Panther Pause
25 years of Pride at Colleyville Heritage High School
01.15.21
Dear Panther Family,
I hope this message finds you all safe and well. It’s been an exciting week here at CHHS as our Panther Soccer Teams have been in tournament action (Lady Panthers won the Winter Blast last weekend), our Swim Team has competed, and our Panther Cheer Team placed 7th last night at the State UIL Cheer Championships.
Last night I attended our Panther Cheer’s finals performance at the FW Convention Center. I cannot express how grateful I am for the team of individuals at the UIL who created a way for everyone to see these student/athletes perform. At every turn there were people guiding you to where you needed in a kind and welcoming manner. You could tell the logistics had been well thought out and intentional. You could tell that everyone on the team was committed to the goal of pulling off a phenomenal event and knowing the part they had to play in the overall success.
It was a great reminder of the work we’ve all done here at CHHS and across our great district. While the challenges have been great, we’ve worked together to overcome them and chart a path forward. While we still have much work to do I assure you that our team at CHHS is committed to your success. Thank you for being a valued partner as we continue this work of Building Excellent Schools Together!
With Pride,
Dr. James Whitfield
CHHS Principal
#CHPantherPride #BeDifferent
Senior Spotlight: Emily Leonard
Emily is a member of Spirit Sisters, Panteras, the National Honor Society of Dance Arts, and is the assistant for the Heritage Middle School dance team, the High Steppers. She works at Menchies and her favorite quote is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” After graduation, Emily plans on attending Sam Houston College to get a degree in Criminal Justice and is looking forward to the college pom squad. Emily plans to attend Project Graduation because it is “a last opportunity for all of the students to get together and remember all of the good times we shared.” We hope all our seniors will join Emily at Project Graduation 2021!
Senior Spotlight
We are looking for seniors to help promote Project Graduation. Being involved will also promote your club, sport or organization. If you are selected, we will coordinate dates that you will be our Senior Spotlight student. Only a certain number of applicants will be accepted, so apply early! A local photographer will take your photo, if you do not already have one, and we will link the spotlight to your personal social media accounts. For more information and to apply, click on this link.
bus number change
We have a bus number change for the 9:30 CHHS TO GHS SHUTTLE and the 11:05 GHS TO CHHS SHUTTLE.
9:30 CHHS TO GHS SHUTTLE
Students that were assigned to bus 316 will now be assigned to bus 315.
11:05 GHS TO CHHS SHUTTLE
Students that were assigned to bus 225 will now be assigned to bus 315.
Men's Panther Soccer
The CHHS Boys Soccer Teams are having a successful pre-season and would love to have support from their fellow Panthers! Come on out and join us as our season begins the week of 1/19 as we take on Grapevine HS. Go Panthers!
Varsity
1/15- 5:00 pm vs. McKinney Boyd @ Marcus HS
1/16- 1:00 pm vs. Coppell @ Marcus HS
1/19- 7:30 pm vs. Grapevine @ Mustang Panther Stadium
1/21- 5:00 pm vs. Lewisville @ Mustang Panther Stadium
JV1
1/16- 10:30 am vs. Coppell @ CHHS
1/19- 5:30 pm vs. Grapevine @ CHHS
1/21- 3:30 pm vs. Keller @ Pennington Field
1/22- 9:30 am vs. Lake Ridge @ Pennington Field
1/22- 5:00 pm vs. McKinney Boyd @ Pennington Field
JV2
TBD
Support Class of 2023
Panther Softball
Tuition Based Pre-K Lottery
The Pre-K Tuition Based lottery application will open at 8:30 a.m. on January 5, 2021 and close at 10:00 p.m. on January 15, 2021. Families interested in tuition based pre-k need to complete this application. Students meeting Texas state eligibility criteria will be able to apply and qualify in April 2021. For more information on tuition and pre-k qualifications visit WWW.GCISD.NET/PREK or contact gcisd.pk@gcisd.net
Lotería de Prekíndergarten Basado en Pago de Cuotas Escolares
La solicitud para la lotería del programa de Pre-K basado en pago de cuotas escolares se abrirá el 5 de enero a las 8:30 am y cerrará a las 10:00 pm el 15 de enero. Las familias interesadas en el programa de Pre-K a base de pago deben completar esta solicitud. Los estudiantes que cumplan con los criterios de elegibilidad del estado de Texas podrán solicitar y calificar en abril de 2021. Para obtener más información sobre la matrícula y los requisitos de prekínder, visite WWW.GCISD.NET/PREK o comuníquese con gcisd.pk@gcisd.net.
Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program
Apply to Girls Who Code’s Virtual Summer Immersion Program (SIP) for an unforgettable summer experience! During this FREE 2-week virtual program, you'll learn the computer science skills you need to make an impact, get an inside look into the tech field, and join a supportive lifelong sisterhood — all while being virtually hosted by influential companies, like Twitter, AT&T, Bank of America, Walmart, and more.
Current 9th -11th-grade girls and non-binary students are eligible to apply. SIP is 100% free and need-based stipends of up to $300 are available for those who qualify. Low tech? No tech? No problem! Girls Who Code is there to support you! The application will be available in January. Be the first to know when the application goes live by completing our Interest Form or learn more by joining a webinar.
Donation Drive-Thru at CHHS
CHHS Senior Ad - due next friday!
https://www.jostens.com/apps/jcom/router.mvc?affiliateId=1026349
Course selection for the 2021-2022 school year
Course selection for the 2021-2022 school year begins next week: January 20th-February 5th. Please see the full list of scheduling dates here.
All 9th-11th grade students need to enroll in the Arena Scheduling Resources Canvas course using the join code 6RYP4X. This course will take the place of counselors visiting classrooms, and it includes a module for completing a transcript check, course selection, Arena scheduling, course information from teachers, and more.
CHHS Yearbook
Click here to purchase your 2020-2021 CHHS Yearbook. The final day to purchase your CHHS Yearbook is Friday, January 29th.
PTSA General Meeting
Dual Credit program for the 21-22 school year
Students interested in taking dual credit classes for the 21-22 school year:
Due to Covid-19 safety measures, we will not be hosting an in-person mandatory dual meeting this year. Please read the following information carefully in order to be eligible to participate in the Dual Credit program for the 21-22 school year.
NEW TO DUAL CREDIT: MANDATORY VIDEO - students who are new to the dual credit program (and their parents) are required to watch the Dual Credit Mandatory Video created by GCISD in partnership with TCC. This video will give a lot of information about the dual credit program, changes to the program and steps to take to enroll in dual credit classes. Students must turn in the Google form containing the video to certify that they have watched and understand the requirements to participate along with the Dual Credit Commitment Form and Dual Credit Course Request Form (both Google forms).
CONTINUING DUAL CREDIT STUDENTS - students currently enrolled in dual credit courses for the 20-21 school year that would like to continue participating in the program do not need to watch the mandatory video. If you are currently in dual classes, you will need to complete the Dual Credit Commitment Form and Dual Credit Course Request Form (both Google forms) in order to move forward with the program.
Students must be logged into their GCISD account to submit all forms. The video, forms and other important information about the Dual Credit program are available on our counseling website:
ALL FORMS CAN BE ACCESSED IN THE LINK BELOW AND ARE DUE BY FEBRUARY 12, 2021. NO LATE FORMS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
CHHS yearbook
The CHHS yearbook will look a little different than in years past. This year's theme is Together We Can and it will literally be a team effort. Please submit any pictures you have taken from Thanksgiving on to our yearbook advisor, Brandie Moravek, at brandie.moravek@gcisd.net. They could be from games, practices, school, time with friends, etc...
Your email must include a clear picture (in a jpeg format; not a screenshot or a png) and the names of the students in the picture. You can most definitely submit more than one picture. Deadline for winter entries is February 12th.
GCISD Council of PTAs' Advocacy Committee
The GCISD Council of PTAs' Advocacy Committee is preparing for the Texas PTA Virtual Rally Day on February 22, 2021. Rally Day is an opportunity to meet and discuss public education priorities with our legislatures. Thank you for taking a moment to rank your priorities for Public Education. Questions: email Joy at advocacy@chhsptsa.org
PTSA changes to the Standing Rules for general membership vote
GCISD Virtual College Visits:
This year we will be promoting Virtual College Visits in the evenings instead of during lunches. Visits will be open to students at BOTH high schools, so please check both calendars to see who is “visiting”. The calendars can be found on the Go Center website as pictured below. Each university will provide their own link for accessing the visit which can be found on the calendar.
Character Strong
"At Character Strong, we are always looking to provide practical tools for weaving social-emotional skills and character development into the daily fabric of campuses and classrooms. A key component of all of our curricula is the Character Dare: actionable ways to bring the sometimes abstract concepts, values, and traits of character to life. We believe that character is a set of skills and all skills require practice!" The upcoming week's Family Character Dare is below:
Counseling Newsletter
January Newsletter from counseling.
ongoing important information:
Pre-AP Label Change
Next school year, the College Board will be requiring school districts to pay a fee if they use the Pre-AP label for any of their courses. This fee is an annual fee that is per course, per campus. GCISD along with many neighboring districts, have decided not to purchase the use of the Pre-AP label in an effort to remain fiscally responsible.
Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, GCISD will be implementing the title change to “Advanced” for all courses formerly known as Pre-AP. This change will be reflected in the 2021-22 Course Selection Guide set to release in January of 2021. As an example, Pre-AP World History will now be labeled as World History Advanced.
GCISD will use AP's guidelines to ensure the rigor of both middle school and high school courses. Classes now labeled “Advanced” will remain the same weight as the PreAP courses they are replacing. GCISD will continue to work with the College Board through our AP offerings.
Support the Class of 2021 Seniors!
Project Graduation is a program designed to keep our seniors off the roads on graduation night in a safe, overnight lock-in event which is alcohol and drug free. YOU can help by either:
1) Going to smile.amazon.com and linking your Amazon account to CHHS Project Graduation Inc so your basket donates to us.
2) Picking up an item off our Project Graduation 2021 Amazon Wish List found at https://tinyurl.com/CHHSPG2021WishList
Every donation...monetary or items...is appreciated by our seniors! Thank you for your support!
If you have any questions about donations or Project Graduation, please contact President Chris Steele at chrisasteele73@gmail.com
Go Center
Seniors, I want to share these helpful tasks to ensure your progress with your college applications:
- Complete and submit your applications as soon as possible being especially mindful of those with a December 1st deadline
- Request all transcripts through parchment.com
- Visit the GCISD Scholarship page 1-2 times a week as we continue to receive and post the current applications and update the website
- If taking Dual classes, transcripts must be requested from and sent by TCC
- Allow 2-3 weeks after requesting letters of recommendation if needed for your application or scholarships
- If interested in attending TCC in the Fall of 2021 please complete this form: College Access
- Schedule an appointment at the Go Center for assistance
Juniors, now is a great time to begin your research regarding your schools of interest and recognize important deadlines associated with your near future college applications. In addition, the link below will provide virtual college visit opportunities.
Card My Yard Coupon and Fundraiser
Wanting to spread a little love? Use Card My Yard Colleyville to surprise people and let them know you are thinking about them. With the coupon COLLEYVILLEPG you get $10 off your order and give back to Project Graduation for the 2021 Seniors! Book your order today at https://www.cardmyyard.com/colleyville/ or 214-356-9776.
CHHS Senior Class of 2021 Project Graduation
Support this year's CHHS Senior Class of 2021 Project Graduation!!! Project Graduation, is a one night celebration after graduation organized by high school parents of all grades that celebrates the graduating class of seniors by sending them off with a night of fun and prizes. In order to make this year a success we need your help! We have spirit wear options for Seniors, Moms and all CHHS supporters! Prices range from $20 (including tax) for t-shirts, $16 for Yard signs, and $5 for a Panther license plate holder for those new Panther drivers. Order your spirit wear today and support our Senior Class of 2021.
Recognize your 2021 Senior, Purchase a senior yard sign, all proceeds benefit Project Graduation
Attention Senior Parents!
2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 Senior Students & Parents ~ WE NEED YOU! We want to keep CHHS Project Graduation going for years to come and we need your help to start planning for our 2021 Seniors! Our goal is to have parents and students from ALL grade levels! Signing up below is NOT a commitment. You will be contacted with more information regarding the position and to confirm your interest. Most positions are a minimum time commitment. More than one person can help with each position so get a friend or two and sign up together. Students can also volunteer to help with any positions and earn service hours! We will be meeting soon so sign up today and join the CHHS Project Grad team at bit.ly/PGTeam2021
COVID-19 Email Communication Update
As we move into November, GCISD will be making a slight adjustment to the process in which families are notified of a test-confirmed positive COVID-19 case on their campus. Beginning this week, families will receive one email notification identifying all positive cases for that day on their student’s campus, as opposed to multiple emails if there are multiple cases. Families will only receive this email if there was a positive case on your student’s campus that day.
NOTE: This does not change procedures for close contact communication. If your child is determined to be a close contact of a test-confirmed positive case, you will be directly notified by your campus.
Need to order school pictures?
You can either use the QR code provided to your student to take home as a proof, check your email, or use the information in the flyer to obtain your ordering information.
Free Meals Extension
The USDA has extended its nationwide waiver, allowing GCISD to now offer free meals through June 2021 at all elementary and middle school campuses and meal bundles at curbside locations. Complete information can be found here.
Canvas Tips
Parent Observers
Parents can sign up as an observer in Canvas. Observers can link their Canvas account to their student's account so they can see assignment dues dates, announcements, and other course content. Observers can view the course content but cannot participate in the course. Learn more and feel free to share this information with parents.
Prep at CHHS
Go Center
College Applications:
Seniors! College applications are open and the Go Center is available for appointments to assist you with your college process or answer any questions you might have. Due to the changes we are experiencing, you can set up a virtual or phone appointment until we are back in person. Click here to sign-up for an appointment! Please check your school email for follow- up communication.
Virtual College Visits:
Curious to how you can visit schools virtually and take advantage of their online opportunities? Check out this great resource that links you to each college's virtual experience page! **New Link from previous Panther Pause updates***
You can also visit DARN’s YouTube Channel to catch up on the virtual college fair that they hosted.
There are still opportunities to participate in NACAC’s virtual college fair and the GCISD College Fair (happening October 21, representatives will be “live” for questions).
Scholarships:
Although many local scholarships are not open yet, we encourage you to begin checking the GCISD Scholarship website as this will be actively updated with new deadlines as soon as we receive them. If you have not obtained letters of recommendation, please request them now as most scholarships generally require a minimum of two letters.
Seniors also need to research scholarships that come directly from the colleges/universities to which they are applying. Please reach out to the Go Center if you have any questions about scholarships!
TCC College Access Program:
If you have a possible interest in attending TCC after high school in the Fall of ’21, please know that TCC College Access facilitates the entire TCC registration process and is done during the school day. In order to participate and be included in this process you must complete this interest form questionnaire: http://tinyurl.com/tcc21. You can email Emily.miller@gcisd.net with questions or if you are interested in the program.
We encourage you to come see us (reach out virtually to us) at the Go Center for any questions you may have regarding your post high school plans.
USDA
In-Person Learners
The USDA has issued a nationwide waiver, allowing Grapevine-Colleyville ISD to offer meals FREE at no charge through December 2020 at all elementary, middle school campuses, and Collegiate Academy.
On September 22, 2020, GCISD began providing free meals to students as part of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program. Sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), this program will allow any student in elementary or middle school to receive a free breakfast and lunch meal in the school cafeteria.
Remote learners have the opportunity to pick up meals curbside every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at three locations: Cross Timbers Middle, Grapevine Middle, and Grapevine Elementary. All meals are free of charge until December 2020. For more information please visit www.gcisd.net or email child.nutrition@gcisd.net
Skyward Attendance
Please be aware that as we move through this unique school year with in-person and remote learners, the way in which our teachers take attendance in Skyward has become much more complex. Therefore, to make better use of instructional time, teachers now have the flexibility to formally enter attendance into Skyward up to a full day after the attendance period.
With that said, it is important for parents to know that if you access Skyward to view your student’s attendance, it is possible the system may show them as being absent for the current day, even if they were present in class or online. Additionally, it is possible that remote learning students may still display as absent up until the following day.
As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding.
A friendly reminder to parents
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD to offer meals FREE
USDA has issued a nationwide waiver, allowing Grapevine-Colleyville ISD to offer meals FREE at no charge through December 2020 at all elementary and middle school campuses and meal bundles at curbside locations.
Beginning on September 22, 2020 Grapevine-Colleyville ISD will begin providing free meals to students as part of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program. Sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), this program will allow any student in elementary or middle school to receive a free breakfast and lunch meal in the school cafeteria, with the option to purchase a-la-carte items. Additionally, the District will offer meal bundles at no cost available for curbside pick-up that will contain meals for the entire week, including the weekend.
Curbside meals may be picked up on Wednesdays at Grapevine Elementary, Cross Timbers Middle or Grapevine Middle from 4-6 p.m. The meal bundles will include seven breakfast, seven lunches and a choice of chocolate or white ½ pint milk (14 milks will be provided). Heating instructions will be included so that families can prepare the meals at their convenience.
GCISD’s high schools do not participate in the federally funded program and therefore meals will be charged as normal in those cafeterias; however, high school students are able to pick up a meal bundle from one of the curbside locations.
For more information on how the federal program operates please visit www.squaremeals.org or www.fns.usda.gov.
Parents are encouraged to continue filling out the free and reduced application online at www.schoollunchapp.com. The benefits from being approved for free or reduced-price meals, may include discounts for transportation, standardized tests, college application fees and technology fees to name a few. If you have any questions, please email child.nutrition@gcisd.net or call 817-251-5617.
Grade level canvas
Please click the link below to join your class Canvas course for announcements and updates from counselors and administrators today:
checking your child out of school
Parents,
If you need to check your child out of school, there are several ways to facilitate this:
- send in a note in the morning with your child
- send an email to your child's attendance clerk
last name L - Z lesli.ware@gcisd.net 817.305.4717
- call ahead and allow at least 30 minutes lead time
**Your student may then meet you in the circle drive and parents will not come inside.
We very much appreciate your understanding as we are not allowing visitors in the building to limit exposures.
Support CHHS Baseball
Daily Health Screen Reminder
As we prepare to welcome students on campus beginning Tuesday, September 8, I wanted to remind all parents of the need to pre-screen your student for signs and symptoms associated with COVID-19 before bringing your student to school. The signs and symptoms are to screen for are:
Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit
Loss of taste or smell
Cough
Difficulty breathing
Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Headache
Chills
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Shaking or exaggerated shivering
Significant muscle pain or ache
Diarrhea
Nausea or vomiting
If your child demonstrates any of the above signs or symptoms, they must stay home, and you need to report to the campus nurse the signs or symptoms your child is exhibiting. In the event that your child has a fever, they must be kept home from school until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. Please do not give fever reducing medication and send your child to school. Additionally, please do not send your child to school if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or are test-confirmed with COVID-19.
Nurse Update
Need to see your counselor?
If you have a question, please email your counselor. Have more than just a quick question? Sign up for an appointment with your counselor. Emergency or crisis? If you're an in-person learner you may come to the counseling office with a pass from your teacher or during passing periods. Please note that COVID-19 safety measures will be in place in the counseling office and must be observed.
Need help with Canvas?
suicide prevention curriculum
As many of you know, every fall the counseling teams at each secondary school present an evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum called S.O.S. to all students, grades 6-12.
Due to our unusual circumstances this year, we have decided to postpone the S.O.S. presentations, preferring to wait until we can share this critical information in-person.
We do want to share with you how our counselors are continuing to support our students during this time. Counselors are available for students and parents via Webex and phone. Each campus has a form available on their website to request to meet with a counselor. Additionally, counselors are reaching out to students to check in on them and will continue to do so throughout the year. Counselors are prepared to support students both remotely and in person. For students who are returning to school in person, counselors are accessible by going directly to the counseling office, or by requesting an appointment. For students who will continue with remote learning, counselors are accessible by phone or Webex.
In addition to the support provided by our counselors, the counseling page on the GCISD webpage has resources that are available for parents on a variety of topics.
Education Rights & Responsibilities During COVID-19
Panther Pause
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Colleyville-Heritage-High-School/520058474676460?fref=ts
Twitter: @CHPantherPride