CANNON TIMES
A Newsletter For Cannon Staff 2018-2019
Principal Points-Week of 5/13/19
Please enjoy the video below! It's one of my absolute Mother's Day favorites!
Proud to be your principal,
Tona :)
#BeCannonProud
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Lisa's Coaching Corner
Today I boast with utmost pride in being an educator. Friday morning at 10:00 am, I was blessed to sit through daughter #2, Meagan's, graduation from Texas Tech with a BSN-RN. As I listened to the keynote speech, everyone talked about following your "calling". This made my heart fill with pride I truly hope everyone follows a path of their "calling", not just their profession or job. The keynote speaker literally discussed the impact educators had on her life beginning in elementary school. WE MAKE AN IMPACT!!! I hope this helps carries you through the rest of the year and you take every opportunity to make sure every STUDENT knows you care!
Three quick things:
1). Per staff members request, I will be placing a file folder in your (K-4th) box for you to turn in your SCORED EOY writing benchmarks, EOY DRAs & word analysis. I will also be placing individual folders for tiered students to collect all of their data. These will be passed out next year so teachers can see how students ended the year.
2). This educator POST-IT template is amazing. It has post-it templates in 5 different ways: 1-blank (you create it), 2-observation notes of a student during math or reading workshop, 3-a rubric for student voice in the level of comfort with a specific skill, 4-a Writing Checklist (I LOVE THIS ONE), and 5-misc. "notes" to give to students. Please try this out NOW to determine how it could impact your classroom for next year.
3). Take a moment to watch the great performance in the video below that will warm your soul! . Always being transparent, I realize the first verse uses a word that would NOT be elementary school appropriate but PLEASE watch and listen to these New York city kids @ PS22 and watch their passion. FYI- The PS22 Chorus is an elementary school chorus from PS 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island, New York City. It is composed of 60-70 fifth-graders and is directed by Gregg Breinberg. PS 22 is the largest elementary school in Staten Island. This makes my heart warm!!
Grateful to work with you! LB
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DATES TO REMEMBER
5/13 - STAAR Math test - 3rd & 4th (5th retakes)
5/13 - Baby Shower for Ashley Houck - 3:15-3:45 pm
5/14 - STAAR Reading test - 3rd & 4th (5th retakes)
5/14 - PLC Week B - Kindergarten - 2:15-3:45
5/15 - STAAR Science test - 5th grade
5/15 - PLC Week B - 1st grade - 2:15-3:45
5/16 - Staff Potluck Lunch - hosted by Kinder/3rd/1st grades!
5/16 - PLC Week B - 2nd grade - 2:15-3:45
5/16 - Wedding Shower for Addi Freiner - 3:15-3:45
5/17 - Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast - 8:00-8:45 - Volunteer Room
5/17 - GCISD Reads Celebration - 4th grade 2:00-2:30
5/20 - Career Day
5/20 - CHHS Graduation Walk in Cannon hallways - 9:00-9:30 (Career Day schedule has been organized around this event)
5/21 - Hawaiian Falls Choir Event
5/21 - GCISD Reads Celebration - Kindergarten & 1st grade - 2:00-2:30
5/21 - PLC Week A - 3rd grade - 2:15-3:45
5/22 - Cannon hosts the Association For Learning Environments event - 10:30 - 1:30
5/22 - GCISD Reads Celebration - 3rd grade - 2:00-2:30
5/22 - PLC Week A - 4th grade - 2:15-3:45
5/23 - EoY Recognition Event - 2nd grade 8:15-9:15
5/23 - Dove Drummers End of Year Tour Concert in gym - 9:15-9:45
5/23 - EoY Recognition Event - Kindergarten - 1:45-2:45
5/23 - GCISD Reads Celebration - 2nd grade - 2:00-2:30
5/23 - PLC Week A - 5th grade - 2:15-3:45
5/24 - Field Day - details coming soon with schedule!
5/27 - Student & Staff Holiday - no school!
5/28 - EoY Recognition Event - 1st grade - 8:15-9:15
5/28 - EoY Recognition Event - 3rd grade - 1:45-2:45
5/28 - GCISD Reads Celebration - 5th grade 2:00-2:30
5/29 - EoY Recognition Event - 5th grade - 8:15-9:15
5/29 - EoY Recognition Event - 4th grade - 1:45-2:45
5/29 - Retirement party for Debbie Van Pelt - 3:15-3:45
5/30 - Last Day of School - early dismissal for students - 11:45 am
5/31 - Last contract day for teachers
5/31 - End of Year Staff Celebration Breakfast 8:00-9:00 am
CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK!
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REMINDERS AND UPDATES
SPECIALS SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
STUDENT DEVICES FOR THE SUMMER
SUMMER RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
All of the following resources will be shared with parents as we approach the end of school! Please review each of these resources and encourage your students to participate. We have found that when teachers take the time to show/discuss these resources in class, prior to the end of the year, more students will participate! Thanks!
Summer Reading For GCISD Reads
Students are encouraged to read, read, read, ALL summer long and get a jumpstart on their GCISD Reads Challenge for next year. Click here to read a letter with all the details from Mrs. Wagner!
Elementary Summer Boredom Busters Doc & Bookmarks
The instructional coaches created a summer activities calendar for students called Summer Boredom Busters. It includes recommendations for a variety of activities all summer along with a weekly calendar that includes a Humanities, Math, Science and a Maker challenge each week. The district is in the process of having this resource translated into Spanish.
We will be putting paper bookmarks for students to keep to access the document easily in your mailboxes soon. Please talk about these learning activities with your students and encourage them to participate and stay engaged in some fun learning activities during the summer!
Keyboarding Resource for Students
Do you want to increase your student’s keyboarding skills? Typing Club is a web-based program for Grades 3-8 in GCISD that teaches students how to touch-type. The engaging and interactive experience is gamified, so learning proper hand positioning, posture and typing technique is fun for students. Your students can even use this program over the summer break. Students can easily access Typing Club through ClassLink or by signing in with their GCISD Google account and password at gcisd.typingclub.com.
FIELD DAY PLANS
It's almost time for Field Day 2019!!! This year is going to look a little different since we will be going to the stadium for the day. The schedule of events for the day will be:
KINDERGARTEN - 2ND GRADE - 9:00 - 11:30
3RD - 5TH GRADE - 9:30 - 12:30
Kinder-2nd will be loading up on the buses between 8:35-8:45 to leave and begin their events at 9:00. The buses will then return for grades 3-5 and head to the stadium to start their events at 9:30. CLICK HERE TO READ & SHARE THE FIELD DAY LETTER SENT HOME TO FAMILIES.
Students will have access to water fountains & restrooms at the stadium. PTA will host a concession stand and each grade will have a time slot to go there and will also have face painting during that time. Absolutely NO FOOD OR DRINKS (except water) ARE ALLOWED ON THE FIELD AREA. If parents send in money you might want zip lock baggies to help your students keep up with it while we are there.
All lunches will be done when we get back to Cannon in your classroom (sack lunches). Please turn in a count to Lisa that morning and remind your students that ordered one to go get it when you return! It might be a good idea to have your students bring a snack for the morning/concession time since lunch is much later than normal!
Students are not allowed to be checked out at the stadium. Everyone must ride the bus to and from the stadium! If parents want to check their child out early on this date, they need to come back to Cannon and check the student out from the front office. Since we are on buses, permission slips are being sent home. Please keep your classes permission slips and send them to Kensley once you have collected all of them!
PRESENTERS WANTED FOR GCLI 2019!
Planning is underway for the 3rd annual GCLI event to be held on Monday, September 23rd! This day will again contain a wide variety of session topics, fun team-building opportunities, student performers, and much, much more.
The window for submitting session proposals will be May 1-19. Please consider proposing to present on a topic that would be beneficial to other GCISD colleagues.
- What classroom strategy or idea has had a big impact on learning for your students?
- What topic is of importance in your professional growth that others could enjoy learning?
- What have you seen other teachers/staff members doing that you could encourage them to present?
- What tool have you begun using that others could benefit from using as well?
- In your role (teacher, librarian, principal, instructional coach, athletic coach, intervention teacher, counselor, nurse, etc...), what information do you need to share that would be a good fit for this venue where others could all hear the message at once (without an after-school session or a substitute teacher involved)?
- What initiatives are going to be launched in the 2019-20 school year that might need learning/support in this venue?
The proposal form is a bit lengthy because we need the information to properly populate the "Sched" app, so give yourself a few minutes (approx 15-30) to record your ideas and send them in by Sunday, May 19th! Notifications of proposal status will be sent on or around June 1st. We look forward to this year's event being the best yet!
IT'S TIME FOR EoY PLANNING!
The end of this school year is quickly approaching and time will fly by quickly! Please make note of these important End of Year tasks that need to be completed. If you are new to your team this year, PLEASE talk to veteran teachers on your team and work together on these tasks. Ask Tona, Anne, or Lisa any questions you have - we are here to help support you in any way!
- STUDENT PLACEMENT FORMS will be placed in teacher mailboxes this week (pink -girls & blue-boys) along with a key to use for completing these forms. Upon receiving these, please start completing a form for each student in your classroom. If you are new on your team - please ask a veteran teacher any questions you may have. Plan a date with all members of your team, including GT & Sped teachers, so that you can all work together to create classes for next year. Remember to include any information that will be helpful for next year's teachers as they welcome students into their classrooms. Please be sure to ask if you have any questions about this process. Before you turn your team's placement forms in to Tona, please add a sheet for each group in next year's grade level folder here. Directions & an example form are in this folder.
- EoY GRADE LEVEL AWARDS CEREMONIES - REVISED
- Don't forget to share EoY grade level awards ceremony dates with parents starting now, in all parent communications.
- PLEASE read these REVISED instructions first before adding your student names/information on the award template to be printed for each student. (If you are new to your team this year, please talk to veteran teachers on your team for more information and work together!)
- Click here to access the folder for this year's awards ceremonies.
- On the award that will be printed, you will state the student's proudest accomplishment from this year's grade level, as well as the other awards they are eligible to receive. Please have these conversations with your students prior to your scheduled video time, so that they will already have an idea about what they want to say on the video.
- Please review this schedule for class videos and make sure your students are prepared to be on the video.
- Also, please don't forget to add a form with the awards descriptions that your grade level will be handing out to scholars this year, so that this information is ready to go on our awards program dates!
- ALL AWARDS THAT WILL BE GIVEN BY SPECIALS TEACHERS, CLUBS, etc... must be filed in the grade level award boxes by Anne's office by Friday, May 17th - no exceptions please!!
- A list of all "separate" certificates that will be awarded can be located in the folder for this year's award programs provided above.
CANNON EoY LPAC CHECKLIST
Please refer to this checklist shown below for the end of year LPAC procedures and meeting dates. If you have any questions, please contact Alejandra PRIOR to your scheduled meeting time. HUGE thank you to Alejandra for her hard work this year as our campus LPAC coordinator! We are SO fortunate to have someone like her leading our campus in this role!
DON'T FORGET TO RETURN YOUR EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS!
Everyone who is receiving a contract should have received an email from gcisd.human.resources@gcisd.net last week. The email contained a letter from Gema Padgett with directions on how to sign your 2019-2020 contract. These contracts are housed in Skyward.
Failure to electronically sign your contract on or before May 30, 2019, constitutes a rejection of this offer of employment contract and the Employee's resignation from current employment, if any, at the end of the existing contract term.
Grapevine Garden Club Civic Seed Program for Educators
The Grapevine Garden Club is wanting to provide teachers with a grant to pursue professional development.
If you would like to apply for up to $300 of “Seed Money” for educational enrichment, please apply here.
UPDATED ELAR/SLAR Professional Learning Opportunities!
Please review these updated Professional Learning opportunities available this summer, around our newly adopted ELAR/SLAR K-8 resources. All General Education & Special Education teachers are encouraged to participate in order to ensure equal training/access to the materials, prior to the start of the new school year.
GT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THIS SUMMER
FROM THE MAKERSPACE
Happy Making!
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Worth A Read, Watch or...Listen!!
GREAT END OF YEAR IDEA FROM THE TECHIE TEACHER! This post shares everything you need for your students to design an informative brochure for next year's class. What a GREAT idea!!
GCISD'S SUMMER #digital20challenge FOR TEACHERS IS BACK!! In case you missed the GCISD Lead With Technology blog post last week, be sure to take a few moments to check it out. This is such a fantastic way to stay up to date with great new tech ideas and learn from other GCISD folks about tech they are using in their classrooms!
BECAUSE MOMS ARE THE REAL MVP'S The quick video clip below of Kevin Durant from his 2014 MVP Speech is such an authentic and inspiring tribute to his mom and is a treat to watch on Mother's Day. Enjoy!
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CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION CORNER
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INFORMATION TO SHARE IN PARENT NEWSLETTERS
We Need Your Permission For Your Child's Summer Device Use
We are preparing for the end of school and wanted to let you know that our Kindergarten - 5th grade students will have the opportunity to keep their iPad/Chromebook over the summer. I have provided some information in this newsletter about some great summer learning opportunities that can be completed on these devices and will help keep your child engaged in some fun learning throughout the summer!
In order for your child to be allowed to keep their device, each parent MUST let us know whether or not you give your child permission to keep their device. A link is provided below for you to indicate if you give permission or decline this opportunity. PERMISSION FORM MUST BE COMPLETED BY 5/20 - 3:00 pm (only submit form one time)
Please click here to let us know if you do or do not want your child to have their device sent home this summer!
Even If you DO NOT want your child to keep their device over the summer, please complete this form, indicating that you decline. If you decline, your child's device will be collected at the end of this school year and it will be redistributed to them when they return to school in August. Any student who does not have a permission form submitted will NOT be allowed to keep their device and their iPad will be collected at the end of the year. These students will receive their device back at the beginning of next year.
** Any Kindergarten - 5th grade student who is not returning to Cannon or other GCISD school next year will have their device collected at the end of this school year and will not be allowed to take their device home.
- If you have previously indicated that your K-4 child will be attending another school in GCISD next year, they will be allowed to take it home, with parent permission. In this case, these students will bring their device with them to the campus in GCISD that they will attend in the 2019-2020 school year.
- All 5th grade students who will be attending middle school in GCISD who keep their devices will bring their device with them to middle school next year.
We are very excited to be able to provide your student the opportunity to continue learning on their iPad throughout the summer! If you have any questions, please contact your student’s teacher.
Haga clic aquí para leer esta información en español
FIELD DAY IS FRIDAY MAY 24TH! PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION LETTER ABOUT THIS YEAR'S FIELD DAY!
Mark Your Calendars For Our End of Year Recognition Ceremonies!
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
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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!
- Be sure to share LOTS of high fives, hugs, and words of encouragement this week to our staff and students as they participate in STAAR testing in grades 3-5!
- Don't forget Specials schedule changes this week and please remind your students to keep voices off in the hallways, limit use of your collaboration spaces during testing, and don't forget that the Learning Commons & MakerSpace areas are closed on STAAR testing dates.
- Mark your calendar for this week's staff celebrations: Baby shower for Ashley; Bridal shower for Addi; Staff Pot-Luck lunch for all staff; Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast!
- Sign & return employment contracts for 2019-2020!
- Send an email with Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast invitation to personally invite any special volunteers that have helped you out in your classrooms this year!
- Review EoY LPAC information in this newsletter from Alejandra and BE PREPARED for your grade level's upcoming LPAC meetings!
- Talk with your scholars about summer use of devices and encourage them to remind their parents that permission is needed in order for them to keep devices for the summer. Begin sharing some of the summer resources with your scholars and encourage them to stay engaged in reading and other learning all summer long!
- Continue working on Student Placement forms & EoY Awards ceremony planning with your team.
- Check out the Summer Professional Learning opportunities in the C&I Learning Letter.
- 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!