February 2026 Newsletter

Posted Date: 02/01/26 (05:27 PM)

February Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I can’t believe we've already celebrated the 100th Day of School and that we're more than halfway through the year! Our students have grown and blossomed so much already - it’s wonderful to see their progress. As we gear up for the rest of the year, we’re going to keep cheering everybody on to work hard, be awesome thinkers, and become even more excited about learning together. Here’s to more adventures, more growth, and lots of smiles ahead!

Over the coming months, we’ll be hosting some fun parent events and we’d love for you to join in the excitement! Make sure to take a quick look at the important dates below so you don’t miss out. Also, don’t forget to check your child’s backpack for any extra announcements or notices. We can’t wait to see you at the upcoming events!

Sincerely,

Lisa Killebrew

Principal

Calendar Change

Friday, February 6th and Friday, April 24th

In order to make up instructional minutes from our inclement weather days, GECC students will be attending a Full Day of school for both Friday, February 6th and Friday, April 24th.

Attendance Matters

We appreciate all the efforts you make to get your child to school each and every day. Regular attendance builds the foundation for achievement, strengthens social connections, and prepares students for kindergarten and beyond.

We had an amazing time celebrating our 41 students who had perfect attendance for the Second-Nine-Weeks. Mr. Applegate and I got to supervise an additional recess and we had a blast playing parachute games together!

Car Pick-Up

To make pick-up more efficient, be sure to significantly slow down at the Bledsoe and Scott Street intersection to have a pole letter assigned to you. If the red stop sign is held up, please come to a complete stop. By stopping, staff will be able to make sure they are assigning correct pole letters and entering your child into the system correctly. Additionally, please make sure that your car tag is visible and not blocked by other car tags/items.

As always, thank you for your help and support.

Dads at the Door

As the weather improves towards the end of February, we would like to invite volunteer fathers and male role models to greet students as they arrive in the morning. This is a wonderful opportunity to create a positive start to our students' day and offer a friendly, welcoming presence. We appreciate the continued participation of male role models in supporting the students at GECC, their education, and their future success.

If you are interested in participating, please go to the following link: https://www.gilmerisd.org/community and complete the three steps on the web page. Once completed, a GECC staff member will contact you to schedule a Friday (7:05am-7:45am) for you and other dads/male role models to welcome our GECC students to school.

Families, We Need Your Help...

We’d love to make Valentine’s Day extra special for your child this year, and we need your help!

We want to surprise your child with a special Valentine’s Day note from you! During the first week in February, we will be sending home a Valentine’s Day heart with your child’s name on it. We encourage you to write your child a special message from you on the heart and return it to your child’s classroom teacher no later than Tuesday, February 10th.

On the day of our Valentine’s Day celebration, February 13th, when the class goes to PE, the hearts will be scattered around the gym for a fun Valentine's Day hunt. Your child will look for their name on the heart and find their special message from you.

Thanks so much for helping us make this a memorable and joyful day for your little one!

February’s PAX Leader Focus: Taking Care of Others

During the month of February, our PAX focus will be on Taking Care of Others. As part of this month’s focus we are involving our students in two service projects:

1) Classrooms will be making Valentine’s Day Cards for local Nursing Home residents.

2) Classes will be collecting donations for the Longview Animal Shelter. Please see the donation information in the announcements below.

CLI Report Cards

Academic reports will go home on February 12th. Please be sure to check your child’s folder for the report card envelope and then sign and return the signature page along with the brown envelope in your child’s folder.

Valentine’s Day Classroom Celebration – Friday, February 13th

In order to maximize instruction, we are having our parties at the end of the school day and will not be inviting visitors into our classrooms. Your child’s teacher will be sending information about the Valentine’s Day party, soon.

If you are planning on dropping off a special treat/Valentine and your child is a bus rider, we ask that balloons not be included. The school buses do not allow balloons to be brought on the bus for safety reasons.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Presidents' Day - Regular Attendance Day

Although it is Presidents' Day on Monday, February 16th, it will be a regular attendance day for Gilmer ISD students.

Save the Dates: Dr. Seuss

Dress-Up Days and Camp-Learn-A-Lot Dr. Seuss Night

To honor of Dr. Seuss’s Birthday which is on March 2nd, the GECC students and staff will be dressing up the entire week from February 23th-27th as they prepare for our Dr. Seuss Camp Learn-A-Lot Academic Night.

Dr. Seuss Night and Camp Learn-A-Lot

Dr. Seuss Night will be on March 5th from 5:30-7:00pm! Be sure to come and see your child's work on display and visit various stations to play academic games and learn about fun ways you can engage your child in learning at home. Once you are finished visiting the games, the cafeteria will be serving nachos and lemonade. Afterwards, please stop by the bake sale table for a sweet treat!

February 6th - Full Day of School

February 9th-25th – Donation Collection for Longview Animal Shelter

February 10th – Valentine’s Day Heart Due to Classroom Teachers

February 12th – Report Cards Sent Home

February 16th - Regular Attendance Day - Presidents' Day

February 23rd-27th – Dr. Seuss Week – Dress-Up Days

March 5th – Dr. Seuss: Camp-Learn-A-Lot Academic Night 5:30pm-7:00pm

March 9th-13th - Spring Break

March 16th – School Resumes

Health and Wellness

Students