Cross Timbers Middle School

In addition, please congratulate these Jr. VASE (Visual Art Scholastic Event) students. They are (left to right), Ana Maldonado (6th, score of III, Strong), Amelia Jordan (6th, Score of IV, Excellent), Evelyn Hubbard (6th, Score of IV, Excellent), Waverly Frakes (7th, Score of IV, Excellent), Emily Branham (7th, Score of IV, Excellent) and Lily Daulerio (8th, Score of IV, Excellent).

The CTMS Math Science Team did a great job at the TMSCA state meet on Saturday! Our 5A team competed against 39 other 5A schools in the state. We were 5th place overall, 1st in science, and 3rd in general math! Individual students who scored in the top 20 per grade level in a contest are also indicated below. 6th Grade Aarav S. - 1st Place Science, 8th Place General Science, 12th Place Number Sense Kavin J. - 3rd Place Science, 16th Place Number Sense Rima S. - 4th Place General Math, 7th Place Number Sense, 20th Place Science Julian C. - 5th Place Science Safia A - 8th Place Science Farheen A. - 11th Place Science, 11th Place General Math 7th Grade Connor S. - 8th Place Science Isabella H. - 13th Place General Math Noah L. - 13th Place Science 8th Grade Yousha K. - 2nd Place Science Anshi D. - 5th Place General Math, 10th Place Number Sense Liam M. - 6th Place Science, 19th Place General Math Braiden V. - 8th Place Science Matthew W. - 11th Place General Math Toby S. - 14th Place Science Dishita G. - 18th Place General Math Lucas Y. - 19th Place Science

It’s time for another Teacher Tidbit Tuesday, and today we’re featuring Marisela May! Marisela was born in El Paso, TX and is a first generation college student. This is her 5th year at Cross Timbers Middle School; she is a science teacher and former CTMS Athletics Coach. Ms. May attended Texas Woman's University and majored in Biology and Science Education. She loved being involved on campus as a student leader as Student Government Vice President, Residence Hall Association President, and a member of Tri Beta Biology Honors Society. She studied abroad at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England. Marisela currently works with NASA's Science Education department as a Technical Reviewer for the High School Aerospace Scholars Program where she guides inspiring student engineers across Texas through Engineering Design Challenges and an immersive camp during the Summer at NASA's Johnson Space Center. She enjoys running half marathons, competing in fitness competitions, reading, pottery and getting involved with her Church!

🌟 Attention GCISD students and parents! 🌟 As a reminder, GCISD schools will be closed this coming Monday, April 15, for a bad weather makeup day that, fortunately, we don't have to use! This applies to all schools except iUniversity Prep and Collegiate Academy. We will see everyone back in school on Tuesday, April 16. https://www.gcisd.net/documents/parents/calendars/2023-2024-instructional-calendars/467171

Thank you to everyone who came to yesterday's Bond 2024 Open House: Swim Center Tour. If you missed the event and want to learn more about the bond, please join us for our final community presentation on Tuesday, April 16, at 6 p.m. in Grapevine Middle School’s cafeteria. #WeAreGCISD https://www.gcisd.net/page/bond-2024-community-presentations

Two more wake ups until we run/walk with the pack!

It's time for Teacher Tidbit Tuesday and today we have Mark Peluso! Mr. Peluso was born, raised and lived in western suburbs of Chicago prior to moving to Texas in July 2022. He attended Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ for his undergrad and National Louis University in Lisle, IL for his masters. Mark passed National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) Series 7 & 63 exams and began working in the financial services industry at the age of 19 while still in college. Prior to teaching, he spent 22 years as an independent floor trader/broker at the Chicago Board of Trade, trading a variety of commodities and financial instruments, and is still an active member at the Chicago Board of Trade. His favorite sports team is the Chicago Cubs, but we try not to hold that against him. ;-) Mark enjoys golf, baseball, football, the beach, playing cards, traveling, cooking, and looking for a statistical advantage to try and turn a profit. He hates cold weather (unless skiing), socks, fixing mistakes, and cleaning. Marks favorite quote is, "When you're through improving, you're through,” and he can’t attribute this quote to anyone other than his high school baseball coach. Mark and his wife Michelle have two kids, and he never knows what's next in life. He continues to have entrepreneurial spirit and is always looking to do new things/challenges. Mark brings such a unique perspective to our Pack and we are thankful that he made his way to Texas.

Run with the Pack THIS Friday during CTMS's Color Run/Walk! See the flyers for more information about Friday's event.

Have you purchased your shirt for Walk a Mile with GCISD? The online store is open through April 10 to ensure delivery by the May 7 event. Walk a Mile is an evening for families & community to spend time together while walking the track at Mustang Panther Stadium. https://gcisdwalkamile.itemorder.com/shop/home/

The GCISD Walk of Honor is accepting nominations for individuals who have become an important part of the GCISD story. These nominees should be those who have brought distinction, honor and excellence to the district. Do you have someone in mind who fits this description? Nominate them by May 1: https://gcisdwalkofhonor.com/nominate/

Thank you to The University of Texas at Arlington for bringing a physicist to visit with Cross Timbers Middle School ASPIRE students. Dr. Yue Deng shared the science behind the upcoming total eclipse and educated students on how they can use their love of science in their future career paths. #WeAreGCISD

Don't miss out on your chance to make your voice heard! 📢 Tomorrow, April 4, is the LAST day to register to vote before the May 4 election. Visit VoteTexas.gov for information on how to register. #WeAreGCISD

It's time for another Teacher Tidbit Tuesday, and today we're featuring Matt Cooke! Matt was born in Goldthwaite, Texas, and moved to Arlington at age 3. He attended Arlington ISD and developed a love for sports at a young age. He played football, baseball and golf in high school, but his main focus was baseball. Mr. Cooke received a few small school scholarship offers to play baseball in college, but ultimately decided to walk on at the University of Texas at Arlington where he eventually received his degree. Mr. Cooke been teaching for 10 years, but this is his first year at Cross Timbers; we were lucky to snag him! During those 10 years, he has coached football, basketball, soccer and track. Matt is an avid local sports fan of the Rangers, Cowboys, Mavericks and Stars and he enjoys traveling. His favorite country so far has been Iceland, and his favorite place to visit in the U.S. is Colorado. He also enjoys hiking, playing golf, and generally just being outdoors. Matt's family is the most important thing to him. He has been married for 5 years to Chelsea, and they have 1 son, Hudson. They love Grapevine and you can often find them around Main Street or enjoying dinner on a patio somewhere. We are so thankful that Matt found his way to the Wolf Pack!

Are you going to the next Community Bond Presentation? Join us tonight, April 2, at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Middle School cafeteria to learn more about the 2024 GCISD Bond planning process, propositions and tax rate impact. We hope to see you there! #WeAreGCISD

Did you know that GCISD has its own app? The app is your one-stop-shop for all things GCISD. The event section shows a list of events throughout the district. The Live Feed is where you'll find updates from your child's school. Never miss a thing by downloading the GCISD app! Android-https://tinyurl.com/GCISD-APP Apple- https://tinyurl.com/GCISD-APP-APPLE

It’s time for another edition of Teacher Tidbit Tuesday! Megan Ferreira was born in Dallas, TX and attended school at HMS and CHHS. While at CHHS she was in band (played the french horn), AV Tech (she got to run the jumbotron at the stadium during football games), and was a spirit sister her senior year. It was always a dream to come back and teach in GCISD. Mrs. Ferreira attended Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi for an education degree (the school is technically on its own little island!) She quickly realized elementary was not for her, so decided to focus on math and it was the hardest course load she ever experienced, which makes her such a great teacher for those who struggle with maths! While in college she joined Gamma Phi Beta and through that organization was able to take on leadership positions like being the Panhellenic President in 2018 and getting to run recruitment outside of her sorority, which really grew her love and appreciation for organizations like these, providing homes away from home for college students as well as support in academics and professional growth. After graduating Megan taught in Dallas ISD for 2 years until FINALLY getting the opportunity to come back to GCISD (dream come true!) Megan met her husband in 2020 and they got married in 2023 (they just celebrated their 1 year anniversary in March!) They have a shih tzu named Benny (4 years old) who is their child at the moment and love of their lives. She loves reading, watching reality tv, and puzzles (but like the hard kind that scare this humble, local librarian.) We are so thankful that Megan found her way back to GCISD and is part of our Wolf Pack!

This week is Hope Week. The purpose of Hope Week is to, in an age appropriate way, bring awareness to mental health and suicide prevention. Fun activities will be hosted by the CTMS Hope Squad throughout the week focusing on promoting health, wellness and building connections.

⭐ Have you heard of the Stars of GCISD program? ⭐ If you know of a GCISD employee who always puts their best foot forward for students, nominate them for this award! Your nomination will be entered into a monthly selection for the Star of GCISD award and the nominee will be celebrated at their campus or in their department. Learn more: www.gcisd.net/starsofgcisd

Have you heard of SMART Tag? GCISD Transportation Services Department uses the Secured Mobility Authorized Ridership Technology (SMART) tag system to support student safety by providing accurate, real-time updates for students riding the bus. When parents need to know where their students are, this system provides timely updates. Learn more and sign up for the SMART Tag Parent Portal: https://www.gcisd.net/page/smart-tag-system

For this week's Teacher Tidbit Tuesday, we're continuing our introductions to our ladies in the Fine Arts department. Today we have our favorite choir teacher, Gina Ramon! Gina Ramon was born in McAllen, TX and was humming tunes before she could talk. Her love of music began when she got her first acoustic guitar in the 4th grade. There was no question when it came time to choose an elective in middle school, she knew Choir would be her second home through her Senior year of high school! As her love for music grew, she began to pick up performing gigs around her hometown and would sing and play covers and originals at local coffee shops and other performance venues. The renowned music school at the University of North Texas brought her to Denton and she began her undergraduate degree in Music Education with a concentration in voice. While at UNT, Mrs. Ramon took supplementary voice lessons, participated in the collegiate choirs, as well as the UNT jazz choirs. She travelled to Budapest, Hungary and spent a few days learning at the Kodaly Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary. Mrs. Ramon and her husband Alex, who is a percussion director in Wylie ISD, enjoy listening to live music whenever they can, camping and being outside, and spending time with their rescue pitbull, Max. They are expecting their first baby this upcoming August! Mrs. Ramon is so grateful for her students and colleagues in the Wolf Pack and is excited to continue to share music with her current and future choir kids, and we are so thankful for her and the program that she's built.