GES Families,

I cannot believe that we only have 5 weeks of school left! This year has been magical and unforgettable for many reasons, but we have worked so hard and it has been incredibly rewarding to see the growth in all of our students! As we wrap up this year, we hope you will take time to celebrate with us at the grade level picnics and success ceremonies. All of the detailed information can be found below if you missed it.

I also would like to encourage you to take time to thank your child's teacher. The teachers and staff at GES have blown me away this year by creating magic at every turn for our students. Despite the difficulties that teaching through a pandemic have brought our way, they have remained resilient and kept one thing always at the forefront of their minds: your children. Through many changes with instructional delivery, class lists, and COVID protocols, they could have become discouraged, but they didn't. I am so grateful for the dedication and passion that our star teachers continue to show each and every day. As we approach Staff Appreciation Week (May 3-7), please take a minute to recognize a staff member who has made this year magical for your child by completing this form: GES Teachers are Magical.

I would also like to give a huge shout-out and thank you to our amazing Assistant Principal, Mrs. Shelley! This is her last week before she begins her maternity leave. She has been an outstanding leader and student advocate on our campus, especially while I was out for my own maternity leave earlier this year. We are so appreciative of her. Please join me in sending well wishes to her and her husband as they welcome baby Elliott!

During Mrs. Shelley's leave, we will have a part-time administrator joining our team. Anne Ricci, an experienced GCISD administrator, will be on campus 3 days per week to assist with meetings and student support. Please welcome her to GES if you see her around or she pops into a Webex meeting with you.

All my best,

Nancy Hale

Bad Weather Day - April 30

We do not have school on Friday, April 30. Although we were off for Snowpocalypse, we had enough minutes in our instructional calendar with students to not have to use this bad weather day.

May the Fourth Be With You - May 4

Our magical school year wouldn't be complete without celebrating May the Fourth Be With You! Students are invited to wear their Star Wars or Mandalorian shirts or costumes. We just ask that the lightsabers remain at home. :)

Grade Level Picnics

We are asking all families to please let us know if they plan to attend. You may sign up on the appropriate grade level form below by Sunday, May 2nd.

• PreK Sign-up - May 6 - 10:15 - 10:45

• Kinder Sign-up - May 3 - 10:45 - 11:15

• 1st Grade Sign-up - May 4 - 11:15 - 11:45

• 2nd Grade Sign-up - May 6 - 11:45 - 12:15

• 3rd Grade Sign-up - May 3 - 12:15 - 12:45

• 4th Grade Sign-up - May 4 - 12:45 - 1:15

• 5th Grade Sign-up - May 6 - 1:15 - 1:45

Please be aware of the following procedures as you come to join us on campus:

• You may park on either side of the building and walk towards the large playground.

• We will check parents in at both gates leading from the parking lots to the playground beginning 15 minutes before the assigned lunch time (not our vestibule visitor kiosks).

• All visitors will need to wear a mask at all times unless you are sitting and eating lunch.

• Please bring a blanket or towel for you and your child to sit on. Each space must be socially distanced from other families and children. Parents are responsible for finding their own place on the playground field or court.

• Only members of your family may share a single blanket/towel. Please do not plan to ask other students to sit with you.

• Our cafeteria staff will be providing sack lunches on the day of your student’s class picnic for all students who request one in advance. Half-sheets will be sent home on Monday, April 26 and are due April 29. If you would like to bring your child something else to eat that day, please feel free to do so. All visitors will need to provide their own lunch if you wish to eat with your student. Our cafeteria will not be able to provide any guests meals.

• All students will join the grade level picnic on their designated day. This is not dependent on a family member joining them. If you are unable to attend, our teachers will eat lunch with your child.

Success Ceremonies

PreK-4th Grade via Webex

• PreK- Monday 24th: Finch @ 8:00am; Rottman @ 8:30am

• Kinder - Tuesday 25th @ 8:00am (all classes)

• 1st - Monday 24th @ 9:00am (all classes)

• 2nd - Tuesday 25th: Fortune, Calvin, Leu @ 9:00am; Lewis, Faurot @ 9:30am

• 3rd - Wednesday 26th: Smallwood, Webster @ 9:00am; Still, Choppy @ 9:30am

• 4th - Wednesday 26th: Hickerson, Curnow, Stackfleth @ 8:00am; Riski, Cade @ 8:30am

5th grade in-person May 27th

• Gray - 8:00am

• Bailey - 9:00am

• Hendrickson - 10:00am

5th grade Webex May 27th

• Scott - 10:45am

Parenting Education Opportunity

Join a Child Abuse Prevention learning occasion tomorrow, April 27th at 10:30 a.m. at THIS Zoom link. The Zoom presentation will also be recorded and housed HERE.

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.

Nutrition Services Survey

Let us know what you think! Nutrition Services is requesting your feedback about the in-person meals offered for breakfast and lunch during the 2020-2021 school year. The survey takes less than 5 minutes and will help the Nutrition Services team plan for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year. We look forward to serving your student!

Link to survey: https://forms.gle/79pH3CA71tiDUs4c8

Child Nutrition Week May 3-7

Child Nutrition Appreciation Week is May 3-7. Have you thanked a school lunch hero today? Let them know how much they mean to the students and the school day!

To kick off Child Nutrition Appreciation Week, GCISD schools will celebrate School Lunch Hero Day on May 7. School Lunch Hero Day provides an opportunity for parents, students, school staff, and communities to thank those who provide healthy meals to 30 million of America’s students each school day.

Registration Opens April 12 for Pre-K, Kindergarten and New Students

Registration for the 2021-2022 school year will open on Monday, April 12 for new students, as well as pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. To register a new student click here. Prior to completing online registration, students enrolling in pre-kindergarten must have completed a separate online application, which may be found here.

If you are awaiting a transfer request, please register for the campus you are currently zoned for. Transfer requests will be processed at a later date. To view attendance zones, visit our School Maps Online.

Returning student registration will open on Monday, May 3 and will remain open until May 21. While parents are able to register up until the first day of school, the District is trying to gather enrollment numbers as early as possible for planning purposes.

Students new to the district (including those entering Kindergarten) must provide proof of residency, birth certificate, social security number, immunization record, emergency contact numbers and a report card from the previous school unless enrolling in kindergarten.

During the registration process, parents will also be able to register as a bus rider for the 2021-2022 school year. If you have specific questions regarding bus registration, please contact Transportation at 817-251-5590.

All are invited to Virtual #GCISDParentCamp!

Date: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 via Webex

Time: 6pm-7pm

Click here for more information and to register

The GCISD Language Assessment Center is thrilled to partner with the national non-profit ParentCamp to bring our families-schools-communities together as one team for kids. We will build relationships while lifting each other up as we progress on our journey to make our schools the BEST! Our first ever multilingual, virtual #GCISDParentCamp will have sessions in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese.

ParentCamps are opportunities for parents, guardians, mentors, grandparents, educators or anyone involved in a child’s life to come together to ask questions, find resources and build a support system. The expertise is the entire room where everyone is seen, heard and valued. The time will fly and you will leave wanting to know when the next one will be held. It is THAT good! Have we convinced you yet? Check out what past Virtual ParentCamp attendees have to say YouTube channel. Interested in learning more about the Nationwide Parent Camp Model? Click here.

Come join the conversation and invite a friend! Register today!

We look forward to seeing you,

The Virtual #GCISDParentCamp Team

Board of Trustee Election

The GCISD Board of Trustee Election, for the purpose of electing a Trustee for Place 1 and Place 2, will be held on Saturday, May 1, with early voting available from April 19 until April 27. For more information on dates and locations, visit our website.

Mustang Panther Stadium COVID-19 Testing Center Open for All GCISD Students

GCISD has been participating in a statewide program funded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) offering rapid COVID-19 antigen tests for staff. The District is pleased to share that it will be expanding this resource to all GCISD students. Beginning March 30, GCISD students will be able to utilize the GCISD Mustang Panther Stadium rapid antigen COVID-19 Testing Center. Visit www.GCISD.net/COVIDTesting for more information on the testing center and how to schedule an appointment.

2021 Summer Enrichment

More than 90 different courses will be taught by certified teachers in a variety of areas. These 3-hour courses are designed to be fun, engaging, and educational for students completing K-6th grades.

Full course listings and the brochure can be viewed on the GCISD Summer Programs page: bit.ly/SE2021gcisd.

When: One-week sessions from June 7 – July 16 (no courses July 5-9)

Times: 8:30 – 11:30 and/or 12:30 – 3:30

Cost: $125/course (if noted, a course may have an additional materials fee)

Location: Cross Timbers Middle School

Registration has begun online in Skyward!

Part-Time KidzU Care is available for students enrolled in Summer Enrichment before and after classes.

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