Tiger Time News
April 18-22, 2022
Mrs. Pedevilla
Mrs. Pedevilla's News
Dear O.C. Taylor Families,
Happy Easter! I hope your baskets are filled with lots of eggs.
Our Pre-K and Kindergarten Welcome Night and Tour is Tuesday night, April 19, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at O.C. Taylor. We'd love to know more about our new families! Please let us know if you can attend the Pre-K & K welcome night and tour. We can't wait to meet our new TIGERS! All students and families who will be in Pre-K or Kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year, are invited to O.C. Taylor for a welcome night! Come hear an overview of our programming, meet the teachers, and get a tour of the school. Please let your friends or new neighbors know about this opportunity
To the BEST of days,
Principal Pedevilla
Grade Level Newsletters
Please read your child's grade level newsletter by clicking on the grade to the right.
Important Upcoming Events:
4/18 - 4/22 Earth Week
4/19 - 22-23 PreK/Kinder Welcome Night (6:00-7:00)
4/20 Student Council (3:00-4:00)
PTA Moms' Night Out (6:00-9:00)
4/21 Egg Drop (3:05-4:00)
4/22 5th Grade Camp Thurman
4/22 Run Club (3:05-4:00)
4/26 1st-5th New to OCT Welcome Tour, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
4/26 Game On! GAME ON! at OCT Fields
5:30 - 6:00 p.m. PreK/K/1st/2nd Trash Your Neighbor’s Yard
6:00 - 7:00 pm 3rd/4th/5th Newcomb
4/27 3rd Grade Field Trip
4/28 Festival of Friends (2nd grade) 6:30 pm (Gym)
4/29 Run Club (3:05-4:00)
5/2 1st-5th New to OCT Welcome Tour, 8:00-9:00 a.m.
5/6 Run Club (3:05-4:00)
5/9 - 5/18 Campus closed to visitors/volunteers
due to STAAR testing
5/10 1st Grade Field Trip
5/18 Student Council 3:05 - 4:00
5/19 5th Grade Rocks 6:30 pm
5/20 Field Day
5/24 Career Day
5/26 Last Day of School 7:40 am - 3:05 pm
See calendar on the right.
Updates
Important Reminders
NEW REMINDERS/UPDATES
STANDARD RESPONSE PROTOCOLS: In GCISD, the safety and security of our students and staff are our top priority. We have partnered with the I Love You Guys Foundation to implement Standard Response Protocols, or as we called them, SPRs, that are used in emergency situations. Emergency personnel in Colleyville, Euless, and Grapevine work in partnership with GCISD to ensure we keep all students and staff safe. In this video, members of these emergency services and GCISD staff help explain each SRP and its function in keeping students and staff safe. Learn more about GCISD's Security and Emergency Management by clicking here
REPEAT REMINDERS/UPDATES
GCISD NUTRITION SERVICES SURVEY: The Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Nutrition Services team values your feedback and invites you to complete the 2022 survey if you have or currently participate in the school meals offered in the cafeteria! Simply scan the QR code to complete the brief survey or click on the link below: link to the survey: https://forms.gle/VAzsF4kpcMazQHn67
REMINDER: LIGHTSPEED RELAY PARENT PORTAL: The purpose of the Lightspeed Relay Parent Portal is to partner with parents to raise good digital citizens. Each week, parents receive an email called the Relay Portal Weekly Report that comes out Sunday evening with information about their child's browsing activity. The weekly parent report contains:
the number of websites that a child browsed
the average number of pages a child visited each day during the week
the number of pages that a child visited daily
the top ten sites a child visited
When a parent logs into the Parent Portal Dashboard, it takes them to the landing page. This shows a summary of the most recent student internet activity. It includes sites, dates, and times. Parents can interact with the sites by clicking on them to see exactly what their child viewed. If you have more than one child in the District, you can easily toggle between them in a dropdown at the top of the screen. Parents can also pause web browsing on their child's device. This will temporarily block website browsing when their child is not at school. Important: This only acts to disable browsing when the child is away from school.
1st-5th Grade New Family Welcome Tours are being held on Apr. 26, 4:30-5:30 p.m. and on May 2 from 8:00-9:00 a.m. Do you know any new families who will be attending OCT next year? If so, please invite them to a meet and greet, including a tour of the campus! MULTICULTURAL FAIR: Would you like to teach others about a country or region of the world? If so, then please fill out this form to reserve a table at the 2022 Multicultural Fair, hosted by the CHHS Diversity Advisory Committee and CHHS International Affairs Club. The event will be held in the CHHS cafeteria on Friday, May 20, from 6pm-8pm. Students from all GCISD campuses are invited to participate, and culturally-themed clubs and organizations are encouraged to sign up. There must be at least one GCISD student at the table at all times, although family and friends are allowed to help. In addition to sharing information at a table, you may sign up for a 15-minute time slot if you would like to perform at the event (singing, dancing, craft lesson, etc.). Sign-ups for the Multicultural Fair will end on April 30.
INVITE TO WRITE FOR 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR: It is officially April and the last 9 week grading period of the school year. We are starting to think about the 2022-2023 school year. We welcome your participation in all areas of your child’s education and are providing this form to request any additional information you feel will help us in the important task of class placement.
WELCOME TOURS: Do you know any new families who will be attending OCT next year? If so, please invite them to a meet and greet, including a tour of the campus, on one of the following days:
4/26, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
5/2, 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
2022-2023 PRE-K AND KINDERGARTEN WELCOME NIGHT: All students and families who will be in Pre-K or Kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year, are invited to O.C. Taylor for a welcome night on April 19th from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Come hear an overview of our programming, meet the teachers, and get a tour of the school.
ATTENDANCE: As a reminder, all students in grades K-5 must be in attendance at least 90% of the time (18 days or fewer) to receive credit for classes. Students who have 9 or more absences to date are in jeopardy of being retained in that grade level. While we understand that illnesses and unexpected circumstances arise, please help us ensure that your student(s) are present each day and ready to learn.
MISSING SCHOOL: If you have a child who is out ill or not in attendance, please call the office and let us know. Thank you!
CHECKING OUT A STUDENT EARLY: We kindly ask if you need to pick up a child before our 2:55 p.m. dismissal, please do so before 2:30 p.m.
CHANGE IN DISMISSAL OR PICK UP: Please call the front office by at least 2:00 p.m. A phone call is required. Sometimes we have only one person in the front office, so we want to provide ample time to be able to meet your needs.
VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CHECK: Please go to the district website, read the Volunteer Handbook then apply to volunteer.
Campus Coordinator for Behavior, Testing, Special Education, and 504
Assistant Principal, Allison Bailey
Mrs. Bailey's Bulletin
Practice STAAR Tests at home: Parents can access the online practice at home by going to texasassessment.gov - Students and Families - Practice Test Log In tile - guest user ON - sign in - select the grade level assessment.
I'm here to support all of our students and families! Please reach out to me anytime with any questions or concerns regarding behavior, testing, or your student's needs. You may call me at (817) 305-4870 or email allison.bailey@gcisd.net.
Kindly,
Assistant Principal Bailey
Mrs. Irwin's News
GCISD READS 4th 9 Weeks Due May 2nd: The GCISD Reads initiative is designed to build a love of reading in students--encouraging them to read a large quantity and a wide variety of books. The second challenge starts now and forms are due to the student's teacher or librarian by May 2, 2022.
Students "Learning to Read" read 25 books near their reading level and complete the
Students "Reading to Learn" read 6 books near their reading level and complete the
Visit the GCISD Reads website at https://bit.ly/GCISDReads2022 for more information and PDF copies of all forms. Students who complete the challenge will receive recognition and a backpack charm for each nine weeks completed!
STUDENT CHECK OUT: Grades K-2nd visit the learning commons (which houses the library) weekly and Pre-K & grades 3th-5th visit every other week. Students may exchange books between class visits as many times as needed and renew books over multiple weeks.
Click Here for Library Circulation Policies
OCT Clinic
Nurse Katy's News
Healthy Habits: I have seen an increase in flu-like illness in the past 2 weeks. If your student does not feel well, please keep them home and monitor their temperature and symptoms. Click here to read this Healthy Habits letter with your Tiger over the weekend.
Parents of 5th grade girls: Scoliosis screening day is complete! If any abnormalities were seen during screening, you will receive a referral letter. The letter does not necessarily mean your student has scoliosis, it just recommends she be seen by a healthcare provider for further evaluation.
Upcoming Field Trips: Field trips are baaaaaaccckkk! :)
If your student has an emergency medication here at school (inhaler, Epi-pen, Diastat, etc.) IT WILL BE SENT WITH THEM ON FIELD TRIPS. Grade level teachers will keep the meds/permission forms as they have been trained to administer if needed. If your student is a Type 1 Diabetic, we will talk more in depth about their plan of care.
Reporting Covid-19 Cases: GCISD is now collecting reports of COVID-19 cases in a new way. To report a student or staff COVID-19 case to GCISD, please complete this form. A District or campus nurse will then contact you with next steps. Please complete the form rather than reporting cases directly to any GCISD staff.
Art
Mrs. Morgan's Art Class
O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2022
Specials Curriculum Update - April
You are invited to visit the GCISD Art Showcase. This elite exhibition features hand-selected student artists from all district schools, kindergarten through 12th grade.
The exhibition will be on display April 2nd - 28th inside the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau Center, located at 636 S Main St, Grapevine, TX 76051. The exhibition features original paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and other works of art by our outstanding student artists.
The yearbook order date has been extended! You can order a yearbook online here. The order number for O. C. Taylor is 17833.
The last day to order a Yearbook is Friday April 29th.
Keep on Creating!
Mrs. Morgan
cristie.morgan@gcisd.net
Music
Mrs. Vencill's Music Class
O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2022
2nd Grade Festival of Friends Multicultural Program: Thursday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the OCT Gym
5th Grade Rocks!: Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the OCT cafeteria
Specials Curriculum Update - April
See you in the music room!
Mrs. Vencill
bethany.vencill@gcisd.net
P.E.
Coach Mester's P.E. Class
O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2022
Specials Curriculum Update - April
See you in the gym,
Coach Mester
jason.mester@gcisd.net
Mrs. Whisman's News
My name is Stacy Whisman, and I am the counselor at OC Taylor. I have a section in the Parent Tiger Den each week, Student Assistance, that is updated with our monthly guidance theme, important dates of upcoming events, and links to get in touch with me for any student needs and concerns.
FUTURE EXPLORATIONS - Career Pathways:
Have you heard from your Tiger all they are learning about the Career Pathways? At O.C. Taylor, we focus on one Career Pathway a month as a campus to learn about the different careers in each cluster and what kind of education and training is needed. In March our focus is on BUSINESS. If you would like more information about our Future Explorations, please click on this link. We will be hosting our annual Career Day. The original date was May 16, but, due to STAAR testing on May 17, we have rescheduled for TUESDAY, MAY 24. If you are interested in being a speaker, please fill out the following form SIGN-UP GOOGLE FORM. (Feel free to share this form with friends, family, or community members who would like to join in the fun!)
IMPORTANT DATES FOR 5TH GRADE FAMILIES:
Spring is the time when our 5th grade families begin preparing to make many choices in regard to ALL THINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL. In the 5th Grade level newsletter, there will also be the link to the updated information and dates from each of the GCISD middle schools. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions throughout this process if you can't find the information you need from the link.
Gifted and Talented GT LEAD
Mrs. Griffin's News
Testing for GT Services and/or the ASPIRE Academy
Kindergarten through 5th Grade currently enrolled students may be referred and tested for GT services and/or the ASPIRE Academy during the window below:
Referral Window: January 10 - January 28
Testing Window: February 1 - February 28
GT Decisions mailed on: March 28
ASPIRE Decisions mailed: April 27
Parent Inventory/Permission to Test (Scroll down to bottom of page. Link will only be LIVE during the referral window.)
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CLICK HERE for the GT LEAD Page & Newsletter
STAY CONNECTED in GCISD...
Join SAGE, (Supporting and Advocating for Gifted Education), which is a gifted parent advocacy group that provides a wealth of information regarding social/emotional well-being of gifted children, information on camps for gifted learners, and information on what GT is like in our district and how to navigate it through high school and beyond. Please follow this link to join: https://gc-sage.org
Articles to Meet the Affective Needs of our Gifted Learners:
Please feel free to contact me at any time via email at kathy.griffin@gcisd.net
Twitter: @OCTGriffin
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MATH TELESCOPING TEST
Students in grades K - 5th have an opportunity to take an End of Course math assessment in order to skip a grade of math. The testing will be in the summer, and the results will apply to the 2022-23 school year. A parent can register his or her child for testing through the second link below or by calling the number below. There are two deadlines for two testing events. If you have questions about this process, I am happy to answer those.
In order for your child to telescope in math, a student must take a grade level end of course exam and score 90% or higher. For example, a first grader would take an end of course 2nd grade exam. If that child scored 90% or higher on it, then the next year as a 2nd Grader, that student would take 3rd Grade math. If you are wondering if this could be a good fit for your child, reach out to your child's math teacher to discuss this opportunity. If you choose to move forward with testing, then you can register online using the link above once the window opens, or you can contact the Assessment Department at GCISD Administration Office (817-251-5524) to schedule and pay for testing.
O.C. Taylor PTA
Tamaron Hunt
President / O.C. Taylor PTA
PTA News
WELCOME TO O.C. TAYLOR PTA!
NEW THIS WEEK:
EARTH WEEK ACTIVITIES - See Flyer for Details
Monday, April 18th - Wear Blue for water conservation
Tuesday, April 19th - Students will receive seed packets to plant wildflowers at home
Wednesday, April 20th - Recycle your old electronics
Thursday, April 21st - Egg Drop after school
Friday, April 22nd - Earth Day / Walk to School Day / Wear Green or Earth-theme
PRE-K/KINDER WELCOME NIGHT - APRIL 19th
Our Pre-K and Kindergarten Welcome Night and Tour (see flyer) is right around the corner on April 19, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at O.C. Taylor. We'd love to know more about our new families! Please let us know if you can attend the Pre-K & K welcome night and tour. We can't wait to meet our new TIGERS! All students and families who will be in Pre-K or Kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year, are invited to O.C. Taylor for a welcome night! Come hear an overview of our programming, meet the teachers, and get a tour of the school. Please let your friends or new neighbors know about this opportunity!
Our Mom's Night Out is coming up! We are looking for donations for our "Gift Grab". Any donations from your small business, products you love, etc valued at $25 or more would be so appreciated! Please contact Tamaron Hunt at 214-226-6993 or tamaron.hunt@gmail.com if you have donations we can pick up. We hope you will join us for this fun night! ALL OCT MOMS ARE INVITED!
EGG DROP - APRIL 21st
OCT PTA will host the Annual Egg Drop after a two-year break! All students are invited to design one package to protect a raw egg. OCT Staff will drop the student's egg packages from the roof of the school. Students can watch from the bus loop! See the attached flyer for more information and rules. The flyer will be coming home this week!
YOU'VE BEEN EGGED! Thank you!
We hope your kiddos had the best time hunting eggs! Thank you for participating in this fun Easter tradition at O.C. Taylor. We love being the Easter Bunny!
ONGOING / REMINDERS:
MONAGHAN'S KICK-A-THON - We've almost reached $5,000! - Keep sending in those pledges!
Thank you for joining us in this FUNdraiser sponsored by Monaghan's Taekwondo!
We still need your help with raising funds for our new shade structures over our playgrounds!! Please help us by donating a flat amount or using your student's kick counts and submit your pledge here!
2022/2023 PTA OFFICERS
Congratulations to the new 2022/2023 PTA Officers! This group will meet soon to slate the remaining board members for next year from the interest forms previously due. We are thankful for this leadership team!
President - Stephanie Wilkerson
President Elect - VACANT
VP of Programs - VACANT
VP of Fundraising - Tamaron Hunt
VP of Membership - Vanessa Kastler
VP of Volunteers - Challee Garland
Secretary - Lindsay Harrison
Treasurer - Julie Odietus
GRACE DONATIONS - APRIL
Every year, we team up with Grace Grapevine to help stock their food pantry.
April Items: Dried Beans
The Grade with the most donations each month will get an extra recess.
Thank you for supporting Grace and our community!
**CONGRATULATIONS 4th Grade !! 4th Grade won an extra recess for the most donated items in March!**
SECOND CHANCE AUCTION
We had a few items from our original auction that we wanted to offer again. Items include Front Row Parking, Front Row Seating for events coming up Game On spots. These are FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE items that are BUY IT NOW prices (no bidding). This auction will be a link on our website and will go LIVE on TODAY, Sunday, March 6th at 3:00 p.m.. Link will stay open until all items are purchased. Items will be hidden once they are out of stock. Please read the items/dates carefully! SHOP HERE!
FUSS FREE FUNDRAISING - CHECK THE PROGRESS HERE!
What exactly is Fuss Free Fundraising? Fuss Free Fundraising is our easiest form of fundraising at OCT! Instead of your child going door to door-to-door selling cookies, wrapping paper, candles, etc., we ask for a donation.
Why should I contribute? 100% of the funds raised stay at our school!! Your donations support our teachers and staff, make improvements to our facilities, cover school programming and leadership opportunities, and provide equipment that enhances learning for your kids!
What's our Goal? Our Fuss Free Fundraising goal this year is $15,000 and we are about $5,000 short. Once we reach the goal, all families who have donated this year to date will be put in a drawing. We will also reward the class with the most donations! Winners will get to throw the ball to try to dunk Mrs. Bailey and try to dunk me in a dunk tank. How fun! Thank you for supporting our school. Please donate here!
Fuss Free Fundraising, Volunteer, Happy Birthday* and Membership forms are open anytime.
*We do request two weeks advance notice for birthday orders to help our volunteers plan for your student's special day!
VOLUNTEER NEEDS
Please see Mrs. Pedevilla's section for more information on volunteer opportunites. We can't wait to see you get involved at our school. We love our volunteers!! Please reach out to Stephanie Wilkerson, VP of Programs at octptavolunteers@gmail.com to find a volunteer position for you!
5th GRADE PARENTS!!
New facebook pages have been created for incoming 6th grade families going to Colleyville Middle School and Cross Timbers Middle School. To keep up with the latest and connect with other families, join here!
CMS: Future Colts Incoming 6th Grade Parent Group 2022-2023
CTMS: CTMS Incoming 6th graders
SAVE THE DATE!
Monday, April 18th - Friday, April 22nd - Earth Week
Tuesday, April 19th - PreK/Kinder Welcome Night 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 20th - Mom's Night Out at Sloan and Williams 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 21st - Egg Drop
Friday, April 22nd - 5th Grader Field Trip to Camp Thurman
Friday, April 22nd - Run Club
Tuesday, April 26th - O.C. Taylor Campus Tour for New Families 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 26th - GAME ON! at OCT Fields
5:30 - 6:00 p.m. PreK/K/1st/2nd Trash Your Neighbor’s Yard
6:00 - 7:00 pm 3rd/4th/5th Newcomb
Thursday, April 28th - 2nd Grade Festival of Friends
Friday, April 29th - Run Club
Monday, May 2nd - O.C. Taylor Campus Tour for New Families 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Monday, May 2nd - Friday, May 6th - Staff Appreciation Week (more info coming!)
Friday, May 6th - Run Club Awards Presentation
Monday, May 9th - Wednesday, May 18th - CAMPUS CLOSED FOR TESTING
Monday, May 9th - PTA Executive Meeting/Luncheon
Tuesday, May 10th - STAAR Math 3rd/4th/5th
Tuesday, May 10th - 1st Grade Field Trip to Kidzania
Thursday, May 12th - STAAR Reading 3rd/4th/5th
Tuesday, May 17th - STAAR Science 5th
Tuesday, May 17th - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Fort Worth Zoo
Thursday, May 19th - 5th Grade Rocks! + PTA General Meeting
Friday, May 20th - Field Day
Tuesday, May 24th - Career Day
Wednesday, May 25th - Lunch on the Lawn / parents are invited to join students during normal lunchtimes
Thursday, May 26th - 5th Grade Continuation Ceremony
If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out!
Tamaron Hunt
President / O.C. Taylor PTA
octaylorptapresident@gmail.com