Monday Message
News from Mrs. Hilcher- Principal of Grapevine Elementary
Week of March 21-25
Rock Your Socks
We are proud to celebrate our differences and abilities at GES! We are celebrating World Down Syndrome Day on Monday, 3/21, by ROCKING YOUR SOCKS! Students and staff will wear different socks, brightly colored socks, long socks, printed socks, mismatched socks, any kind of fun socks, in honor of our friends that rock an extra chromosome.
World Down Syndrome Day is on March 21st to symbolize a third copy of the 21st chromosome in people with Down syndrome. Communities all over the world will be celebrating the acceptance and inclusion of people who have Down Syndrome by Rocking their Socks and doing Random Acts of Kindness. #WDSD16 #MyFriendsMyCommunity
Upcoming Events
Sunday, 3/20 - Saturday, 3/26 Fundraiser at Five Below in Euless (mention GES and 10% of purchases will benefit our school.)
Monday, 3/21 Monday Morning Math Lab (7:15-7:40am); Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm); WOW Garden Club (2:45-4:00pm)
Tuesday, 3/22 Class picture day
Wednesday, 3/23 Third nine weeks Report Cards; NO Running Club
Thursday, 3/24 Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm)
Friday, 3/25 Bad Weather Make up day-NO SCHOOL!
Monday, 3/28 Monday Morning Math Lab (7:15-7:40am); Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm)
Tuesday, 3/29 STAAR testing for 4th & 5th grades-closed campus; Campus Excellence Committee meeting (3:10pm in the Learning Commons)
Wednesday, 3/30 STAAR testing for 5th grade-closed campus; Running Club (2:45-3:30pm)
Thursday, 3/31 5th grade spine screenings; Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm)
Monday, 4/4 Monday Morning Math Lab (7:15-7:40am); Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm); WOW Garden Club (2:45-4:00pm)
Wednesday, 4/6 Running Club (2:45-3:30pm)
Thursday, 4/7 Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm)
Friday, 4/8 Junior Achievement in a Day (K-5 classes)
Monday, 4/11 Monday Morning Math Lab (7:15-7:40am); Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm)
Tuesday, 4/12 Spring Creek Night for GES! (5:00-8:00pm at the Grapevine location)
Wednesday, 4/13 Running Club, KC Club & Student Council (2:45-3:30pm); NEHS (2:45-3:45pm)
Thursday, 4/14 Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm)
Saturday, 4/16 Rachel's Challenge Rally (8:00am-noon)
Monday, 4/18 Monday Morning Math Lab (7:15-7:40am); Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm); WOW Garden Club (2:45-4:00pm)
Wednesday, 4/20 Running Club (2:45-3:30pm)
Thursday, 4/21 Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm); PTA meeting/Diversity Night (6:30pm)
Monday, 4/25-Friday, 4/29 Kindergarten Registration
Monday, 4/25- Tuesday, 5/3 Tarrant County Elections voting in the GES Gym
Monday, 4/25 Monday Morning Math Lab (7:15-7:40am); Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm)
Wednesday, 4/27 Running Club (2:45-3:30pm)
Thursday, 4/28 Ensemble practice (2:45-3:45pm); Kindergarten Rally (5:00-7:30pm)
Thursday, 5/12 Deadline for completing the 25/100 Book Challenge
HB 2610 Information
What is House Bill 2610?
HB 2610, passed by the 84th Texas Legislature, requires school districts to provide at least 75,600 minutes of instruction, rather than 180 days of instruction. By changing the way the school year is measured, it is meant to give districts more flexibility in how they make up for missed instructional days.
What does this mean for GCISD?
Due to the new legislation passed by the State, there will be some changes made to the student-teacher calendar in GCISD. Currently, our elementary school students have 72,840 minutes of instruction, which does not meet the new requirements. By adding fifteen minutes to each elementary school day, this will allow GCISD to meet the state standard of instructional minutes. Additionally, GCISD will be extending the high school day by 5-minutes to meet the new requirements. The middle schools already receive the required instructional minutes so their day will not require an extension.
The new start and dismissal times are impacted not only by the change in the required instructional minutes but also by the resulting shift in the transportation schedules.
The new times for 2016-2017:
· Elementary School 7:40 a.m. - 2:55 p.m.
· Middle School 8:10 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.
· High School 8:40 a.m. - 3:55 p.m.
How did the district come up with the calendar?
The GCISD District Excellence Committee, comprised of teachers, staff, parents and community members, as well as district and campus leadership, reviewed possible calendar options for the 2016-2017 school year. After several months of gathering their feedback, a recommendation was made to the Board of Trustees.
What are the breaks for 2016-2017?
Student holidays for 2016-2017 are Labor Day, Columbus Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day/Washington’s Birthday and Memorial Day. Breaks reflect traditional community preferences of a week at Thanksgiving and Spring Break, and two weeks for Winter Break. The last day of school for students is Thursday, June 1, 2016
Important Reminders
The 2016-2017 GCISD student transfer window will be open March 21-April 22. Please view the following link for information on district transfers. http://www.gcisd-k12.org/Domain/2763 Student transfer online application window will be open the following dates: March 21 - April 22, 2016; June 20 - 24, 2016 & July 18 - 22, 2016.
- Attendance notes and questions should be directed to our Student Data Secretary, Heather Hedges, in the front office. Please note that Heather's last name is now Hedges and heather.mabery@gcisd.net no longer works. Please send all emails to heather.hedges@gcisd.net.
- In an effort to invite community members to see our district at work, the Board of Trustees are taking some monthly Board meetings on the road! On Monday, March 28, the GCISD Board of Trustees will host its regular meeting at Colleyville Middle School, located at 1100 Bogart Drive Colleyville, TX 76034. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria. We hope to see you there!
- Kindergarten Registration will be April 25-29. We will be hosting a Kindergarten Rally on Thursday, April 28 from 5-7:30 for families to tour our school, turn in registration papers and shop at our GES spirit shop. Please help us spread the word to your friends and neighbors who have incoming kindergarteners!
STAAR Testing Reminders
Please mark your calendars for the upcoming STAAR testing dates! Due to state and district STAAR testing security guidelines, GES will be a closed campus to all visitors and volunteers on the following dates. (This includes lunch visitors for students of all ages.)
Tuesday, March 29 - 4th Grade Writing & 5th Grade Math
Wednesday, March 30 - 5th Grade Reading
Monday, May 9 - 3rd & 4th Grade Math
Tuesday, May 10 - 3rd & 4th Grade Reading
Wednesday, May 11 - 5th Grade Science
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Ray or Mrs. Hilcher. We appreciate your cooperation!
GCISD To Host Bond Election Information Meetings
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is hosting four bond election meetings starting March 10 to provide voters and community members with information on the proposed package. On February 18, GCISD Trustees voted to call a $248.975 million bond election for Saturday, May 7, 2016.
“We are holding informational meetings at each of our middle schools to give members of the community the opportunity to choose the most convenient time or location to learn more about the bond proposition,” said Dr. Robin Ryan, GCISD Superintendent.
Quadrant meetings will be held:
March 22 at Heritage Middle School, 5300 Heritage Avenue, Colleyville
March 31 at Colleyville Middle School, 1100 Bogart Drive, Colleyville
April 5 at Cross Timbers MIddle School, 2301 Pool Rd, Grapevine
The one hour meetings begin at 6 p.m. and will be held in the campus cafeteria. During the meeting, district leaders will give an overview of the proposed projects, explain the community-led selection process, where and how to find specific information about each campus and facility, discuss the tax rate, and answer questions from community members. *Please note that you may attend any meeting. You are not limited to the meeting at the campus in which you have a student or where your child will attend middle school.
**Early voting is April 25 - May 3. GCISD residents age 18 and up can register to vote through April 7. Detailed information on the bond proposal can be found at GCISDBond2016.com.
GES Information & Announcements
GES YEARBOOK NEEDS YOUR PICTURES!
Please upload photos to TreeRing’s designated folders for the 2015-2016 GES Yearbook. If you don’t have a login please follow instructions below.
- Go to www.treering.com/validate and enter our school code 1013813367251830
You can also email your photos to gespictures@gmail.com Thanks for contributing to our yearbook!
Math Lab Opportunity for Grades 3-5
GCISD Information
Heritage Middle School PTA Board Positions
Information on Tuition Based Pre-K
Math Telescoping Information
Testing opportunities for telescoping in math for the 2016-2017 school year are available in the spring and summer for GCISD students who are completing grades K through 7. The Math Telescoping Information Packet will be available the first week in March on the district website under the For Parents and Students Directory by selecting the link for Acceleration Exams, Math Telescoping, Grades K-7. From the Assessment Department page select either the ENGLISH or SPANISH version for Math Telescoping, Grades K-7. Parents will find information about the requirements to qualify for Math Telescoping and instructions about the new TWO STEP Online Registration Process. There will be links to print the Information Packet, begin the TWO STEP Online Registration Process to register for the spring exams, view the TEKS on the TEA website, and download Study Guides for the exams purchased from UT-Austin. The exam dates and registration deadlines for each exam date are listed below:
Spring Exam Date: Saturday, May 7, 2016 (9:00 AM at Colleyville Elementary)
Online Registration Deadline –Spring Exam Date: April 12, 2016 - CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT. The online registration form will become unavailable at 12:01 AM, April 13, 2016.
Exam Fee Payment Deadline – Spring Exam Date: April 14, 2016 - BY NOON
Summer Exam Date: Thursday, July 28, 2016 (9:00 AM at Colleyville Elementary) Online Registration Deadline – Summer Exam Date: June 20, 2016 - CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT. Online registration for the Summer Exam Date will open the week of May 9th. The online registration form will become unavailable at 12:01 AM, June 21, 2016.
Exam Fee Payment Deadline – Summer Exam Date: June 22, 2016 - BY NOON
GCISD Podcasts
Important Links
- GCISD's online volunteer background check: http://bit.ly/1j1zDHT
- GES Yearbooks: http://www.TreeRing.com/validate (Our passcode: 1013813367251830)
- 2015-2016 Parent-Student Handbook and Student Code of Conduct: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/Page/226
- The ABC's of Grapevine Elementary: http://bit.ly/21HuqHf
Follow Our Story
Follow the excitement on Twitter and Facebook:
- On Twitter follow:
Principal Mrs. Hilcher: @GESHilcher
Assistant Principal Ms. Ray: @GESKRay
Grapevine Elementary: @GESStars
Your favorite teacher: @GES[lastname]
All GES classrooms by checking our #GESshineon
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrapevineElementary