Campus News - Jan. 12, 2007

What’s Happening This Week
• Texas Rangers visit Timberline Elementary
Three players from the Texas Rangers baseball team will visit Timberline Elementary on January 16. The team members will speak to students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.

• Register for upcoming TARGET session
Registration is underway for session three of GCISD’s TARGET evening classes for high school credit. Basic courses are offered to allow students to catch up on credits, advance in order to graduate early or open a section of their normal schedule to take another course of their choice. The session runs from January 29 through March 8. Classes are held at Bridges Accelerated Learning Center, 736 E. Northwest Highway in Grapevine. Cost for the one-semester class is $200 for GCISD students and $250 for students from other districts. A $10 non-refundable registration fee will be charged per student. Checks, money orders and cash are accepted in person; MasterCard, Visa and Discover are accepted by fax at 817-251-5477. The next session will be April 2 through May 10, with registration beginning March 19. For additional information call 817-251-5525.

• 2006-2007 Logo and Poster Contest Winners
Promotional logos and posters have been selected for GCISD’s annual video festival. Approximately 413 entries were submitted from high school and middle school students. Winning artists will be recognized at the April 26 Video Festival Awards ceremony. View the wining submission, www.gcisd-k12.org/vidfest/vidfest_logo.html.

Upcoming Calendar of Events
• Timberline Principal’s coffee
A TES Principal's Coffee will be held on January 25 at 8:15 a.m. in the library at Timberline Elementary. TES principal Dr. Rob Thornell will give a brief presentation on a topic relevant to Timberline and then open the floor for questions. Coffee and light refreshments will be provided.

• Timberline Family Math Night
The Timberline PTA will hold its next meeting on January 25 at 7 p.m. in the Timberline cafeteria. The meeting will be followed by Family Math Night, featuring math-related activities led by Timberline teachers.

• Awards Presentation at Heritage Elementary
In recognition of Heritage Elementary's Honor Roll designation from the Texas Business and Education Coalition, Tim Trotter will present a banner to the faculty, staff, and students on January 23 at 8:30 a.m. in the school cafeteria. This distinct award is given to schools for three years of consistently high academic performance in comparison to other schools serving similar populations. This is determined by the percentage of students passing all TAKS tests as well as the percent of students achieving commended performance.

• HES Family Math Night
Heritage Elementary will host a Family Math Night on Thursday, January 25 from 6-7:30 pm. Students in grades K-5 and their parents will rotate among grade level classrooms learning exciting math games that they can play at home with friends and family.

• PTSA Meeting
The Grapevine High School PTSA will conduct its General meeting at noon on January 22 in the GHS Library.

• Cannon Elementary Blood Drive
Cannon Elementary is hosting its annual blood drive on February 6. All donors will receive a t-shirt, a mini-physical, including blood pressure and iron level checks at the time of donation. Participants will receive cholesterol results following their donation. For additional information, contact Susan Molle, 817-251-5685.

• Local Students Collect Coins to Find a Cure
Students at Colleyville Middle School will kickoff the 2006 Pennies for Patients Campaign benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For three weeks, January 22 through February 9 students will bring their spare pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to school and contribute them to their classroom’s collection container. CMS counselor, Leslie Cowan, will be competing in a Team in Training event sponsored by the Leukemia Society this summer as part of the fundraising efforts as well.

• Visiting Authors at Bear Creek Elementary
Bear Creek will be honored by visiting authors, Tammy and Shane Bronson on January 26. Tammy Bronson is the author of Polliwog and The Tiny Snail. She and Shane co-authored the Kaleidoscopes and the Mixed-up Orchestra. Kindergarten through fifth grade will have the opportunity to meet and greet the authors.

Awards and Announcements
• Heritage Elementary is proud to announce Ryan Hoffman as the winner of the school spelling bee. Christian Scherff placed second and Aman Sunderji placed third. Hoffman will advance to the area spelling bee on February 6.

• Heritage Middle School held its annual spelling bee on January 5. There were 49 participants in the spelling bee, including winner Haley Mangan and runner-up Rajiv Alluri. Mangan will advance to the area spelling bee on February 6.

• The following Grapevine High School choir students were selected to the Texas All-State Choir: Kate Bristol, William Hix and Kelly Weaver.

• The Grapevine Middle School Community Problem Solving Team selected the Grapevine and Fort Worth Humane Societies as their service project for this school year. After adopting the nickname P.A.W.S., which stands for Pet Adoption Workers Service, they began collecting donations in the form of food, litter, blankets, towels and toys to distribute to both organizations. The team collected $400 in the month of December, as well as over 400 items of animal supplies. They raised funds on their campus by sponsoring special privilege days for students who provided donations, and will continue their project throughout the second semester. Teacher Carolyn Forbes is the team sponsor.

• Students Teaching and Reaching Special Needs (STARS) adopted the Clubhouse for “Kids”! in Bedford as its community service project for the 2006-07 school year. The STARS are gifted and talented eighth grade students who attend Heritage Middle School and participate in the Future Problem Solving Advisory Class. The mission of the Clubhouse for "KIDS"! is to encourage hands-on, interactive play for children in a fun, safe and creative environment providing an exposure to new experiences which excite and stimulate the imagination. STARS students work at The Clubhouse on Friday and Saturday evening when the special need children come to play. In addition, the Grapevine-Colleyville Education Foundation has donated $700 to help buy paint and craft materials for future parties at the facility. Future plans include assisting with the Clubhouse’s open house in January, a Valentine’s Day party in February and a spring picnic in April.