Grapevine Elementary

Monday Message


Dear GES Families,

On Friday we had an amazing assembly with our PTA to kick-off our FUN RUN and had a great educational show from Professor Brainius! Our PTA supports our campus by bringing in programs such as this to GES throughout the year and this is our time to show appreciation by helping raise needed funds. 

FUN RUN is our biggest fundraiser of the year and it's a combined effort for both PTA and the campus. The money we raise during this fundraiser stays completely at GES and supports our students and staff! Our goal is to raise $40,000 and for each student to work on fitness goals. We hope to allocate money raised in the following ways: $20,000 for the GES Activity Fund (for professional development and school branding), $7,000 for staff appreciation, $7,000 for PTA programs, $4000 for the teacher support fund, and $2,000 for senior scholarships.

All GES students are encouraged to register for Fun Run and turn in their Fun Run goal sheet that went home in student folders. For full event details, please visit our Fun Run Webpage. 


Register or re-Login to your parent dashboard and complete your child’s student webpage with a PICTURE at getmovinfundhub.com. School Identifier: 5f21c90c385d7. All students who register and turn in their goal sheet by Friday, March 1st will earn an animal sticker sheet. 


Thank you so much for joining us in our efforts! We very much appreciate all the support!

All my best,

Nancy Hale

2024 Fun Run Draft Parent Letter.docx

Student Incentives


PTA is offering several fun student incentives including a halfway prize! The class in each grade level that has raised the most money BY NOON THIS FRIDAY MARCH 1st will get a special halfway incentive of getting to see another Professor Branius show on Monday, March 4th. Which classes will be ahead at the half-way mark this Friday? 

Thanks to our Fun Run Sponsors


We would like to give a huge thank you to our Fun Run Sponsors! They each donated $500 to Fun Run allowing us to get a head start towards our goal of raising $40,000! 


We appreciate GES Dad Tray Hale and DFW Propane for their generous donation.  We are also grateful to Classic Chevrolet for sponsoring Fun Run for the third year in a row. There is nothing better than having local businesses partner with us to help us achieve our goals! 

Campus News and Announcements

Read Across America Week

Next week we are celebrating Read Across America Week inspired by some amazing children's literature! We kick off the week celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday and invite students to wear a hat! Each day a new book will guide an easy dress-up theme that will go with items your child already has in their closet. We hope they choose to join us for a little reading-inspired fun leading up to Spring Break! 

Open House - March 7th

We hope you will plan to join us for our annual Open House event on Thursday, March 7th from 6-7pm. This is a come and go event where students will be sharing about their individual progress towards their reading and math goals and highlighting some of their work from this school year. 

Password Reset in 3rd-5th Grade

Our 3rd-5th grade students are all resetting their passwords today as part of district safety and security measures. Please help them learn their new passwords as they use them several times each day to login to their Classlink. 

If your child has logged in with their GCISD credentials on a home computer, home ipad, cell phone, etc. it is important that when they get home today they log out of all Google accounts so that they will be prompted to use their new passwords. 

Talent Show - Friday

Join us for the Talent Show this Friday, March 1st at 6:30pm in the GES Cafeteria. Special shout-out to Mrs. Farish, who is chairing the event! It is a free event sponsored by our PTA. We have 18 student acts and a special surprise act, too! Our 5th grade students will be selling concessions to raise money for graduation. We hope to see you there! 

GT Test Results


Test results for students who tested for GT will be delivered via Skyward prior to Spring Break. Keep an eye on your email inbox if you requested testing for your child. All families will be notified whether your student did or did not qualify for the program. 

Zootique Volunteers Needed


We need volunteers for our Zootique at the end of next week! If you have a completed background check and are interested in volunteering your time and sharing in some financial literacy with students as they save and spend, you can sign up HERE. Parent volunteers help make our Zootique a possibility! 

March 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. 

Snacks Needed

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 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.

Thank you for the donations that have come through this past week! We appreciate the generosity from our families! 

Campus Activities and Events

This is a live Google Calendar that we will keep updated throughout the year with campus activities. Click the calendar to open it up so you can switch to week or month view and look at future dates. Please check back frequently for new additions. 

PTA Announcements

Fun Run Volunteers Needed 


Fun Run is coming up on Friday, March 8th. Our Fun Run Committee is looking for help making this year's run possible.  Please consider signing up to help here: 


Help Assemble Fun Run Packets and Fun Run Incentives 


Help with Fun Run Pep Rally and Assembly


Sign up to help on the day of Fun Run Here  

3rd Grade DI Team

Saturday was the Mid-Cities Destination Imagination Tournament at Haltom High School. There were hundreds of students ranging from pre-K to university level ready to show off months of hard work. The 3rd grade team was eligible to be competitive this year and faced off with 15 other elementary teams (3rd-5th graders from Keller, Irving, Arlington, Grand Prairie, GCISD, and more) in our region to place THIRD in our region!! A huge accomplishment! 

1st & 2nd Grade DI Team

Our 1st-2nd grade GES team participated for the first time as a non-competitive Early Learning team (1st-2nd grade) and had an amazing performance! Special thanks to PTA volunteers Melisa Chan, Cathy Patrick, Desha Schalekamp, and Julie Imhoff for advising the teams. Congratulations to both teams! 

School Board Candidate Forum


Save the Date! Join the GCISD Council of PTA's as we ask the School Board Candidates questions about topics that impact our students and teachers. A Google Form will be shared soon where you can share your voice on questions you would like prioritized. 

GCISD News

Bond Community Presentations Scheduled

GCISD will host community presentations to inform the public about GCISD’s bond that will be on the May 4 ballot. These informational sessions are open to anyone who lives or works in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and will be held at:

Repeated Information

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Afterschool Art Club 

Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grade Afterschool Art Club will be held this Spring and is a wonderful opportunity for GES students to make art and have fun with new friends after school. Each Art Club will include a book read aloud and a fun project to take home.

Dates:


Due to space and time restrictions, there will be a 20-student cap for the K-2nd Art Club. Mrs. North will select the students by lottery if more than 20 signed up. Please fill out this form by February 29th! 

Spring Photos - Save the Date

Angela Wengrenovich Photography will be on campus April 8-10, 2024 to provide Modern School Photos for our Spring Photos. You can see an example of what to expect here - https://www.angelawengrenovichphotography.com/schoolphotos More information to follow.

Anxiety - Strategies for Parents

GCISD Elementary Counseling is hosting Sadi Monge from Family Connections on FEBRUARY 29TH as she presents on strategies for parents and guardians when supporting anxiousness in children.


Headphones Required


Does your child currently have working headphones? These are an essential school supply that all students need in order to access their device. It is especially important for testing season as all students often need headphones simulataneously. Student headphones break frequently throughout the school year, so please check-in and ask your child if theirs are currently working. 

Here is an Amazon link to a kind we recommend if you need to purchase an additional pair for under $10. We also highly recommend writing your child's name on them, too!

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. 

Math Telescoping

Testing opportunities for telescoping in Math for the 2024-2025 school year are available in the summer for GCISD students who are completing Grades K-7.

The Parent Information Packet will be available on the District website under the Parents tab by selecting the link for Acceleration Exams, Grades K-7.

The packet will contain the registration form. Payment is made online following the submission of the form.

Parents will also be able to view the TEKS on the TEA website and download Study Guides for the exams purchased from the University of Texas at Austin, UT High School.

Registration for the June exam administration is March 18 - April 1, 2024.

Attendance Matters

First and foremost, 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, because we know there will be days that must be missed for illness. 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 8 days per year (4 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. For all GES students, please email our Student Data Secretary, Candice Patton, at candice.patton@gcisd.net. You may choose to include your teachers, as well, as they like to be in the know about student absences. We will document emails in your child's attendance records whether the absence is excused or unexcused. 

We appreciate you working together with us to support your child's attendance! 

GCISD Bond Update: How the Bond was Developed

On May 4, 2024, GCISD voters will be asked to consider a $150 million bond to address security, aging schools and infrastructure. The process began more than a year ago with physical assessments completed on all facilities in the district. Campus and department leaders were also asked to identify and submit facility-related items that they felt were needed and/or would enhance security or student experiences. This resulted in more than 2,000 potential projects. In the spring and summer of 2023, the Long-Range Planning Committee was tasked with prioritizing all 2,000-plus projects for a long-range plan. This committee was made up of a combination of GCISD employees and residents. Then in the fall of 2023, the Bond Advisory Committee of residents was brought together to identify projects that could be included in our next bond package. Representatives from the Bond Advisory Committee presented their recommendation to the Board of Trustees in December 2023. In January 2024, the Board voted to call for a $150,000,000 bond election to include the priority projects identified by the Bond Advisory Committee. Learn more about what these community groups prioritized for GCISD’s 2024 bond at www.gcisd.net/bond. 

Growth and Development for Fourth Grade Girls and Fifth Grade 

In order to be proactive in our delivery of education concerning human sexuality, our district uses several resources and programs for the elementary school health curriculum. Starting February 4, 2024 through February 17, 2024 parents may preview these videos from a non-district device by following the directions below:

Parent Portal - Access The 4th and 5th Grade Puberty Videos Playlist

Puberty programs used in the elementary school

Just around the Corner (4th grade girls)

This upbeat and catchy video is shown to 4th grade girls to introduce them to the changes the body will experience during preadolescence.  It will be shown to 4th grade girls only.

Growing Up! For Boys (5th grade boys) and Growing Up! For Girls (5th grade girls)

These videos present basic information about male and female reproductive anatomy and functioning - and the physical and psychological changes that are a normal part of growing up. Growing Up! For Boys (shown to 5th grade boys only) provides advice on health, hygiene and good grooming.  It points to sources of reliable information and fosters the self-esteem that comes with accepting new responsibilities. Growing Up! For Girls (shown to 5th grade girls only) takes a realistic look at the responsibilities of adulthood and promotes dialogue with trusted adults, promoting self-confidence as girls face the challenges of change and growth.                          

Starting February 4, 2024 through February 17, 2024 4th grade girls and 5th grade parents may preview these videos from a non-district device by following the directions stated in the Parent Preview Message sent via Skyward Messenger on Thursday Feb 1, 2024. 

If you have concerns, or need more information, please contact Amy Taldo, RN, BSN at 817-251-5564 or by email amy.taldo@gcisd.net.

Every Parent will be asked to fill out a form indicating their preference of participation for their child. If a form is not received from the parent, then your child will not be able to participate. 

The form to indicate your choice of Participation is located in Skyward Family Access. You can find directions on where to locate the form here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19lLBhxP3HjEgyJIVHwhKowLYKbR3BPx_JIrv0dTI-V0/edit 

Lunch Visitors

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. 

PreK: 10:45 - 11:15

Kinder: 11:45 - 12:15

1st: 11:30 - 12:00

2nd: 11:00 - 11:30

3rd: 12:05 - 12:35

4th: 12:55 - 1:25

5th: 12:25 - 12:55

Volunteering

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:

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.

GES Contact Sheet

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