The Cannon Connection

Good morning Cannon families,

Thank you for a fantastic first week of the 2025-2026 school year! Our staff and students have been working hard to reestablish our school routines and procedures, and they are already taking hold. In addition to in-school routines, we've also reestablished our safety drills and our arrival and dismissal routes. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure a safe and efficient delivery of your Cub(s)! I can't forget our first day made "sweeter" with ice cream! Thank you to all of our families that came to Beth Marie's Ice Cream on Main Street in Downtown Grapevine to celebrate our first day of school - we had a blast scooping you ice cream!

In classrooms, I've already observed design challenges, collaborative science labs, math problem solving using the engineering design process, and so much more! Our staff is committed to growing our Cubs socially and academically, utilizing STEM teaching and learning practices! ☮️💗⚙️🐻

We hope to see all of our families back at Cannon for our Curriculum Night Sessions on Thursday, August 21. Our teachers will host two sessions; The first will start at 6:00 pm. Teachers will be providing crucial grade-level information. We will also be hosting a 5th-grade Sky Ranch Camp meeting before the curriculum sessions beginning at 5:00 pm. Please make plans to attend!

Please remember to send your Cub in comfortable clothes and sneakers for their busy school days! Water bottles and nut-free snacks are also a must to make each day successful! As a reminder, we need to reestablish our campus expectations; Skyward-approved Lunch visitors will begin on Tuesday, September 2.

A huge shout out to our CAN DADS that show up each Friday to help welcome our Cubs!

Remember, the start time for GCISD elementary schools is 7:35. Doors open at 7:20, with breakfast available until 7:35. Cubs are tardy after 7:35. Please make every effort to arrive on time each day!

Coming to you live, this is KCAN! We are ready and excited to begin accepting applications for our KCAN Morning News Crew! If you have a 4th or 5th grade student interested in joining the KCAN News Crew, please fill out the application below. Our live morning broadcasts begin each morning at 7:35 am and, will begin airing on Tuesday, September 2nd! Click here to apply - KCan Application*All students participating in extracurricular activities must have a parent complete the club permission form in Skyward.

2023-2024 and 2024-2025 TEA Accountability Ratings

As shared by the Texas Education Agency, the purpose of the Texas A–F accountability system reflects three system objectives: grade-level rigor for students, fairness for districts and campuses, and transparency for parents and the public to ensure our state continues to work towards becoming a national leader in preparing students for success after graduation.

For additional information about the State Accountability System and accessing ratings, please refer to the attached flyer and FAQ pages.

• TX schools one-pager

• TX schools one-pager - Spanish

• TX schools parent FAQ

• TX schools parent FAQ - Spanish

You can also visit the 2025 Accountability Rating System page on the TEA website.

I am excited to share that our district will continue using i-Ready this year, building on the foundation we established last year. As we enter our second year of implementation, our focus is on refining our approach and maximizing the effective use of the teacher toolbox lessons for personalized instruction in reading and mathematics for our K-8 students. Our aim remains to give teachers more time for classroom instruction and to bring even greater coherence to instruction, intervention, and acceleration.

The i-Ready diagnostic assessment for reading and mathematics will be completed by your student in the next two weeks. Your child’s teacher will provide more information regarding the specific days this will take place. This diagnostic continues to serve as our primary resource for universal screening at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program that helps us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction, especially through the rich resources available in the teacher toolbox lessons.

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions based on student responses. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning through targeted instruction. With a year of i-Ready data already collected, our students will begin their fall diagnostic assessments at the level in which they completed their previous year diagnostic. This aims to save some time in the diagnostic process finding the exact instructional level of each student. Those who haven’t previously tested in GCISD will begin at their assigned grade level.

i-Ready Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual strengths and areas for growth. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic support to keep your child engaged as they learn. In addition to My Path lessons, our teachers are utilizing the comprehensive teacher toolbox lessons to personalize instruction even further, addressing specific student needs identified by the diagnostic.

We encourage you to watch this video to better understand i-Ready: https://videos.curriculumassociates.com/watch/LRc9k59Ptg9pq9SBBmM6iz. We will continue to share information with you regarding student progress results and how you can also be a valued partner in your student’s learning.

Thank you for your continued support of our campus. We look forward to a successful 2025-2026 school year!

Proud to be your principal,

Dr. Tina Garrett

#BeCannonProud ☮️💗🐻

Our number one priority is school safety; Thank you for your patience and positivity as we work to implement a safe and efficient arrival and dismissal process!

We expect our Cannon families to follow all procedures below.

Please remember - No Cell Phones are permitted in School Zones!

In GCISD, the safety and security of our students and staff are our top priority. We have partnered with the I Love You Guys Foundation to implement Standard Response Protocols, or as we called them, Ss, that are used in emergency situations.

Emergency personnel in Colleyville, Euless and Grapevine work in partnership with GCISD to ensure we keep all students and staff safe. In this video, members of these emergency services and GCISD staff help explain each SRP and its function in keeping students and staff safe. Learn more about GCISD's Security and Emergency Management by clicking here.

• Each campus conducts drills throughout the school year. These drills are based on the Standard Response Protocols of Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter, and Hold. GCISD developed one additional protocol known as Clear.

• Completion of the drills is mandatory for each campus during the first two weeks of school, so that students and staff are prepared. Drills help us learn and know how to respond in the case of a real emergency at school. Our drills also help us to check certain equipment and responses. Our emergency management leaders on each campus will work with students and staff to complete our drills and document the results.

• Your child's classroom has a SRP Poster displayed. We will be discussing these and practicing these drills the next two weeks of school. More information about Safety and Security in GCISD can be found at https://www.gcisd.net/page/security-emergency-mgmt

• When any visitor comes to campus, he or she will need to bring and present their driver's license to be scanned in our system in order to be admitted onto the campus. Also, our door to the office will be locked, and Mrs. Esparza or Mrs. Cox will be conducting a visual check before unlocking the door.

Monday, August 18 - Beginning of Year iReady Diagnostic Testing Begins; Please speak to your child about the importance of taking this test seriously to ensure accurate set up of their iReady My Path Learning Plan. This supports rigorous practice at our scholars' independent learning level!

Thursday, August 21 - 🏕️5th Grade Sky Ranch Camp Meeting (5:00) & Curriculum Night (2 sessions *6:00-6:40 & 6:50-7:30)

Friday, August 22 - 🐾Cannon Spirit Gear Friday - Wear your Cub Gear!

Friday, August 29 - 🕵🏼‍♀️ Hats Off to Learning! $1 wear a hat - All proceeds go toward reducing field trip costs. 🎓National College Colors Day - Wear your favorite College gear!

Monday, September 1 - Labor Day - District Closed - Student & Staff Holiday - NO SCHOOL!

Tuesday, September 2 - Skyward Approved Lunch Visitors Begin; No sign up required - Simply use the Kiosk in the front lobby with your Driver's License to verify your admittance into the school.

Friday, September 5 - ☕PTA Principal Coffee 8:30-9:30 am & 🐾Cannon Spirit Gear Friday - Wear your Cub Gear!

Friday, September 12 - 🐾Cannon Spirit Gear Friday - Wear your Cub Gear!

Friday, September 19 - 🐾Cannon Spirit Gear Friday - Wear your Cub Gear!

Monday, September 22 - Staff Professional Development - No School for Students

Wednesday, September 24 - 🐥🥒PTA General Meeting @ Chicken N Pickle 5:15-7:30 pm

Wednesday, September 24 - Progress Report 1 Grades Post in Skyward; Parent-Teacher Conferences Begin

Friday, September 26 - 🐾Cannon Spirit Gear Friday - Wear your Cub Gear!

Senate Bill 12, passed during the 89th Legislative session, requires school districts to obtain parent permission for student club participation as well as health services and school-based counseling and support services. It also contains requirements for sharing instructional plans and the prohibition of assisting with social transitioning. The new laws go into effect for the 2025-2026 school year. Families should review the information below and log into their student’s Skyward account to complete the pop-up permission forms.

Student Club Participation

SB 12 requires that parents give written consent before a student may participate in a student club authorized or sponsored by the school. School districts may not authorize or sponsor a student club based on sexual orientation or gender identity. All clubs authorized or sponsored by GCISD will be in accordance with all applicable laws and policies.

If a parent does not give general permission, they will be contacted about each individual club or activity for which their student expresses interest in attending. A paper permission form will be sent home and must be completed and returned to the school prior to the student being permitted to attend or participate in any club meetings.

Health Services

SB 12 requires that staff must have parent consent before providing a student with any care, unless it is a life-threatening emergency. This includes:

• Assessment of minor injuries and providing basic first aid (like a scraped knee)

• Assessment and management of common health issues and illnesses

• Checking vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and pulse oximetry

• Monitoring chronic conditions and implementing care plans as appropriate

• Provide general health teaching to students on topics such as hygiene, illness prevention, and healthy habits

• Proving state mandated screenings

• Administration of epinephrine delivery system for anaphylactic reaction or an opioid antagonist, such as Narcan or naloxone, in accordance with TEC and GCISD Board Policy

• Application of topical preparations such as Aloe Vera gel, first aid spray, Benadryl cream, etc.

Additionally, you will find a full list of detailed services provided by GCISD campus nurses within the form in Skyward.

School-Based Counseling Services and Support Services

SB 12 requires that parents give permission prior to student participation in school-based counseling and support services. This includes setting academic goals and creating academic plans, guidance lessons, developing social well-being, and access to our character education curriculum, known as Character Strong.

What Support May Include:

• Setting academic goals and creating academic plans

• Developing social well-being

• Checking in about emotions, challenges, or concerns

• Learning coping strategies and managing stress

• Addressing school-related issues (e.g., attendance, test anxiety, behavior, peer conflict)

• Building friendship and conflict-resolution skills

• Guidance lessons utilizing the Character Strong program

• Participating in short-term individual or group sessions on school-related topics*

*Parents/guardians will be notified and asked for additional consent if individual or group counseling is recommended.

School Counseling Does Not Include:

• Therapy or long-term mental health counseling

• Assistance with social transitioning

Sharing Instructional Plans

SB 12 requires that teachers share an instructional plan or course syllabus with parents at the start of each semester. Teachers will email parents directly using email addresses provided in Skyward.

Prohibition of Assisting with Social Transitioning

SB 12 prohibits school district employees from assisting students with social transitioning, which includes helping them change their name, pronouns, or other expressions of gender identity that differ from their biological sex at birth.

Any applicable GCISD policies will be amended to be in alignment with state law.

Are you a parent looking to stay informed about your child's technology use at school and at home? Look no further than the GCISD Parent Tech Academy! Our next session is at 6 p.m., Tuesday, August 26, on Webex. Here is the Webex link. At the Parent Tech Academy, we will go over how to access parent weekly emails containing your children’s internet history, how to become a Canvas observer, and other parental access tips. Join us for the Parent Tech Academy and learn how to be better informed on your child's technology use.

The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to ensure you are receiving all updates and information from your campus, teachers, or extracurriculars. If your student’s teacher uses Rooms as a communication tool, all messages and announcements can be found right in the GCISD mobile app, alongside other district and campus news and events! You can download this app on both Apple and Android devices.

Click here for a step-by-step sign up guide. If you have not yet received a text message or an email inviting you to sign up, your student is not yet assigned to a class within Rooms. Teachers are still in the process of setting up those groups, so you could expect to get notifications over the first few weeks if Rooms will be utilized for two-way communication.

Finally, click here if you need assistance troubleshooting any issues or email info@gcisd.net.

We welcome our parents to engage in our events throughout this school year! Any parent attending or supporting an event during the school day must have a cleared background check. That includes field trips, holiday parties, field day, and volunteering on campus during the school day!

Background checks must be completed each year! Click here to learn more: GCISD Volunteer Page

Email: tina.garrett@gcisd.net
Website: https://can.gcisd.net/
Location: Cannon Elementary School, West College Street, Grapevine, TX, USA
Phone: 817-251-5680
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cannonSTEM/
Twitter: @canSTEM

Instagram: @CannonSTEM