Leopard Pride News

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 elementary 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

Tickets are on sale now through January 31st! Join us for the 2nd annual Winter Wonderland Dinner & Auction Gala!

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

January 9th is Law Enforcement Appreciation day. Our officers at Gainesville ISD Police Department were on campuses serving our teachers, students, and staff today with big smiles!

Later this month, when they don't have students on campuses, they will be getting a catered breakfast from GISD! Thank you always for everything you do for GISD!!!

The GHS cafe got a major facelift over the Christmas break! The Chalmers and Intermediate lines were replaced during the Thanksgiving break. The 5 lines at GHS were the biggest expense, coming in at $435,606 out of the $796,514 total cost.

Who paid for these you may ask? These upgrades were paid for entirely with funds that accumulated throughout the past year in the Child Nutrition account. For every meal that is served in our cafeteria, TDA reimburses the district for a large portion of that cost, leaving an excess of funds in the Child Nutrition account. TDA prohibits any school district from having more than six months of operating expenses in this account and the funds must be used for kitchen needs, such as equipment replacement, etc.

The bottom line…the more kids who eat in the cafeteria, the more catering events held, and the more items sold in the food truck means more money the district gets to put back into our kitchens as we continue to provide healthy, balanced meals for our students and staff!

As a reminder, all meals (breakfast and lunch) served in the cafeteria are FREE to ALL students thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision program!!

In this edition of the Supporting Emergent Bilingual Students in Texas Parents and Families newsletter , you will find ideas and activities to support your child with language learning throughout the day. This is also a great time to reflect on the learning that has taken place so far this school year and set goals for what’s ahead in 2026.

In this issue, you will find more information on the following resources:

• Title III Community Engagement Virtual Event

• TELPAS Testing Window and Practice Resources

• Navigating the TXEL’s Parents and Families Portal and Parental Rights

• Tips for Creating a College-Going Culture

Click here to view >>> https://app.smore.com/n/62sra

We are excited to introduce the SMART Tag system for our bus riders! The system began rollout in the spring and is now used for all bus riders at all campuses.

Beginning Saturday, December 13, you can download the SMART Tag parent app. The app is available for ios and android. https://www.qbit.codes/q/smart-tag-parent-app.

App registration begins with the Primary Parent – the parent associated with the student in the school district’s system. The primary parent must complete their app registration and confirm their student before any co-parent can register for them. Co-parents who wish to register for a student must submit a request to the primary parent within the app. In cases where there’s no response from the primary parent, the school district can review and approve.

Please visit our transportation website for additional details on the SMART Tag system as well as the Parent App. https://www.gainesvilleisd.org/departments/transportation/smart-tag

Congratulations to all of our amazing students who participate in the CCJLS! Check out these amazing results! Gainesville FFA is represented by students from Chalmers, GIS, GJH, and GHS!

Congratulations to freshman Catherine Rodriguez for being named All-Area TMEA Choir! She finished in the top 20 on Saturday. GHS Choir has not had anyone advance this far in a very long time and for a freshman to make that far is outstanding! Great job, Mr. Beall!

Congratulations to our culinary arts students Cooke County Junior Livestock Show

Judith Dominguez *Reserve Class Champion * Blue Ribbon Scratch Cake- MultiLayer

Yulia Gotoh *Reserve Class Champion * Blue Ribbon Cupcakes; Blue Ribbon Photography- Landscapes; Blue Ribbon Creative Arts- Lego Builds; Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies; Red Ribbon Textiles- Stuffed Animal; Red Ribbon Creative Arts- Jewelry

Sophia Huerta Blue Ribbon Needlework Crotchet; Blue Ribbon Art- Opaque Drawing

Lyra Mason Blue Ribbon Photography- Wildlife; Red Ribbon Photography- Landscape, Photography- Plant/Floral, Photography- Animals

Neomi Collazo Blue Ribbon Art Drawing- Color Media

Aubreyanna Gomez Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dulce Pequeno Red Ribbon Chocolate Cookies; White Ribbon Quickbread/ Muffins

Skyler Ord Red Ribbon Traditional Apple Pie

Katelyn Douglas White Ribbon Quickbread/Loaf

Jayla Mackey White Ribbon Pound Cake

Asanette Manuel won first place in 7th grade and Cayden Lanham first in 8th grade in the GJH Scripps Spelling Bee. They will both advance to the Cooke County Bee on February 6, with the chance to advance to the Regional Bee in Dallas!

Our robotics students did very well from GIS at the TYRA Robotics competition in Sulphur Springs on Saturday! They all had excellent sportsmanship, scored points, and collaborated with other elementary school and junior high teams. We had one team make finals, and they ended up in 6th place out of 33 teams! Congratulations Jordan Fields, Cannon Turnham, and Lorenzo Lerma.

Congratulations to all of our GIS Scripps Spelling Bee participants! In addition to winning their grade level bee, Patrick Cooper and Maryam Yusuf will also compete at the annual Cooke County Spelling Bee on Friday, February 6, with a chance to move on to the Regional Bee in Dallas!

The Chalmers 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!

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!

Ms. Cole’s class had a very special visitor the other day! Dr. Stewart came and read his extra special Pete the Cat book! It was such a wonderful experience. We also had a fun game of counting to 120 starting from random numbers. We have got to stay on our toes!

Camp Read-A lot was a success! We missed the families that couldn’t make it! However, those who did had a lot of fun AND got to take home many books!! Thanks to the families that came and thanks to Dr. Stewart for coming and participating! Thank you Head Start staff for always wanting to do fun things to help our students learn and grow while having fun in class or with their families! Thank you all! We appreciate you all!

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.

As a vital partner within our district, we want to take this opportunity to inform you about our district’s participation in the StayALERT School Safety Program. StayALERT is a safe and secure place to confidentially or anonymously report unsafe behaviors, suspicious activities, bullying, acts of violence, harassment, and any other school safety concern. Download the app to quickly make a report. Users may report concerns 24/7/365 via any of the five reporting modes:

1) Call or Text 1-206-406-6485
2) Report Online: www.stayalert.info

3) Send an E-mail: report@stayalert.info

4) Download the app: www.stayalert.info/stayalertapp

In a time when concerns for school and student safety are paramount, we would ask that you be aware of this tool for both your own use and to help bring awareness to the students within our district.

Note: StayALERT is NOT a substitute for reporting an emergency. Please call 911 or your local police, fire or EMS if there is an urgent situation.

Follow our official district and campus social media accounts:

Facebook

• District @gainesvilleisd
• Athletics: @leopardathletics
• GHS @ghsleopards
• GJH @gainesvillejuniorhigh
• GIS @gainesvilleintermediate
• Chalmers @chalmerselementary
• Edison @gisdedison
• Head Start @gainesvilleheadstart

Instagram

• District @gisdleopards

YouTube

• District @gainesvilleisd