Dear GES Families,

Thank you for an amazing Fun Run 2024! We want to give a huge shout-out to everyone who helped us reach our fundraising goal!! With a few more donations added in today from cash and checks, we are at a grand total of $40,110!! We had 415 students register, had 76 Superstars raising over $200 each, had gifts come in from all over the country, as well as Brazil, Canada, and France! This shows incredible participation and just how engaged our families are in supporting our mission at GES! Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraiser! 

Our top five classes raising the most money are Team Gray, Team Killebrew, Team Still, Team Dodd, and Team Farish. Mrs. Gray's class and Mrs. Killebrew's class will have the opportunity to throw color on Mrs. Hale and Coach Basil! We will advertise the date to families once it has been arranged. 

Our top five student fundraisers are Lily W., Rex H., Zachary R., Grayson D., and Camdyn H.

We want to give a huge thank you to Fun Run Chair Katie Massimi for coordinating such an awesome fundraiser and Coach Basil for helping us with the course! We also want to thank a few volunteers who went above and beyond to help- Travis Baker, the Boettcher Family, Kelli Carpenter, Meghan Decker, Hannah Harrelson, Lyndsey Hill, Jamie Horn, Sara Kirby, Lauren May, Lanna Nguyen, Chris Poppelmeir, Sarah Powell, Mari Rice, and Desha Schalekamp.

We are so grateful for our sponsors GES dad Tray Hale with DFW Propane and Classic Chevrolet. We also appreciate Mazzy Signs for donating our event sign and Tom Thumb for donating bananas and apples to provide healthy snacks for our students.

We appreciate everyone who made a gift, helped solicit donations, volunteered their time, counted prizes, all of the teachers who helped motivate their classes, and all the families who came out to cheer on our students on Friday! You each helped us make Fun Run a success! These donations are critical to helping us keep Grapevine Elementary an amazing school where our students and staff can shine each day! 

All my best,

Nancy Hale

No School - March 29

Just a friendly reminder that we do not have school on Friday, March 29th. We hope you enjoy the long holiday weekend! 

Report Cards Post - Wednesday

Report cards for the 3rd nine weeks will post to student Skyward accounts on Wednesday, March 20. Thank you for taking time to check on your child's progress. 

February Attendance Celebration

We hit our campus goal of greater than 97% attendance for the month of February!! This means the students get to pick a campus celebration. They will be voting this week and we will celebrate on Friday with either a pajama day, crazy hair day, OR music during lunches. Stay tuned to see what wins! 

College & Career Event

Grapevine Elementary is hosting College & Career Day, and we would love to invite you to present to our students about your profession and/or college experience. We want to introduce our students, who range from pre-K to 5th grade, to as many different professions/careers/trade schools/colleges as possible that exist.

Our College & Career Day will take place on Friday, May 3rd. If your schedule allows and you are willing to participate, please complete the Google interest form HERE. 

As the date gets closer, you will receive the schedule. Please feel free to also share our Google interest form with other colleagues that may be interested in presenting at our College & Career Day. If you have not done so this school year yet, please take time to complete THIS background check as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please reach out to angela.horn@gcisd.net.

Spring Photos

Angela Wengrenovich Photography will be on campus April 8-10, 2024 to provide Modern School Photos for our Spring Photos. More information can be found in the letter HERE. Students will have their photos taken based on grade level as follows.

Monday, April 8 - Pre K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade

Tuesday, April 9 - 2nd and 3rd Grade

Wednesday, April 10 - 4th and 5th Grade

Angela will be photographing GES Siblings together if you register your sibling group by April 1. You can register siblings, request an individual gallery password, or allow for a model release here - https://forms.gle/PPAoSRse9ZG62W4f7

Any questions you may have will be answered by Angela directly at awengrenphoto@gmail.com.

Recognize a Teacher

We believe that teachers are the secret ingredient to success. To bring recognition to great teachers in the Crumbl community, we’re doing a Teacher Appreciation giveaway! Enter your favorite teacher for a chance to win a Crumbl party for their class and special recognition! Click HERE to nominate. 

Nominations are open now until March 31, 2024. No purchase is necessary. Winners will be announced in May for Teacher Appreciation Month! 

Fun Run Prizes

Announcements will be made on Tuesday morning to all the students on KGES with the final winners and final prizes will be delivered this week to all homeroom classes. 

Video and Community Presentations Provide Information about GCISD Bond 

Watch this video which provides information about the three propositions that will be on the May 4, 2024, ballot for the GCISD bond. Additionally, GCISD will host community presentations, which are open to anyone who lives or works in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and will be held at:

• 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 26, 2024, Cross Timbers Middle School (library)

• 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 2, 2024, Heritage Middle School (cafeteria)

• 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 16, Grapevine Middle School (cafeteria)

Learn more about the GCISD Bond at www.GCISD.net/Bond.

Mathematics Monday is March 25

Nutrition Services is excited to announce Mathematics Monday on March 25 during lunch. 

This fun and engaging event will take place at all elementary and middle school campuses. Age appropriate math problems have been incorporated onto a special treat given to all students that select a plate lunch this day. This event is aimed at connecting the cafeteria to the classroom in a fun and engaging way. Students can collaborate together to solve the math riddle while enjoying their lunch. We hope to see you in the cafeteria! 

Tiny Art Show

Swing by the Grapevine Public Library to see our 3rd-5th Grade Art Club's Tiny Art Show! Here's what Art Club student Callie S. had to say about the experience: "During the process of making our projects for the Tiny Art Show, we learned that practice makes perfect, and that we should take our time to make something beautiful." We are so thankful for Club Sponsors Amanda North and Mariam Rezk, and for community connections that create these opportunities, allowing our stars to shine! The Tiny Art Show will be on display from now until March 31st.

Zootique Coupons

Our students get very excited to purchase "coupons" for experiences in our Zootique each month. Many of them have saved up money throughout the year and are now able to buy some high price items such as Lunch on the Stage, 100 Zoobucks for 10 minutes extra recess for their class, or 80 Zoobucks for a class pajama day. Please wait for information from your child's teacher if they mention that someone in their classroom purchased a coupon. Teachers will work with the students who have coupons to plan the best days for these events and they will notify families accordingly. 

Grading for 2024-2025 School Year

A review of the elementary standards-based report card system was conducted by stakeholders that included campus principals, teachers, parents, and District staff. The committee examined the SBRC history and the current program, considered different grading systems, and offered feedback on potential changes. The recommendation is to continue to offer the Standards Based Report Card for K-2nd and transition to a numerical report card for 3rd and 5th grade in the 2024-25 school year. Teachers who teach 3rd and 4th grade will receive professional learning around implementing a numerical grading system.

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 March 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.