Our First Read Aloud: Becoming Naomi León

Be sure to ask your scholar about their class's progress in reading Becoming Naomi León by Pam Muñoz Ryan! As we read, student hear their teacher model fluency while interacting with the story and sharing how they apply reading strategies to gain understanding of the text.

About This Book: Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life, her name for one. Then there are her clothes (sewn in polyester by Gram), her difficulty speaking up, and her status at school as "nobody special." But according to Gram, most problems can be overcome with positive thinking. And with Gram and her little brother, Owen, life at Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho in California is happy and peaceful...until their mother reappears after seven years of being gone, stirring up all sorts of questions and challenging Naomi to discover and proclaim who she really is. 

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/becoming-naomi-leon#cart/cleanup

This Week's Learning Objectives

Science 

I can identify and measure the properties of matter. 

Math

I can read, write, and compare numbers up to the billions in standard and expanded notation. 

Social Studies

I can apply geographic tools to construct and interpret maps. 

I can use map skills to understand characteristics of Texas. 

Reading 

I can read with a purpose. 

I can ask literal, interpretive, and evaluative questions as I read to better understand a text.

Writing             

I can use mentor texts as models to write about an important personal experience.

Spelling              

I can correctly spell K-2 Sight Words.

Watts Going On in Fourth Grade

Week of August 29- September 2

I just want to start by saying CONGRATS! We made it through the first week of school! It was a long first week but it was amazing to see all of scholars working hard, working together and already working towards their goals for the year. As we begin the second week of school, scholars need to make sure they are coming prepared for class so they can participate in all of the exciting activities we have planned. Make sure also to mark your calendars for Curriculum Night which will be this THURSDAY!

Curriculum Night

Curriculum Night is an important night for parents. If your child is new to Cannon this year or has been here since Kindergarten, come discover what your child will be learning this year. You will be receiving information about important procedures, communication, expectations, and upcoming events! We hope to see you there! 

National College Colors Day

All staff will be participating in National College Colors Day this FRIDAY! You will see everyone wearing their favorite college shirt or colors. We encourage your scholar to participate by wearing their favorite college shirt or colors too!

In case you were curious where your scholars teachers went....
                              Ms. Jacobson- Texas Tech         

   Mrs. Nuhu- Iowa State         

    Mrs. Lambert- Austin College

Summer Learning Challenge

Scholars that were at Cannon last year received information about the Summer Learning Challenge. All scholars that completed any part of this should turn it into their teacher by Wednesday, August 31st.  

Scholars that completed ALL of the summer challenges will receive Kona Ice on Friday, September 1st. Scholars that completed 15 of the challenges will be invited to lunch with Mrs. Blizzard in September. Spirit sticks and certificates are also available for those scholars who completed 10 or 5 learning challenges.

Remind your scholar to put their Summer Learning Challenge in their backpack today!

Friday Assembly- What You Need to Know

Ever hear about Friday Assembly but don't know what its all about? Here is what you need to know: 

• What is a Friday Assembly anyway? These school-wide assemblies are held in the gym every Friday, beginning at 7:40 am. This provides a wonderful way for us to build community within our school, increase school spirit, recognize & celebrate special achievements of students/staff, introduce our Book of the Month, school-wide design challenges, and share special announcements/performances, etc...

• Are parents allowed to attend Friday Assemblies? Yes! We love for our parents to experience this event! If your child is going to be recognized at an assembly, you will be notified by your child's teacher in advance and you will receive an invitation to come to the event. Just remember to check into the office before 7:40, to receive a visitor's badge before the assembly.

• How do students get selected for recognition? Classroom teachers select 4-5 students each per year, to be inducted into the Young Engineer's Hall of Fame. Each month, a STEM Habit of Mind is highlighted for all students & staff. Students in the classroom who consistently exemplify the monthly STEM Habit of Mind are candidates for Hall of Fame recognition.

• Where can I find the STEM Habits of Mind? Click here to see a brief description of each month's STEM Habit of Mind. We encourage all parents to discuss these each month at home and make them part of your habits at home too!

We Need YOU! Volunteer!

Parent volunteers are such an important part of our school community and we encourage ALL of our parents to get involved! All parents who are interested in volunteering, chaperoning a field trip or helping out at school in any way, must do the following:

• Complete a GCISD Volunteer Background Check. Click here to do this online!
• Read the Volunteer Handbook, watch the appropriate video included in the handbook, and electronically sign the volunteer verification form. Click here to read the Volunteer Handbook and sign the form. Click here to read the Volunteer Handbook in Spanish and sign the form.

Breakfast and Lunch @ School

It is important that your scholar eats breakfast before they start the school day! Cannon participates in a school breakfast program known as Breakfast in the Classroom. If your child is getting a breakfast @ school, they will need to pick up their "breakfast in a bag" in the cafeteria, before school starts and this will be eaten in the classroom. PLEASE NOTE THAT BREAKFAST STOPS SERVING AT 7:45 DAILY.

If you have a school meals account for your child, this account will be charged for the school breakfast, as well as their lunch. For more information on GCISD's school meals, to view school menus, check prices, and even pay online, please click here.

New iPad Agreement

GCISD has a new device agreement form that ALL parents must sign. A $50 device fee is only paid ONE time for the entirety of a student's elementary school years. If you have multiple students at Cannon, the maximum amount you would be required to pay would be for three students. Frequently asked questions are addressed below.

· Every parent needs to sign the Parent Device Agreement.

· Students that paid their device fees last year of $35, will need to pay an additional $15 this year to complete the one-time $50 device fee.

· Kindergarten & new students to Cannon will need to pay the $50 device fee.

· Link to all Technology Agreements and Policies

· Link to 2016-2017 device agreement form in English

· Link to 2016-2017 device agreement form in Spanish 

· There is a reduced device fee of $35 for any students who qualify to participate in GCISD's free/reduced lunch program.

It's been a busy week in math!  We spent the week learning about some basic, yet very important concepts about place value.  This week your scholar spent time reading and writing numbers up to the Billions! Coming up next is being able to write these numbers in expanded notation and then comparing them.

This Week in Science

The first week of school is always fun since we tend to focus on getting to know each other and building those relationships that will help us throughout the year. Our first design challenge was to create something that was able to pick a marshmallow up off the floor.  I saw everything from hand designs to claws to shovels. Watching my scholars think outside of the box gets me excited for what is to come.

Our other focus this week was lab safety. Sadly I wasn't able to record any of the skits our scholars performed about breaking rules in the lab. Ask your scholar about it and I am sure they can share a funny story or two!

And in case you missed it......

 Fourth grade teachers won GOLD at our first Friday Assembly by completing our own challenge of stacking cups with only a rubber band that had strings attached to it. We hope that we set an example for our scholars about working together!

Fourth Grade Curriculum Night

You have questions? We've got answers. Please plan on attending Curriculum Night this Thursday, September 1st from 5:30-6:30pm. This will be a great time to ask questions and hear about what our curriculum looks like and what our expectation are. We will be presenting in Mr. Lollis's Music Room in the E Hallway. Hope to see you there!

Congratulations on making it past the first day of school!  Today was a fun and fast day that we hope left your scholar happy to be back at school.  Our favorite part of the day was our design challenge.  Check out some of the pictures below.  After your scholar and you get a chance to talk about what they did today, please look through their binders for any handouts that they may have and ask them about what they need for their Writer's Notebook.  Also, take a moment if you can and mark your calendar using the dates beside this post.  The most important date that is coming up soon is our Curriculum Night.  Our presentation will last from 5:30-6:30.  If you are unable to make this time please let us know and we be able to communicate the information in another way. See you all soon!

Writer's Notebook Design Tomorrow

Tomorrow, students will DESIGN their writer's notebooks to reflect their interests. Please remind your child to bring any materials that they could use.

This may include:
photos
printed images
scrapbooking paper

wrapping paper

magazines

Humanities Units of Study

We are excited to begin this fourth grade school year with the unit, "Texas, Our Texas!" Here is a Word Cloud visual overview of our first unit!

Here is the full list of Fourth Grade's Humanities Units

Unit 1: Texas, Our Texas!

Unit 2: American Indians in Texas

Unit 3: The Lure of Texas

Unit 4: Tensions in Texas and the Rise in the Revolution

Unit 5: Texas’ Identity

Unit 6: The Changing Landscape of Texas (starting the last half of 19th century)

Unit 7: The Growth of Texas - 20th Century to Present

Unit 8: Celebrate Freedom Week

2016-17 School Year at Cannon Elementary: A GCISD STEM School

We enjoyed meeting everyone who came to visit our classrooms at Meet the Teacher Night. Thank you to all who attended! You could just feel the excitement and enthusiasm about our STEM program at Cannon, and we are looking forward to working with all of you this 2016-17 school year!