Tiger Time News
News from the O.C. Taylor Principal, Lisa Pedevilla
January 18 - January 22, 2021
Dear O.C. Taylor Families,
Tomorrow, January 18, we will be out of school in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy. King once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” I encourage you to talk with your children about this important question. It is never too early to begin teaching our children how they can help others, even now at a young age.
To the BEST of days,
Principal Pedevilla
Email: lisa.pedevilla@gcisd.net
Website: http://oct.gcisd.net/
Location: 5300 Pool Road, Colleyville, TX, United States
Phone: (817) 305-4870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OC-Taylor-Elementary-School-361871583888299/
Twitter: @OCTYoung
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OCT Vision: To empower our children today to create a better tomorrow.
OCT Mission: To create life-long learners and develop servant leaders through authentic, real-world experiences.
Important Dates
January 18
Student/Teacher Holiday, MLK Day
January 19
Go Get 'Em Tiger Day! Wear your Go Get 'Em Tiger shirt!
January 20
Workout Wednesday! Wear your workout gear and get moving!
January 28
Play It Safe (In-Person Learners only)
February 1
First day of Black History Month
February 3
100th Day of School (Kinder)
February 5
National Go Red Day. Wear a red shirt!
February 15
Professional Development/No School for Students
February 19
Go Red for Women
March 2
Spring Creek BBQ, 5pm - 9pm
March 15 - March 19
Spring Break
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Assistant Principal Points from Mrs. Bailey
- Students may begin entering the building at 7:25 am.
- Students need to remain in their vehicle until staff members are outside to monitor and greet them. Staff members who are on duty in the morning will be ready at 7:25 am.
- Do not drop off your child(ren) anytime before 7:25 am. This presents a safety concern, as no staff are outside before this time to monitor students.
- Students may not wait outside the front doors until they are open at 7:25 am. We are observing large groups of students who are much closer than 6 feet. We need to be proactive in continuing socially distanced practices at all times on campus.
- Both of our parking lots continue to remain closed to all visitors.
- Visitors are not allowed on campus during arrival and dismissal times. Please remain in your vehicle and staff members will safely escort your child(ren) to your vehicle. If your child walks or rides a bike to school, please say goodbye to them at the crosswalk on Pool Road. Only students and staff members are allowed on the campus grounds during arrival and dismissal.
- Parents dropping off and picking up students in the PreK and Kinder Bus Loop may get out of their vehicle to assist their child(ren) in and out of the vehicle.
- Late arrivals - If your child arrives after the 7:40 tardy bell, we need you to park in the front Tiger Loop, escort your child(ren) to the front door, ring the bell by the far right door, and sign in in the binder that is for Tardy Sign In on the white table. Once the ring the bell, our office staff will open the door for your child(ren) to enter the building and walk to their classroom.
Thank you for supporting us with these safety measures. We love all of our Tigers and appreciate you partnering with us as we continue to navigate through this pandemic.
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State of Texas 2019–20 School Report Card
Click here to find a copy of the State of Texas 2019–20 School Report Card for O.C. Taylor Elementary. This report is required by the Texas Legislature and prepared by the Texas Education Agency. It is to be sent to the parent or guardian of every child enrolled in a Texas public school. The report provides information concerning student performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®), as well as information on student enrollment, class size averages, and financial expenditures. Due to COVID-19, STAAR® assessments were canceled for the 2019–20 school year. Therefore, several data points have not been updated, including STAAR® and academic growth data.
The School Report Cards can be found online at https://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Accountability/State_Accountability/Performance_Reporting/School_Report_Cards. A more complete report about [name of school], the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR), is available by contacting my office or can be accessed online at https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/tapr/index.html.
Click here to read a letter from me about the report.
Click here to read list of definitions.
20-21 Federal Report Cards
Federal Report Cards for the state, the district and each of the district’s campuses are now available on the district’s website at this link: https://www.gcisd.net/departments/accountability/school_report_cards or are also available on the Texas Education Agency’s website at: https://tea.texas.gov/Finance_and_Grants/Grants/Federal_Report_Card/.
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is sharing this information about the district and your child’s campus with you as part of its obligations under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA).
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Tuition-Based Pre-K Lottery
The Tuition-Based Pre-K lottery application window is now open and will close at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, January 15, 2021. Families interested in the District's tuition-based pre-kindergarten program need to complete this application. Students meeting criteria for the state-based program will still be able to apply and qualify in April 2021. For more information on tuition and pre-k qualifications visit GCISD.net/PreK or contact gcisd.pk@gcisd.net.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 18, 2021, is the 26th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.
Click here to read "MLK Day: 5 Ways to Help Your Kids Understand the Significance."
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STEM and Dual Language Lottery
The personalized programs application window for the 2021-2022 school year will open on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Online applications will be accepted through Friday, February 12, 2021. The lottery will be conducted on Monday, February 22, 2021.
Students who are already in STEM or Dual Language do NOT need to apply, even at transition years.
For more information and to complete an online application on or after Tuesday, January 19, click here.
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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.
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GCISD Language Assessment Center Online Courses for Adults
In partnership with the Grapevine Community Outreach Center, the GCISD Language Assessment Center will begin offering online courses for adults. These free courses will be self-paced and will provide skills in English as a Second Language and Adult Basic Literacy, as well as GED support. The flyers can be viewed and shared here in English and Spanish.
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School Pictures
Glamourcraft Photography was here on Tuesday, January 12 for makeup pictures for in-person/remote learners. IF your child had their picture taken, please allow 10 - 14 days to receive an email from Glamourcraft. In the email, you will see the picture and a link to order the pictures. If you do not receive an email within that time frame, please call Glamourcraft at 817-923-9901.
If you have any questions, please call the office at 817-305-4870.
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Updates from the Clinic, Nurse Katy
OCT Screening Day: The GCISD Screen Team will be at OCT on Wednesday 1/27 and Thursday 1/28 to do vision and hearing screenings. If your child wears glasses, PLEASE make sure they have them with them on these days. If they do not, you will be called to bring them up to the school. The State of Texas requires that the following students are screened annually:
ECSE
Pre-K
Kindergarten
1st grade
3rd grade
5th grade
2nd and 4th grade students who are new to GCISD this school year
COVID-19 Testing: If your student or anyone in your household has been tested for COVID-19 for any reason, regardless of whether or not any symptoms exist, PLEASE KEEP EVERYONE HOME UNTIL YOU KNOW THE RESULTS. This is for the safety of our students and staff members and for contact tracing purposes.
Go Red Day: The American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative, Go Red for Women, is a comprehensive platform designed to increase women’s heart health awareness. Please show your support by wearing RED on Friday, February 5th.
Lion's Club Recycle for Sight: Lions clubs around the World collect millions of eyeglasses each year to address the need for glasses, making eyeglass recycling one of their most popular and rewarding activities. If you have any eyeglasses or glasses cases you want to donate, send them with your child and have them drop them in the Lion's Club box in the front foyer for recycling.
Health Screening for Students
All of our in-person learners' parents must pre-screen their 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.
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GCISD Reads!
As you know in GCISD we encourage students to participate in an annual reading challenge called GCISD Reads. We offer several challenge choices like Book Count, Page Count, and the Genre Challenge. For the details please check out our newsletter here.
Lost Books?
We do not charge fines for late books in elementary school, so if you come across a book that seems like it’s becoming part of the family (maybe since before Covid) you can send it back without consequence.
A Message To my Tigers
It’s time to celebrate! Many of our Tigers have already completed one or more of the reading challenges so beginning this week I will be presenting those Tigers with a special badge indicating which challenges they have completed. You will also be celebrated on the Morning Show! So keep reading, logging your progress in Biblionasium (in Destiny Discover), and entering your name using the QR code.
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Updates from the Counselor, Mrs. Whisman
Hello Tiger Families! Beginning in January, our Character Focus from PurposeFull People is PERSEVERANCE. My morning messages, classroom Circle-Ups, and bi-weekly guidance lessons will reinforce the definition of Perseverance: The ability to work through situations even when there are obstacles or challenges in the way. Students will be challenged to look at those obstacles not as stumbling blocks but instead as stepping stones.
If you would like more information about our monthly topic or for ways to get in contact with me, please click here for my newsletter.
Play it Safe - January 28
Play it Safe will be happening at OCT on Jan. 28... via ZOOM... presented by the Women's Center. This program will ONLY BE AVAILABLE for IN-PERSON learners. Remote students will NOT be able to participate.
This is the link to the parent information about a parent preview, OPT out form (in place of the permission slip that normally would go out), and the district guidelines. . If a parent does NOT fill out the OPT out form, their child WILL stay in the room while you have the ZOOM presentation that day.
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Update from GT, Kathy Griffin
UPCOMING GT TESTING FOR KINDERGARTEN & 5TH GRADE STUDENTS
GT Testing for K / 5th Grades: January 7 through January 22, 2021
UPCOMING REFERRAL / GT TESTING FOR GRADES 1-4
Referral Window: Jan. 19 - 29, 2021
GT Testing Window: Feb. 8th through March 5, 2021
Referral for Testing Link: bit.ly/2NT0M0y
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Update from Music, Mrs. Vencill
Happy New Year, Tigers! I hope everyone enjoyed a fun winter break and is rested and ready for lots of learning in the OCT music room.
January is the perfect month to practice what we've learned so far this year using music written to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. All grade levels will sing, play instruments, compose rhythm patterns, and listen to music connected to MLK and discuss the strong connection between music and important moments in American history.
2nd - 5th graders will also continue to practice reading notes from the treble clef staff and playing simple melodies on interactive Orff and piano apps.
Wishing you much happiness and GOOD HEALTH in the new year!
Mrs. Vencill
Updates from Art, Mrs. Morgan
Happy 2021!!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Winter break and is ready to continue creating and learning about Art!
For the month of January, students will learn about space or depth and distance when creating an art piece.
Kindergarten and 1st Grade: Students will be learning about the parts of a landscape (foreground and background) to create a Fox Landscape.
2nd and 3rd Grade: Students will be reviewing the parts of a landscape (foreground and background) and learning about middle ground, as well as size variation. Students will then create a landscape of their choice.
4th and 5th Grade: Students will be learning about one-point perspective and the vanishing point to create a 3-dimensional looking cityscape.
Keep on Creating!
Mrs. Morgan
Updates from P.E., Coach Mester
Physical Education News:
I hope you had a wonderful holiday break! Wow, how the first semester flew by. We are going to kick the new year off with "Pickleball". This is an awesome activity to improve and sharpen skills needed to play tennis. After PTA generously purchased nets and paddles for us several years ago, it has quickly become a student favorite. We will of course continue working on our overall fitness during warm ups, jogging, and stretching. As a friendly reminder, please wear or bring tennis shoes on your PE days. With the cold weather, I am seeing a lot of boots worn to school.
Coach Mester
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For GCISD Bus Riders
In GCISD, the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. As we continue to improve our COVID-19 procedures, we will be making a slight modification to our routine for all secondary students riding a daily bus route or shuttle when we return from Thanksgiving Break.
In the event a bus rider or driver receives a test-confirmed positive COVID-19 test, we will be collecting real-time information that will speed up the process for the GCISD Health Services Department. This process will allow us to quickly and accurately identify and communicate with close contacts associated with the test-confirmed student or staff member.
All secondary students will be asked to use their device to scan a QR code upon entering a GCISD bus. This QR code will link to a form that requires students to enter their bus number, campus, name, student ID number and seat number. Once they submit the form, they will sit in their assigned seat. This process will need to be completed every time a secondary student rides a GCISD bus.
We appreciate your understanding, as well as your help in keeping our students, staff and community safe.
*If you do not have a QR reader on your phone, you may need to download a QR Reader app.
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Changing Instructional Model
(This section has been updated.)
As a reminder, parents are able to switch from in-person to remote learning at any point during the school year. In order to make this change, please contact our campus counselor.
For families that are wishing to change from remote to in-person learning, that may only be done at the end of a grading period. The process for changing to in-person learning requires parents to log in to Skyward Family Access and complete the changing instructional models form prior to the end of the nine-week grading period. Instructions on where to find the form and how to complete it can be found here.
Below is a schedule of when the form will become available, when the form must be received by the campus, and when the change will go into effect:
- To change after the second nine weeks, parents must complete the form between November 16 and December 4. Your student would begin receiving in-person instruction on January 6.
- To change after the third nine weeks, parents must complete the form between February 14 and February 26. Your student would begin receiving in-person instruction on March 22.
In accordance with the revised COVID-19 mandate issued by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on November 5, a Local Education Agency may determine that a student’s attendance and/or academic performance in one or more classes puts them at significant risk of severe learning loss. The Local Education Agency may then request the student to return to in-person learning through the steps outlined by TEA.
If you have any questions regarding the timing of when parents may change the instructional model selected or the associated process, please contact our campus counselor, Stacy Whisman, stacy.whisman@gcisd.net.
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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.
OCT PTA
Please be sure to visit the O.C. Taylor PTA website where you'll be able to fill out some important forms as well as pay your Homeroom Fund Fee (just $10), which helps pay for things during the year like Winter and Valentine's parties and an end of the year gift for the teachers. Our partnership with the PTA is critical for maintaining the exceptional culture we have here at O.C. Taylor!
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Fall 2020 Council E-Connection Newsletter
Please read the Fall 2020 Council E-connection Newsletter to see some of what O.C. Taylor PTA has been doing on our campus.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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Helping Our Community
Every year, O.C. Taylor students and the PTA collect donations for GRACE Grapevine, a local
nonprofit serving the needy in our community. In the past, each grade participated during a
specific month of the school year. We want to maximize our impact in the community by
opening up donation collection to the entire school all year long!
For the month of December, we will be collecting unwrapped toys for children.
The grade that collects the most donations each month will win an extra recess!
Donation drop boxes will be placed in the school hallways and in the lobby.
January - Spaghetti Night (Dried pasta, jarred spaghetti sauce)
February - Breakfast (Cereal, oatmeal, or other hot cereals)
March - PBJ (Peanut/nut butter, jars of jelly)
April - Stock the Pantry (Canned tuna, meat, fruit, etc.)
May - Mac & Cheese(Packages of everyone's favorite!)