CANNON CONNECTION
A newsletter for Cannon Elementary families - 2018-2019
WEEK OF MARCH 25, 2019
Hi Cannon Parents!
HUGE thanks to all of our Cannon parents who were able to come out last week for our PTA's Spring Fling and silent auction! It was a beautiful night to be outdoors. The students AND their families all enjoyed eating burgers from the In-N-Out truck, frozen treats from Kona Ice, dancing to music on the patio, thanks to our local "Cannon DJ" (parent) Mr. Balbaugh, playing outdoor games, and enjoying the playground.
Indoors at the auction, things started heating up at the end of the evening as the final bids were submitted for all of the amazing items our PTA collected as donations, to auction for sale in order to try and reach their goal of raising $10,000 to help fund Cannon's outdoor TinkerSpace. Special thanks to PTA volunteer, Mrs. Liz Chalmers, for her hard work to collect such great auction items/donations!!
We are SO excited to share that our PTA did it!! With funds raised from the auction and proceeds from other sales during that evening, they raised $10,000!! This money, along with an additional $10,000 our PTA has in their current budget, will be provided to our school to help fund our new outdoor TinkerSpace. We are SO excited and cannot wait to begin designing and building this space for all of our Cubs to enjoy!! To learn more about a TinkerSpace, check out the information below.
This effort is the PERFECT example of what an entire school commUNITY can accomplish when they set focused goals and work together to create a thriving and successful school environment that benefits our children in the best way possible. The Cannon PTA and parent community is simply the BEST! Thank YOU all for your support, passion, and pride for our wonderful school commUNITY!
Proud to be your principal,
Mrs. Blizzard
#BeCannonProud
A TINKERSPACE FOR OUR CUBS!
Have You Heard The News?
Our awesome PTA was on a serious mission to fundraise enough money to help us create an outdoor TinkerSpace at Cannon and they DID IT!!
What is a TinkerSpace? The Tinkerspace will bring STEM learning outdoors by creating an alternative playground that invites innovation and creates a learning environment with making and tinkering at the heart. Students will continue learning by playing during recess with the building, engineering, and STEM-focused outdoor play areas where they will have access to raw materials, tools, and safety gear to support their ideas. We see this space not only as a place for students to design and create models and prototypes, but also as a place to explore systems, energy, properties, patterns, and change!
We are excited to get students involved in helping us design this space and we will also be inviting our awesome Dad's Club to join us in some of the actual construction aspects of the TinkerSpace, so it is truly a project that will impact our entire school commUNITY for years to come!
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Mark Your Calendars.....
UPCOMING EVENTS
3/26 - Cub's Night Out @ McAlister's - Colleyville 5:00-9:00 pm
3/28 - Cub's Night Out @ Cici's Pizza - 5:00-9:00 pm
4/09 - STAAR testing - 4th grade Writing & 5th grade Math
4/10 - STAAR testing - 5th grade Reading
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STAAR TESTING DATES
* Please note that due to state test security procedures, Cannon will be a "closed campus" on STAAR testing dates. No parents, volunteers, and campus visitors are not allowed to be on campus, including during lunch visits.
STAAR testing begins in April with:
- 4th Grade Writing (Tuesday, April 9)
- 5th Grade Math (Tuesday, April 9)
- 5th Grade Reading (Wednesday, April 10)
OTHER STAAR TESTING DATES FOR THIS SPRING;
May 13th - 3rd & 4th Math STAAR (5th Math retakes)
May 14th - 3rd & 4th Reading STAAR (5th Reading retakes)
May 15th - 5th Science STAAR
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SEEN @ CANNON LAST WEEK!
Using Tools Of Science In 1st Grade
2nd Grade - Famous Inventors
2x2 Battle of the Books!
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CAMPUS UPDATES
2nd Graders - Exploring The Continents! Can YOU Help?
If you have any items that you would be willing to donate for this purpose, please send them to school with your child, clearly labeled with your child's name, and they will be returned to you at the end of the unit of study. Flags, postcards, items of clothing unique to a specific culture, books, etc... are welcome! Thank you in advance!!
IT'S YEARBOOK TIME!
It's that time of year when parents can place their order for the Cannon yearbook! An information form like the one featured below has gone home with all students in Monday folders. Please see the information in the photo below about how to order your child's yearbook! Please note that there is a passcode that is specific to Cannon if you order online. The passcode is 1014520263794913 Order at www.treering.com/validate and enter our school's passcode. ORDERS ARE DUE BY APRIL 5th!
MARCH/APRIL BOOK OF THE MONTH
We are SO excited about this month's Book of the Month! This nonfiction book follows an elementary school in New Mexico for an entire calendar year as they plan, plant, tend, and harvest their school garden.
As part of this month's design challenge, our Cannon scholars will be challenged to help us plan our new Cannon Garden! Each grade level is assigned 3 hexagon shaped raised planters to plant and take care of in the Cannon garden area. Scholars will research plants that grow in our area and select a theme for their garden plan, then they will create a diagram of how they will be arranged in the garden beds and submit their ideas! We will be selecting the best ideas and using those ideas to get our garden started!
Check out all of the design challenge criteria and details in the Book of the Month S'more below and please share the Adobe Spark video with your Cubs so that they understand all of the details of this month's design challenge. Thank you for encouraging your Cubs to participate!
NURSE NEEDS- CAN YOU HELP?
- Lysol Wipes
- Hand Sanitizer
- Kleenex Tissues,
- Boys and girls underwear size 4-6
- Gently used pants and shorts with an elastic waist
GOT OLD ELECTRONICS?
One man's trash is a curious STEM Cub's treasure!
Do you have any small old, broken electronics gathering dust? We are collecting these for our Breaker Space and could use your old electronics for our Cubs to explore!
Suggestions for small items to donate: (No items with GLASS screens please! )
- Electronic toys - we LOVE these!
- Keyboards
- Remotes
- Small appliances (hair dryers; coffee makers; toasters; styling tools, etc...
- Clocks
- Phones
- Smoke detectors; Flashlights; Tools
- We would love to learn from anything you might have!
Please drop these items off in the front office or send them to school with your students to be taken to the office. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
Emergency Contacts Reminder
Is YOUR emergency contact information current?? Emergency contact information can be updated at any time through your Family Access portal in Skyward. Please take a moment to double check that your child’s information is correct.
It is very important for the campus to have correct emergency contact information in case there is ever an emergency when we need to contact someone you trust!
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NEWS FROM CANNON PTA
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PTA QUICK PICKS!
Check out these "quick picks" of reminders & information from PTA:
CUBS NIGHT OUT @ McALISTERS March 26th -5-9 PM - Colleyville Please RSVP for this event by clicking this link. If we don't have enough families who are interested in eating, McAlisters won't host our event. Don't forget to grab those receipts for the Colleyville Receipt Race!
CANNON SPIRIT NIGHT @ CiCI'S PIZZA - March 28th - 5-9 PM
CUBS NIGHT OUT @ SPRING CREEK BBQ - April 16th 5-9 PM.
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All GCISD campuses in conjunction with Rachel’s Challenge Rally 2019 will be collecting school supplies for the annual Back to School. Cannon Elementary will be collecting paper towels and ear buds. There will be a box labeled in the office for these supplies.
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…More dates and information available at https://www.cannonpta.com/calendar and Like Us on Facebook or Twitter!
DISTRICT UPDATES
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD - Open Positions
1. Bus Drivers: Provide safe and efficient transportation service so that students may enjoy the greatest possible advantage from the district’s curriculum and extracurricular programs. Paid training available; starting salary once CDL is obtained is $17.43/hr!
2. Cafeteria Food Service Workers (Nutrition Specialist): Prepare and serve nutritional meals for students and staff following USDA and TDA guidelines.
3. After School Care Aides (Kidzu): Responsible for assisting the Site Coordinator with daily activities at their individual school; supervision of the children in the program; and the communication with students, staff members, and parents. Great opportunity to work w/students after school & be a role model!
4. Early Childhood Caregivers: Assist the Lead Caregiver in providing child care with appropriate learning activities, instructional assistance, and other responsibilities as assigned by the Assistant Coordinator. Maintain a safe, enriching and inviting atmosphere working directly in a daycare with children 0-4 years old.
5. Bus Monitors: Assist the bus driver in transporting students with disabilities to and from home and the complete range of curricular and extracurricular activities offered.
6. Custodians: Follow routine cleaning and maintenance procedures to maintain a high standard of safety, cleanliness, and efficiency of building operations and grounds. No weekends!
GREAT BENEFITS!
- Part time or Full time hours! Weekends Off!
- Competitive salary!
- Health & Retirement benefits!
- Fun team environment!
Please visit our website at www.gcisd.net and select Employment
MATH TELESCOPING EXAMS
Lee esta información en español
Testing opportunities for telescoping in math for the 2019-20 school year are available in the spring and summer for GCISD students who are completing Grades K - 7.
The Math Telescoping Information Packet will be available on the district website under the For Parents and Students Directory by selecting the link for Acceleration Exams, Math Telescoping, Grades K - 7.
Parents will find information about the requirements to qualify for Math Telescoping and instructions about the TWO STEP Online Registration Process. There will be links to print the Information Packet, begin the TWO STEP Online Registration Process to register for the spring exams, view the TEKS on the TEA website, and download Study Guides for the exams purchased from UT-Austin.
The online registration form will go live on May 6th for the June 19th test administration.
The summer exam dates and registration deadlines are listed below:
Summer Exam Date: Wednesday, June 19, 2019 9 a.m. Heritage Middle School
Online Registration Opens – Summer Exam Date: May 6, 2019
Online Registration Closes – Summer Exam Date: May 20, 2019
The online registration form will not be unavailable on May 21, 2019
Exam Fee Payment Deadline – Summer Exam Date: May 21, 2019
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QUICK LINKS FOR PARENTS
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I want to make you aware of where you can see information and resources, specifically about the Cannon construction project. Also, check out the awesome exterior renderings of our new school below!!
Please reach out to me to let me know of any questions you may have about this project. This is a VERY exciting time for our Cannon school community and I want to make sure all of our Cannon families stay informed!
Click here to see project updates on all GCISD Bond programs
Click here to sign up for construction updates by email about the Cannon project!
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Cannon Elementary: A GCISD STEM School
Email: tona.blizzard@gcisd.net
Website: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/Domain/1428
Location: 1300 W College St, Grapevine, TX, United States
Phone: 817-251-5680
Facebook: facebook.com/CannonSTEM
Twitter: @canSTEM