Vision and Hearing Screening

All 1st, 3rd, and 5th Grade students and all new 2nd and 4th graders to GCISD will have vision and hearing screening on Tuesday, August 20th. Our PreK and Kindergarten students had vision screening Friday and Monday. They will have hearing screening on Tuesday, as well. Nurse Lindsey will send out notifications in the coming weeks to any families of students who fail the school screening and need additional testing. Please reach out to lindsey.holmes@gcisd.net for any questions or concerns. 

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, please donate individually packaged Goldfish or pretzels to the front office in order to help us provide that snack for students that arrive at school without it because of the 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.

Parent Information Night - Aug. 29

Parent Information Night will be on August 29 from 6:00-7:00pm. Each teacher will hold 2 identical sessions at 6:00 and 6:30pm for families to learn more about the new grade level, classroom expectations, and how to help your child to be successful this school year. We hope you will join us! 

GES Extracurricular Clubs

Be on the look-out next week for information coming home about Student Clubs! All information will come home in the Monday Message and students will have a flyer with a QR code in their folders on Monday, August 26th. Many clubs are geared towards our older students in 3rd-5th grade, but you will find all the information available next week. Some clubs are led by GES staff on a volunteer basis while others are led by our PTA volunteers. 

If you are interested in leading a student club or volunteering, please reach out to Mrs. Hale or the club sponsors directly. Thank you! 

Attendance Matters: Know the Law

Attendance matters! Absences from class may result in serious disruption of a student’s learning and educational experiences. Parents and students are encouraged to avoid unnecessary absences. Up to eight days per year (four per semester) may be excused by a parent note for missed attendance beyond medical, approved excused, and statutorily exemptions. Vacations taken during the school year will be coded as unexcused absences. Learn more about attendance by visiting our the attendance page on gcisd.net.

Summer Reading Challenge

Part of our GES Mission Statement involves students setting goals. Our students have worked very hard to improve their reading by setting individual goals and then working to achieve them over the past several years. In an effort to keep the momentum going into the summer, we encouraged students to maintain their current end of year reading level as a summer reading challenge in May. 

We cannot wait to start checking in with our students as they begin a new year to see how did on their summer challenge! Any students who maintained their reading level from the end of last year into August of this year will get to pick a book from our book machine!

iReady

The i-Ready diagnostic assessment for reading and mathematics will be completed by your student in the next two weeks. Your child’s teacher will provide more information with the  specific days on which this will take place. This diagnostic replaces the resources the District previously used for universal screening at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. 

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions based on student responses. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.

i-Ready Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual strengths and areas for growth. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic support to keep your child engaged as they learn.

We encourage you to watch this video to better understand i-Ready. We will continue to share information with you regarding student progress results and how you can also be a valued partner in your student’s learning. 

Trustees Lower Tax Rate, Call Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election for November Ballot

At its August 12 Special Meeting, the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to call a voter-approved tax ratification election (VATRE) that will be on the November 5 ballot. Trustees also approved the 2024 tax rate, and even with the three additional golden pennies from the passage of the VATRE, the total overall tax rate (Maintenance and Operations, plus Interest and Sinking) will be lowered by $0.0014. 

GCISD officials will schedule informational meetings about the VATRE to share details and answer questions. As soon as those meetings are finalized, information will be shared through the district’s regular communication channels. In the meantime, residents are encouraged to visit www.GCISD.net/VATRE for more information.

New GCISD App and Rooms

Thank you for your patience as we roll out our new tool with the GCISD App, Rooms. Rooms is the new two-way communication tool, replacing Remind, that teachers can use to make announcements. Similarly to the former tool, Remind, teachers will be able to use this or email as their primary communication tool. 

Like with any new app, we realize there are some areas for improvement and some questions to answer. Below are a few frequently asked questions and answers:

1. I am a parent. How do I log into Rooms? 

   1. Navigate to the Rooms App or web browser. Then, click the phone/phone icon on the login screen. Enter the phone number that you have listed as your primary number in Skyward. 

2. I am a student. How do I log into Rooms? 

   1. Please click “sign in with Google” and use your student GCISD credentials. 

3. I never received an invite email or text. What should I do? 

   1. We will be sending out another round of invites today and into tomorrow, August 13. This should give access to any guardians that have not been able to login yet. If you still have not received anything by Tuesday afternoon, please fill out this form so we can help.  

4. Does Rooms send text notifications? 

   1. No, but if you turn on your mobile app notifications in settings, you will be notified anytime you receive a message. 

Thank you again for your patience as we launch this new feature within our district mobile app. We are continuing to work alongside our vendor to work through any additional challenges our families have experienced. If you have encountered any issues not addressed in this email, please fill out this form and we will look into it and communicate back with you as soon as possible.

GCISD Announces Gold Card Sessions for 2024-2025 School Year 

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD residents 65 years and older are invited to join the district’s Gold Card program, which grants free entry to all GCISD fine arts and athletic events (excluding playoffs). To become a member and obtain a Gold Card, attendees only need to attend one informational session, with the first one scheduled for 9 a.m., Thursday, August 22, at the district’s Administration Building, 3051 Ira E. Woods Avenue in Grapevine, TX 76051. Attendees are asked to arrive 15 minutes early to the sessions to allow time to check-in and bring their state-issued driver’s license. Visit GCISD’s Gold Card web page to see the schedule of sessions for the 2024-2025 school year.  

Pink Car Signs

Please have your Car 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. Anyone who doesn't have a car sign to pick-up a child will be expected to show their ID and may be asked to pull over and come to the front office for verification. 

We would appreciate if walkers would carry car signs for the first week of school until teachers become familiar with who is picking up your child each day. 

Telecommunication Devices Policy Update

Policy FNCE(LOCAL) limits the use of telecommunications, most commonly cell phones, during the school day. This is also applicable to Smart Watches being used as a communication device. The updated appropriate times and uses of devices are as follows:

• Elementary students may use telecommunications devices before and after school only. They may not use telecommunications devices during school hours.

The Student Handbook is also being updated to include the following consequences if students are not in compliance: 

• First offense: The student will be given a warning and the cell phone or electronic device shall be confiscated by the teacher until the end of the class period and may be picked up after school by the student or parent. 

• Second offense: The cell phone or electronic device shall be confiscated by the teacher and turned into the main office. The teacher will contact the parent and the device may be picked up after school by the student.

• Third offense: The cell phone or electronic device shall be confiscated by the teacher and turned into the main office. The teacher or a campus administrator will contact the parent and the device may be returned only to the parent from the front office during normal school hours. 

• Fourth offense and subsequent offenses: The cell phone or electric device shall be confiscated by the teacher and turned into the main office. The teacher or a campus administrator will contact the parent. The device may be picked by the parent from the front office after paying a fee of $15. 

• The campus principal may use discretion for appropriate discipline consequences for persistent misbehavior if repeated infractions occur. 

• Refusal to surrender the phone is a violation of the student code of conduct and will result in disciplinary consequences in addition to the consequences outlined above. 

• If a personal telecommunications device is not retrieved, the District shall dispose of the device after providing notice required by law. The district shall dispose of the devices for which timely notice has been given at the end of each semester.

2024-2025 Back-to-School Attendance Updates 

Important attendance information: Attendance matters! Absences from class may result in serious disruption of a student’s learning and educational experiences. Parents and students are encouraged to avoid unnecessary absences. Two important state laws govern attendance. In efforts to promote student attendance and learning, please note the following reminders and updates to GCISD attendance requirements. 

Laws Governing School Attendance: 

Compulsory Attendance (AKA Truancy) 

Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten 

Students enrolled in prekindergarten or kindergarten are required to attend school and are subject to the compulsory attendance requirements as long as they remain enrolled at a campus.

Ages 6–18 

State law requires that a student who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who has not yet reached their 19th birthday, shall attend school, as well as any applicable accelerated instruction program, extended-year program, or tutorial session, unless the student is otherwise excused from attendance or legally exempt. Students/families who do not meet compulsory attendance will be referred to the GCISD Attendance Review Board and/or referred to Tarrant County Court for truancy. If a student fails to attend school without excuse on three or more days or parts of days within a four-week period but does not fail to attend school for the time described below, the district shall initiate truancy prevention measures on the student. 

Attendance for Credit or Final Grade (AKA 90% Rule) 

To receive credit or a final grade in a class, a student in kindergarten–grade 12 must attend at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered. With the exception of absences due to serious or life-threatening illness or related treatment, all absences, whether excused or unexcused, must be considered in determining whether a student has attended the required percentage of days. Students who are in danger of losing credit or promotion will be contacted by the campuses with plans for opportunities to regain lost instructional time. 

Official Attendance-Taking Time 

Official attendance is taken every day at 10:00 a.m. Attendance is taken at 8:55 a.m. at Collegiate Academy and 12 p.m. for Bridges. 

Documentation after an Absence 

Up to eight days per year (four per semester) may be excused by a parent note for missed attendance beyond medical, approved excused, and statutorily exemptions. Vacations taken during the school year will be coded as unexcused absences. All absences whether excused or unexcused count toward the 90% rule. 

A parent must provide an explanation for any absence upon the student’s arrival or return to school. The student must submit a note signed by the parent or the parent may email Candice.patton@gcisd.net. The campus will document in its attendance records whether the absence is excused or unexcused.

School Menus Online 

Welcome back! Nutrition Services is excited about the upcoming school year. School Menus, the district charge policy, menu item pricing and more can be found on the department's school menus web page. 

More information, including menu item nutritional information and allergens, may be viewed through the Nutrition Services web page or by downloading the MealViewer app available for download through the Apple Store or Google Play. 

Procedure for Students with Unpaid Meal Charges

Parents/Guardians shall monitor their student’s school meal account to ensure that they always have a positive balance. In the event that a student does not have a positive balance, the student may charge up to five meals to their account. Only reimbursable meals may be charged. A la carte items may not be charged. Communication about a negative meal balance will be sent to parents/guardians via email/text. Students who have exceeded the 5 charged meal limit, will be offed an alternative meal that will be charged to the student’s account.

If you have questions about the Nutrition Services program, please call ext. 5615 or email julie.telesca@gcisd.net. 

Meal Prices

• Pre-k-8 Breakfast - $1.65

• High School Breakfast - $1.85

• Reduced Breakfast - $0.00 (this school year only)

• Adult/Guest Breakfast - $3.25

• Elem. Lunch - $2.90

• Middle Lunch - $3.10

• High School Lunch - $3.45

• Reduced Lunch - $0.40

• Adult/Guest Lunch - $4.50

Adults and guests may not charge.

Free and Reduced Lunch Applications 

Starting on July 10, 2024, free and reduced-price meal applications were made available to fill out for the 2024-2025 school year. Families are encouraged to complete the Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals available online at www.schoollunchapp.com. A paper copy may be downloaded from the website or requested at any campus or Nutrition Services office.

 The application will determine a child’s eligibility for free and reduced-price meals and may assist in the determination of eligibility for other state or federal benefits. Only one application needs to be completed per household. Schools will notify the household of the child’s eligibility. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers school nutrition programs in Texas and offers an eligibility calculator at www.SquareMeals.org/ProgramEligibility.  

Decisions regarding payment for school meals are made at the national-government level, not by the school nutrition team or TDA. The dedicated staff in Nutrition Services is looking forward to serving healthy, balanced meals to students in the new school year.  If you have any questions, please call 817-251-5617 or email child.nutrition@gcisd.net. 

Texas legislation has approved a 2024-25 biennium budget, which includes $3.3 million per year to cover the cost of school breakfasts for students eligible for reduced price meals. Students that are approved for reduced-priced meals may eat breakfast at no cost this school year. Lunch price is $0.40.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. 

GCISD 24-25 Dress Code

Over the summer months, we have focused on communicating our updated dress code to help you and your students better prepare for a successful year. Campus leaders have developed plans to ensure consistency across campuses in enforcement and consequences. Parents, we ask for your partnership in reminding your student of the updated Dress Code expectations and solutions that will be implemented for students not in compliance.

Digital Marquee

Our digital marquee is currently awaiting repair. Our district facilities and technology departments have been working together with the sign manufacturer to determine the source of the problem so we can get it repaired as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience as we work to get it back up and running. 

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 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. 

The Sign-up Genius for lunches will begin the week of September 3rd. A link will be available soon here in the Monday Message. 

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!  

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!