CANNON TIMES
A Newsletter For Cannon Staff 2018-2019
Principal Points - Week of September 24, 2018
The beginning of the school year is ALWAYS a stressful time. This year, many have mentioned that somehow this year seems MORE stressful than ever! And you know what? You are right!!
There have been a LOT of new things to learn this year, deadlines that seem impossible to meet, and that small little detail for our campus staff called MOVING INTO A BRAND NEW SCHOOL OVER A FOUR DAY WEEKEND! All this on top of just trying to get the year off to a great start for our scholars.
While small things like surprise jeans days, positive shout-outs for each other, and pancake breakfasts don't take away the stress, they can certainly help minimize it by putting a smile on our faces, even for a brief time.
We all have the ability to uplift each other through simple gestures such as smiling or laughing, and I believe times like this are when we need that the most. Smiles & happiness ARE contagious!! Keep sharing those smiles and spreading that happiness around during the next few weeks! #OurKidsDeserveIt
Proud to be your principal,
Tona :)
#BeCannonProud
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Lisa's Coaching Corner
GOT DATA? Now what?
Now that everyone has data and may be feeling a bit OVERWHELMED on where to start, I have gathered a few things that will help you process your information and help you decide on your next steps:
Reading:All K-2 teachers can fill out the appropriate class profile sheet and 3rd-5th can do the same for your tiered students and add "bubble students" as you complete DRA2s. Once you have this, we can process your class and develop a plan. If you have not added this DRA2/EDL2 folder on your drive, please do so now.
K-3rd DRA2 Focus for Instruction Class Profile and Forms.PDF has class profile sheet to record your students in each reading stage to see where to start with instruction. You will to print one sheet for your class applicable reading levels A-3, 4-12, 14-24, 28-40.
4th-8th DRA2 Focus for Instruction Class Profile and Forms.PDF has a sheet (pg. 2 of the PDF) that is called Focus for Instruction: Class Profile for Intermediate Readers.
The equivalent forms for the EDL2 are not in the online drive, so I will need to borrow the book and copy those and add them to the drive on Monday.
Math: Please take a look inside class link for the Math Personalized Learning in GCISD green icon with an addition and division sign on it. This site will serve as your one-stop shop for math screeners used to determine need for intervention, intervention lessons, and progress monitors, all aligned to the mathematics TEKS. Please use the links at the top of the page to locate the grade level you teach.
- For students in need of Tier 2 intervention, below grade level, use the intervention lessons and progress monitors linked on your grade level page.
- For students in need of Tier 3 intervention, significantly below grade level, click on a grade level below your own and use the intervention lessons and progress monitors linked there.
I would love to assist you as process your specific class data-please email me to set up a time. Knowing your needs helps me to provide SUPPORT!
Thanks for all you do!
LB
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DATES TO REMEMBER
9/24 Staff Pancake Breakfast - teacher's lounge 7:00-7:40 am
9/24 Achievement Meetings - 2nd & 4th grades
9/24 STEM Leadership Team meeting - 3:00 - 3:45 pm - library
9/25 PLC Week A - 3rd Grade 2:15-3:45
9/25 Cub's Night Out @ California Pizza Kitchen
9/26 Vision & Hearing Screenings @ Cannon
9/26 PLC Week A - 4th Grade 2:15-3:45
9/27 Picture Day @ Cannon
9/27 PLC Week A - 5th Grade 2:15-3:45
9/27 Cubs Night Out @ Cici's Pizza
9/28 Achievement Meetings - Kinder & 3rd grade
9/28 Tech Talk - during conference times
9/28 Food Truck Friday - Chez Flo Truck will be @ Cannon from 10:30-1:30
9/28 Back to School Family Picnic - (3rd attempt!) Note location change for this to Parr Park 6:00-7:00
10/01 National World Day of Bullying Prevention - wear jeans, blue shirts & boots!
10/01 Fire Drill - 9:00 am
10/01 5th Grade Sky Ranch Chaperone meeting - 5:00-6:00
10/01 WatchDOG Dad's Pizza Kickoff & Family Involvement Fair - 6:00-7:00 - Cannon Cafeteria
10/02 Pizza Snacks for staff! Schroeder Orthodontics is sending over some pizzas for staff around 10:30 am. Be sure to pop in the teacher's lounge to grade a slice or two!
10/02 PLC Week B - Kindergarten 2:15-3:45
10/02 5th Grade Sky Ranch Chaperone meeting - 4:00-5:00
10/03 PLC Week B - 1st Grade 2:15-3:45
10/03 GCISD PTA Hosts Candidate Forum - Colleyville Center - 6:30-9:00 pm
10/04 PLC Week B - 2nd Grade 2:15-3:45
10/04 All items must be packed by 4:00 - Facilities will begin pick up at 4:00 pm
10/05 Student Holiday/Staff Moving Day - please remind parents there is NO school
10/08 Student Holiday- please remind parents there is NO school - New school will be open for staff to work as needed!
10/09 Red Carpet Welcome for students -1st day in new school!
10/09 PLC Week A - 3rd Grade - 2:15-3:45
10/10 PLC Week A - 4th Grade - 2:15-3:45
10/10 Cubs Night Out @ Spring Creek - 5:00-9:00
10/11 PLC Week A - 5th Grade - 2:15-3:45
10/15 STEM Leadership 3:00-3:45 - library
10/16 PLC Week B - Kindergarten 2:15-3:45
10/17 5th grade leaves for Sky Ranch- return on Friday, 10/19
10/17 PLC Week B - 1st grade 2:15-3:45
10/18 1st grade field trip to Meadows Farm - 9:15-2:00
10/18 PLC Week B - 2nd grade 2:15-3:45
10/19 End of 1st Nine Weeks
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WELCOME CHELSYE MILLER!
She has TONS of experience with athletic events in GCISD, as well as assisting with track & field events for the Big 12 Championship in Lubbock previously. She considers swimming, dance & cheer as her areas of speciality. Her principal assured us that we are getting a "gem" of an employee and he described her strengths as an Includer & a Developer, who is consistently positive! Chelsye's husband Max is an Engineering teacher at CMS and she works as his assistant coach on the FLL Robotics team at CMS. Please help us welcome Chelsye to our Cannon team!
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CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
The following answers are in response to some of the questions submitted on the school community form provided for staff to submit questions & suggestions about our move. Please use this link to submit additional questions & suggestions!
Q & A (QUESTIONS & ANSWERS):
- WHEN WILL WE PACK UP IN OUR CURRENT BUILDING AND HOW WILL MY "STUFF" GET MOVED We have already ordered and received packing boxes and tape. They are located on the stage (keep them in the back area until after Picture Day this week please!) Please begin now to pack items as you are able to identify what you can do without until the move. All items need to be packed in boxes provided, taped and LABELED CLEARLY with your last name and grade level and room number. Click here to find your room number. While you are on this document, please add your current phone extension. If you are a grade level teacher and know that you want items from your classroom to be delivered to your grade level TPA (Teacher Prep Area) please use the appropriate TPA room number. While you will be responsible for moving over any personal items, we will have approximately 50 district facilities & custodial staff that will be at Cannon on Thursday, October 4th to help move all boxes and other miscellaneous items to the new school.
- WHEN WILL I RECEIVE MY ITEMS THAT ARE IN STORAGE? The movers that were hired by the construction company will begin to move items from storage into the new building on Friday, October 5th. This will take the majority of the day and possibly a portion of the day on Saturday, so we are asking for your patience on this please! Obviously, if you are one of the lucky ones who has items in the front of the first storage building unloaded you will get your things fairly early in the day on Friday. However, if your items are in the back of the last storage unit unloaded, you won't have your things until much later. There will still be plenty for you to do on Friday, as you unpack the items currently being used in your classroom and begin to get your classrooms set up! Again, your patience & flexibility are requested!
- WHAT DOES THE FURNITURE LOOK LIKE? STORAGE? WHERE DO KIDS HANG THEIR BACKPACKS? The new furniture will start to be delivered this week, so I will get photos of full classroom set-ups as soon as they are assembled and set up, in order to give you a better sneak peek. However, in order to see what some of the furniture looks like, storage options in the new building, and the backpack hooks in classrooms, I have placed some photos in this folder for you to view. These furniture photos are from one of our elementary schools that received their furniture this summer.
- WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS FOR STAFF TO WORK DURING THE 4-DAY WEEKEND? Friday, October 5th is a contract day, so all staff is required to work for the full day (as a reminder, no staff children are allowed to be at work during contract time). The district facilities & custodial staff will be on campus after 1:00 pm on Friday, October 5th to help with any moving needs, as well as to prep the campus for student arrival. We will have district staff from the C & I team, as well as other central admin. at the campus on Saturday, October 6th from 9:00-4:00 working in shifts and they will be assigned to grade levels/departments. They have signed up to volunteer and help teachers unpack and set up their classrooms. If you are interested in getting help/support from these volunteers, you will need to plan on being on campus during those times. The campus will be open on Sunday and Monday (hours TBD) as well. It is unlikely that staff badges will work on the card readers during this weekend, so you will need to plan to come when the school is open. We will let you know these times asap! We understand that you all have family commitments and other things you must take care of during this holiday weekend and we want you to take of these things! Our goal is to be ready for students to arrive on Tuesday morning and we know that each of you will have different schedules for when you will be able to work. Please plan to work as much as necessary in order for you to be prepared! However, please understand that if you want to take advantage of the great district volunteers who have signed up to help, you must be present during the time they are here.
- CAN I BRING MY FAMILY & FRIENDS WITH ME TO HELP DURING THE MOVE-IN WEEKEND? Yes! However, we are asking for staff to make care arrangements for small and elementary-aged children, for safety reasons. There may still be some construction-related activities going on throughout the weekend, so this request must be honored. If you have a high schooler who is capable of actually helping in your room in a productive manner, this is allowable. Of course spouses, parents and adult children are welcome! Please do NOT recruit Cannon parents to volunteer. We have communicated to our Cannon PTA that we will NOT be using Cannon parents during this weekend!
- CAN WE GO INTO THE BUILDING IN ADVANCE IN ORDER TO PLAN OUR CLASSROOM SET-UP? Please know that I am trying to make every effort for this to happen, however, we are in major "crunch-time" with last minute work being accomplished, etc. Until a certificate of occupancy is obtained by the construction company, we simply can't allow teachers into the building. We will begin our day together on Friday, October 5th to discuss some specific expectations regarding room set-up. There is not a digital school map that exists yet with room numbers at this current time. However, I have taken photos of this paper copy that has room numbers on it. Be warned - it is VERY confusing! Some rooms have 2-3 different room numbers - this is because these are rooms that have partitions that can divide the room into multiple spaces. Please use the room number assigned to you on the staff room number list for your labeling.
- HOW WILL OUR STUDENTS LEARN THEIR WAY AROUND THE BUILDING? On the first day of school, our community helpers that are involved in greeting the students will escort students to the correct classroom. We will provide a schedule for grade levels to take their students on a building tour during the first day, so that groups are all "touring" at the same time. Please plan on spending a LOT of time on the first day with students resetting norms/expectations for how we will RESPECTFULLY behave, utilize spaces & interact in our beautiful new school!! We are planning to create some short video clips for you to use with your scholars that address specific expectations for different areas of the school! As with any new beginning, it's all about how we start!! Taking the time to start off with HIGH expectations is a MUST! More to come on this topic - stay tuned! :)
- WHERE WILL WE HAVE RECESS AFTER WE MOVE? Another excellent question that I will have to answer later - LOL! The original plan was to have students play outdoors in the courtyard area, until the playground area was complete at the end of October. The recent rain has had a significant impact on that plan, so we will be moving to Plan B. Likely, this plan will result in us utilizing the front circle drive area that we currently use, until we are no longer able to do so, due to the demolition plans. The demo plans may be altered slightly, in order to accommodate this and a couple of other issues that are being resolved due to the onslaught of rainy weather we have had! More to come!
We are SO incredibly fortunate to be part of such an exciting time in history for both Cannon and GCISD! #BeCannonProud
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REMINDERS & UPDATES
FOLLOW-UP MEETINGS FOR 504/SPED ACCOMMODATIONS TRAININGS Just a reminder that our diagnostician, Tina Bostick, has offered to meet with you during conference times on Monday, 9/24, to answer any questions you have about the recent accommodations training, or to help you enter student information. Please send her an email asap to let her know if you would like to meet with her, so that she can put it on her calendar.
PICTURE DAY IS THIS WEEK! Please don't forget to use this schedule Anne created for Picture Day on Thursday, September 28th. Don't forget to remind parents about this in all of your communications this week!
VISION AND HEARING SCREENINGS ARE THIS WEEK! September 26th is our scheduled date for Vision and Hearing screening. Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd and 5th grade students will be screened that day, along with any new students to GCISD in 2nd and 4th grade. Please remind parents in your communications about this date and to make sure to send students with their glasses. There will be parent volunteers who will come pickup your students to bring them to the testing rooms. Please make sure you accompany your students to keep them quiet in the hallways while they wait. Click here to see the schedule for the screenings.
RESCHEDULED CAMPUS EVENTS Please see information about rescheduled Family Picnic & WatchDOG Dad's Pizza Kickoff in the "To Share With Parents" section of this newsletter for details to share with parents. Be sure to point out that the location has changed to Parr Park, instead of Dove Park (not available on this date)
BONUS GCISD JEANS DAYS - COURTESY OF DR. RYAN! There are 2 dates in October that Dr. Ryan and Dr. Schnautz have approved for jeans and special shirts:
- National World Day of Bullying Prevention - October 1st. This is formerly Stomp Out Bully. They encourage everyone to wear boots and blue shirts to encourage students to be strong and stand up against bullying.
- The other day is Unity Day on October 24. This group encourages students to wear orange (not necessarily burnt orange). Their message is: Together against bullying. UNITED for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.
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.
FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY IS THIS WEEK!!
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INFORMATION TO SHARE IN PARENT NEWSLETTERS
Cubs Night Out: California Pizza Kitchen
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2018, 11:00 AM
1051 State Hwy 114, Grapevine, Texas 76051, USA
Back 2 School Family Picnic
Friday, Sep 28, 2018, 06:00 PM
Parr Park Playground Pavilion, 3010 Parr Ln, Grapevine, TX 76051, USA
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 and enables you to:
- See the real-time location of your child’s bus both before and after school
- Confirm that your child’s bus has arrived at the bus stop, at school or both
- Receive a push notification* or email message when the bus is near your stop, has been substituted, or when we have important information to relay
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.
**Your child needs to be a registered bus rider in order to ride a GCISD bus. If you are wanting to register your child to ride the bus, please do so in Skyward. If you are needing to temporarily change your child's bus transportation (i.e. riding home with a friend for a day, etc.), please complete this form. This app tracks only GCISD buses, not individual students.
Questions:
Should you have any questions, please contact Misael Ruiz at misael.ruiz@gcisd.net or (817) 251-5595. If you additional assistance, contact Here Comes the Bus customer support. You will be asked to provide the following information:
- Your name
- School District Name or 5-digit School Code
- Email address used for your Here Comes the Bus account
- Your child’s first and last name, and student ID #
- Description of the question
RESCHEDULED DATE FOR WatchDOGS Event!
WatchD.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is an innovative program being used by schools across America which helps them to be positively impacted by the committed involvement of fathers and father-figures in their student's life. Our goal is to have you spend at least one day this year at the school to be a positive male role model and to provide an extra set of eyes and ears. There are also may other opportunities for both moms and dads to get involved in our school this year and we are excited to share them with everyone!
In order to participate, you need to do two things:
- Complete the bottom portion of the form that came home with students last week and return it asap to let us know if you will attend, so that we can have an accurate head count for the food.
- Mark your calendars and show up on Tuesday, September 18th at 6:00 pm!
DAVID'S LAW PRESENTATION
Please include this image in your parent communications about our new safety app
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TECH TALK FROM JULEE!
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CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION CORNER
Science Blog and Curriculum Map Information
If you teach science, please take some time to read the GCISD Science blog and watch the screencast explaining our newly designed elementary science curriculum map. Please subscribe to the blog in order to stay up to date!
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Worth A Read, Watch or...Listen!!
STRATEGIES FOR WORKING WITH STUDENTS WITH ADHD can be found in this great read. Try some of these ideas for at least a few weeks without giving up, and see which ones improve your relationship with a student whom you're having trouble connecting with!
SAME OR DIFFERENT? I love this website for some great visuals to use during classroom Math/Number Talks! The images on this website provide an opportunity for elementary students to practice learning HOW to talk about various math objects, while comparing/contrasting their observations about features such as quantity, shape, color, orientation, and arrangement, to name a few. Check out this video
to see how Same & Different is used in a classroom.
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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!
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TO-DO LIST
- Set a timer and complete daily attendance ON TIME every day!
- Stop by the Teacher's Lounge for a plate of yummy pancakes & fruit to start your day!
- Attend STEM Leadership on Monday 9/21 at 3:05!
- Make note of the schedules for Hearing & Vision screenings this week AND Picture Day!
- Review the Q & A info in the Construction Update section. Keep submitting your questions & suggestions - we need your good thinking! :)
- See the Information To Share With Parents section of this newsletter for communication about campus events & other district news that needs to be included in your own newsletters, blogs, etc... NOTE RESCHEDULED DATES FOR FAMILY PICNIC & WATCHDOG DADS EVENT - Please make sure parents are aware.
- Don't forget about Food Truck Friday - check out the Chez Flo menu in this newsletter and plan ahead to enjoy a special lunch on Friday!
- 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!