GALATAS GAZETTE
October 9, 2020
Contact Information
Denae Wilker, Principal
Candace Mathis, Assistant Principal
Kristi Tabor, Counselor
Through the collaborative efforts of all who pass through our door, we provide a safe learning community that develops lifelong learners and responsible citizens.
Website: http://galatas.conroeisd.net/
Location: 9001 Cochrans Crossing Drive, The Woodlands, TX, USA
Phone: 936-709-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GalatasCISD/
Twitter: @GalatasCISD
Information for Students Making a Learning Platform Change to In-Person
If you need to drop off school supplies:
-If you have school supplies that need to be dropped off, you may drop them off on the designated bench or table at the front of the school on Tuesday, October 13 from 8:15 .a.m-2:00 p.m. Please label the supplies with your child's name and their new teacher's name.
If you want your child to ride the bus to and/or from school:
Please ensure you have registered your child to ride the school bus. The link to complete that registration is here.
If you need to drop off medicine with the nurse:
If your student will need to take medications during school hours, please complete the medication permission form in the "Notes From the Nurse" article below, and submit either via email or in person when dropping off the medications. Please note many of the over the counter medications will require a physician signature this year. Due to social distancing, medication drop-off will be by appointment only and the school nurse will meet you on the front porch to check in medications. Please email the school nurse at kriggs@conroeisd.net to schedule the appointment.
Important Car Rider Information
Thank you for having your pink signs visible and for teaching your child how to buckle and unbuckle their own seat belts. This has led to a safe and efficient loading and unloading of students each day.
We are asking for your help with the following procedures that will keep our car line moving, and keep everyone safe:
- Please do not arrive earlier than 3:00 p.m. to line up for the car rider line. Our dismissal begins promptly at 3:10 p.m., and runs smoothly with all cars processed through the car line by approximately 3:25. Arriving closer to our dismissal time will help with the flow of traffic on Cochran's Crossing Drive.
- Do not make U-turns on Cochran's Crossing Drive or in the adjacent neighborhoods. It is not safe for pedestrians or other drivers.
- Do not obstruct the sight line for drivers exiting their neighborhoods. The police have placed cones on both sides of the entrance to Hayden's Run and Wyndspire to protect the sight line. Use caution and check traffic in all directions when driving in this area.
- Be courteous and patient
- Day care and students requiring extra time to load cars will be processed first in the car-line. These individuals and company's have received specific directions from the school.
- If your child needs assistance buckling their seat belt, please pull forward and to the side after loading before assisting your child.
- Use of cell phones is prohibited in a school zone and subject to a $200 fine.
Your assistance with this request is greatly appreciated. We want to keep everyone happy, healthy, and safe!
Walker/Biker Pick-up
Join our PTO and Support the Greyhounds
Please support our school by joining our amazing PTO. The link below will take you to the Galatas PTO website. It is a great way to get connected with our Galatas community and other parents.
Room Parents Wanted!
Hello Galatas parents!
We are looking forward to offering opportunities for you all to get involved. Much of our school year may look different due to not being able to have visitors on campus and other safety measures. However, that won’t stop our Room Parents from being supportive to both the teacher and the class parents. We need positivity and flexibility this year more than ever! So, submit your name if you are ready to take on the role of a Room Parent.
Please visit http://www.galataspto.com/room-parents.html to learn more about this very important role!
Here is the schedule we hope to adhere to:
Parents submit names 9/25-10/12
Announce Room Parents- 10/19
Grade level Room Parent Meetings- 10/21-10/23
Looking forward to meeting you and working with you this year!
Michelle Nolen
Spirit Wear Store is Open!
The Spirit Wear Store has REOPENED for a very limited time! The 2020-2021 Spirit Wear designs are posted below. TOP DOG Shirts are reserved for our 4th Grade Students only.
You can order Spirit Wear at the link below. The last day to order will be October 18. All sales are final.
Buy Your Yearbook NOW!
Visit https://www.balfour.com to order you yearbook today!
Early bird price of $30 until November 20 and then $35 until the end of the year.
Parents of 4th graders can also recognize their Top Dog with a Top Dog ad in the yearbook. Ads are $20 and can be created at the Balfour site.
We want to make sure all students are represented - both those learning virtually and those on campus, and would love to have your image submissions!
With Balfour’s ImageShare app, anyone in our school community can share photos of school events and friends right from their mobile device.
It’s so easy! Students or parents simply download the iOS or Android app, create an account and enter our yearbook’s information (Project #122105) , and you’re ready to go. Photos can be selected from an existing gallery or taken using the app itself. You can also visit images.balfour.com to upload!
Images are delivered directly to our yearbook staff with contributor info, photo identifications and captions. It’s the perfect solution to get our entire school community involved!
Please e-mail Jessica Buono at galatasyearbook@gmail.com with any questions.
Walk the Pathways Event
Our school is participating in The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department’s 2020 Walk the Pathways Competition! The school with the most participating students will win a trophy and special first place prize. Walk the Pathways is a friendly, socially-distanced competition between elementary schools to encourage outdoor activity and promote pedestrian safety through experience and games.
Please support our efforts by pledging online to walk the pathways near your home or our school at least once between Sunday, October 11 through Saturday, October 24.
How to Participate:
1. Choose a park or pathway near your home or school to visit from October 11-24.
2. Show school spirit! Wear your Galatas Spirit Wear or school colors while you participate.
3. Submit an online pledge HERE declaring you walked the pathways. One entry per student.
Optional:
Visit https://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/walkthepathwayscontest for:
- An interactive park and pathway map to plan your route.
- Tips and videos about pedestrian safety to review before starting your walk.
- Guides for games to "level up", such as chalking the sidewalk (we have a limited supply of chalk kits available..if you need one, please call the Galatas office), leaving painted rocks, and identifying wildlife, trees, or plants.
Thank you for supporting our school. If you have questions, please contact the school directly or contact The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department at 281-210-3800 or enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov.
CISD Police Department's Coats for Kids Drive
The Conroe ISD Police Department is pleased to present the 18th Annual Coats for Kids Drive for the children of Conroe ISD. Coats are being collected now through Friday, October 16. A bin will be placed at the front of the school on the front porch for your donations. The upcoming holiday weekend will be a great time to clean out those closets and bring any coats, hoodies, jackets, or sweaters that you or your children can no longer wear (new or gently worn please). Last year, CISD distributed over 1,800 coats for needy families throughout the district! Let’s continue to make a difference in CISD. Thanks in advance for your donations!
Note: The CISD police will pick up the coats by utilizing bags, gloves, and a mask. The coats will be disinfected and washed at the police department.They will then be ready to be distributed. The Conroe ISD Health Department was consulted and approved of the coat drive and procedures.
Save the Dates!
Chick-Fil-A Spirit Day
Virtual Book Fair
TWHS Red and Green Parade and Pep Rally
Reminder: No Deliveries of Forgotten Items at This Time
As the weather gets cooler, please be sure to check the forecast before coming to school to determine whether your student might need a jacket or coat during the day. Also, be sure to label all coats, jackets, and sweatshirts so we can get them back to the student if they are lost.
-Eye glasses are the exception. If a student forgets their glasses, please label them with the child's name and section number. When arriving on campus with the glasses, please use the call button to the right of the front center doors, and someone will assist you.
-If a student forgets their lunch, they can purchase or charge a lunch from the cafeteria.
-If a student forgets their water bottle, each grade level has bottles of water for students. Please email the teacher, and they will get your child a bottle of water.
-For forgotten homework or other class work, please contact the teacher and make arrangements for the student to turn it in the next school day.
**Please label your student's personal water bottles! If a bottle is left somewhere in the school, and it has the student's name on it, it can easily be returned to the student.
PARENT INFORMATION QUICK REFERENCE SHEET
CISD Superintendent Dr. Null's October 7 Update
Gifted and Talented Nominations for the 2020 - 2021 School Year
The window is now open for parent nominations for spring, 2021 Gifted and Talented testing.
All second grade students will participate in the CogAT assessment in December which will serve as a GT screener for second graders.
Spring GT testing will be held at Galatas Elementary during the school day, on a date yet to be determined in late January/early February, 2021.
Parents may find it beneficial to speak with their child's teacher to help determine if a student is a good candidate for GT testing.
You may request a nomination form from our Assistant Principal, Candace Mathis at cdmathis@conroeisd.net. You can also find the nomination form and other GT information on the CISD GT homepage at the link here.
COVID Screener and Parent Access Acknowledgement
The COVID Screener Acknowledgment is available in the Parent Access Center. Please log in to your family account and complete the acknowledgment. If you do not have a Parent Access Center account yet, please click here to register.
Technology Information
Technology Tips and Help Videos
Please visit the link here to see CISD's "playlist" of helpful tech tips for parents and students.
Get Connected: Stay in touch with CISD by downloading our new mobile app!
Download the app on your mobile device today and select ‘yes’ to receive push notifications with the latest news and updates from the District.
Key Features:
- Push Notifications - Select ‘yes’ when you download the app to receive the latest push notifications from the District.
- Calendar Events - Add events to the calendar on your personal mobile device directly from the calendar section on the app.
- News - Check out the latest District-wide and school news all in one place!
Sign Up For Emergency Notifications through School Messenger:
A Message from the School Nurse
If your student will need to take medications during school hours, please complete the medication permission form below, and submit either via email or in person when dropping off the medications. Please note many of the over the counter medications will require a physician signature this year. Due to social distancing, medication drop-off will be by appointment only and the school nurse will meet you on the front porch to check in medications. Please email the school nurse at kriggs@conroeisd.net to schedule the appointment. Thank you!
Take care,
Katy Riggs, RN
Free School Meals for ALL Students, and Changes to Campus Curbside Meal Pick-up
Beginning October 1, Conroe ISD will offer free lunch (one per student per day) to all Galatas in-person students, and free breakfast & lunch meals for all remote/online learning students, and children 18 and younger in the community. Meals will be at no cost through December, pending funding availability from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Please note the following change in the Curbside Meal Pick-Up program: Remote/Online Learning Students and children 18 and younger who are not attending school on campus may receive free curbside meals at the following schools Tuesday and Thursday 10 am-12 pm on the bus ramp or designated location. Parents should go to the school in their child’s school feeder zone to pick up meals.
- Peet Junior High School
- Stockton Junior High School
- Moorhead Junior High School
- Irons Junior High School
- York Junior High School
- McCullough Junior High School
- Knox Junior High School
Instructions for properly storing and heating food are located on the Conroe ISD Child Nutrition website.
If children are not present in the vehicle when picking up meals, parents/guardians MUST have an approved form of ID for each child to receive meals. Acceptable forms of ID:
- Student ID Card
- Official letter/email from school or daycare that shows enrollment
- Student report cards
- Attendance record from school
- Birth certificate for children not in school
Students who attend school in person are not eligible to receive Curbside meals. Picking up meals at multiple campuses is not permitted.
Questions? Please contact the Child Nutrition Department at (936) 709-8185.
CALLING ALL CREATIVE WRITERS!
The Greyhound Gab is our school’s quarterly literary publication. This year to accommodate both traditional and remote learners, students can submit an original creative writing piece to the issue associated with the first letter of your last name. If your last name begins with A, B, C or D and you would like to contribute to the November issue of the Greyhound Gab, please submit your piece to Christina Benavides at galatasnewsletter@gmail.com no later than Friday, November 13, 2020. Submissions should be labeled with student’s first name, last name initial, and section number. Publication date will be Friday, November 20, 2020. (See table below for future issue dates and when you can contribute.)
Examples of creative writing types/topics (no puzzles please):
· Book review
· Teacher/staff interview
· Original poetry
· School event report (ex. First Day of School, Reading Week, Book Fair, etc.)
While submissions should be student work, there may be a need for parent edits. The pieces do not need to be long; the purpose of the Gab is for our Greyhounds to be creative and see their work published!
Upcoming Events
October
12 No School: Columbus Day
11-24 Walk the Pathways Event
15 PTO Virtual Meeting- 10:00 a.m. Meeting ID: 773 044 0996 Password: t9m8aT
19-23 Virtual Book Fair & Reading Week (Remote and In-Person)
20 Virtual Bedtime Story Night-6:30
21 Chick-fil-A Spirit Day
26-30 Red Ribbon Week
30 Science Day- "Wacky Weather"
November
3 No School: Student Holiday
5 Picture Day
11 Veteran’s Day Readers’ Theatre for Fourth Grade
11 Russo's Pizza Spirit Night
12 Picture Retakes
17 PTO Virtual Meeting– 10:00 a.m.
23-27 No School: Thanksgiving Break
December
7-11 Hour of Code
8 PTO Virtual Meeting-10:00 a.m.
8-9 Kendra Scott Spirit Event
14 Holiday Parties- Kinder (1:15 p.m.)
15 Holiday Parties- 2nd (10:30 a.m.) & 1st (2:00 p.m.)
17 Holiday Parties-4th (8:15 a.m.), 3rd (10:00 a.m.), & Special Programs (1:45 p.m.)
18 Polar Express Day (Students wear p.j.’s)
18 Early Release Day, End of Nine Weeks– 12:10 p.m.
December 21-January 5 Winter Break
CISD Roadmap to Re-opening
The content on the Roadmap to Reopening webpages is designed to provide information relevant for the 2020-2021 school year. The details on this page are subject to change as we receive guidance from the Texas Education Agency, Governor’s Office, and State and local officials. Please check back often for the most up-to-date information.