GES Families,

The second i-Ready diagnostic will be given to students in grades K-8 during the first two weeks of December. The specific schedule will be shared by your child’s teacher. As a reminder, i-Ready is an online diagnostic that helps your child’s teacher determine their strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. Results from the diagnostic allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction in reading and mathematics. 

Here are a few things you can do to help support your student:

• Make sure they get a good night’s rest before taking the online assessment.

• Talk to your student about why the assessment is important. You can say things like:

  • The test will help you find out what you know, what you are ready to learn, and it will help you get “just the right” lessons.

  • Try your best, and do not rush, but don’t spend too much time on a question that you do not know how to answer.

  • Remember, questions on the test change based on your answers to earlier questions. You will see some questions you don’t know. That is okay! Just try your best.

• Let them know you’re excited to hear about how it goes and to ask them about their experience.

We’re thrilled to partner with you in your student’s learning and can't wait to see their growth and progress from the beginning of the year until now. Teachers will be sending home data on student performance prior to the Winter Break that will show what percentage they are at towards meeting both their target goal for the year and their stretch goal. We can't wait to celebrate with them! 

All my best,

Mrs. Hale

December Character Quality

This month will be focused on COOPERATION. It can be defined as working together and helping others. Circle Up topics, counseling lessons, and more will  include this character trait. Please consider partnering with GES by browsing the Family Connection Newsletter for conversation starters and ideas at home.

Make-up Picture Day - Dec. 5

If your child was absent on Thursday, Nov. 7th for our first Picture Day, make-up photos will be taken this Thursday, Dec. 5th. All students who weren't photographed will have their picture taken first thing in the morning. If you would like your child to do a retake, please contact your child's homeroom teacher to make them aware so they are sure to send them on Thursday morning. 

Winter Parties and Fast Pass Sign-up

Families are invited to attend our winter parties on Friday, Dec. 20th at 10:45am with a completed Background Check. (See the bottom of this newsletter for directions to sign-up.) This was an update during the 23-24 school year because families entering our instructional hallways may be interacting with other students.

We will have Fast Passes available to help expedite the sign-in process. We will begin allowing families to pick-up Fast Passes on Thursday, Dec. 19th at dismissal from 2:45-3:15pm, Friday morning during arrival from 7:20-7:45am, and again starting at 10:30am before the parties. We hope this will alleviate the time families have to spend waiting in the gym before doors open for parties. If your badge is already printed and picked up in advance, simply wear your badge and present your license as you enter the building. Instructional Hallways will open at 10:45am for parties on Dec. 20th. 

You can sign up HERE for a Fast Pass. 

Holiday Bell Donations

The holiday season is here, and so is our beloved Holiday Bells Celebration! Each December, our teachers participate in a festive holiday calendar, earning bells for joining in daily themes that bring excitement and joy to the whole school. This is something both teachers and students look forward to all year long!

After the students leave on December 20th, our staff will have the opportunity to "spend" their hard-earned bells on a variety of treats like Sonic drink passes, duty coverage, jeans passes, and more. We also aim to have a few special, big-ticket items for raffles, adding even more excitement to the celebration.

We would appreciate any support in helping make this event truly memorable! If your family has a business, connections, or would like to donate a gift card or special item for our staff holiday bells, we would be incredibly grateful. Contributions can be sent to the attention of Mrs. Hale or Mrs. Menard for the staff celebration on or before December 18. 

Thank you for helping us show our teachers just how much we appreciate them. Your generosity will make this season extra magical for those who make a difference every day.

Recess Safety 

Keeping our students safe is our top priority, including during recess. We kindly ask that you refrain from doing slow drive-bys or attempting to take pictures of students while they are playing or lining up. This can be unsettling for students and staff and could also pose a risk to students who do not have permission to be photographed. Please help us spread this word to other family members that may join your child for recess. Thank you for helping us keep our students safe.

Playground Access After School 

Our PreK-2 playground is technically only for use of our Extended Day Program from 3-6pm each evening. They have graciously allowed families to use the playground during dismissal as we have several families who wait for the Aspire bus to return each afternoon. We ask that all families please respect the EDP boundaries and clear the playground by 3:15pm each afternoon immediately upon arrival of the Aspire GCISD bus. Additionally, it is vital that all parents monitor their children while they are on the playground. Children are never to play unattended while they wait for family members to come pick them up. 

Our 3rd-5th grade playground can be used later in the afternoon but we ask that all students be supervised by an adult while using our facilities after hours. 

December Lunch Sign-up

Our December lunch sign-up is now available for sign-up Dec. 2-19. As a reminder, we kindly ask that each family reserve only 1 spot per month so that all families have the opportunity to come and eat with their child. We have 6 spots per grade level per day for families. Now that the weather is getting cooler, families may choose to enjoy sitting on the patio at our picnic tables with their child for lunch. 

Please remember to sign-up HERE and bring your valid ID to sign-in to the kiosks when you arrive. If you want to sit outside on the patio, please get a badge from the front office that will let you back into the building after lunch. 

One School One Book Survey Needed

We are preparing for another great year of One School One Book in January.

Shhh! Please, don't tell your children so we can keep it a surprise for everyone. We want them to learn about it together with their classmates when we reveal the book at school to kick-off the program in January. At that time, families will receive more information about the program including the reading calendar, quiz questions, and more! 

This year we will be reading The Wild Robot by Peter Brown! You may have heard that Pixar recently released the movie. If you haven't seen it yet, we encourage your children to read the book first! They are definitely somewhat different and the book is rich with details, characterization, and imagery that will have them painting pictures in their minds. If you already saw the movie, rest assured your child will still love reading the book with the whole school and searching for details each night for the daily drawings. 

In an effort to make the program more cost effective and sustainable for years to come, we are asking for families to purchase a copy of the book (currently $8 on Amazon) if possible or borrow from a local library. We will only provide copies of the book for families that specifically request it. Please select the one option that works best for your family by our deadline - December 2nd! We only need one form completed per family. You can find the form here: https://forms.gle/nTjm7x7jfJQer1Qe6 

Lunch Visitors

Visitors may join us for lunch with their child if they are signed up in advance HERE. Available November dates are Nov. 6-22. Please be sure to share our Sign-up link with your family members who wish to come eat with your child. Also, it is critical that anyone coming to lunch with your child, if not accompanying the guardian, is on your child's emergency contact list. 

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 their lunch with their child. We ask that you please be courteous to the rest of the community and limit lunch visits with your child to no more than one per month so that all families have the opportunity to visit. We appreciate your cooperation. 

Each family needs only 1 slot reserved. For example, Mom, Dad, and sister may all come eat lunch with Nancy. Only Mom needs to be registered as 1 visitor to reserve 1 picnic table together. When it asks for quantity of visitors, please select just 1. Lunch visitors may only eat with their child or student. You may not invite friends to sit with you when coming for lunch. 

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!  kjkhkuh

The following link takes you to the online Volunteer Handbook and background check: https://www.gcisd.net/o/gcisd/page/volunteer-background-check 

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.

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.

Follow us on Facebook

If you are on Facebook, we would love for you to follow our Grapevine Elementary Facebook page if you're not already. We post activities and campus life in addition to helpful reminders. We would love for you to follow our story!