Cub Courier
Believe. Grow. Achieve.
November Newsletter
Hello Annette Gordon-Reed Families,
October was a busy month for our campus. The dedication ceremony with Annette Gordon-Reed was fabulous! She is an inspiration to all of us, and we are grateful that she is such a strong role model for our students. When you are on campus, please take time to see the front showcase representing her accomplishments.
We are very appreciative for all the volunteers, staff and students who participated in our very first Trunk or Treat event. It was wonderful to see so many of our families and the weather was just perfect. All of our students seemed to have a fabulous time. Thank you to everyone who was able to join in the fun!
November is a month for Thanksgiving, and we want to thank our PTO and parents for their hard work and support for our fundraiser. We are grateful for the items we will be able to purchase for our playground. Please join our PTO and learn how you can participate in school events and volunteer here at Annette Gordon-Reed. We are thankful for the students you share with us and always want you to be a part of our school team. Conferences are being scheduled in PK-4, giving you the opportunity to personally share conversations with your child's teacher. That mutual partnership is essential for student success.
Please remember that November 8th, Election Day, is a student holiday. Book Fair will be held November 14th-18th. A flyer will be coming home with more information. Thanksgiving break will be November 21st-25th. We hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends.
Sincerely,
Shawn Creswell
Principal
Upcoming Dates
October 31 - Food Drive starts
November 4 - Holiday Market
November 8 - No School
November 14-18 - Book Fair, Generation Texas Week
November 16 - Lunch with a Loved One
November 16 - Yearbook Club Meeting
November 21-25 - Thanksgiving Break
December 2 - Spotlight Ceremony - Collaboration
December 8 - Choir Winter Concert
December 14 - Food Drive ends
December 19 - January 3 - Winter Break
Conroe ISD School Calendar
For your planning purposes, please download the 2022-2023 calendar here.
We thank you in advance for planning all vacations and travel outside of the school calendar. When students are absent, they miss valuable instruction that takes place daily. In addition to the loss of that instructional time, Texas schools are rated not only on academic performance, but also on student attendance. Daily attendance plays a large role in our accountability rating from the state.
We appreciate your support in making sure students are here every day they are healthy!
Our Administrative Team
When needed, please contact your grade level assistant principal or counselor. Our grade level assistant principal and counselor teams are:
Gabe Hernandez & Rachel James - Prekindergarten, 1st Grade, 3rd Grade & 5th Grade
Katy Sue Traicoff & Ashley Wright- Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, 4th Grade & 6th Grade
News from our Counselors
Hello Amazing Parents!
What an amazing month October has been! It is finally Fall and all of our students are doing a super job on getting to know friends and building relationships with their teachers. We would like to personally thank you for an amazing Red Ribbon Week! The students were able to make a pledge all week long for living healthy and drug free. In November, our state recognizes "Generation Texas Month" in which schools discuss the importance of making career choices and the impact of their educational goals. We will also have a career dress up week in addition to the many career awareness activities that the students will participate in in their classrooms.
Cubs of Character
This month we will focus on the character trait COLLABORATION. We want to teach our Gordon-Reed cubs that COLLABORATION is a virtue that builds our morale and helps us to become resilient in many different situations. Each week of October we will focus on a habit to fully understand and implement the meaning of COLLABORATION.
Week 1: Show respect when working and playing with others. Talk through disagreements.
Week 2: Take turns and play by the rules. Be a good sport and have fun!
Week 3: Be willing to change roles in a group. Allow others to take a leadership role.
Our Gordon- Reed staff plans to help your child this month with frequent reminders, games, and activities to build character and help them to become more successful at everything they do. Please speak to your child about the trait and how it can also help him/her in the community.
Annette Gordon-Reed Food/Clothing Assistance
Throughout the year we will have many different opportunities to help support your family's current needs regarding food and clothing assistance. Please fill out the form using the button below if you are interested in receiving food/clothing resources this school year. As opportunities become available, we will reach out to you with further details regarding application processes and/or criteria for upcoming programs.
News from Fine Arts and PE
Fine Arts and PE
Click the link below for important information from our Fine Arts and PE teams.
School Business
Gifted and Talented Referrals
Referral requests are now open for Conroe Independent School District Gifted and Talented program. Although the testing will not take place until late January, referral requests are accepted at this time. Referral requests can be made by the parents and/or campus staff. It is recommended that parents of 2nd grade students wait until CogAT scores have arrived before nominating their child because CogAT scores are part of the GT assessment. If you are interested in referring your child, you may want to discuss this with your child’s teacher. Referrals will be accepted October 3- December 16, 2022. You may request a referral form from the front office or the Assistant Principal. You can also find the referral form and other GT information on the CISD GT homepage.
Headphones
Technology is integrated in our daily instruction with your child. Many of these programs require students to hear the audio supporting the instruction. We ask that you send a pair of headphones with your child to keep here at school. These can be as fancy as you would like, or they can be a simple pair from the dollar store. If you happen to have an extra pair or two, please feel free to send those in so we can pass them along to our Cubs who do not own a pair. Thank you!
Attendance
Attendance matters! Attending school regularly helps children feel
better about school—and themselves. Read the, 'Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early,' flyer for ideas on supporting your child to build good attendance habits.
Book Fair
Our Book Fair will be from November 14th - 18th. Nov. 16th will be our “Lunch with a Loved One” and students will be excused from recess to shop with their Loved One. You will need to let your child's teacher know that you are coming to shop with them so they don’t send them out to recess that day. Click the button for more information on the book fair.
Food Drive
We are having a Food Drive to support our Montgomery County Food Bank for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Please bring nonperishable items from October 31st - December 14th. We need canned and boxed items. (rice, pasta, etc.) All items can be delivered to your child's homeroom teacher. The Food Bank will pick up for Thanksgiving on November 16th and for Christmas on December 14th.
Operation Troop Treats
Never sure what to do with all that extra Halloween Candy? After Halloween, through early November, sixth graders will be collecting candy to send overseas to our troops. At this cooler time of year, we can even send chocolate, an extra special treat which our service men and women so appreciate! There will be donation bins located in the front of the school and in the 6th grade hallways. Just before Thanksgiving break, sixth graders and their Kinder buddies will be writing heartfelt letters of gratitude to our troops. Then we will be packing up the boxes and boxes of candy and letters to send overseas just in time for the holidays. If you have a loved one serving our country during the holidays, please email Mrs. Caldwell (dcaldwell@conroeisd.net) with their base address and we will be sure to send them a care package too!
News from our PTO
Join our PTO
The first yearbook in our school's history is now ready to purchase!
Everyone gets 2 free custom pages in your yearbook to design and add your own photos! Add your child's personal experience to remember for years to come!
Click the button below to purchase.
Yearbook Art Competition
The Yearbook staff needs student artists to create artwork of the front of our school building! Click the button below to check out all the guidelines!
Click below for the application.
Congratulations
Spotlight Ceremony
Congratulations to all of our Cubs that have been showing RESPONSIBILITY!
Gordon-Reed 101
Gordon-Reed Elementary Student Handbook
Our student handbook contains important information unique to our school.
Meal Application
Did you know that meal applications assist in so much more than just meals?
• AP Tests- Reduced registration fee for AP tests.
• Most Sports- Free or discounted pay for sport fees.
• Internet Access- Eligible for discounted internet access services.
• Eligibility for any future P-EBT benefits for the 22-23 school year.
• Discounted rate on fees associated with applying for college.
• School Funding- Maintains funding for student programs and services.
• School Meals-An application this year will establish free or reduced-price meal eligibility for the 23-24 school year.
To apply click the button below.
Volunteer in CISD at Gordon-Reed Elementary
In order to volunteer at school, a Volunteer in CISD application must be completed each school year to ensure our school is safe for our students and staff.
Please visit the Volunteer in CISD webpage to complete the application process. We look forward to having you in our school!
Register for Bus Transportation
Click the link below to register for the bus and to find out your child’s bus number. You will need your child's ID number and birthday. Your child's ID number can be found on Parent Access Center. More details on Parent Access Center can be found in the section below.
Parent Access
Parent Access Center (PAC) is the CISD system for parents which provides online access to all your child’s class assignments, assignment grades, test grades, student ID, as well as attendance, discipline, progress reports, and report cards. If you currently have a Parent Access Center account, there is no need to renew your account as you have had to do in previous years. Parents can register for a PAC account from the Conroe ISD home page under the Student/Parent link. Student data will not be available until school begins.
Car Rider Arrival & Dismissal
1. Arriving to school, right lane is for car rider drop-off and pick-up. Left lane is for driving through to access parking spaces at front of school.
2. Past the digital school marquee, a third car rider lane opens on the right. With three lanes, the right lane and middle lane are for car rider. Left lane continues as a pass through lane to access parking spaces at front of school.
3. Holding station: Staff will send 14 cars from one car rider lane to the car rider stop numbers. Then 14 cars from the second car rider lane will be sent to car rider stop numbers.
4. Cars will exit from the front of school, keeping in the right lane until the first curve.
5. Remain in the right lane to turn right on McCaleb Rd toward Hwy 105. Pass to the left lane to turn left on McCaleb Rd toward FM 2978.
Drop-off Procedures for Forgotten Items
Please help your student be fully prepared for their day by ensuring that they have all needed materials (backpack, lunch, water bottle, etc.) before leaving for school in the morning.
To minimize interruptions to classrooms, please limit drop-offs to the following items:
- Water bottles and lunches may be placed on the drop-off table before 10:00am at the front office. These items should be labeled with your child’s name and teacher to ensure proper delivery.
- If you need eye glasses delivered to your child, please do not put them on the drop-off table. Bring them to the office staff for immediate delivery to your child.
- Any class work or homework that is dropped off will be placed in the teacher’s mailbox to be picked up during the day.
Delivery of flowers, balloons, etc. to students at school is not permitted
Transportation Changes
All transportation changes must be received in writing by 2:00pm. We are unable to accept a phone call as notice of a transportation change. You may send a written note to your child’s teacher or fill out a transportation change form in the front office. When writing a note, please include the date, your child’s full name, section number, bus number (if applicable), and your signature. If an emergency arises, you may send an email including all of the above information to: gordon-reedtransportation@conroeisd.net. Emails must be received before 2:00pm. If you submit a transportation change by email, it must go to the email address referenced above.Transportation changes should not be emailed directly to your child's teacher.
Please send a new note for each day the change occurs; we cannot accept notes for multiple days or with multiple changes.
District policy states that a student may only ride the bus they are registered to ride; students may not have a transportation change to ride a different bus.
News from the Nurse
Please keep your child home if they are showing any signs of illness or reporting that they do not feel well.
For example, if your child comes to you in the morning and reports any of the following symptoms: cough, sore throat, stomachache, or headache, or tells you they had diarrhea or vomiting, DO NOT send them to school. Please keep your student home and monitor the symptom or symptoms until they resolve.
Medication at school: If your child needs medication while at school, please email Mrs. Atchley, our School Nurse, at datchley@conroeisd.net to set up an appointment to drop off the medication.
Vision and Hearing Screening
The clinic will begin TX DSHS required Vision and Hearing screening for students in PreK, Kinder, 1st, 3rd, 5th grade, and students new to the district. The screenings will begin in September and continue until we complete all grade levels. If a student does not pass the screening, a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian from the clinic staff.
COVID Protocols
If your child tests positive for COVID, please adhere to the following protocol:
- Log in to the Conroe ISD SSO https://launchpad.classlink.com/conroeisd (You will need your student's username and password found in Parent Access Center)
- Click on the COVID central (external) app
- It will ask you to continue to the site
- Click the Self-Report link
- Enter the date when symptoms started or when the student tested positive when prompted by the website
- The school nurse will be notified of when the student can return to school and the absences will be excused
Breakfast and Lunch-Important Information
Student Breakfast $2.00
Student Lunch $3.20
Non-Student Lunch/2nd Student Lunch $4.20
Milk $.95
If your child is bringing their lunch, please pack items they can easily open.
Meals Are No Longer Free for All Students in the 2022-2023 School Year
- Federal waivers providing free meals for all students the last 2 years have now expired
- Parents must complete an application for students to be eligible for free or reduced meals
- The online Free and Reduced Application can be accessed at www.myschoolapps.com
Breakfast Times
Breakfast is available from 7:35-8:00am. Students will eat in the commons area. Classroom instruction begins at 8:05am.
Lunch Times
PreK- 11:25-11:55am
Kindergarten- 12:00-12:30pm
1st Grade- 12:20-12:50pm
2nd Grade- 12:35-1:05pm
3rd Grade- 12:55-1:25pm
4th Grade- 1:10-1:40pm
5th Grade- 11:10-11:40am
6th Grade- 11:45am-12:15pm
Parents are more than welcome to have lunch with their child at any time. Please sign in at the front office, and our receptionist will let you know where our special visitor lunch tables are located.
Water Bottles
Children are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles each day. Please clearly write your child's name on the bottle with permanent marker. Students may refill their bottles during the day at one of our water bottle filling stations.
See Something, Say Something
Please report any suspicious activity or suspected dangers to the appropriate authorities. Anonymous reports may be made 24/7 to Conroe ISD’s KidChat hotline at 1-888-KidChat (543-2428) or through our Anonymous Alerts app
School SMS Messages
All SMS messages received from the Conroe ISD District Office and Gordon-Reed Elementary will begin with "Conroe ISD:" and come from the subscribe code 67587. If you have not yet opted-in to receive SMS messages, you can do so at any time throughout the school year by texting "Y" to 67587.
Special Education Services
Click the PDF below to read more information on Special Education Services for Preschool Children.