Tiger Times
News from the O.C. Taylor Principal, Lisa Young
Young@Heart, Aug. 28, 2016
We’ve had a wonderful first week of school! I have enjoyed meeting so many of you and getting to work with your fantastic children. O.C. Taylor Tigers are off to a great start this school year.
If you are not on Twitter, now is a good time to jump aboard this app. I invite you to follow our school @OCTaylorTigers and to follow me @OCTYoung. We will be tweeting events, happenings, and learning here at O.C. Taylor! This is a great way to get a glimpse into your child's day and school. If you need assistance, come on up here. We will find someone to help you.
We will be hosting a digital video of Tiger Times that matches this printed version. We are trying to meet the needs of our busy families. Let us know your preferences!
As always, my door and email in-box are open. Let me know what we can for your little Tiger!
To the greatest of days,
Principal Young
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
National College Color Day
Friday, Sep 2, 2016, 07:30 AM
O C Taylor Elementary School, Pool Road, Colleyville, TX, United States
Water Update
First, thank you all for your patience and understanding as we work through this process. Our top goal is to make sure that our drinking water is safe.
An environmental consultant is scheduled to take new water samples at our campus on Monday, August 29. Those samples will then be sent to a lab for analysis. I will update you when we receive the reports on those samples.
In the meantime, O.C. Taylor will continue providing bottled water to students and staff until the water fountains can be put back into service.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Lisa Young
O.C. Taylor Principal
Changes of Curriculum Information Meetings
Curriculum Informational Meeting times and dates have changed as your classroom teachers have made you aware via email. We apologize for the late notice change! Based on the late change and an email I received this morning, we will not only be sharing all of our slides and handouts digitally, but we will also be videoing each of these meetings for you to view at your convenience. We value your time and realize you are all busy. We hope this will help you be able to attend to important work, personal, or family matters and yet still know all about your child's classroom with the ease of flexible viewing. We hope this will provide you the opportunity to view the meeting in its entirety and to hear questions and answers. We want to try and meet the needs of all of our families.
We know there is no perfect time to host an event where everyone can attend. However, we want to try our best to accommodate as many as possible and keep everyone informed.
Our Grade-Level Curriculum Information Meetings will be held on the following dates and times:
-PK, K and 1st = Wed., Aug. 31, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
-2nd-3rd grades = Thurs., Sept. 1, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
-4th-5th grades = Wed., Sept. 7 4:00-5:30 p.m.
The changes were made due to parent/staff feedback, to increase the time needed to discuss the curriculum, principal discussion time, and preserve the evening time for extracurricular/eating/family time. We will be soliciting your thoughts and opinions after we host these events as to gather input for making a decision for the next school year that best meets the needs of all involved.
If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact me. I would be happy to explain more. Our goal is to always do what is best for the children.
THANK YOU!
GCISD Device Agreement Form
GCISD has a new device agreement form that all parents must sign. The fee is only paid one time for all of the years a student is in elementary school. If you have multiple students at OC Taylor, the maximum amount you would be required to pay would be for three students. As a reminder, here are the guidelines for the use agreement and payment:
- All parents and students must sign an updated Student-Parent Device Use Agreement.
- Students that paid their device fee last year of $35 and are still at OC Taylor (or elementary school in GCISD) will need to pay $15 this year to complete the $50 device fee.
- Even if a student is not taking a device home, they still must sign the agreement and pay the $50.
- All kindergarten and new students will need to pay a $50 device fee prior to receiving their iPads or Chrome Books (for 5th grade only).
- Link to all Technology Agreements and Policies: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/Page/766
We also have the Student-Parent Device Use Agreement in the office for students to pick up. Please contact the main office if there are any questions.
Volunteer Process
- Click here to complete the Volunteer Background Check Form. You must fill this form out each school year.
- Click here to view the GCISD Volunteer Handbook.
- Click here to if your child is in elementary (PK-5th grade) to view a brief video.
- Click here to read the Emergency Management Procedures for OC Taylor. Then, stop by the front office and sign that you have read these procedures.
All volunteers, including our Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) , must complete these steps listed above. We thank you in advance for volunteering at our school!
Dismissal Procedures
O.C. Taylor teachers and staff dismiss over 400 students every afternoon and our goal is to maintain a high level of supervision and safety for all. When picking up children after school, please keep the following information in mind:
- If you are going to go north on Pool Rd. (toward Hall Johnson) as you leave campus, we encourage you to use the Hall Johnson/Bus Loop (Northside).
- Traffic going south on Pool (toward Glade) when leaving is encouraged to use the Glade Road / Front Loop. This alleviates cars crossing lines of traffic.
- Please make your child aware of which side of the building you will be picking up from so they are seated and waited for you when you arrive.
When picking up your child, please:
Hold up your bright yellow car sign so it can easily be seen by the staff member with a bull horn. Car signs will be read and names called out as you pull into either loop so that your child(ren) will be ready to meet you when you pull up.
Please pull all the way forward into the dismissal lane.
Please do not stop and leave a large gap between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.This helps ease traffic on Pool Road in addition to maintaining a quick and efficient dismissal process for all.
- If you park and pick your child up from either area, please keep your child at your side after he or she is in your care. Students should not be allowed to run and play anywhere near the car/bus loop. Once you leave the parking lot, please yield to cars in the pick-up lane to help the line move quickly.
- If you park and pick up your child, always use cross walks and consider parking in the front visitor parking lot. Please DO NOT park on Pool Road or at the Colleyville Fire Department to meet and/or pick up students.
Thank you for helping us make dismissal a smooth and efficient daily routine! Safety is a priority at OC Taylor!
Technology Tips
Technology Safety Resources for Parents and Students:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence
Here are some kid friendly search engines for your kids to use at home:http://gcisdtechlessons.wikispaces.com/Search+Engines+for+Kids
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
O.C. Taylor PTA Website
PTA Website: Please visit the PTA website – www.octaylorpta.com.