CANNON LEGACY
A Newsletter For Cannon Staff 2017-2018
Principal Points - 2/19-2/23
IT'S ENGINEERING WEEK 2018!!!
Use #eWeek2018 in ALL of your tweets this week!!
I am SO excited about ALL of the wonderful experiences that we have planned for our scholars as part of #eWeek2018! As a STEM campus, this week provides the wonderful opportunity for us to put a special emphasis on the "E" in STEM and highlight all of the incredible ways engineering impacts our lives every.single.day. The goals of Engineering Week are to:
- Celebrate how engineers make a difference in our world
- Increase public dialogue about the need for engineers
- Bring engineering to life for kids, educators, and parents
Below is a great video to share with your Cubs to kick off Engineering Week with a message from the International Space Station! Some additional resources you can check out for inspiration on ways to celebrate #eWeek 2018 in your classroom are:
- Amazing engineering videos that will inspire wonder in your scholars
- Engineering design lessons for K-5 grade from Link Engineering
- YouTube playlist of Engineering videos from DiscoverE
- Cool Engineering Activities & Content for K-5 by DiscoverE
Finally, be sure to check out the list below of how each of our Cannon grade levels will be celebrating #eWeek2018. We have invited several guests from the district, including the district's communication department, to visit our campus this week so that they can see everything we are doing!
Please add #eWeek2018 when tweeting out pictures/information this week, so that we can share our work with a global audience!
Proud to be your principal,
Tona :)
KINDERGARTEN: Kindergarten scholars will explore the various strands of engineering throughout the week. Students have been 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.
Lisa's Coaching Corner
Please remember to do at least 1 peer observation with one of your UCAN group members. As a reminder the UCAN groups are Questioning, Student Voice, Differentiation, Student Goal-setting/Data Notebooking, Digital Classroom 101, STEM Technologies, & Math Workshop. The observation should be about 15 minutes.
Once you are done, please complete this UCAN Observation Reflection with your biggest takeaway from your observation. Please make sure your ONE UCAN Peer Observation is complete by May 1st. Of course you can submit more, but one is required.
If I can assist you in any way, please let me know. I know you are learning amazing things from each other that will impact your scholars too!
DATES TO REMEMBER
2/19 Professional Learning Day - no school for students 7:30-3:30
2/20-2/23 - National Engineering Week!
2/20 2nd grade field trip to FWMSH 8:45-2:30
2/20 PLC Week B - 5th grade 2:15-3:45
2/21 PLC Week B - 4th grade 2:15-3:45
2/22 STEM parent Information meeting & campus tour 8:30-10:00
2/22 4th grade field trip to FWMSH 9:30-1:30
2/22 Middle School 5th grade Parent Information Night @ all middle schools 6:00-7:00
2/23 Friday Tech Talk with Julee - MBot - during conference periods
2/26 U.CAN 3:00-3:45
2/26 Dual Language family BINGO Night - 6:00-7:00 pm
2/27 Class Picture Day!
2/27 PLC Week A - Kindergarten 2:15-3:45
2/27 Cannon Night @ Cici's Pizza!
2/28 PLC Week A - 1st grade 2:15-3:45
2/28 Baby Shower for Brittney Womack - 3:00-3:30 library
3/01STEM parent Information meeting & campus tour 12:30-2:00
3/01 PLC Week A - 2nd grade 2:15-3:45
3/01STEM parent Information meeting & campus tour 5:30-7:00 pm
3/05-3/09 Book Fair Week
3/5 CEC 3:15-4:00
3/06 PLC Week B - 5th grade 2:15-3:45
3/07 YUCK! science program sponsored by PTA - K-2 8:00-8:45; 3-5 9:00-9:45 - cafeteria
3/07 PLC Week B - 4th grade 2:15-3:45
3/08 PLC Week B - 3rd grade 2:15-3:45
3/08 Student-Led Showcase (Open House) 5:30-7:00 pm
3/09 Last day of the 3rd nine weeks!
3/12-3/16 Spring Break!
SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING!
This week's SPOTLIGHT is on all of our staff that have been representing our school so beautifully at special events & conferences! BIG thank you to all of these staff members for consistently demonstrating a high level of commitment to engage in AND share learning with other educators and our community!! We appreciate YOU!!
- Patrick Lollis attended TMEA last week and presented to other music educators across the state!
- Jennifer Bryant & Chelsea White presented at Mini-CAST this weekend about a multi-disciplinary STEM unit they designed for their 4th grade scholars!
- Marina Luepnitz, Jennifer Pettit, Jennifer Bryant, Chelsea White, & Lisa Brown spent their Saturday engaging in new learning at Mini-Cast 2018 - thank you!
- Julee Vorachard, Kristi Wagner, & Julie Brenegan planned, organized, and represented Cannon, alongside student STEMbassadors at the FAB Now 2018 conference in Ft. Worth this weekend. The students did an incredible job sharing learning from school and participating on a student panel!
CONGRATULATIONS JULIE BRENEGAN! (AKA MAE-MAE!)
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!! Nora is a healthy beautiful baby!
Congratulations to Rebecca & Isaac Hicks on their baby gender news - IT'S A BOY!!!
IT'S TEACHER & PARAPROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR TIME!!
2017-2018 Teacher of the Year Selection Process
Nomination Window Now Open - February 18-March 2
The process for selecting campus Teacher of the Year has changed and this new process will be used by all GCISD campuses beginning this year. GCISD schools have changed significantly during the years since the LEAD 2021 Strategic Plan was developed. Classrooms are equipped differently, and teachers have embraced practices which are more aligned with a learning platform approach to instruction. As a way to recognize teachers who exemplify the goals of LEAD, the Teacher of the Year process has been updated to celebrate teachers who are recognized by their peers as models of the strategic plan’s values.
Click here to read the specific details of this new ToY process!
- Please note that teachers who have been selected during the past 3 years are not eligible for nomination. During the last three years at Cannon, the following teachers have represented our campus as ToY: Sarah Ganus (2016-2017); Alejandra Paniagua (2015-2016); Julee Vorachard (2014-2015)
- Note that Librarians, Literacy Interventionists, and counselors (if they teach 4 hours a day) are eligible for nominations.
Click here to nominate one of our amazing Cannon staff members for ToY!
PARAPROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR for Cannon will be selected using the same process that has been previously utilized in GCISD. Please use the link below to vote for one of outstanding paraprofessionals at Cannon!
Click here to nominate one of our amazing Cannon paraprofessionals!
REMINDERS AND UPDATES
ELECTRONIC FLYER DISTRIBUTION ACTIVE NOW! Grapevine-Colleyville ISD has adopted an electronic flyer distribution program called Peachjar. Beginning February 15, with the new system, flyers from community organizations will be distributed through a weekly email and accessible through the school websites. This is part of our ongoing effort to focus resources on education while reducing the environmental impact of our activities. GCISD parents will receive a welcome email from Peachjar that includes a username and password. This is provided to give parents the opportunity to manage their account and flyer delivery preferences. To view a list of Frequently Asked Questions, click here and select the appropriate tab for PARENTS.
K-4 TEACHERS CONTINUE TO SHARE STUDENT ENROLLMENT INFO WITH PARENTS Please continue to help share the information below with your parents and emphasize the importance of responding. Also, please state "If you have already completed this form, please do NOT submit the form again." We currently have responses from approximately 75% of our K-4 families. I know that hearing directly from their child's classroom teacher will help accelerate this process. Thank YOU!!
IS YOUR CHILD RETURNING TO CANNON NEXT YEAR?
Believe it or not, it is time for us to begin making plans for next year and our first effort is to start planning for student enrollment in 2018-2019!
ALL PARENTS OF CURRENT KINDERGARTEN-4th GRADE STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE THIS ENROLLMENT FORM 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
Haga clic aquí para completar el formulario de inscripción de estudiantes en español
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.)
PLEASE HELP US SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT CAMPUS TOURS FOR STEM See information below with tour dates for any families interested in learning more about our campus. We are asking parents to let us know which of the dates they want to attend by using the link below.
APPLY NOW FOR VALOR 2018-2019
Applications for the 2018-19 cohort of VALOR are now being accepted! Applications are due by Monday, February 26th by 5:00 p.m. Please see this document to learn more about VALOR, and use this link to apply.
The Vanguard Association of Learning, Observation, and Reflection (VALOR) is preparing to launch its 6th year of supporting teacher and student growth in GCISD. If you are a PK-12 teacher interested in growing your instructional practice and learning more about classrooms across the district, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.
If you have questions about VALOR or your participation in it, please reach out to Melanie Gonzales, Rebecca Drummond, or Shannon Crawford.
February Book of the Month!!
We are SO excited about this month's book and challenge!! Please make sure that everyone on your team has had the opportunity to share this month's book, Awesome Dawson, with their scholars!
Please share Kristi's BoM video below with your class and discuss 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.
AMAZING OPPORTUNITY FOR CANNON TEACHERS!
Remember that HUGE grant that was given to GCISD's STEM programs by Boeing earlier this year? It's finally time to share information about how Cannon teachers can earn up to $6,000-$7,000+ by getting involved in some of the awesome opportunities this grant is targeted to fund!
This job description will be posted by GCISD Human Resources during the next several days. Please read the job description and below for more details about this exciting opportunity! All Cannon teachers are eligible to apply for these opportunities! Questions? Contact tony.zahn@gcisd.net or Julie Brenegan for more details!
Primary Purpose:
The Aviation Industry Motivating Student Success (AIMSS) has been funded by a grant from Boeing. The program supports underrepresented students in the GCISD K-8 STEM pipeline. The goal is to fully prepare all elementary students for the advanced coursework of the middle school program and in kind, fully prepare all middle school students for the advanced coursework of the high school program; ultimately preparing students for college and careers.
Through an extended day, Saturday and Summer Camp, this position will provide instruction, support, mentoring, data collection as well as championing the success of the up to 15 students targeted and assigned to the teacher.
Tuition-Based Pre-K Program Savings For GCISD Employees!
In the 2018-2019 school year, GCISD will offer a tuition-based Pre-K program at Bransford Elementary, Colleyville Elementary, O.C. Taylor Elementary, Grapevine Elementary, Heritage Elementary and Bear Creek Elementary. There will be limited availability at Timberline and Silver Lake Elementary for a blended program that includes English and Spanish (an option if you are considering Dual Language in Kindergarten).
The district will offer a 10% discount to current employees for the campus based pre-k program. Before and after school care will also be available in our KidzU program for employees with children enrolled in pre-k at no additional cost. The total cost of the program will be $5,650 including a $100 registration fee and $150 supply fee both due in the spring to reserve the seat. The first monthly payment of $540 will be due July 30th.
GCISD employees will have priority placement on the requested campus for their pre-k student. Simply fill out this Google Form to provide us with information we need at this time. Forms must be complete by March 9th. Additional registration information will be collected once the class placement is confirmed.
We are very excited about this opportunity! We will be located in the lecture hall at the Special Programs Expo on Thursday, February 8th from 5:00-7:00 at Cross Timbers Middle School. District and campus staff will be available to share more information about the program and answer questions.
GUIDED READING LESSON STRUCTURE
Worth A Read...or a Listen!!
THE SCIENCE OF THE WINTER OLYMPICS can be incorporated into science learning through the use of this YouTube playlist of sixteen videos on the science of Winter Olympics events. These are created by the National Science Foundations and they teach lessons on the physics and engineering behind the events we see on television.
IN THE END, ONLY KINDNESS MATTERS This blogpost offers a wonderful reminder about how KINDNESS is truly what matters, in life.
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...
One of my FAVORITE Valentine's Day boxes created by a 4th grade student was inspired by our construction. Check out this creative design below! :)
TO-DO LIST
- Set a timer and complete daily attendance ON TIME!
- Don't forget to show daily KCAN announcements every Monday-Thursday!! #KidsDeserveIt
- Arrive at 7:30 for a GREAT day of PD together on Monday, 2019!
- Nominate a deserving Cannon staff member for Teacher & Paraprofessional of the Year!!
- Use #eWeek2018 in your tweets about Engineering Week activities this week!
- Don't forget that progress report grades posting window closes at 10:00 pm on 2/19!
- Attend Tech Talks with Julee on Friday 2/23 to learn more about MBot!
- Communicate a reminder to parents about Picture Day on 2/27.
- Work with your teams to plan for our Student-Led Showcase Night on March 8th!
- 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.