March 2019
KEEPING YOU CONNECTED...
We are deeply committed to offering excellent educational experiences for our students and we want to keep you informed of upcoming events, successes and happenings in GPISD.
In Galena Park ISD, our students are extremely important to us and so are you. Please enjoy this edition of a newsletter especially designed for you.
Spring Break will be Monday, March 11- Friday, March 15. We hope you all have a wonderful and safe week with your family!
Thank you for staying connected!
A message from the Superintendent..
Galena Park ISD, like all Texas school districts, is mandated to conduct tests each year in specified subjects. The results of these tests serve to measure the academic achievement level of our students and the success of our educators. Many hours of effort go into preparing and administrating these exams, and a great deal of anxiety exists while awaiting the results. When the grades are announced, the discussion shifts to the scores themselves, the scores in relation to other school districts, and the goals accomplished and opportunities for improvement.
With so much emphasis placed on these state-mandated tests, it would be easy to assume the health of Galena Park ISD can be measured solely by this one score. However, while we can’t diminish its importance nor miss the opportunity to celebrate our academic successes, the school year encompasses many other tests, both literal and physical. These tests serve to validate our excellence in the classroom, in the Board Room and in the community. We cannot measure the health of this great school district with a single score, a single grade or a single activity. We are more than one score!
Galena Park ISD operates our facilities and resources in a responsible manner, maintaining safe and secure schools and providing a safe environment for all activities- both academic and extracurricular. The District continues to provide free breakfast and lunch for every student every school day, and we offer opportunities to challenge and enrich the mind and body through fine arts, athletics, and college-level courses. Community partnerships are supported and encouraged. We have engaged PTA programs at all campuses, and our business and community partnerships continue to thrive.
My good friend and our former superintendent, Dr. Shirley Neeley, put it best with her well-known, “Good! Better! Best! Never let it rest, ‘til your good is better, and your better is best!” Our goal for Galena Park ISD is to achieve at the highest level in ALL areas. Simply put, “It’s all about excellence!"
Updating Your Blackboard ParentLink Information
If you are having any of these issues, the information we have on file for your child(ren) may be out of date!
You will need to provide the following information to update your ParentLink Portal:
- Your child's name
- Your child's campus
- Your child's date of birth
- Your name
- The updated phone number and email address
To update your information, you can contact the Communications Department several different ways:
1. Email us at communications@galenaparkisd.com
2. Call 832-386-1505
3. Call 832-386-1253
Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow
Did you know that students who miss as little as two days a month are at risk of not graduating from high school? Even strong students with good grades in elementary school can quickly fall off course in middle and high school if they miss a few classes. Lessons build on one another and move more quickly in the upper grades. While it may not seem like it, students can’t make up for too many absences with take-home assignments. Many teens don’t think it matters to skip a class during the day, but it does.
It is also important that we identify any barriers that might keep your child from coming to school every day. Is your child staying home during the day to watch a younger sibling? Is he or she concerned about bullying? Are there other obstacles which affect your child’s attendance? If there are barriers your family currently faces which makes attending school regularly a challenge, please reach out to your child’s school, so we can work together and connect you with resources that offer help for the whole family.
We encourage you to talk to your child about the importance of being in school every day. Remember, students who Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow. Don’t let absences add up.
College Readiness
College Tuition Information
**note: students MUST be accepted to the college in order to qualify for the free tuition offers
ACT/SAT Tutorial and Test Dates
February Board Meeting Recognitions
Community Recognition
Student Recognition
• Crystal Arguelles–GPHS Choir
• Ivonne Arguelles–GPHS Choir
• Ariadne Lopez–GPHS Choir
• Jason Padron–GPHS Choir
• Alexandra Saldana–GPHS Choir
• Yasmin Banda–NSSH Choir
• Prince Bryant–NSSH Choir
• Jose Bizarro–GPHS Band
• Julian Garza–GPHS Band
• Osvaldo Castro–NSSH Band
Parent Volunteer Recognition
Employee Recognition
Partnership Recognition
Congratulations to GPISD Athletic Director, Ms. Vivian Dancy!
Galena Park ISD (GPISD) would like to congratulate Ms. Vivian Dancy, director of athletics, for being named Region 5 Athletic Director of the Year by the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association.
Since becoming athletic director, GPISD has enjoyed extraordinary success under her leadership including the North Shore Senior High football team winning the 6A Division I State Championship game against Duncanville High School and the Mustangs being named the #1 high school football team in the nation by MaxPreps.
Dancy started her career in GPISD in 1989 as the North Shore High School girls’ basketball coach and led the team to their first-ever district championship. After 10 seasons as the head coach, former athletic director, Ed Warken, began giving Dancy more responsibilities including coordinating duties with the athletic department. As time went on, she became more intrigued in how the athletic department operates and how she could make a difference. Dancy began her transition from coach to District Athletic Coordinator in 2000, where she oversaw the Districts’ two high schools and four middle schools. She was named the interim athletic director in May 2016 and was named the athletic director in July 2017. She is the first female athletic director in Galena Park ISD.
Congratulations, Ms. Dancy! We are so lucky to have you in GPISD.
North Shore Senior High Football Team Wins Moment of the Year award!
On Wednesday, February 6, the North Shore Senior High School (NSSHS) Varsity Football Team received the Moment of the Year award at the 2019 Houston Sports Awards held at the Hilton Americas.
The Houston Sports Awards presented by Insperity was created by The Harris County- Houston Sports Authority to celebrate the most accomplished athletes, coaches, teams, contributors and moments in the Houston Sports Community. Ten awards are presented to professional and high school athletes or teams.
The Moment of the Year award is a moment or series of moments transpiring during a play in a single game, individual match or specific event. The nominees included Simone Biles, DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Dynamo and the Santa Fe High School football team. The North Shore football team was nominated for the game-winning, Hail Mary play at the 6A Division I State Championship Game.
With only 3 seconds left in the game and North Shore trailing Duncanville, 33-35, Coach Kay, North Shore Head Coach, went for the one pass that could give his team the title of Champions, the Hail Mary. With time winding down, North Shore Quarterback, Dematrius Davis, launched one last deep pass from midfield to the end zone. Wide receiver, AJ Carter, jumped up and caught the game winning pass while covered tightly by three Duncanville defenders, making the final score of the game, 41-36.
Galena Park ISD would like to congratulate Coach Kay, the coaching staff and players for winning the 2019 Moment of the Year award!
Photo credits to Joshua Koch of Vype Houston
Digital Story/ Perfect Match
March Mental Health Tip
March Observance Days
March 1-31: Texas History Month
March 1-31: Music in Our Schools Month
March 1-31: National Middle Level Education Month
March 1-31: National Nutrition Month
March 1-31: Youth Art Month
March 2: Texas Independence Day
March 4-8: Texas Public Schools Week
March 4-8: Educational Diagnosticians' Week
March 5-9: National School Breakfast Week
March 10: Daylight Savings Time (clocks set forward)
March 26: National Agriculture Day
Board of Trustees Meeting
Monday, Mar 4, 2019, 06:00 PM
14705 Woodforest Boulevard, Houston, TX, United States
Community Council PTA
Location: Zotz Education Center
Tuesday, Mar 5, 2019, 10:00 AM
13801 Hollypark Drive, Houston, TX, USA
Have you downloaded our GPISD App yet?
How To Access Your Child's STAAR Scores
Did you know you can access your student's STAAR scores on the Texas Assessment Management Parent Portal?
Just go to their webpage, https://txparentportal.emetric.net
If you do not know your student's access code click on "Look Up Access Code" in blue beneath the login area. The PEIMS ID code is your student's state ID or Social Security Number without any dashes.
The Mission of Galena Park ISD
Email: communications@galenaparkisd.com
Website: Galenaparkisd.com
Location: 14705 Woodforest Blvd, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: 832-386-1000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GPISD/
Twitter: @GalenaParkISD