CANNON TIMES
A Newsletter For Cannon Staff 2018-2019
Principal Points - Week of August 27th
Hi Cannon Staff!
Congratulations!! You did it!! The first week of school was INCREDIBLE and all of your hard work to make it so special will provide a powerful foundation for success this year!! Another important foundation for success at Cannon this year lies in our ability to reflect on and strengthen our overall campus culture.
One of my all-time favorite professional books literally has page after page that is dog-eared, labeled sticky notes stuck on many pages, and passages highlighted throughout! This book is titled, How To Create A Culture of Achievement In Your School and Classroom, by Fisher, Frey & Pumpian.
I love how these authors compare a school's culture to a tree. Think about that....the part of the tree that we can all readily see stands above the surface. But, because we understand that a tree is a living organism that must sustain itself, we realize that there is just as much going on below the surface that we can't easily see. We also know that if the roots of this tree get damaged or the soil in which it grows becomes poisoned, it might result in the death of this tree.
Our school's culture works in the same way. While there are things that can readily been seen (procedures; structures; processes; our "identity" as a STEM/Dual Language campus, state accountability data, etc...) there are many elements below the surface that are not seen, but which serve to nurture the whole. These elements are truly the "roots" of our work (our relationships, our mission & beliefs about our special programs; our attitudes; work ethics; our connections with parents & community; design of learning; professional collaboration & willingness to focus on the power of shared practice, etc...).
As with any living organism, within our school, what happens both above the surface and below must be cared for, in order to sustain a healthy school culture.
So, while it is critical for us to continue to focus on all factors, above the surface, that will contribute and lead us towards increased academic success, our continued efforts towards factors below the surface, focused on creating and maintaining a healthy school culture, are equally as important, in order for our scholars to truly achieve at high levels.
The culture at our school is one that I personally take great pride in! It is so evident that each staff member on our campus team truly realizes that it is our individual and collective duty to foster a positive, responsive, and dynamic culture of learning for kids and adults!! Below you will find some information about ways that we are going to intentionally focus on creating & promoting a culture of staff celebrations & shared practices this year, in an effort to strengthen our outstanding campus culture even more!!
Thank you for everything you do to make Cannon Elementary: A GCISD STEM School a GREAT place to be AND learn!
Proud to be your principal,
Tona :)
#BeCannonProud
__________________________________
CAMPUS GOAL: CREATING & PROMOTING A CULTURE OF STAFF CELEBRATIONS & SHARED PRACTICES
I'm so excited to share that we will be intentionally working on creating and growing our awesome culture of staff celebrations and shared practices this year through some FUN initiatives! You will see evidence of the following efforts "popping up" on campus this week and we invite you ALL to join us to help promote & accomplish this important campus goal this year!
STAFF SHOUT-OUTS
Please help us celebrate EACH OTHER! Our Staff Shout-Outs board will be located in the teacher's lounge. Take a moment and recognize someone's hard work & great ideas!
It's simple! Just write a sticky note and attach it to our shout-out board! Don't forget to stop by regularly to read the shout-outs from others!
GOLDEN HASHTAG
Each tweet that highlights a strategy you are using in your classroom will count as one entry each week! We can't wait to see how many classrooms the golden hashtag will travel to this year!
Don't forget to include #BeCannonProud in every tweet!
CLAIM IT, NAME IT, EXPLAIN IT!
__________________________________
Lisa's Coaching Corner
Congratulations! You have created amazing "moments" for our scholars this week!!
The first three weeks of school are critical in setting up classroom routines, procedures and structure because when students are bored...behavior escalates. I applaud the efforts that have not only be made in your classrooms, hallways and cafeteria. This year it is critical to set expectations NOW prior to the move into our new school.
I wanted to share a fun way to review procedures, routines and expectations as well as a way to make sure students know who the staff is at our school. Take a look at this Jeopardy template. If this is used NOW and students are accustomed to the format, then making changes to it once we settle into the NEW building will be a piece of cake. Plus it is a FUN way to review digital citizenship, personal responsibility (in the classroom, restrooms, cafeteria, and hallways) and respect.
The short update list:
- I am passing around sets of DRA books to 1st and 2nd now to complete the BOY assessments.
- We are finalizing the list of the "TIER" list of 3rd-5th graders and will let you know who they are in a week.
- BOY Writing Assessment information can be found in the curriculum.
- BOY Math Assessment can be found in the Math Personalized Learning site.
If your TEAM or you individually would like specific help with any of these, please let me know! LB
__________________________________
DATES TO REMEMBER
8/28 Lockdown Drill 2:00 pm
8/28 PLC Week A - 3rd Grade - 2:15 - 3:45
8/29 PLC Week A - 4th Grade - 2:15-3:45
8/30 Severe Weather Drill - 2:00 pm
8/30 PLC Week A - 5th Grade - 2:15-3:45
8/31 First Friday Assembly!!
9/03 Student/Staff Holiday! No school
9/04 LEAD 2.0 Parent Focus Groups & Cannon - 8:00-10:00 in library
9/04 PLC Week B -Kindergarten 2:15-3:45
9/05 PLC Week B - 1st grade 2:15-3:45
9/06 PLC Week B - 2nd grade 2:15-3:45
9/06 Curriculum Night - K-2 (5:30-6:30) 3-5 (6:45-7:45)
9/07 PTA Back to School Family Picnic at Dove Park - 6:00 pm
9/10 Fire Drill 2:00 pm
9/10 U.CAN 3:00-3:45 library
9/11 PLC Week A -3rd Grade 2:15-3:45
9/12 PLC Week A - 4th Grade 2:15-3:45
9/13 PLC Week A - 5th Grade 2:15 - 3:45
9/14 Texas State Teacher of the Year Announcement - GOOD LUCK JOE!!
9/17 Cannon Accommodations Training - grade levels meet during conference periods
9/18 PLC Week B -Kindergarten 2:15-3:45
9/18 WatchDOGS Kickoff & Family Involvement Fair - 6:00 pm - cafeteria
9/19 PLC Week B - 1st grade 2:15-3:45
9/20 PLC Week B - 2nd grade 2:15-3:45
9/21 Flu Shot Clinic @ Cannon 7:00-9:00 am
9/21 Achievement Meetings - 1st & 5th grades
__________________________________
CURRICULUM NIGHT PLANNING
Our Curriculum Night has been scheduled for Thursday, 9/6. Please submit your curriculum night presentation by Friday, August 31st for review in the 2018-2019 folder linked below.
5:30 - 6:15- Kinder - 2nd
6:30 - 7:15 - 3rd-5th
Please meet this week as a grade level to discuss how/what/where you will plan to present during this evening. If you are planning to present as a whole group, please remember that our only large spaces are the library and the cafeteria. The start time for the K/2 & 3/5 sessions is staggered by 15 min. to allow for traffic flow. You may also elect to present in your own classrooms. Please notify Debbie of your location, so that she can request air.
We will be providing each grade level a video introduction to be used at the beginning of your Curriculum Night presentation. This video contains a welcome message from Tona & Anne and quick introductions to other campus staff, including our Specials teachers. It will be shared in the Curriculum Night 2018 folder for use by all grade levels.
Below is the link that contains a folder of last year's presentations, as well as other resources you will need. Check out other grade level's presentations from previous years to get ideas!! Upload this year's presentation into the 2018-2019 folder by the end of the day on Friday, August 31st. In addition to your grade level specific details & curriculum information, please make sure that the following topics are included in your presentation:
STEM - overview of what that "looks like" in your grade - HOW it is incorporated daily; Engineering Design process poster (see image for this in Curriculum night folder) Be sure to include the GCISD's STEM mission/vision/definition.
Technology Use - expectations for iPad/laptop use; overview of how tech is integrated into instruction; digital citizenship; device agreement/fees (see information in the Curriculum Night folder about this)
Communication - how will YOU and your grade level communicate information? (email; websites; social media pages; blogs, etc....)
Title One Information - Insert the slide included in the Curriculum Night folder about Title One in your presentation - you may change the colors/font to match your presentation if desired.
Restorative Practices - brief overview of this district initiative; Circle Up time, etc...
Connections to GCISD Portrait of a Graduate; LEAD 2021; Personalized Learning -see image of Portrait of a Graduate in Curriculum Night folder.
Campus-Wide Family Nights - School Community Ribbon-Cutting Event at new school - date TBA; Grandfriend's Day - November 16th; Student-Led Showcase - March 7th; Field Day - May 24th * Our Family Engineering events will be announced at a later date after move-in to our new building - stay tuned! (There will be numerous PTA-hosted family events throughout the year - these will be communicated in principal/grade level newsletters & on social media)
Assessment Information - STAAR dates; report card/progress reports; SBRC; etc....
Construction...encourage all parents to sign up for Cannon Construction updates at http://www.gcisd-k12.org/cannonconstruction General reminders about safety, how we will do recess, drop-off/pick-up only in front drive, early requests for parent patience & grace this year, during our construction phase! :) Stress to parents that there will be changes in arrival/dismissal, etc... after the move!
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CURRICULUM NIGHT PRESENTATION FOLDER & RESOURCES!
__________________________________
REMINDERS & UPDATES
INDEPENDENCE DAY IS MONDAY! Effective Monday, August 27th, we will declare Independence Day at Cannon! This means that parents & other guests will no longer be allowed to escort their children to class after this date. They will be expected to drop off their children in the car line out front or walk them to the front entrances, but not go through the security doors. Please help us communicate this information to parents in your communication with parents and remind parents if you see them trying to come down the hallways this week. It's a hard transition for some parents, so be gentle but firm! :)
RECESS & CAFETERIA REMINDERS Please hold our scholars accountable from the beginning of the year with helping to make sure they pick up all of their trash/mess from the tables and UNDER the tables at lunch! Mr. Jose needs & deserves this help in the cafeteria! Also, it is critically important for teachers on recess duty to spread out and stay alert at all times, in order to actively monitor students. Safety first at all times please!! Finally, thank you for helping our Cubs remember to use appropriate voice volume while in the cafeteria & during recess, right outside of classroom windows.
NUTRITION NUGGETS We need help from the teachers in teaching scholars their 4-digit PIN code to access their meal account in the cafeteria. These codes have been provided by Lisa, our cafeteria manager. This will help the lines move quickly and allow the students more time to enjoy their meal. In addition, the menu for the first two weeks of school has been simplified to allow students time to learn how to select a meal.
T-TESS GOAL-SETTING - We have learned that the goal setting form for T-TESS in the new platform called PERFORM will not be accessible by staff until after September. Due to the delay, it will be important for teachers to complete their goals, using the template found in this folder. Please review the instructions on the template and make a copy for your own use. A sample T-TESS goal has also been provided for you to reference. We will begin sending out calendar invitations this week for goal-setting conferences. Please have your goals completed using this template and we will show you how to navigate in PERFORM, to add them there, as soon as it is available. If you need a thinking partner as you write your goals, please reach out to Lisa for help. Don't forget to utilize the T-TESS domain rubrics to set & target your goals! Click here to see who your appraiser will be for 2018-2019!
FLEX TRAINING MUST BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER 5th Click here to access the new GCISD FLEX for 2018-2019. Teachers must complete the Flex requirements off contract time by October 5, 2018. All other staff may use contract time to complete the modules. Use the pull-down Search By Job menu on the top right of the page to select your job/role, to ensure you are completing the correct FLEX courses.
Cannon Staff & Scholars - Wear Your Favorite College Shirt To School On Friday, 8/31/18!
Back 2 School Family Picnic
Friday, Sep 7, 2018, 06:00 PM
Dove Park 509 Hood Ln, Grapevine, Texas 76051, United States
__________________________________
UPDATES FROM GCISD TECHNOLOGY
Be Aware: Youtube and Other Websites
Often as educators, we find some incredible resources on the internet to use in class. For some, the greatness of the Teachers Pay Teachers site is one of those. GCISD technology wants to be sure you are aware that some of these sites or resources that you purchase have links to tools that may not work on the GCISD network. We often see this with items that advertise "helping your students access clean YouTube content" or "ways to get your students to watch educational content on Youtube." Many times these products are connected to a site that students can manipulate to bypass the school web filter restrictions thus allowing students full access to Youtube including content the filter would otherwise block.
So, before you purchase pre-created lessons with links to other sites for your students to use, be sure it will work for students here in GCISD.
GCISD has a Google profile for the sole purpose of providing teachers a way to check student access to videos and then submit a request to have a video unblocked if students do not have access. The profile email address is ytchecker@gcisdstudents.net and the password is CheckMe123
__________________________________
Worth A Read, Watch or...Listen!!
6 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR STUDENTS was a popular post by Katie Martin that was circulating on Twitter last week. This quick blogpost has some great examples of how we can prioritize the learners and relationships to create learner-centered classrooms this year!
ORGANIZATION TIPS FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR Who can't use some great ideas on ways to kick your year off in the most organized way? Although getting organized requires an upfront investment of time, the plans you lay before and during the first month of school will have a long-lasting effect. These organization tips have been shown to be at the core of an effective classroom. Check them out today!
__________________________________
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!
__________________________________
TO-DO LIST
- Set a timer and complete daily attendance ON TIME every day!
- Continue to discuss & prepare students for emergency drills scheduled this week.
- Review the information about preparing for goal-setting conferences and use the template to draft your professional goals! Need a thinking partner? Check in with Lisa for assistance if needed!
- Share communication with parents about Curriculum Night & Back 2 School Picnic! Help us remind parents about No School on Monday, 9/3/18!
- Work on Curriculum Night presentations with your team. Make sure your presentations are in the Curriculum Night 2018 folder by August 31st for review.
- Remember to wear your college colors (and remind students) on Friday!
- Prepare your students for our first Friday Assembly this week! c!
- 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!
- Update teacher website & get blog and other social media started. Not sure where to start? Ask Julee for help with this!