April Lunch Sign-up

If you're interested in coming to eat lunch with your child during the month of April, you can sign up HERE. Please remember to bring your ID to check-in when you arrive. As a reminder, families are invited to eat with their child at designated tables in the back of the cafeteria or on the patio when the weather is nice. 

Chef Jason Coming- April 4

On Thursday, April 4, we will have Chef Jason sampling a new item for students in the lunch line. All students are invited to try the sample, whether they are purchasing a lunch on Thursday or not. 

Solar Eclipse - Monday, April 8

In honor of the Solar Eclipse, students are invited to wear yellow for the sun on Monday, April 8th! 

We are excited to teach students all about the solar eclipse over the next week and view this exciting event safely on Monday with our provided safety glasses. 

Front Office CLOSED 1:30-2:00pm

Also, our front office will be CLOSED on April 8 from 1:30-2:00pm as all campus staff will be outside with students for the eclipse. If you plan on picking up your child for any reason during that time, please plan ahead and come prior to 1:30pm. 

Spring Photos - Next Week

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.

Class Pictures - April 11

Class Pictures will be taken on Thursday, April 11th. Students who have local permission to be photographed will be included in their classroom picture. If your child does not have permission in Skyward to be photographed, they will not be included. 

April Zootique Volunteers Needed 

We have 2 more months of the Zootique before the end of the school year. We will open the Zootique on Friday, April 12 and Friday, April 19. In order to effectively run the Zootique, we rely on parent volunteers to help students count their money and make their purchases. If you have completed a background check and are available to help for an hour, we would love your assistance! You can sign-up HERE. 

Returning Student Registration Opens April 8

Returning student registration opens next week! This is earlier than in previous years so that we can get a jump start on preparing for the 24-25 school year. 

GES Summer Withdrawal Form

Due to the earlier registration dates, we will not be doing the same "Are you Returning to GES" form that we have done in the past for all families. Rather, we are only asking that families who know they are NOT returning complete the following GES Summer Withdrawal FORM. 

Kindergarten Registration

Do you have an incoming Kindergarten student? Click HERE to begin the registration process NOW for a new kindergarten student. (This is NOT for current GCISD PreK students. They should complete the returning student registration when it opens.) 

Pre-K Registration

Do you have a child who will be 4 on or before Sept. 1, 2024 and whom is ready to enter our amazing GCISD PreK program? You can learn more by clicking HERE. We have both tuition-based PreK and state-based PreK right here at GES! 

No School - April 15

Friendly reminder the we have not had to use our Bad Weather Make-up Day on Monday, April 15. Assuming we don't have to use it prior to then, we will have that Monday off from school. 

Walk a Mile with GCISD

After a successful inaugural Walk a Mile event in 2023, GCISD is bringing it back for a second year! Mark your calendars for 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, at Mustang Panther Stadium. Once again, this will be an evening where GCISD comes together to walk the track, meet new people and spend time with friends. Join us for this event!

State-Based Pre-K Roundup is on April 2 and 4 

GCISD’s State-Based Pre-K Roundup will be from 8 a.m.-7 p.m., April 2, and from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., April 4, at the Professional Development and Education Center, 5800 Colleyville Blvd, Colleyville, TX 76034. An RSVP is required for attendance and will be available April 1 at www.gcisd.net/pre-k. 

Tuition-based pre-K is also available. To register for tuition-based pre-K, please email gcisd.pk@gcisd.net or call 817-251-5538. 

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.

Thank You 

We very much appreciate your cooperation and understanding last Tuesday when we had to unexpectedly have a secure dismissal because of police activity in the area. While the police searched for someone needing their assistance, we were able to safely dismiss every GES student directly to an adult, including our bus riders and walkers on very short notice. We are thankful that our families responded quickly to ensure student safety. It was yet another example of the amazing community we have at GES! 

Solar Eclipse Opt-Out Reminder

On April 8, 2024, there will be a rare and exciting astronomical event, a total solar eclipse of the sun in the North Texas area. 

Our teachers and staff will provide all students with approved eyewear and the opportunity to go outside and observe the eclipse in the afternoon. Teachers will train the students on how to use the eyewear as well as other precautions associated with this event. The eyewear provided is approved by the American Astronomical Society, supported by NASA. We understand there may be individual parent concerns, and if so, you may opt-out if you do not want your child to participate. There will be an opportunity for students who have opted out to view a live stream of the eclipse. This way each student will have the ability to take part in viewing this event.

Here is a link to a doc that will guide you through the opt-out process.  Please contact a campus administrator should you have any further questions. Thank you for your partnership in this experience.

While we are providing protective eyewear, we also ask that you have a conversation with your student before this event. No student should attempt to view the eclipse using anything other than the provided protection glasses. Regular sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection for viewing an eclipse. Please advise your student that looking at the sun without these protections can cause serious, permanent eye injury. If you would like additional information to share with your student, NASA has provided resources regarding the eclipse that may be found by clicking on the link below:

How to Safely View the April 8, 2024, TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

Please Use Crosswalks

During arrival and dismissal each day, please use the marked crosswalks. We have had an increasing number of families parking on the street across from school and walking through the street without using the 4-way stop. This creates a very dangerous situation for our students and the vehicles passing through our school zone. We appreciate you cooperating with the laws and keeping our school zone a safe place for students and families. 

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, 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.

Have you registered to vote?

The last day to register is Thursday, April 4, 2024, to be able to vote in the May Election. Please visit VoteTexas.gov for information on how to register and have your voice heard. 

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 April 1-30 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.