Repairs on Small Playground

You may have noticed that part of our small playground had temporary construction fencing up this week and lots of activity. We encountered a back-up in our plumping in the kitchen that resulted in finding a broken pipe. Days later we found that there was a larger problem and several pipes that needed repair. The foyer restrooms and PE restrooms had to be closed for repairs to be completed. We are thankful for our students and teachers being so patient and flexible throughout the day Thursday and Friday while this work was completed. While the holes have not been filled back in and temporary fencing is still up, the restrooms were back open Monday for student use. 

Progress Reports Post Wednesday 

Friday, Sept. 20th marked the end of the 1st 6 weeks of school. Progress reports will post in Skyward on Wednesday, Sept. 25th for families to view. 

College Colors Day Friday

The last Friday of each month is College Colors Day. Your child may wear the colors or jersey of their favorite College or team this week on Friday, Sept. 27th. 

State Fair Tickets

Each year students receive a free ticket to the Texas State Fair. They will be coming home this week in student folders! 

Lunch Sign-up for October 

Our October lunch sign-up is now available. 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. 

Summer Reading Challenge

All students who met the summer reading challenge have had the opportunity to visit the Book Vending Machine, with the exception of a few who were absent. Students should have brought home a bright yellow book mark and a new book if they visited the machine. 

We look forward to providing new opportunities this year for students who meet their iReady target goals! More information to come! 

Save the Date - Veteran's Day Performance 

Our 3rd grade students will be performing a Veteran's Day Program this year. We hope our 3rd grade families will save the date and join us for the evening performance! Students and staff will all get to see the performance on Monday morning, Nov. 11th at 8am. 

Before You Head to the Polls: Learn About GCISD’s Tax Rate History

The Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) on the November 5 ballot will ask Grapevine-Colleyville ISD voters to consider ratifying the overall tax rate of $0.9233, generating nearly $6 million in funding for school district operations.

Did you know that GCISD’s overall tax rate is 47.3 cents less than it was in 2018, which equates to $90 million of taxpayer relief? This is the lowest overall tax rate in GCISD in more than 25 years. 

Since 2018, the GCISD Board of Trustees has lowered the Interest & Sinking tax rate from $0.3567 to $0.1864. The Maintenance & Operations tax rate has also decreased due to statewide compression from $1.04 to $0.7369. With the passage of the VATRE, the new overall tax rate would be $0.9233, resulting in a $0.0014 lower overall tax rate from 2023.

Learn more about why a VATRE is on the ballot, how it would impact GCISD’s tax rate and what it will fund at www.GCISD.net/VATRE. 

Safe Storage of Firearms

Texas law now requires school districts to distribute information to parents and guardians about the safe storage of firearms. The following resources will help you learn about options for, as well as how to talk to your child and others about, the safe storage of firearms.

In 2021, 4,613 Texans experienced gun-related deaths. The Texas Department of State Health Services (SHS) reports that 55% of Texas firearms deaths in 2020 were suicides and that 59% of all suicides in Texas were by firearms. Suicide attempts involving firearms have a 90% fatality rate. Restricting access to guns is critical in reducing acts of violence, whether as self-harm or towards others. Acts of mass violence and interpersonal violence often end in suicide.

It is unlawful to store, transport, or abandon an unsecured firearm in a place where children are likely to be and can obtain access to the firearm. Under Texas Penal Code 46.13, a person commits the offense of making a firearm accessible to a child if the child gains access to a readily dischargeable firearm, and the person with criminal negligence:

• Failed to secure the firearm; or

• Left the firearm in a place to which the person knew or should have known the child would gain access

The penalty for allowing a child access to a firearm can range from a Class C misdemeanor (punishable by a $500 fine) to a Class A misdemeanor (punishable by a $4000 fine, a year in jail, or a combination of the two).

Texas exempts the purchase of firearm safety equipment from Texas Sales and Use Tax.

Remember, a gun should be stored unloaded in a safe or locked container, with ammunition stored elsewhere. You can learn more and find additional resources from the Texas Department of Public Safety at https://safegunstoragetexas.com.

Safe gun storage is critical to preventing suicide, unintentional shootings, and other tragedies.

Trinity River Art Contest

If your child is interested in entering the Trinity River Art Contest, more information can be found in this packet. 

This year's theme "The Trinity River: Our Shared Home"  invites students to explore the interconnected story of the Trinity River Basin. It’s a place where millions of Texans and a wide range of species coexist, relying on its rich resources and diverse ecosystems. Through their artwork, students can depict the vital relationships between the river, its inhabitants, and the broader environment. Our actions shape the health of this shared home, influencing the future of human communities, the well-being of the river, and plant and animal life, including those that are endangered or at risk.

The contest is open to 1st - 8th-grade students who live in or go to school in TRA Board Counties (Anderson, Chambers, Dallas, Ellis, Freestone, Henderson, Houston, Kaufman, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Navarro, Polk, San Jacinto, Tarrant, Trinity, Walker).

Winners will be chosen from each grade level, and will receive prizes and recognition! Entries will close on September 30, 2024.

Breakfast in Cafeteria

Friendly reminder that breakfast is served each morning from 7:20-7:35am for students that would like to purchase it. If you are needing your child to eat breakfast when they arrive, please drop them off at 7:20am to give them ample time to eat and get to class on time. At 7:35am the doors close and students aren't able to access breakfast as our cafeteria staff is cleaning up and beginning to prepare for lunch service. If you are running late, please ensure your children eat at home. 

Clubs Dismissal

If your students are participating in clubs, please be mindful of the day of their club and time your child's club dismisses so you are available for pick-up. All Clubs will dismiss from the Hughes Parking lot side of the building at their designated time. 

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. (Snack for those that simply forget can be donated to the classroom teachers directly.) 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.

September Star Student Character Quality

Each month, GES students receive a lesson with Mrs. Horn, school counselor, focused on a character quality. Homeroom teachers nominate one student from their class as the Star Student of the Month who demonstrates that trait the most or shows the most growth with that trait. EMPATHY is the character quality focus for September! You can partner with GES by browsing the Empathy newsletter HERE!

Three Facts About the VATRE

GCISD registered voters will be asked to consider adding three cents to the Maintenance & Operations tax rate through a voter-approved tax ratification election on the November 5 ballot. Here are three quick facts:

• Even with the VATRE, GCISD’s total tax rate will be lower - Even with the three additional pennies from the passage of the VATRE, the GCISD total overall tax rate (M&O plus I&S) will be lowered by $0.0014. 

• Funds are not subject to recapture - Tax funds collected through these additional three pennies would stay within GCISD and not be subject to recapture, meaning that 100 percent of these funds would remain in the district. 

• The three-cent increase to the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) tax rate would generate approximately $6 million - These funds would be for school district operations, which includes instruction, staff, transportation, maintenance, extracurricular activities and other daily operating expenses, excluding projects included in the recent bond. Bonds are paid for by a separate Interest & Sinking (I&S) fund, which is debt service.

Learn more at www.GCISD.net/VATRE.

Lunch Visitors

Beginning in September visitors may join us for lunch with their child if they are signed up in advance HERE. 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!  

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!