GES families,

Thank you for your enthusiastic support of our Chasing the Magic FUNd run! If you haven't had a chance to sign-up just yet, there is still plenty of time! This is a virtual fund run and opportunity for our campus and PTA to come together to raise money for a great cause!

As many of you know, we were working very hard last year to fundraise for a new playground. Our K-2 playground is almost as old as our building (26 years) and many parts are now obsolete and cannot be replaced. Unfortunately, our fundraising efforts were cut short by COVID-19 and the spring student fundraiser event was canceled. We now have some ground to make-up, but I know we can do it! A portion of the money raised will also go to supporting our PTA with other programs throughout the year, new PE equipment, and campus activities. I hope we will exceed our $30,000 goal and be able to put even more money toward the playground fund. As of Monday morning, we are almost at $10,000!

See the PTA section below for more information on how to sign-up and student incentives! It's very easy to sign-up and parents can send a quick text or post on social media to help get the word out to friends and family. We hope you will join us in creating a magical learning environment for our stars with these additional funds.

All my best,

Nancy Hale

Early Dismissal - Thursday, Oct. 15

On Thursday, Oct. 15th, students will be dismissed at 11:45am. Please be sure you have made arrangements to pick-up your child early from school. Thank you!

Friday Spirit Days

Friday, October 16th is GES Making Magic Together Day! Wear your new GES magical spirit wear or any Disney shirts! This can include Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and more!

We encourage all our families to Tweet pictures in your magical clothes with #GESshineon!

GES Teachers are Magical

If you feel a staff member has gone above and beyond to make a difference for you or your child, please take a moment to recognize them on our GES Teachers are Magical form. We will link it each week in this Monday Message and then share out the great things our "cast members" are doing during our monthly faculty meetings and weekly staff newsletters.

GES Return to In-Person Plan - October 2020

Teachers will be sending emails on Tuesday afternoon regarding updated homerooms for the 2nd nine weeks based on instructional mode changes.

We have updated our Return to In-Person Plan for the second nine weeks. If your child was previously a remote learner, please take a few minutes to read through our campus plan, so you and your child can be prepared for Oct. 19th.

Masks

It would be helpful to keep an extra mask in your child's backpack for days when they forget one at home or it gets dirty/wet. While we do have extra masks in the office, many students don't prefer the disposable ones. We don't have extra gaiters or cloth masks for students. Thanks for helping us keep all students safe.

Book Ideas for your Kids

Sometimes, as parents, you WISH you had a glimpse into our classrooms or library to see what other kids are reading. Here you go! Below are some Amazon lists of popular series. Just put them in your cart and order for your kids! Enjoy!

Books for K and 1st Grade Boys

Books for K and 1st Grade Girls

Books for 2nd and 3rd Grade Boys

Books for 2nd and 3rd Grade Girls

Books for 4th and 5th Grade Boys

Books for 4th and 5th Grade Girls

Fall Student Survey

In the last Monday Message, we shared information with you regarding a student survey that we would be using to help grow social and emotional skills. The district has received some questions from parents regarding the contents of the survey, so we wanted to provide you with sample questions from each section of the survey:

Goals and Challenges

• How often do you stay focused on the same goal for more than 3 months at a time?

• If you fail at an important goal, how likely are you to try again?

• What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your life?

• What is one thing you wish your teacher knew about you?

Your Class

• How sure are you that you can complete all the work that is assigned in your class?

• How sure are you that you can do the hardest work that is assigned in your class?

• How sure are you that you will remember what you learned in your current class, next year?

Performance in School

Whether a person does well or poorly in school may depend on a lot of different things. You may feel that some of these things are easier for you to change than others. In school, how possible is it for you to change:

• Being Talented

• Giving a lot of effort

• Behaving well in class

Your Behavior

During the past 30 days:

• How often were you polite to adults?

• How often did you come to class prepared?

• How well did you get along with students who are different from you?

• When others disagreed with you, how respectful were you of their views?

Learning

• When you get stuck while learning something new, how likely are you to try to learn it in a different way?

• How sure are you that you can figure out a good way to get your schoolwork done well?

• Before you start on a challenging project, how often do you think about the best way to do it?

If you have additional questions regarding the student survey, please contact Mrs. Horn, angela.horn@gcisd.net.

Parent roles for remote learning

As we prepare to begin the second-nine weeks of the 2020-2021 school year, I wanted to send out some recommended best practices for remote learning:

• One of the most important things to keep in mind, is that while we may be operating remotely, the structures and practices that we would expect in a traditional setting will also be beneficial for everyone during this time.

• Connectivity is critical to engaging in live lessons. Please ensure that you have the necessary internet bandwidth for your student to complete lessons and assessments.

• As with in-person instruction, students must meet the 90% attendance requirement to receive credit for the year and each course. Additionally students must adhere to the same deadlines that exist for in-person learners when submitting assignments. It is critical for the success of your student that you monitor their participation and work completion daily.

• Please be mindful of the setting in which your student participates in live lessons. The background and any associated noises may be distracting for both the students and teacher in the classroom. If possible, we recommend having a designated workstation for your student where they can participate in Webex lessons.

• As you would expect in a traditional classroom setting, the teacher will establish Webex etiquette that should be followed at all times. Even through remote instruction, students are also expected to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct regarding attendance, dress code, behavior and grades.

• While it may be tempting to sit next to your student, or observe the live lessons, we would encourage you to give your student the developmentally appropriate space to engage and grow as a learner.

• Although it can be hard to watch a child struggle, that is often when the learning happens. We certainly encourage you to pose questions to your student, and help them talk through their thought process as they approach a problem if that is what they need; however, it is important that students be given the time necessary to come to the answer on their own - even if it’s incorrect.

• If you have questions regarding your student or remote instruction, please contact your child’s teacher directly. Remote learning teachers have designated office hours that are only with the school day.

We are all constantly adjusting to new ways of doing things, and we must continue to be flexible and give grace as we adapt to our current learning environments. We appreciate your partnership in these unprecedented times and we look forward to having a great second nine-weeks!

National School Lunch Week PK-8

“HOWDY y'all! National School Lunch Week is October 12-16! Come and eat with us, school lunch is FREE FOR ALL in-person students in Pre-K through 8^th grade now through December 2020! Healthy school meals feature whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, veggies, and Fat-Free milk! Join us for a Texas-themed menu. Cowboy burgers, churros, and Texas Gala apples to name just a few! Bring your lunch from home? Still hungry or just want some fresh fruit, veggies or a roll? Choose 3 menu items from the lunch line, including at least a fruit or veggie, and lunch is FREE!

We hope to see you there, partner. Thanks for eating with us!

Elementary Human Sexuality Programs

In order to be proactive in our delivery of education concerning human sexuality, our district uses several resources and programs for the elementary school health curriculum. These programs and resources will be presented throughout the school year. Parents may preview these programs during parent preview sessions.

For the Month of October, please Click on the following link, and use your student’s District Log In to access the appropriate video for your aged child.

4^th Grade Girls: Just Around the Corner for Girls (2011)

https://safari.gcisd.net/?a=290066&d=45220AA

5^th Grade Boys: Growing Up! For Boys

https://safari.gcisd.net/?a=290045&d=45315AA

5^th Grade Girls: Growing Up! For Girls

https://safari.gcisd.net/?a=290053&d=45316AA

FREE School Meals Through December

In-Person Learners

The USDA has issued a nationwide waiver, allowing Grapevine-Colleyville ISD to offer meals FREE at no charge through December 2020 at all elementary, middle school campuses, and Collegiate Academy.

On September 22, 2020, GCISD began providing free meals to students as part of the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) program. Sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), this program will allow any student in elementary or middle school to receive a free breakfast and lunch meal in the school cafeteria.

Remote learners have the opportunity to pick up meals curbside every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at three locations: Cross Timbers Middle, Grapevine Middle, and Grapevine Elementary. All meals are free of charge until December 2020. For more information please visit www.gcisd.net or email child.nutrition@gcisd.net.

Technology Assistance

GCISD Technology Resources is committed to serving students and staff, especially during the District's remote learning instruction. Please keep in mind these very helpful resources:

ClassLink - GCISD's single sign-on portal for students and staff. ClassLink allows users to sign in once and have access to all of their accounts at the click of a button.

Help Desk - Students and staff can submit help requests to GCISD's Help Desk at any time. If you need your student's password reset, or are having trouble accessing ClassLink, please call 817-251-5629 during our extended help desk hours. For all other issues with student devices, please fill out a help ticket at help.gcisdstudents.net.

Outdoor WiFi Access - As a reminder, wireless network access is available outside of many GCISD campuses for use by students, parents and staff. Click here for locations, maps and instructions on how to connect.

Volunteers are significantly limited at this time, but there may be opportunities later in the year. Go ahead and apply now so you're ready when the time comes.

In order to volunteer at GES, or around GCISD, all volunteers must:

1. read the Volunteer Handbook (this replaces the previous face to face volunteer trainings held on campus)

2. watch the appropriate video included in the handbook

3. electronically sign the verification Google form for each campus you plan to volunteer

4. complete the volunteer background check. A link is included in the handbook.

The following link takes you to the online Volunteer Handbook and background check: https://www.gcisd.net/cms/one.aspx?pageId=195550

When you are ready to volunteer at GES, feel free to call the front office at 817-251-5735 to verify that both of the required steps have been recorded as completed. We appreciate your support as you complete these steps and volunteer to work with our GES students.

Parents and loved ones are not able to come up for lunch at this time. We are currently limiting visitors in our building.

Lunch Times

• PreK: 10:15 - 10:45

• Kindergarten: 10:45 - 11:15

• 1st Grade: 11:15 - 11:45

• 2nd Grade: 11:45 - 12:15

• 3rd Grade: 12:15- 12:45

• 4th Grade: 12:45 - 1:15

• 5th Grade: 1:15 - 1:45