Community FAQs

Kindergarten will still participate in centers/stations including spending time in the experience rooms. Both Prekindergarten and Kindergarten have commissioner approved curriculum with high-quality instructional materials.

To see available positions in G-PISD, visit https://www.g-pisd.org/departments-services/human-resources/contact-information

Before and after-school childcare services are offered by external organizations independent of the district. Currently, we are actively engaging with these childcare providers to relay valuable information to our families, facilitating them in making necessary arrangements that align with their needs. Once we know which organizations will be offering services, we will communicate that via our website and Facebook.

• All Child Find will be attending ECC according to the disability (ARD). By 3, students in need should be identified/diagnosed. Refer to Denise Blanchard (dblanchard@g-pisd.org) if there is a referral from the preschools.
• Child Find does not accept out of school transfers to G-P.
• G-PISD/G-PECC will partner with preschools to help provide professional development for improving practices with students who have special needs. · District Web Page Link to information about Child Find: https://www.g-pisd.org/departments-services/special-education/child-find

As a public school, we do not have a cap on enrollment for eligible students.

The State of Texas does not allow us to start enrollment before April 1. This is a state-wide practice.

Next year (24-25) we will not be able to provide transportation for employees' children.

There are separate drop off and pick up spots for busses and cars. We are working out drop off and pick up now and looking for the best ways to keep students safe and mitigate traffic. We are also looking into scanning programs for pick up.

The district cannot provide bus transportation to students going to an after-school care center.

Yes, prekindergarten students will take a daily 45-minute nap.

• Times will vary, but the current DRAFT schedule provides for two 15–20-minute recesses for both PK & K. Other recess times will be accommodated as needed.
• The curriculum allows students to spend time outside too. Examples include, but are not limited to gardening, outdoor music, theater and art.

Yes, students will participate PE and Fine Arts (music/art)

• PK - 11:1 for PK; each class can have 22 students w/ one teacher and one paraprofessional
• K - 22:1

Not in the traditional sense. There are ways for teachers to provide consistencies when moving from one experience room to the next. Each neighborhood’s multi-purpose room is the same in each of the 6 neighborhoods. There is space for artwork and personal belongings.

Prekindergarten’s primary classroom will be the experience rooms. They will spend approximately 2 weeks in each experience room before rotating to the next experience. Each neighborhood (pod) has 3 experience rooms that a PK class will rotate through and then will move to another neighborhood to rotate through 3 new experience rooms. There are 18 experience rooms total.

• Start Time: 7:40 am
  • Doors will open at 7:15 am
• End Time: 3:10 pm

Kindergarten: Five years of age by September 1, 2024

• Registration Window: February 20-March 22
• Required Documents:
  • Official Birth Certificate (or other proof of identity) 
  • Immunization Records
  • Proof of residence (current utility statement in parent/guardian’s name {gas, electric, water} showing physical address within the District’s boundaries, a recently paid rent receipt, or current lease agreement)
  • Parent/Guardian photo ID
  • Child's Social Security Card

Prekindergarten: Four years of age by September 1, 2024

•  Registration Window: April 1-May 10
• Required Documents: 
  • Official Birth Certificate (or other proof of identity)
  • Immunization Records
  • Proof of residence (current utility statement in parent/guardian’s name {gas, electric, water} showing physical address within the District’s boundaries, a recently paid rent receipt, or current lease agreement)
  • Parent/Guardian photo ID
  • Child's Social Security Card
  • Proof of Prekindergarten Eligibility 

If you are interested in enrolling your child into prekindergarten and they meet the eligibility requirements, you will enroll them online at www.g-pisd.org/resources/registration. The registration window for pre-k opens on April 1, 2024 and closes on May 10, 2024. We will hold two, optional, in-person events to support families through the registration process. Those events will be on April 10th 9:00am-12:00pm and April 29th 3:00pm at the G-PISD Annex Building (4600 Wildcat Drive). 

The Early Childhood Center is anticipated to open the first day of the 24-25 school year for all prekindergarten and kindergarten students. 

Until the new campus opens, each of our eligible prekindergarten and kindergarten students will attend school at one of our four elementary schools within the students’ residential boundary/zone: East Cliff, S.F. Austin, T.M. Clark, and W.C. Andrews Elementary School. 

The Early Childhood Center is anticipated to open the first day of the 24-25 school year for all prekindergarten and kindergarten students. 

G-PISD is planning strategically to consider what is best for all our students and staff and aligned with that intention it is unlikely that the ECC would open on the first day at full capacity. Rather, we will be designing a phased-in approach to opening so that: 

• the new curriculum can be fully implemented with fidelity, 

• we can ensure our staffing plan is effective as applied on site, 

• we can manage traffic flow in the neighborhood for our local residents, 

• Ensure safety considerations can be fully instituted, 

• and more.  

Local board policy adopted on June 19, 2023, includes an option for G-PISD employees to apply for consideration of enrollment in Pre-Kindergarten with the school district. A child must be four (4) years of age by September 1st of the school year of potential enrollment for consideration. Employee's children may reside within or outside the district. Enrollment for the children of G-PISD employees is provided on a "first come, first served basis" depending on availability within the program.

Yes, all prekindergarten and kindergarten students will begin at the Early Childhood Center the first day of the 24-25 school year. 

Currently, it is planned to enroll those who qualify for Pre-K under state law when the school opens.  

Eligibility: Four years of age by September 1, 2024 and meets at least one of the criteria listed below:
• unable to speak and comprehend the English language and are Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students.
• is educationally (economically) disadvantaged:  Eligible to participate in the National Free or Reduced-Price Lunch Program based on family income.  Eligible by having a food stamp or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Eligibility Group Number (EDG#). 
• is homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C. §11434a 
• is the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority 
• is the child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty
• is or has ever been in the conservatorship of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (foster care) following an adversary hearing held as provided by Family Code §262.201 or has been in foster care in another state or territory, but currently lives in Texas 
• is the child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award as a peace officer, firefighter, or emergency medical first responder 

The following items are needed for a child to be registered:
• Official Birth Certificate or other proof of identity
• Immunization records
• Proof of residence (current utility statement in parent/guardian’s name {gas, electric, water} showing physical address within the District’s boundaries, a recently paid rent receipt, or current lease agreement)
• Child’s Social Security Card 
• Proof of military status of parent (if applicable)

Yes, they will attend P.E. at the new school, and we will continue to follow all state guidelines and requirements regarding physical activity. In fact, students in this new school will receive MORE physical activity minutes due to the nature of experiential learning – lots of movement, exploration, and activities will keep them wandering (and wondering) in their learning spaces. 

Experiential learning is, in short form, learning through experiences. This means it is heavily hands-on, explorative, and fully engaging for children. In the current (traditional) classroom setting, students do engage in activities – often at a desk, table, or station. Teachers have a desk in the classroom, and every student has a desk. Teachers have a lot of posters, décor, activities, models, etc., throughout the classroom to provide key opportunities to achieve the same result: hands-on, explorative, and engaging learning.  

However, through the exhibit spaces in an experiential learning model … teachers are better equipped to help young learners with guided lessons and activities inside museum-quality interactive experiences. Exhibits are fully hands-on, explorative, and engaging for children, and thus supportive of the educator’s objectives to provide background understanding and knowledge through experience.  

As we know, it is one thing to HEAR about something or see a picture of it on paper. It is completely another to HEAR, SEE, SMELL, TOUCH, and (at times) TASTE. A child’s understanding of an apple, for example, becomes more vivid through experiencing what it is (rather than hearing about what it is). The same is true when immersing a child in an underwater exhibit with life-size models, an explorative room about space with a rocket ship,; and much more.  

To give you an understanding of some of these differences, we’ve listed a few things to know and keep in mind regarding this learning model: 

• Teachers will be mobile and active with students in collaborative learning spaces and exhibit rooms: engaging with them in hands-on activities, sitting on the ground with them, moving and guiding student exploration. Teachers will be involved 100% percent of the time with students in exhibit spaces through experiential learning, so the term “play” alone may seem misleading … rather, play is an ELEMENT of this kind of learning because students are having fun (without fully realizing they are learning at the same time). 

• One teacher will be assigned to a single group of students – so your child will have a ‘classroom teacher’ of record, as they do today. 

• Teachers will not have a desk in any classroom. Instead, there are collaborative teacher-only rooms where they can keep a few personal and professional items stored; check email, conduct reports, and make phone calls as needed to parents and colleagues; and best of all, frequently communicate together with their fellow teachers for the added value and benefit of students and teachers. 

Every space in the building is meant for thoughtful learning based on specific student needs:  

• Learning opportunities that foster hands-on, child-centered learning through experiences and play will be balanced with an age-appropriate amount of explicit, systematic instruction. 

• Eighteen (18) of the thirty-eight classrooms will be theme-based experience rooms ready for exploration and learning and are the primary classrooms for prekindergarten students.  

• The other eighteen (18) classrooms are more traditional, well-organized environments that are designed to be developmentally appropriate for our youngest learners. 

• Two classrooms will be well-planned spaces for specialized instruction supporting students with special needs. 

• Because we realize there is a balance needed to ensure students do not become too over-stimulated, calming spaces are also built into the design of the campus.  

• Students will have both traditional and nontraditional choices for seating that are conducive to their learning style and physical needs. 

• Emphasis will be on building background knowledge for students to level foundational skill sets regardless of circumstances, experiences, etc. 

• Pre-Kindergarten students will spend approximately 200 – 275 minutes of each day (out of 455 total daily minutes) involved in the immersion of high-quality instructional curriculum that is delivered through this experiential (exhibit-room) model. 

• Kindergarten students will spend approximately 60 - 90 minutes per day in exhibit rooms (out of 455 total daily minutes). The reason for less exposure to exhibit spaces in Kindergarten is to aid in their development and transition to 1st grade and beyond, helping them build the foundation for long-term success through all other grade levels. 

• Helping young children learn to self-regulate is part of everything we do in early childhood; however, we have also intentionally set aside time (60 – 75 minutes) in our day to address the social emotional needs of young learners. 

• Developing a full master schedule is a complex process. Our Early Childhood Center administration has begun a preliminary first draft of a possible master schedule, however we realize there will be many revisions based on staffing, opening timeline, transportation and drop-off/pick-up plans, and much more. A full schedule will be released to families of enrolled students when finalized, and when we have a confidence level of little-to-no anticipated changes prior to the start of school at this new facility. 

In addition to the transition of less instructional minutes in exhibit rooms for Kindergarten students (see answer to the question above), G-PISD has also identified a need to add a few exhibit-quality structures and experiential learning spaces/models that could be incorporated to common spaces at our four elementary schools. This would be supportive of creating a welcoming environment and learning space for students transitioning to 1st Grade from the Early Childhood Center, in addition to beginning the development of exposure to experiential learning throughout any Wildcat’s elementary experience. 

Bond 2022 included “Experiential Learning Additions at Elementary Schools” for this reason, however the community did not approve the proposition (A). We realize this will remain an obstacle for students, as our research with other administrators with experiential schools in the state have informed us of the need to think creatively to help students with this transition. Therefore, it will be a consideration for a future bond proposition in the event that further research reveals and warrants a similar request (or, potentially, another kind of request to aid in this effort).  

The design of the new building includes an interior courtyard where the playground will be located. This design is intentional, to create a fully-enclosed playground and outdoor area for students that is not accessible to anyone outside the campus. Additionally, state-of-the-art security features will be installed throughout the new building – many of which we will not list here to protect the integrity of those measures.  

Start times for all campuses are currently under review and will be announced when a final decision has been made. We understand that school start times affect a host of factors for school operations as well as family schedules. Please stay tuned for more details. 

It is incredibly important to us that we plan strategically for the best interest of all of our children receiving special education services in G-PISD, and we will continue this commitment as it pertains to planning for the Early Childhood Center. Planning well takes time, research, and the assessment of accurate data including enrollment, services, staffing, and more.  

It is the current intention of the Early Childhood Center to enroll all students in Early Childhood Special Education. Special accommodations have be made to the classrooms, playground, and overall school design to ensure accessibility for all students. 

• Car-Rider Line – School leaders are researching options and best practices for drop-off and pick-up of youngest learners, with consideration for safety and ease for families. We are engaging with colleagues across the state who are operating campuses like this one and reviewing what they’ve learned to refine our preliminary options. Among our considerations will be the amount of time it takes to load students in and out,; placement of car seats and buckling,; committed line(s) for drop-off and pick-up,; walking patterns for students to enter and exit the building safely; and more. With the design of our new campus, thoughtful consideration was given to space for drop-off and pick-up lines within the constraints of land available on site. We are working through traffic flow patterns to assist everyone and minimize the impact we realize the new school will have on traffic in the neighborhood. 

• Bus Service – G-PISD will provide bus transportation for those who reside beyond the radius of the district’s transportation policy as of the start of school (currently, those living beyond a 2-mile distance from the campus). Bus routes and further information will be shared with families as we approach the opening of the new campus and will be based on the number of students/families who sign up to receive bus services. Bus entrance/exit to the campus is being thoughtfully considered and planned as we realize it will impact traffic flow in the neighborhood as well. 

• More information about Transportation will be communicated with the families of enrolled students as plans are finalized.

G-PISD highly values our incredible teachers and staff who have dedicated their time and talents to help us be successful as employees of our district. Teachers who currently serve the district as Prekindergarten and Kindergarten teachers and support staff will move from their current campus to the Early Childhood Center beginning the 24-25 school year. 

Additional staffing positions for the Early Childhood Center will be posted to the G-PISD Human Resources page. Application reviews and interviewing will begin February 2024.  

Please CLICK HERE to submit, and we will make sure to address your question. Thank you for reaching out to us and thank you for your support of G-PISD!