Dear O.C. Taylor Families,

Thank you to Mrs. Vencill, the 1st grade teachers, the 1st grade families, and the 1st graders for a wonderful performance last Thursday night! And, thank you to our amazing OCT PTA for hosting a fun pizza night! It is SO good to see everyone in the building again!

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.

To the BEST of days,

Principal Pedevilla

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

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

25 book form

• Students "Reading to Learn" read 6 books near their reading level and complete the

6 book form

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

• Parents of 5th grade girls: Scoliosis screening day is complet! 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.

• Lion's Club Recycle For Sight: The Lions accept new, used, prescription, non-prescription eyeglasses, safety glasses and sunglasses! If you have any of these items around the house that you would like to donate, there is a box in the front office. Send them to school with your students! The glasses are sorted to determine those that are usable or unusable, processed, and placed in inventory for distribution to optical missions around the world. :)

• 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.

O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2022

Art - April Update

For the month of April, students will be learning and understanding how to sculpt, print make, mix tints and shades and be inspired by famous artists.

Kindergarten will finish creating their Self-Portrait inspired by cubist artist Pablo Picasso. Students will then review the primary colors and learn how to mix them to create secondary colors.

1^st grade will learn about different sculpting techniques like a pinch pot, coil, and slab. Students will sculpt the animal of their choice using a pinch pot.

2^nd will learn about the artist Vincent Van Gogh. Students will use The Starry Night as inspiration to create their own landscape using foreground, middle ground and background.

3^rd grade will learn about the process and history of printmaking. Students will review the artist Wayne Thiebaud and his paintings of food and everyday objects. Students will create three prints that are inspired by his work.

4^th grade will learn about color value. Students will review how to mix paint to create tints and shades. Students will create a color value silhouette painting of their choice using one main color.

5^th grade will finish creating and painting their animal pinch pot. Students will then learn about different artists to create an artist inspired piece of their choice.

You are invited to visit the GCISD Art Showcase. This elite exhibition features hand-selected student artists from all district schools, kindergarten through 12^th 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.

Buy your Yearbook! Yearbooks are on sale! You can order a yearbook and create an Ad online here. The order number for O. C. Taylor is 17833.

The last day to order a Yearbook is April 16th.

Keep on Creating!

Mrs. Morgan

cristie.morgan@gcisd.net

Mrs. Morgan's Web Page

O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2022

Music - April Update

Happy Spring, OC Taylor Tigers and families! This warm weather makes me so happy and reminds me how close we are to the end of the school year. Wow!!

Kindergarten students continue working on writing, reading, playing and moving to beats of sound and beats of silence. As we continue to compose rhythm patterns, we use the term WALK for quarter notes, REST for quarter rests and RUN RUN for barred eighth notes. Kinder Tigers use drums to play rhythm patterns and bells and Boomwhackers to play simple melodies following the 7 sounds in the music alphabet, ABCDEFG. Students also practice dynamic (volume) and tempo (speed) changes as they play their rhythmic and melodic patterns.

Congratulations to our 1st graders for a GRRRREAT performance to celebrate Music In Our Schools Month. 1st graders will spend the month of April learning about the 4 instrument families and how sound is produced on instruments in each family. We will take what we learn about the 4 families of instruments and connect them to Sergei Prokofiev's musical story, 'Peter and the Wolf'.

2nd graders are working every single day to learn songs for their program, Festival of Friends. This program is a celebration of music from around the world so we're singing songs in several different languages. The students are also working to add folk dances and instruments to their songs. Festival of Friends is Thursday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. Every 2nd grader is expected to attend the evening performance!

3rd graders finished their unit on instrument families and will take this knowledge to connect to Sergei Prokofiev's musical story, 'Peter and the Wolf'. Students will recognize the musical theme written to voice each character in the story, and identify the family each instrument belongs in.

4th graders continue growing as musicians every time they play their recorders and earn a new Recorder Karate belt. They sound better and better every day and are improving their ability to read music from the treble clef staff in leaps and bounds. I am incredibly proud of the effort they show every day.

5th graders have voted on a story line and songs for their big end of the year finale, Fifth Grade Rocks! This program is created by the students so their voice is heard during every step of the creation process. The month of April involves writing a script, signing up for parts and re-writing lyrics. It's a big job, but these creative kids already have some great ideas in the works. Parents - please make sure you mark your calendar for this fun program....Thursday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. EVERY 5th graders is expected to attend BOTH performances.

See you in the music room!

Mrs. Vencill

bethany.vencill@gcisd.net

Mrs. Vencill's GCISD web page

Grade Level Performance Dates

O.C. Taylor Specials’ Curriculum Update, April 2022

PE - April Update

Wow! It’s hard to believe April is already upon us. That means we need to complete our Fitnessgram assessments. Also, with the warmer temperatures, we hope to get many chances to get outside to learn and practice kickball. Tigers, don’t forget to wear appropriate shoes for physical activity and drink plenty of water throughout the day.

See you in the gym,

Coach Mester

jason.mester@gcisd.net

See you in the gym,

Coach Mester

jason.mester@gcisd.net

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.

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

GCISD Gifted and Talented

Parent Inventory/Permission to Test (Scroll down to bottom of page. Link will only be LIVE during the referral window.)

_________________________________________________________

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:

• Asynchronous Development

• Imposter Syndrome

• Perfectionism

• Heightened Emotional Sensitivity

• Introversion

Please feel free to contact me at any time via email at kathy.griffin@gcisd.net

Twitter: @OCTGriffin

________________________________________________________________________________

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.

• MATH TELESCOPING DATES &. MATH TELESCOPING WEBSITE

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.

WELCOME TO O.C. TAYLOR PTA!

NEW THIS WEEK:

• 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

• YOU'VE BEEN EGGED!

The PTA Easter Bunny is coming to town! Easter is only 2 weeks away! Let us help you with your Easter Egg Hunt! PTA will deliver treat-filled eggs and/or confetti eggs to your yard (or you can choose porch delivery for you to hide later). Your kids will be so happy to wake up and find eggs sprinkled in the yard. Check out the flyer for more details (will be sent home this week)! You can order your eggs here!

• MONAGHAN'S KICK-A-THON - Donation Deadline Extended to Friday, April 8th!

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!

*CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO MR. MONAGHAN MADE FOR OUR TIGERS!*

• PIZZA NIGHT - Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who came out to Pizza Night! We loved seeing families back in our cafeteria for a fun evening - and how about that cake walk? SO FUN!!

• DADS' CLUB GOLF TOURNAMENT - Thank you!

Thanks to Dads' Club President, Scott Payne and his fellow dads who worked tireslessly to put together a great Golf Tournament this past Friday! Thanks especially to Cliff Tompkins, Bob Federici, Justin and Stephanie Wilkerson, Ben Stevens, Tommy Nguyen, George and Tina Bond, Corey and Vanessa Kastler, Liz Payne, Julie Odietus, Challee Garland and Tamaron Hunt who helped run the event at the course.

The 2022 O.C. Taylor Dads’ Club Golf Tournament was generously presented by Lisa’s Chicken, George Bond - Century 21, and Corey Kastler Home Loans. Please check out the yard signs and banner hung at school with all our particiapating sponsors. Our school community is amazing and we can't thank them enough for supporting Dads' Club. Be sure to support these businesses!

• MOM'S NIGHT OUT - APRIL 20th 6-9 PM at SLOAN + WILLIAMS WINERY

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!

• 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!**

ONGOING / REMINDERS:

• 5TH GRADERS - YARD SIGNS

We have designed a 5th Grade Continuation Yard Sign which is available for preorder. The cost is $25 per yard sign, and the proceeds will be used for our 5th Grade Continuation. If you would like to order one for you or your family, please fill out this Google Form AND make payment via Venmo or PayPal.

Venmo: @Robin-Thomas-Weier (last numbers of phone is 8655)

PayPal: r3thom@hotmail.com

Deadline to order AND pay is Wednesday, April 6. Please note that we will only be ordering a few extra signs which will be available as first come, first serve. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Robin.

Robin Weier

5th Grade Level Coordinator

r3thom@hotmail.com

214-403-8655

• 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!

• WEBSITE - https://octaylorpta.membershiptoolkit.com

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!

• TEACHER/STAFF FAVORITES
  

• 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

• 5th GRADE CONTINUATION

5th Grade Parents, please mark your calendars for our 5th Grade Continuation on Thursday, May 26th 9am at O.C. Taylor Elementary and our 5th Grade End of Year Party on Friday, May 27th 7-9pm at the Grapevine Rec Center. Since the party is optional and not a PTA sponsored event, we are asking for donations of at least $25 per student. You can Venmo donations to @Robin-Thomas-Weier (last 4 of phone number is 8655).

Also, we need your help in making the 5th Grade slideshow a success! A Shutterfly share site has been created to allow you to upload your photos and check the spelling of your student’s name. The instructions are detailed on the site. Please make note of the 3/11 deadline for this.

Go to https://octclassof22.shutterfly.com

Password: tigers

SAVE THE DATE!

• Monday, April 4th - You’ve Been Egged! Starts

• Monday, April 4th - PTA Executive Board Meeting 8:15 a.m. at OCT

• Tuesday, April 5th - Spirit Night at Papa John's

• Thursday, April 7th - Kinder Field Trip to Dallas Zoo

• Friday, April 8th - Kick-a-Thon Pledges/Donations Due (Extended Deadline)

• Friday, April 8th - Run Club

• Monday, April 18th - Friday, April 22nd - Earth Week (more info coming!)

• Tuesday, April 19th - PreK/Kinder Welcome Night 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. (more info coming!)

• Wednesday, April 20th - Mom's Night Out at Sloan and Williams 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

• Thursday, April 21st - Egg Drop (more info coming!)

• 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

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