The Pirate Press

A Weekly Update for Acton Elementary Families

ACTON UPDATE - 12/15/2023

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

We wrapped up a wonderful week with our class Christmas parties! This week was truly magical and today was the cherry on top! We are so grateful for all of the support our AES families provided in making this week extra special! This will be the last Pirate Press for 2023. We look forward to all of the incredible things to come in 2024, but first, we are thankful for a few weeks to rest, recharge, and connect with our loved ones! We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Check out this special message from our Acton Elementary staff!

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Reminder: December 18, 2023 – January 5, 2024 is a student/staff holiday for Christmas Break and all Granbury ISD buildings will be closed. Staff will return on Monday, January 8, 2024 for a staff day. Students will return to normal school schedules on Tuesday, January 9, 2024.
Visit the 2023-24 Granbury ISD School Calendar at granburyisd.org/calendar

Christmas Extravaganza

Our 3rd Annual Christmas Extravaganza was such a blast. Celebrating the holiday season with our Acton Elementary families is truly so special to us - we hope these memories are ones they cherish for their whole life. We had an incredible turnout and loved every moment of our evening together!

Kiwanis Super Citizens

We rise by lifting others.

These Acton Elementary students were honored as Kiwanis Super Citizens at a luncheon provided by Lake Granbury Kiwanis Club yesterday. They enjoyed a delicious Chicken Express lunch and were recognized alongside students from other Granbury ISD elementary schools.

These students were selected by their teachers because of their incredible character and leadership. We are so proud!

Pictured left to right:

Jacob O’Neal

Leah Lundschen

Makayla Barton

Jadyn Jones

AES Campus Spelling Bee

On Tuesday we hosted our Acton Elementary Campus Spelling Bee! There were some difficult words, but these students rose to the occasion! The competition was intense, and the students put on an impressive show! Overall, it was a great event and we are proud of our students’ hard work and dedication!

Our Spelling Bee Champion is Aubrey Walker and our Spelling Bee Runner Up is Greyson Blessing. Both are 5th grade students at Acton Elementary! Aubrey will represent Acton Elementary at the GISD Area 18 Spelling Bee on Friday, January 19th at the GISD Administration Building.

GP3 Attendance Challenge Winners!

For the 3rd Grading Period, November 6th through December 15th, classes in each grade level competed against one another for a S'mores and Gameboard Party! The challenge has come to an end and the following classes had the highest attendance percentage in their grade level! We are SO PROUD!

Kinder: Pugh 97%

First Grade: Sample 97.2%

Second Grade: Jenkins 98.1%

Third Grade: Binford 97.68%

Fourth Grade: Murry 97.26%

Fifth Grade: Gill 96.33%

SLC: Everts 96.57%

Our overall ADA for the 1st semester is 95.25%. We are close to our campus goal of 96% and know that we can get there in the spring semester!

New Attendance Challenge for GP4!

A new grading period means a new attendance challenge! For the 4th grading period, which spans from January 9th - February 15th, classes in each grade level will compete against one another for a Root Beer Float and Extra Recess Party! January to April is a heavy push academically as we push students towards obtaining a full year's growth! Student attendance matters and every day counts!

2nd Annual Penny War, in support of the Beau Bear Foundation

Beginning January 16th, we will be hosting a coin drive for the Beau Bear Foundation. The coin drive will run from Tuesday, January 16th – Friday, February 2nd!

The Beau Bear Foundation was founded by the Mills family in 2020 after they lost their son unexpectedly in an accidental drowning. The Beau Bear Foundation reaches and blesses grieving families after the tragic and sudden loss of a child. Over the last 4 years, the Beau Bear Foundation has been able to bless 15+ local families, many of whom attend Granbury ISD schools. The Mills are the sweetest family, with students at both AES and AMS.

We will also be contributing all hat day money through February to this incredible foundation! We are so excited about the opportunity to support the Beau Bear Foundation in these two ways!

To learn more about the Beau Bear Foundation, check out their website: https://beaubearfoundation.com

Student Texas History Fair

The Student Texas History Fair for grades 3-12 is coming soon!

This event is hosted by the Texas Heroes Foundation (a 501c3) held around Texas’ Independence Day in order to promote Texas Education and appreciation in our community. Students in grades 3rd -12th in and around Hood County are invited to enter in one of five categories: Performance, Exhibit, Artwork, Research Paper or Creative Writing Paper. The students' projects should be centered around the theme "Turning Points in Texas History".

Every year for the past 12 years, the Texas Heroes Foundation has given out THOUSANDS of dollars in awards and scholarships during the Student History Fair Awards Ceremony. This year's Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday, March 1st at the Acton Methodist Church at 6:30pm starting with a reception from 5:30pm to 6:15pm.

For more information, go to texasheroesfoundation.org/history-fair. We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Heather Flannery at 940-465-0431 or e-mail March2Texas@gmail.com.

Other Reminders:

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via email @ maggie.walton@granburyisd.org or via phone @ 817-408-4200.

With love and gratitude,

Maggie Walton

Principal, AES