News Update

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

2/29	Picture Day - Class & Individual Pictures
3/1	5th Grade Parent Information Meetings @ Cannon - 11:00 am OR6:30 pm - library (see information below)
3/4	5th Grade Middle School Course Selection Sheets Due
3/07-3/11	Spring Book Fair - open each day; extended hours on 3/10 during Open House. Closes @ noon on 3/12
3/8	Parent Talk & Tea Tuesday - 7:45-8:30 - cafeteria (see information below!)
3/10	Choir Concerts - 5:30 - 6:00
3/10	Open House - 6:00-7:00
3/14- 3/18	Spring Break
3/21	Students return from Spring Break
3/24	Principal's Coffee - 8:00-9:00 library
3/25	Bad Weather Make-Up Day (If no bad weather days are used prior to this date, this will be a student holiday)
3/29	STAAR Testing - 4th Grade Writing (Day 1) & 5th Grade Math
3/30	STAAR Testing -  5th Grade Reading

PLEASE SUPPORT CANNON!  While our wonderful Cannon PTA does multiple fund-raising efforts all year long that help support our school, Cannon actually only does a SCHOOL-SPONSORED fundraiser every few years.  In fact, it has been 5 years since Cannon has done a school-sponsored fundraiser!  In an effort to provide an opportunity for Cannon parents to help support Cannon directly, by making donations that go directly to Cannon school funds (not through PTA), we are doing a Greenback Fundraiser!  Instead of asking families to support sales, such as cookie dough, candy or wrapping paper, we are making it easy for Cannon parents by simply asking parents to make a one-time donation directly to Cannon.  Funds raised through this effort will help support our G-R-O-W-T-H and will be used to help fund the purchase of curriculum materials for STEM, technology,  professional development opportunities for our teachers, and for the purchase of MORE wonderful resources that will directly benefit your child!  In order to make this as easy as possible for our parents, donations can either be made online, using a credit card (no fees involved!) or by cash/check.  Checks should be made out to Cannon Elementary.  All donations are tax-deductible and a form for tax deductions will be provided upon request. Donation forms will be sent home with all students soon!   Click here to make a donation ONLINE now!  Select the button - Cannon- Growing the Future!! 

5th GRADE PARENTS - NEED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL? COME TO CANNON'S 5th GRADE PARENT INFORMATION MEETING!  We have had LOTS of questions from 5th grade parents about middle school transition for their child.  In order to help you answer any of your questions about middle school courses, enrollment, our about how to complete course selection sheets, we will have two 5th grade parent meetings at Cannon. Our counselor, Mrs. Coburn,  will host a meeting on Tuesday, March 1st at 11:00 am OR 6:30 pm in the Cannon library, in order to answer any questions you may have.  Please join us!  As a reminder, middle school course selection sheets are due on Friday, March 4th.   Please click here for a form that has ALL of our 5th grade transition information in one place!  To read this document in Spanish, click here. Please let your 5th grade teachers or our counselor, Mrs. Coburn, know if you have any questions about this process.  We are here to help!! 

PLANNING TO CONTINUE STEM @ MIDDLE SCHOOL?  NO PROBLEM - HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO!  All 5th grade parents who are interested in their child continuing in the STEM program at GMS for middle school MUST complete an admittance form, in order to reserve a place in the 2016-2017 STEM program!  Your child is guaranteed a spot in the STEM program, since they are currently enrolled at Cannon, however, parents MUST complete an application.  Click here to complete this application now!   Please note that although you will receive a lottery number when you complete this form, your child's position in the STEM program is guaranteed upon application, if submitted byMarch 4th.  Space may not be guaranteed for students who do not have a completed form by that date.  

PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR -PLEASE LET US KNOW YOUR PLANS NOW!  BIG thank you to all parents that have already responded to our Student Enrollment at Cannon -2016-2017 survey!  As a final reminder,  we need ALL Kinder-4th grade parents to respond to this survey to let us know your plans for next year.  We need to finalize our enrollment numbers for returning students by Friday, March 4th. Cannon is a campus that is open for student attendance through a lottery system, based on a space available system.  As we begin to plan for next year, it is very important for us to find out from our Cannon families, what your plans are for next year.  All Kindergarten - 4th grade parents are asked to complete this brief survey to let us know your plans.  Click here to complete this survey in English.  For Spanish, click here.   Please note that if your child is attending Cannon this year, as a result of being selected through the lottery, it is NOT necessary for you to complete a lottery application again this year.  Once a student is approved to attend through the lottery, they may remain at Cannon through 5th grade.  

MATH TELESCOPING ASSESSMENT DATES ANNOUNCED   Testing opportunities for telescoping in math for the 2016-2017 school year are available in the spring and summer for GCISD students who are completing grades K through 7. The Math Telescoping Information Packet will be available the first week of March on the district website under theFor Parents and Students Directory by selecting the link for Acceleration Exams, Math Telescoping, Grades K-7.  From the Assessment Department page select either the ENGLISH or SPANISH version for Math Telescoping, Grades K-7. Parents will find information about the requirements to qualify for Math Telescoping and instructions about the new TWO STEP Online Registration Process.  There will be links to print the Information Packet, begin the TWO STEP Online Registration Process to register for the spring exams, view the TEKS on the TEA website, and download Study Guides for the exams purchased from UT-Austin. Click here to see the exam dates and registration deadlines for each exam date - English.  Click here to see this information in Spanish. 

PARENT TUESDAY TALK & TEA Make plans NOW to attend the ParentTuesday Talk & Tea on March 8th, from 7:45 - 8:30, in the cafeteria.  Nurse Kendra will be doing a special presentation on how to create healthy snacks & lunches for students!  Lots of GREAT nutritional information will be shared and there will even be some taste-testing for parents who attend, to sample some healthy snack options.  See you there!

OPEN HOUSE, CHOIR CONCERTS, & BOOK FAIR - OH MY!!   Please make sure you have marked your calendar for Thursday March 10th, when we will host our annual Open House!  At this event, all Kindergarten - 5th grade students will showcase learning they have done throughout the year!  The evening will begin with our Cannon Choirs performing, from 5:30 - 6:00, in the cafeteria.  All classrooms will be open from 6:00-7:00 pm for parent/student visits.  The Spring Book Fair will also be open from 5:30-7:00.  Mrs. Berumen is still looking for a few parent volunteers to help out during this evening at the Book Fair.  Click here to sign up as a volunteer, if you are available.  You won't want to miss this BIG event!! 

IT'S YEARBOOK TIME!  Yearbook information was sent home with ALL students last week.  Yearbooks are $20, which includes a free personalized page, and can be purchased online or by making a payment in the Cannon office by cash or check.  All checks should be made payable to Cannon Elementary.  Yearbooks must be purchased by April 4th and personalized pages must also be completed by this dates.   When you purchase a yearbook, you will have the option to customize TWO pages in your child's yearbook for FREE!  You can design your child's pages with pictures of their  year, including school parties, field trips, vacations, fun events, sports, or other activities.  Parents can even create these pages as dedication pages with baby pictures and special quotes. If you design custom pages, they will be included ONLY in your child's yearbook and must be complete through the online site.  You are not required to create custom pages - it's only an option for interested parents!  To get started on your yearbook order, go towww.TreeRing.com/validate.  You will be asked for our school's passcode:  1014520263794913  We are excited to offer these new yearbook options this year!  

LET'S TALK!  In an effort to continually improve the district's communication with parents, staff, and community members, GCISD has created an online system called Let's Talk, in which you can simply click on the appropriate department or program to start a conversation, submit a question, comment, make a suggestions, or share a concern or compliment.   Access Let's Talk by clicking here. 

GCISD BOND 2016  As I previously shared, the GCISD Board of Trustees approved ordering a bond election for May 7th, 2016. The decision to call a bond election was based on the recommendations of the FIRST (Facility Innovation & Readiness Stakeholder Team) and this recommendation includes four overall key objectives in the bond package:  1. Securing our District;  2. Planning for Growth;  3. Investing in Infrastructure; 4. The Classroom Experience

Please take a moment to watch this video below for more details about specific projects included in the bond package within each objective. Now that the election has been called, there are a number of resources available that will provide more information about this bond package. These include:

• Dr. Ryan's letter to community about Bond 2016  - English       Dr. Ryan's letter to community about Bond 2016 - Spanish
• Bond 2016 website - this website has resources to provide more information about specific projects in the bond package; press releases, bond video, etc..
• FIRST Committee website - this website has information/videos of each meeting of this committee, as well as many resources that were shared with this committee.

STAY CONNECTED!   HAVE YOU "LIKED" OUR CANNON FACEBOOK PAGE YET? If you haven't already "liked" our Cannon Facebook page, please do so today!  We work hard to provide updates, information, and celebrations on our Cannon page. Click here to see our Cannon Facebook  Also, please follow us on Twitter @canSTEM

Engineering Worm Habitats

We have been studying soil and composting. Since we are making our compost using worms to help us speed up the process, we needed to make worm composting bins. Take a look!

Weathering Experiment

Students investigated a model of weathering rocks before I introduced them to the term weathering.  Students worked in groups and used crackers and sugar cubes for their first investigation.  Students rubbed 2 crackers and 2 sugar cubes together with gentle pressure for 10 seconds over their tray. Then, they recorded their observations in their science notebooks and shared with partners, paying attention to the differences between crackers and sugar cubes.  Afterwards, they took 2 rocks and did the same thing.  Would we see the same results? (yes--sand would fall off or the rocks might break, different kinds of rocks might break apart differently). They recorded their observations and shared with  the class. Then I introduced the term ‘weathering’ and we added it to our word wall. Weathering is the breaking apart or wearing away of rock material. Following this experiment, students were given 3 different types of soil samples from Grapevine Lake to explore and record the properties.

Earth's Forces and Landforms

Earth's Forces word wall...student generated! 

We spent some time last week in the learning garden showing our knowledge on landforms.

Happy Birthday!

Choir Reminder

REMINDER:

This Friday and next, the Cub Choir will rehearse for 30 extra minutes (until 4:15). 

New Unit

Formation of Soil

Student Expectation

The student is expected to explore and record how soils are formed by weathering of rock and the decomposition of plant and animal remains.

Key Concepts

• Weathering is the process that breaks down Earth’s rocks into smaller and smaller pieces over time.
• Soils are made up of small pieces of weathered rock.
• Soil contains many substances including decomposed plant and animal remains.
• The materials in soil, or soil type, are different in different areas.

Fundamental Questions

• What is weathering?
• What is soil made of?
• How are soils different in different areas?

Key Concept 1: Weathering is the process that breaks down Earth’s rocks into smaller and smaller pieces over time.

All soils initially come from rocks, called “parent material”. Weathering agents, such as water, waves, wind, ice, temperature changes, plant and animal activity, and chemical processes, break the parent material into smaller pieces, and erosion carries the sediments to new locations. Water seeps into the cracks in rocks and breaks them apart. Temperature changes expand and crack the rocks further. Acidic water also seeps into rocks and breaks them down even more. Below the surface growing plant roots can split rocks, too. On the surface, blowing wind and rushing water constantly weather and erode rock into smaller pieces.

Key Concept 2: Soils are made up of small pieces of weathered rock.

Soil is made of four materials: small pieces of weathered rock or minerals (rock, sand, clay, and silt), air, water, and organic material (matter from dead plants and animals). There are thousands of soil types, but all soils are some combination of sand, silt, and clay particles. Of the particles, sand is the largest, silt is the middle-sized particle, and clay is the smallest. The texture of these three particles can be felt by rubbing the soil between the fingers. Sandy soil feels gritty, silt soil feels floury or silky; and clay soil feels slick and sticky. There are four major types of soil.
Sandy soil is made of quartz grains that appear light brown. When you roll slightly wet, sandy soil in your palm, usually no ball forms and it crumbles. Sand particles are the largest of the three rock particles and create large spaces between the grains. This causes water to flow too quickly through the soil, washing away important nutrients. Sandy soil, without humus, cannot retain water or nutrients essential to seedlings, which is not good for growing crops. Sandy soils are found in deserts and near coastal areas.
Silt soil is also made of quartz minerals, but is grey in color, with grains that are much smaller than sand, and feel silky smooth. Small spaces between sediments allow water and nutrient retention. Silt soils that have some humus are found in the flood plains surrounding rivers and are considered good for farming.
Clay soil particles appear red, are much smaller than silt, are sticky when wet, and have very little pore space to let water flow, but do retain plant nutrients. When wet clay soil dries, it shrinks and cracks. Clay can also become dense, hard, and brittle, making it difficult for plant roots to penetrate. Wet clay soil easily forms a sticky ball in the hand.
Loamy soil is an ideal soil that appears dark brown or black from rich organic materials and has a balance of all three particle sizes: sand, clay, and silt. Loamy soil, also known as topsoil is preferred for farming.

Key Concept 3: Soil contains many substances, including decomposed plant and animal remains.

Soil is actually made of four materials: small pieces of weathered rock or minerals (rock, sand, clay, and silt), air, water, and organic material (matter from dead plants and animals). When plants and animals die and decompose (decay), this organic matter makes nutrient-rich material called humus, which mixes with inorganic material (rock particles, minerals, and water) to form soil. The humus layer of soil is usually the dark rich top soil. Soil micro-organisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi) are responsible for this decomposition, which breaks down animal and vegetable material into nutrient elements that can be used by growing plants.

Key Concept 4: The materials in soil (or soil type) are different in different areas.

Landforms, climate, rainfall, plants, and animal activity affect the soil found in a particular regions of the United States. Forest soil is rich in topsoil and humus where decayed plant and animal material help retain water and nutrients that allow forest trees, other plant life, and animals to flourish.Desert soil, however, lacks topsoil and humus due to sandy particles that do not retain water or nutrients. Only specially adapted plants, such as cactus and sagebrush, are suited to this sandy soil.Prairie soil of the Midwestern United States is fertile, dark, loamy soils that are a balance between the three particle sizes. A variety of weathered materials eroded into this basin represent the diverse parent material that contributed to the rich soil that supports American farmlands. Southern soil is dominated by red clay. The red color results from the iron minerals that have rusted into iron oxides in the warm, damp climate of the South.

FEBRUARY STEM MAGAZINE

• Click on the link to read through this month's STEM Magazine.  Click here to enjoy AND share this month's issue!

New Design Challenge

Dear Parents,

Next week we will be beginning a new engineering challenge. For this challenge we will be needing LOTS of materials. If you are able to send any of the following items we would really appreciate it! We will be starting this challenge on Wednesday so the sooner we have the supplies the better. 

·     Aluminum or metal pans

·     Plastic tubs (around the size of a shoe box or bigger)

·     Wooden dowels

·     Plastic rods (like pvc pipe)

·     Cardboard rods from hangers

·     Duck Tape

·     Wire

·     Aluminum Foil

·     Newspaper

Thank you so much for your help!

Gifted and Talented Program Update

GCISD Advanced Academics is now accepting referrals for Gifted and Talented  Program Services for grades 1-4.  Please access the application for GT LEAD and/or ASPIRE Academy for the Highly Gifted in each campus office or on the Advanced Academics page: Please Click on the Blue Badge  Applications must be returned no later than February 26 to your campus office or GT Specialist.

Testing will take place during the month of March.  Results will be mailed home in early April.

Upcoming Events!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

2/17	Early Release - 11:45 - Student/Parent Conferences
2/18	Early Release - 11:45 - Student/Parent Conferences
2/19	5th Graders Visit Grapevine Middle School
2/19	Cannon Talent Show - 6:00 p.m.
2/23	5th Grade Parent Middle School Information Night 6:30-7:30GMS
2/24	World Read Aloud Day @ Cannon!
3/4	5th Grade Middle School Course Selection Sheets Due
3/10	Choir Concerts - 5:30 - 6:00
3/10	Open House - 6:00-7:00
3/14- 3/18	Spring Break
3/21	Students return from Spring Break

ATTENTION 5th GRADE PARENTS! It's that time of year, when all of our 5th graders will begin receiving information about their transition to middle school!  They will be going to GMS to do a tour of the school and see their "Electives Showcase" on Friday of this week.  Be sure to ask your 5th grader all about this experience and what they enjoyed most!!  Also, please mark your calendars for a meeting at GMS for 5th Grade Parent Information Night, beginning at 6:30.  This will be a very informative meeting that will help answer lots of questions many of our 5th grade parents have about what to expect in middle school!  Please click here for a form that has ALL of our 5th grade transition information in one place!  To read this document in Spanish, click here. Please let your 5th grade teachers or our counselor, Mrs. Coburn, know if you have any questions about this process.  We are here to help!! 

EARLY RELEASE DAYS -STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES  February 17th & 18th are both designated as Early Release days by GCISD.  Students will be released at 11:45 on these dates.  You will be receiving information from your child's teacher(s) to arrange a conference time on one of these dates, so that important information can be shared about your child's progress.  During these dates, many of the conferences our Cannon teachers have planned will be student-led.  This means that your child will not only be included in the conference, they will be taking some responsibility for leading the conference, in order to share their own academic progress with you, as well as share their progress towards their individualized learning goals.  In GCISD, we have developed a Portrait of a Graduate, in which specific outcomes have been determined about characteristics we want to achieve with all of our students.  One of these outcomes is for our students to become Self-Regulated Learners.  Student-led conferences is just one of the ways in which we are working to develop our Cannon Cubs towards this goal!  If you have not yet scheduled your conference for one of these dates, please contact your child's teacher and let them know when you are available to meet.  Click here to see a diagram of GCISD's Portrait of a Graduate. 

CANNON'S TALENT SHOW IS FRIDAY!  The Talent Show is this week on Friday, February 19th @ 6:00 pm, so please make plans to attend!  We have some VERY talented Cannon Cubs, with a variety of talents to showcase at this family-friendly event!    PTA still could use some parent volunteers to help on the night of the talent show.  Sign up today to volunteer for this fun and creative experience!    Hope to see everyone at the show! 

SAGE PARENT GROUP IS HOSTING A COFFEE CHAT WITH THE DIRECTOR OF COUNSELING  GCISD's SAGE group (Supporting & Advocating for Gifted Education) will be hosting a coffee chat with the GCISD Counseling Director, Emberly Hill,  on Wednesday, February 17from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.  For more information about the location of this event, please contact  Becky Roberson at beckyroberson@rocketmail.com. 

HOW IS YOUR CHILD DOING ON THEIR BOOK CHALLENGE?? Do you know how your child is doing in their book challenge for this year?  All of our 3rd-5th grade students are participating in the GCISD 25 Book Challenge.  The focus of the 25 Book Challenge is to create a passion and love for reading.  In this challenge, students are encouraged to read ANY book they like. As part of this challenge, there are no nightly reading minutes, no reports to write, no tests to take to prove they’ve read a book. Instead, students will find things THEY love to read about, share these titles with their peers in class, record titles on their logs, and continue to expand their reading horizons. Teachers, paired with Mrs. Berumen, our librarian, work together to provide a wide variety of print and electronic texts from which students may choose. Teachers may provide some time in class for students to do their reading, but much of the reading will be completed outside of the school day. Our K-2 students are also encouraged to participate in the 2x2 Reading challenge, which is a project of the Texas Library Association created to highlight great books for early readers. A committee of Texas librarians develop a collection of 20 new books recommended for children from age two to grade two to be featured on the reading list each year.  Click here to see these titles on Mrs. Berumen's blog.  It's easy to join in the fun - just read or listen to all 20 books reading list at home, at school, or in the library and keep track of your reading by completing a 2x2 Coloring Sheet. When you finish, return your completed sheet to the library and have your photo added to the wall of fame (and earn extra checkout privileges for the year and a special prize!) Look for the parent-child activity labels inside each book for reading activity ideas too. Multiple copies of 2x2s are available for checkout at the Cannon Library and Grapevine Public Library.   Thank you for your help in supporting these reading challenges at home!  Your encouragement will be a great part of your child’s success in reaching their goals. In fact, you’re invited to join these challenges as well! Reading alongside your child is a great way to build your own reading “muscles” and create some lasting memories in your family.

DISTRICT COMMITTEE FINALIZES WORK ON POTENTIAL BOND PROPOSAL Since last July, a committee of community members & GCISD employees have worked together on a FIRST (Facility Innovation & Readiness Stakeholder Team) committee to study and prioritize ways to create the best possible learning environment for GCISD students and research the possibility of calling for a bond election in May, 2016. GCISD has not called a bond election, but with the work of this team, a proposal has been developed and will be presented to the GCISD School Board in February.  If the bond proposal is approved and the School Board calls a bond election for May, 2016, there are a number of projects on the proposal list that will not only benefit all students and schools in GCISD, but specifically Cannon Elementary, in that one of the proposed projects calls for a building a new campus for Cannon Elementary!  I will be including information in all future newsletter about the progress of the FIRST committee and the status of a possible bond election.  Additionally, I will be hosting Principal's Coffees during the months of February - April to provide more information about this process, the impact on our school community, and answer any questions you may have about this process.  The work of this committee has been very transparent and is available to view on a special website,dedicated to the work of this group.  Transcripts from each committee meeting are available on this website, as well as video from each meeting.   I urge you to check out this website and stay informed about the status of a possible bond election.  Click here to access the FIRST website! 

STAY CONNECTED!   HAVE YOU "LIKED" OUR CANNON FACEBOOK PAGE YET? If you haven't already "liked" our Cannon Facebook page, please do so today!  We work hard to provide updates, information, and celebrations on our Cannon page. Click here to see our Cannon Facebook  Also, please follow us on Twitter @canSTEM