Good morning, Cannon families!

Our Cubs had a blast celebrating the 100th day of school this past Tuesday! Several shared, "We are all 100 days smarter today!"

Please Don't forget, the district is closed Friday, February 14th - No school for students or staff and Monday, February 17 is a district professional development day - No school for students! We hope you enjoy a beautiful four-day weekend!

On Thursday, we had a special visit from Schroeder Orthodontics. Dr. Schroeder and his practice have partnered with GCISD for several years, and our Cubbies always enjoy their presentation and swag for answering questions correctly. This year, they also brought the "Creature Teacher," and I don't know who was more excited about the animals our students or the staff?!? I must admit, feeding a baby kangaroo named Dolores a bottle was a great experience!

Congratulations to our fourth and fifth grade STEM Habit of Mind Hall of Fame Inductees for Listening with Empathy! 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 this Friday.

We are thrilled to have our traditional Lunch with a Loved One on Thursday, February 13. You are invited to bring blankets and a picnic style lunch to enjoy with your Cub. Please plan to arrive about five to ten minutes before the start of your Cub's lunch time to make sure you have enough time to check in, with your driver's license, at the front kiosk.

As always, thank you for your parent partnership!

Proud to be your principal,

Dr. Tina Garrett

Your child recently participated in STAAR Interim Assessments. These online assessments have been developed by the state of Texas to provide data to teachers, students, and families regarding student progress on grade level standards and predictions on how students might perform on the STAAR Assessment. This assessment data will also be used to assist in lesson design, creating small groups, and developing personalized instruction for students.

The Interim Assessment consists of two parts and is around 25-30 questions in length. Please understand these assessments covered the full year of standards, not all of which have been taught yet.

These questions are based on grade level TEKS. Based on student performance on the first part, it differentiates the second half of the test. The results are then provided as a probability of how likely students are to approach, meet, or master grade level content on the upcoming STAAR Assessments. These probabilities are reported in your child’s Edugence.

Teachers will be having individual conversations with students regarding their areas of strength and areas for continued growth based on the standards that have already been covered this school year. Students will be developing an individualized plan to guide their learning over the next eleven weeks leading up to STAAR.

We encourage you to log in to Edugence on your child’s device to view their Interim Assessment performance. Once you login, in the menu on the left, click on “State Asmt”. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see a table for Interims. To determine your student’s score for the 2025 school year, it depends on which box a “1” is placed in - the highest box that has a “1” in it, indicates the student score. If there is not a “1” in any of the boxes, the student did not meet grade level.

In this example, the student received “Meets” on their Math Test (MA), “Does Not Meet” on their Science (SC), and “Meets” on their Reading Test (RE).

The state of Texas defines each category on the STAAR assessment as follows:

• Did Not Meet Grade Level: Shows a lack of basic understanding of course content — student needs significant support in the coming year.

• Approaches Grade Level: Shows some knowledge of course content but may be missing critical elements — student may need additional support in the coming year.

• Meets Grade Level: Shows strong knowledge of course content — student is prepared to progress to the next grade.

• Masters Grade Level: Shows mastery of the course content — student is on track for college and career readiness.

For more information on the Interim Assessments and the STAAR reporting categories, please visit www.texasassessment.gov. We also encourage you to practice with the online tools and access practice tests at home on that site as well! If you have any questions or concerns regarding the assessment data attached, please contact your child’s teacher. We value our partnership with you and appreciate how you support your student from home.

Our STAAR tests will be administered ONLINE during the TEA testing window on the following dates. Please mark these on your calendar at home.

• April 9: 3rd-5th Grade ELA

• April 22: 5th Grade Science

• April 29: 3rd - 5th Grade Math

Teachers also sent home STAAR Interim Cambium Reports this week. Each report includes a QR code with this explanation VIDEO.

Thank you for your continued support! If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher.

Please see below for recyclable supplies needed -

The book fair is coming back from February 17th-February 21st! Our online fair is currently open at the following site: https://literati.com/store/?school=cannon-elementary-school-grapevine-tx

The PTA needs you! We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers to fill various board and committee positions for the upcoming school year. Your involvement makes a real difference in the lives of our students. Interested?

Complete a nomination form to nominate yourself or others! Nomination Form

We had an absolute blast the last time around! Pizza kit fundraiser is back, and we're challenging you to turn those kits into a heart and show off your culinary skills. Pre-order as many pizzas as you'd like, but don't forget to swing by Wise Guys Patio between 4-7 pm on February 11th to pick them up. No time to get fancy that night? No worries, those pizza kits will keep in the fridge for three days. Thanks for always supporting your PTA - you guys have been rockstars this year! All orders are due 2/9.

Click the link to order
https://cannonpta.membershiptoolkit.com/store/17332

Hey 4th and 5th grade cub parents, the kids are begging for a dance, so we're throwing a PTA Valentine's dance on February 13th from 6:30-8:30 for a cool $20 cash. We need a ton of parent chaperones, so please fill out the form below so we can get a headcount. Mr. Balbaugh's spinning the hottest tracks, and we need your adult supervision to make this shindig happen. Mingle with other parents, bust a move, and show the kids you've still got it. Rumor has it, Dr. Garrett's a total electric slide rockstar.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsfja2a4Rnrtb09UWtEprvkmy6dTqyLcLHLGx4I0gilhnXDg/viewform?usp=sharing

Attention Cannon Elementary PTA members! Let’s make our voices heard for our students, teachers, and schools by joining the GCISD Council of PTAs at Texas PTA’s Rally Day: Legacy in Action on Monday, February 24th in Austin!

What to Expect:

• Meet with state legislators

• Advocate for Texas PTA's legislative priorities

• Be part of this historic day for public education

RSVP now and visit the GCISD Rally Day website for all the details!

Texas PTA has identified their legislative priorities for the 89th Legislative Session, and over the next few weeks, we will highlight each of the lead priorities.

Lead Priority #2: Resolve Teacher & Staff Shortages

Texas PTA will advocate to address teacher and staff shortages and improve retention in our schools. Priority Fact Sheet #RetainTXTeachers #TXPTARally25

February - Black History Month; Every February, we come together to celebrate Black History Month—a time to honor the rich legacy, extraordinary contributions, and ongoing resilience of Black Americans throughout history.

Thursday, February 13- ♥ Lunch with a Loved One Picnic Style! We invite loved ones to join their Cub(s) for lunch. Feel free to bring a blanket to have an indoor picnic style lunch with your Cubbie! Kinder: 10:50-11:20; 1st grade: 11:10-11:40; 2nd grade: 11:30-12:00; 3rd grade:11:50-12:20; 4th grade: 12:20-12:50; 5th grade: 12:50-1:20. All visitors must sign it at the kiosk with their drivers license.

Thursday, February 13 -STEM Habit of Mind Hall of Fame Ceremony (2nd, 3rd, & Music) - Listening with Empathy - 2:35 pm Cannon Amphitheatre

Thursday, February 13 - ♥4th & 5th grade Valentines Dance 6:30-8:30 pm - $20 cash at the door

Friday, February 14 - Staff and Student Holiday - No School

Saturday, February 15 - 👮‍♂️SRO Appreciation Day

Monday, February 17 - Staff Professional Development - No School for Students

February 17: Washington's Birthday / Presidents Day

Tuesday, February 18-21 -⚙ National Engineering Week ⚙

February 19: State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance Day

Wednesday, February 19 - Progress Report 3 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 2024-2025 Progress Report 3”

Friday, February 21- 🐾Wear your Cannon Cub Spirit Gear! ☮♥🐻

Friday, February 21 - 🧢$1 Hats off to Learning; 🤠Students may pay $1.00 to wear a hat on this day. All proceeds go to decreasing overall grade level costs for field trip experiences.

Friday, February 21-STEM Habit of Mind Hall of Fame Ceremony (Kinder, 1st, & Music) - Listening with Empathy - 2:35 pm Cannon Amphitheatre

Friday, February 21 - ⚙Family Engineering Night 6:00-7:15 pm

Thursday, February 27 - 📸 Spring class, special groups, and sibling picture day!

Friday, February 28 - 🐾Wear your Cannon Cub Spirit Gear! ☮♥🐻

Monday, March 3 - 📚Readers are Leaders - Literary Dress for Read Across America Day

Tuesday, March 4 - We are GCISD Spirit Dress - 🐾Show your CUB PRIDE!

Thursday, March 6 - 🎤1st Grade Musical Performance 2:00 pm

Friday, March 7 - 🧢$1 Hats off to Learning; 🤠Students may pay $1.00 to wear a hat on this day. All proceeds go to decreasing overall grade level costs for field trip experiences.

Friday, March 7 - 🐾Wear your Cannon Cub Spirit Gear! ☮♥🐻

Friday, March 7 - ☕ PTA Principal Coffee 9:15 am

Sunday, March 9 - ⏰ Daylight Savings - Spring Forward One Hour

Monday, March 10 - 🎤 Cannon's Got Talent Show Participation Forms Due

Friday, March 14 - Staff and Student Holiday - No School

March 17 - 21 - Spring Break - District Closed

Except for Collegiate Academy and iUniversity Prep, there will be no school for students on Friday, February 14. This day was originally scheduled as a bad weather make-up day, however, GCISD’s 2024-2025 instructional calendar has a sufficient number of minutes to cover the recent weather-related closure and the days will not have to be made up.

Additionally, except for Collegiate Academy, Monday, February 17, is a professional development day and there will be no school for students, including iUniversity Prep.

Please see your school’s instructional calendar below:

• GCISD Instructional Calendar

• Collegiate Academy Instructional Calendar

• iUniversity Prep Instructional Calendar

GCISD is partnering with surrounding school districts and the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Council of Tarrant County to host a Making Connections Resources Fair from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, February 22, at the GCISD Professional Development and Education Center (PDEC), 5800 Colleyville Blvd. in Colleyville, TX 76034.

The free event will provide families and individuals with disabilities of all ages with resources, which include Medicaid waivers, therapy/camp providers, college programs, assistive and adaptive technology, financial planning, guardianship/supported decision-making, transition employment services and more. Learn more about this event here.

Mark your calendars for Mathematics Monday on February 10! We’re bringing the joy of numbers and problem-solving to life in a fun and delicious way for all our elementary and middle school students.

Here’s what’s in store:

Special Math-Inspired Treats: Every student who selects a plate lunch on Mathematics Monday will receive a special treat that comes with a fun math problem. This event is designed to show how math is everywhere – even at lunchtime!

It’s more than just a school lunch—it’s a tasty way to connect the cafeteria to the classroom! See you at the table! See you in the cafeteria, ready to think, solve, and enjoy!

Do you know a GCISD employee who goes above and beyond for students and staff? Nominate them for the Stars of GCISD program! Every nomination is also shared with the nominee’s supervisor and they are entered for a chance to be honored as the district’s Star of GCISD! Submit your nomination now at www.gcisd.net/starsofgcisd.

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. Background checks must be completed each year!

Get a jumpstart and complete your background check today! Apply Online

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