The Mustang Minute
Week of January 8th - 12th, 2024
Principal's Message
Mustang Family,
Happy New Year! The beginning of a new year is an excellent opportunity to reflect on old habits and establish healthier and more productive routines for ourselves. In an academic context, this can mean keeping up with your grades, attending tutorials to clarify any concepts or content that you may not have mastered, and staying organized with daily assignments, projects, assessment dates, and other important tasks. Being organized this semester will be crucial to your success. Parents, please assist your Mustang in adopting organizational practices that will help them stay on track and ahead of their goals!
Rah, Rah, Rah...Mustangs Fight!
Alex
Just Say YES - Freedom to Succeed Parent Preview (Health & AVID 3)
GCISD uses several resources and programs for high school health curriculum in order to be proactive in our delivery of education concerning human sexuality. Freedom to Succeed will be presented to high school Health/AVID 3 students according to the campus schedule that can be found in the Parent Preview Letter linked here.
Parents may preview this program online on January 10th at 6:00 using this link to the ---> Webex meeting also located in the Parent Preview Letter. Every parent of a student enrolled in Health/AVID 3 will be asked to indicate their preference of participation for their child electronically in the forms section of Skyward or by completing and returning a paper consent form by the deadlines established in the Parent Preview Letter. These deadlines allow each campus time to adequately prepare spaces, supervision, and account for student attendance. Thank you in advance for adhering to these deadlines.
Mustang Nation Night - January 17th (6:00 -7:30 PM)
Mark Your Calendars
Mustang Nation Night - January 17th
FAFSA Night - January 22nd
TECC (Across from the MAC @ GHS)
6:00 - 7:30 PM
General PTSA Meeting & TX Dot Presentation- January 22nd
6:30 PM in the Library
FAFSA Nights
GT/ ASPIRE Referral Window
The referral window for GT/ASPIRE testing for middle and high school students is open from January 8-31. Parents who are interested in testing, please sign your student(s) up for testing in Skyward.
Attention Students: No Personal Laptops
GCISD has a policy that prohibits students from bringing their personal laptops to campus. This is in place to ensure a secure and standardized computing environment for all students. Each student is provided with an assigned school laptop to use during their time on campus and homework. This policy helps us maintain a consistent and controlled digital infrastructure, facilitating efficient technical support and ensuring that all students have access to the same resources. This restriction on personal laptops aligns with our commitment to enhancing cybersecurity measures on campus. Over the coming weeks, we will be implementing security protocols that will prevent personal devices from connecting to the school network.
This proactive approach is aimed at safeguarding our digital infrastructure and protecting sensitive information. By using only the assigned school laptops, we can ensure that all devices adhere to the necessary security standards, minimizing potential vulnerabilities and creating a secure educational environment for everyone. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in contributing to the overall safety and integrity of our school's digital ecosystem.
Student Parking Fees - $75 for the remainder of the school year!
Parking for the spring semester is $50, a total of $75 for the remainder of the year. Parking fee can be paid online through Skyward for a $5 fee or paid with cash, check or credit card in person at the school for no additional fee. You student will be required to fill out a form that is available in the front office. Be sure they know their license plate number.
AP Parents and Students,
There are several deadlines regarding AP testing this semester:
Feb 23, 2024- Students in second semester only courses need to be signed into the College Board and select “Yes” to indicate their decision to test, and for an exam to be ordered.
Mar 6, 2024- Final deadline for all students, full year or second semester only, to order a test with the mandatory College Board $40 late fee incurred. The fee is only incurred for exams for full year classes that missed the November deadline.
Apr 19, 2024- Final payment deadline for all AP exams.
**Remember, to have exams ordered, you MUST be registered in the College Board, AND in Total Registration. If your student was not registered in BOTH places by the end of day on November 10th, an exam HAS NOT been ordered for them.
Any questions or verifications of this process can be directed to laura.foutch@gcisd.net. Additionally, there is information and resource videos to help with this process on the school website under AP Exam Information.
Please reach out to Laura Foutch @ laura.foutch@gcisd.net with any questions.
TELPAS Testing Information
Students identified as emergent bilinguals and served through our English as a Second Language program will complete the two sections of TELPAS testing; Reading and Writing, and Listening and Speaking on the following dates in February. February 20th and 27th for freshmen and seniors and February 21st and 28th for sophomores and juniors. All students will receive a pass the day before testing to let them know which test they will be taking and where to report. Please reach out to Laura Foutch with any questions @ laura.foutch@gcisd.net
SAT Test for Juniors
GCISD will be offering the opportunity for all juniors to take the SAT, at no cost to the students, on Wednesday, March 6th, during the school day. Students who are juniors are automatically registered and do not need to sign up. Please reach out to Laura Foutch with any questions @ laura.foutch@gcisd.net.
2023 Federal School Report Cards
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), requires each state education agency to prepare and publish an annual report card. The Federal Report Card (FRC) for Texas Public Schools is a web-based system that generates the required federal report cards at the state, district, and campus levels for easy dissemination by school districts. Every district that receives Title I, Part A funding is responsible for distributing the FRCs to each of its campuses, the parents of all enrolled students, and the general public.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released the 2023 Federal Report Cards at the State, District, and Campus level with information as required by federal law. The Federal Report Cards do not contain 2023 State Accountability Rating information.
To view our district and campus federal report cards, please visit our Accountability webpage for a link to search on TEA's site or click on the red "Archived State and Federal SRCs" button the bottom of our district's Accountability page.
Seniors: Order Your Graduation Cap and Gown
Seniors, it's that time of year, time to order your Cap and Gown for graduation! Please click the link below:
https://www.balfour.com/shop/graduation/senior-gear?pim_a_collection=17546&smi=71816
Cheer - Silver Medalist at UIL State
Gisele Rayngay - Committed to Tarleton State University (Softball)
Home for the Holidays - GHS Alum Share Insight
Thank you to the GHS Alumni panel and to everyone who attended the AABC "Home for the Holidays" event last Thursday evening. Classes of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 were represented
Lady Mustangs Basketball
Runnin Mustangs Basketball
GHS Theatre Presents
Welcome to the Renaissance and the outrageous, crowd-pleasing musical farce, Something Rotten. Set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self, and all that jazz. *This Show is Suitable for a Mature Audience. PG-13
Senior Graduation Requirement - FAFSA/TASFA/Opt-Out Form
Seniors will be able to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) beginning in December 2023. An exact date is yet to be announced.
Completing the FAFSA (or TASFA) or an Opt-Out form is now a requirement for graduation. See below for details:
Beginning with the Class of 2022 and beyond, all Seniors must complete one of the following steps in order to comply with Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0256 in order to graduate:
Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); or
Complete and submit a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA); or
Submit a signed opt-out form.
As approved by the GCISD Board of Trustees, the District will accept the following as proof of completion:
Acknowledgment of receipt from an Institution of Higher Ed (IHE);
Copy of Signature page;
Screenshot of TASFA submission acknowledgment page (from those institutions that offer an electronic form);
Screenshot of FAFSA submission acknowledgment page; -OR-
Copy of a financial aid award letter
*Please do not send financial records to the school as proof.
After you have submitted your FAFSA/TASFA paperwork, please send one method of proof or your opt-out form to your high school counseling office no later than May 1, 2023.
The Texas OnCourse financial aid toolkit and StudentAid.gov provide additional information about applying for financial aid.
If you do not wish for your student to complete a FAFSA or TASFA, an opt-out form may be completed by a parent or guardian, a student age 18 years or older, or a school counselor who authorizes the student to decline to complete and submit the application for good cause.
If you wish to opt-out, please use one of the forms below and return it to your school counselor:
TEA Financial Aid Opt Out Form - English
Counselors- Students are assigned to by their last name.
The GHS counseling team consists of:
Marnie Pape (A-D) - marnie.pape@gcisd.net
Abbey King (E-Le) - abbey.king@gcisd.net
Moises Flores (Li-Ri) - moises.flores@gcisd.net
Katherine Partridge (Ro-Z) - katherine.partridge@gcisd.net
Mary Parsley (Lead Counselor) - mary.parsley@gcisd.net
Jennifer Lemke (Student Advocate) - jennifer.lemke@gcisd.net
Dual Credit Information Meeting
Counseling January Newsletter
- Course Requests and Preferred Scheduling Timeline
- Seniors - FAFSA is now open!
- Mustang Nation - January 17th (6-7:30pm)
- Dual Credit Mandatory Meeting - January 17th @ GHS (6:45 pm)
GHS AMBASSADORS
FINAL DEADLINES for 2023-2024 school year as follows: (NO EXCEPTIONS!!!))
Class of 2024: March 1, 2024 - (No forms accepted from Senior class after March collection date).
Class of 2025, 2026, 2027: Last day of school- May 23, 2024 by noon (RED BOX will be removed at that time and no more forms accepted after that time).
Thank you to our newest member of "The Herd"
We wanted to say a quick thank you to Dewayne Smart and Smart Realty for their sponsorship of our GHS Staff Christmas Party. Smart Realty is a leader in the real estate community in GCISD and DeWayne and his team go above and beyond helping and serving at several different campuses here in GCISD. Our staff had a wonderful time at the party and our teachers felt taken care of.We are super appreciative of his support and want to officially welcome Smart Realty to "The Herd."
Grapevine High School PTSA needs you!
Membership dues are only $10 each school year! Students, remember that if you will be applying for any PTA/PTSA scholarships, you need to be a member of PTSA. Click here to join!
Donate a door prize for Project Graduation 2024!
Volunteer Background Check
We sincerely appreciate the investment of your time as a volunteer. Whether it is just volunteering with PTSA, a school field trip, or in any capacity in connection with our partnership with Big Brothers-Big Sisters, you must complete a background check.
All volunteers are required to reapply each year. Due to a large number of applicants, we will not notify you of your volunteer status. To get your status, please check with the school office for this information before you volunteer.
Click below to apply:
https://www.gcisd.net/o/gcisd/page/volunteer-background-check