Panther Pause
24 years of Pride at Colleyville Heritage High School
11.06.20
Dear Panther Family,
I hope this edition of the Panther Pause finds you all safe and well. We’ve conquered yet another week of school and I continue to be proud of the efforts of our staff and students. These times are extremely challenging and I hope you always know that we are here to support you in any way that we can.
One of the things that has brought me the most joy this year has been watching our young people take part in the activities that they love. Even pre-Covid I enjoyed these events, but I’m sure I am not alone in this feeling of deeper gratitude and appreciation for these experiences for our students. I am so proud of them. Last night we had a fantastic opening of Godspell and I would encourage you to get tickets to check it out over the next couple of days. Our Volleyball team is currently in second place and take on undefeated Denton High School (5:00pm) tonight, Varsity Girls Cross Country finished as district runner-up, Tennis finished top 8 in the Region, and our Panther Football team takes on Red Oak tonight at 7:00pm in a district battle at Mustang-Panther Stadium.
I hope to see you all at one (or many) of the numerous events taking place over the course of this year. We are rounding the curve of the 3rd week of the second grading period. Please be sure to check Skyward to stay updated on your student’s progress and never hesitate to reach out if there are any questions. Together we can help all of our Panthers achieve success during these challenging times. Have a wonderful weekend!
With Pride,
Dr. James Whitfield
CHHS Principal
#CHPantherPride
Senior Spotlight: Taylor Steele
Taylor is a member of Panther Football, Track and Field, Student Council, Leadership, and Red
Jackets. After graduation, he plans on attending college to pursue a degree in business. In his
free time he likes playing fantasy football. Taylor’s favorite quote is from the movie Shawshank
Redemption when Andy Dufresne says, “It’s funny. On the outside, I was an honest man. Straight
as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook.”
Taylor plans on attending Project Graduation because “it will be great to spend the last night of
my senior year with all my friends I’ve made over the past 4 years at Colleyville Heritage High
School.” We hope all our seniors will join Taylor at Project Graduation 2021!
Senior Spotlight
We are looking for seniors to help promote Project Graduation. Being involved will also promote your club, sport or organization. If you are selected, we will coordinate dates that you will be our Senior Spotlight student. Only a certain number of applicants will be accepted, so apply early! A local photographer will take your photo, if you do not already have one, and we will link the spotlight to your personal social media accounts. For more information and to apply, click on this link.
Panther Football
Thursday, November 12
Freshmen vs Summitt Away 5:30 pm
JV vs Summitt Home 5:30 pm
Friday, November 13
Varsity vs Summitt @ Newsom Stadium 7:00 pm
CHHS Volleyball
On Tuesday (11-10-20) the Panthers travel to Northwest to take on the Texans.
Varsity plays at 5, JV at 6:30, and Freshmen at 8.
All tickets must be purchased in advance. Check the CHVB Twitter page for more information!
COVID-19 Email Communication Update
As we move into November, GCISD will be making a slight adjustment to the process in which families are notified of a test-confirmed positive COVID-19 case on their campus. Beginning this week, families will receive one email notification identifying all positive cases for that day on their student’s campus, as opposed to multiple emails if there are multiple cases. Families will only receive this email if there was a positive case on your student’s campus that day.
NOTE: This does not change procedures for close contact communication. If your child is determined to be a close contact of a test-confirmed positive case, you will be directly notified by your campus.
Junior Chefs
Calling all junior chefs, Chef Jason wants to see your holiday dish that you will make this Thanksgiving! Check out the Chef Chat Video on Mashed Potatoes for your Thanksgiving meal.
Thanksgiving Feast
Thanksgiving Feast is on November 12. Enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal of sliced turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread stuffing, green beans, fresh-baked roll, apple crisp, and a slice of pumpkin pie. Meals are free for in-person students at elementary, middle, and Collegiate Academy.
Need to order school pictures?
You can either use the QR code provided to your student to take home as a proof, check your email, or use the information in the flyer to obtain your ordering information.
Support Project Graduation
GCISD Virtual College Visits:
This year we will be promoting Virtual College Visits in the evenings instead of during lunches. Visits will be open to students at BOTH high schools, so please check both calendars to see who is “visiting”. The calendars can be found on the Go Center website as pictured below. Each university will provide their own link for accessing the visit which can be found on the calendar.
SUPPORT CHHS CHEER
The deadline to order is November 9th!
Support CHHS PTSA
NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
Questions about education after high school?
CHHS Baseball Golf Classic
CHHS Senior Ad
https://www.jostens.com/apps/jcom/router.mvc?affiliateId=1026349
CHHS Yearbook
Click here to purchase your 2020-2021 CHHS Yearbook at the lowest price all year at $75! Hurry now before the price goes up next on November 13!
Texas PTA scholarship applications
Texas PTA scholarship applications close in less than two weeks! Eligible high school seniors and faculty members must apply by November 15, 2020.
Check out the Texas PTA website for more information.
Panther Football Car Raffle
CHHS Senior Class of 2021 Project Graduation
Support this year's CHHS Senior Class of 2021 Project Graduation!!! Project Graduation, is a one night celebration after graduation organized by high school parents of all grades that celebrates the graduating class of seniors by sending them off with a night of fun and prizes. In order to make this year a success we need your help! We have spirit wear options for Seniors, Moms and all CHHS supporters! Prices range from $20 (including tax) for t-shirts, $16 for Yard signs, and $5 for a Panther license plate holder for those new Panther drivers. Order your spirit wear today and support our Senior Class of 2021.
Recognize your 2021 Senior, Purchase a senior yard sign, all proceeds benefit Project Graduation
TCC Virtual FAFSA and TASFA Workshop Week
Upcoming Training Opportunity for Parents
7th Annual Bring the Conversation to Light Event on Nov. 18th at 12:00 PM - Sponsored by the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation in partnership with Hope Squad. Click HERE for more information and to register.
Attention Senior Parents!
2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 Senior Students & Parents ~ WE NEED YOU! We want to keep CHHS Project Graduation going for years to come and we need your help to start planning for our 2021 Seniors! Our goal is to have parents and students from ALL grade levels! Signing up below is NOT a commitment. You will be contacted with more information regarding the position and to confirm your interest. Most positions are a minimum time commitment. More than one person can help with each position so get a friend or two and sign up together. Students can also volunteer to help with any positions and earn service hours! We will be meeting soon so sign up today and join the CHHS Project Grad team at bit.ly/PGTeam2021
NEW Senior Picture Day
All seniors (whether learning in-person or remote) can have their picture taken for the CHHS Yearbook. If you need to schedule a time, November 18 has been provided and you will need to register here for a time. All pictures will be taken behind the bleachers in Gym 1. Each senior can choose to have their picture taken wearing the traditional tux or drape or in their Sunday Best clothes. Please know that that tux and drape are not washed between each wear, so due to Covid, each student can choose to wear it or not. The yearbook sitting fee is free for you to get your picture taken.
Legacy Studios will provide:
- Social Distancing of 6ft or more
- No-Contact photography process
- Masks worn by photographers and staff
***ALL ORDERS ARE DONE ONLINE!
Pictures from the summer
The CHHS yearbook will look a little different than in years past, and we need your help! This year's theme is Together, We Can! and it will literally be a team effort. Please submit any pictures you have of what you did over the summer to our yearbook staff member, Xavia Washington, at was2871@gcisdstudent.net. They could be from games, practices, school, pumpkin patch, etc...
Your email must include a clear picture (in a jpeg format; not a screenshot or a png) and the names of the students in the picture. You can most definitely submit more than one picture. Deadline for fall entries is December 2nd.
Support Class of 2023
Character Strong
"At Character Strong, we are always looking to provide practical tools for weaving social-emotional skills and character development into the daily fabric of campuses and classrooms. A key component of all of our curricula is the Character Dare: actionable ways to bring the sometimes abstract concepts, values, and traits of character to life. We believe that character is a set of skills and all skills require practice!" The upcoming week's Family Character Dare is below:
Counseling Newsletter
Click here for the November newsletter from counseling.
ongoing important information:
Free Meals Extension
The USDA has extended its nationwide waiver, allowing GCISD to now offer free meals through June 2021 at all elementary and middle school campuses and meal bundles at curbside locations. Complete information can be found here.
Canvas Tips
Parent Observers
Parents can sign up as an observer in Canvas. Observers can link their Canvas account to their student's account so they can see assignment dues dates, announcements, and other course content. Observers can view the course content but cannot participate in the course. Learn more and feel free to share this information with parents.
Prep at CHHS
Go Center
College Applications:
Seniors! College applications are open and the Go Center is available for appointments to assist you with your college process or answer any questions you might have. Due to the changes we are experiencing, you can set up a virtual or phone appointment until we are back in person. Click here to sign-up for an appointment! Please check your school email for follow- up communication.
Virtual College Visits:
Curious to how you can visit schools virtually and take advantage of their online opportunities? Check out this great resource that links you to each college's virtual experience page! **New Link from previous Panther Pause updates***
You can also visit DARN’s YouTube Channel to catch up on the virtual college fair that they hosted.
There are still opportunities to participate in NACAC’s virtual college fair and the GCISD College Fair (happening October 21, representatives will be “live” for questions).
Scholarships:
Although many local scholarships are not open yet, we encourage you to begin checking the GCISD Scholarship website as this will be actively updated with new deadlines as soon as we receive them. If you have not obtained letters of recommendation, please request them now as most scholarships generally require a minimum of two letters.
Seniors also need to research scholarships that come directly from the colleges/universities to which they are applying. Please reach out to the Go Center if you have any questions about scholarships!
TCC College Access Program:
If you have a possible interest in attending TCC after high school in the Fall of ’21, please know that TCC College Access facilitates the entire TCC registration process and is done during the school day. In order to participate and be included in this process you must complete this interest form questionnaire: http://tinyurl.com/tcc21. You can email Emily.miller@gcisd.net with questions or if you are interested in the program.
We encourage you to come see us (reach out virtually to us) at the Go Center for any questions you may have regarding your post high school plans.
USDA
In-Person Learners
The USDA has issued a nationwide waiver, allowing Grapevine-Colleyville ISD to offer meals FREE at no charge through December 2020 at all elementary, middle school campuses, and Collegiate Academy.
On September 22, 2020, GCISD began providing free meals to students as part of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program. Sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), this program will allow any student in elementary or middle school to receive a free breakfast and lunch meal in the school cafeteria.
Remote learners have the opportunity to pick up meals curbside every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at three locations: Cross Timbers Middle, Grapevine Middle, and Grapevine Elementary. All meals are free of charge until December 2020. For more information please visit www.gcisd.net or email child.nutrition@gcisd.net
Colleyville Virtual Cafe: Tutoring for Remote Learners
Colleyville Virtual Cafe: Tutoring for Remote Learners
Come-and-go Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Compass Center, 4201 Pool Rd, Grapevine, TX
MASKS REQUIRED
Virtual Cafe is a partnership of Compass Christian Church and Bear Valley Community Church. It will be staffed by a team of young adult volunteers from Bear Valley and hosted in the student ministry building of Compass. We will provide tutoring and internet access for students enrolled in remote instruction at Colleyville Heritage High School and Heritage Middle School. We will provide snacks each day, but not breakfast or lunch.
Registration will be capped at 15 students per day. Registrants beyond this capacity will be placed on a waitlist and informed when we have the capacity to serve more students.
Questions? Contact Kyle Bauman at kyle@bearvalleychurch.com
Skyward Attendance
Please be aware that as we move through this unique school year with in-person and remote learners, the way in which our teachers take attendance in Skyward has become much more complex. Therefore, to make better use of instructional time, teachers now have the flexibility to formally enter attendance into Skyward up to a full day after the attendance period.
With that said, it is important for parents to know that if you access Skyward to view your student’s attendance, it is possible the system may show them as being absent for the current day, even if they were present in class or online. Additionally, it is possible that remote learning students may still display as absent up until the following day.
As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding.
A friendly reminder to parents
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD to offer meals FREE
USDA has issued a nationwide waiver, allowing Grapevine-Colleyville ISD to offer meals FREE at no charge through December 2020 at all elementary and middle school campuses and meal bundles at curbside locations.
Beginning on September 22, 2020 Grapevine-Colleyville ISD will begin providing free meals to students as part of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program. Sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), this program will allow any student in elementary or middle school to receive a free breakfast and lunch meal in the school cafeteria, with the option to purchase a-la-carte items. Additionally, the District will offer meal bundles at no cost available for curbside pick-up that will contain meals for the entire week, including the weekend.
Curbside meals may be picked up on Wednesdays at Grapevine Elementary, Cross Timbers Middle or Grapevine Middle from 4-6 p.m. The meal bundles will include seven breakfast, seven lunches and a choice of chocolate or white ½ pint milk (14 milks will be provided). Heating instructions will be included so that families can prepare the meals at their convenience.
GCISD’s high schools do not participate in the federally funded program and therefore meals will be charged as normal in those cafeterias; however, high school students are able to pick up a meal bundle from one of the curbside locations.
For more information on how the federal program operates please visit www.squaremeals.org or www.fns.usda.gov.
Parents are encouraged to continue filling out the free and reduced application online at www.schoollunchapp.com. The benefits from being approved for free or reduced-price meals, may include discounts for transportation, standardized tests, college application fees and technology fees to name a few. If you have any questions, please email child.nutrition@gcisd.net or call 817-251-5617.
Grade level canvas
Please click the link below to join your class Canvas course for announcements and updates from counselors and administrators today:
checking your child out of school
Parents,
If you need to check your child out of school, there are several ways to facilitate this:
- send in a note in the morning with your child
- send an email to your child's attendance clerk
last name L - Z lesli.ware@gcisd.net 817.305.4717
- call ahead and allow at least 30 minutes lead time
**Your student may then meet you in the circle drive and parents will not come inside.
We very much appreciate your understanding as we are not allowing visitors in the building to limit exposures.
Support CHHS Baseball
Daily Health Screen Reminder
As we prepare to welcome students on campus beginning Tuesday, September 8, I wanted to remind all parents of the need to pre-screen your student for signs and symptoms associated with COVID-19 before bringing your student to school. The signs and symptoms are to screen for are:
Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit
Loss of taste or smell
Cough
Difficulty breathing
Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Headache
Chills
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Shaking or exaggerated shivering
Significant muscle pain or ache
Diarrhea
Nausea or vomiting
If your child demonstrates any of the above signs or symptoms, they must stay home, and you need to report to the campus nurse the signs or symptoms your child is exhibiting. In the event that your child has a fever, they must be kept home from school until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. Please do not give fever reducing medication and send your child to school. Additionally, please do not send your child to school if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or are test-confirmed with COVID-19.
Nurse Update
Need to see your counselor?
If you have a question, please email your counselor. Have more than just a quick question? Sign up for an appointment with your counselor. Emergency or crisis? If you're an in-person learner you may come to the counseling office with a pass from your teacher or during passing periods. Please note that COVID-19 safety measures will be in place in the counseling office and must be observed.
Need help with Canvas?
suicide prevention curriculum
As many of you know, every fall the counseling teams at each secondary school present an evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum called S.O.S. to all students, grades 6-12.
Due to our unusual circumstances this year, we have decided to postpone the S.O.S. presentations, preferring to wait until we can share this critical information in-person.
We do want to share with you how our counselors are continuing to support our students during this time. Counselors are available for students and parents via Webex and phone. Each campus has a form available on their website to request to meet with a counselor. Additionally, counselors are reaching out to students to check in on them and will continue to do so throughout the year. Counselors are prepared to support students both remotely and in person. For students who are returning to school in person, counselors are accessible by going directly to the counseling office, or by requesting an appointment. For students who will continue with remote learning, counselors are accessible by phone or Webex.
In addition to the support provided by our counselors, the counseling page on the GCISD webpage has resources that are available for parents on a variety of topics.
Education Rights & Responsibilities During COVID-19
Panther Pause
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Colleyville-Heritage-High-School/520058474676460?fref=ts
Twitter: @CHPantherPride