Dear O.C. Taylor Families,

In full transparency, I have somehow evaded catching COVID until last week. Despite being vaccinated and having a booster, it finally found me! I was so sad to be out all of last week because I missed some of the best and most memorable events. I heard that the 5th Grade Rocks Program was very creative and outstanding! Thank you to Mrs. Vencill and the 5th Grade Students and Teachers. Mrs. Vencill works each year with the 5th graders to write and produce their own script!

Thank you to Jason Mester, Tamaron Hunt, Stephanie Wilkerson, Scott Payne, Liz Payne, and OCT Dads' Club who helped in the planning and preparation. Thank you to the MANY parents and adult volunteers who gave so generously of their time. This day would not be the success it was without YOU! Thank you to everyone for quickly pivoting to a morning field day due to the forecasted temperatures. If you have any feedback you would like to share for next year's field day, please email me.

Career Day is this Tuesday, May 24. We have speakers scheduled throughout the day in each classroom. All of our TIGERS will learn about different careers on this fun, information-packed day! Thank you so much if you are one of our wonderful volunteers! Thank you to Mrs. Whisman for all of the coordination of this informative day! We invite everyone to wear COLLEGE SHIRTS or COLLEGE COLORS to show how excited they are for their future!

Please register for the 2022-23 school year if you have not already. If you are moving or attending another school, please inform us ASAP. This helps us to hire the correct amount of staff and to create correct class lists. Thank you!

To the BEST of days,

Principal Pedevilla

REPEAT REMINDERS/UPDATES

1. REGISTRATION FOR 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR: Summer is soon to arrive, and we are making plans for the 2022-2023 school year. PLEASE register for the 2022-2023 school year. By registering in Skyward, your child will be put on a class list for next year. This also helps us know how many teachers we need in each grade and helps us to hire the correct amount.

Registration is now open in Skyward. As a reminder, the primary guardian will need to complete the registration in Skyward Family Access. If you have forgotten your login and/or password, please click on Forgot login or password on the login screen and that information will be sent to your email.

Please note that bus rider registration will not be included in Skyward registration this year. If students need to register as a bus rider, they can do so by visiting www.GCISD.net/transportation after completing registration in Skyward. If you need additional assistance or have specific questions or concerns, please contact your campus directly. If you have trouble registering for the 2022-2023 school year, please contact your campus registrar or onlinereg@gcisd.net.

Also, if you would like to give us input on your child's placement for next year, we invite you to write on this form. We do not take specific teacher requests. However, we do try to honor any students or staff that you do not want your child to be in class with. Let me know on the form if you have any concerns. If you need additional assistance or have specific questions or concerns, please contact your OCT directly. If you have trouble registering for the 2022-2023 school year, please contact our campus registrar, Betty Jones, or onlinereg@gcisd.net.

2. VARIOUS GCISD TRACKS CLOSED FOR PUBLIC USE: Over the next few months, construction will be taking place on the track and turf at a few GCISD locations. Community members looking for a track available for public use can utilize Colleyville Middle, Grapevine Middle, or Heritage Middle during this time. Thank you for your cooperation.

This means that the track and field at the following locations will be closed for public use until further notice:

Colleyville Heritage High - closed beginning May 1

Mustang Panther Stadium - closed beginning May 1

Cross Timbers Middle - closed beginning June 1

3. 2022 SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM INFORMATION: For a meal near you call 211 or Text FOOD to 304-304 The Summer Food Service Program provides free meals to all children age 18 and younger. These meals provide essential nutrients for active growing kids. Children need good nutrition year-round so they can learn, grow and succeed in life. With nearly 2 million food-insecure children living in Texas, these healthy meals are vital to nourishing young Texans during the summer vacation.

Summer food program meal sites help children succeed by providing the nourishment they need to return to school in the fall ready to thrive. To participate in the free meal program, all kids have to do is show up at a serving site. Locations of summer sites for daily meal service: (a traditional breakfast and lunch will be served daily)

Timberline Elementary

3220 Timberline Dr.

June 1 - July 1

7:30 - 8:00 a.m.

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Cross Timbers Middle

2301 Pool Rd.

June 6 - August 4

7:30 - 8:00 a.m.

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Menus: June | July | August

Breakfast and lunch will be offered vs. served. Students will need to select a minimum of three components for breakfast and lunch. At lunch the meal must include a fruit or vegetable in order to have a complete meal. The entire meal must be consumed at the serving site, absolutely no “to go” breakfasts or lunches are available. For additional information please call the GCISD Nutrition Services Department at 817-251-5618 or email child.nutrition@gcisd.net. For more information about the national Summer Food Service Program, visit SummerFood.org.

4. BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE UPDATE: Beginning in August 2022, personal PC or MacBook laptops will no longer be able to connect to the internet while on a GCISD campus.

5. 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.

6. 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!

7. 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.

8. VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CHECK: Please go to the district website, read the Volunteer Handbook then apply to volunteer.

Families,

We are so proud of our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Tigers for all of their hard work and perseverance as they took their Math, Reading, and Science STAAR tests these last two weeks!! They showed grit and confidence.

STAAR Results:

We are expecting to receive STAAR results for all students who tested on May 23, 2022. Upon receiving and reviewing the results, families will receive email communication from the campus if your student(s) successfully met the passing standard on each of their tests taken. If your student(s) did not meet the passing standard on one or more of the STAAR tests, families will be contacted by phone from campus administration with these results and next steps for recommending either summer school or tutoring during the 22-23 school year to complete their 30 or 60 hours of accelerated instruction (see detailed information for TEA HB 4545 below).

HB 4545 Accelerated Instruction:

Given the disruptions of the 2020-2021 school year, the 87th Texas Legislature passed House Bill 4545 (HB 4545) to address unfinished learning. This new legislation, signed on June 16, 2021, describes additional learning opportunities for students who did not meet standards on the STAAR exam in the 2021 - 2022 school year. More information on HB 4545 can be found at: https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/correspondence/taa-letters/house-bill-4545-implementation-overview

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

Colleyville Public Library Summer Reading Program: Students had a visit from the Colleyville Public Library and their mascot, Rocket, to learn about the summer reading program! Click the links below to learn more!

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. Check out ends in May according to the dates below. Click Here for Library Circulation Policies

• Medications: If your student has medication in the clinic and you checked the box on the GCISD med form that says unused medication can go home with them, please look in their backpacks next week! I will be sending home medications in backpacks at the end of the school day on Wednesday May 25th and Thursday May 26th. If you would rather collect the medications yourself, you can come to the clinic and do so.

• Parents of 5th grade students: I have been with the majority of this class since they were in Kindergarten here at OCT! I have enjoyed watching them grow up over the past 6 years and I will miss these Tough Tigers dearly next year... Please read the attached Tips for a successful transition to Middle School.

• GCISD Medication Permit/Physician's Orders: Thinking ahead for the 2022-2023 school year...If your student will need to keep medicine at school (inhaler/Epi-pen/Diastat/etc.) please click here for the form that needs to be signed. You can bring me this form, along with the medication, the first week of school in August. Please make sure medications are not expired and that they are in their original container/bottle. For prescribed medications the pharmacy can print you an extra label if you have misplaced the label/box that the medicine came in.

• 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.

Specials Curriculum Update-May

Did you forget to order a yearbook? We have extras. It is a first come, first serve basis.

Please write a check out for 17.32 to O. C. Taylor Elementary school. Have your student bring the check to the art room for their yearbook!

Keep on Creating!

Mrs. Morgan

cristie.morgan@gcisd.net

Mrs. Morgan's Web Page

Specials Curriculum Update-May

Congratulations to our 5th graders for a SUPER FUN 5th Grade Rocks performance! I am so proud of you and appreciate all of the hard work you put into creating and performing such an awesome show. You ROCK, 5th graders! Big thanks to our PTA and parent volunteers for your love and support, too. It means the world to me!

See you in the music room!

Mrs. Vencill

bethany.vencill@gcisd.net

Mrs. Vencill's GCISD web page

Grade Level Performance Dates

Thank you to everyone for the work in making a field day a success!

See you in the gym,

Coach Mester

See you in the gym,

Coach Mester

jason.mester@gcisd.net

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

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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.

• 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:

• FINAL THANK YOU!

I cannot believe this is the last week of school! It has been a pleasure to serve as PTA President this year. I hope that I, along with our PTA Executive Board and all our wonderful volunteers, have made a positive impact on each and every student and staff member at OCT. I love this school and it's bittersweet that I'll only have one more year here. I'm passing the torch to Stephanie Wilkerson as next year's President and have no doubts that she will continue making our school the very best! Thank you again for all your love and support! ~Tamaron

• FIELD DAY - THANK YOU

Thank you to everyone who made this day possible! We had great weather and the kids had a blast. We couldn't do it without all of our wonderful volunteers. Special thanks to Scott and Liz Payne, Stephanie Wilkerson and Coach Mester!!

• SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

As we wrap up the school year, we want to celebrate all the things we have accomplished at OCT! We invite you to complete our final survey as part of our School of Excellence application. We truly feel our school has what it takes to receive this honor. We will get the results sometime in August. Thank you for your continued support!

• SCHOLARSHIPS + MEMBERSIHP AWARDS

Every year O.C. Taylor PTA awards scholarships to graduating seniors. Thank you to Sara Stricherz, Scholarship Chair and her committee for their time and commitment to choosing our deserving recipients.

Senior Scholarships:
Elizabeth Hotchkiss
Samantha Zelling
Jacob Ditto

Each year, our PTA recognizes those individuals whose contribution to our school goes above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you to Challee Garland, VP of Membership and her committee for choosing our outsanding recipients.

Friend of Children:
Scott and Liz Payne
Halli Mankins
Kathy Griffin
Brian Monaghan
Allison Bailey

Honorary Life Membership Award:
Tamaron Hunt
Gabriela Haynes
Lisa Pedevilla

Extended Service Award:
Gene Guinane

• LOST and FOUND - LAST CHANCE

Please come in and check to see if any of the items belong to your students. All items left after the end of the school year will be donated to GRACE. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Grace Chair, Allison Wendler at allisonwendlercasa@gmail.com

ONGOING / REMINDERS:

• GRACE DONATIONS - MAY

Every year, we team up with Grace Grapevine to help stock their food pantry.

May Items: Toothbrushes

The Grade with the most donations each month will get an extra recess.
Thank you for supporting Grace and our community!

**CONGRATULATIONS 4th Grade AGAIN!! 4th Grade won an extra recess for the most donated items in April!**

• SCHOOL SUPPLIES

It's already time to order school supplies for next year! We love offering this easy, breezy service to families so the students can have exactly what the teachers want/need for next school year. Order online starting now - May 30th for the best pricing!

https://www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks/

School Code = TAY009 (3 letters/3 numbers)

*School supplies will be delivered to your student's classrooms before the first day of school!

If you have any questions, please reach out to our School Supplies Chair, Jessica Rajian at octschoolsupplies@gmail.com

• 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
  

• 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!

• Tuesday, May 24th - Career Day (wear College Shirts/Colors)

• Wednesday, May 25th - Stuffed Animal + Hat Day ($1 to support 5th Grade Continuation)

• Wednesday, May 25th - Lunch on the Lawn / parents are invited to join students during normal lunchtimes

• Thursday, May 26th - 5th Grade Continuation Ceremony 8:30 a.m. OCT Cafeteria

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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