaccines (required for entering 9th graders and 12th graders)?
Do you need a sports physical (required to play sports in high school)?

VNA Health Care has locations in and near the Glenbard high schools. They are a not-for-profit organization that accepts most insurance and has a sliding scale for under/uninsured patients. Use the link above to schedule an appointment now. This can help make sure your student is ready for school on the first day!

GPS speakers to teach time management and organizational skills
The GPS Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families will present Start the Year with Organizational Skills for School Success with authors Kristen Jacobsen and Sarah Ward at noon and 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21, via Zoom.

Visit GPSParentSeries.org for event details and the links to these webinars.

Back to school is the perfect time to teach kids about time management, help them become more productive and self-reliant, and equip them with essential executive-functioning strategies. Jacobson and Ward co-developed “The Time Tracker Program,” an innovative set of tools and strategies used by students across the country to improve time awareness and planning. These speakers will offer actionable tools to help students develop critical skills such as planning, prioritizing, task initiation, and sustained attention. Designed to support learners from elementary through high school, this GPS program emphasizes how students can “see and sense” the passage of time in order to manage school work and leisure activities more effectively. Parents will come away from this presentation armed with proven methods to help their children become more independent and confident learners.

Jacobsen is a speech-language pathologist and co-director of Cognitive Connections who has decades of experience working in clinical and school settings. She has designed and implemented executive function curricula for students of all ages and given engaging presentations and practical, brain-based approaches to help students succeed.

Ward is an internationally recognized speaker and speech-language pathologist with over 25 years of experience specializing in executive function skills. She is a recipient of multiple awards and a returning favorite of the GPS Parent Series.

Please share information about this event with friends and relatives. All are welcome to the free weekly GPS events, and no registration is required. To be placed on a reminder list for GPS events, contact Glenbard District 87 Student and Community Projects Coordinator Gilda Ross at [email protected] or 630-942-7668. Continuing education credits are available.

GPS speaker spotlight: Ethan Kross
Glenbard North junior and Reality Illinois member Alivia LaMontagna is showcasing the important book “Shift: Managing Your Emotions So They Don’t Manage You” by Ethan Kross. The noted psychologist will join GPS for two special presentations on Dec. 2 at noon and 7 p.m. Dr. Kross will offer practical tips on how to effectively manage emotions for greater health and success.

Please enjoy the recent GPS event with Dr. Susan David and Dr. Kristin Neff titled “Emotional Agility: Skills to Navigate Change and Embrace Compassion“. Check out “Shift” along with all the books by authors scheduled for GPS Parent Series this year at GPSParentSeries.org.