Grapevine Elementary

Monday Message


GES Families,

Thank you to all the families who took time on Thursday evening to come to our Parent Information Night sessions. Your support and partnership mean the world to us as we strive to provide the best education for your child! Knowing and understanding how you can support your child from home is key to their academic and social-emotional success in elementary school. Students are currently completing their beginning of the year assessments and teachers will soon be reaching out to schedule parent-teacher conferences. We appreciate all the help and encouragement you provide at home to ensure your child is reading nightly, completing their math homework regularly, and working to achieve their individual goals. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's homeroom teacher, our counselor Mrs. Horn, or any member of the leadership team if we can assist your child. 

All my best,

Mrs. Hale

Meet the PreK Team


At GES, we are blessed to have 2 PreK classrooms! Mrs. Couch and Mrs. Rodriguez work together and Mrs. Finch and Mrs. Ellis share a classroom. These ladies pour into our youngest stars on a daily basis! You will see them all at the PreK-1st carline on a regular basis. 

Campus News and Announcements

Math Homework

As we begin the 2023-2024 school year, math continues to be an area of focus for our campus. In looking at our campus data from last year, there is a need to continue to refine our practices to support all of our students. One way we are working towards that goal is by creating a system of math homework that is consistent from 2nd - 5th grade. We will be utilizing the program we purchased last year as a spiral review for grades 2-5. Last year, teachers began using Lone Star TEKSas Target Practice for the 10-minutes of spiral review time at the start of each math block. Through conversations with our teachers, we found that the 10 minutes alloted for spiral review wasn't enough to adequately cover the daily review. 


This year, we have created a system where students will complete the spiral review problems for homework each night Monday-Thursday and then teachers will review them daily in class. We ask for your support in ensuring your child have time to complete the homework on a nightly basis. We do know that many students have activities during the week that could potentially hinder homework time. Because students have the homework for the whole week, they may choose to work ahead. We ask that each day students bring the homework in their daily folder so it is accessible at the start of the math lesson to review. 


Per our GCISD grading policy, homework will never be taken for a grade. We ask that families support their student(s) in trying their best. If your student doesn't know how to complete a problem, they can make their best guess and wait for further explanation in class the next day. You will notice that over the course of the year, the skills on the homework will spiral. Research shows that a spiral review of math skills can increase student achievement by helping them maintain skills throughout the year. However, at times there might be a problem on the spiral review that hasn't been taught in their grade level content yet. For this reason, we simply ask that students try their best and ensure math homework doesn't become frustrational. 


Math homework should not take more than 15-20 minutes per night. If you recognize that this is becoming a regular occurance for your child, please reach out to their math teacher for guidance. 

World Duchenne Awareness Day

At GES, our mission statement that we recite daily with students says that we accept differences and support all learners. Please join us in supporting one of our star students by wearing GREEN on Thursday, September 7 to recognize World Duchenne Awareness Day. Green is the official color of muscular dystrophy awareness. Wearing this color unites us and symbolizes support of the individuals living with muscular dystrophy and related diseases.

GES Clubs Deadline - Sept. 6

At Grapevine Elementary, we offer a variety of clubs for student involvement. In an effort to give student club information in a concise manner, we have included a short synopsis of each offering in this document with applications linked. Please take the time to review and discuss the attached club options with your child and encourage them to participate in a club that interests them. Please be aware that several clubs meet on the same days and students will need to make a choice regarding which clubs they would like to participate in most. All applications are provided in digital format to submit through Google. 

Attendance Incentives for Students

We have several different attendance incentives at GES to help promote regular and responsible attendance at school! 

Skyward

This is the official gradebook for all students in GCISD and grades sync automatically when saved. Skyward is the most current up-to-date look at how your child is performing academically. Skyward has a robust website but most parents choose to download the Skyward mobile app where you can set up alerts and get notifications about your child's grades.

September Character Quality & Star Student of the Month

In GCISD, and in alignment with the state, monthly character qualities are highlighted in guidance lessons. Homeroom students are also selected by homeroom teachers for each monthly character quality to have demonstrated that trait in a big way or having made a large amount of growth in demonstrating that trait. This month is EMPATHY! Families can partner with GES staff by reviewing connection ideas HERE! PreK through fifth grade newsletters are included; scroll through to find your Stars' grade level. Please let Mrs. Horn know if you have any questions at this time at angela.horn@gcisd.net or 817-251-5740.

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

2023 - 2024 Homeroom Parents


Calling all homeroom parents! Here is a great opportunity to volunteer this year.  Homeroom parents serve as a resource for the teacher to assist with various tasks needed in the classroom. You will also help coordinate volunteers for various events throughout the school year. Each class will have 2 designated homeroom parents. Please only sign up for only one slot per teacher. If you have multiple kids at GES, you can be homeroom teacher in more than one class. Sign up here. 

Please e-mail Ashleigh Panelli at Homerooms@gespta.org with any questions. Thank you for signing up! 

Carnival Sponsorship Opportunity


Our GES Carnival is coming up next month on October 21st.  This Carnival is made possible by our amazing community sponsors.  Do you own a business or know of a business that would like to serve as a sponsor while also having opportunities to promote your business to our GES community?  Is Carnival one of your favorite events and would you family like to sponsor one of the games? Help us make this year's carnival amazing for our community by serving as a sponsor. Find the full sponsor letter here.  Purchase your sponsorship on our website here. Thanks for your support! Email Carnival Co-Chairs Lanna Nguyen and Megan Ohail at carnival@gespta.org with any questions.  

Stock the Fridge: September - 5th Grade


One way we show appreciation to our amazing GES staff is by keeping the staff lounge fridge full of their favorite beverages.  Each month we will ask families in different grade levels to help us stock the staff lounge fridge. Fifth grade families, please sign up to help during the month of September here. 

Destination Imagination


Does your child love to create – build – sing/act – use their imagination? Destination Imagination is for them!


Students work together in teams of 5-7 to solve open-ended STEAM challenges designed to help students understand how to ask questions to solve problems, brainstorm and act on solutions, learn from failure, and celebrate successes.

At the August Meet-the-Teacher night, GES had lots of interest from students ranging from 1st to 5 th grade! We need adult volunteers to serve as team managers for 1st -2 nd graders (non-competitive – one challenge), as well as 4th and 5th grade (competitive – select from 6 challenges). Ideally, each team should have two team managers.


Cathy Patrick and Melisa Chan restarted DI last season (2022-2023) after a years-long hiatus with an intrepid group of 2nd graders. Cathy and Melisa will continue to be the team managers for the now 3rd grade team; and will also train and provide the administrative lead and support for other volunteer team

managers. The number of teams GES will be able to support is dependent on the number of team managers volunteering.


GCISD teams – non-competitive and competitive – will participate in the regional tournament sometime in February (actual date TBD). 


If your child is interested in participating in a team or if an adult family member would like to volunteer as a team manager, Cathy and Melisa will host a DI informational session at GES Wednesday, September 13 th at 5pm in the GES Science Lab. 


A set of FAQs have been created and is available here. 

Dads' Club Meeting this Week


Dads' Club will be having their first meeting of the year on Sunday, September 10th at 3 PM at The Londoner.  All GES dads are welcome to attend and learn more about Dads' Club this year! 

September Meeting Childcare


Please join us Wednesday, September 13th at 6:30 PM.  We will have a brief PTA meeting and then welcome guest speaker Amy Kirchhoff, LPC NCC who will be speaking about Parenting and Teaching in the Wild - loving and leading our children through anxiety and sensory overwhelm.  We will have coloring sheets available for children during the PTA meeting.  Once the guest speaker begins CHHS student volunteers will take children out to play on the K-2nd playground. 

GCISD News

GCISD Notice: Texas House Bill 114 

Changes to School Policy Regarding E-Cigarettes, Vaping and Related Substances

Effective 9/1/2023, Texas House Bill 114 requires a student to be placed in the DAEP if the student possesses, uses, or is under the influence of, or sells, gives, or delivers marijuana, THC, or an e-cigarette to another person within 300 feet of school property or at a school-related event. 

Parents may find the full version of the Bill here: https://capitol.texas.gov/.../88R/billtext/pdf/HB00114F.pdf 

The District encourages all families to talk with their students regarding the dangers associated with vaping or drug usage and to discuss the implications of this new law with your children, emphasizing the importance of adhering to school policies and laws for their own welfare and for the betterment of the school community as a whole. Your cooperation and support in ensuring that our district remains a safe and healthy educational environment for our students is deeply appreciated. 

Repeated Information

2023-2024 Back to School Attendance Updates 

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. 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 eight days per year (four 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. The student must submit a note signed by the parent. The campus may accept a phone call from the parent, but reserves the right to require a written note. A note signed by the student will not be accepted unless the student is age 18 or older or is an emancipated minor under state law. The campus will document in its attendance records whether the absence is excused or unexcused.

Tardies

Friendly reminder that your child needs to be in their classroom at 7:40am. This means they really need to be dropped off no later than 7:35am to give them time to get down the hallways to their classroom. We are starting our KGES announcements immediately after the tardy bell this year and we want students ready to go. Students feel rushed and behind when they aren't able to begin their day with their classmates. If your child arrives after the tardy bell has rung, they will stop by the office to get a tardy slip. A yellow copy should come home in their folder so you are aware. Thank you for helping us to ensure your child is at school on time each day! 

Grapevine Elementary CEC

The Grapevine Elementary Campus Excellence Committee (CEC) is a site based decision committee that meets regularly to discuss campus initiatives, plans for improvement, and progress made towards goals. The committee, which meets after school five times a year, is composed of teaching staff, non-teaching staff, a district representative, and parent, community, and business members. We are in need of one parent, two business members, and two community members to join our committee.

If you know someone that we should contact for the business or community slots who are not current parents, please email Nancy Hale @ nancy.hale@gcisd.net. 

Snack Donations

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 to our front office in order to help us provide that snack for students that arrive at school without it because of those 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.

Zoo Bucks & Zootique 

Part of our WILD about engagement theme this year is to provide positive reinforcement for students that are following our GES Guidelines for Success. Students will have the opportunity to earn Zoo Bucks throughout the day in many different settings. Students can then spend their Zoo Bucks for special privileges or prizes such as coupons to "sit wherever you want at lunch" or "read to another class." Homeroom classes will have opportunities for students to spend their Zoo Bucks as in year's past, but we have a new addition this year, too! We will have a campus Zootique or school store where students can spend their Zoo Bucks! It will open up about once a month on a scheduled basis. Students will be able to purchase fun toys and trinkets if they choose. 

If you would like to help contribute to our Zootique this year, we would be grateful for donations from our wishlist. You can find the Zootique Wishlist here! 

Clothes Donations for Clinic

If you have any used clothing that you might be getting rid of that your children have outgrown, Nurse Lindsey is looking for donations for the clinic to have as extras in the event that a student needs to change and doesn't have clothes in their backpack. Specifically, we are in need of boys clothes from 5T- Youth Large. We are also always in need of new child size underwear for both boys and girls. Thanks so much! 

Birthday Marquee Messages

Want a new way to say "Happy Birthday" to your child on their special day? You can sign up to have your child's "Happy Birthday" message placed on the GES digital marquee from 6:30am - 8:30pm on their big day! Complete this digital form, and then send payment to GES by September 15th! You can send $15 cash or check to the front office with your child or drop it by the secure vestibule. Please put cash in an envelope c/o Gina Sharp with your child's name. Messages will begin as early August 28, but payment must be received in advance. 

Celebrating Birthdays at School

Birthdays are special! Student birthdays may be recognized in the classroom at the end of the day. Birthday celebrations may not be conducted in the cafeteria while meals are being served. If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday at school, we recommend the following:  donate a book to the library in your child’s name, or choose a new pencil or cool eraser for each student in your child’s class. Due to the high number of students with food allergies, we are not allowed to celebrate with any food items. 


Students may distribute invitations only if they are including the entire class OR every child of the same gender. Parents are encouraged to use the PTA directory to send invitations in the mail whenever possible. Birthday sweet treats or snacks will no longer be served. Flowers, balloons, etc… for students should not be delivered to the school (per the handbook). These will not be brought to the classrooms and cannot go home on the buses. Please reserve these type of gifts for home.

GES Guidelines for Success


We wanted to share our Guidelines for Success with you so that you can have conversations with your students about the expectations that we have at GES. We have specific guidelines that we use in our hallways, in the cafeteria, on the playground and in each classroom. Students can earn compliments and rewards for following our guidelines for success in the building. Your child may also receive a "glow or grow" note from their specials teachers, Mrs. Wahpekeche, or Mrs. Ganus for their behavior in classrooms outside of their homeroom. 

Texas House Bill 114 

Effective 9/1/2023, Texas House Bill 114 requires a student to be placed in the DAEP if the student possesses, uses, or is under the influence of, or sells, gives, or delivers marijuana, THC, or an e-cigarette to another person within 300 feet of school property or at a school-related event. The District encourages all families to talk with their students regarding the dangers associated with vaping or drug usage and to discuss the implications of this new law with your children, emphasizing the importance of adhering to school policies and laws for their own welfare and for the betterment of the school community as a whole.

Extended Day Program is HIRING!

Please include the following in your campus newsletters:


Extended Day Program is HIRING! 

EDP is seeking to hire part-time staff in order to accommodate more students into the after-school program. Work hours are 2:00 PM - 6:30 PM, and the starting rate is $17/hour. Click here to apply. 

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 August 28-September 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.

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