CANNON TIMES
A Newsletter For Cannon Staff 2018-2019
Principal Points - Week of January 7, 2019
HAPPY NEW YEAR & WELCOME BACK!
A blank calendar. A fresh start.
If you are anything like me, our first semester of this school year has been something of a BLUR!! Let's face it folks....our 1st semester was MORE than overwhelming, in so many ways!
However, it was also WONDERFUL in so many ways and I personally can't wait for this semester to begin, now that we are all settled in our beautiful new school that offers such an incredible LEARNING & WORKING environment for students and adults each day!
It’s the perfect time to evaluate where we've been, where we're at, and where we're going!! It’s a time for us to bring back that beginning of a new school year enthusiasm, relentless joy, and passion for what we GET to do every day as educators at the BEST school ever...Cannon Elementary: A GCISD STEM School!
One of my favorite holiday commercials to watch for each year are the end of the year commercials produced by Mass Mutual Insurance. They always find a way to highlight events of the previous year in such a special way. This year's commercial was titled, The Unsung 2018, Inspiring Acts of Mutuality. Check it out here:
I loved the concept of both Unsung Heroes and Mutuality they selected as themes!
UNSUNG HEROES...In my mind, teachers are the unsung heroes of education and are on the front lines every day, ensuring that each child's right to education is realized. As we are all too well aware, teaching is not an easy career to go into and the structure of the education system is not always set up to adequately support or compensate teachers. Yet, despite the challenges that may exist, teaching is truly one of the most important professions in a culture and teachers play a critical and invaluable role in preparing our kids — tomorrow’s adults — for life outside the classroom. The future of a society depends on the quality of education its next generation receives and the character of the children it nurtures. So.... THANK YOU to all of our amazing teachers at Cannon — we see you, we need you, and we are grateful for your commitment to our children and our future!
MUTUALITY....now this is not a word I use frequently, but I love the meaning of this word and how it relates to our profession:
mu·tu·al·i·ty
/ˌmyo͞oCHəˈwalədē/
noun
the sharing of a feeling, action, or relationship between two or more parties.
"a high degree of mutuality of respect for each other's expertise"
The important role MUTUALITY plays in professional learning for educators is well-researched and highly supported. In one of my favorite articles, The Power of Collective Efficacy, research provided by John Hattie placed collective efficacy (defined as "a group's shared belief in its conjoint capability to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given levels of attainment") at the top of the list of factors that influence student achievement. According to his Visible Learning research, collective teacher efficacy is greater than three times more powerful and predictive of student achievement than a student's socioeconomic status! WOW!
As we return to school this semester, in an effort to support acts of mutuality and to encourage collective efficacy, we will be implementing an opportunity for our Cannon staff to participate in Campus Learning Walks, in order to learn from one another and to support our own professional growth & learning. We have some incredible educators at Cannon and we want to provide the opportunity for others to see them in action and to observe how they are utilizing their learning spaces in our new school!
"If we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve,
not because they aren't good enough, but because they can be even better,
there is no limit to what we can achieve."
These words, spoken by education researcher Dylan Wiliam, perfectly describe the culture of learning that I believe already exists at Cannon and how professional growth can be elevated even more, through our Campus Learning Walks. Just as we want our students to possess a passion to grow and become more knowledgeable each day, our school is filled with adults who have a thirst for learning new strategies to enhance professional practice and bolster student achievement. I look forward to sharing information with you soon about how to be part of this exciting effort!
Cheers to an amazing 2019! Thank you for your hard work, your sincere dedication to our kids, and your hearts as educators. I consider it an enormous honor to work alongside each of you every single day!
Proud to be your principal,
Tona :)
#BeCannonProud
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Lisa's Coaching Corner
I hope your winter holiday was AMAZING and you have had time to unplug and recharge. As I have reflected about 2018 and began to set my personal goals for 2019, my thoughts kept centering around YOU! During my career, I have worked with many teams. I truly feel that our current staff is the most caring, innovative, intelligent, and committed to our student's success.
As I was reading a Brene' Brown book, Dare to Lead, she made a comment about the ethical calling of teachers who are leaders in their classroom who:
"create a space in our schools and classrooms where ALL students can walk in and, for that day, take off the crushing weight of their armor, hang it on a rack, and open their hearts to truly be seen. We, as teachers, must be guardians of a space that allows students to breathe and be curious and explore the world and be who they are without suffocation. They deserve one place where they can rumble with vulnerability and their hearts can exhale. And what I know from research is that we should NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the benefit to a child of having a place to belong-even one-where they can take off their armor. It can and often DOES CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF THEIR LIFE."
As we come back to school, please keep your focus on the IMPACT you are making on your students and their families. THANK YOU for being the change makers and designing work that opens the door of curiosity for so many students. THANK YOU for making Cannon the BEST place to be, not only for our students but for ALL of US! I LOVE US!
LB
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DATES TO REMEMBER
01/07 Teacher Work Day - student holiday
01/08 Students return to school!
01/08 PLC Week A - 3rd grade 2:15-3:45
01/09 PLC Week A - 4th grade 2:15-3:45
01/10 2nd grade field trip to Grapevine Recreation Center & Public Library - 8:00-10:55 am
01/10 PLC Week A - 5th grade 2:15-3:45
01/10 Fire Drill - 1:30 pm
01/11 AttenDANCE party for 2nd nine weeks - 2:15 pm in gym (Anne will provide a list!)
01/14 STAAR Security Training 3:15-3:45 - REQUIRED training for all staff
01/15 Lockdown Drill - 9:00 am
01/15 PLC Week B - Kindergarten 2:15-3:45
01/16 PLC Week B - 1st grade - 2:15-3:45
01/17 PLC Week B - 2nd grade - 2:15-3:45
01/21 Student/Staff Holiday - Martin Luther King Day
01/22 School Board Appreciation items due to Tona by end of day
01/25 Math Coach of the Day - K-2 during conference periods in PLC room
01/24 District Spelling Bee - 1:00 pm @ CTMS - Good luck Piyush!
01/24 Cubs Night Out @ Cici's Pizza
01/25 Math Coach of the Day - K-2 during conference periods in PLC room
01/28 STEM Leadership meeting - 3:05 pm
01/28 Math Coach of the Day - 3-5 during conference periods in PLC room
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CONGRATULATIONS TO KRISTI WAGNER!
Right before we left for the holiday break, we received some GREAT news! Congratulations to Kristi Wagner for having a grant proposal selected to be awarded $1,000 from The Walmart Community Grants Team and Facility # 266. The Walmart Community Grant Program is a highly competitive program, receiving more than 150,000 applications each year, so it's a BIG deal to be selected as a recipient of one of these grants! Way to go Kristi!
In the grant proposal, Kristi provided a description of our vision for how we want to use the new sewing machines in our Makerspace. She plans to use these funds to purchase the supplies/materials needed to get the sewing/quilting section of our Makerspace up and running, in order to inspire a new generation of fabric crafters and textile makers! Thank you for your efforts to write a grant that will support our entire school community in such a creative & innovative way!!
REMINDERS & UPDATES
NO PARKING??!!?!
As a reminder, we will have a district-issued Suburban on campus every day, which Tona, Debbie, or Mandy are licensed to use, in the event we need to get a staff member quickly to their car in the middle of the work day.The district has asked for Cannon staff to avoid parking on residential streets as much as possible, in order to be good neighbors to those in our community who have been tolerating Cannon construction and parked cars in front of their homes for a LONG time. The Grapevine Police have been notified about our parking situation and have agreed to patrol the off-site staff parking area regularly to provide extra safety & security for this area. NOTE: Parents will begin to load and unload students using Pebblebrook Drive effective January 8th. No cars can be parked on Pebblebrook Drive as a result, as this would block the arrival/dismissal process.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER IMPORTANT
REMINDERS & UPDATES!
REMINDER ABOUT POSTING GRADES The posting window will close at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, 1/7. Please be sure all grades are entered for grading period 10/22/18-12/21/18.
STAFF & STUDENT CALENDARS APPROVED FOR 2019-2020 Be sure to check out the new GCISD calendars for staff and students that were approved at last month's board meeting. Some changes to these calendars include a reduction in the number of Professional Learning Days at the beginning of the school year for staff, with an increased number of Professional Learning days throughout the year. Click here to see the Staff Instructional Calendar. The 2019-2010 Student Instructional Calendar can be found by clicking here.
GCISD LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES The GCISD Legislative Priorities for the 86th Legislative Session were approved at last month's Board Meeting. Click here to read these priorities.
WANTED: CANNON TEACHERS TO PRESENT! Our Cannon staff has SO much to share with others about STEM learning! We would LOVE for as many of our teachers as possible to present at the upcoming Mini-CAST conference! Not sure what to present on or how to write a presentation proposal? No problem! Julie B. & Lisa are happy to help brainstorm and help with this process! Presentation proposals are now being accepted at www.dfwminicast.org/proposals.html. Note that there are a variety of presentation options this year, ranging from the traditional workshop to TED-style talks. See the proposal form for more details! **Presentations that are accepted receive complimentary registration to Mini-CAST for up to two presenters.** Tona will pay registrations for other presenters as well! :)
GO RED- GCISD HEART CHALLENGE! It's time to kick-off the Go Red District Heart Challenge! Please mark your calendars with a reminder to GO RED on Friday, February 1st! Donating is easy! From your phone, simply text DHCGRAPEVINE to 41444, or CLICK HERE to order online. Shirts must be ordered by Thursday, January 10th to receive them in time for National Wear RED Day. Everyone that donates to receive this year’s shirt can wear jeans with their 2019 Go Red shirt every Wednesday in February!
JANUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH
Doll-E 1.0 is the perfect book to kick off our Book of the Month for 2019!! Be sure to check out all of the resources Kristi has provided below, as you prepare to share this month's book with your scholars in the classroom! The BoM Video and Smore embedded below will also be shared in the parent newsletter.
Our Cubs are going to LOVE this month's BoM Design Challenge, which is to design and build their own robot or doll out of found objects and scraps. Then they will get to use Scratch and Makey Makey to build a database to make their doll or robot talk! How cool is that? If students want to design and build their doll or robot at school, we will have a variety of materials for them to select from. There will be a recess time workshop for each grade level during the week of January 14-18 and teachers will be given a sign up sheet.
Please encourage your scholars to participate in this awesome Book of the Month challenge!
JANUARY IS BOARD APPRECIATION MONTH!
JANUARY IS BOARD APPRECIATION MONTH!
GCISD School Board Trustees will be recognized at the monthly school board meeting during the board meeting on Thursday, January 24th. All schools are asked to shower the school board members with some love & special recognition by providing student-created posters, cards, letters or other objects of appreciation! Please meet as a team and discuss how your team will contribute to this effort. All grade levels are expected to participate.
Scholar work should be dropped off in my office by the end of the day on Tuesday, January 22nd. This year's theme is "Planting Seeds of Success" Please refer to the following link to read short bios on all GCISD trustees. From this link, you will be able to click on each board member name to read all about them. Thank you!
TECH NEWS FROM JULEE
Maker Achievement Badges
Maker achievement badge sessions are scheduled to begin in January. You will be receiving a sign up from me soon. I have dedicated 10 recess sessions to the Level 1-Robotics badge. Each grade level can assign 10 students per session, therefore you will need to discuss scheduling and selection of your students with your grade level before signing up. Each student will only need to attend one session to earn their badge. Please email me if you have any questions after you receive the sign-up.
Digital Citizenship Week
Mark your calendars for Digital Citizenship Week January 7 - 18, 2019. All our GCISD Digital Citizenship resources may be found here and the instructional technology team will continue to update them for 2019 in the coming weeks.
Tech Talks
Tech Talks will kick back up in the new year!
Interested In Working At Summer Enrichment?
Below is information for certified teachers about Summer Enrichment. Please direct any questions to Cindy Felker at cindy.felker@gcisd.net . Thank you!
Do you have a passion you’d love to share with students? If so, then Summer Enrichment is for you! We are looking for certified GCISD teachers that will join us at Summer Enrichment.
Teacher applications and course proposals are now being accepted for Summer Enrichment 2019. Our theme this year is “Adventure Awaits!” and we would love for you to come and Adventure with us! We are looking for courses that meet the needs of all students in a variety of areas including arts and crafts, music, theater, writing, problem-solving, science, cooking, and more! Courses are 3 hours in length (8:30-11:30 or 12:30-3:30) and will run for 1 week, Monday-Friday. As a Summer Enrichment teacher, you get to choose when you would like to offer your course(s) so you can work around your summer plans.
Please consider creating a bold opportunity and join us as we “Adventure” to help students continue their journey of becoming skilled problem-solvers, effective communicators, collaborative workers, global citizens, and self-regulated learners.
Compensation: $30/hour
Budget: $75/course (based on supplies for 10-16 students and must use GCISD approved vendors)
Teacher Hours: 8-noon for AM and Noon-4 for PM classes
Location: GMS
Ages of Students: Students that have completed Kinder-6th grades and are ages 5-13
Dates:
Session 1: June 10-14
Session 2: June 17-21
Session 3: June 24-28
Session 4: July 8-12
Session 5: July 15-19
Please use the links below to apply:
Teacher Application (Submit by January 18, 2019)
Course Proposal (Submit by January 18, 2019)
Please contact Cindy Felker for more information: cindy.felker@gcisd.net ext. 5523WIN $1,000 FOR YOUR CLASSROOM!!
All GCISD teachers who have student with projects selected will be invited to attend a luncheon with their principal and will be awarded a $1,000 grant! Let's make sure Cannon is represented this year!!
- Have your students write or draw a one-page idea of what he/she thinks the teacher could do for the students with the $1,000 grant.
- The teacher is to select the one from his/her class that he/she thinks best expresses a good use of the grant; the selections must be submitted to the Education Foundation Office by Friday, January 11, 2019.
- The Education Foundation will deliver the teachers' selections to Schroeder Orthodontics for selection of the five winners.
- The winners will be announced with check presentations to the teachers at the annual GCISD Council of PTAs Founder's Day luncheon and program, Thursday, February 21, 2019. The winners will be the guests of the Education Foundation.
There are no rules as to how the one-page drawing or writing should be done so be creative! Please make sure that your students have their name, grade, teacher's name and school's name on the submission.
Through the Education Foundation, Dr. Schroeder is providing an exciting opportunity for additional support for our teachers. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sue Franks at sue.franks@gcisd.net
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Worth A Read, Watch or...Listen!!
A SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL CLASS OPENING ACTIVITY Check out this quick strategy, called Rose & Thorn Check-In for building community and developing student voice! This article describes this activity, the benefits of using it and how to facilitate it in your classroom!
5 THOUGHTS TO IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL APPROACH AS AN EDUCATOR is an AWESOME read for all educators, as we prepare to return for 2019!! As the author of this post, David Guerin states, "A person's mental approach to any situation has an incredible impact on outcomes. The choices we make determine our future. It is our choices more than any other factor that determine who we are and who we will become. I believe that's true for students, and I believe that's true for us as educators as well." TRUTH!!
THE ILLUSION OF PICTURE PERFECT is a blogpost that is definitely worth a read!! "It’s also important to realize that what may seem ordinary or obvious in our own practice may be amazing to someone else. The teaching strategies that we put into practice day after day, become routine and we forget that our "obvious" may be a groundbreaking idea or pivotal shift in someone else’s practice. When we begin opening up our doors and start sharing our classroom experiences we can make a positive impact on someone else’s journey." The video below is a great reminder for ALL of our awesome educators!
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DISTRICT ASSESSMENT & STAAR UPDATES
MID-YEAR READING ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
STAAR RESOURCES & UPDATES
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES PLAYLIST FOR TEACHERS 2018-2019 is a terrific resource that many of our Cannon staff is currently already using, not just as STAAR resource, but as a great resource for instructional/formative assessment strategies that you may have never tried. These playlists of strategy suggestions are extensive and are categorized by:
- movement and discourse playlist
- rehearsal and practice playlist
- extending thinking playlist
- learning from mistakes playlist
- evidence of learning playlist
Tip from one of our local professionals - Lexi Rix includes this link in her weekly lesson plans with a reminder to try a new instructional strategy each week - GREAT idea!
STAAR Mini-Practice Tests
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is releasing a series of mini-practice tests, including Spanish versions, that are meant to provide students an opportunity to practice using new online features in the STAAR Online Testing Platform ahead of the spring 2019 test administrations. The mini-practice tests will include the basic calculator tool (English and Spanish versions for mathematics), the dictionary tool (English and Spanish versions for reading and writing), and American Sign Language (ASL) videos (English versions only). These mini-practice tests will be available in the STAAR Online Testing Platform beginning December 31, 2018.
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CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION CORNER
Science Blog and Curriculum Map Information
If you teach science, please take some time to read the GCISD Science blog and watch the screencast explaining our newly designed elementary science curriculum map. Please subscribe to the blog in order to stay up to date!
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INFORMATION TO SHARE IN PARENT NEWSLETTERS
RACHEL'S CHALLENGE SHIRT CONTEST
Students, you could be the artist behind our new Rachel's Challenge shirt for 2019 and everyone could be wearing your artwork. See the details in the flyer. Spanish Flyer
Parent Technology Academy
GCISD Parent Technology Academy is BACK! Sessions are scheduled monthly with more to come! Come and learn along with others about the ever-changing world of technology in which your children are living!
Sessions can be found on the Parent Technology Academy Webpage
Have a question about GCISD Parent Tech Academy or like to request a presentation? Let us know just email kyle.berger@gcisd.net
Please include this image in your parent communications about our new safety app
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TWITTER REMINDERS FOR @canSTEM
BIG thanks to all of our staff members that have already been actively tweeting about the great learning going on in your classrooms!
Please help us reach our campus goal for all staff to participate in a 5-minute a day communication plan, as stated in George Couros's quote shown here. It's truly a simple way to SHARE & LEARN from the best minds in GCISD! I am going to be highlighting our school twitter account HEAVILY with parents & our school community, to help create our own "outward culture of celebration"!!
As a reminder, please include our school's handle, @canSTEM, and our hashtag, #BeCannonProud in all of your tweets, so that they can be automatically retweeted on our school account. At the end of the day, simply go to @canSTEM and scroll through our school's tweets for 5 minutes and see what your colleagues are sharing! If you want to learn more from them about an idea they shared....you will only have to walk across the building to get more information firsthand!
Please click here to see our staff list of social media accounts. Please add/update any information so that we can make sure we follow each other!
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TO-DO LIST
- Set a timer and complete daily attendance ON TIME every day!
- Please review the parking shuttle times and adjust your daily schedules accordingly!
- Enjoy your WORK DAY and preparing for your scholars to return to an amazing 2nd semester for the 2018- 2019 school year!
- Remember that grade posting window closes at 10:00 pm on Monday.
- This week is Digital Citizenship Week - check out resources from Julee.
- Review all of the January Book of the Month information and encourage your students to participate. Watch for Recess Workshop sign-up from Kristi soon for those students who want to complete the design challenge at school!
- Check out the MoY Reading Assessment information in this newsletter.
- Check out the recently approved Staff & Student Instructional Calendars for 2019-2020.
- Add upcoming fire & lockdown drill dates to your calendars!
- Don't forget to send all eligible students to gym at 2:15 on Friday for the 2nd nine weeks AttenDANCE party. Anne will send a list of participating students to all staff.
- Consider presenting at Mini-CAST - the world needs your brilliance!
- Meet with teams & discuss plans for School Board Appreciation Month.
- Encourage your students to participate in the Dr. Schroeder & Grapevine-Colleyville Education Foundation grant program and win $1,000 for your classroom!
- See the Information To Share With Parents section of this newsletter for communication about campus events & other district news that needs to be included in your own newsletters, blogs, etc...
- Please click here to see our staff list of social media accounts. Please add/update any information so that we can make sure we follow each other!
- Review the information in this newsletter about the 5-minute a day communication plan. Tweet & blog about all of the great things you are doing in your classroom/grade! Don't forget to use @canSTEM and our hashtag #BeCannonProud this year in all of your tweets!