Embedded Files
April 14th - April 18th, 2025
April 14th - April 18th, 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mr. Schilleci
Mr. Schilleci
OCT Families,
Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
I wanted to start by expressing our sincere gratitude for your incredible support in ensuring our Tigers had a fantastic first round of STAAR testing last week! It truly makes a difference when our students come to school well-rested, encouraged, and ready. We had a remarkably smooth testing day across the campus, and it was wonderful to see our students approach the assessment with confidence, eager to demonstrate all their learning! Thank you for partnering with us.
As we move forward, please keep in mind that we have two more rounds of STAAR testing scheduled in the coming weeks. We are confident our Tigers will continue to approach these assessments with focus and determination, and we look forward to providing them the opportunity to successfully showcase their knowledge once again.
This coming week is a short one, as we head into a three-day weekend! We're excited to make the most of our four days together.
We're also looking forward to the Dad's Club Golf Tournament Fundraiser this Thursday, April 17th, taking place at the beautiful Bear Creek Golf Club! This is always a fun event that provides fantastic support for our school. If you might be interested in playing, donating, or learning more about supporting this important fundraiser, please see my section.
A huge shout-out and thank you goes to Erica McCormick and our phenomenal PTA team for organizing Neon Night last Thursday! Seeing the students and staff having such a blast was a perfect, high-energy way to cap off the week. Thank you, PTA!
Lastly, but certainly not least, a heartfelt thank you to our PTA, parents, staff, and students who helped us celebrate our amazing Assistant Principal, Mrs. Priesand, during Assistant Principal Appreciation Week! Mrs. Priesand works relentlessly for our school community, loves each of your Tigers, and brings incredible dedication to OCT every single day. She is so deserving of all the appreciation shown, and we are incredibly fortunate to have her!
Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership and support. I truly love our school and the OCT community! I'm looking forward to another great week with our Tigers before we all enjoy the long weekend ahead!
Best,
Principal Schilleci
Principal Schilleci's Weekly News
Principal Schilleci's Weekly News
NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, APRIL 18th: We will have a Student and Staff Holiday on Friday and will be able to enjoy a three day weekend. We will return to school on Monday, April 21st.
Bring the Family to Walk a Mile with GCISD, Tuesday, April 15: Join us for Walk a Mile with GCISD, from 6-7:30 p.m, Tuesday, April 15, at Mustang Panther Stadium. Even if only for a moment, stop by to participate in some fun activities, like connecting with GCISD staff, families and community and walking the track. Bring the whole family, but please leave your furry friends at home to help keep our stadium clean. Feel free to also bring a football, frisbee or soccer ball to have a little fun on the field.
Watch this video to get a glimpse of the event and see you there!
Ready, Set, Register Before May 16: Start your engines by registering your student for the 2025-2026 school year before May 16. The earlier you register, the better we can plan as campuses are staffed based on registration numbers. Registering now helps GCISD avoid last-minute hiring or staff relocations when the school year begins.
Here’s how to cross the finish line:
Returning students: Register via Skyward Family Access
New families: Request a Skyward Family Access account first
Pre-K: Complete the pre-K online application first
New siblings: Log in to Skyward Family Access and add a new student by selecting the “New Student Online Enrollment” tab.
While families can register all year long, let’s cross that finish line together before summer to make next year a smooth ride!
Class Placement Considerations for 25-26: We are starting to think about the 2025-2026 school year. Should you have any information that you would like us to know, we would ask you to fill out the Student Consideration Form to request additional information that you feel will help us in the important task of class placement (Please complete one per child.).
REPEATED ITEMS
Letter of Intent for 2025-2026 School Year: In preparation for the 2025-2026 school year, we need to know if your child plans to attend O. C. Taylor or not. This helps us as we begin to consider student enrollment in each grade level, staffing, and class placements for next year. Please complete a separate form for each child who currently attends O. C. Taylor.
OCT Annual Dad's Club Golf Tournament, April 17th: We will have our OCT Dad's Club Golf Tournament and fundraiser next Thursday! This is a great opportunity to support our tigers by donating and having a good time playing a round of golf! Please check out this site for more information on how to sponsor/support/donate and to register to play!
DAC End-of-Year Potluck: See this invitaition for more information. Everyone is invited- the more the merrier!
GRADE LEVEL NEWSLETTERS
GRADE LEVEL NEWSLETTERS
Please read your child's grade level newsletter by clicking on the grade to the right.
Upcoming Important Dates
4/14 - 3rd Grade Field Trip
4/15 - 6:00pm - 7:30pm GCISD Walk a Mile
4/17 - 1st Grade Field Trip
4/17 - OCT Dad's Golf Tournament
4/18 - School Holiday/No School
4/21 - 4/25 - Earth Week
4/22 - STAAR Science (5) - No visitors/volunteers
4/23 - 3:00-3:45 Friends of the Library
4/25- 3:30 Egg Drop
4/29 - STAAR Math (3-5) - No visitors/volunteers
Mrs. Priesand
Mrs. Priesand
Assistant Principal Priesand Updates
Assistant Principal Priesand Updates
OCT Families,
STAAR testing is here. Please review the dates below.
A few reminders:
Students testing will need to bring their charged chromebook and headphones on those dates. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
We will have a CLOSED CAMPUS on these days, so no lunch visitors, volunteers, book readers, etc. Please plan your visits accordingly!
Create a healthy routine of getting a good night's rest and fueling our bodies with a healthy breakfast.
As we approach STAAR testing, I want to remind you that while the test is an important tool, it is not the ultimate measure of your child’s potential. We use the data from STAAR at the school, district, and state levels, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Please encourage your children to do their best EVERYDAY. A positive mindset and effort are what matter most!
It’s important that we stay focused and finish the spring strong. Let’s support our students in maintaining their motivation as we enter into STAAR season with STAAR reviews and testing.
It's a great day to be a tiger!
Mrs.Priesand
STAAR dates:
April 9th- ELAR
April 22nd- Science
April 29th-Math
Holley's Herald
Holley's Herald
This month we will be learning about COURAGE during your child's class counseling time. Our mindfulness strategy this month will be a Soothing Standing Stretch to learn to acknowledge how different emotions make us feel physically.
Character Trait: COURAGE
Mindfulness Technique: Soothing Standing Stretch
All the best,
Mackenzie Holley
email: mackenzie.holley@gcisd.net
phone: (817) 305-4880
____________________________________________________________________
Nurse Katy
Nurse Katy
IMMUNIZATION UPDATES: When your child receives immunizations, please submit a copy of the immunization record so I can update the school records in Skyward.
Immunization Requirements:
Repeated information:
NOTIFICATION OF ILLNESS/INJURY: If your student is absent due to an illness/injury, please be sure to email Paola (paola.cervantes@gcisd.net) and myself (elissa.faught@gcisd.net). You do not need to call the office. If you have a doctor's note (sick note, dentist, orthodontist, therapy, dermatologist, counseling, etc) please email it to Paola for attendance purposes.
WHEN TO STAY HOME: Students must stay home from school if any of the following are present:
● fever of 100 degrees or higher in the past 24 hours
● vomiting and/or diarrhea in the past 24 hours
● itchy, red eyes with discharge
● unknown rash
● jaundice
● ringworm of the scalp (until treatment has begun)
GCISD has a 24-hour policy related to stomach illness or fever. Students may not return to school until free of fever, vomiting, and/or diarrhea for a minimum of 24 hours without the aid of any medication. If your student is sent home from school with fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, you must still abide by the 24-hour policy, and keep your child home for a minimum of 24 hours after symptoms have subsided without the aid of medication.
Mrs. Water's GT News
Mrs. Water's GT News
DECATS is now open to 5th graders going into 6th!
Needed: Paper towels and Lysol Wipes
What are we learning in GT LEAD for the 3rd nine weeks?
1st Grade - Game Maker
2nd Grade - Brain Research
3rd Grade - Building a business
4th Grade - Enigmas
5th Grade - Geometric Wonders
SAGE: Please consider joining this wonderful organization of GCISD parents and teachers, supporting gifted scholars K-12. They work with local and state programs to ensure the needs of this population are fully met. Strong membership also supports my job, which I love very much! SAGE will share articles and learning strategies to assist you in your classroom. I would appreciate your membership. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Supporting & Advocating for Gifted Education
Resources:
Byrdseed Articles
A video of me talking about why gifted kids are different than just “smart kids”
Related: how being repeatedly called “smart” can become a burden.
Does your child seem anxious? This is common.
Why your gifted kid shouldn’t be tutoring other students in class.
Gifted kids can be squirmy, fidgety, have high energy… and that’s ok!
Be thoughtful about how you praise kids.
Books
Books
Mrs. Quinn's Corner 📚
Mrs. Quinn's Corner 📚
What a great week of making global connections and having students take on the AI challenge! If you would like to see how you stack up with your tiger when it comes to AI - you can take the same quiz they did 🙂 Good luck!
Kinder - 2nd grade tigers will get a story from brand new books that were just added to the library and plenty of Makerspace time 🧸🤖💻
The NEW Spring Reading Challenge is underway! The Friends of the Library Club worked hard to come up with the rules - and prizes - for this latest challenge. Students need only to fill out their reading logs each week, indicating whether the books were picture, chapter, nonfiction or graphic novel, and bring the log to either myself or Ms. Griffith on Friday to move spaces. On the board there are several challenge spaces that offer prizes for a bonus reading challenge (challenge cards must have an adult signature to verify completion). When tigers reach the finish line they get a treasure box prize, their token gets a sticker and they have the chance to play again or move to the Winners Circle. The second finish line gets 2 prizes and if they complete the challenge 3 times they can adopt a stuffie of their choice from the library or get a 3D printed object from our 3D printer! Let's get reading!
Our Spring Book Fair is May 5-9th. However, the online fair is open all school year long. Until May 22nd, any purchases through our school's online fair link will credit our school 10% of all sales.
You can find out more about the OC Taylor library policies (including how many books each grade can checkout) on the school webpage. You can view District policies on library materials on their webpage. To see a list of Board Approved books, you may visit the District website.
As always, if you have any questions, concerns, would like to volunteer or donate books and supplies please feel free to contact me! I do accept gently used books so if you are cleaning out your child's room and find there are stories that could live in the OCT Library, send them my way 🤩 The most requested picture book titles are video game characters, mermaids, Disney Princesses, superheroes and popular tv characters (like Paw Patrol, Bluey, Peppa Pig, etc), but I'll be happy to accept whatever you'd like to give!
Johanna Quinn
email: johanna.quinn@gcisd.net
phone: (817) 305-4885
X: @OCTQuinn
Instagram: @octquinn
Mrs. Vencill
Mrs. Vencill
Vencill's Voice
Vencill's Voice
O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2025
Happy Spring, OC Taylor Tigers and families! It’s hard to believe that we are just a few weeks away from the end of another school year. Time flies when you’re having fun!
Upcoming Programs:
2nd Grade Festival of Friends, Thursday, April 24 at 8:30 a.m. for students/staff and 6:30 p.m. for parents/guests. **Every 2nd grader is expected to attend the evening performance!
Fifth Grade Rocks! , Thursday, May 15 at 8:30 a.m. for students/staff and 6:30 p.m.for parents/guests **EVERY 5th graders is expected to attend BOTH performances.
All 3rd and 4th grade students are invited to audition for the GCISD Elementary Honor Choir. Please open this Audition Information Letter for more information, and contact Mrs. Vencill with any questions.
The Greater Dallas Choral Society is holding auditions for students in grades 4-8. Please open this link for more information. Greater Dallas Choral Society Audition Information
See you in the music room,
Mrs. Vencill
bethany.vencill@gcisd.net
Coach Mester
Coach Mester
Mester's PE Press
Mester's PE Press
O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2025
See you in the gym!
Coach Mester
jason.mester@gcisd.net
Mrs. Morgan
Mrs. Morgan
Morgan's Art Message
Morgan's Art Message
O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2025
Kindergarten will learn about the artist Pablo Picasso to create a cubist Self Portrait. Students will learn how to draw a self portrait and add facial features. Students will then learn how to weave using painted paper. They will learn how to create a loom and use the pattern of under/over.
1st grade will learn about the artist Romero Britto and his patterned sculptures and paintings. Students will create a patterned art piece using different lines and shapes.
2nd grade will learn how to draw 3D shapes to create a still life of their choice.
3rd grade will learn about different clay techniques to create a clay gnome. Students will learn how to create a pinch pot, slab and attach pieces by scoring.
4th grade will learn about radial symmetry to create a paper relief design by learning three origami folds.
5th grade will learn about different shading techniques to create a still life of their choice. Students will learn about light sources and shadows.
Online Yearbook Sales are Closed
Online orders for yearbooks closed Monday April 7th. If we have extras, they will be on a first come, first serve basis.
More information will be sent out at a later time.
Grapevine- Colleyville ISD
District Art Show!
Everyone is invited to attend the District Art Show. Student artwork from all campuses will be on display at the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau, 636 S. Main Street.
Exhibition will be on display from
April 8th- April 24th, 2025
Make sure to stop by and see all the amazing artwork!
Keep on Creating!
Mrs. Morgan
cristie.morgan@gcisd.net
OCT Cafeteria
OCT Cafeteria
Nutrition News
Nutrition News
GCISD NUTRITION SERVICES: Click here to see the school menus.
FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATIONS: Starting on July 10, 2024, free and reduced-price meal applications were made available to fill out for the 2024-2025 school year. Families are encouraged to complete the Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals available online at www.schoollunchapp.com. A paper copy may be downloaded from the website or requested at any campus or Nutrition Services office.
The application will determine a child’s eligibility for free and reduced-price meals and may assist in the determination of eligibility for other state or federal benefits. Only one application needs to be completed per household. Schools will notify the household of the child’s eligibility. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers school nutrition programs in Texas and offers an eligibility calculator at www.SquareMeals.org/ProgramEligibility.
Decisions regarding payment for school meals are made at the national-government level, not by the school nutrition team or TDA. The dedicated staff in Nutrition Services is looking forward to serving healthy, balanced meals to students in the new school year. If you have any questions, please call 817-251-5617 or email child.nutrition@gcisd.net.
Texas legislation has approved a 2024-25 biennium budget, which includes $3.3 million per year to cover the cost of school breakfasts for students eligible for reduced price meals. Students that are approved for reduced-priced meals may eat breakfast at no cost this school year. Lunch price is $0.40.
PROCEDURE FOR FAMILIES WITH UNPAID MEAL CHARGES: Parents/Guardians shall monitor their student’s school meal account to ensure that they always have a positive balance. In the event that a student does not have a positive balance, the student may charge up to 6 meals to their account. Only reimbursable meals may be charged. A la carte items may not be charged. Communication about a negative meal balance will be sent to parents/guardians via email. Students who have exceeded the 6 charged meal limit, will be offered an alternative meal that will be charged to the student’s account.
O.C. Taylor PTA
O.C. Taylor PTA
PTA News
PTA News
WELCOME TO O.C. TAYLOR PTA!
Our goal is to connect with our school community by hosting fun events such as Tiger Fest, Grandparents' Day, Neon Night and so much more. We provide classroom needs and support our teachers in any way we can. We partner 100% with our wonderful school to make it the very best! We continue to raise funds for much-needed upgrades to our outdoor play area.
We hope you'll join us in our efforts to make O.C. Taylor the best it can be!
PTA WEBSITE & PURCHASES
For 2024-2025 our Back to School PTA forms will continue to be all digital! Visit https://octaylorpta.membershiptoolkit.com/ for all your PTA needs & purchases!
TEACHER FAVORITES
SAVE THE DATE!
4/17 Dad's Club Golf Tournament
4/18 - School Holiday/No School
4/21 - 4/25 - Earth Week
4/22 - STAAR Science (5) - No visitors/volunteers
4/25 Egg Drop
4/29 - STAAR Math (3-5) - No visitors/volunteers
BIRTHDAYS AT O.C. TAYLOR
We love to celebrate birthdays BIG at O.C. Taylor! We provide two options to purchase through our PTA to help celebrate:
Name In Lights - Your child's name on our marquee for the day - $25
Tiger Gram with Taylor the Tiger - Have Taylor the Tiger deliver a goody bag and balloons to your child's classroom - $40
Save $5 and purchase BOTH for $60.
Please purchase these AT LEAST two weeks in advance. We cannot promise our availability if not purchased in advance. Purchase on our website https://octaylorpta.membershiptoolkit.com/
If you have any questions or need assistance of any kind, please don't hesitate to reach out!
Looking forward to a GRRREAT year!
Jessica Schmulen
President / O.C. Taylor PTA
octaylorptapresident@gmail.com
O.C. Taylor Dad's Club
O.C. Taylor Dad's Club
Dad's Club News
Dad's Club News
GOLF TOURNAMENT: Thursday, April 17that Bear Creek. Thank you to Berkely Walker, Lee McDowell & Mario Magana for your leadership!
It's going to be a great last few months of the school year.
Questions? Contact oc.taylor.dads.club@gmail.com
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