CANNON GT LEADers

GT LEADers in Action!

May 2016

Parents and Fabulous Cannon PTA,
Thank you so so much for spoiling me and the Cannon teachers rotten this week! It has been so lovely to be greeted in the mornings with flowers, candy, cards, etc. and then enjoy breakfast and lunches you brought. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and for sharing so generously. We are very very touched and appreciated. <3 It's pretty wonderful to experience such a fun week through the students' eyes, too. Thank you!

Thanks to Ishi, look who won the Taco Casa basket, too. Dinner is DONE!

Is it Summer Already?

Please check out some of the incredible programs available from
Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Summer Opportunities for Students:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0ZFO-oTNd_xVDFXZGNkaFVreUE

Grade Level Experiences:

Kindergarten focused on originality this week, and I can't think of a better lesson for such unique and "original" little people. We chanted poetry together and then sought out relationship connections between interesting images that seemed unrelated. Finally we spent time working on Sudoku puzzles with colored cubes that were even more challenging than the week before.

1st grade continues with their ocean research. Groups are becoming experts on ocean species, such as the pufferfish, the cookie cutter shark and the stingray. What a joy it is to hear when the scholars yell out, "Mrs. Gable, did you know....???!" They are amazed at learning something new and remarkable about their world. We have incorporated this knowledge into powerful poetry writing.

2nd grade has been busy with recognizing ambiguity, problem solving with complex puzzles and solving riddles with rebus-like solutions. They worked very hard to write their own rebus message, using symbols, letters and/or numbers with plus and minus symbols. Not a simple task, no doubt!

3rd grade tested their creative thinking by coming up with original ideas of innovative uses for ordinary items. The next challenge was to write a creative story that explained their idea using alliteration throughout the passage. Do NOT assume these are paper plates or spoons any more, parents. You might be looking at "cool, catapulted cabs or colored walls," according to 3rd grader Arshyan.

4th grade's winner of the Rube Goldberg marble run was Miles, Katie, Hannah and Rondale. Here is the award winning run, that lasted 28 seconds and allowed the team to score over 30 points. They were the clear winners!

5th grade scholars are finishing up their SPARK Talks with the class, and they are simply remarkable! Trust me when I tell you, the future looks very bright for these young, talented students. They have extensively researched their topics, and they are sharing their experiences with classmates. Minds are opening to new and different ideas, and the conversations that are unfolding are stimulating and empowering.

Check out the district front page to learn about a few of our scholars' great efforts.
http://www.gcisd-k12.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=38979&ViewID=7B97F7ED-8E5E-4120-848F-A8B4987D588F&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=72934&PageID=33158

The BattleBots Field Trip was a huge success for Cannon 5th grade LEAD scholars! Our STEM students shined in all aspects of their robot's construction: planning, designing, implementing, testing, reevaluation, and eventual mastery in the arena. Cannon students shined very brightly, winning every competition against two other schools. STEM is a gift for the gifted!