Animal Shelter Donations

In honor of our beloved OSOB characters, Wedgie and Gizmo, our Student Council has organized a donation drive for the Grapevine Animal Shelter. They are collecting donations in the GES foyer over the next 2 weeks that they will deliver to the shelter on Saturday, Feb. 17th. We would love your family's support if you're able! Some of the needed items include: 

• Unscented Cat Litter (non-clumping) 

• Soft cat & dog treats

• Gently used collars, leashes, toys

• Soft bedding such as blankets and towels

Glow Dance Thank You

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the GLOW Dance on Friday! We want to especially give a shout-out to our 5th grade Coordinator, Sarah Powell, and all our PTA leaders and parents who volunteered or donated items for this awesome event! We had a fantastic turnout and the kids had a blast! All of the proceeds from the Glow Dance go towards our 5th Grade Graduation and Celebration! This was just another glowing example of the amazing community we have here at GES!

February Lunch Sign-up

If you would like to come visit your child during lunch and eat with them in our cafeteria or on our front patio picnic tables, please reserve a time on our February Sign-up Genius HERE. You will always find the current month sign-up at the very bottom of this Monday Message for easy access. 

100th Day of School

This Friday, Feb. 2 we will celebrate the 100th Day of School! Our teachers and staff are busy preparing for a fun Friday of activities with our students. Check out the grade level newsletters for specific plans for your child's class! 

Closed Campus - Feb. 6

On Tuesday, Feb. 6th, our 3rd and 5th grade students will be taking a STAAR Field Test as required by TEA. We will be a closed campus that day, meaning we cannot have any visitors or volunteers. This includes guest readers, copy room volunteers, lunch visitors, etc. 

Update on Class Parties

This year we will not be having PTA Valentine's Parties. Each year according to district regulations we are able to have 2 parties hosted by our PTA for students. Our campus leaders, teachers, and PTA leaders have decided that our 2 parties will be in December and May this year. We celebrated with students before the holidays and the second party run by our homeroom parents will be in conjuction with our End of Year Success Ceremonies. 

Valentine's Day Celebrations

Teachers will be planning fun activities for their students to do related to Valentine's Day throughout the next few weeks. Students are encouraged to bring Valentines cards and/or treats to exchange with their friends. Please do NOT send any peanut products as students will have the opportunity to open their boxes in class. Please refer to your grade level newsletters for specifics in your child's class. 

GCISD Student Transfers

The general and STEM student transfer application window for the 2024-2025 school year will open on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 8 am. Online applications will be accepted through Friday, February 16, 2024, at 4 pm. 

Transfer Window Dates

Window 1: February 5 - February 16 - STEM/General Transfers

Window 2: March 4 - March 22 - STEM/General Transfers

Window 3: June 3 - June 14 - STEM/General Transfers

All students (including employee students) must apply for a transfer if they desire to attend a campus other than their zoned campus and/or when they are moving from the following grades/campuses:

• Pre-K to Kindergarten 

• Elementary school to middle school

• Middle school to high school

Students who are already approved on a transfer and are not moving to the next transition level do NOT need to submit a transfer request. For more information and to complete an online application on or after Monday, February 5, click here.

IMPORTANT: Please know that incomplete applications (e.g. missing residency documents) will NOT be processed during this round of student transfers. It is very important that families have all the needed documents when submitting transfer applications.

Welcome Back Mrs. Smith

We are excited to welcome back Mrs. Smith on Wednesday to the music classroom. Choir and ensemble will resume next week on Monday, Jan. 29 for choir and Thursday, Feb. 1 for ensemble. 

We have been so fortunate to have Mrs. Powell and we're so thankful for her willingness to jump in and sub for us the past few months. We know we will continue to see her around GES frequently subbing in other classrooms! 

Arrive on Time

Our tardy bell rings at 7:40am and students are expected to be in their classrooms. We begin our KGES announcements immediately after the tardy bell and we want to ensure that all our students hear the announcements and start their day with their classmates. On cold or rainy mornings we tend to have more traffic in our drop-off lines. Please plan ahead and leave a few minutes earlier so your students arrive at school on time. 

Join Remind

Are you getting our campus Remind texts? You should automatically get them if your phone number is up to date in Skyward and NOT marked as private. If you aren't receiving messages, you can join by sending @gesgcisd to 81010. 

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. 

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. 

You can sign-up for lunch from January 4-31 HERE.

You can sign-up for lunch from Feb. 1 - 29 HERE. 

Volunteering

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.