The Cannon Connection

Good morning Cannon families,

A huge thank you to all the families who came out to help with our school garden work day! Your hard work made a tremendous difference in getting our beds ready for winter planting. A special shout out to Andrew Fiser, Cannon parent, and our very own Mr. Peter Doyle for leading the charge to support our school garden! We couldn't do it without your dedicated support!

On Tuesday, November 11th, Cannon Elementary will observe Veterans Day, a national holiday dedicated to honoring and thanking all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces in wartime or peacetime. It is important for our students to understand that the freedoms we enjoy daily are protected by the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of these remarkable men and women. Please help spread the word that we would love any Veteran to join us for a reception honoring them followed by our second grade Veterans Day Performance.

We are proud to teach our students the value of patriotism and respect for those who protect our freedom. We look forward to our special program and reception honoring our community's heroes!

Congratulations to our 4th and 5th grade STEM Habit of Mind Hall of Fame Inductees for Thoughtful Planning!

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, and we can't wait to celebrate our next group of inductees Friday, November 14th.

If your scholar is selected, your teacher will reach out to you with ceremony details about the specific date and time for each grade's ceremony. We hope you will join us in celebrating our young innovators!

⏰ Every Minute Matters: The Power of Punctuality and Presence

We know morning routines can be hectic, but we want to emphasize the critical importance of getting your child to school on time, every day (7:20-7:35 - School starts promptly at 7:35 a.m.).

While an occasional late arrival or absence may seem small, research shows that missing even a few minutes each morning or a couple of days a month can create significant learning gaps over a school year.

Here’s why Punctuality and Attendance are crucial:

• Valuable Instruction is Missed: The first minutes of the day often include foundational lessons, warm-up activities, and explicit instructions for the day's tasks. Students who arrive late miss this critical information, making it harder for them to grasp new concepts.

• Life Skills are Developed: Arriving on time teaches your child essential life skills—responsibility, punctuality, and commitment—that will serve them well throughout their academic career and into adulthood.

• Routines and Community are Key: Consistent attendance helps your child feel secure, master classroom routines, and build strong relationships with their peers and teacher, fostering a positive learning environment.

Every minute your child is present and on time is an investment in their success. We are dedicated to providing the best education, and we partner with you to ensure your child receives the full benefit of every school day. Thank you for prioritizing on-time, daily attendance.

🪙 Penny Wars are Coming! 🪙

Our Cannon PTA is hosting a fun and competitive Penny Wars fundraiser from November 10 - 21 to support our Cannon Cubs!

What is it?

Each grade level is a "team" competing to earn the most points by dropping coins and bills into their designated buckets. Grades can add points with pennies and bills (e.g., a $\$1$ bill is $+100$ points) or sabotage other teams by adding silver coins (e.g., a nickel is $-5$ points).

Why participate?

This is a fundraiser for the Cannon PTA to help fund field trips and teacher appreciation events!

School-Wide Goals & Rewards:

• $500: Music played during lunch on a Friday!

• $1,000: Mario Kart Character Race at our MOY pep rally in January!

• $5,000: The highest earning grade-level teachers get to silly-string Dr. Garrett!

The highest scoring grade level at the end of Penny Wars wins a pajama day and Hot Chocolate Party!

Let the games begin and start saving your coins for your grade's bucket!

Proud to be your principal,

Dr. Tina Garrett

#BeCannonProud ☮️💗🐻

We're excited to announce that your child's artwork will be on display in a special PreK-5th Grade Cannon Art Show held in the school gym!

Art Show Schedule

• Student Preview Tour: On Thursday, November 20th, all students will get a sneak peek during their Specials class. They'll tour the entire art show and complete a fun scavenger hunt while observing the creative pieces from every grade level.

• Grandfriend's Day Viewing: For students participating in Grandfriend's Day, they will bring their guests to the gym to view the artwork on Friday, November 21st, between 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM. This is a fantastic opportunity for your child to proudly show their art to their special grandfriend!

Artwork Purchase Option

There is an option for grandfriends (or parents!) to purchase the framed artwork as a keepsake.

• A small percentage of every purchase goes directly to the Cannon Art Department to fund future art material needs for our students. It's a great way to support our art program!

• If you or a grandfriend are interested in purchasing your child's framed artwork, please visit the Online Art Show website or purchase it on Nov. 21st during Grandfriends Day in the gym between 8:30-10:30 am.

We look forward to celebrating the creativity of our students!

We are looking forward to focusing on GRATITUDE this month! One way to think about Gratitude is “choosing to appreciate the people and things in our lives.” Practicing Gratitude can increase our well-being and our happiness.

At home, you can practice Gratitude by talking about some small, specific things that you are Grateful for. Maybe it's your favorite water cup, the way the cat sleeps on the chair, or when you smell banana bread baking in the kitchen. Spend some time as a family trying to think of at least 10 small things that you have Gratitude for and then choose to notice them this week with a smile.

Contact Mrs. Coburn

If you would like Mrs. Coburn to contact you or check on your student, you can complete the following link: Request to Talk to Counselor

Please be advised: If you make any changes to your Skyward form for Senate Bill 12 (Counseling Services, Health Services, or Club Participation), you must notify the campus support staff either verbally or via email. The Skyward system does not alert staff of resubmissions, so your communication is necessary to ensure your changes are received.

Elementary students are invited to submit original artwork for the cover of GCISD's official holiday greeting card! This year's theme is "A Holiday Journey."

Important Deadline: Students must turn in their artwork and the completed entry form to Mrs. Mattox or the front office no later than November 11th at 4:00 PM.

The winning elementary student's design will be featured on the card sent to community leaders and will receive a $25 prize and Board of Trustees recognition! Be sure to read the attached entry form for all the contest rules!

We are beginning our annual food drive benefitting our own Cannon families for the upcoming holidays. We are collecting non-perishable items from the suggested list provided below. Each grade level will be responsible for specific food items. We will collect food items from November 4th - December 12th. Items should be dropped off in the foyer. Thank you so much for supporting our Cannon community.

Get ready for the annual Literati Book Fair, happening November 17th–November 21st!

We're so excited to bring hundreds of new and popular titles to our school. The best part? The online book fair is already open! You can start shopping now and browse an even wider selection of books.

To make your student's in-person shopping experience smooth and worry-free, we highly encourage purchasing a digital Gift Card online for them to use at the fair. Be sure to connect to our school when checking out! This is the safest and easiest way to ensure your student has their funds for books without the risk of losing cash or the hassle of sending physical money to school!

• Shopping Time: Students will shop with their class only during their assigned Specials period on Monday through Thursday.

• Open Shopping (Friday): On Friday, November 21st, the fair will be open for general shopping for students until 2:00 PM, this includes shopping with Grandfriends!

Happy Reading!

Monday, November 10 - PTA Mario Kart Penny Wars Begin!

Tuesday, November 11 - Veterans Day; Cannon will honor our Veterans with a reception at 1:00 and a 2nd grade performance from 2:00-2:30.

• Veterans Day, November 11, originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. It became a national holiday 1938. Veterans Day pays tribute to all American military veterans (living or dead). Today, let us all give thanks to veterans who served or serve our country during war or peacetime.

Wednesday, November 12 - Friday, November 14 - 🏕️ 5th Grade Sky Ranch Camp Field Trip!

Friday, November 14 - STEM Hall of Fame (2nd & 3rd) -Thoughtful Planning

Monday, November 17 - Cannon Campus Excellence Committee Meeting - Engineering Lab 3:30-4:30

November 17-21 -📔Cannon Book Fair; Starting November 20 - 🖼️ Cannon Art Show

Friday, November 21 - Cannon's Annual Grand Friend's Day 8:30-10:30! Grand Friends, get ready for some STEMtastic fun! We’re excited to welcome everyone for Grandfriends Day! To help the check-in process go smoothly, we’ll be offering Fast Passes. Please sign up for a Fast Pass only if you are 100% sure you’ll be attending, as this helps us plan and keeps lines moving efficiently. Even with a Fast Pass, we ask that you allow a little extra time for signing in and picking up your pass when you arrive. We can’t wait to celebrate this special day with our grandfriends!

Friday, November 21 - STEM Hall of Fame (PreK, Kinder, & 1st) -Thoughtful Planning

Monday, November 24-Friday, November 28 - Thanksgiving Break!

Monday, December 1 - Students and Staff return!

December 1-12 - Middle of the Year iReady Diagnostic Testing Window

Thursday, December 4 - Grapevine Parade of Lights - Come out to Main Street to Cheer on our award winning Dad's Club! WE can't wait to see their Float Engineering come to LIFE!

Wednesday, December 2 - Progress Report 2 Posts in Skyward; Progress reports will be available in Skyward this week. 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 2025-2026 Report Card 2”

Friday, December 5 - 🕵🏼‍♀️ Hats Off to Learning! $1 wear a hat - All proceeds go toward reducing field trip costs.

Friday, December 5 - ☕PTA Principal Coffee - 8:30-9:30 in our Cannon Cafe

Saturday, December 6 - PTA Santa Breakfast:

8:30-9:15 - Early access for sensory sensitive families

9:15 - Doors open for all families

10:00-11:00 - Community Building, Pictures with Santa, Games, Breakfast - so much fun!

Thursday, December 11 - Kindergarten Candy House Design Challenge 8:30-9:30

Friday, December 12 - Cannon Spelling Bee

We would love to honor Veterans and their families at our Cannon Veterans' Day Reception prior to our 2nd-grade performance! Please help spread the word!

We’re looking forward to honoring our veterans at the 2nd Grade Veterans Day Program and Reception!

Please remember to allow extra time to sign in and get your visitor badge before the event begins.
There will NOT be Fast Passes available for this event, so a few extra minutes will help ensure everyone can be checked in smoothly.

We appreciate your patience and can’t wait to celebrate this special day with our students, families, and veterans!

Grand Friends, get ready for some STEMtastic fun! We’re excited to welcome everyone for Grandfriends Day! To help the check-in process go smoothly, we’ll be offering Fast Passes. Please sign up for a Fast Pass only if you are 100% sure you’ll be attending, as this helps us plan and keeps lines moving efficiently. Even with a Fast Pass, we ask that you allow a little extra time for signing in and picking up your pass when you arrive. We can’t wait to celebrate this special day with our grandfriends!

Hi fellas,

It’s the REAL 'most wonderful time of the year' -- float building season.

We're ready to build another award-winning Cannon Parade of Lights float! If you're not already part of our groupme... sign up here as that's where we'll do more of the quick/day-to-day communication about the build.

Exciting news! Do you or someone you know own a local business and want to partner with the Cannon PTA? We have sponsorship opportunities! If you sign up to be a sponsor between now and September 30, depending on the sponsorship level, your business’ logo will be included on our STEM-A-Palooza t-shirt! Join us here!

Every dollar counts and if you qualify for free and reduced meals for your child, there is still time to complete an application. Applications are available at www.schoollunchapp.com and can be completed at any time during the school year. The sooner the application is completed and if you qualify, the sooner your child can begin to receive meals at the free or reduced price.

Families are invited to an information session about GT and ASPIRE testing and services on November 12 at the PDEC, starting at 5:50 pm. We hope to see you there!

GCISD is having a successful start to the school year! Please help us keep that momentum going by taking a moment to review with your students the 2025-2026 Student Code of Conduct and 2025-2026 Student Parent-Handbook, which includes dress code and updates from the 89th Legislative Session.

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