CANNON CONNECTION
A newsletter for Cannon Elementary families - 2018-2019
WEEK OF OCTOBER 8, 2018
Hi Cannon Parents!
We are almost READY!! The past four days have been fast and furious for our staff and other GCISD employees, as we have prepared to welcome our Cubs to THEIR beautiful new school on Tuesday!! I would like to encourage you to take a moment to send a quick note, email, etc... to a Cannon teacher/staff member to say "thanks" for their hard work to prepare. Moving an entire school, in such a short period of time, is an incredibly HUGE task and our Cannon staff has been amazing! This team has poured hours of time into making this happen and they have done an outstanding job! The school looks amazing and we can't wait for our kids to see it!!
All grade levels will be taking their classes on building tours during the first week to help acclimate the students with all of the new spaces, procedures, etc... This will be similar to the first day of school all over again, for ALL students, as they learn how to navigate in their new school. There is a LOT to learn and we want our students to feel comfortable and safe, as well as understand our expectations for how they will demonstrate responsible and respectful behavior in our amazing new school.
There are several important details that are very important for our families to be aware of regarding new procedures and plans for our first day Red Carpet Welcome. PLEASE READ OVER ALL OF THE INFORMATION CAREFULLY IN THE SECTIONS BELOW.
Thank you in advance for realizing that while this is a VERY exciting time, it is also a time that will require patience & flexibility from all of our Cannon families as we work to make this HUGE transition as seamless as possible.
Proud to be your principal,
Mrs. Blizzard
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NEW ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
Please review the following information carefully, as there are several changes to our current procedures. We will have a LOT of staff on hand to help direct parents, as we adjust!
- Our bus drop-off will begin on Tuesday, 10/9, in the new bus lane that has been created at the new school, on the east side of the building. All daycare buses will also use this lane.
- The school parking lot that currently exists on our school property will be for staff parking ONLY between 6:30-8:30 am & 1:30-3:30 pm. This change is necessary, as we are transitioning to using the old bus lanes as our arrival/dismissal lanes. Student safety is our first priority and we cannot have cars pulling in or out of the parking areas during arrival/dismissal times. Cones will be set up to remind parents when the parking lot is closed for non-staff parking use.
- Since the existing bus lane at our current building will NO LONGER be utilized for buses, we will be shifting our parent car drop-off and pick-up lane to this area, in order to allow students to safely arrive and dismiss closer to our new school. Beginning Tuesday, October 9th, there will be cones set up and school/district personnel outside to help direct parents to use this temporary drop-off/pick-up route. Parents will enter this lane from College St. and will pull through the car lane until their student is dropped off/loaded into the car at the designated area near where new sidewalks will be available. PLEASE DO NOT DROP OFF STUDENTS UNTIL YOU ARE IN THIS DESIGNATED AREA. We do not want students walking, without supervision, in any areas around traffic areas. All cars will need to exit the parking lot and turn right onto Pebblebrook Drive. See diagram below.
RED CARPET WELCOME TO OUR NEW SCHOOL - TUESDAY 10/9
We are hearing that we can expect some heavy rain for our first day in the new building. We are planning to try and do our Red Carpet welcome, despite the weather conditions, but we will modify as needed!
We are planning to make this a VERY special event for our Cannon students by literally, rolling out a Red Carpet Welcome! As students arrive at school on this date, we are planning to have LOTS of community helpers (Grapevine Fire Department & Grapevine Police), along with administrators from our GCISD central offices, lining red carpets at the entrances of our new school! In addition to welcoming our Cubs at the entrances, these community/district volunteers will also be escorting students inside to their new classrooms, to ensure everyone arrives safely. BIG thanks to our PTA for their work to help us secure the items needed for our grand welcome!
We know that our parents are VERY anxious to see the new building as soon as possible and we can't wait to show it off to all of you! ! However, our staff and students have a LOT of new routines & procedures to learn and adjust to in our new school. In order to do this in the most efficient and productive manner, please make note of the following:
Students ONLY on Tuesday, October 9th All of our Cannon Cubs have successfully been declared "Independent" in our current building and are able to walk to class on their own each morning! This procedure will remain in place when we move into our new building, effective the first day, 10/9. Parents will be asked to drop off students, and/or say goodbye outside of the front doors! Community volunteers will be stationed around the building to escort students safely to their designated spaces! This will be very important, in order for us to carefully monitor ALL students and ensure that everyone gets to where they need to be in an efficient and safe manner. Thanks for your help to encourage courageous independence in our Cubs!
Lunch Visits We ask that parents/grandparents not come eat with their child during the first week in our new school. This allows us to teach our students new lunch time procedures and the expectations in our new cafeteria. The design of our new cafeteria and kitchen/serving line are VERY different than our current school and our staff and students need time to adjust to new procedures. Thank you for your support! Lunch visits will start the week October 15th.
Parent Tours Will Be Provided ASAP! We understand that our Cannon parents are anxious to see our new school and we can't wait to show it off to all of you! We want to make sure this is done in a manner that allows plenty of time for our Cannon parents to see the entire school, learn about the concept behind our school design, and allow enough time to get all of their questions answered. So, we will be offering grade level parent tours shortly after our transition into the new school. We hope that you will take advantage of these opportunities to visit and learn all about our new school home! More information about these tour dates will be provided soon!
KidzU Parent Information
Effective Tuesday, October 9th, all parents will drop off & pick up students who participate in KidzU at the door on the west side (Drexel Rd), using the doors that open directly into the cafeteria. The card reader access has been set up for your use on this door only. After 3:30, parents may park in the bus lane/loading dock area to enter the building.
TEMPORARY RECESS PLANS
Due to the heavy amount of rain we have received, some of our construction and demolition plans have also been impacted. At this time, we are being told that the demolition plans (originally scheduled to begin on October 15th) are being delayed until a later date. We expect that it will be closer to the beginning of November. As a result of this:
PARENT TOURS!
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Mark Your Calendars.....
UPCOMING EVENTS
10/8 - Columbus Day Holiday - No School!
10/9 - Red Carpet Welcome To The New Cannon 1st day in our new school!
10/10 - Cub Night Out Spring Creek BBQ 5:00-9:00 pm - Some of our Cannon Staff will be servers!
10/16 - Butterfly Flutterby Art Contest Entries Due to Mrs. Mattox See information in this newsletter about this great opportunity for your child!
10/24 - Unity Day - Wear Orange - Everyone Matters!
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UPDATES & REMINDERS
Butterfly Flutterby Art Contest For Cannon Students!
Ask your child about the upcoming Butterfly Flutterby Art contest! Mrs. Mattox, our art teacher, has been sharing information with all of our Cubs about this and we hope to have LOTS of students participate! MANY of our former Cannon Cubs have had their artwork selected for special recognition in the past!!
Butterfly Flutterby Art Contest entries are due to Mrs. Mattox by Oct. 16th at 3:00pm. Please check your email from Peachjar or Grapevine Garden Club's website at www.grapevinegardenclub.org for entry forms and more information.
The event will be held on Saturday, October 20, at the Grapevine Botanical Garden on Ball Street. The 2018 theme is "Adventures of the Monarch." Artwork will be judged by local artists and each grade level will be awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize ribbons. Three grand prizes which include a $25 gift card per category will be presented for Sprouting Artist (K-1st), Budding Artist (2nd-3rd) and Blooming Artist (4th-5th).
Here Comes The Bus
GCISD is happy to announce the adoption of an innovative mobile device app and website entitled, Here Comes the Bus®. This app allows you to view the real-time location of your child’s school bus on your smartphone, tablet or computer. The app is free!
Getting started:
Available in three languages (English, Spanish and French), the Here Comes the Bus app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
- Download the Here Comes the Bus app* or visit herecomesthebus.com
- Click the Sign Up button
- Enter school code 79915 and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
- Complete the User Profile information
- Click “Students” and enter your child’s last name and student ID number when prompted
- Once you confirm your information, you’re ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus!
To sign up on the website, or to learn more about this service, visit the Here Comes the Bus website.
Star-Telegram Stock Show Art Contest
The competition, open to ALL students ages 5-19 that are enrolled in a Texas public, private or accredited home school, presents an opportunity to showcase artistic abilities and offers a great chance to win awards, college scholarships or cash prizes in excess of $20,000. Belt buckles will be presented to the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion along with official Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo rosettes to the 1st–7th placings.
A panel of local art professionals will judge the competition and placing entries will be displayed during the Fort Worth Stock & Rodeo, January 18–February 9. Additionally, select qualifying non-placing entries will be showcased as a special exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The contest has something for everyone: five (5) age divisions for individual entries, three (3) classroom divisions for two-dimensional entries and a three-dimensional division, for high school students. For more information contact Jordan Simons at 817.877.2534 or email Art Contest.
DAVID'S LAW PRESENTATION
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NEWS FROM CANNON PTA
PTA QUICK PICKS!
Check out these "quick picks" of reminders & information from PTA:
- REFLECTIONS ART CONTEST Calling All Cannon Cubs! Enter into the Reflections contest and represent Cannon Elementary! Show GCISD the extraordinary talent we have here at Cannon! Contest Theme: “Heroes Around Me”. Submission Categories: (All submissions must be original works in the following areas)
· Film Production
· Literature
· Music Composition
· Photography
· Visual Arts
Submissions Due to Cannon Front Office by Wednesday, November 7, 2018. Pick up your student packet from the Cannon Elementary Front Office or CLICK HERE to download today!
All submissions must be turned in with:
· Completed Student Entry Form.
· Student Name on the back of the submission
· Placed in an Envelope. Attention: PTA Reflections
Questions: Email Kaye.Rogers@gcisd.net
UPCOMING PTA EVENTS:
October 15 - Cannon Cubs' Moms' Night Out
October 22 - Spooky Skate at Skatetown
Additional events at cannonpta.com/calendar
Stay connected by following Cannon PTA on social media. Click here to "like" the PTA Facebook page. Follow them on Twitter @CannonPTA.
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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