December 1, 2016                                                                                                                                        No. 61
2016 Holiday Card Art Contest  winners
Students from across the district took part in the annual GCISD Holiday Card Art Contest. As a result, Skyler Lepschy, Colleyville Heritage High School; Sarah Tu, Colleyville Middle School; and Audrey Kizer, Colleyville Elementary School were named winners in their grade levels. Students followed the City of Grapevine's parade-inspired theme of "Famous Winter Holiday Characters" as the focus for their artwork.

In addition to having their artwork used for the district's annual Holiday Card, Lepschy, Tu and Kizer will be recognized at the December 12 Board of Trustees Meeting. 

Check out their artwork below:

Skyler Lepschy, Colleyville Heritage High School


Sarah Tu, Colleyville Middle School


 
Audrey Kizer, Colleyville Elementary School
In This Issue
Quick Links
GCISD Website
GCISD Education Foundation
Where Are They Now? - Stephen Lambdin
"My goal ever since I was a little kid was to make the Olympic team," said Stephen Lambdin, GCISD graduate and a member of the 2016 USA Olympic team. A 2006 alumnus of Colleyville Heritage High School, Lambdin competes around the world in Taekwondo representing the United States. He says the encouragement and opportunities he received at GCISD allowed him to pursue his passion early on and become the person he is today.

To read the full story, check out our website! 
Lambdin at a Taekwondo competition in high school
2016 Taekwondo Olympian, Stephen Lambdin
CTMS awarded AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction
Cross Timbers Middle School has been named an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Schoolwide Site of Distinction. GCISD has seven schools with the AVID program and a total of 735 participating students.
 
The AVID Schoolwide Site of Distinction represents the highest level of AVID achievement in the promotion and practice of college readiness on a campus. With this distinction, CTMS has joined an elite group of candidate schools that represent less than 10 percent of all middle schools and high schools with the AVID program worldwide.
 
"AVID evens the playing field for students," said Sherri Williams, AVID district liaison. "We focus on equity and opening up access to rigor for all students. AVID changes the trajectory of students' lives."
 
AVID's nationwide mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. In GCISD, AVID supports students in being successful at the most challenging courses for each individual student.
GHS and CHHS AP Fine Arts programs earn top marks
The Advanced Placement (AP) Fine Arts programs at both Grapevine High School and Colleyville Heritage High School earned high rankings in the 2016 College Board qualifications. In fact, the AP art history program at Grapevine High School is ranked number one in the state and number five in the nation. Overall, the AP fine arts program at GHS is ranked fourth in state and CHHS is ranked 18th. This ranking comes from advanced placement data, which combine enrollment numbers and passing percentages to determine each ranking.

"The students work extremely hard and the success of the program is a direct reflection of their dedication," said Jeffrey Nisbet, GHS AP art history teacher. "My goal is to continue to grow the art history program so more students have the ability to take this great subject."
 
This year, 95 GHS students took the AP art history exam and 88 received a passing score which resulted in a 93 percent passing rate. Over the past three years the number of students taking the exam has tripled and the program continues to produce high passing rates.
 
"Mr. Nisbet has created an environment within his classrooms that students flock to," said David Denning, GHS principal. "His passion about Art History is contagious and the students leave his class with the same passion. I cannot be more proud of what he and his students have accomplished."
GCISD students celebrate family and friendship
Students across the district celebrated family and friendship through a variety of events. Glenhope Elementary School hosted its annual Heritage Day and World Friendship Day with events such as parent and grandparent class discussions and a kindergarten barn dance (check out the photos). Grapevine Elementary School hosted a combined Heritage Day event where students celebrated Veterans Day, Grandparents Day, and their own heritage with songs and interviews of their special guests (check out the photos).
 
Through its Family Engineering Night and Grandparents and Grandfriend Day, Cannon Elementary: A GCISD STEM School celebrated family and friendship. Family Engineering Night gave families an opportunity to engage in a hands-on sampling of several engineering activities that their students learn through their daily STEM-based instruction ( check out the photos). Grandparents and Grandfriend Day at Cannon ES gave grandparents a chance to attend a breakfast with the principal and interact with their student in the STEM class environment through design challenges and a student-led technology museum ( check out the photos).
Award-winning authors visit GCISD elementary schools
Heritage Elementary School and Glenhope Elementary School welcomed renowned authors Susan Stevens Crummel and Aaron Reynolds to their libraries as guest speakers for their students. Each author shared their insight on writing their award-winning children's books and gave students the opportunity to interact as they read their stories.
 
Read more...  
  
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Colleyville Mayor Richard Newton visits Glenhope Elementary School.

Check out the photos!		 Students at Cannon Elementary: A GCISD STEM School search for items made from natural resources in their school garden.

Check out the photos!		 Author Polly Holyoke visits Silver Lake Elementary School, and delivers writing workshops and science lessons.

Check out the photos!
Upcoming Events
December 2 - 16: Sounds of the Season - GCISD fine arts programs across the district will deliver a variety of holiday performances. For details, check out our  holiday event guide .

December 3: Colleyville Heritage High School football competes in the 5A Division 1 Region 1 championship. Cheer them on at AT&T Stadium, Saturday, December 3 at 10:30 a.m. For ticket information, visit our athletics page.

December 5 - 11: Hour of Code week in GCISD - Teachers across the district will schedule at least one hour during this week to promote computer science education.

December 19 - January 1: GCISD offices are closed for Winter Break. Staff return Monday, January 2, 2017. Students return and classes resume Tuesday, January 3, 2017.

Click here to check out more upcoming events. 
Let's Talk! with GCISD
Use  Let's Talk! to engage the district in conversation. Share your questions, comments, concerns and feedback through the Let's Talk! system to start a dialogue with district staff.
  
Let's Talk! may be found on the GCISD homepage, or by visiting  www.gcisd-k12.org/talk.

We'd love your feedback, comments or story suggestions. Please share them with us at [email protected].