CANNON TIMES
A Newsletter For Cannon Staff 2018-2019
Principal Points - Week of September 17, 2018
"A team can do great things but a positive team can do extraordinary things. Let the light that shines in you be brighter than the light that shines on you.”
Dabo Swinney - Head Coach, Clemson Football
One of the GREAT books that I read over the summer is Jon Gordon's book, The Power of a Positive Team. It is filled with wisdom, inspiration, and reminders about what a powerful difference great teams can make when they are "all in" together! Below are Gordon's 11 Thoughts About Teamwork:
1. Teams rise and fall on culture, mind leadership, healing relationships, attitude and effort.
Great teams have a great culture driven by great leadership. Relationships are meaningful and teammates are connected. The collective attitude is very positive and everyone on the team works hard to accomplish their mission.
2. It’s all about teamwork. Sometimes you are the star and sometimes you help the star.
3. If want to be truly great you have to work as hard to be a great teammate as you do to be a great player.I tell this to athletes all the time but the same is true for any profession. When we work hard to be a great team member we make everyone around us better.
4. Your team doesn’t care if you are a superstar. They care if you are a super team member.
5. Three things you control every day are your attitude, your effort and your actions to be a great teammate. It doesn’t matter what is happening around you and who you think is being unfair. Every day you can focus on being positive, working hard and making others around you better. If you do that great things will happen.
6. One person can’t make a team but one person can break a team. Stay positive! Make sure you don’t let energy vampires sabotage your team. Most importantly, decide to stay positive.
7. Great team members hold each other accountable to the high standards and excellence their culture expects and demands.
8. Team beats talent when talent isn’t a team.
9. Great teams care more. They care more about their effort, their work and their team members.
10. We > me. Unity is the difference between a great team and an average team. United teams are connected and committed to each other. They are selfless instead of selfish. They put the team first and know together we accomplish more.
11. You and your team face a fork in the road each day. You can settle for average and choose the path of mediocrity or you can take the road less traveled and chase greatness. It’s a choice you make each day. Which path will your team take?
I am SO proud of all of the outstanding teams we have at Cannon! I had the wonderful privilege of joining one of our great teams in Austin last week, as we supported and celebrated Joe and all of his success & recognition as a campus, district, regional, and state finalist teacher of the year. It was so evident how the 5th grade team, the other colleagues that joined us, and the rest of our campus team who were cheering him on from school, embody each of these principles of a positive team every day! Thanks for being teams that are truly "all in" for each other and for our Cubs!!
Have a GREAT week!!
Proud to be your principal,
Tona :)
#BeCannonProud
__________________________________
Lisa's Coaching Corner
Teacher Self-Care
I applaud each of you and your efforts of completing BOY assessments. Please keep asking me questions because I know things are new and different. If you need help inputting data into Eduphoria, please email me. I can come into your classroom and you can log into your Eduphoria and I can assist you, even while you teach. I realize time is a stressor so I can help. Instead of being stressed at the "new parts", let me ease your stress because we are all learning these new pieces together.
STRESS...I have read several blog post on teacher self-care and balancing work and personal life. Your passion speaks to why you are a teacher but often times that same passion can be your worse enemy. I want to share three strategies from Anne Brunette. Click here to read her entire article on self-care.
Set healthy boundaries. Say yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no. Recognize your limits, and do what is most important. Trying to be super-teacher has consequences (mostly negative ones). No, you cannot leap tall buildings in a single bound!
Know your own threshold for stress. Recognize the first signs of stress. These may include increased heart rate, change in appetite, fatigue and irritability. Pay attention to what triggers stress for you and either avoid those situations or learn relaxation techniques so you can manage your stress effectively. Modeling these skills for your students will teach them how they can handle their own stress. Focused breathing and deep muscle relaxation have been proven to work.
Find at least three activities that relieve stress for you. Do these things consistently. Planning ahead of time to prevent stress or becoming aware of what you can do when you become stressed will help decrease burn-out.
I look forward to hearing from you!!
Lisa
FYI- WORD ANALYSIS TASKS: I have made myself a copy of the WORD ANALYSIS TASKS. If you desire a set, please email me and I will get it to you ASAP on Monday.
__________________________________
DATES TO REMEMBER
9/17 Cannon Accommodations Training - grade levels meet during conference periods - see information in this newsletter!
9/18 PLC Week B -Kindergarten 2:15-3:45
9/18 WatchDOGS Kickoff & Family Involvement Fair - 6:00 pm - cafeteria
9/19 PLC Week B - 1st grade 2:15-3:45
9/20 PLC Week B - 2nd grade 2:15-3:45
9/21 Flu Shot Clinic @ Cannon 7:00-9:00 am
9/21 Summer Reading Achievement Parties - Kristi will notify participants/teachers w/ details
9/21 Achievement Meetings - 1st & 5th grades
9/24 Staff Pancake Breakfast - teacher's lounge 7:00-7:40 am
9/24 Achievement Meetings - 2nd & 4th grades
9/24 STEM Leadership Team meeting - 3:00 - 3:45 pm - library
9/25 PLC Week A - 3rd Grade 2:15-3:45
9/25 Cub's Night Out @ California Pizza Kitchen
9/26 Vision & Hearing Screenings @ Cannon
9/26 PLC Week A - 4th Grade 2:15-3:45
9/27 Picture Day @ Cannon
9/27 PLC Week A - 5th Grade 2:15-3:45
9/27 Cubs Night Out @ Cici's Pizza
9/28 Achievement Meetings - Kinder & 3rd grade
9/28 Tech Talk - during conference times
9/28 Food Truck Friday - Chez Flo Truck will be @ Cannon from 10:30-1:30
__________________________________
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
The following answers are in response to some of the questions submitted on the school community form provided for staff to submit questions & suggestions about our move. Please use this link to submit additional questions & suggestions!
Q & A (QUESTIONS & ANSWERS):
- WHAT ABOUT PROJECTORS & TECHNOLOGY IN NEW BUILDING? Your classroom projectors and mounts for the projectors will begin to be moved over to the new building beginning this week. Kindergarten & SPED classrooms will be the first classrooms to have projectors removed. GCISD contracts with Pro-Computing to install projectors in our classrooms, so they will begin to relocate the mounts from your rooms and pull cable to install them in the new classrooms this week. It is possible that they will leave your projector in the classroom for the next two weeks, so that you can use it on a tabletop to project in your room. We will also have mini-projectors in several spaces of our new building (shared learning spaces; collaboration rooms in the Learning Commons, etc...).So, if they do not leave your ceiling projector for you to use on as a tabletop projector, it is possible that the Technology Department will bring you one of these mini-projectors to use in your room temporarily while your mounted projector is taken down & moved. All staff will be provided colored painter's tape to use to label all technology in your classroom for the move, including your personal devices, class set of laptops/iPads, telephone, printer, etc... Please note there will no longer be printers in each classroom in our new school. There will be ONE high-quality printer per grade level in the new school for each grade level. These will be located in the K-5 Teacher Preparation Rooms for K-5.
- WHAT ARE THE FIRST DAY PLANS FOR STUDENTS & PARENTS? We are making plans to have a Red Carpet Welcome for our students as they arrive to school on Tuesday, 10/9. We will be literally be rolling out long red carpet runners (courtesy of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) stanchions with red velvet ropes, and balloon columns at both entrances (for car riders & bus riders) on this date. Grapevine community workers, such as GV Fire department, GV Police department, and GCISD central administrators are planning to be on site on this day to line the walkways for both of these entrances to welcome students into the new school. Some of these community helpers will be inside to help students find their classrooms. We are NOT planning to allow parents to walk their students into school on this day OR to come eat lunch with students during the first week of school in our new space, in order to allow time for us to teach students the new routines & procedures. This will be communicated to parents soon in a letter sent by the district, along with information about the new arrival/dismissal/bus procedures. We are planning to offer "tours" for parents in individual grade levels on designated dates within the first two weeks of school, during the day, for interested parents, in order to allow them the opportunity to come into the building to check out our new digs! There will not be a formal grand opening/ribbon-cutting for the community until all of the demolition is completed and the remaining construction (parking/grounds, etc..) is complete.
- WHAT ARE THE STORAGE OPTIONS IN THE CLASSROOMS? As communicated previously, there are no cabinets/counters built into the new grade level classrooms. All cabinets, book shelves, & storage will be provided through mobile units. There are built-in counters/cabinets located only in the Multi-purpose rooms; 5th grade science lab; PLC room; Literacy Library; and administrative office suite. Bookcases that are in good shape may be moved from your classroom to the new building, only if additional bookcases are needed.
- HOW WILL CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS BE DETERMINED? Grade level teachers will be assigned a classroom to use as a "home base". As has been discussed over the last year, the design of this campus is based on the concept of shared learning spaces, meaning that all classroom spaces within a grade level really "belong" to ALL teachers on that grade level to use as needed for ALL students. K-5 teachers have their own dedicated shared office space that will have their desks/filing options/printer/conference table/phones, etc... As a result, classroom furniture does not include a formal teacher desk, filing cabinet, etc.. Because some of the classroom spaces within the grade level offer various flexible use options, this provides amazing opportunities for teachers to flexibly use individual rooms as needed to support the design of learning. We recognize that this will be a BIG shift for how we have "done school" over many years, so don't panic. Just as with any change, we will have to learn how to best utilize the learning spaces, in order to maximize learning experiences for our scholars. With open minds and an incredible building that is so thoughtfully designed to support best practices for kids & adults, the possibilities are truly endless!! Room numbers are currently being created and will be provided soon for all staff!
- WHAT ARE DISPLAY/DECORATION OPTIONS? Our goal for the move-in weekend will be to get all items moved over and organized for students to arrive on Tuesday, October 9th. Displays & decorations will be something that will evolve over time. There are display "grip" bars installed on the walls of the hallways of the academic wing. Click here to see a photo of these display bars mounted in the hallway outside of classrooms. These will allow for easy display that do not require staples, tape or hot glue. Students will be able to put items on display easily all by themselves!
- HOW WILL WE PACK UP IN OUR CURRENT BUILDING? One of many planned construction/logistics meetings I will be attending during the next couple of weeks will be ALL about the actual move-in. Watch for more information about moving questions in next week's newsletter! STAY TUNED!!
We are SO incredibly fortunate to be part of such an exciting time in history for both Cannon and GCISD! #BeCannonProud
__________________________________
REMINDERS & UPDATES
SPECIAL SERVICES: CAMPUS TRAINING ON 9/17 In line with the Superintendent’s Goals for 2018-19, the district has some focused efforts to support the implementation of 504 and Special Ed accommodations for students. The Special Services Case Managers will be meeting with EVERY teacher (including Specials teachers), special ed paras, at Cannon on 9/17, during conference times, as a team. These meetings will be held in Lisa's PLC room. ALL staff members need to bring their laptops, and accommodations folders/documentations (504 & Special Ed. students) with them and to be prepared to ask specific questions about accommodations or documentation of providing accommodations. If you have any questions about this process or your accommodations information, please ask Anne!
FLU CLINIC AT CANNON IS FRIDAY! GCISD is offering free or low cost flu shots and additional vaccinations to all district employees and their families. We encourage you to stay healthy and take advantage of this preventive health service! The flu vaccination clinic will be at Cannon on Friday, from 7:15 am - 9:00 am in the conference room. On site vaccination clinics will be held from Thursday, September 20th through Friday, October 26th at different locations within the district. You MUST pre-register at this link so the vendor will have an accurate count of immunizations by location. Please review this Vaccination Employee Notice for more details including which insurance providers are NOT ACCEPTED and other vaccines that will be administered. You must bring a COPY of your medical insurance card, drivers license and consent form with you in order to receive the flu shot free of charge. **Dependent children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian and you must provide a copy of insurance card, consent form and your drivers license at the time of vaccination.
INCREASE YOUR DEVICE WIRELESS SPEED Recent upgrades made over the summer have led to some increase in wireless access speeds across the district. To ensure your device is on the best wifi network please follow the below directions.
- Click the wifi symbol on your device to see what network you are currently using. If your device is already connected to the GCISD-WIRELESS network, you are in great shape! If your device is NOT connected to GCISD- WIRELESS follow these steps:
- Press the disconnect button under the wireless network you are on ( Probably GCISD-Laptop)
- Select GCISD- WIRELESS network and click connect as well as the connect automatically button.
- Enter in your GCISD login information
Over the course of the next 30 days, the old GCISD-LAPTOP network will start to get slower and slower, so it's important to move on over to the new GCISD-WIRELESS network.
GT COURSES AVAILABLE Click here to find a list of 5 online GT courses for the fall semester. These are available for any teachers who still need their initial GT 30 hours or for those teachers who might appreciate a refresher.The GT department is currently developing a few online update options, as well as some book study possibilities. Melanie will share those with you ASAP. Let Melanie know if you have any questions or concerns.
FLEX TRAINING MUST BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER 5th Click here to access the new GCISD FLEX for 2018-2019. Teachers must complete the Flex requirements off contract time by October 5, 2018. All other staff may use contract time to complete the modules. Use the pull-down Search By Job menu on the top right of the page to select your job/role, to ensure you are completing the correct FLEX courses.
__________________________________
INFORMATION TO SHARE IN PARENT NEWSLETTERS
HERE COMES THE BUS
GCISD is happy to announce the adoption of an innovative mobile device app and website entitled, Here Comes the Bus®. This app allows you to view the real-time location of your child’s school bus on your smartphone, tablet or computer. The app is free and enables you to:
- See the real-time location of your child’s bus both before and after school
- Confirm that your child’s bus has arrived at the bus stop, at school or both
- Receive a push notification* or email message when the bus is near your stop, has been substituted, or when we have important information to relay
Getting started:
Available in three languages (English, Spanish and French), the Here Comes the Bus app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
- Download the Here Comes the Bus app* or visit herecomesthebus.com
- Click the Sign Up button
- Enter school code 79915 and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
- Complete the User Profile information
- Click “Students” and enter your child’s last name and student ID number when prompted
- Once you confirm your information, you’re ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus!
To sign up on the website, or to learn more about this service, visit the Here Comes the Bus website.
**Your child needs to be a registered bus rider in order to ride a GCISD bus. If you are wanting to register your child to ride the bus, please do so in Skyward. If you are needing to temporarily change your child's bus transportation (i.e. riding home with a friend for a day, etc.), please complete this form. This app tracks only GCISD buses, not individual students.
Questions:
Should you have any questions, please contact Misael Ruiz at misael.ruiz@gcisd.net or (817) 251-5595. If you additional assistance, contact Here Comes the Bus customer support. You will be asked to provide the following information:
- Your name
- School District Name or 5-digit School Code
- Email address used for your Here Comes the Bus account
- Your child’s first and last name, and student ID #
- Description of the question
WatchD.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is an innovative program being used by schools across America which helps them to be positively impacted by the committed involvement of fathers and father-figures in their student's life. Our goal is to have you spend at least one day this year at the school to be a positive male role model and to provide an extra set of eyes and ears. There are also may other opportunities for both moms and dads to get involved in our school this year and we are excited to share them with everyone!
In order to participate, you need to do two things:
- Complete the bottom portion of the form that came home with students last week and return it asap to let us know if you will attend, so that we can have an accurate head count for the food.
- Mark your calendars and show up on Tuesday, September 18th at 6:00 pm!
DAVID'S LAW PRESENTATION
Please include this image in your parent communications about our new safety app
__________________________________
TECH TALK FROM JULEE!
ACTION NEEDED: Important Update from GCISD Technology
K-4 Students iPads
We have a new program on the k-4 students iPads that is called CatchOn. This program will allow us to track overall app usage as well as what sites or online applications students use the most. This tool will help us evaluate total app usage as well as information on programs we purchase to determine continued usage.
For it to start working on the student's device, there is a one time step that should not take very long to accomplish.
If we could please have the students:
- Click on the CatchOn App - Its a square that has for red, orange, blue and gree color circles inside it.
- Sign in with their district email and password
- Hit enter, and that is it
The app will then open up to Google, and the app will just run in the background as needed. This process will not have to occur again; this is only a one-time event. Please let me know if there are any questions or concerns.
Technology Help Desk Reminders Please remember to enter Help Desk Tickets when in need of technical assistance. By putting in tickets, it immediately gets to the appropriate staff member and also allows for other team members to possible see the ticket and assist quickly. By emailing or calling your campus technician, you are limiting the technology departments ability to resolve your issues quickly. You can find the help desk at https://help.gcisd.net , in ClassLink as an icon, or as an icon on your desktop.
__________________________________
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!
__________________________________
Worth A Read, Watch or...Listen!!
GCISD STUDENT VOICE RESOURCES Through goal-setting conferences, we heard from MANY of our teachers that they are setting goals around increasing opportunities for student voice within the classroom. Be sure to check out these resources that GCISD educators have created and used to accelerate student voice within their own classrooms!
MAKING LEARNING STICK! The statistics shown in the video below about how long students remember content they learned after just one hour, and then after only one day, are shockingly depressing! But because our brains are more wired to forget than to remember, it is important to utilize strategies that help make learning stick! Check out the 5 great tips in the video below!
__________________________________
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!
__________________________________
TO-DO LIST
- Set a timer and complete daily attendance ON TIME every day!
- Meet with district staff during conference times on Monday, 9/17 for 504/Sped accommodations training. These will be held in Lisa's PLC room. Don't forget your laptop and your student accommodations folders/binders.
- Review the Q & A info in the Construction Update section. Keep submitting your questions & suggestions - we need your good thinking! :)
- 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...
- Don't forget to pre-register for flu shots if you plan to participate in the Cannon Flu Clinic on Friday!
- Be sure to check for the email from Kristi last week about students who will participate in the Summer Reading Achievement parties and the schedule for these on Friday.
- Make note of the information in Julee's Tech section about the district expectation for Catch-on. Please follow the steps outlined by Julee to complete this requirement.
- 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!
- Update teacher website & get blog and other social media started. Not sure where to start? Ask Julee for help with this!