January 2024

Parents, as a request to ensure Teachers have enough time to provide up-to-date grades that will include the exam grades, we have moved the date that grades will post to the family access portal. Please see attached the instructions to view your student’s/students’ grades in the family access portal.

Elementary

• Teacher Submission Date-January 12, 2024

• Grades available in Skyward-January 16, 2024

Secondary

• Teacher Submission Date-January 12, 2024

• Grades available in Skyward-January 17, 2024

Instructions to view student's grades

Parents, Endorsements must be chosen by every student to fulfill their graduation requirement for the state of Texas. Your student has completed their matchmaker lesson on Xello, which provides guidance based on their interests. With this information, students are then able to choose their Endorsement.

There are five Endorsements:

• Arts & Humanities
• Business & Industry
• Multidisciplinary Studies
• Public Service
• STEM

Counselors are excited about this opportunity for you to participate in your student’s future endeavors. Please electronically sign the endorsement your student chose, which includes the courses that will focus on their area of interest.

Below you will find the link that provides instructions on how to sign your student’s endorsement in Skyward.

Directions for Parents to Sign- English
Directions for Parents to Sign-Spanish

Thank you so much for your help in completing this task. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your student's Counselor.

Parents, from January 9th through February 12th, the current 6th & 7th grade students will begin meeting with their Counselors to choose their courses for next school year. Please ask your students about their visit with their school counselor and inquire about the courses they have chosen for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your student's Counselor.

Parents, beginning January 17th through February 9th, the current 9th grade students will begin meeting with their Counselors to choose their courses for next school year and/or to ensure they are on track for graduation. Please ask your students about their visit with their school counselor and inquire about the courses they have chosen. Click here for our course catalog, should you or your student want to know more about specific courses that they've chose.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your student's Counselor.

You may have noticed that some colleges don't ask for SAT or ACT scores when you apply. They understand that these tests don't show everything about what you can do. This is great because it takes off some pressure and gives all students, especially those who shine in activities outside of tests, like clubs or volunteering, a better shot.

But, even then, it's smart to prepare and take these tests. Why? For starters, if you score well, your application can stand out, especially for colleges where lots of students are applying. Also, some special programs and scholarships still want to see your scores. Another big thing to know: some colleges might accept you, but if you want to study certain majors, like engineering or science, they'll ask for your test scores. And remember, if your scores are on the lower side, you might end up in extra classes that don’t count towards your degree. That means more time and money. So, taking these tests and aiming for good scores can really help you in the long run.

Parent Promise is a scholarship program which provides a pathway for you to earn a certificate or associate degree in order to pursue a career in an in-demand field of study at no cost to you. Parent Promise will cover any gap between state and federal financial aid at Dallas College to make sure tuition is covered.

The Parent Promise is only eligible for parents whose student attends a Dallas County Promise partner school:

Crosswinds High School

Dubiski High School

Grand Prairie High School

South Grand Prairie High School

For more information visit: https://www.dallascollege.edu/paying-for-college/parent-promise/pages/default.aspx

Senior students and parents - you are invited to attend a Grand Prairie ISD Financial Aid workshop! With the launch of the FAFSA and TAFSA this month, there will be four district workshops that are designed to help students and parents with financial aid completion. Remember that completing a FAFSA or TASFA application is a graduation requirement in the state of Texas. In addition to determining need-based financial aid, financial aid is used to help determine merit-based opportunities like college scholarships, grants, and work-study.

Parents, it's never too early to attend a College Tour!

Please see the link below:

https://lukegroups.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2101125

All three scholarships are due January 31st!

• Honoring Her Scholarship
• Soroptimist International of Grand Prairie Scholarship
• Liggett Scholarship

Click here and choose Scholarships with January Deadlines

• Minimum 3.3 GPA
• Number of Community Service Hours completed in the last 12 months
• Community Service Verification Letters to document the number of hours submitted
• A Letter of Recommendation
• A Short Essay (500 words or less) on the topic: “What does Community mean to you?”

Education Foundation Scholarships opened Jan 8! Please visit https://www.gpisd.org/Page/37302 for more information

The WICOR strategies are a set of instructional methods developed by AVID to help students develop critical thinking, literacy, and study skills across various subject areas. "WICOR" stands for Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. These strategies are designed to be integrated into the curriculum to support student learning and academic achievement.

100% Promise Pledge

100% AVID Students in Rigorous Courses

The students created an "Ugly Sweater College Project" . They were able to research a college of their choice. They had to put information, like tuition, number of degrees offered, number of undergraduates attending onto the sweater.

AVID students at TWLA engaged in learning about the difference between jobs and careers while also learning what potential careers they would be interested in their future!

Students created poster boards with information on the career they were interested in which included, educational requirements, salary, skillset needed, and the addition of their creativity and visuals. Once completed students practiced public speaking and giving feedback with small group presentations, as they prepare to further learn about the schooling needed for their selected careers.

The students of the ACE AVID program engaged in a comprehensive career interest explorer assessment to gain insights into various career pathways and analyze the collective interests of their class. As part of their career exploration journey, the students embarked on a project to identify the most popular career choices within their class. During the assessment process, the students had the opportunity to learn about a wide range of career paths, including but not limited to STEM fields, healthcare, business, education, and the arts. Additionally, they collected and analyzed data to determine the career pathways that resonated most with their peers. The analysis of the collected data enabled the students to identify trends and patterns related to career interests within their class and future jobs. Through this experience, the ACE AVID students not only expanded their knowledge of different career options but also honed their critical thinking, research, and analytical skills. The process of exploring and analyzing career interests has empowered them to make more informed decisions about their educational and professional pursuits. By engaging in this project, they have not only gained a deeper understanding of diverse career pathways but also public speaking skills.

Email: Jereese.Johnson@gpisd.org

Patricia Calahan

Email: Patricia.Calahan@gpisd.org

Dr. Holly Mohler

Email: Holly.Mohler@gpisd.org

Email: Ana.Gonzalez@gpisd.org