The Specials Scoop

3rd Nine Week Edition (2024-2025)

Upcoming Events

Thursday, January 16 - First Moana Rehearsal

Monday, January 27th - Texan Choir Resumes, 3:00-4:00 pm

Thursday, February 27 - Moana Parent Meeting, 6:00 pm in the BES Cafeteria

Thursday, March 27 - Kinder/1st Grade Musical

Wednesday, April 30 - Epic Waters Music Festival (Texan Choir, 4th and 5th Grade Music Studio)

Monday, May 5 - Moana Dress Rehearsal (GHS Auditorium)

Tuesday, May 6 - Moana Performance (GHS Auditorium)

Wednesday, May 7 - Moana Performance (GHS Auditorium)

Thursday, May 8 - GCISD Elementary Music Festival (GCISD Honor Choir)

Tuesday, May 13 - Texan Choir Spring Concert and 5th Grade Studio Showcase and Art Show

Thursday, May 15 - 3rd and 4th Grade Studio Performance and Art Show

Tuesday, May 20 - Field Day

Moana (All School Musical)

Moana Cast List

Moana Rehearsal Schedule (this is a living document and is subject to change)

Moana Parent Meeting - Thursday, February 27 at 6:00 pm in the BES Cafeteria

Pick Up From Rehearsal:

Everyone must be picked up in the front of the building. No one will be allowed to go to an alternate location to be picked up. EDP students will be sent to EDP. EDP checks in the kids when they come to rehearsal, so they will need to be checked out through EDP. Students that walk will be released through the front of the building with everyone else.

Please contact jennie.culpepper@gcisd.net or ashley.benson@gcisd.net if you have any questions!

Art with Ms. Maninger

Welcome back to art for the second semester! Our students are diving into winter-inspired projects across all grade levels. Kindergarten is exploring the folk art of Grandma Moses, while 1st grade is creating mixed media alphabet soup. Second graders are warming up with pop art hot cocoa mugs using vibrant oil pastels. Third grade is capturing the beauty of polar bears with watercolor, and 4th grade is experimenting with the exciting techniques of printmaking. Lastly, 5th graders are developing scenic painting skills to depict a frozen lake. Our budding artists in the 3rd-5th grade art studio class are also getting their hands dirty with pottery, learning the pinch pot method. So very excited to see all the creative winter wonderlands students create!

Music/Piano with Mrs. Benson

Recorder

3rd and 4th Grade students will begin our recorder unit at the end of February. Each student needs their own recorder. For more information, read HERE.

Headphones

Please make sure that your child has working, corded headphones for piano lab. I am down to only two working extra pairs in my room, so it is essential that your child brings their own headphones.

Piano

Kindergarten and 1st Grade are starting up in the piano lab next week! Please make sure your child has working headphones to bring with them to the piano lab.

Texan Choir

Texan Choir is rocking and rolling! Rehearsals will resume on Monday, January 27nd from 3:00 to 4:00. If your child did not get to participate in the fall and would like to join choir, please contact me.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at Ashley.benson@gcisd.net. Hope you and your family are having a great year so far!

Morning Melodies

Grandma's Glasses with Kinder

Texan Choir at Colleyville Tree Lighting

PE with Coach Smith and Coach Pepe

We kicked off PE in 2025 with cooperative, team-building games! Our older kids (3rd-5th) were introduced to the game “Titanic” and had to work as a team using limited resources to make it to safety on Carpathia! Our 1st & 2nd graders used strategy and teamwork to “cross the river” without falling in, and our kindergartens learned how to work together to build castles with Hula Hoops! Our tiniest Texans (pre-k) played “I See, What Do You See, and worked on moving safely in open space! It has been a great 1st full week back! During the next few weeks, we will challenge ourselves with an Endurance Run, visit the Star Lab, and sharpen our basketball skills. We will also be exploring gymnastics and hockey! Some of our students’ schedules have changed this semester, so please ensure your child is prepared with tennis shoes during PE every day. This is a district requirement for participation in PE. If you have any questions or concerns or need to share a doctor’s note with PE restrictions, please feel free to contact me at bethany.smith@gcisd.net!

Fall Safety Patrol Party

Titanic

Crossing the River

Theatre with Mrs. Culpepper

This semester we start some fun and exciting lessons. In 2nd-5th grade we will be exploring theatre history with 2nd and 3rd learning about Greek Theatre and 4th and 5th grade learning about Elizabethan Theatre (think Shakespeare!).

Kinder and 1st will be starting to write their musical that will be performed in March. We go through the entire process of creating characters and a story that the students and I will then write into a play! You will receive more information about their musical soon!