CANNON LEGACY
A Newsletter For Cannon Staff 2017-2018
Principal Points - 3/19-3/23
Welcome Back!!
I hope EVERYONE had an amazing spring break and is HAPPY to be heading back to work!! I know that I sure am!
Transitioning back into "work-mode" after a fun and HAPPY week off can be challenging, but did you know that there is some super interesting research out there that supports how powerful just simply adopting an "attitude of HAPPINESS" can be and how it can positively affect your work??
With all of this information about the power of HAPPINESS, what better way to return to our work and to our students than by celebrating HAPPINESS??
And as luck would have it, can you believe that Tuesday, March 20th is International Day of Happiness? No, seriously! This day of celebration began in 2012, when the United Nations created the International Day of Happiness through adopting UN Resolution 66/281.
So....in observance of International Day of Happiness 2018, let's celebrate by:
- Tweeting out at least ONE pic from your classroom on Tuesday, 3/20 that showcases what makes YOU happy about being an educator! Be sure to tag @canSTEM and include the hashtag #happyatCAN
- Share this Coca-Cola commercial with your students and watch them SMILE! I promise...it's impossible to NOT smile and feel HAPPY when you watch this!
- Download this 30 Day Happy Teacher Challenge and commit to completing one challenge each day!
- Finally....because we all know that a great way to make teachers HAPPY is to have unexpected JEANS DAYS, let's celebrate International Day of Happiness on Tuesday, 3/20 by wearing jeans!
Celebrate the International Day of Happiness.
On March 20th. On every day. forever.
Proud to be your principal,
Tona :)
Lisa's Coaching Corner
trail·blaz·er
trālˌblāzər/
It was announced on the GCISD homepage this past week that Tona was named a National Distinguished Principal Finalist for TEPSA. So not knowing exactly what that means, I looked it up and here are three bullets that popped out to me:
Claim:
- Is an active principal of a school in which a commitment to excellence is clearly evident through programs designed to meet the academic and social needs of all students, and through firmly established community ties with parents and local business organizations.
Evidence:
- Ways in which the principal's leadership has benefited curriculum, staff morale, community support, student interest, and the learning environment.
- Ways in which the principal provides creative leadership to inspire teachers and others to achieve and contribute to the school environment.
Reasoning:
Tona indeed did have a vision, STEM, in which she was a trailblazer to change our school and many of you have been on that journey with her. Others have joined and become innovators too! (I got here as fast as I could! LOL) The academic and social needs of students and families are impacted on a daily basis because students view problems beyond the classrooms to solve. Our staff does think outside of the box to create an engaging learning environment for all students. Our students do have a unique lens of empathy to change things and make them better. We do have active parent support as well as many business and community members that were not a part of the school 8 years ago. I could go on and on but I think you understand where I am going.
Congratulations Tona on being a trailblazer and surrounding yourself with staff members who are also pioneers & innovators, to be part of this amazing journey!
DATES TO REMEMBER
3/19 STEM Leadership 3:00-3:45 - library
3/20 Bad Weather Drill - 2:00 pm
3/20 PLC Week A - Kindergarten 2:15-3:45
3/21 3rd Nine Weeks Report Cards posted on Skyward.
3/21 Instructional Rounds with district administrators @ Cannon 8:00-9:30 am
3/21 PLC Week A - 1st grade 2:15-3:45
3/21 Cannon Spirit Night @ Chick-Fil-A 5:00-7:00 pm
3/22 Fire Drill - 9:00 am
3/22 PLC Week A - 2nd grade 2:15-3:45
3/23 3rd grade field trip to Elm Fork Education Center 8:30-2:00 pm
3/23 Friday Tech Talk - mBot 2-5; Cubetto - K-1
3/26 UCAN 3:00-3:45
3/27 PLC Week B - 5th grade 2:15-3:45
3/28 Special Olympics
3/27 Cubs Night Out @ CiCi's Pizza
3/29 Principal Panel Luncheon
3/29 PLC Week B - 4th grade 2:15-3:45
3/30 Student & Staff Holiday - No school!
3/30 PLC Week B - 3rd grade 2:15 - 3:45
SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING!
This week's SPOTLIGHT is on our entire Cannon Staff for the GREAT work done to prepare for the new GCISD website rollout that is coming this week! There wasn't a lot of "lead time" given by the district for all staff members to be trained on how to navigate the new site and transfer all of their information over, but WE DID IT!!! The new website is going to be beautiful and such a huge improvement as one of the most important tools we have for district/campus communication! HUGE thanks to Julee Vorachard for all of her work to help the staff successfully migrate information to the new site! The resources she prepared and the time she spent meeting with all members of the staff were a tremendous support! Watch for more information coming out this week from the district about the new website and be sure to help us communicate this information to all of our Cannon families!
STAFF NEWS
ROBIN BARRON has announced that she will be leaving Cannon to accept a position, working for the City of Southlake, in the passport division. Tuesday, 3/20, will be Robin's last day, so please don't delay in stopping by to wish her well in her new job. Robin has been a tremendous asset to our school community and she will be missed beyond measure! HUGE thanks to Robin for all of her work and contributions to our school and BEST wishes to her in this new position!
ASHLEY HOUCK has been recommended to the HR department to fill the Data Secretary position and we look forward to introducing her formally to all staff soon! If possible, she may be on campus on Monday to train for a bit with Robin. Ashley has tremendous skills and is very excited about working at Cannon. She shared that her "dream job" has been to work for a school district! :)
IRENE BOYNTON has officially announced that she plans to retire at the end of the school year. Irene has been part of our Cannon school community, as well as GCISD for many years, and it will be incredibly hard to imagine our school without her! She is truly a master educator who has positively shaped the lives of many students and other educators over the years! We look forward to celebrating Irene before the end of the school year, as she prepares for this exciting next chapter of her life!
REBECCA HICKS will be resigning her position at Cannon at the end of this year, so that she can be a stay-at-home mommy to her first baby that will arrive this summer! We will miss Rebecca's sweet smile and the positive impact she has had on our dual language scholars at Cannon, but wish her well as she and Isaac welcome Baby Hicks into their family!
MATTIE MCKELLAR is planning to resign her position teaching Kindergarten at Cannon at the end of the school year. She and her soon-to-be-husband, Craig, will be making their home in Waco, after they marry in June. Mattie is planning to pursue a teaching position in the Waco area and we wish her well in this endeavor! We will miss you at Cannon Mattie!
Karen "Nana" Davidenko Welcomes Grandbabies #2 & #3 Over Spring Break!
CONGRATULATIONS TO Karen and her son & daughter-in-law, Kyle & Abby Davidenko on the arrival of TWINS Isaac and Carolyn! Both babies are doing well and will remain in NICU for another week before coming home. Isaac & Carrie are precious!
UPDATES FROM THE CANNON LEARNING COMMONS
Reminders From Mrs. Wagner
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH IS MARCH! Here is a link to a great collection of resources on Women's History Month. It includes Pebble Go lessons, articles, websites, and quotes that you might find useful this month. You can search collections yourself in destiny by following this path Classlink- Learning Commons Resources-Destiny Discover- three lines at the top left-Collections. Then you can search for collections on particular subjects or just browse.
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I now have admin access so I can help you with any problems you encounter. Let me know how I can help!
PEBBLEGO & PEBBLEGO NEXT RESOURCES An email was sent to all staff last week to share the AMAZING lesson plans & activities that are available on PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next, in the Capstone Community. Don't forget to check this out - WONDERFUL RESOURCES HERE! Click here to read all about these resources!
MARCH & APRIL BOOK OF THE MONTH INFORMATION We are so excited about the TWO great paired books and design challenge that are being promoted for our BoM for March & April! After reading a wonderful story about a character who lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina & a non-fiction book about Extreme Weather & natural disasters, our Cannon Cubs can participate in the 2018 7th Annual Global Spark! Lab Invent It Challenge, by designing an innovative way for people to prepare BEFORE a natural disaster, stay safe DURING one, or recover AFTERWARDS. Check out the BoM resources below and share with your scholars!
CAMPUS REMINDERS AND UPDATES
THE WINDOW FOR POSTING GRADES will close at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, 3/19. Report Cards will post to Skyward Family Access on 3/20 at 3:00 p.m. Please be sure all grades are entered for this 9 weeks within grading period 1/9-3/9.
READY ROSIE is a wonderful new parent engagement tool that Title I campuses in GCISD will be introducing to parents! This resource provides parents with short video-based "modeled moments" that are content based and which help parents learn ways to reinforce learning at home, during day-to-day activities. At Cannon, this resource will be utilized by Kindergarten-3rd grade staff and families for the remainder of the year. Julee Vorachard will be meeting with all K-3 teachers this week to provide training on this resource and parents will also receive information about how to get started accessing this great resource, in English & Spanish! Click here to read more about Ready Rosie!
GCISD EMPLOYEE TRANSFER REQUEST PROCESS NOW OPEN
This information was shared by Human Resources with all GCISD staff via email on 3/1/18.
GCISD Employees,
As spring approaches and our staff works to further professional growth, the Human Resources department begins to work with employees on potential transfers. Policy DK(local) states that an employee may request reassignment within the District to another position for which he or she is qualified. If an employee is interested in requesting a voluntary transfer to another campus, they should complete the Internal –Transfer and Reassignment Request job posting. This job posting will be available beginning March 2, 2018.
Employees seeking to transfer to another campus are urged to fill out the transfer request application in a timely manner. The final day that transfers will be approved is June 1, 2018.
** Transfers do not apply to individuals who are seeking a new position. Employees wanting to move from a teaching position to an administrative position, for example, must fill out an application for the new position. A transfer is a move from campus to campus in a similar position.
Directions for employees seeking a transfer within the district:
· Apply online on the Human Resources Homepage
· Select Careers for Internal Employees
· Once logged in; select the Internal – Transfer and Reassignment Request job posting to apply
Once an employee has applied in the transfer pool, principals will have the opportunity to review this pool as they seek qualified candidates to fill vacant positions. Please express your desire to seek a transfer to your current principal in order to facilitate the process. Internal candidates are also welcome to apply for specific job postings if they choose.
CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION CORNER
Updates From The Math Department
Updates From The Humanities Department
Worth A Read...or a Listen!!
7 WAYS TO INSPIRE DIVERGENT THINKING is definitely a blogpost worth reading! It describes 7 ways that as educators, we can boost divergent thinking for our students by integrating it into our daily practice. (You will be surprised at how many of these practices align with work we are already doing at Cannon!) In order to prepare our students for the future that lies ahead for them, they need to be creative thinkers & innovator who truly know how to think divergently!
VIDEOS OF ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PARENTS SURPRISING THEIR CHILD AT SCHOOL never get old! But....when one of our Kindergarten Cubs was surprised in her classroom by her father, who she hasn't seen since June 2017, right before Spring Break, it was an awesome moment to witness! Enjoy the video clip below of Ava's surprise!
TWITTER REMINDERS FOR @canSTEM
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, 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!
About This Background Image...
TO-DO LIST
- Set a timer and complete daily attendance ON TIME!
- Don't forget to show daily KCAN announcements every Monday-Thursday!! #KidsDeserveIt
- Finish posting all grades by 10:00 pm on Monday, 3/19.
- Wear jeans to celebrate International Day of Happiness on Tuesday, 3/20!
- Tweet out at least ONE pic from your classroom on Tuesday, 3/20 that showcases what makes YOU happy about being an educator! Be sure to tag @canSTEM and include the hashtag #happyatCAN.
- K-3 teachers plan to meet with Julee this week for Ready Rosie training.
- Be prepared for classroom visits beginning at 8:00 am on Wednesday, 3/21 by district principals & administrators for Spring Instructional Rounds.
- Support Cannon by stopping by/picking up dinner from Chick-Fil-A on 3/21 from 5;00-7:00 pm.
- Share the March/April Book of the Month information with your scholars!
- Take your scholars out to the back of the school to see the construction progress!
- 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!
- Update teacher website, blog and other social media.