Good morning Cannon families,

It's hard to believe, but this is your last newsletter for the 2024-2025 school year! It's been a STEMtastic year filled with stakeholder engagement and academic growth. Last week, we celebrated our Cannon school community and our students' leadership and extracurricular involvement at our end of year pep rally. Ms. Rios surprised our students with a special Cannon Drumline Performance - it was OUTSTANDING! We had so much fun, and our third grade Cubs won the Cub Pride Spirit Stick! We also highlighted our Team Odyssey of the Mind Grapevine at the pep rally and on KCAN as they prepare to compete at WORLDS! We are all so excited and proud of these amazing young ladies! Please help me wish them the BEST as they head to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Michigan!

This past Friday, we hosted our annual Cannon Career Day! The buzz of excitement was contagious! Students were absolutely thrilled to explore a diverse range of professions, made even more special by the enthusiastic participation of their parents and our GCISD Career and Technical Education and FFA Students! The energy was fantastic as students connected with a variety of professionals in new ways, envisioning their own bright futures. It was truly an amazing day of learning, connection, and boundless possibility! A HUGE SHOUT OUT to our counselor, Mandy Coburn, for organizing the amazing day and to all of our parent presenters!

Our Spring STEM Book Challenge was conducted at school this year rather than at home, and focused on Exploring Possibilities: STEM Careers! ALL of our scholars had an opportunity to participate in our campus-wide Spring STEM Book Design Challenge and Artifact Display! With a special criteria twist, our scholars engaged in the "A" of Arts Integration in this STEAM Challenge! Another creative example of allowing our scholars to show off their talents with TEKS-aligned DESIGN THINKING! All of our Cubs walked the halls to participate in a "Gallery Walk" to see all of the talented artifacts constructed. Our scholars have some very special talents and are ready to make their mark in future STEM careers!

🤖 First Lego League Demonstration: Our Mission Impossibots demonstrated and explained how they use the Engineering Design Process for their robots and robotics challenges. Each class participated in a 30-minute FLL demonstration and hands-on learning! We can't wait to see who will want to join our FLL team next school year.

Congratulations to our Kindergarten and 1st grade STEM Habit of Mind Hall of Fame Inductees for Striving for Excellence! STEM teaching and learning is an instructional approach to learning and development that integrates the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Through STEM education practices, students develop key skills including: problem solving, creativity, and critical analysis. We are PROUD to honor our scholars for exhibiting STEM thinking!

We are thrilled to share that our AMAZING PTA has officially sworn in New PTA Executive Board Members for the 2025-2026 school year! They also recognized our outstanding crossing guard, Patty Riviera, and me with a special honor - A Friend of Children Award! Both Patty and I are truly humbled and honored by the recognition. Cannon is an extremely special place with the most amazing people, and I'm incredibly proud to serve as your principal!

Our PTA plays a vital role in fostering our thriving school community. By volunteering time, fundraising, and advocating for our children, the PTA directly supports classroom resources, enriching programs, and vital connections between home and school. Your partnership matters!

REMINDERS:

• If you have not registered for the 2025-2026 school year, it is vital that you do so as soon as possible! Your Cub will not be placed on a class roster until you are officially registered.
• Please drop of any gently used Cub Spirit Shirts you wish to donate back to the school!
• All unclaimed Lost and Found Items will be donated to the World Wear Bin Wednesday, May 21st. If you are cleaning up this summer and have clothes, stuffed animals, bags, etc to donate, feel free to use our World Wear Bin located outside our Cafe doors.
• We’re thrilled to announce that Cannon Elementary will have Pre-K for the 2025-26 school year! Learn more about GCISD Pre-K on our Website or secure your spot by completing the Pre-K application [Linked Here].
• We will have sack lunches during the last week of school! The following are the menu items that will be offered in sacks for the last week of school: Monday- Cheeseburger/Hamburger /Baked potato for an alternate option; Tuesday- Mac n Cheese/ Baked potato for an alternate option; Wednesday- Crispy chicken sandwich/ Baked potato for an alternate option; Thursday- Turkey Corn dog/ Baked potato for an alternate option.
• Make sure to check the dates and times of our end of year success ceremonies below - we would love to have you as we honor our scholars' proudest moments!
• As a reminder, Thursday is an EARLY DISMISSAL DAY! We will begin dismissing our Cubs for summer at 11:45.

One last celebration before summer break - Please help me give a shoutout to our Grapevine Rangers for their undefeated baseball season! Their hard work is a testament to their teamwork, dedication, and sheer love of the game. Their stellar performance didn't go unnoticed, as these talented players were selected to represent their league on the prestigious All-Star team for summer tournaments. So many of our Cubs work hard in and out of school, and we are CANNON PROUD of their victories and well-deserved recognitions!

THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING SCHOOL YEAR! Your next Principal Newsletter will be shared Sunday, July 20, 2025. Have a wonderful summer, and we will see our Cubs for the 2025-2026 school year at our Meet the Teacher Night on Friday, August 8!

As always, thank you for your parent partnership - TAG YOU ARE IT!

Proud to be your principal,

Dr. Tina Garrett

Orders will be sent directly to Cannon prior to our Meet the Teacher event!

Thank you to all of the families who have donated to our 5th Grade Cubs Out Celebration, we couldn't do it without you!! And a big thanks to Pearson Plumbing for their generous donation!

If you are coming for your student's End of year Success Celebrations and your student has medications in the clinic, please stop by the nurse office to pick up your student's medications.

Tuesday, May 20 - 👩‍💻Fourth Grade Chromebook and Charger Pick Up - All 4th graders must turn in their district issued device and charger to receive their NEW Chromebook! Please make sure your Cub is prepared! On May 20th, we will exchange your 4th grade student’s Chromebook for their 5th grade device which they will use from 5th-8th grade. On that day, please make sure your student brings both their Dell 3100 Chromebook and Dell brand charger. If your student has lost their charger, please refer to the link below with instructions on how to purchase an official replacement. Note that non-Dell chargers, or chargers not matching this Chromebook, will not be accepted. The correct item is a Dell 65W USB-C power adapter with cord. Link to purchase replacement from Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/gcisd-chargers

Thursday, May 22 - Final Grade will Post in Skyward; Report Card 4 Posts in Skyward - To view your student’s progress report, please follow the instructions below:

• Visit www.GCISD.net and click “Quick Links” at the top of the page

• Click the Skyward icon and the “Log In Here” box in the middle of the page

• Click “Progress Reports/Report Cards” on the menu to the left

• Choose 2024-2025 Report Card 4”

Thursday, May 22 - Last Day of School - Early Dismissal 11:45 - School's Out for Summer!

Families can access their children’s state assessment scores through Skyward Family Portal on the Texas Education Agency's scheduled release dates:

• Monday, April 28, 2025 - TELPAS Alternate Score Release for Listening/Speaking and Reading/Writing for grades K-2 Emergent Bilingual

• Tuesday, June 10, 2025 - STAAR End of Course English I, English II, Biology, Algebra I, U.S. History Score Release

• Thursday, June 12, 2025 - TELPAS Score Release for Listening/Speaking and Reading/Writing for grades K-12 Emergent Bilingual

• Tuesday, June 17, 2025 - STAAR grades 3-8 Reading/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies Score Release

• Tuesday, June 24, 2025 - STAAR Alternate 2 grades 3-8 and End of Course Score Release

• Thursday, July 31, 2025 - June STAAR End of Course Score Release

Instructions on how to access scores in Skyward are here. If for any reason, your child’s results are not in Skyward, they can be accessed through the Texas Education Agency’s Family Portal, which will require an access code. Instructions on how to obtain the access code for your child can be found here. To learn more about the exams and what grade levels or students take the respective tests, visit TEA’s website.

GCISD is offering free summer meals for all children ages 18 and younger through the federally funded Summer Food Service Program. No registration is required. Children simply need to show up at the designated feeding site during the scheduled times:

Location: Timberline Elementary

Dates: May 29 – July 25 (Monday–Friday)

• Breakfast: 7:40 a.m. – 8:10 a.m.

• Lunch: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

• Note: Closed June 19 and July 4

Meals must be eaten on site. Students will choose at least three items for each meal, and lunch must include a fruit or vegetable to count as a complete meal.

Nutritious meals help keep kids healthy and ready to learn—even in the summer!

For more info, call GCISD Nutrition Services at 817-251-5618 or visit www.gcisd.net. To find more meal sites, visit www.SummerFood.org or call 211.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Attention new and returning families who will attend GCISD in the 2025-2026 school year: Campuses are in the final lap of planning for the 2025-2026 school year and they need to know how many students will attend their campuses. Don’t have them get stuck in the pit stop of planning. Let’s cross the finish line with schools knowing that you will be in GCISD next school year.

Register today: www.gcisd.net/page/enrollment-registration

Get ready for an unforgettable summer! Registration for GCISD Summer Programs is now open. Whether your child loves sports, adventure, hands-on learning, or making new friends, we have something for everyone! Visit our summer programs page to see a listing of camps offered by GCISD’s Extended Day Program for students who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade and which this year includes exciting new mini camps! The summer programs page also has a listing of athletic camps for students of all ages that are managed by GCISD coaches.

Get ready for an unforgettable summer! Registration for GCISD Summer Programs is now open. Whether your child loves sports, adventure, hands-on learning, or making new friends, we have something for everyone!

Extended Day Program

This summer will be unforgettable and action packed at EDP with:

• Amazing Race Challenges – Compete in exciting adventures!

• Special Interest Clubs – Explore new hobbies and skills!

• Splash Days – Cool off with water-filled fun!

• Time Travel Adventures – Journey through time in engaging, learning activities!

• Check out the full calendar here of fun themes and weekly activities.

New: EDP Mini Camps

Choose mini camps only or add them to your EDP experience for the ultimate summer adventure.

• Soccer Mini Camp (ages 5-8), June 2-6

• Quest for the Minibeast: Science Exploration (ages 7-12), June 9-13

• Art on the Wild Side (ages 5-7), June 23-27

• Volleyball Mini Camp, (ages 8-12), July 7-11

• Superhero Story Camp (ages 5-7), July 7-14

• One Act at a Time (ages 8-12), July 7-11

• Comic Book Creativity (ages 8-12), July 14-18

• Unique Careers: When Science and Art Collide (ages 8-12), July 14-18

Calling All Future MVPs and Sports Superstars

Want to train with the best? GCISD’s top-notch coaches are running sports camps all summer long! No matter your age or skill level, we’ve got a camp for you. Get ready to run, jump, and score your way to an amazing summer.

• Check out our full listing of camps. More athletic camps will be added throughout spring and summer.

Academic Summer Program Opportunities

• Need a summer academic boost? We’ve got you covered:

• Courses for middle school students

• Secondary summer school (high school)

• Summer Bridges courses

Summer is calling. Register today while space is available.

Pre-K through fifth grade parents: Are you looking for before and after school care for your students for the upcoming school year? We’ve got you covered. Fall registration for GCISD’s Extended Day Program is now open. EDP is packed with fun learning stations that keep students challenged, moving and having fun. Plus, they get to meet new friends, too!

Register today at www.gcisd.net/page/extended-day-programs.

GCISD’s early childhood program is expanding to include a Pre-K 3 class beginning next school year. The Pre-K 3 class is a state-funded option, specifically for eligible students and will be housed at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC). As this is the first year of the program, space will be limited. Eligibility criteria is listed on the application form, which is available here. If you have any questions, please email us at gcisd.pk@gcisd.net.

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