Tiger Time News
News from the O.C. Taylor Principal, Lisa Young
Young@Heart, June 3, 2018
Dear O.C. Taylor Parents,
As our academic year draws to a close, we have much to celebrate and many happy memories. We have accomplished so much as a community. The OCT faculty and staff say in our End-of-the-Year video to the students, "You are OUR heroes! We love you!"
Many thanks:
I want to thank you for the support of O.C. Taylor this school year. We had many successes! We continued the great work of growing your children and preparing them to be servant leaders and lifelong learners.
There are countless people to whom I owe an expression of gratitude:
- Parent Teacher Association President, Executive Board, and all PTA members: Thank you, Elissa Rinon, for all you have done this year. I appreciate your devotion and commitment. To each person serving on the PTA Executive Board, thank you! YOU make a huge difference. Without your support and dedication, OCT would not be the school it is! I appreciate the many hours you put into your volunteer position. All PTA members, thank you for joining the organization. Thank you for the many gifts and resources you bestowed upon our school. Our students love the gaga pits, and we are excited about the many classroom leveled-readers/books you donated for 2018-19. Our PTA supports every child's education! Thank you!
- Campus Excellence Committee: Thank you to the following people for serving on our CEC: Debra Hurley, Amanda Brown, Cristie Morgan, Matt Smith, Rakshita Patel, Liz Payne, Janie Stach, Elissa Rinon, Jennifer Putman, Jenn Howard, Tiffany Dagger, Aimee Vinten, Heather Killeen, Kathy Griffin, Julie Lee, Kim Trauba, and Kim Steele. This committee's work navigates our school. Your time helped direct us where we went, which direction, and how we got there. Our Campus Improvement Plan is written and set for next year, thanks to you! It will be our best year yet!
- Officer Williams and the Colleyville Police Department: Thank you, Officer Williams, for all you did for us, especially keeping our little Tigers safe. You went above and beyond your job duties. We appreciate you spending time with us and getting to know the children! You even spent time running with our kids on Field Day! Wow!
- GCISD Administrative Team: Thank you to Dr. Robin Ryan, Superintendent, and Dr. Shiela Shiver, Executive Director of Instruction. Thank you to the entire GCISD administration for your service. Thank you, Dr. Ryan and Dr. Shiver, for your leadership. I appreciate you coming by OCT and supporting the great things our students, staff, and families are doing. Thank you to GCISD Chief Technology Officer, Kyle Berger, for teaching in Future Explorations each Friday! Central administration, thank you for modeling servant leadership in all you do and say. I am honored to be a part of the GCISD team, the B.E.S.T. (Building Excellent Schools Together)!
- O.C. Taylor Faculty and Staff: Thank you for all you do! You are the BEST! I am so fortunate and humbled to be surrounded by such passionate and committed educators. Your professionalism, dedication, and love of children are second to none. I appreciate you! We have the best careers possible and work in the best school possible. Thank you for loving one another like you do. To the office staff and Jennifer Putman, thank you for everything. I love the way we work together, laugh, and enjoy coming to OCT each day. We are blessed.
- Parents: Thank you, parents, for all you do each day for your child. I also greatly appreciate your support of me and of OCT! Thank you for the kind emails, cards, and little gifts you and/or your child gave me and our staff members this year. Thank you for supporting our fundraisers: Boosterthon, Spring Creek BBQ, Menchie's, Chipotle, etc. Thank you to our wonderful Homeroom Parents and Grade-Level Coordinators for all you have done this year, especially planning the two wonderful holiday parties! Thank you, all, for your numerous donations to help other people and organizations. From our "Coins for Creech" to our "GRACE Change Blitz" to our "World Water Day" and more, you gave generously. YOU have helped many people.
- Dads' Club: Thank you to Ben Stevens and Matt Smith for leading our Dads' Club this year! I liked the real snow and sledding down our OCT hill best! The Dads' Club hosted many fun events for dads and their kids. Thank you for helping the staff move and do other things on many occasions as well. We are appreciative!
- Students: To our stellar 5th graders, who are now officially 6th graders, we will miss you. Thank you to Mrs. Vinten and our 5th grade teachers and students for organizing our Wall of Positivity! You made an indelible mark on me and many others! Your leadership and kindness legacy lives on here at OCT. To all of our Tigers, thank you. Thank you for your loving and thoughtful hearts. May you all enjoy a much-deserved summer break!
2017-18 Accomplishments
This year's theme was EDUCATION "TAYLOR-ed" TO YOU! Our team leaders voted, and we all used the hashtag #OCT4U this year. We have so much to celebrate and many accomplishments for the 2017-18 school year. Below are a few of our highlights:
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Our Future Explorations was a success! Students LOVED the time on Fridays where they explored and learned about things they would not normally learn or do in school. Each week I heard many say "I can't wait until Future Explorations!"
We started the year off with a bang! Thanks to our generous PTA, our students were able to view the rare solar eclipse at the maximum time the moon covered the sun. We sang "Our Future's So Bright, We Gotta Wear Shades!" Click here to see a recap. Your child does have a bright future!
We implemented our new GREAT Tigers and new Voice Levels in the hallway. Ask your child what GREAT Tigers stand for: Growth-minded, Responsible, Extra Respectful, Always Kind, and Take Pride. Thank you to Mrs. Putman and our OCT Expectations Committee!
We hosted our first annual Book Character Parade where students dressed as their favorite book characters and paraded through the halls. It just happened to align with Halloween. :)
This year, Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology, has recognized O.C. Taylor Elementary with the award of Common Sense Certified School: Digital Citizenship. We have demonstrated our commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing our students to use the immense power of digital media to explore, create, connect, and learn while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying. Thank you to Jennifer Howard, our Learning Liaison, for submitting the application.
We hosted a successful Hour of Code. This is a global movement by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries through a one-hour introduction to computer science and computer programming. Thank you to 4th grade teacher Cassie Brewton for planning, organizing, and speaking at the GCISD Board Meeting about it!
We hosted another successful Career Day! Thank you to all of the parents who dedicated time in your busy day to share with our students. We had students make connections to our Future Explorations! By talking about careers and their future, we are giving students their "WHY." Why is school important? What is the purpose? Thank you to our counselor, Stacy Whisman, for coordinating this event!
Our TTT (Taylor Terrific Tigers) hosted many outreach events! TTT held our second annual Turkey Drive for G.R.A.C.E. We collected a record number of turkeys for those families who needed one for Thanksgiving. Thank you to Mrs. Whisman, Mr. Kiehn, and Mrs. Knudson for sponsoring our student council, TTT!
5th grade Safety Patrol and dads greeted outside each morning and opened car doors. These kids and dads help keep our Tigers safe...plus it helps parents get to work faster. We appreciate ALL you did this year! Thank you to 5th grade teacher, Corey Kowalewski, for coordinating our Safety Patrol.
We had approximately 75 dads come and spend the day at OCT helping in our Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) Program. Thank you for sacrificing and serving!
We had a successful Open House Portrait of A Graduate Showcase, opening up the entire school in a family-friendly event. Thank you to all of our teachers for making this a fun family night and for planning the activities.
We had our first Student Campus Excellence Committee where our students voted for those who would best represent and speak for them to the adults making decisions for the school year. Thank you to those students for serving!
We had so many unbelievable choir and musical performances. I have never seen any music teacher host as many as our very own rock star, Beth Vencill! She is simply amazing.
We have another wonderful yearbook full of memories! Thank you to Corey Kowalewski and the Student Yearbook Staff! They put in many long hours.
- We had many facility improvements and updates. In front of O.C. Taylor, the front bed, where the Tiger is, has been cleaned and cleared. We now have special rocks the OCT students have painted. The back faded wall was painted a bright blue. Thank you to our OCT Beautification Committee: Betsy Dodson and her team! What an accomplishment! Thank you also to Jim Hoey and his team in GCISD facilities for working with me to repair our blacktop.
Student Class Assignments for 2018-19
We have been working diligently on class assignments for next year. Our process for class placement is for the staff to meet in our Professional Learning Communities to discuss. The classroom teachers, OCT administration, counselor, and special teachers review these recommendations, make additional suggestions to accommodate needed professional support, and then the final approval rests with the principal and assistant principal. As we did this school year before Meet the Teacher in August, our teachers will be calling home to let your child know he or she will be your child's teacher. Make sure the front office has a good phone number to reach you on the Thursday before school starts.
Personnel Departures
This year we have several staff members leaving us. We will miss them all and wish them the very best life has to offer. Remember, once a Tiger, always a Tiger! Come back and visit! The following are leaving OCT:
- After three years at OCT, Mr. Dave Hoffman, our computer technician, has decided to move back to Seattle where his family lives. We sure will miss our techie!
- Laree Archer, Don Kiehn, and Susan Weston are retiring. Thank you to all who celebrated them and their years of service to children and families!
- Amanda Brown will be staying at home to work on building a family.
- Cassie Brewton, 4th grade, will be teaching at a school very close to her home in her hometown of Roanoke in Northwest ISD. No more long drives!
- Stacey Moore, our PALS speech teacher, is being transferred to Colleyville Elementary School where the PALS speech program will be housed.
- Kim Trauba will be staying at home to be with her girls and family.
- Kiersten Winrow will be staying at home with her new baby daughter.
- Congratulations to our Learning Liaison Jennifer Howard who accepted a promotion to be a GCISD Diagnostician!
Staff Changes
We had to make some changes to the existing personnel. With our enrollment slated for next year, we will have four sections of first grade; therefore, Cindy Davis will move from 2nd to 1st grade. Ashley Pettit will move from 3rd to 2nd grade. Due to a projected lower enrollment in 5th grade, we will be losing a section, so Mrs. Vinten will move from 5th to teach 3rd grade. We will only have one PreK section next year; Mrs. Irick will move from teaching PreK to teaching special education. With all this, it should be noted that there is a possibility of additional changes when we return in August as unforeseen events tend to happen.
As I come to the end of this long letter, I extend my grateful thanks to the entire OCT community for the way you continue to support us, our teachers, and our students. I am beyond blessed to serve this school and community. I have the best job in the world and love coming to work each day. I will miss you this summer! I wish you all an excellent summer, wherever you may be, and I look forward to an exhilarating 2018-19 school year! See you in August!
To the BEST of days,
Principal Young
Empowering our children today to create a better tomorrow!
Email: lisa.young@gcisd.net
Website: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=16665
Location: 5300 Pool Road, Colleyville, TX, United States
Phone: (817) 305-4870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OC-Taylor-Elementary-School-361871583888299/
Twitter: @OCTYoung
OCT Vision: To empower our children today to create a better tomorrow.
OCT Mission: To create life-long learners and develop servant leaders through authentic, real-world experiences.
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Upcoming Dates
Thursday, August 16
4:00-5:00 p.m. PTA School Supply Pack Sales
5:00-6:00 p.m. Meet the Teacher
6:00-8:00 p.m. PTA Party
Monday, August 20
7:15 a.m. Doors open for the 2018-19 school year
7:40 a.m. Tardy bell rings
7:40-8:40 a.m. Kindergarten Parent BooHoo/Yahoo Breakfast in the Library
Wednesday, August 22
5:00-6:30 p.m. Curriculum Night for PreK, K, and 1st grade (Meet in the cafeteria)
Wednesday, August 29
5:00-6:30 p.m. Curriculum Night for 2nd & 3rd grades (Meet in the cafeteria)
Thursday, August 30
5:00-6:30 p.m. Curriculum Night for 4th & 5th grades (Meet in the cafeteria)
OCT Updates
Tigers, YOU are our heroes! We love you!
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School Board Runoff Election Update
A runoff election between Amy Putnam and incumbent Becky St. John is required for the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District’s Board of Trustees, Place 2 after neither candidate reached the required majority vote. Election day is Saturday, June 16 with early voting from June 4-12.
Early Voting for June 16, 2018
This schedule of early voting locations, dates and times applies to voters in the following cities and a school district: Dalworthington Gardens, Flower Mound, Forest Hill, Hurst, Keller, Saginaw, and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD.
Early Voting by Personal Appearance Days and Hours
Monday, June 4- Friday, June 8 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 9 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 10 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Monday, June 11 - Tuesday, June 12 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Locations
1. City of Dalworthington Gardens City Hall, 2600 Roosevelt Drive, Arlington, Texas 76016
2. Colleyville City Hall, 100 Main Street, Colleyville, Texas 76034
3. Forest Hill Civic Convention Center, 6901 Wichita Street, Forest Hill, Texas 76140
4. Tarrant County Elections Center, 2700 Premier Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76111
5. The REC of Grapevine, 1175 Municipal Way, Grapevine, Texas 76051
6. Hurst Recreation Center, 700 Mary Drive, Hurst, Texas 76053
7. Keller Town Hall, 1100 Bear Creek Parkway, Keller, Texas 76248
8. Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Administration Building 6-Training Room, 1200 Old Decatur Road, Saginaw, Texas 76179
Application for Ballot by Mail may be downloaded from www.tarrantcounty.com/elections
Information by phone: Tarrant County Elections Administration, 817-831-8683
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Summertime Boredom Busters
GCISD put together some activities students could do all summer plus specific ones for each week of the summer. For each week, you'll see a Humanities, Math, Science and Maker challenge. Not all the activities are iPad related so everyone could do something even if they don't take an iPad home. Click here to see the links.
We have created "bookmarks" that you could use if you elect to not take home your iPad.
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Registration for Returning Students
Registration for returning students will open on July 23rd. All returning families will need to go to the district website under Student Registration to complete the registration process. Remember, if you are currently living at the same address, you will confirm the residence in Skyward. If you have moved during the summer and have a new address, you will be required to provide proof of residency at the campus during the designated time in August. Secondary campuses will have registration and registration completion on August 6 & 7 from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm.
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Registration for New Students to O.C. Taylor
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Read, read, read, then retell!
Please spend time developing the LOVE of reading with your children. Talk about books, go to the library, snuggle up, buy books and READ the books together. After you finish reading a story with your child, ask him to retell it to you. This is the best way to check comprehension and boost his understanding of the story. Retelling a story requires your child to think about the details and decide what's really important. Give your child these three rules for retelling a story:
- Tell what's important.
- Tell it in a way that makes sense.
- Don't tell too much.
Your child should be able to tell you what happens at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story. He should also be able to name the main characters.
You can prompt your child by asking open-ended questions, such as, "What happened next?" It's OK if he doesn't remember all the details. That gives you a chance to say, "Hmmm, let's go back and look at that part of the story again." Revisiting parts of the story will show your child that he sometimes has to read things more than once to gain a thorough understanding.
Studies show that this simple activity will help your child become a more thoughtful reader. He will start to pay attention to words whose meanings he doesn't know. He will focus on the story structure and pay more attention to important details. All of these things will improve your child's reading comprehension and make him a better reader-and a more successful student!
SUMMER READING OPPORTUNITIES:
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GCISD Elementary Elective/Extracurricular Survey
Please click here to give your feedback regarding GCISD's offering of elementary or elective offerings. Thank you!
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Updates from OCT Counselor, Mrs. Whisman
Please click here to see the June/July Counselor Corner Newsletter.
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Specials
Thank you for a great year, Tigers. We are so proud of each and every one of you for your growth and accomplishments this school year. We've done LOTS of learning and had a LOT of fun, and now it's time to rest, relax and enjoy some time off. We hope you will continue to sing, exercise, paint, dance, move and create this summer. Have a safe and fun-filled break, Tigers. See you in August!
~Mrs. Vencill, Mrs. Morgan, Coach Mester and Coach Mac
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Updates from the Learning Commons, Mrs. Bonacci
FREE E-BOOKS (limited time)
Our Tigers have free access to a huge selection of interactive e-books by Capstone until June 15th
username: cap2018
password: cap2018
Website for online reading: www.mycapstonelibrary.com
Sign in with Capstone Interactive
Capstone iPad app that allows for offline reading:
For information about the Learning Commons Programs and Services visit this link-
https://www.smore.com/2ek1j-happy-summer-reading
Happy Reading!
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Updates from Gifted and Talented, Mrs. Griffin
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Results for May STAAR
If the student has tested this year to date, their code is in SKYWARD or they can look it up at www.texasassessment.com with the student's first name, DOB, and Social Security Number.
Click here to see a flyer of what to do. Click here to see the Skyward Parent Portal View.
The performance labels and descriptors are as follows:
Masters Grade Level: Students at this level have exceeded the assessment requirements and TEA expects students at Masters Grade Level to succeed in the next grade or course with little or no academic intervention. Students in this category demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in varied contexts, both familiar and unfamiliar.
Meets Grade Level: Students at this performance level have met the assessment requirements and have a high likelihood of success in the next grade or course but may still need some short-term, targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts.
Approaches Grade Level: Students at this level have met the assessment requirements for purposes of Student Success Initiative grade promotion and graduation and are considered to have met at least the minimum passing standard. A student achieving Approaches Grade Level is likely to succeed in the next grade or course with targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts.
Does Not Meet Grade Level: Students at this level have not passed since performance indicates a student is unlikely to succeed in the next grade or course without significant, ongoing academic intervention. Students in this category do not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the assessed knowledge and skills.
Link to the Student Data Portal: https://txparentportal.emetric.net/login?returnUrl=/list
The Student Data Portal is maintained by the TEA and already houses all scores from previous years. Scores from 2018 will be posted by June 13th in the Student Portal.
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Results for April Grade 5 Reading and Math STAAR
Results for April Grades 5 and 8 Reading and Math STAAR will be posted at www.texasassessment.com in the FOR FAMILIES section in the STUDENT PORTAL on May 1, 2018. Parents will need their student's unique access code to retrieve the scores. This code is located in SKYWARD or on any previous STAAR Report Card at the bottom of the page. Parents can also go to www.texasassessment.com and retrieve the unique access code with their student's first name, social security number, and date of birth.
The performance labels and descriptors are as follows:
Masters Grade Level: Students at this level have exceeded the assessment requirements and TEA expects students at Masters Grade Level to succeed in the next grade or course with little or no academic intervention. Students in this category demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in varied contexts, both familiar and unfamiliar.
Meets Grade Level: Students at this performance level have met the assessment requirements and have a high likelihood of success in the next grade or course but may still need some short-term, targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to think critically and apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts.
Approaches Grade Level: Students at this level have met the assessment requirements for purposes of Student Success Initiative grade promotion and graduation and are considered to have met at least the minimum passing standard. A student achieving Approaches Grade Level is likely to succeed in the next grade or course with targeted academic intervention. Students in this category generally demonstrate the ability to apply the assessed knowledge and skills in familiar contexts.
Does Not Meet Grade Level: Students at this level have not passed since performance indicates a student is unlikely to succeed in the next grade or course without significant, ongoing academic intervention. Students in this category do not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the assessed knowledge and skills.
If you have any questions, please ask your 5th grade teacher.
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#PrincipalShenanigans
(Photo courtesy of Lissa Critz)
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SCROLL DOWN, FOLKS! COOL PTA STUFF GOING ON AT O.C. TAYLOR! YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS!
As we close out the 2017-2018 school year, I just wanted to say thank you to all the parents, grandparents, older siblings, other family members and friends that volunteered at O.C. Taylor this year! Because of you we were able to offer fun events for our Tigers such as Fall Festival, Pizza and Bingo Night, Skatetown socials, Field Day and more! Additionally, through your generous donations we were able to improve our school by purchasing books for classroom libraries, new AV equipment for the Taylor Tiger News room, a new laminator, and water bottle fillers (which are bing installed this summer).
Thank you again and I hope you all have a wonderful summer!
Elissa Rinon
PTA President
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Thank you!
We think your kids are..... G-G-G-G-reat!
GCISD - Building Excellent Schools Together
GCISD LEAD 2021- BUILDING EXCELLENT SCHOOLS TOGETHER!
The mission of Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is to be THE BEST and through the district’s strategic plan, called LEAD 2021, we continue building on the foundation started in 2011-2012. LEAD stands for Leading Excellence – Action Driven. For more information about LEAD 2021, please visit the district website. There are some exciting educational experiences going on in GCISD!
GCISD’s WHY?
Redefining Education because your future matters today!
GCISD’s Portrait of a Graduate
Skilled Problem Solvers
Communicators
Global Citizens
Self-regulated Learners
Collaborators
Stay Connected at O. C. Taylor Elementary School
We have a number of ways to keep in touch with our school. Be sure to read, subscribe to and join these resources to get all the latest news.
Facebook: If you’re a Facebook member be sure to join the O.C. Taylor Elementary Facebook Group to get updates in your feed. This group is meant to provide another way to get news and updates.
Website: The school’s website has the latest news, updates, and calendars, as well as general information about the school, resources for parents, volunteer opportunity information, event information and ways to donate.
Twitter: We regularly post events and upcoming news on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter: @OCTYoung and follow our hashtag #OCT4U.