Cannon Connection
A newsletter for Cannon Elementary families - 2017-2018
Week of February 5, 2018
Hi Cannon Parents!
Happy Super Bowl Weekend! Whether you are a Patriot's fan or an Eagle's fan, this is certainly a BIG weekend for football!! It's also a BIG week for Cannon, with LOTS of events planned for our Cannon families this week! I hope to see you at one of the following:
- Regional Spelling Bee - BEST of luck to our Cannon spelling champ, Tanvi Bhatt, as she competes in the next level of competition this week at CTMS!
- GCISD Personalized Programs EXPO - February 8th @ Cross Timbers Middle School from 5:00-7:00 pm. Cannon's STEM program will be showcased at this EXPO and will feature demonstrations by Cannon students & staff!
- Cannon's Art Show - February 9th - 5:00-6:15 - Cannon gym All Cannon Cubs will have artwork professionally framed & displayed in this art show and available for purchase! Come help support this Cannon school fundraiser!
- Cannon Talent Show- February 9th - 6:00-8:00 pm - Cannon cafeteria Come enjoy some extraordinary talent on stage at the annual talent show! BIG thanks to Cannon parents, Jamie Torres & Emily Hammock, for all of their work to organize & manage this year's event!
Information about all of these GREAT events and more can be found in this newsletter!
Proud to be your principal,
Mrs. Blizzard
IS YOUR CHILD RETURNING TO CANNON NEXT YEAR?
ALL PARENTS OF CURRENT KINDERGARTEN-4th GRADE STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE THIS ENROLLMENT FORM BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16th to let us know if your child will be returning to Cannon next year. If you have an incoming Kindergarten student, there is a place on this form for you to share that information with us!
CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE STUDENT ENROLLMENT FORM
Please note the following:
- If your child currently attends Cannon through the STEM lottery or an approved transfer, you do NOT have to reapply to the lottery system this year.
- If you have an incoming Kindergarten student and DO NOT LIVE IN THE CANNON attendance zone, you must complete a lottery application by March 9th in order for your child to be automatically placed at Cannon. All other available spaces in Kindergarten will be determined via the GCISD lottery. (Only Kindergarten siblings of current Kinder-4th grade STEM/transfer students are eligible for guaranteed placement @ Cannon. Incoming Kindergarten students of 5th grader Cannon STEM/transfer students must participate in the lottery for placement in Kindergarten 2018-2019.)
GCISD PERSONALIZED PROGRAMS EXPO
From engineering challenges to advanced academics to language immersion and early childhood education, GCISD offers a world of opportunities for students. Families are invited to learn more about these opportunities at the Personalized Programs Expo on February 8 from 5-7 p.m. at Cross Timbers Middle School. Big thanks to all of our Cannon students & staff that will be at this event to showcase Cannon's STEM program!
The EXPO will feature stations showcasing our STEM programs, ASPIRE Academy, Dual Language, tuition-based pre-kindergarten, Collegiate Academy, AVID, IB PYP (Dove Elementary) and Arts Integration at Bransford Elementary. Parents can also learn more about the lottery process for dual language, STEM, and tuition-based pre-kindergarten at this event.
GCISD Personalized Programs Lottery: The applications for dual language, STEM programs and tuition-based pre-kindergarten will be open online beginning Friday, February 9, 2018. The application window will remain open until March 9, 2018. If more applications are received than there are available seats, a lottery will be held on March 29, 2018, at 10 am.
Once the application system is open, the application link will be available at this website: http://www.gcisd-k12.org/Domain/3802
SEEN @ CANNON LAST WEEK!
3rd-5th grade Cubs have been busy in art class combining their knowledge of circuitry & art to design Scribblebots and Art Spinners!
Kindergarten Engineers tested their egg shelter designs to see how well their shelters protected their egg, as part of their study of animal needs & winter weather.
5th graders had a wonderful visit from student ambassadors in GMS's STEM & AVID programs! These students shared firsthand their experiences in these wonderful middle school options!
Mark Your Calendars.....
2/05 100th Day of School!
2/07 Talent Show Dress Rehearsal - after school in cafeteria
2/08 Personalized Programs EXPO @ CTMS 5:00-7:00 pm for incoming STEM students
2/09 Cannon Art Show 5:00-6:15 pm
2/09 Cannon Talent Show 6:00-8:00 pm
2/11-2/17 Random Acts of Kindness Week!
2/14 Class Valentine's Day parties
2/15 GCISD Kindness Day - wear your Rachel's Challenge Shirt!
2/19 Student Holiday - Professional Learning Day for staff
2/20-2/24 National Engineering Week -see our plans for this week in this newsletter!
2/27 Class Picture Day - wear you BEST smile!
2/27 Cannon Spirit Night @ Cici's Pizza!
CANNON ART SHOW IS THIS WEEK! Come see YOUR child's art on display & help support our school!
ATTENTION 5th GRADE PARENTS!
Please take a moment to review all of the following dates/deadlines. Please note that on 2/22, Cannon will be hosting some parent meetings with our counselor to discuss all of the possible options and provide additional information about middle school!
February 8th - GCISD Personalized Programs EXPO @ Cross Timbers MS 5:00-7:00 pm
See demonstrations and ask questions about GCISD Special Programs -- STEM, ASPIRE, Dual
February 9-March 9 - Personalized Programs Lottery Window
Cannon 5th grade students wanting to continue in STEM at GMS MUST complete a lottery application, BUT are guaranteed a space as long as application is submitted by March 9th. On March 29th, all remaining spaces will be determined via a lottery.
February 20th - Middle School Showcase - all middle schools @ 6:00 pm
Learn about your middle school and see Fine Arts performances.
February 21st - GMS Counselors visit Cannon 5th graders
GMS counselors will share middle school information with 5th graders during the school day and students will receive course selection sheets to take home on this date.
February 22nd - Middle School Parent Meeting @ Cannon - 12:00 pm OR 6:00 pm
Cannon counselor, Mandy Coburn, will meet with Cannon 5th grade parents to share an overview of middle school programs & offerings.
February 26th- Course Selection Sheets due from 5th graders
All 6th grade course selection sheets must be returned to Cannon by this date! Course selection sheets must be reviewed for accuracy prior to online course selection process on 3/6.
March 6th -Students will complete online course selections at school
Mrs. Coburn will work with all 5th graders on this date to complete the online course selection
process for 6th grade.
ADDITIONAL DATES FOR AVID
March 6th - AVID Parent Information Meeting - 6:30 pm
Professional Development & Education Center - 5800 Colleyville Blvd.
March 23rd - AVID applications due
April 12th-25th - Student Interviews & Selections for AVID
If you have any questions about any of these important date/deadlines, please contact Mandy Coburn @ 817-251-5684 OR email her @ amanda.coburn@gcisd.net
GIFTED & TALENTED ASSESSMENT INFORMATION GRADES 1st-4th
GT LEAD and Aspire Academy GT Testing for Grades 1-4
In case you were unable to attend the parent information meeting last week to learn more about testing and qualifying for Cannon's GT LEAD program and the Aspire Academy at Glenhope Elementary for the upcoming school year, the presentations from these meetings can be found here.
The parent nomination window for GT LEAD and the Aspire Academy opens February 2-16, and parents need to complete a Parent Inventory/Permission-to-test form found on the district website under Advanced Academics. Testing will begin February 26.
If you have any questions, please email our campus GT specialist at Melanie.Gable@gcisd.net.
FEBRUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH
We are SO excited about this month's book and challenge!! This month's book, Awesome Dawson, will be shared with all of our Kindergarten-5th grade students at school! The design challenge for this month's book is an opportunity for your child to participate in the Inventor's Challenge, an international challenge sponsored by AT&T!
Please check out the Book of the Month video below with your child and encourage your child to participate in this month's Inventor's Challenge. This is an awesome opportunity for our Cannon Cubs!
All of the details can be found in the February BoM Smore linked below.
Engineers Week 2018 is going to be such an exciting week at Cannon!!
Check out some of the activities planned in each grade level below!
KINDERGARTEN: Kindergarten scholars will explore the various strands of engineering throughout the week. Students will be divided into groups and they will rotate through each classroom. We will be studying aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and robotics. There will be a specific design challenge aligned to each strand in every rotation.
1st GRADE: First grade will be designing paper airplanes under the direction of a Lockheed Martin engineer. They will also be learning how the Engineering Design Process is applied to the creation of stained glass mosaics from a local glass studio owner. Students will follow the EDP to create their own stained glass piece. Additionally, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History will be sending out their Mobile Magnet Discovery Lab to introduce the 'magic' of magnets.
2nd GRADE: During Engineering Week, second graders will be going to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to enjoy the STEM exhibits as well as the regular exhibits. Presenters from Lockheed will come Thursday to give a brief presentation about aviation engineering. Students will be building and testing paper airplanes.
3rd GRADE: Third grade scholars will have several exciting experiences to celebrate National Engineers Week! Scholars will be receiving a visit from an industrial engineer, Isaac Hicks, Klein Tools, as well as exploring how airplanes flight with professionals from Lockheed Martin. Scholars will also get to participate in a geometry design challenge in which they will create a piece of playground equipment using only quadrilaterals!
4th GRADE: During Engineer's Week, 4th grade will have multiple opportunities to discover different aspects of engineering. Early in the week, scholars will be making stomp rockets with Aerospace engineers from Lockheed Martin. Next we will be traveling to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History where they will experience hands on and mind challenging activities throughout the Museum while they collaborate with engineers and experience the world of engineering. Finally, in honor of Engineering Week, BEP Quality Engineer Mr. Ron Tobb will present some pretty cool facts and video on the different machines and tools engineers use to help design the currency production process during a Nepris Industry Video Call.
5th GRADE: 5th grade will be hosting our very first Cannon STEM University for this year's Engineering Week. We will be hosting 5 to 8 engineering professionals who will speak at staggering times about their profession and what it is like to be an engineer in their field. Students will create their own schedule for the event based off of availability and their engineering interest. On February 20th, students will travel around our “University” and get hands on experience from the professionals themselves! Additionally, scholars will learn from engineers with Lockheed Martin on February 20th, and will even create stomp rockets to explore the types of work done at this great company.
Check out these great Engineering Week opportunities for the whole family!
Donations Needed
- 2-liter soda bottles needed - please rinse any bottles you have to donate and deliver these to the office.
- Cleaning out Closets? Nurse Kendra is in desperate need for girl's pants. She will take any sizes and what works best is pants with elastic waistbands!
- Time to get rid of old electronics? One man's trash is a curious STEM cub's treasure! Do you have any old, broken electronics gathering dust? Our Cannon Cubs would LOVE to take them off your hands! Our Makerspace features a reverse engineering station where STEM scholars take electronics apart and discover the systems that make our everyday objects function the way they do. From keyboards to dancing Elmo, our kids want to learn from it!
Parent Technology Academy Sessions!
GCISD's Technology Department has planned some wonderful parent information sessions for the spring semester! Parent Technology Academy is a free monthly series by GCISD Technology developed to help educate our community about our ever-changing digital world. Check out the dates & topics below! Each session is approximately 45 minutes with 15 minutes Q&A.
Thank you to all of the parents that attended the session last week on Internet Safety. Stay tuned for more information coming soon about the following topics!
FUTURE SESSION TOPICS:
February 20 - Top Apps that parents need to know about
Bear Creek Elementary cafeteria - 6 p.m.
March 20- Mobile App and Social Media awareness and branding
Grapevine High School library - 6 p.m.
April 19- Tops Apps that parents need to know about
Colleyville Middle School cafeteria - 6 p.m.
May 22- Internet Safety ( Digital Citizenship) – tools for at home Internet filtering
Colleyville Heritage High School library - 6 p.m.
FARM FRESH FRIDAYS!
PTA QUICK PICKS!
This week's "quick picks" of reminders & information from PTA:
PTA Meeting - This Friday, February 9th at 6:30 pm before the start of talent show, we will have a general PTA meeting. We will share with parents about activities and budget of Cannon PTA.
Talent Show - Come cheer on Cannon students as they present their talents on Friday, February 9 at 6:30 pm in the cafeteria.
Teacher Appreciation Week - Karen Huff needs help planning and organizing for teacher appreciation week. Can you help? Email her at hospitality@cannonpta.com.
Stay connected by following Cannon PTA on social media. Click here to "like" the PTA Facebook page. Follow them on Twitter @CannonPTA.
Cannon Elementary - A Recognized Common Sense Media School!
Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology, has recognized Cannon Elementary: A GCISD STEM School as a Common Sense School.
Cannon Elementary has been using Common Sense Education's innovative and research-based digital citizenship resources to create a culture of digital learning and citizenship. This recognition acknowledges our school's commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing our students to use the immense power of digital media to explore, create, connect, and learn, while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying.
We are honored to receive this recognition! By preparing our students to use technology safely and responsibly, we are providing them with unlimited opportunities to maximize and personalize their learning.
Amazon Smile
Shopping on Amazon? Purchase on Amazon Smile and they'll give 0.5% to Cannon PTA. Bookmark this link and support us every time you shop! http://smile.amazon.com/ch/75-2454480
School Calendar for 2018-2019
On Monday, November 13, GCISD Trustees approved the Student and Staff Instructional Calendars for the 2018-2019 school year.
A few highlights from the 2018-2019 student instructional calendar:
- Students will begin classes on Monday, August 20.
- Students will have a four-day weekend in October for Columbus Day weekend; staff will have a three-day weekend.
- Students and staff will have a four-day weekend in April (dependent on the need to makeup one or both inclement weather days).
- Students are finished on May 30 with graduation following that afternoon and evening.
To view the 2018-2019 student instructional calendar, click here.
To view the 2018-2019 staff instructional calendar, click here.
To view the 2018-2019 iUniversity Prep instructional calendar, click here.
To learn more about how the district develops the instructional calendars, please watch the video below:
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!
STEM IN GCISD BLOG
This blog will have the most updated information about upcoming events specific to Cannon, GMS STEM, and the future STEM program at GHS.
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