CANNON CONNECTION
A newsletter for Cannon Elementary families - 2018-2019
WEEK OF APRIL 23, 2019
Hi Cannon Parents!
I hope everyone has been enjoying the beautiful weather over this 4-day weekend! As a reminder, there is NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY, APRIL 22nd, as this was a bad-weather make-up day on the GCISD calendar this year, and since we did not have school closings due to bad weather, it has been designated as a student & staff holiday!
Many parents have been asking questions about our exterior construction at Cannon, so I wanted to provide a quick update on the progress!
- Parking lot areas are progressing well, as the concrete pours for both of them have been completed. Currently, the curbs, gutters, and sidewalks are being formed and poured in these areas. When completed, our new bus lane will be located in the east parking lot, located near Drexel. Also, in the east parking lot will be additional parking that will be utilized by staff during the school day. The large parking lot in front of the school, located on the west side, near Pebblebrook, will serve as our "main" parking lot for all parents and other school guests, as well as parking for staff. Our car line for arrival/dismissal will be in this area, with an entrance and exit off of College Street. Once this area is in use, all students and guests will begin to use our main entrance to the school!
- Canopies are in the process of being installed in the student arrival/dismissal areas of both parking lot areas, which will offer covered walkways for students and other school guests, as they approach the main entrances to our school!
- Landscaping is going well at Cannon! Many of the areas around the perimeter of the school have already been sodded and the grass is beginning to come in beautifully. There have already been numerous trees planted on the school property, in the courtyard area, as well as in the medians of the parking lots. In addition to trees, there have been a number of shrubs and ground cover plants already planted on the school grounds, as well as in the courtyard area. There will be additional landscaping in the front of the school, as our 2nd outdoor learning area/garden is created. In addition to providing an outdoor learning space, this garden area will provide plantings which will help us create a sensory garden for students to enjoy!
- The outdoor amphitheater, which will face the outdoor stage, located on the front east side of the school is beginning to be formed and will start to take shape soon! In addition to this space, walkways & ramps leading to the outdoor stage are being formed and will have concrete poured soon.
- The final areas of the playground will begin AFTER the east parking lot/bus lane is opened. At that time, the temporary bus lane, located on the east side of the school will close and construction will begin on the play field area, as well as the outdoor basketball/sport court. Both of these areas will be located in the area currently being utilized for our temporary bus lane. As you can imagine, our Cubs are super excited about seeing these spaces start to develop!
- A Dedication Plaque has been installed in our front lobby commemorating our school's namesake, Mr. W.F. Cannon. This display showcases many old photographs and newspaper articles about Cannon Elementary's, (GCISD's first elementary school), initial dedication in 1959, as well as about Mr. Cannon himself. He was our district's longest serving superintendent, leading in this role from 1938-1958. The image below shows this awesome dedication for Mr. Cannon!
We are super excited about all of the visible progress that has been made on our exterior areas and can't wait to see the finished product! This is truly an incredible time to be a Cannon Cub! #BeCannonProud
Proud to be your principal,
Mrs. Blizzard
#BeCannonProud
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Mark Your Calendars.....
UPCOMING EVENTS
4/22 - No School for students & staff - Bad Weather Make-Up Day
4/23-25 - Kindergarten Registration Week
4/23 - Kindergarten "Come & Go" Meet & Greet - 4:00-6:00 pm
4/25 - Cubs Night Out @ Cici's Pizza
4/27 - GCISD Rachel's Challenge Rally - 9:00-11:00 am @ CHHS
5/03 - 4th Grade Fundraiser - Family Movie Night - 6:30 pm - see information in the PTA Quick Picks section of this newsletter!
5/06-08 - Cubs Night Out @ Wise Guys Pizza
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SAVE THE DATES!
More information will be coming home soon about our Field Day. Due to construction, we will be holding our Field day off-site again this year. We are SO excited to announce that GCISD's beautiful new stadium will be the site for our Field Day! Information about transportation, schedule of activities and MORE will come home with all students in early May.
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.
REMAINING 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!
Portable Planetarium Comes To Cannon!
Measuring Dinos in 1st Grade!
3rd Grade Explores Weather Tools
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CAMPUS UPDATES
GMS HOSTS STEM PARENT NIGHT!
On April 29th GMS will be hosting a STEM Parent Night to showcase student work and provide an opportunity for parents to learn more about the middl STEM program. The night will run in a mini-conference format for parents and students in grades 4-8. During the night, parents and students will be able to attend 3 sessions of their choice and each topic is offered multiple times.
Click on the link below to read the STEM Parent Night flyer in English and en Español.
Kindergarten Registration Is This Week!
Do you have a friend or neighbor who has a Kindergarten student that will attend Cannon next year?
Please help us spread the word that Kindergarten Registration for 2019-2020 will be held throughout the week of April 23rd-26th! We will have a special Kindergarten Meet & Greet on Tuesday, April 23rd from 4:00-6:00 pm, when incoming students can meet the Kinder teachers & do an activity in a Kinder classroom. Registration for Kinder can be completed between 8:00-2:00, 4/23 - 4/26.
Thanks for helping us round up our incoming Cubs!
INFORMATION ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND TRYOUTS
Click on the links below in English & Spanish to learn more about how to sign for an Instrument Interview with the GMS Band Directors and for the upcoming April dates when your child will go to GMS to try out various instruments.
CAREER DAY 2019
We are looking for individuals to come present at our Career Day for all students K-5 on Monday, May 20th. Our hope is for students to gain knowledge about possible careers/jobs and the college and/or experiences required to obtain these professions.
We would love for our guests to bring any hands on materials or pictures that will help the students better understand your job/career.
Please complete this survey to let us know if you are interested.
Contact Mandy Coburn, Cannon Counselor, if you have any questions. (817) 251-5684 or amanda.coburn@gcisd.net
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:
VOLUNTEER AWARDS -PTA is collecting names for 2018-19 Volunteer Awards. You can nominate a Cannon staff, another parent or a community member. SUBMIT NAMES HERE
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2019-2020 PTA Officer Position Nominations - We are continuing to collect nominations for the 2019-20 PTA Board. Our PTA is only as good as the volunteers that help, please consider helping with PTA. Most positions can be done after-school hours, so working parents can help. Submit nominations here. You can also download this nomination form to complete and send to school with your child.
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RACHEL'S CHALLENGE RALLY - April 27th - 9:00-11:00 am @ CHHS The Rachel’s Challenge Rally is a celebration of student kindness and compassion that has been ongoing throughout the school year. The rally features a free 1-mile fun run, local vendors, free games and activities for children, motivational speakers and food trucks.
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FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT - 4th GRADE FUNDRAISER FOR SKY RANCH - May 3 @ 6:30 pm
The 4th-grade parents will host a movie night to help fundraise for their field trip to Sky Ranch as 5th graders. We will have hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, snacks, popcorn, and snocones available for purchase. After dinner, we will show a movie in the Cannon courtyard. More information to come!
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CUBS NIGHT OUT @ CICI'S PIZZA- April 25th
GCISD RACHEL'S CHALLENGE RALLY - April 27th -9:00-11:00 am @ CHHS
CUBS NIGHT OUT @ WISE GUYS PIZZA - May 6-8
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…More dates and information available at https://www.cannonpta.com/calendar and Like Us on Facebook or Twitter!
DISTRICT UPDATES
A Conversation with Grapevine Police Officers about Vaping, Drugs, and Other Current Trends
GCISD counselors are pleased to host this informative evening on Thursday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m. in the GCISD Board Room, 3051 Ira E. Woods Ave, Grapevine.
In 2015, more than 3 million youth in middle and high school, including about 1 of every 6 high school students, used e-Cigarettes in the past month. More than a quarter of youth in middle and high school have tried e-Cigarettes. -an excerpt from the Surgeon General’s warning about e-Cigarettes
STUDENT TRANSFERS
RACHEL'S CHALLENGE RALLY
Dear Parents,
GCISD will be hosting its annual Rachel’s Challenge Fun Run on Saturday, April 27th. It will be held at CHHS, from 9-11am and will have many vendors from the community to support healthy lifestyles. Please see link for more information.
Please remind your students to wear their Rachel’s Challenge T-Shirts every Monday in April! Hope to see you all on 4/27!
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