Chalmers Chronicle

Hello Leopard Family!

It was a fantastic week of school at Chalmers Elementary! Parents, please read through our newsletter and follow us on Facebook to keep up with important information!

Reminders:

School Times: 7:35 A.M. - 3:40 P.M.

Doors Open for Drop Off: 7:15 A.M.

Tardy Time: 7:45 A.M.

ID required to visit the school

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HOT OFF THE PRESS!

The 11th edition of the Gainesville ISD SPOTlight magazine is here! We are thrilled to celebrate our students and staff! We encourage you to view the digital edition and then pick up a printed copy at the admin office or any campus office.

Click here to view the newest edition >>> https://bit.ly/spotlightwinter2026

Click here to view past editions >>> https://bit.ly/GISDspotlight

Featured on the cover is Emma Franco, 4th grade student at Chalmers Elementary. Emma is the youngest of the 21 GISD students who have obtained a high school LOTE (Language Other Than English) credit. Read more about this new opportunity for our bilingual students on page 11.

A big THANK YOU to our awesome sponsors who help make this publication a reality! Copies will also be available soon at the businesses listed below.

First United Bank - Gainesville, Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Dustin Office Machines, North Texas Medical Center, Edward Jones - Financial Advisor: Blake E Wallace, Gainesville ISD Education Foundation, Cooke County SportsTalk, Otts Furniture & Appliance, Gainesville Economic Development Corporation, Kristy Emberton - Tierra Real Estate Services

Congratulations to all of our Scripps Spelling Bee participants! In addition to winning the 4th grade bee, Daayna Yusuf will compete at the annual Cooke County Spelling Bee on Friday, February 6, with a chance to move on to the Regional Bee in Dallas!

4th Grade

1st Place: Daanya Yusuf

2nd Place: William Singletry

Other participants: Daleyza Garcia, Addison Graham

3rd Grade

1st Place: Pearl Cooper

2nd Place: Jackson Welch

3rd Place: Kade Taylor

Other participants: David Alonso, Jeremiah Mendoza

2nd Grade

1st Place: Carson Graham

2nd Place: Iris Dawkens

Other participants: Jaxon Conaway, Gibson Holder, Landon McCann, Tessa Morgan, Noah Parsons, Kenneth Rodriguez

Our 4th grade students had an incredible opportunity to explore a wide variety of careers during our recent Career Exploration Event! We were thrilled to welcome 8 amazing visitors who shared their knowledge, experiences, and inspiration with our students: • Nicole Rich, high school counselor, who explained CTE pathways and Endorsements and how students can start planning for their futures early • Pablo DeSantiago, from First United Bank, who introduced students to the world of banking and finance • Maria Melendez, from State Farm, who taught us all about insurance and risk protection • Michael Parkhill, who shared insights into his work with NASA • GISD Officer Mark Linnell and Cooke County EMS Paramedic Carlos Almeida, who gave students a hands-on look into the world of first responders • Gainesville ISD Child Nutrition, who let students explore the GISD food truck and learn about careers in nutrition services • Ray Stanton, who discussed what it’s like to be a helicopter pilot A huge THANK YOU to all of our guests for investing in our students and helping them dream big about their futures. Experiences like this truly make learning come alive!

Thank you Officer Linnell for all that you do for us at Chalmers!

Tickets are on sale now! Join us for live dueling pianos, dj, music, dinner, dessert, silent auction & lots of fun!

---->>>>Get your tickets here<<<<----

The Leopard High Five program is a way to salute any Gainesville ISD employee who goes above and beyond for our students, staff, and community. Whether you are a parent impressed with a specific interaction with your child, or you are a coworker who thinks the campus secretary doesn't hear often enough about the great job she is doing - you can send a Leopard High Five! Nominations can be made by any staff member, parent, or community member, and any GISD employee is eligible to be nominated for a High Five.

All nominations should include a specific example of how this staff member has gone above and beyond for a student, a peer, or the community and must align with one or more of our GISD core beliefs: Equity, Excellence, Diversity, Innovation, Partnership, Safe and Comfortable Environment.

Jan. 19- Holiday

Jan. 20-GISD Board Meeting

Jan. 26- Intervention Day

Feb. 5- STAAR Field Test Grade 3 & for 4th Grade Spanish STAAR Testers

Feb. 11-Book Fair Opens

-4th Grade ELAR Benchmark Test

Feb. 12- PTO Meeting @ 5:30

-3rd & 4th Grade Math Benchmark Test

Feb. 13- Last day of 4th Six Weeks

-Valentine's Day Parties

Feb. 16-Holiday

Feb. 19-Book Fair Closes

*Student must remain in vehicles every morning until 7:15 AM. Students are getting hurt from running and playing without supervision.

*Do not drop students off or park and pick up from the main highway and walk over. This is very dangerous. You must pull through the drop off lines.

* When dropping students off each morning, students need to exit vehicles BEFORE reaching the crosswalk. Especially, the lane next to the sidewalks.

*DO NOT ENTER THE WRONG WAY FROM RADIO HILL ROAD. THIS IS CAUSING SAFETY ISSUES.

All students have a red plastic "Take Home Folder" that comes home every day. This provides a communication method between home and school. Please check your child's folder each night for important notes and homework. You can also send any important notes to teachers, office, or other school personnel in these folders. This is also where students keep their homework.

For the 2025-26 school year, NTMC is offering School-Based Telemedicine at Chalmers. When your child is sick at school, you can schedule a telemedicine visit with an NTMC provider from the school nurse's office. This allows the child to get the care they need as soon as possible. A parent can also be on the call. To participate, you must be enrolled in our program. It's free to enroll.

Please visit our website for additional information and to enroll your Chalmers student for the 25-26 school year. https://www.gainesvilleisd.org/departments/gisd-health-services/ntmc-telemedicine

One of our goals at Chalmers Elementary is for students to read and comprehend text on their grade level. In order to meet this goal, we need some help from our families. Students at Chalmers Elementary bring home leveled reading materials everyday. The reading stays the same for 2 weeks. In addition to the reading material, there will be a page of discussion questions for families, and a reading log. We ask that you read and engage in conversations about the reading with your student for at least 20 minutes a day. Please keep the questions and reading items in students' red plastic take home folders in the section labeled "Return to School."

Students will have a few math and reading questions for homework each day/week. This will help reinforce and develop skills that have already been taught to the students in class. This is designed to take 10 minutes or less for each subject per day.