Monday, August 27

Tuesday, August 28

2:30 p.m. Evacuation Drill

Wednesday, August 29

5:00-6:30 p.m. 2nd and 3rd Grades, Curriculum Night

7:00 p.m. OCT Dads' Club Social at The Londoner Colleyville

Thursday, August 30

8:30 Lockdown Drill

2:55 - 4:00 p.m. First Choir Rehearsal

5:00-6:30 p.m. 4th and 5th Grades, Curriculum Night

Friday, August, 31

Monday, September 3

LABOR DAY... NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, September 4

Wednesday, September 5

Thursday, September 6

Friday, September 7

Walk To School Day

PPCD

PreK

Kinder

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

Thank you in advance for helping us to keep all of our Tigers safe. While getting parents in and out of the parking lot in a timely manner is important, please note our first priority is keeping all of our 400 plus students safe. Please follow these procedures listed below:

1. YELLOW SIGN: Please review the procedures on the back of the yellow car sign. If you do not have a yellow car sign, then please talk with your child's teacher. When driving through the pick-up line, please display your yellow car sign and pull all the way forward. Teachers and volunteers will be on hand to direct you. When in the car dismissal line/loop, do not get out of your car at any time.
2. WALKING: If you choose to walk to the pick-up area, please park in the parking lot and use the crosswalk. Your child will be waiting behind the first letter of their last name. You may walk over to pick your child up from this area. Your child will not be allowed to cross the traffic area even if you are parked and waiting for them, so please use the crosswalk. Once you leave the parking lot, please yield to cars in the pick-up lane to help the line move quickly. Please DO NOT park at the Colleyville Fire Department to meet and/or pick up students. If you are driving and want to get out of the car to go meet your child, you must use the crosswalks and consider parking in the front visitor parking lot.
3. CAR LOOPS: Please review with your child which side of the building you will be picking them up. If you live off Glade Rd., please pick up on the front of the building by the tiger. If you live off of Hall-Johnson, please use the bus loop side of the building to pick up your child. Daily reviewing this with your child will save time in the afternoon as we locate your child. If you pick your child up on the Hall Johnson/Bus Loop, please be sure you yield to the GCISD buses at all times.
4. EFFICIENCY: In order to make drop off and pick up as efficient as possible, please do not stop and leave a large gap between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. Pull all of the way forward. Alllllll of the way.

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If you are interested in GCISD construction milestones and project updates, please visit the GCISD Bond 2016 website: http://www.gcisdbond2016.com/construction-updates.html

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Welcome O. C. Taylor Elementary families! I am Dawn Bonacci and I am your child’s librarian. Each year we invite students to participate in the district wide “GCISD Reads Challenge”. Students in Kindergarten are challenged to read 100 Picture books, 1st and 2nd Graders are challenged to read at least 1,500 pages, and 3rd – 5th read 2,500 pages.

I will be sending home a form that you can use to document the books your child reads this year. I set up the form as a grid to show students how setting small goals helps you attain a greater challenge. If you prefer to simply list the books and number of pages on notebook paper that’s fine too!

I look forward to working with your child this year! Please contact me with any questions you have.

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Bonacci

Click here to read the letter regarding Mrs. Morgan's acceptance into the GCISD Valor Program.

A Note from Mrs. Morgan...

Welcome Back! I’m looking forward to teaching your child how to be creative and think outside the box.

During the month of September, students will be creating their own art portfolio. The district hosts an art show towards the end of the year, so all the portfolios will be kept in my art room in order to select pieces. I will post updates from the art room about student projects on my twitter account weekly.

Our students will also be celebrating International Dot Day, which is on September 14th! The students will create a collaborative Dot Day art piece, which will hang in the hallway near the art room.

After our International Dot Day collaborative piece, we will get a chance to explore the artwork of street artist Kelsey Montague. She is known for her beautiful wings and uplifting balloons. All students will create a piece to make our own Kelsey Montague inspired mural.

Please follow my twitter page @OCTMorgan for weekly updates!

Cristie Morgan

Art Teacher

O.C. Taylor Elementary School

Twitter-@OCTMorgan

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It’s that time of year again! The Trinity River Authority of Texas’ 4th Annual Art Contest is in full swing.

We are calling all 1st through 8th graders from the counties listed below to get creative and send in their artwork.

This year’s theme is “Protect the Source.” We will be accepting entries until Friday, Sept. 28 at 5p.m.

Winners will receive prizes and be invited to attend a public meeting at TRA. Attached are details regarding theme, prizes and the rules.

Please feel free to share this among your peers or any other relevant parties.

If you have any questions, please email brownr@trinityra.org or call (817) 467-4343.

Check our Facebook page for all the up-to-date information! CLICK HERE

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On Fri., Sept. 14th, O.C. Taylor will be celebrating International Dot Day! The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds is about celebrating creativity, making a mark and seeing where it takes you. So, get creative and wear your dots to school on Fri., Sept. 14!

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A NOTE from Mrs. Vencill...

Welcome back, Tigers!! I am so happy to be back in the OCT Music room with my talented musicians. I know it's going to be a GREAT school year.

September is an important month of getting to know each other, understanding expectations, remembering what we already know and setting goals for what we hope to learn. All studentswill work to understand the difference between steady beat and rhythm using classroom percussion instruments. 4th and 5th grade students will also review rhythmic notationusing quarter, half, dotted half and whole notes and rests. We will also make sure we can sing our national anthem, state song and school song, and we will understand the history behind each one of those songs that connect all of us at O.C. Taylor.

All 4th and 5th grade students are invited to sing with the Taylor Tiger Choir. We meet every Thursday from 2:55-4:00 p.m. in the OCT Music room. Our first rehearsal of the school year is Thursday, September 6.

I hope to see you all at Rock Out at O.C. Taylor Thursday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. on the OCT playground. Our Tigers are learning a fun song to sing together to kick off another awesome school year!

Please check my OCT web page often for updates on important dates and events. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call or send an email anytime. Thank you for sharing your sweet children with me. I love every minute of our time together in the Music room!

Beth Vencill

Music Teacher

O.C. Taylor Elementary

bethany.vencill@gcisd.net

817-305-4870

@OCTVencill

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News from the Gym-

Welcome back, Great Tigers! I am so excited to see you back in the gym. We are going to be focusing on our daily fitness routines, having fun, and being kind classmates and teammates. Remember, you should be striving for 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Also, make sure you are giving your body plenty of rest by getting a good nights sleep. I can’t wait to help you reach your goals!

See you in the gym,
Coach Mester

Jason Mester

Physical Education Teacher

O.C. Taylor Elementary

jason.mester@gcisd.net

817-305-4870

@OCTMester

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“Ahoy! there Matey!” We are looking forward to have you come on this journey to navigate reading adventures this school year. Joining our O.C. Taylor crew is Pamela Honeycutt and she is located in Room A-3. She is entering her 27th year in education as a graduate of the University of North Texas. She loves her fur baby, Snicker Doodle, who is a 13 years Shih Tzu along with turquoise and the beach!

You have the returning Reading Interventionist, Ms. Kari Griffith and she is in Room A-8. She is very ecstatic for the opportunity to help guide your journey.

So get ready for a victorious voyage into READING!

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Welcome to O.C. Taylor Elementary School!

2018-2019

School Health Information

When to stay home: Students should remain home when running fever (100 or greater), suffering from diarrhea or vomiting, among other illnesses. GCISD has a 24-hour policy. Students may not return to school until free of fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea for a minimum of 24 hours without the aid of any medication. If your student is sent home from school with fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, you must abide by the 24-hour policy, and remain home for a minimum of 24 hours after symptoms have subsided without the aide of medications. Other reasons your student should remain home/may be sent home are listed on my webpage.

Classroom celebrations: We are an “allergy aware” campus. Any food or treats brought in for classroom celebrations or parties should be peanut/tree nut-free. Any food items MUST BE STORE BOUGHT to avoid cross contamination. All food must be brought to school in the original container with ingredient labels intact and legible.

Medications at school: Please see me if your student needs to be given any medications during the school day, including emergency medications.

Health history: Please see me if your student has any food allergies or health conditions which will require assistance at school.

Change of clothing for tiny Tigers: Please place an extra set of seasonally appropriate clothing, including underwear, in your student’s backpack in case of an accident. The clinic has a limited supply of underwear and clothes. If clothing is unavailable, you will be called to bring clothes for your student.

Teaching healthy habits: Now is a great time to teach your children about healthy habits for home and school. This will help diminish our level of illnesses during the school year.

* Avoidance of touching their face (T-zone)

* Using tissues or the bend of their arm for coughing/sneezing

* Proper handwashing (singing their ABCs twice or the Happy Birthday song twice)

It is going to be a Grrrrrrreat year!!! :)

Katy Faught, RN / 817-305-4881 / elissa.faught@gcisd.net

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Beginning September 4, GCISD will be hosting three scheduled parent input sessions right here on our campus. These sessions will be 45-50 minutes long and we will be capping each session at 10 people. These sessions are first come first served. If you are interested in sharing your experience with the GCISD, please sign up using this google form. Please make sure you are selecting a time slot for your respective campus.

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Many opportunities are available in our auxiliary departments:

• Nutrition Specialists -PT w/ benefits – work while your students are in school!
• Kidzu Site Aide – PT w/benefits – this schedule works well for local college students!
• Night Custodians
• Bus Drivers & Monitors
• Maintenance Engineers

Apply online at: www.gcisd-k12.org

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. We are excited about the new LEAD 2.0 and hearing from all parents! 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

Attached is a copy of the calendar menu, it may also be viewed on the district's website. Nutrition information may be viewed through the nutrition services website or by downloading the new Meal Viewer app through the apple or android store.

In accordance with program guidelines, the Free and Reduced application will be available online as part of skyward registration. The free and reduced application should be filled out electronically atwww.schoollunchapp.com. For those parents that still would like to complete a paper application, they may download an application on the website www.gcisd.net or stop by the Nutrition Services office at 5800 Colleyville Blvd. Paper copies will not be distributed to the campuses this year, please allow families to apply online on a computer on campus or have them come to the Nutrition Services department for assistance.

If you have questions about the Nutrition Services program, please call ext. 5615 or email julie.telesca@gcisd.net.

Students! Parents! Teachers! Reflections is a PTA-sponsored program encouraging creativity, ingenuity, and artistic expression!

Deadline for your submissions: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 3 pm.

For now, think about how to incorporate this theme, Heroes Around Me, into your artistic submission. Your art must be done 100% by the student, and one family member of each student must be a member of our PTA---GREAT INCENTIVE TO JOIN PTA, Folks!

ART CATEGORIES & LINKS TO RULES:

General Rules English | Spanish

Dance Choreography English | Spanish

Film Production English | Spanish

Literature English | Spanish

Music Composition English | Spanish

Photography English | Spanish

Visual Arts English | Spanish

Special Artist Rules English | Spanish

Link to TEXAS PTA REFLECTION'S PAGE: https://www.txpta.org/reflections-participation

I am also looking for a parent-volunteer or two to help collect art in late October.

THIS IS A FUN & EASY VOLUNTEER JOB!

WE HOPE YOUR PARTICIPATE! Last year, O.C. Taylor had (9) submissions, and 3 received Awards of Merit and were recognized by the Texas PTA in Austin! This year, let's DOUBLE THAT! PARTICIPATE! CREATE! AND REPRESENT YOUR SCHOOL.

You could have the chance of going to State or Nationals!

Questions? Concerns? Contact Laurie H. Ackermann, PTA Volunteer and OC Taylor Parent:Laurietamar@gmail.com

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Kristin McElroy

PTA President

octaylorptapresident@gmail.com

kristinbmcelroy@gmail.com

Berri O'Neal

PTA President Elect

berrionealgormley@gmail.com

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