Gator Connect

Oct 19th-25th

Principal Message & News

Happy Sunday, Gator Families!

Thank you to our incredible PTA and volunteers for their exceptional planning and dedication in making Fall Fest an amazing event! It was a joy to see our Gators and their families come together to enjoy a day filled with fun activities and fun. Even with the rain, our PTA swiftly adapted to ensure everything went smoothly, keeping smiles on everyone’s faces. We truly appreciate their hard work and commitment to creating such a memorable experience for all of us. Thank you for making Fall Fest a day to remember!

Our 5th graders and teachers had an adventurous time at Sky Ranch, creating core memories that will last a lifetime. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Ms. Hayes and the entire 5th grade team for their meticulous planning and dedication in making this trip so special. It’s experiences like these that foster growth and connection among our students. Thank you for ensuring our Gators had an unforgettable journey!

Let's show some appreciation for our staff! If you are feeling grateful for anyone on our staff and would like to pass that message along, please share it here. We will share it in our weekly staff newsletter!

Do you have a question I can help answer, or feedback to make Glenhope even better! Please complete the form!

-Alishia Ilic

GHES Principal

Gator Way Winners of the Week

Kinder: Graham always shows what it means to be Respectful. He listens carefully when others are speaking, uses kind words with his classmates, and treats everyone—students and teachers alike—with care and consideration. His positive attitude makes our classroom a happier place to learn each day! Way to go, Graham! Keep showing the Gator Way and spreading your respectful spirit!

1st: Rose is an amazing student. She is always exemplifying all 3 characteristics of the Gator Way. She is a kind friend and is always eager to help her classmates. She can always be counted on to do the right thing and set a great example.

2nd: Julianna is always on task. I can always count on her to be doing her job no matter the task. Julianna is a wonderful example of what the gator way looks like.

3rd: Bear demonstrates all characteristics of the Gator Way, but he excels in kindness. Bear is kind and helpful to all his classmates and his teachers.

4th: Brayden shows the Gator way by being responsible with his assignments. He works diligently every day and takes ownership of his work! Brayden tries his best in all he does, actively participates in class discussions and has a positive attitude, clearly demonstrating the gator way of responsibility!

5th: Just is always kind and a helping hand to all! He comes to school every day with a smile and respectful to everyone!

News from our Gator Reporters...

Check back next week for our Gator Reporters to report on Fall Festival and Sky Ranch!

Who are our Gator REPORTERs?

Gator Reporters are 5th grade students who have signed up to bring our Parent Newsletters the news and happenings in our school. Each week we will feature a different Gator Reporter writing about various events or things in our school. This is all student led but they have the opportunity to work with Mrs. Arnold to gather ideas and edit their article.

Important Information

Grade Level Newsletters

Important Dates

October 20th, Cliburn in the Classroom for 2nd-4th Grade
October 22nd, Unity Day - Wear Orange
October 27th-31st, Red Ribbon Week
October 30th, BMX Show (Students Only)
October 31st, Pep Rally, K-2 Character Parade, and Club Day
November 3rd, Staff Professional Development- No School for Students

Counseling CanaFACTS with Mrs. Canafax

Unity Day! Glenhope students are encouraged to wear orange on Wednesday, October 22nd for a visible message that we are united as a commUNITY that stands against bullying.

Bullying Prevention and Awareness

October is Bullying Prevention Month, so we focus on bullying prevention and how/when to report bullying during September/October guidance time. Parents and teachers play a huge role in helping to prevent bullying. Please check out the CharacterStrong Bullying Prevention webpage, which has a helpful video explaining what bullying truly is and why it is taken so seriously. The webpage also has guidance on what to do if your child or student may be experiencing bullying, how to handle cyberbullying, and a list of proactive strategies for promoting well-being and resilience.

Mark Your Calendars and Check your Closets... Red Ribbon Week is October 27-31!

Red Ribbon Week is a nation-wide drug prevention campaign. You can learn more here. This year's National Red Ribbon Week Theme is "Life is a Puzzle: Solve it Drug Free." Every choice we make fits into a bigger picture, like a puzzle coming together. We want our Gators to make healthy choices to build a stronger, brighter future!

During Red Ribbon Week, students and staff are invited to dress up according to each day's theme. Shoutout to our amazing Student Council for helping come up with this year's themes! We will have a brief message about the theme on the morning announcements each morning. Parents are encouraged to talk to their kids about the message focus each day to reinforce the messages students are hearing at school. As a parent, you can go into more detail with your child. Our school messages will be very brief and are intended to spark thought and encourage conversation at home.

Monday, October 27: Rockin' our Way Toward a Bright Future!
- Dress-Up Theme: Wear 50s style clothes (This is also to celebrate our 50th day of school!)
- Morning Message Focus: Introduction to Red Ribbon Week.
Tuesday, October 28: Snuggle Up to Healthy Choices!
- Dress-Up Theme: Wear pajamas or your favorite comfy lounging clothes
- Morning Message Focus: Taking care of yourself is an important piece of life's puzzle!
Wednesday, October 29: Mix it Up with Healthy Choices!
- Dress-Up Theme: Wear mismatched or backwards clothing
- Morning Message Focus: Be yourself and do what is right, even when it may seem uncool or not match the actions of others!
Thursday, October 30: Healthy Habits make Winning Choices!
- Dress-Up Theme: Wear a jersey or team apparel
- Morning Message Focus: Teamwork is an important piece in our life's puzzle. It's important to cooperate with others and learn from others! Students will enjoy a BMX Bike Show, courtesy of our amazing PTA!
Friday, October 31: Strong Characters Make Strong Choices!
- Dress-Up Theme: Dress like a storybook character! ** No masks or weapon-style props** ALL students are encouraged to dress as a character, but our K-2 students will have a Character Parade!
- Morning Message Focus: Fill your own life story with healthy habits and create your own happy ending!

Guidance Lessons

September/October Guidance lessons continued last week, and I had so much fun working with students in the following homeroom classes: Ms. Lucero and Ms. Mitten. If your student is in one of those classes, ask them to talk to you about the following:

Who is the school counselor, and when/how can you see her?
What is Empathy? (Understanding and connecting to other people's feelings)
What is Responsibility? (Taking action and understanding the impact of our choices)
What is Bullying? (When someone hurts your body and/or heart on purpose and it happens repeatedly. Grades 3-5 also discussed how true bullying involves an imbalance of power).

Because we resumed Guidance classes in mid-September, our lessons for September and October are combined. I will see students again in November for their next monthly guidance lesson, where we will focus on Gratitude!

Lunch Bunch

Lunch Bunches this week were SO fun! We continued practicing Empathetic Listening as we build friendships. We focused on making eye contact with one another, asking followup questions after someone tells a story, and waiting our turn to talk. We did this through answering some get-to-know you questions and then by playing games (a fan favorite is Uno!). If your child is in Lunch Bunch, ask them to tell you about it! (Please note that if your child typically has Lunch Bunch on Mondays, we did not have it this week. Unfortunately I can not reschedule Lunch Bunches because I am meeting with other students during lunches the rest of the week. I look forward to seeing them next week!).

I have at least one Lunch Bunch for each grade level. The current lunch bunches will meet until the end of November. In December, a new group will begin meeting. If you think your child could benefit from joining Lunch Bunch in December, please complete this form.

Check-Ins

If your child is ever in need of a check-in or if you have any concerns to discuss, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at lauren.canafax@gcisd.net

If you would like to learn more about the role of a GCISD school counselor, click here. You are always welcome to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Library Lowdown with Mrs. Arnold

🍴📖 2nd Grade Lunch Bunch Book Club 📖 🍴

Last week we will begin our Lunch Bunch Book Club with 2nd grade. We are reading Dragon Masters: The Rise of the Earth together during lunch once a week in October. They will also be reading some at home and coming to lunch to have discussions and activities based on the book. We got a book mark with our assigned readings at home and what we will read at school. Students came together in the library to eat lunch, and had discussion questions about the reading they did at home. Then we read a chapter together.

We are excited to begin our Lunch Bunch Book Clubs at Glenhope, 3rd grade... you're up next!

Be on the lookout for when it's your grades turn to join in on our Library Fun!

🎃📚 October Reading Logs 📚 🎃

October Reading Logs are out! Come pick them up in the library on the check out counter at any time. Fill in the reading log to spin the wheel this month. Remember, the reading logs count for silent reading time, reading in the car, library books, books in your reading bag from your teacher or any book (audio and e-books count, too!).

Kindergarten - color a pumpkin everytime you read a book or have a book read to you

First and Second - color a pumpkin every 10 minutes you read

Third - Fifth - color a candy or bad every 15 minutes you read

Remember, a child who reads 20 minutes a day will be exposed to 1.8 million words per year!

Glenhope Yearbook

This week a Cover Contest will be sent home. Want your art work in the yearbook? We'd love to see it! Be sure to check out the theme and when the deadline is.

Have a great picture for the yearbook? Please send it to megan.arnold@gcisd.net We'd love for it to be included!

Board Game Donations

I'd love to have an area in the library where students can play some board games. If your Gators have outgrown a board game that has all the pieces to it, the library would love to have them.

Thank you to the families who have brought some in already.

Glenhope PTA

Join PTA

Volunteer

Sponsor

Make Your Gator’s Birthday Extra Special!

Start a sweet tradition your family will cherish forever — order a digital birthday sign on the Glenhope marquee for just $15! Imagine looking back one day at those proud birthday pictures in front of the school… It’s a memory you’ll want when your Gator grows up.

We are now accepting birthdays starting August 1 through the school year

Order at least 2 weeks in advance

Order here: https://glenhopeelempta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/311414569

Volunteers Needed

We love our volunteers and appreciate any amount of time you are able to give.

Workbox Wednesday - Every Wednesday, we have a group of volunteers who meet after drop off to help the teachers get little projects done. Join our 2025-26 GroupMe and all the details will be posted each week - https://groupme.com/join_group/108841952/PT8iBVog
Chicken Tenders - A PTA-sponsored initiative to provide student enrichment to learn, take care of and love on our Gator chickens! There are opportunities throughout the year where your family can sign up to take care of them. Sign up here: Fall Schedule - 2025

Check out our Campus Calendar for important events!

Click here to see Glenhope Peachjar flyers!

Lost & Found

Click here to view and claim from the Lost & Found at Glenhope!

Parent Referral Window for GT/ASPIRE Testing 5th-11th Grade

Parents of students in grades 5–11 may submit referrals for GT or ASPIRE testing in Skyward from October 14–November 3.

Step-by-step directions for completing a referral in Skyward are available on the GCISD Advanced Academics website.

Volunteer Background Check

Apply Online

GCISD utilizes Raptor Technologies for volunteer applications and signing up for volunteer opportunities.

Review the 2025-2026 Student Code of Conduct, Parent Handbook

GCISD is having a successful start to the school year! Please help us keep that momentum going by taking a moment to review with your students the 2025-2026 Student Code of Conduct and 2025-2026 Student Parent-Handbook, which includes dress code and updates from the 89th Legislative Session.

Cafeteria Visitors

Welcoming Lunch Visitors

We're so excited to welcome cafeteria visitors! Please see some friendly reminders below to ensure we can continue our routine.

To make your visit enjoyable, we've set aside special visitor tables near the back where you can sit with your own children.

Friends will need to remain with their class at their designated table.
Follow the same rules as we do at the school, such as staying seated at the table, no electronics, and no back and forth between the class table and parent table.
During the last five minutes of each lunch period, we go to level 0 and cleanup. This helps signal that it's time to start cleaning up and helps create a calm environment as students finish their meals.
Discuss special treats and snacks with your child in regards to when they can buy these from the cafeteria. We have had to remind numerous students to not get ice cream every day before eating their food or they ask if they can get ice cream every day. We encourage them to ask at home what day is best for them to get an ice cream or special snack!

We can't wait to see you!

Congratulations to your student on completing the i-Ready Diagnostic!

i-Ready letters were sent with your child's results. Please see this letter to access reports digitally.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding i-Ready My Path

Now that we have finished our beginning of the year i-Ready Diagnostic testing, our students are starting their personalized instruction in their My Path. We have put together additional information in the form of a My Path FAQ to support families as we partner with you to help all of our students reach their growth goals this year.

Friendly Reminder of School Hours:

7:20 am: Doors Open

7:30 am: Warning Bell Rings

7:35 am: School Day Begins

3:05 pm: Dismissal

Please walk in your child if you arrive at 7:36 or after. They will be counted tardy if they arrive after the bell., I suggest adjusting your drop-off time by about 10 minutes. Our data shows that the arrival line is significantly shorter between 7:15 and 7:25 a.m., which could help you avoid the rush of people getting in line last.

If you need more pick up passes, please email rebecca.garrett@gcisd.net with your request and current number and child's name!

Senate Bill 12 Requirements and Updates

ACTION REQUIRED: Families should review the information below and log into their student’s Skyward account to complete the pop-up permission forms.

Senate Bill 12, passed during the 89th Legislative session, requires school districts to obtain parent permission for student club participation as well as health services and school-based counseling and support services. It also contains requirements for sharing instructional plans and the prohibition of assisting with social transitioning. The new laws go into effect for the 2025-2026 school year. Families should review the information below and log into their student’s Skyward account to complete the pop-up permission forms.

Student Club Participation

SB 12 requires that parents give written consent before a student may participate in a student club authorized or sponsored by the school. School districts may not authorize or sponsor a student club based on sexual orientation or gender identity. All clubs authorized or sponsored by GCISD will be in accordance with all applicable laws and policies.

If a parent does not give general permission, they will be contacted about each individual club or activity for which their student expresses interest in attending. A paper permission form will be sent home and must be completed and returned to the school prior to the student being permitted to attend or participate in any club meetings.

Health Services

SB 12 requires that staff must have parent consent before providing a student with any care, unless it is a life-threatening emergency. This includes:

Assessment of minor injuries and providing basic first aid (like a scraped knee)
Assessment and management of common health issues and illnesses
Checking vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and pulse oximetry
Monitoring chronic conditions and implementing care plans as appropriate
Provide general health teaching to students on topics such as hygiene, illness prevention, and healthy habits
Proving state mandated screenings
Administration of epinephrine delivery system for anaphylactic reaction or an opioid antagonist, such as Narcan or naloxone, in accordance with TEC and GCISD Board Policy
Application of topical preparations such as Aloe Vera gel, first aid spray, Benadryl cream, etc.

Additionally, you will find a full list of detailed services provided by GCISD campus nurses within the form in Skyward.

School-Based Counseling Services and Support Services

SB 12 requires that parents give permission prior to student participation in school-based counseling and support services. This includes setting academic goals and creating academic plans, guidance lessons, developing social well-being, and access to our character education curriculum, known as Character Strong.

What Support May Include:

Setting academic goals and creating academic plans
Developing social well-being
Checking in about emotions, challenges, or concerns
Learning coping strategies and managing stress
Addressing school-related issues (e.g., attendance, test anxiety, behavior, peer conflict)
Building friendship and conflict-resolution skills
Guidance lessons utilizing the Character Strong program
Participating in short-term individual or group sessions on school-related topics*

*Parents/guardians will be notified and asked for additional consent if individual or group counseling is recommended.

School Counseling Does Not Include:

Therapy or long-term mental health counseling
Assistance with social transitioning

Sharing Instructional Plans

SB 12 requires that teachers share an instructional plan or course syllabus with parents at the start of each semester. Teachers will email parents directly using email addresses provided in Skyward.

Prohibition of Assisting with Social Transitioning

SB 12 prohibits school district employees from assisting students with social transitioning, which includes helping them change their name, pronouns, or other expressions of gender identity that differ from their biological sex at birth.

Any applicable GCISD policies will be amended to be in alignment with state law.

iReady Beginning of Year Testing

The i-Ready diagnostic is a powerful tool that helps us understand each student's specific academic needs in math and reading. These assessments are not a test to study for; they simply give us a starting point for the year. This information is crucial for our teachers as they plan differentiated instruction to help every child succeed.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will be taking these assessments on their devices, and we have approximately three to complete them. Please make sure your child brings their fully charged device (iPad or Chromebook) and a pair of headphones to school every day starting Monday, August 18. Having a charged device and headphones is essential for a smooth testing process.

Please read this letter, which explains more about i-Ready and its purpose.

School Supply List

FINAL 25-26 Elementary School Supply List.pdf

2025-2026 District Calendar

25-26_Instructional_Calendar (1).pdf

GCISD Committees

GCISD has a variety of committees that provide District leaders with valuable feedback while offering opportunities for employees, parents, and community members to become more involved and make a positive impact on the education of GCISD students.

To Apply, click here!

Important Information from Nutrition Services

Welcome back! Nutrition Services is excited about the upcoming school year. School Menus, the district charge policy, menu item pricing and more can be found on the department website here.

More information including menu item nutritional information and allergens may be viewed through the nutrition services website or by downloading the Meal Viewer app through the apple or android store.

In accordance with program guidelines, the Free and Reduced application will be available online as part of skyward registration. The free and reduced application should be filled out electronically at https://www.nlappscloud.com/. For those parents that still would like to complete a paper application, they may download an application on the website or stop by the Nutrition Services office at 5800 Colleyville Blvd.

Procedure for Students 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 5 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/text. Students who have exceeded the 5 charged meal limit, will be offered an alternative meal that will be charged to the student’s account.

If you have questions about the Nutrition Services program, please call ext. 5618 or email child.nutrition@gcisd.net.

Meal Prices

Pk-8 Breakfast - $1.85
High School Breakfast - $2.05
Reduced Breakfast* - $0.00
Adult/Guest Breakfast - $3.25
Elem. Lunch - $3.10
Middle Lunch - $3.30
High School Lunch - $4.00
Reduced Lunch* - $0.40, after Sept. 1, No cost
Adult/Guest Lunch - $4.75

*(Reduced priced at GHS, CHHS, Bridges is $0.30 breakfast, $0.40 lunch)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider

Glenhope Elementary

Email: alishia.ilic@gcisd.net
Website: https://ghes.gcisd.net/

Location: 6600 Glenhope Cir N, Colleyville, TX 76034

Phone: 817-251-5720
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlenhopeGators/

Page updated

Report abuse