Phoenix News

Phoenix Family,

We have a lot of exciting things happening over the next two weeks!

Mrs. Gardner, the Pathways teachers, and our TSIA team have been working diligently with our Phoenixes to ensure that students are prepared to register for college classes tomorrow, October 21st. Most Freshman and Sophomore classes are organized into cohorts, while Juniors and Seniors may need to pass the TSIA or a prerequisite course to register for certain classes. Parents, please take the time to review your student’s course tracker with them to see which classes they will be registering for. Each semester brings them one step closer to earning their associate degree!

We are so excited to see our Phoenix families this Friday, October 25th, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Collegiate Academy for our Annual Fall Fest! As students transition into high school, we may no longer host Valentine’s or Christmas parties, but at CA, this Annual Fall Fest serves as a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together, enjoy delicious food, fun games, and the chance to build lasting relationships! This is one of my favorite events of the year, and I can’t wait to see you there!

Also, if you haven't already, don’t forget to mark your calendars for our National Blue Ribbon Ceremony on Tuesday, October 29th! We’re excited to welcome the Colleyville Chamber of Commerce, GCISD, TCC Leadership, and their Boards of Trustees as we gather for appetizers and a celebratory ceremony. This achievement is a testament to our incredible students, and we want as many students and their families as possible to join us in this wonderful celebration!

Finally, we’re fortunate that GCISD covers the cost of the PSAT for all high school students during their 8th to 11th grade years. This week, Collegiate Academy will administer the PSAT on Wednesday, October 23rd. Be sure to get a good night’s rest and enjoy a nutritious breakfast before the exam!

All In, All Together,

Mrs. Jackson

October 21st - UIL One Act Play Fall Show

October 22nd - GCISD College Night / UIL One Act Play Fall Show

October 23rd - PSAT School Day/ SAT for Seniors

October 25th - Fall Fest

October 29th - National Blue Ribbon School Celebration @ Center Corner

November 1st - School Picture Retakes for Underclassmen and Seniors

November 8th - Homecoming

November 15th - Senior Ad Deadline

November 20th - Parent Meeting @ CA

The clubs and organizations of Collegiate Academy invite you and your family to our annual Fall Fest on Friday, October 25, from 5:30-7:30 PM. Paint pumpkins with Volleyball Club, make memories with Yearbook’s Photo Booth, get your face painted by Art Club, taste what Cooking Club has to offer, break out of eSports & Board Games’ Escape Room, brace yourself for the Class of 2025’s Haunted House, test your Pickleball skills with Leadership, see how fast you can complete the Sports Relay with Basketball Club, and so much more! See you there!

Grapevine Colleyville Collegiate Academy will present Metamorphoses at the Birdville High School Theatre on October 21-22, 2024. Tickets may be purchased with cash at the door.

The cost will be $5 for students and $10 for adults.

Birdville High School is located at 9100 Mid Cities Blvd North Richland Hills, TX 76180

On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 9th-11th graders will take PSAT/NMSQT. Seniors who didn't take their SAT last year will also sit for the SAT. Thank you for your support in ensuring these important dates are blocked on your calendars and help us plan for students to be at school instead of out for appointments, etc.

Students will receive information early this week about where their testing room is located.

Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will have an altered schedule for the morning. Seniors with study hall have received an email about checking in for attendance in the TCC Heritage Room with Ms. Yvonne.

Students will need to reach out to their morning TCC professors to let me know they'll be taking the assessment. CA Administration is also helping communicate with TCC.

In order to be prepared for the test, students will complete a digital readiness check in their Pathways classes. Students can take practice tests at home using the practice testing site.

Other Important Information

• Calculators may be used on the entire math section. The Desmos calculator is built into the math section. Students may bring their own approved calculator. Calculators will be provided only for juniors. More information: PSAT/NMSQT Calculator Use Policy

• It is very important that students bring their charged GCISD-issued device and charger in order to access the secure testing app and successfully log-in to take the assessments. Information about how to replace a missing charger can be found HERE.

• Please help us ensure your students' computer has the latest update required for testing by reminding your student to restart his/her device on the GCISD network (this needs to be done at school). Bluebook Check and Chrome Update

It's never too early to start planning for your future! Join GCISD at College & Career Night on October 22nd at Grapevine High School. This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with representatives from a variety of institutions.

In the Spring, we will implement a mentorship program where Juniors and Seniors will be mentoring Freshmen and Sophomores in need of support.

What We Will Do: Mentors and mentees will play games, have structured discussions, and take time to help mentees with school work and other challenges in their lives

When Will We Meet: Wednesday, during 3rd Period in Mr. Greaves’s room.

Why Volunteer to Be a Mentor: To be a part of something bigger than yourself, and to personally contribute to improving someone else’s life.

Other Benefits: Mentors will earn 45 minutes of volunteer hours every week, totalling roughly 13 hours for the year. It would also look great on college and scholarship applications!

Please click here to apply if you are interested. Applications are due by Friday, October 25.

If you have any questions about the program, contact Brian Greaves at brian.greaves@gcisd.net

This past Friday, our CA Leadership did an amazing job showing students from Colleyville Middle School all the incredible things CA has to offer. Leaders gave students a tour of CA classrooms and the TCC campus, led them through team building games, and shared how CA has impacted their high school experience. Our students are the best recruiters!

At CA, we are fortunate to have extra time for targeted support on some specific Friday afternoons. If students are assigned Friday school, parents and students will receive a notification from their teacher(s). We have two more dates for Friday School for the 24-25 fall semester: November 8th and December 13th.

Friday School provides essential intervention from our teachers and is assigned with specific intentions. Thank you in advance for your partnership in reminding your students that attendance at Friday School is mandatory when it’s in session.

If you have any questions, please reach out to jessica.heaton@gcisd.net.

On November 1st, Legacy Studios will be at Collegiate Academy for underclassmen and senior class picture retakes for the yearbook. Pictures will be taken in the counseling suite. Underclassmen will be called from their classes to retake their photos if needed.

Seniors who have not yet had their senior photo taken for the yearbook, will need to make an appointment for their senior photo using Legacy’s link at:

https://seniors.legacystudios.com/grapevine-colleyville-collegiate-academy-hurst-tx/

Please contact Kristinia Haney with any questions at kristinia.haney@gcisd.net

Join us for 2024’s Homecoming Monster Mash on Friday, November 8th, from 5:00-7:00 PM at TCC’s Center Corner. More info (including Theme Days for that week) to come!

September and October have been busy months for CA Leadership! Not only are CA Leaders helping recruit students by providing school tours and team building activities to middle school AVID students, they are also visiting GCISD middle schools to help promote what Collegiate Academy has to offer.

On top of that, CA Leaders are preparing for Fall Fest (Friday, October 25th) and Monster Mash: HoCo 2024 (Friday, November 8th). We can’t wait to celebrate with all CA students at HoCo and we look forward to seeing the CA community enjoy all the great activities at Fall Fest.

The Class of 2028 is looking for donations for Fall Fest! Please take a moment to check out our Sign Up Genius to see if there is something you might be able to donate. All items can either be dropped off in the front office with a note saying “Class of 28” or to Mrs. Wilke’s room (1216). Thank you for considering the Class of 2028 to donate to!

Cooking club members, here's a reminder to fill out both Fall Fest interest forms by next Wednesday! Remember that each member needs to contribute towards at least ONE shift during fall fest. When filling out the volunteer form, contribute more toward actual shifts than set up and take down, since many spots were taken for those shifts. We need everyone’s participation, so please plan to accept at least one 30-minute shift.

You can receive volunteer hours for cooking and for volunteering at the event.

If you have any questions, reach out to Zara, Ms. Hill, or Mrs. Wilke.

Fall Fest Food Donation

Cooking Club Volunteer Interest

The Class of 2026 plans on selling beverages during Fall Fest. We have created a SignUpGenius asking for soda, water, and cooler donations to ensure that this fundraising opportunity is a success. Thank you, parents, students, and the CA community for helping the Class of 2026!

It’s that time of year. Students will begin to schedule their TCC classes on October 21st. This process could take 1-3 weeks depending on finding classes that work in the student's schedule. Mrs. Gardner and Pathway teachers are available to help students find the correct classes and times to work in their schedules. If you have any questions about college classes reach out to your student’s pathway teacher or Daina Gardner (daina.gardner@gcisd.net).

We are proud to announce that Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Collegiate Academy at Tarrant County College Northeast is one of 356 schools recognized by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in the 2024 cohort of National Blue Ribbon Schools.

This prestigious distinction highlights schools that excel in academic performance or significantly close achievement gaps among different student groups. It reflects our school community's remarkable achievement and underscores GCISD Collegiate Academy’s commitment to consistent, high-quality education, based on data from the past three years. This recognition is also a testament to the strong partnership between Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and TCC Northeast.

We would be honored if you are in attendance for our official National Blue Ribbon Celebration on Tuesday, October 29th.

If you would like to order a yearbook, you may do so at this link:

JOSTENS.COM/BACKTOSCHOOL

Please email Kristinia Haney at kristinia.haney@gcisd.net with any questions.

If you are a parent or guardian of a 12th grade student and would like to purchase a senior ad celebrating your student in our yearbook, please see the attached flyer. Spaces for senior ads in the yearbook are limited and all ads must be purchased by 11/15/24.

* Collegiate Academy may review and edit ads per their guidelines. Jostens retains the right to remove any explicit text, graphic photos or copyright-protected imagery or photos.

jostensadservice.com/student

Or call 800.358.0800

Prices are listed below:

Full Page $150.00

1/2 Page $85.00

1/4 Page $50.00

1/8 Page $30.00

You can also contact Mrs. Haney with any questions you may have at kristinia.haney@gcisd.net

VATRE Information for Newsletters

Principals, Please include the following VATRE information at the top of your newsletters. Also, please add the graphic where noted in red. Spanish versions of the VATRE information is below the English. Thank you.

Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) Isn’t Unique to GCISD

Did you know that the voter-approved tax ratification election (VATRE) isn’t unique to GCISD? In fact, several school districts across Texas have a VATRE on their ballot this November. For GCISD, the VATRE will be Proposition A on the November 5 ballot. Watch this video to see how no increase to public school funding since 2019 is affecting districts across the state and learn more about the three golden pennies proposed in the GCISD VATRE.

Understanding the Ballot Language for Proposition A

The Texas Tax Code provides mandatory ballot language for GCISD’s Proposition A, the voter-approved tax ratification election, but what does it mean?

• The TOTAL tax rate of $0.9233 is $0.0014 less than the previous year.

• The increase of 1.08% references the increase to ONLY the M&O rate (from $0.7290 in 2023 to $0.7369 in 2024)

• $1,513,042 represents the difference in the tax collections from the $0.7290 M&O rate to $0.7369.

Hear GCISD Chief Financial Officer Derick Sibley explain it by watching this segment of the recent Facebook Live presentation about the VATRE.

If possible, please insert this graphic of the sample ballot here.

Know Before You Go: Early Voting Starts October 21

Early voting will begin Monday, October 21, and continue through Friday, November 1. Tarrant County registered voters can vote at any Vote Center location during Early Voting and on Election Day.

Early Voting Hours

• Schedule and locations

Election Day - November 5

• Find Your Election Day Vote Center Locations by Zip Code

La Elección de Ratificación de Impuestos Aprobada por los Votantes (VATRE) no es exclusiva de GCISD

¿Sabía usted que la elección de ratificación de impuestos aprobada por los votantes (VATRE) no es exclusiva de GCISD? De hecho, varios distritos escolares a través de Texas tienen una VATRE en su boleta electoral este noviembre. Para GCISD, la VATRE será la Propuesta A en la boleta electoral del 5 de noviembre. Vea este video para ver cómo ningún aumento a la financiación de las escuelas públicas desde 2019 está afectando a los distritos en todo el estado y aprenda más sobre los tres centavos de oro propuestos en el VATRE de GCISD.

Entendiendo el lenguaje de la boleta electoral para la Propuesta A

El Código de Impuestos de Texas proporciona el lenguaje obligatorio de la boleta electoral para la Propuesta A de GCISD, la elección de ratificación de impuestos aprobada por los votantes, pero ¿qué significa?

• La tasa de impuesto TOTAL de $0.9233 es $0.0014 menos que el año anterior.

• El aumento del 1.08% hace referencia al aumento SÓLO de la tasa M&O (de $0.7290 en 2023 a $0,7369 en 2024).

• $1,513,042 representa la diferencia en la recaudación de impuestos de la tasa M&O de $0.7290 a $0.7369.

Escuche al Oficial Principal de Finanzas de GCISD Derick Sibley explicarlo viendo este segmento de la reciente presentación en Facebook Live sobre el VATRE.

If possible, please insert this graphic of the Spanish sample ballot here.

Infórmese antes de ir: El voto anticipado comienza el 21 de octubre

La votación anticipada comenzará el lunes 21 de octubre y continuará hasta el viernes 1 de noviembre. Los votantes registrados del Condado de Tarrant pueden votar en cualquier centro de votación durante la votación anticipada y el día de las elecciones.

Horario de Votación Anticipada

• Horario y ubicaciones

Día de Elecciones - 5 de Noviembre

• Encuentre su Centro de Votación del Día de Elecciones por Código Postal

Parents Can Manage Meal Payments Online Via MySchoolBucks App

GCISD’s Nutrition Services is pleased to announce that parents can now download the MySchoolBucks app to make online prepayments on their child’s school meal account and view transactions. There is a $3.25 processing fee for each transaction.

After downloading the app from the App Store or Google Play on their mobile device, parents will need the following to establish an account:

• Visa, Mastercard or Discover credit cards

• Child’s six- or seven-digit student ID number

Transactions made prior to 10 a.m. will be posted to the meal account the same day. Prepayments made after 10 a.m. will be posted the next school day.

Although the online option is available, parents will still continue to have the option to pay at their child’s school using cash or via check. There is no processing fee for payments at school.

If you need assistance with the meal account, please call GCISD Nutrition Services at 817-251-5617 or send an email to child.nutrition@gcisd.net.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Los padres pueden pagar en línea por las comidas escolares de su hijo a través de la aplicaciíon MySchoolBucks

Servicios de Nutrición de GCISD se complace en anunciar que los padres ahora pueden descargar la aplicación MySchoolBucks para hacer pagos por adelantado en línea en la cuenta de comida escolar de su hijo y ver las transacciones. Hay un cargo de procesamiento de $3.25 por cada transacción.

Después de descargar la aplicación en la tienda App Store o Google Play en su dispositivo móvil, los padres necesitarán lo siguiente para establecer una cuenta:

• Tarjetas de crédito Visa, Mastercard o Discover

• El número de identificación estudiantil de seis o siete dígitos

Las transacciones realizadas antes de las 10 a.m. se acreditarán a la cuenta de comidas el mismo día. Los pagos realizados después de las 10.00 a.m. se acreditarán el siguiente día escolar.

Aunque la opción de pago en línea está disponible, los padres aún tendrán la opción de pagar en la escuela de sus hijos en efectivo o con cheque.No hay cargo de procesamiento para pagos hechos en la escuela.

Si necesita ayuda con la cuenta de comida, por favor llame a Servicios de Nutrición GCISD al 817-251-5617 o envíe un correo electrónico a child.nutrition@gcisd.net.

Esta institución ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.

Free and Reduced-Priced Meal Applications Are Still Accepted

Every dollar counts and if you qualify for free and reduced meals for your child, there is still time to complete an application. Applications are available at www.schoollunchapp.com and can be completed at any time during the school year. The sooner the application is completed and if you qualify, the sooner your child can begin to receive meals at the free or reduced price.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Todavía se aceptan solicitudes de comidas gratuitas y a precio reducido

Cada dólar cuenta y si usted califica para comidas gratuitas y reducidas para su hijo, todavía hay tiempo para completar una solicitud. Las solicitudes están disponibles en www.schoollunchapp.com y se pueden completar en cualquier momento durante el año escolar. Mientras más pronto llene la solicitud y si califica, más pronto su hijo(a) podrá comenzar a recibir comidas a un precio reducido o gratis.

Esta institución ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.

Website: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/Domain/2203
Location: 828 W Harwood Rd, North Richland Hills, TX 76180
Phone: 817-515-6775
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Grapevine-Colleyville-ISD-Collegiate-Academy
Twitter: @GCCA_PHX