GES Families,

The excitement of the snow and the possibility of a snow day or two quickly turned to much more serious concerns throughout the past week as we all dealt with trying to meet basic needs. I am certain I, like many of you, will not be taking for granted the roof over our heads or the warmth that the heat provides during these winter months. As we continue to boil our water, I am so thankful for modern technology that allows us the conveniences of indoor plumbing and clean water.

While we all experienced the winter weather of the past week, we know that everyone has been affected differently. There may be some families that have regained power but still do not have internet connectivity. We may also have families that have been displaced due to water damage to their homes. For these reasons, we are going to allow families to make necessary changes to their selected instructional model prior to the end of the grading period. As this will have implications for our staff and our campus, we are asking that you complete this Google Form as soon as possible if you need to change your instructional model.

Despite the difficulties of the week, I do hope you were able to find joy in the additional family time it afforded us and that your children enjoyed the rare opportunity to play in the snow. These beautiful pictures were sent to me of GES covered in snow and I know many students enjoyed sledding on the playground. I am warmed by the many stories I have heard of our community supporting one another and providing shelter and water to others in need. That is truly magical!

As you read in Dr. Ryan's email, GES sustained some water damage due to a busted pipe early in the week that impacted two of our classrooms and half of the front office. Fortunately, the district worked quickly and was able to get the water dried and carpets cleaned. Thank you to our amazing facilities staff who has the furniture all back in place so we will not have to relocate any classrooms. This is just another example of how GCISD is the BEST!

All my best,

Nancy Hale

GES Teachers are Magical

Has a GES staff member gone above and beyond for your child? Please take a moment to thank a teacher who has made an impact for your family. You can 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.

Water Bottles

All of our water fountains are closed due to COVID. Please send a water bottle with your child daily that they can refill at our water bottle fill station. We do have plastic bottles of water for emergency purposes, but we are going through them at an alarming rate. Thanks for your help with this!

Open House

This year Open House will look different. What remains the same, is that it will be a celebration of your child's hard work and growth throughout the year. There will not be a synchronous evening time with families. Instead, students will create something that they can share with their families about what they're learning and doing in school. Be on the lookout for information from your child's teacher or in their grade level newsletter during the week of March 8-12.

Chromebooks

The Spring Interim Assessment Window is nearing. The window is February 16- March 31. During the window, February 16- March 31, all district-issued student CHROMEBOOKS (grades 4-8) will be placed in KIOSK mode for test security purposes. To exit KIOSK mode, students will need to hold down the CTRL-ALT-S key combination. This information must be communicated to students and parents in teacher and campus newsletters beginning next week. Remote students are able to take the Interim Assessment from home if the STAAR testing app is installed on their device.

I am here and ready to help! At any time this year, whether learning remotely or in-person, please click the I want to talk with Mrs. Horn form to request a visit. This form is also be included in grade level newsletters and Seesaws, and stays housed in my email signature, on the GES Counseling district website, and as many locations as possible.

Instructional Mode Changes - 4th Nine Weeks

Families have chosen in-person or remote learning for the 2020-2021 school year, and they do have the option to change their student's instructional model.

Switching from In-Person to Remote Learning

• Families 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, Mrs. Horn.

Switching from Remote to In-Person Learning

• Families that are wishing to change from remote to in-person learning may only do so at the end of a grading period. For families that wish to change at the end of the current grading period, beginning on February 14, you may login to Skyward Family Access and complete the changing instructional models form. The campus must receive the completed form before the end of day on February 26th.

• Instructions on where to find the form and how to complete it can be found here. A schedule of when this change can be made can be made for other grading periods can found here.

In-person instruction for the third nine weeks begins on March 22, 2021.

If you have any questions regarding the timing of when parents may change the instructional model selected, or the associated process, please contact Mrs. Horn, angela.horn@gcisd.net.

Tuition Based Pre-K Program

There are a few more spots available in GCISD’s Tuition Based Pre-K program for the 2021-2022 school year! You can find information regarding tuition, campus availability and more on the GCISD Pre-K Website.

Students that may qualify for state-based Pre-K will be able to begin registration for the upcoming school year in April 2021.

School Calendar Changes

As Dr. Ryan shared earlier in the week, due to the additional instructional minutes we have built into our calendars, we will not need to add any days to the 2020-2021 school year. We will need to modify our end of year early dismissal days for elementary and middle school students, and we will communicate more information regarding that schedule as we get closer to May. Additionally, students will still have off the regularly scheduled bad weather days on Friday, April 2, and Friday, April 30. Staff who were originally scheduled to be off on Friday, April 2, and Friday, April 30 will have those two days off.

Texas Tuition Promise Fund® and Texas Match the Promise Foundation Webinars

Learn more about the Texas Tuition Promise Fund^®, the state's tax-advantaged prepaid college tuition plan, and the Texas Match the Promise Foundation^SM, a 501(c)(3) public charity offering scholarship opportunities to eligible participants in the Texas Tuition Promise Fund.

Upcoming webinars will provide an overview of the Texas Tuition Promise Fund and information on the different types of tuition units, tuition redemption values and payment options. In addition, the webinars will present information about matching scholarship opportunities available through the Texas Match the Promise Foundation.

Sign up for one of our upcoming webinars.

If you have any questions regarding the webinars, please contact us at TuitionPromise@cpa.texas.gov.

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