Stomp Out Bullying and October Character Quality

GES is kicking off National Bullying Prevention Month is boots and blue for World Day of Bullying Prevention tomorrow, October 6th. This sends a message around the world that this is the day we stand together in preventing bullying behaviors. Throughout the month of October, taking RESPONSIBILITY with our actions will be the focus on guidance lessons with Mrs. Horn. When defining RESPONSIBILITY as taking action and understanding the impact of our choices, students will be reminded that leading a healthy lifestyle is one way to be responsible with our bodies, as well as differentiating between bullying and bothering behaviors. Moreover, being responsible with our actions can help prevent bullying because we are aware of what is said and done affects others. Families can partner with GES from home by browsing the Family Connection Newsletter for October linked.

Wednesday, 10/8 

On Wednesday, many of our staff members will be leaving early to attend Mrs. Dodd's funeral. Thank you to our AMAZING PTA for helping with dismissal duty! 

If you are planning to have your student leave early for the funeral, please fill out our GES absence form, so Mrs. McCann and Mrs. Ellis will be prepared for how many students will be leaving. If your child or children would like to make a card or such for Mrs. Dodd’s family, they are welcome to bring it to the front office, and Mrs. Horn will ensure they receive it.

As many of our staff will be attending the funeral on Wednesday, we have district administrators, coaches, and counselors coming to watch classes in the afternoon. Please be patient and give us grace, as dismissal may take a little bit longer. Thank you for your understanding. 

Lastly, if your child is in Running Club, there will be no running club on Wednesday, October 8th, due to many staff members being out for the funeral.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

College Shout Outs on KGES

On Mondays, when we wear our college and military shirts to promote College Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) we would love to highlight where our GES parents went to college on KGES!

Please create a one minute (ish) video with the following information:

• Your name and what you do for your career

• Where you went to college and what you studied/ degree you received

• Why did you pick that degree? Why did you pick your school?

• What is the mascot, and is there anything you can teach us?

Email your videos to Mrs. Wahpekeche (erin.wahpekeche@gcisd.net). She will compile them and add them to KGES on Mondays. Thanks for your help!

College & Career Day

GES College & Career Day is being hosted in our fall semester this year on Friday, November 21st. Mark your calendars! More than that -- volunteer to share about your college/technical school/military experience or career/job passion with your child's homeroom and/or grade level by submitting information HERE! GES Stars love seeing and hearing about all sorts of post-secondary opportunities, especially when it's from a Star's parent/guardian/friend! If you already know you are not available on 11/21 to volunteer your time, please share our interest form with your friends and family or have them email Angela Horn directly at angela.horn@gcisd.net. Thank you for helping enrich our GES Stars' experiences!

Upcoming Events

• 10/6- Stomp Out Bullying- Wear BLUE and boots!

• 10/8- Walk & Roll to School & World Dyslexia Day- Wear Red!

• 10/10- No School

• 10/13- No School

• 10/15- Report Cards posted

• 10/19- Fall Carnival

September Character Quality and Guidance Lessons

Each month, GES students get the opportunity to participate in character quality guidance lessons with Mrs. Horn, our campus counselor. This month's focus is on EMPATHY. Empathy can be defined as the ability to understand and connect to the feelings of another. Families can partner with GES (and GCISD) by reviewing the Family Connections Newsletter HERE. 

If you have not responded to the paper Senate Bill 12 form or the emails regarding this, your GES star(s) will be in a neighboring classroom within the same grade level working on iReady My Path while his/her homeroom is in the scheduled guidance lesson. If you chose to not give permission to school-based counseling services under SB 12, your GES star(s) will also be in a neighboring classroom within the same grade level on iReady. If you would like to change your current designation or make one initially, please contact Mrs. Horn at angela.horn@gcisd.net or 817-251-5740.

Snack Donations

For some of our families, providing a nutritious snack each day to assist their GES star’s performance throughout the day does not happen consistently because of food insecurities. If you are able and willing, please donate individually packaged Goldfish or pretzels to the office in order to help us provide that snack for students with those insecurities. This would not pertain to students that simply forgot a snack that day. If your Star forgets his/her snack often, sending multiple days worth of snacks might help. For questions, please feel free to contact Angela Horn at angela.horn@gcisd.net or 817-251-5740. Thank you for your continued generosity and thoughtfulness.

Student Absence Form

This year, to streamline communication, families will fill out this GES Student Absence Google Form, which goes directly to Mrs. McCann, our data clerk/registrar. Any time that your student is absent, please fill out this Google Form, and she will code it correctly in Skyward. If you have any questions, please email Allison.Mccann@gcisd.net or call 817-251-5733.

Lunch Visitors

Lunch guests will sign in through our secure vestibule with a valid ID, stop by the front office to check in and receive a visitor badge, and then meet their GES star at the entrance to the cafeteria. Families will have the option to sit outside in the picnic table area for lunch or in our cafeteria at an empty table near the windows. Parents are welcome to bring in outside food when having lunch with their child. Lunch visitors may only eat with their child or student. You may not invite friends to sit with you when coming for lunch. 

Due to spacing, we ask that you please be mindful of our amazing GES community, who wants to have lunch with their children, and limit lunch visits with your child to no more than once a week. This will allow all families to have the opportunity to visit. We appreciate your cooperation!

The sign-up for lunches will begin this week! Please sign up HERE!

Arrival and Dismissal

For safety and security purposes, all parents are asked to use the car lines and walker stations on either side of the building for drop-off and pick-up. Families are not allowed inside the building during arrival and dismissal. If a parent needs to access the front office at any time during the day, including arrival or dismissal, they should enter through the secure vestibule (Hughes parking lot side) and follow our visitor procedures to check in with their Driver’s License. We appreciate your support as we keep all of our star students and staff safe.  

Morning Arrival:

• Students are expected to be dropped off at the school no earlier than 7:20 a.m. 

• Parents may use the front OR the back driveway to drop students off in the morning. Parking is available in the main parking lot off Hughes Road before and after school. Parking is not available in the circle drive off Hall Johnson Road as that is reserved for the staff. 

• Student drop off is not permitted in the parking lot at any time.

• Once in the school, students in Pre-K will walk directly to their classrooms and sit outside the classroom doors from 7:20 - 7:30 a.m. Students in K-5 will walk directly to the cafeteria where they will sit in there from 7:20 - 7:30 a.m. 

• At 7:30, students will walk to their classrooms in the instructional hallways. 

• Students must be in their seats in their classrooms at 7:35 a.m. or they will be counted as tardy.

• Students who wish to eat breakfast may purchase in the cafeteria from 7:20-7:30am. 

Afternoon Dismissal:

• This year's dismissal will look the same whether it's sunny or rainy outside. 

• All students will be escorted to their dismissal locations by a staff member. Please do not arrange to meet your child inside the school building.

• Students have designated pick-up areas depending on their mode of transportation home:

  • EDP students will be escorted to the cafeteria. 

  • Walkers will meet their siblings, neighbors, and/or walking parents and quickly proceed to the crosswalk nearest their homes. Walker Station areas should be cleared out within minutes of dismissal.

  • Bus riders and daycare students will be waiting inside on the Hall Johnson side as they wait for the bus. They will be monitored by a staff member. 

• K-1st-grade students and their older siblings walking home will be dismissed from the area outside the foyer doors near the cafeteria on the circle drive side of the building.

• 2nd - 5th-grade walkers will be dismissed to the Hughes parking lot side near the bike racks. 

• Car Riders

  • PreK - 1st grade students AND their older siblings will be waiting indoors and will exit the building off Hall Johnson Road when their parent arrives in the circle drive. 

  • 2nd - 5th grade students WITHOUT younger siblings in PreK-1st will be waiting indoors in the gym and will exit the building on the Hughes Road side (where the large parking lot is located) when their parent arrives. 

Dismissal Changes:

Requests for dismissal changes should be sent in advance whenever possible to your child's homeroom teacher. If there is an emergency and you need to change your child's regular dismissal plans on the day of, please call the front office at 817-251-5735. 

Friendly reminders regarding dismissal: 

• • Parents may NOT park and walk through the building to pick up PreK-1st graders on the Hall Johnson side of the building. 

  • Student pick-up is not permitted in the parking lot at any time. 

  • Dogs are not allowed on campus grounds due to student safety. 

  • The small playground is closed after school due to it being reserved for EDP until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Thank you for your cooperation as we ensure the safety of all of our students!

Dismissal Clarification

I had great meetings with families this week to provide clarity on the dismissal process and get feedback. One area of clarification was regarding walkers. 

• Walker: If your student is a walker, then they can walk straight out of the building and head home; no sign is necessary. Walkers in K-1st grade and those in K-1st with an older sibling will continue to exit on the Hall Johnson side. Walkers in 2nd-5th grade without younger siblings will continue to exit on the Hughes side. We have opened the younger/smaller playground gate on both sides, allowing students to walk around the building if needed through the playground. 

• Parent pick up at the door: If your student is being picked up by a parent, then parents will continue to come to the door and bring their blue/yellow sign for pick up. 

• Parent pick up by car: If your student is being picked up by a car, then you will continue the same process we have been doing. One request that has been made to help with the car line is that once your child is in your car, if you will flip over your sign or remove it, that will help teachers know your student has made it to the car, so they don't have to continue calling for them. 

• If your child is a bike rider, please remind your child about bicycle safety, as some students have been riding through the parking lot and into the street. Parents have reported several near-accidents involving cars.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through our new dismissal process and make adjustments based on feedback. 

Car/Walker Signs

Car Riders: Please have your car/walker signs visible and hanging from your Rearview Mirror when you come through either car line at dismissal. This will expedite our pick-up process and ensure your child makes it safely to your car. 

Walkers: We are making a change this year regarding the walker pick-up process. Please carry your car/walker signs every day throughout the entire year when picking up your child. This is to ensure the safety of all students, especially as we have new administration, front office staff, and teachers. 

Anyone who doesn't have a car/walker sign to pick up a child will be asked to come to the front office and show their ID for verification. 

Additional Car/Walker Signs

This year we have a google form for parents to use for additional car sign requests. This is the link: https://forms.gle/crdtbo9BAa6B4cZ29.

Mrs. Ellis and Mrs. McCann have access to the form responses. When we receive new requests, we will work to get car signs printed within 1 week (though likely sooner). This form can be used for additional copies or also to get new signs if something needs to be corrected.

Marquee Birthday Messages

Want an extra fun way to say "Happy Birthday" to your child on their special day? You can sign up to have your child's "Happy Birthday" message placed on the GES digital marquee from 6:30am - 8:00pm on their big day!

Complete this digital form AND then send $20 payment to GES by the following deadlines:

• Fall Birthdays - by October 30th

• Spring Birthdays - by January 31st

You can pay using cash (exact change ONLY) or check, payable to GES the following ways:

• Send to school with your student

• Mail check to Grapevine Elementary c/o Zainab Ellis at 1801 Hall Johnson Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051, OR

• Drop off exact cash or check to the front office during business hours, Monday-Friday, 7:30am-3:30pm.

Payment must be received at least one day in advance for any message to be posted.

Volunteer Background Check

We LOVE our volunteers at GES! This year, we are encouraging all families who plan to come to campus and interact with students to go ahead and complete the background check. Volunteers must complete this EACH YEAR beginning in August! It can take 1-2 weeks for your background check to clear. If you plan to be a guest reader, volunteer at a class party, chaperone a field trip, volunteer with PTA, open car doors with our Dad's Club, etc., you will need a completed Background Check!  

This year, GCISD has moved to a different program to complete background checks. Please follow the steps below:

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is pleased to announce that we will begin using the Raptor Volunteer Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our volunteer program of campus safety for students and faculty.  This system is similar to what we have used in the past, AppGarden. 

Please use the following link to apply to become a volunteer in GCISD. 

GCISD Volunteer Page

Thank you!

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.