Grace T
oday
FALL 2016
Grace T
oday
FALL 2016
Our Mission To provide a rigorous educational program that embraces the teachings of Jesus Christ in a safe and inclusive environment.
Grace School Committee Lester W. Davis, Chair Veronica Braden Miles Harper Jerry Hanlon Sarah Williams
Grace School Administration Liz Walgamuth, Ed.D.
Head of School
Kim Winans
Interim Head of Middle School
Leigh Anne Shumate
Head of Lower School
Maria Barrington
Head of Primary School
Tracy Jackson
Director of Advancement
Editor
Tracy Jackson
Design and Layout
Jeffrey Girala
Photography
Prudence Allwein Steven Chen Trish Cowan Marcus Dunkin Grace School Faculty Leigh Anne Shumate Guy Tubbs
Grace Today is a publication Advancement Office of Grace School. Articles, photographs, story ideas and of the
contributions may be submitted to tjackson@graceschool.org
10219 Ella Lee Lane Houston, TX 77042 713-782-4421 713-267-5056 fax graceschool.org
Our Vision To inspire compassionate, thoughtful students eager to engage in the world around them.
Grace School Belief Statements We Believe... • teaching and learning should be relevant, current, and rigorous. • teachers should have a deep understanding of the developmental level of their students. • effective educators are committed, self-motivated, courageous, and intentional. • it is paramount to foster the growth of the mind, body, and spirit. • leadership is shared by all and collaboration is used to advocate, nurture, and sustain an effective instructional program. • in school-initiated family and community relationships. • in developing the God-given gifts, talents, and uniqueness of each individual.
ANNUAL REPORT 2015-16
Annual Report 2015-16
A Message from the Head of School
Dear Grace School Families and Friends, This issue of Grace Today includes our 2015-2016 Annual Report of Donors. This report is one of our school’s most gratifying projects because it gives us the opportunity to recognize and thank the people who make Grace School an exceptional place for learning and growing.
Dr. Walgamuth is currently serving in her tenth year as head of school and is a proud Iowa Hawkeye.
Grace School is deeply committed to equipping every student with knowledge and tools they need to succeed in their future educational endeavors and in the workplace. Gifts to Grace School support this important work. Each donor’s contribution becomes a vehicle for changing and improving the world through the talented young people who benefit from your generosity. The articles included in this edition reveal how your prayers and good will have resulted in significant improvements to our campus and curriculum. Our Gala/ Auction, Boosterthon and Annual Fund raised more than $636,000. We are so proud to show you what your fundraising dollars are doing for the students at Grace. Throughout my tenure, Grace School has benefited from the strong financial support of its community, enabling the school to remain true to its traditional roots while evolving to address today’s needs. We are deeply grateful to the many alumni, parents, grandparents and friends of Grace School who freely give their time, expertise and financial gifts to support the work of our faculty and students. God Bless,
Liz Walgamuth, Ed.D. Head of School
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10219 Ella Lee Lane Houston, Texas 77042 713-782-4421 fax 713-267-5056 www.graceschool.org
Grace School
Annual Report 2015-16
A Message from School Committee Chair Les Davis
Dear Grace School Community, On behalf of the Grace School Committee, I want to thank you for your continued commitment to our mission of educating children in a Christian environment. This is my sixth year on the school committee and my second year as chair. As committee members, we are charged with furthering the school’s mission and ensuring the school’s success now and into the future. I am so pleased at how Grace School has continued to evolve and improve since I first joined the committee. All of the accomplishments of the Head of School, faculty and staff, with the support of our great parents, are too numerous to name. But it is worth noting the accreditations the school has received from AdvancEd and NAEYC, as well as the STEM certification earned just last spring, which was a major milestone. I have also been impressed with the various enhancements to curriculum Dr. Walgamuth and her staff have implemented, like the news studio and the digital library.
Mr. Davis is currently serving in his sixth year on the School Committee and second year as chair.
We have seen improvements to the facility, including the addition of a sports complex, new school buses and soon new bleachers. It is impressive to say the least. I love Grace School and I love that the school is a mission of the church, which supports our children. There is no worthier cause. Proverbs teaches us to “start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” My prayer is that the experience of having a Grace School education will carry our students throughout their schooling and into a blessed and productive life. Thank you all. Sincerely, 10219 Ella Lee Lane
Houston, Texas 77042 Les Davis 713-782-4421 Grace School Committee Chair fax 713-267-5056 www.graceschool.org
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Annual Report 2015-16
A Message from Parents’ Club President Grace School Parents’ Club Executive Board 2015-16
Laura Greenway President
Angela Meloy
1st Vice President
Suzanne Riggs
2nd Vice President
Corey Weiss Treasurer
Casey Rowland
Assistant Treasurer
Christi Rutta
Recording Secretary
Kay Seeliger
Corresponding Secretary
Brandi Johnson Parliamentarian
Merric Ressling Public Relations
What an incredible 40th anniversary year for the Grace School Community. When people ask me “What’s the Grace School difference?” I tell them it’s the spirit of community. Grace is more than a school; we are a family. We do what families do: we support one another, we love one another and we want what’s best for one another. The success of Annual Fund, Boosterthon and the Gala/Auction was no accident. It took each and every one of us and I’m so pleased to say we had 100% participation from families. But that’s not unique at Grace. Giving time, talent and resources is what we do. It’s who we are. Thank you for always putting our children first, lending a hand and offering words of encouragement. Thank you for supporting school initiatives, working in partnership with teachers and sharing the Grace School difference with your family and friends.
Mrs. Greenway has two young children in the Shining Stars and Surf City classes in Primary School.
I look forward to working with all of you this year.
Heather Beken Historian
Julie Schweers Advisor
Laura Greenway 10219 Ella Lee Lane Houston, Texas 77042 713-782-4421 fax 713-267-5056 www.graceschool.org
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Grace School
Annual Report 2015-16
Grace School’s 40th anniversary proved to be a banner year and thanks to your support, everywhere you look, you’ll see improvements to the curriculum and the campus. There were three ways to give during the 2015-2016 school year including the Boosterthon, Gala/Auction and Annual Fund. Combined you contributed more than $636,000.
Grace School
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Annual Report 2015-16
Leadership Circle Visionary ($10,000 and up) Susan and Stephen Luna Don McGill Toyota
Investor ($5,000 – 9,999) Jeannie and Trey Able Kelley Fitzgerald Angela and John Meloy Sonya and Charles Bishop Suzy and Steve Mahoney The V.W. Sponseller Family
Benefactor ($2,500 – 4,999) The Beken Family The Crafton Family Amy and Luke Drury Cheray and Alex Feuer Betty and Jerry Hanlon Delaina and Johnathan Joseph The McNulty Family The Mulanax Family Paige and Rick Oria The Palumbo Family The Schageman Family
Julie and Joel Schweers Kay and Anthony Seeliger Nancy and Russell Smith The Wuensch Family
Partner ($1,500 – 2,499) Anonymous Diana and Matthew Brogdon Alys and Chris Caldwell The Cutler Family Tia and Branden Gibson Thea and Grant Goldin Brandi and Glynn Johnson The Lim Family Audrey and Edward Ly The Mackel Family The McIver Family Shannon Murphy Tiffani and Dorsey Perry Madeline and Stephen Pittenger Merric and Stephen Ressling The Vidacovich Family The Vinet Family
Other Generous Donors Patron ($1,000 – 1,499)
Karen and Jonathan Alexander Tracie and Clayton Allgood The Asaf Family The Biggs Family Esther Kim and Du Choi Lisa and Les Davis Courtney and Russell Hencke
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The Obatoyinbo Family The Okwara Family The Olson Family Casey and Coleman Rowland The Vaskas Family Sheri and Pat Walters Belinda and Mark Young
Jacqueline and Michael Hertlein Amy and Mike Hessel Christy and Kevin Kim Tina and Andrew Kirby The Koerner Family Abby and Shawn Lee The Lewis Family Carole and John Moore
Honor ($500 – 999)
Anonymous Anonymous Chioma and Kehinde Awa-Gabriel Kimberly Bell and Brent Schnitzius The Breen Family Allison and Brady Bussey Kaylan and Robert Caballero Kim and Leonard Carr Claire and John Caudill Stephanie and Landon Duncan The Farber Family Jian Yang and Gang Fu The Han Family Cathy and Corey Harper Miles Harper Scott Hollingsworth Libby Huntington Jamie and Rad Manning Amy and Tyler McAfee Kim and Kevin McIntosh The Mixon Family Lynn and Mark Overton The Park Family Melissa and Mike Paul Sonya and Alex Pitcaithly
Grace School
Annual Report 2015-16 The Porchey Family Thu Le and Ken Quach Ashley and Andrew Roberts Patricia and Dale Runkel Kevin Sherwood Leigh Anne and Anthony Shumate Sheila and John Townsend
Linda and Roark St. Romain Emily and Patrick Samuels Bobbie Tamplin
Friend ($250 – 499)
Chioma and Akinwale Akerele Virginia and Col. Sigmund Alexander Anonymous Anonymous Jackie and Dale Blyden Stacy and Shubhanan Dakshindas Wendy and Rob Duncan Marcus Dunkin The Dunwoody Family Stacy and David Dye Chisaroka and Dike Echendu The Edmundson Family Debbie Fait Kayla Fletcher Jeffrey Girala Rita and Ron Graves Liz and Ted Greak The Greenway Family The Gregory Family The Grimmer Family Catherine Hague Sharon and Robert Hinojos The Honjo Family The Ally Kelly Family Amy and Aric Klein Gail and Jack Lobingier Lorraine Mah Friend ($250 – 499) cont. Jennifer and Patrick McClanahan The McCulloch Family The McMordie Family Chrissy and David Nicholie The Nieman Family Judy and Michael Noyola Lisa and Chris Seay Brandice and Adrojan Spencer Sara and Stephen Springer
Grace School
Tracy Do and Khai Truong Kimberly and Chris Winans The Zapata Family
Supporter ($100 – 249)
Linda Addison Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Gina Axtell Holly Blausen The Bagwell Family Natalie and Brian Barrilleaux The Bedminster Family The Bennington Family The Buckingham Family The Burnett Family Margaret Lee and Jack Chang Julie Clark Kathleen and Timothy Coleman The Conery Family Sandra and Dan Courson The Crockett Family April Cunningham
Meghan Dean Julie Decker The Donaldson Family The Victor Elias Family Jana and Geoff Emerson Cynthia Ernyey The Estrada Family Melissa and John Evans Ashley and Michael Farr The Flaherty Family Murphy Flores Nina and Gianpaolo Franco Nicole Frazier and Tim Humlicek Amy and Chris French The Girven Family The Gussett Family Rachel and Garett Hagendorf Aimee and Tommy Harris The Higginbotham Family The Ho Family Ray Hundl Wendy and Rhett Jackson Jil and Jason Jaeger The Brad King Family Diana and Jack Knowlton The Kwon Family Michelle and Eric Larson The Lister Family Susie and Daniel Matthews Brenda and Todd McCormick Linsey McCoun The McVaugh Family The McVicar Family
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Annual Report 2015-16 Judy and John Meloy Mayda and Fernando Mendiola Julie and Randy Merritt Emily and Pejman Milani Taylor Monroy Tara and Buddy Morrison The Viet Nguyen Family Dana and Darrell Pagel The Pavlyukh Family Melissa and Tyler Peterson Supporter ($100 – 249) cont. The Quintero Family The Riley Family Kim and Bob Robinson The Rojas-Sosto Family Charles Ruhamya The Sides Family Andrea and Dale Spence Brandi Stanton The Stribling Family Melanie and Karl Strickland The Tharp Family Holly and Jon Vaught The William Vidacovich Family Rhonda Vining The Wagner Family Robin Ward
Toni and Harry Watson Narda Weierbach The Welch Family The Wigle Family The Wray Family Alexander Yeh Karla and Tom Young The Zuanich Family
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Contributor (Up to $99)
The Akre Family Leisl and Dan Albers Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Anonymous Ann and David Brothers Marianne and Chad Brumley Lisa and Paul Burgan Kelly Butrum The Cohen Family Melissa and Clay Condrey Anita and Brandon Cook Leticia Galeana and Huber Cruz The Cupps Family Erin Daniels The Fatheree Family Lyn Fitzpatrick Myrna and Francisco Garibay Kristi and Ryan Gholson The Gilchrist Family Reagan Guess Lilly and Tom Guu Cammy and Issam Hazim Enayat Jou Melissa Marks Michele Mayhan Karen McDonald
Hillary and Will Morefield Laura and Darren Price Maribeth Pruitt Myrna Quinones Kate Raffaele Lauren Reid The Riggs Family Laura and Morgen Schulz Becky Sebastian Suzana Sefic The Streete Family The Sturdivant Family Bonnie and James Syzdek Christy and Lowen Tabor The Canas/Torpis Family Kristin Trepa The Uptmor Family The Varcados Family Caroline and Mark Williams Erin and Rob Williford Charlotte Wilson
Corporations/Foundations AbbVie BP Foundation Baker Hughes Citgo Petroleum Corp Conoco Phillips EP Energy Graham Holdings Morgan Stanley National Christian Foundation Phillips 66 Shell Oil
This listing include gifts received from July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016. Every effort has been made to assure the proper listing of names. If your name has been omitted or improperly listed, we sincerely apoligize and ask that you contact us at 713-267-5058 so we can correct our records. Thank you.
Grace School
Annual Report 2015-16
The most successful Gala/Auction in the school’s history capped off Grace School’s 40th anniversary. Thanks to all of you who made our wonderful event possible by becoming sponsors or purchasing items.
AUCTION AND GALA COMMITTEE CHAIRS AUCTION CHAIRS
Liz Myers Merric Ressling Angela Eggleston ACQUISTIONS
MEDIA
Tiffani Perry
APPRECIATION
Laura Greenway
Jessica Dubose Kristin Jennings
SET-UP/DISPLAY
CHECK-IN/ RESERVATIONS
Jeannie Able Kristin Jennings Courtney Hencke
PRIMARY LIAISON
SIGN-UP PARTIES
Cathy Harper
Lisa Burgan Brandi Johnson Melissa Peterson
CLASS PROJECTS
CHECKOUT
Raegan Muse Kay Seeliger DECORATIONS
Kim Palumbo FINANCE
Nancy Smith INVITATIONS
Kara Marshall
Grace School
TO OUR SPONSORS BEE GEES ($15,000) BULLDOG AND BEAR INVESTMENTS
KOOL AND THE GANG ($10,000) JEANNIE AND TREY ABLE MULANAX AND MUNDY FAMILIES SLI GROUP
THE JACKSON FIVE
Kaylan Caballero Angela Meloy
Julie Schweers
THANK YOU
T-SHIRTS
Ashley Farr VENUE
Casey Rowland WINE CELLAR
Amy McAffee Tiffany Shulse
($5,000)
JET FAMCO, LLC MERIC AND STEPHEN RESSLING THE ORTHOPEDIC SPORTS CLINIC
MAJOR SPONSORS Brent Schnitzius Parker Uniforms Self-Fast Printing Spine Logix LLC Andrew and Tina Kirby Glen and Christina Klimchuk Scott and Corey Weiss Joel and Julie Schweers Olivia and Peter Wuensch Jeannie and Trey Able (The Looper Foundation)
Theira and Geoffrey Gregory Mark and Cynthia McKee Jennifer and Patrick McClanahan Monika and David Lim Heather, Stuart and Cindy Beken Jean and Matt Wigle Brandi and Glynn Johnson
Cheray and Alex Fever Nada Zakhour and Issey Honjo Romelia and Wayne Bohannon Alicia Elias Jody Crook Courtney and Russ Hencke Marianne and Chad Bramley Gwen Findley Catherine and Duncan Donaldson Ellie and Josiah McVicar Mark James Kayman and Douglas McIver Chelsea and John Cutler Nick and Jenny Woodruff Kaylan and Robert Caballero Amy and Tim McCay Brandon and Tia Gibson
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Annual Report 2015-16
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Grace School
Annual Report 2015-16
Thank you for an extraordinarily successful Boosterthon which allowed students to get excited about fitness while helping them raise money for Grace. We especially appreciate the hard work of our co-chairs Casey Rowland and Amber Mackel as well as all of our volunteers far too numerous to name. But know your effort and dedication did not go unnoticed and the generosity you’ve shown will influence the hearts and minds of all you’ve touched for a lifetime.
Grace School
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Annual Report 2015-16
Financial Report 2015-16 Fundraising
$10,490
$9,134
$38,427
$9,000
Grace School is one of very few independent schools in the nation in which tuition and other revenue covers 100% of the operating costs! We do not fill a gap with fundraising dollars. That means 100% of your donations is allocated directly to resources that impact and improve our students’ education. As of 10/31/16 82% of funds have been dispersed. Instructional
$200,867
Transportation
$189,900
Facilities
$141,511
Technology
$83,849
Athletics
$38,427
Appreciation and Recognition
$10,490
Marketing
$9,134
Special Events
$9,000
Total Dollars Raised
$83,849
$200,867
$141,511 $189,900
$682,278
Revenues
Expenditures 4% 2%
3%
6%
12%
5% 74% 94%
Tuition and Fees
94%
Salaries and Benefits
74%
Student Support/Activities
4%
Facilities
12%
Other Income
2%
Instructional Expenses
6%
Tuition Assistance
5%
General and Admin
3%
*Revenue and Expenditures exclude proceeds and disbursements generated through fundraising contributions.
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Grace School
Grace School 10219 Ella Lee Lane Houston, TX 77042 713-782-4421 graceschool.org
Grace Today
FALL 2016
AdvancED Accreditation Summary Summary of the Report of the External Review Team for Grace School On April 21-22, 2016, Grace School hosted a voluntary School Accreditation External Review. A five member AdvancED External Review Team, composed of a lead evaluator and four additional experienced educators, devoted two days to offer knowledge, expertise, and guidance to support the participation of the school in the External Review process.
“All of the classroom environments were caring and patient and children and teachers were treated with respect. There was a positive attitude toward learning, with students both eager for praise and just the personal satisfaction of knowing they were progressing to the next stage of skill acquisition. Students were self-assured, motivated, and responsible learners in all classrooms with formal observations, in short walk-in classroom visits, in the hallways of the school and even during the lunch hour. Happy smiles from both students and teachers were clearly evident in both classrooms and hallways throughout the school.”
External Review IEQ Scores *Scores range from 100-400. The following table shows Grace School scores compared to average scores of other comparable schools.
Overall Score 347.69 278.34 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400
Teaching and Learning 349.52 268.94 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400
Leadership Capacity 363.64 292.64 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400
“The students at Grace School are academically successful as shown by the results of the CTP-IV standardized test, student projects, and level of prestigious high school acceptance rates.” “The External Review Team members viewed the first hand and heard through interviewees of the culture of success surrounding Grace School and of the dedication of long term as well as new faculty and staff. The head of school is a research driven, new ideas leader who incorporates the faculty and staff in a wide range of continuous staff development. The school’s board provides autonomy to the leadership team in making academic, religious, and community decisions that will benefit all grade levels of the school.”
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Resource Utilization 317.14 283.23 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350 375 400
Grace External Review IEQ Score AdvancED Network Average
Grace School
Grace Today
FALL 2016
Primary School NAEYC Reaccreditation Summary of NAEYC Reaccreditation Report October 2016 The Grace Primary School Early Childhood Program earned the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) reaccreditation on October 14, 2016. NAEYC is the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals. “We are proud of our commitment to excellence and the recognition from NAEYC of our early childhood program,” said Maria Barrington, Head of Primary School. “Earning the reaccreditation affirms to the families in our community that children are receiving the best care and early learning experiences possible.” To earn the NAEYC Accreditation, Primary School documented many details and compiled them into several binders to be measured against the ten NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and more than 400 related Accreditation criteria. The ten standards the Primary School was measured against were: relationships, curriculum, teaching, assessment of child progress, health, teachers, families, community relationships, physical environment, leadership and management. Our program was reviewed by a NAEYC assessor during an on-site two day visit to ensure that the program met each of the ten Program Standards, along with required criteria, and candidacy requirements. “The reaccreditation by NAEYC affirms our promise to parents and students to not only meet program standards, but exceed them to ensure the curriculum in place at Grace sets our students apart and prepares them for the next phase of education,” said Dr. Liz Walgamuth, Head of School. Grace School is one of forty-three NAEYC Accredited programs in the City of Houston and one of 303 in Texas.
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Grace Today
FALL 2016
Primary School NAEYC Reaccrediation Commendations and Percentage Met of Criteria (By Program Standard)
Relationships
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for promoting positive relationships among all children and adults to encourage each child’s sense of individual worth and belonging as part of a community and to foster each child’s ability to contribute as a responsible community member.
Teachers 100%
Curriculum
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for implementing a curriculum that is consistent with its goals for children and promotes learning and development in each of the following areas: social, emotional, physical, language and cognitive.
89%
95%
100+
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for effectively establishing and maintaining reciprocal relationships with agencies and institutions that can support it in achieving its goals for the curriculum, health promotion, children’s transitions, inclusion and diversity.
83%
Leadership and Management
100+
Health
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for promoting the nutrition and health of children and protecting children and staff from illness and injury.
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for the high level of compliance with this component. Recognizing the importance of a reciprocal relationship between families and programs is essential to ensure that programs are meeting the needs of the children and families that the program serves.
Community Relationships
Assessment
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for using ongoing, systematic, formal and informal assessment approaches to provide information on children’s learning and development. These assessments occur within the context of reciprocal communications with families and with sensitivity to the cultural contexts in which children develop. Assessment results are used to benefit children by informing sound decisions about children, teaching and program improvement.
82%*
Families
Teaching
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for using developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches that enhance each child’s learning and development in the context of the program’s curriculum goals.
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for employing and supporting a teaching staff that has the educational qualifications, knowledge, and professional commitment necessary to promote children’s learning and development and to support families’ diverse needs and interests.
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for administering a program efficiently and effectively, ensuring that all involved persons, staff, children and families are included. The way in which a program is administered will affect all the interactions within the program.
93%
Physical Environment 100%
The NAEYC Academy commended our program for creating an environment, both indoors and outdoors that fosters the growth and development of the children.
100%
* Score includes credit given for meeting Emerging Criteria (trend-setting practices not yet adopted by other programs)
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Grace Today
FALL 2016
Get Connected...Grace School Communication Guide
GatorMail
GatorMail is one of the main outlets for information about events, updates and announcements. GatorMail is distributed weekly, every Sunday, via email. The primary email address listed for each student is automatically added to this distribution list. To add multiple email addresses, go to graceschool.org and click on “My Grace.”
Strongest Link... graceschool.org
The Grace School website provides current and prospective families updated information about what’s happening on campus, the admissions process including tuition and fees, curriculum information for all three divisions, quick links to our social media sites, a calendar of events with important dates, general facts about the school, a virtual tour and much more.
Let’s be friends…
The Grace School facebook page is used as a forum for information sharing. It also helps us stay connected with the families and friends of Grace School on a daily basis. When signed into you facebook account be sure to “like” Grace School, Houston.
Picture this…
The Grace School Instagram page is an online mobile photo-sharing and video-sharing platform which allows us to invite parents and friends into events happening at the school even if they can’t attend.
Follow us…
Be sure to follow us @GraceSchool to get reminders about upcoming events and see what people are talking about on campus. You can also follow the Grace School Athletics Department @GraceAthletics.
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Grace School 10219 Ella Lee Lane Houston, TX 77042 713-782-4421 graceschool.org