Increase in Illness

We are seeing an increase in student and staff illness. It is the time of year when we frequently hear of students with head colds and fevers. Please help us stop the spread of illness by reminding your children of good hygiene habits such as washing their hands frequently with soap and water, sneezing or coughing into their elbow, etc. We also ask that you keep your children at home when they have fever, severe cough, difficulty breathing, or vomiting. Students should be fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT medication in order to return to school. 

No School - Feb. 16 & 19

Just a friendly reminder that on Friday, Feb. 16th we are off from school for a Bad Weather make-up day that we didn't need to use. 

In addition, on Monday, Feb. 19th the students have off for a student holiday while the teachers are in Professional Development. 

We hope you enjoy the 4 day weekend! 

School Starts at 7:40am

We have had an increase in the number of tardies over the past month. Please ensure that you are dropping your children off by 7:35am so that they are able to make it to their classrooms by 7:40am. We begin announcements immediately after the bell and we don't want students to feel rushed or miss our morning announcements. 

One School One Book Wrap-up

Thank you so much for supporting our One School One Book reading this year! We hope your family enjoyed the time reading together and you will continue the tradition in your home moving forward. There are 2 more books in the Wedgie and Gizmo series, too! If you borrowed a book from the school that is labeled with GCISD, please kindly return to your homeroom teacher by Friday, February 9th. 

Sadly, our author visit on Friday was canceled because our author woke up sick on Friday. We were so disappointed as I know the students and staff had been looking forward to this day. Unfortunately, she lives out of state so we will work with her to see if there is an opportunity to reschedule. 

Our final class winner last week for turning in the most trivia slips was Mrs. Helms class! They enjoyed a day with Gizmo on Thursday. 

Lastly, we wanted to share that the winner of our school vote for favorite character was WEDGIE by only 2 votes! Students who visited the library over the past 2 weeks had the opportunity to cast their vote for Team Wedgie or Team Gizmo. It was a close competition but Wedgie won! 

February Character Quality -- HONESTY

For the month of February, guidance and some Circle Up classroom conversations will focus on HONESTY. This can be defined as "living truthfully in your words, actions, and thoughts. Families can partner with GES by browsing this Family Connection Newsletter and discuss and/or participate in some of the suggestions. Homeroom teachers will nominate one student for each homeroom class that exemplifies HONESTY in a big way or shows the most growth in this character quality this month.

Volunteers Needed for Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten team would love to have a few volunteers who can come in on a  regular basis during their Shine time from 10:00-10:45 (any day of the week you are free) and support our students who need additional help with their reading skills. We are looking to have volunteers pull students individually or in small groups to practice the skills that we send home for homework. Some families aren't able to practice at home and this will help our students who may need that extra time and practice. If you have completed your background check and are able to help at least 1 day per week, please contact Nancy.Hale@gcisd.net to get started.

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

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. 

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 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.