T.G. McCord Elementary

The 4th Annual LIONS ROAR HOMECOMING Tailgate is coming together, and there is still time to sign up!
Here’s who will be joining us so far:

Booths & Activities
Red River Valley Museum — Face Painting
VES PTO — Photo Booth and Swag Sales
Boys & Girls Club of Vernon — Football Throw
Vernon College
Hospice of Wichita Falls
VHS Government — Voter Registration

Food Trucks
Los Amigos — Paletas
Taqueria Jalisco (TJ’s)
The Snack Spot
Redbone Indian Taco

Gather your crew and grab a bite to eat before heading to the game!
The tailgate will be held on September 25 from 4:30–6:30 PM in the horseshoe drive in front of Vernon Elementary School. The HOMECOMING game kicks off at 7:00 PM.
School clubs, VISD-endorsed organizations, local businesses, churches, and community groups are still invited to participate. If your group would like to join us, please complete the form by the end of the day on September 14:
https://bit.ly/LionsRoarHomecoming2026
Questions? Contact Kori Eakin at kori.eakin@visdtx.org.
We can’t wait for another fantastic tailgate celebration!

Tomorrow is an Early Release Friday!! Our students will get a head start on their three-day weekend, as VISD will not hold classes on Monday in observance of Labor Day. We hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend.

In celebration of Grandparents Day, we are having a special "Grandfriends Day" at McCord Elementary and Vernon Elementary! If you are a grandparent or a special "grandfriend" of a McCord or VES student, you are invited to eat breakfast with us at your student's campus. "Grandfriends Day" will be Wednesday, Sept. 9 for McCord, and Thursday, Sept. 10 for VES. The smiles are students get when family members visit them at school are priceless. If you have a youngster attending McCord or VES, please make plans to attend this special day.

Our Vernon ISD Administration Team has put a plan together to have school tomorrow as scheduled despite Vernon being under a Water Boil Order. Cases of water will be delivered to each campus tonight for students and staff to drink tomorrow, and sanitation stations will be set up outside the bathrooms. Our cafeteria staff will take all extra precautions necessary to safely prepare and cook food for breakfast and lunch.

Earning our first Kindergarten Student of the Week honors are: Beckham Shugart, Isaac Calvilli Jr., Collins McIntosh, Xailah Chapman, Delilah Varela, Rauiri Dean, and Samajae Leija. Way to go!! Congrats!!

Receiving our first Pre-Kindergarten Student of the Week honors for this school year are: Lyanna Lopez, Emery Tibbs, and Emberly Lopez. Not pictured are Maximo Reyes and Graciela Grimes. Congratulations!! We're proud of you!!

We have named Students of the Week for the first time this year. Receiving those honors for first grade were: Kalder Gilchrist, Parker Johnston, Protea Faul, Alyson Stanley, Cora Robb, and Delilah Zuniga. Great job!! Keep up the good work!!

Vernon ISD Supt. Dr. Blaise Boswell will be providing a newsletter throughout the school year to help share district information with our students' families and other members of the community. His first newsletter was posted yesterday on our website. To read the newsletter, please follow this link to our website homepage and scroll down: https://www.vernonisd.org/

St. Paul Lutheran Church will be hosting ESL Classes in September. The classes will be held Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., starting on Sept. 16. Registration for the class will be held at 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the church. For more information, contact St. Paul Lutheran Church at 940-552-2495.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is September 1, but it is!! Here is the September menu for our VISD Cafeterias. Please remember that at Vernon ISD all students receive a free breakfast and a free lunch.

Don't forget about tonight!! Drop by the Boys & Girls Club at 6 p.m. and enjoy a free hot dog supper and learn more about the new Texas ACE program. This is an after school program located at both Vernon Elementary School and Vernon Middle School. Youngsters in the Texas ACE program can receive help with schoolwork and much, much more!! The program is open to students in 2nd thru 8th grade. This program is a wonderful opportunity for all students. Please take a moment to attend this parent informational meeting.

McCord students enjoyed wearing their neon on Friday to support the Vernon Lions!! "Neon Day" was the theme of the high school pep rally and McCord students had a blast attending the first pep rally of the season.

DUDES ON DUTY IS BACK!

We are excited to continue Dudes on Duty across Vernon ISD! Our goal is simple: to provide a positive, welcoming presence for our students as they begin their school day.

Dudes on Duty was created with the men in our students’ lives in mind—giving dads, grandfathers, uncles, and other positive male role models an easy and meaningful way to be present on our campuses. However, our doors are always open to anyone who wants to support and encourage our students!

Please remember: You MUST be an approved VISD volunteer before signing up for Dudes on Duty. https://bit.ly/VISDVolunteerApplication

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Complete the Dudes on Duty Google Form.
Choose the VISD campus and date you would like to volunteer.

Choose your morning.
The primary Dudes on Duty role is simple: stand at a campus entrance during morning arrival and greet students as they come to school. A smile, high five, fist bump, or encouraging word is a great way to start their day!

Want to do more?
You can indicate on the form if you are also interested in helping with lunch, recess, classroom activities, or other campus needs. A VISD employee will reach out to you regarding those opportunities.

Wait for confirmation.
Once you submit the form, your requested date will be sent to the appropriate campus for approval. Submitting the form does NOT automatically confirm your date. You will receive an email once your Dudes on Duty date has been approved by the campus.

Be a Dude on Duty!
Once your date is confirmed, show up on your scheduled morning and help us give our students a great start to their day!

Complete the Dudes on Duty Google Form to get started! https://bit.ly/DudesOnDutyVISD

Contact Kori Eakin-940-553-1900 ext. 2229 or kori.eakin@visdtx.org

Our Lions kick off their season-opener tonight in Mineral Wells!!! The Lions will meet the Rams at 7 p.m., in Ram Stadium. Tickets must be purchased online at https://www.mwrams.net/HTtickets
The first pep rally of the season will begin at 9:25 a.m., as our cheerleaders get the team and students fired up for tonight's contest. Please remember Mineral Wells enforces a "Clear Bag Policy" at Ram Stadium.

Join us for the 4th Annual LIONS ROAR HOMECOMING Tailgate on September 25, 2026!
We invite Vernon ISD school clubs, VISD-endorsed organizations, local businesses, churches, and community groups to participate. Only Vernon ISD entities may sell items, and Vernon ISD will not be providing prizes for booths.

Just like last year, we’ll set up in the horseshoe drive in front of Vernon Elementary School. Participants must supply their own materials and are responsible for cleanup. The event kicks off at 4:30 PM and closes at 6:30 PM for the 7:00 PM game kickoff.

If your group would like to participate, please complete this form by the end of the day on September 14: https://bit.ly/LionsRoarHomecoming2026

We can’t wait for another fantastic tailgate celebration!

Questions? Contact Kori Eakin at kori.eakin@visdtx.org.

Please help us spread the word!

We apologize for a typo on the earlier post. VMS will dismiss at 12:51 p.m.

We are extremely lucky to have this program in Vernon. It offers your student so many opportunities and gives them extra support to help them succeed not only in the classroom, but also in life outside of school. We encourage our parents to attend this informational meeting.

Curious about Texas ACE and what makes this program more than after school? Join us for a Parent Informational Meeting to learn how Texas ACE is helping Vernon students discover, explore, strengthen skills, build relationships, and grow!

This meeting is open to ALL parents of students in grades 2nd–8th, whether your child is already participating in Texas ACE or you’re considering registering and want to learn more.

📅 Monday, August 31, 2026
⏰ 6:00 PM
📍 Boys & Girls Club of Vernon – West Entrance

🌭 Come hungry! We’ll provide a FREE hot dog dinner for families while we share everything you need to know about the program.

We’ll talk about:
📘 Academic support and homework help
🎨 Enrichment activities and new experiences
🤝 Youth development and relationship building
⭐ Opportunities for students to discover their strengths and grow
❓ Program expectations, schedules, registration, and your questions!

Texas ACE is designed to be so much more than a place for students to go after school. It’s an opportunity for them to receive extra support, explore new interests, build confidence, and connect with caring adults and peers.

Already enrolled? Come learn how to make the most of the program.
Thinking about enrolling? Come see what Texas ACE can offer your student!

There’s no commitment required to attend; just come enjoy dinner, ask questions, and learn more.

💙🧡 Every student has room to GROW. We can’t wait to share how Texas ACE can help!

Tomorrow is our first Early Release Friday of the school year. We hope our students enjoy the jump start to their weekend fun!!

Students in Mrs. Walthall's Pre-K class had a little fun anatomy lesson on Tuesday. Students received a paper cut out of a pair of lungs and a trachea that they colored. The lungs were then glued to two paper sacks and straws were inserted into the trachea. The students then had fun blowing into their "lungs" and watched as the sacks expanded just like lungs do.