Bransford Blast
September 3, 2017
Terrific Texan Families,
The second week of school made my heart swell with Bransford pride! Our Dad's Club facilitated a drive that supplied diapers, wipes, formula, blankets, and snacks to our neighbors impacted by Harvey. The outpouring and generosity were overwhelming! Additionally, our Teddy's spirit night turned into an event to raise funds for the American Red Cross. Teddy's not only hosted the event, they matched what our amazing families raised! Thank you to all who contributed and assisted with the relief efforts. Stay tuned for information about our next drive to assist those impacted by Harvey.
We ended the week sporting our college colors and with the annual Dad's Club breakfast. Almost 400 meals were pre-ordered for the event! What an incredible way to welcome our dads into Bransford and a fabulous start to a Friday! Thank you to all who attended and those who put on the event!
Each Friday we show our Bransford pride by wearing spirit shirts or red, white, and blue. In next week's Smore, there will be a link to purchase this year's spirit gear. In addition, each student receives a Laps for Learning shirt to wear at our September 29 fundraiser and a class shirt to wear for field trips, special class events, and field day. To help facilitate the ordering of these shirts, please complete the following form letting us know your child's t-shirt size:
Spirit wear, community efforts, and family events are just a few of the ways we come together to show our Bransford pride!
Have a wonderful three day weekend!
Jamie Halliburton
Bransford Principal
Harvey Supply Drive
Safety Drills
Dad's Club Breakfast
David's Law
Over 650 new laws went into effect in the state of Texas on September 1, 2017. One law that directly impacts our students is Senate Bill 179, commonly known as “David’s Law”. David's Law makes student harassment, bullying, and cyberbullying a criminal offense. Authored by Texas state Senators José Menéndez and Judith Zaffirini, the bill requires school districts to include cyberbullying in their district bullying policies, notify parents within 3 days if their child has been bullied, and notify the parents of the alleged aggressor within a reasonable amount of time. Additionally, schools have the authority to investigate cyberbullying and to work with law enforcement on such investigations.
At Bransford, student safety, physical and emotional, is our number one priority. Mrs. King, school counselor, along with Mrs. McEnery, assistant principal, and Mrs. Halliburton, principal, investigate each and every bullying allegation. Furthermore, Mrs. King is doing lessons on cyber safety with each class to talk about being good citizens on line.
If a student believes they are a victim of cyberbullying/bullying, they should immediately report it to any adult at Bransford. Thank you for reiterating with your Texans the importance of respecting one another both in person and online.
4th & 5th Grade Choir
Dear Parents,
Your child has the opportunity to participate in Bransford’s Choir, which is open to fourth, and fifth graders. It’s sure to be a lot of fun! Here’s some information about the group so that you and your family can make and informed decision about your learner participating in the choir.
Auditions
Auditions will take place on Monday, September 18th from 3:10-4:15. The audition material will be the song “My Country ‘tis of Thee” which we are working on in class. There will also be some echo singing. Practice recordings are available on Mrs. Benson’s website.
Please sign up for an audition time on the Google Form. All audition entries are due by Thursday, September 14th. Audition times will be emailed to parents by the end of the day on Friday, September 15th.
You child may stay in the music room until their audition time, or they are welcome to leave school and come back. Please pick up your child at the front of the school at their audition time. If your child decides to wait for their audition time, please send them with something to do (Homework, device with headphones, etc.)
Audition results will be posted by Thursday, September 21th. If selected, rehearsals will begin Monday, September 25th.
Rehearsals
The Bransford Choir will meet on Mondays from 3:00-4:00. Please make sure that your child is picked up from the back bus loop promptly at4:00. If your child rides the bus or goes to daycare, please notify the necessary people and make arrangements to make sure your learner gets picked up on time.
Choir Fees
To participate in choir, each singer needs to turn in $20 after auditions have been held. The money will not be due until October. The $20 goes toward a choir t-shirt and other supplies needed for rehearsals. We will be going to the NRH20 Music Festival in May. Money for tickets will be collected later in the year.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time. The best way to contact me is by email. Thank you for your support of our Music program at Bransford.
Sincerely,
Ashley Benson
Elementary Music Specialist – Bransford Elementary
B.E.S.T. PTA
- Website: Check out Bransfordpta.com to keep you up to date on all the fun things happening at our school.
- If you would like to join B.E.S.T. PTA, visit www.joinpta.org.
Recycling Kick-Off
BES Spirit Fundraisers
- Spring Creek BBQ on September 12 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Kendra Scott Southlake Spirit Night September 29th from 5:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Student Devices
GCISD App
Stay in touch with Grapevine-Colleyville ISD by downloading the new mobile app!
Download on your mobile device today and select yes to receive push notifications with the latest news and updates from the District.
Picture Day
Save the date for fall picture day on September 19th! More information will be coming home soon!
Let's Talk
Let's Talk! may be found on our campus homepage, or by visiting
http://www.gcisd-k12.org/domain/4579.
Bransford Garden Club
Students grades 1-5 are invited to join our garden club. We will meet after school 3:00-3:45. The meeting spot will be inside the building at the benches near the 1st grade hall. Parents will pick up the kids at 3:45 in front of the building. The meeting are on Mondays: 9/11, 9/25, 10/16, 10/30, 11/13, 11/27, 3/5, 3/19, 4/2, 4/16, 4/30, and 5/14. Parent please pick up your student promptly at 3:45, the volunteers who run the program have to pick up older kids at CMS. Thanks for your letting your kiddos participate.
Students will learn the basics of gardening. They will weed, fertilize, plant and finally harvest the fruits of their labors in the school garden. New for this school year we will be planting flowers to attract pollinators in our revamped butterfly garden. We will also be planting seasonal flowers in the new pots in front of the school.
If you have any questions or would be interested in volunteering, please contact Andrea Hickson at andreahickson@sbcglobal.net.
Volunteer Opportunities
Would you like to volunteer at Bransford this year? We have many volunteer opportunities at all levels of involvement. Please complete this form if you are interested!
Volunteer Background Check
In order to volunteer at BES this year in classrooms, during school-wide event, or as a field trip chaperone, please review the new volunteer handbook and complete the required background check. Thank you for understanding that this process must be repeated each school year. Now is a good time to complete this process and encourage all family members who might want to volunteer to complete it, too. For the protection of students and staff, all volunteer applicants must read the Volunteer Handbook and complete the online form authorizing the district to obtain a criminal history background check.
Dates to Know
Click HERE for the 2017-2018 GCISD student calendar.
- September 4: Labor Day, Student and Staff Holiday
- September 12: Spirit Night at Spring Creek
- September 15: Laps for Learning Pep Rally
- September 19: Fall Picture Day
- September 21: PTA General Meeting at 6:30, PK, K, 1, & 2 Bransford Experience at 6:00 p.m., 3, 4, & 5 Bransford Experience at 7:00 p.m.
- September 29: Laps for Learning & Kendra Scott Spirit Night
- October 6: Student Holiday, Staff Learning
- October 9: Student and Staff Holiday
Bransford Elementary
Email: jamie.halliburton@gcisd.net
Website: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/Domain/1354
Location: 601 Glade Road, Colleyville, TX, United States
Phone: 8173054920
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bransford-Elementary-School-353295401423635/
Twitter: @BESTexans