The last day of school for the year 2013!!

What a year we have had so far! Our last day for 2013 was so much fun! We entered our "Polar Express Train" classroom in our pajamas with a golden tickets in hand! We had some tasty doughnuts, hot cocoa and watched the movie Polar Express play on our big screen! :) It was a great day that ended with a great Chets tradition, Candy Canes with Auntie Claus!!! We could not have asked for a better last day and look forward to what the new year brings!

 Last Day for 2013 on PhotoPeach

We hope you have had a wonderful winter break so far and we wish you a very Happy New Years! See you in 2014!

School returns on January 6, 2014!

Multi-Cultural Day 12/17/13

We traveled around to different classrooms and learned about many different cultures from all over the world! It is important to learn about different cultures because it helps us understand people who may seem different from us and what a FUN day it was!

The different cultures we learned about were: 

1. Feliz Navidad ~ We sang to the office staff

2.  Kwanzaa ~ We made a Kwanzaa mat called a Mkeka

3. Traditional Christmas ~ Mrs. KK our Book Fairy read of the book Silver Packages. We made a silver package of our own filled with thankful notes to our loved ones. 

4. Hanukkah ~ We danced the Hora and played dreidle

5. Christian Christmas ~ We read a LEGO Christmas book and did a small play of the nativity scene 

6. the Legend of the Poinsettia ~ We read the book Legend of the Poinsettia and made poinsettias of our own. 

Multi-Cultural Day Part 1 on PhotoPeach

Multi-Cultural Day Part 2 on PhotoPeach

It's December in Our Town 2013!

It's December in Our Town 2013! on PhotoPeach
Our 2nd grade Holiday Play was Awesome! Here is a sneak peak! Enjoy the slideshow!
Merry Christmas!

So Much To Be Thankful For!

We have so much to be Thankful for! We had a busy week!

In Science we measured solids with our balance beams and we made a liquid (heavy cream) turn into butter. Yes! Heavy cream and a pinch of salt, shake, shake and shake and like magic Butter! We enjoyed our butter on toast with cinnamon sugar. Who knew learning could be so delicious! We also did a “Race for Change Lab”. In this lab we were turning a solid (ice) into a liquid. Oh my goodness, melt ice in my desk, my hair, my armpit or my shoes. It was so much fun!

Our Field trip to MOSH was Awesome! “What’s the Matter” show was aligned with what we are learning in class.

Our family projects for Social Studies were incredible! The students learned valuable information about their families to share with the class. We ended the day with a yummy Thanksgiving feast! It was the best way to start our holiday break!

We really do have so much to be THANKFUL for. Enjoy the slideshow and your Thanksgiving break! See you on Tuesday, December 3^rd.

Can you believe it will be the 70^th day of school?

Being Thankful Part 1 on PhotoPeach

Being Thankful Part 2 on PhotoPeach

Being Thankful Part 3 on PhotoPeach

Due to the short week there will be no Math or ELA

 homework this week. Please visit our

Classroom Blog and Reflex math for activities.

No school on Wednesday 11/27- Monday 12/2.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

Enjoy your family time.

  Holiday Play

The students have been working very hard for our upcoming performance. J

Our class Holiday Play “It’s December in Our Town” will be on Tuesday,

December 10, 2013

Not Wednesday, December 4^th. Please change the date on your calendar.

Please have your child wear jeans and a plain white shirt, long or short sleeve to school on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013.  We will have a dress rehearsal at 10:00 am in the dining room. If you are concerned that your child will not stay clean please send in a change of clothes. Our evening performance will be at 6:00 pm. Please have your child at school in our classroom wearing jeans and a white shirt by 5:15 pm! 

We will have red scarves for each child to wear.

THANK YOU to all of the parents who have sent in a donation for our costumes and canned goods for our food drive.

We appreciate all your support!

Second Grade Season of Giving!

Second Grade Season of Giving Project

We will be collecting canned goods and non-perishable food items to give to the Grocery Fairy and BEAM (Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry).  As we rehearse our holiday play, we see the characters we portray go from home to home collecting canned goods for their community food drive.  What better way to give back than to replicate this service project in real life! We hope every family can send in something, whether it’s during the school day or when they attend our evening performance of “December in our Town”.  Thank you in advance for your donation!

Literary Pumpkins at Chets Creek! on PhotoPeach
Thank you to Mrs. Badger, Mrs. Long & Mrs. Weaver for helping our class paint their pumpkins!
We hope you had a chance to stop by our lobby to see all the creative pumpkins.Thanks again to all the families and students who came out to support our school at the Fall Carnival. Our Football Toss ran like clockwork!

Caddy Shack Fun!

This free scrapbooking design customized with Smilebox

Our field trip to the Caddy Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary was “Wild!” The Caddy Shack is a non-profit organization that provides a safe environment to many of the great species that are endangered or threatened due to the loss of natural habitat.

There are currently over 45 animals, including lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, and arctic foxes. The students had a great time! Thank you so much to all our chaperones, we appreciate all your help!

Enjoy the slideshow!

Shared Research, Earthworms, and "Wild" Learning in Room 204!

Shared Research in Room 204! on PhotoPeach

Earthworms Part 2! on PhotoPeach

The End! on PhotoPeach

Do you know the difference between a narrative and shared research?

Ask your child if they could tell you the difference.

This week the students did shared research on our Author Patricia Polacco.

Wow! We learned so much about her. We learned that a meteor landed in her backyard. She is 69 years old…thank goodness she’s older than Mrs. Lankford. Her family, friends, and her pets inspire her to write. The students finished the week creating a poster from all their shared research.

The students also shared their published Narrative writing. Some of the topics were, A Disney Cruise, Lost at Adventure Landing and When my dad jumped on the bed.

Incredible! We have an awesome group of writers.

During Science we explored earthworms. It was hilarious! Earthworms can do all kinds of surprising things. Did you know that they breathe through their skin? They dig burrows by eating soil. If they lose part of their tail they can grow a new one. Earthworms can survive in a habitat of soil. They chose the wet paper towel.

We had another special visitor. Mrs. Shannon’s 5^th grade class stopped by with their baby chick to discuss the life cycle of a chicken. We ended our day on Friday discussing the Life Cycle of a Plant. So much learning going on in Room 204!

Enjoy the slideshow!

39 Days and Counting....

39 Days and Counting.... on PhotoPeach

Day 39 and counting! We are almost done with our first nine weeks of school. Wow! Time flies when you are learning and having fun! Last week during our Skills block we wrote about being stranded on an island and the 10 things we would take with us…

A fishing pole, swim gear, drinking water and mom were some of the thoughtful responses.

Did you know that on October 9, 1876 the first two-way telephone conversation took place? The students were asked to write about whom would they call and why. Very interesting responses; Pizza Hut, grandma, grandpa, Tim Tebow and a veterinarian for a future job to name a few.

The students were also asked to finish the sentence When I grow up, I will be a….

 Cruise Ship Owner, Pet Store Owner, Firefighter, Math Teacher, Artist were some of the responses. Please ask you student about our daily morning Skills Block.

In Science we are continuing our study of soil, we planted Lima beans to see which type of soil would be the best for the Lima bean to grow and we tested each soil with water to see what happens when we pour water on the soil.

The different soils apart of our study are Clay, Loam and Sandy Soil. The students are excited to see how the Lima beans are growing.

We took another visit to our school garden to take down our broccoli and cabbage. Patiently waiting on the harvest!!

Thank you to all the parents who attended our Math Night. We appreciate all your support and we hope you walked away feeling great about our Math workshop and strategies. Enjoy some snapshots of our week!

The Tops and Bottoms of Rocks and Soil

The Tops and Bottoms of Rocks and Soil Part 1! on PhotoPeach The Tops and Bottoms of Rocks and Soil Part 2! on PhotoPeach This week in Science we continued learning about rocks and soil. We measured our rocks using rulers and balance beams. We are learning about the different types of soil. Clay soil, loam, and sandy soil. Our study on soil will continue next week. We also had two special visitors this week. Our first was Dr. Zenk. Dr. Zenk gave us great information about gardening. She helped us get started planting spinach outside in our school garden. We also planted broccoli and cabbage in our classroom. When the broccoli and cabbage begin to sprout, with the help of Dr. Zenk we will replant them outside in our school garden. Our vegetables should be ready for harvest right around Thanksgiving. Yummy! Our other special visitor was Mrs. Alvarado, the mother of S. Alvarado, one of the students in our class. Mrs. Alvarado read two great books. How Full Is Your Bucket For Kids is a charming book that explains to children how being kind not only helps others, it helps them, too, and Chicken Cheeks. The students really enjoyed both books. We appreciate Dr. Zenk and Mrs. Alvarado for sharing their time with us! Enjoy the slideshow!

More "Wild" Learning in 2nd Grade!

More "Wild" Learning in Room 204! on PhotoPeach

Open House 2013 with Harkins and Lankford!

Open House 2013! on PhotoPeach Our Open House was a huge SUCCESS! Thank you to all the parents, big sisters, uncles, aunts, & extended family members that attended. We hope you walk away knowing more about what we are learning in Room 204. Thank you in advance for joining the PTA, sponsoring another student and supplying us with a classroom item. We appreciate all you do!!

"Wild" Learning with Harkins & Lankford

"Wild" Learning with Harkins & Lankford on PhotoPeach Lots of learning going on in Room 204! Fluency Monday is always a fun activity to help students strengthen their fluency and pace while reading. During Reader’s Workshop, students are allowed to read books of their choice! We learned about living together in our neighborhoods in Social Studies. In Science Workshop this week we did a lab on what will happen to the popcorn kernel when heat comes in contact with it? We used our 5 senses to record what we noticed. Did you know that Friday was the 19th day of school? Wow! Time flies when you are having fun! Enjoy the slideshow!

Science Workshop in Room 204!

Science Workshop on PhotoPeach What is the practice of Science? What is a Scientist? How do we work as Scientists? What are the steps of the Scientific Method? So many questions…and we will find the answers through our observations during our Science Workshops. Last week we learned to use our five senses to make observations. Our sense of taste was not used for this task. Each week we will use our Interactive Science Notebook/Journal to draw and write about our observations. At the end of this lesson we were able to describe and discuss what a Scientist does. Enjoy the slideshow!

Reminders from Harkins and Lankford Room 204

Reminders ~Today your child came home with our weekly homework in their green home learning folder. Due to the short week, all homework will be due on Friday. There will be no mid-week check.

~Students should bring their planner and green Homework folder to class every day.

~A red Take Home Folder will come home on Mondays & Thursdays. Please take everything out that night and return anything due back to school the next day!

~Please read and sign your child’s planner daily!

~Please make sure your child is reading and logging every night!

~Please return all forms from your Chets Creek folder ASAP!

~Please join the PTA! :)

Seed Journals In Writer's Workshop! on PhotoPeach A "Wild" day for our students personalizing their Seed Journals. We are ready for Writer's Workshop!

The Walk on the "Wild" Side continues....

The Walk on the "Wild" Side continues... on PhotoPeach

First Day Fun! on PhotoPeach Our first day was an Awesome Walk on the Wild Side! Enjoy the slideshow!

Are you ready to take a walk on the "Wild" side in 2nd grade? Boys and girls who have a passion for the outdoors and a thirst for adventure, your walk on the "Wild" side begins Monday in Room# 204 with Miss Harkins and Mrs. Lankford as your Adventure Guides! We're looking forward to a "Wild" year in our Learning Jungle!

Under Construction

Our blog site is under construction! We will be open for business very soon! Please continue to read for 20 minutes every night. Visit Reflexmath.com. School starts on August 19, 2013!

A visit from first graders!

We had the opportunity to invite first grade students to our classroom. We showed them different parts of our day and expectations! It was a great experience for our second graders and the first graders!

The Human Body

2nd Grade Study of the Human Body! on PhotoPeach Our study of the Human Body was great! The students were totally engaged throughout our study. Did you know that our skeleton gives our body shape and protects our organs? Did you know that our lungs belong to our respiratory system? Yes! We learned some interesting facts about our Human Body. Are you a right brain or left brain thinker? Ask you student to share which thinker they are. Enjoy the slide show.

Arts Extravaganza at Chets Creek 2013!

Thank You! on PhotoPeach WOW! What a night! We hope your family took advantage of this great family night out! We can’t thank the many families enough that donated items for our “Movie Night” Silent Auction basket! A huge Thank You to Mrs. Eccher & Mrs. Hoy for arranging and putting together our basket. THANKS to all for your continued support! We appreciate you all so much! 

Life Cycles with Mrs. Swidorsky's 5th Graders!

Life Cycles with Mrs. Swidorsky's 5th Graders! on PhotoPeach Did you know that the 5th graders and their Science teachers at Chets Creek are teaching us all about the Life Cycle of Chickens? Yes! Mrs. Swidorsky and her 5th grade science students shared their knowledge about the life cycle of a chicken with us. The students were very knowledgeable. It was an incredible experience. Thank you for a great time! 5th graders rock!!

Spirit Day at Chets Creek! on PhotoPeach To pump up and support our intermediate students as they tackle the FCAT test. We showed our school pride and came dressed up each day! Check us out on Patriotic Day (Dressed in red, white or blue) Sports Day (Dressed in a sports uniform or in our favorite team’s colors) ,Fashion Disaster Day (we wore wacky hair, silly socks, backwards clothes), CCE Spirit Shirt Day (we wore our favorite CCE spirit shirt) Rock Star/Pop Star (Favorite diva or Rocker!). The week ended with an incredible assembly lead by Principal Phillips! Good luck with the FCATs! Enjoy the slideshow!

Critters Invaded our Classroom!

Critters Invaded our Classroom! on PhotoPeach Great job boys and girls with your critters. Most of the critters adapted to our classroom. Can you say Camouflage? Enjoy the slideshow!

Good-bye Butterflies!

Releasing the Butterflies! on PhotoPeach Woo! Hoo! We released our butterflies on Friday in our school garden. It has been an awesome study of the life cycle of the butterflies. Enjoy the slideshow! Have a great spring break!

The Caterpillars are Here! on PhotoPeach The caterpillars are here! We are in full swing of our study of the Life Cycle of Butterflies. We are ready for the complete metamorphosis, a life cycle consisting of four distinct stages. The first stage is the egg, and the second stage is the caterpillar sometimes called the larva. During this stage the caterpillar lives to eat and will last from 12 to 18 days.
Stage 3 is the chrysalis, also called the pupa. During this stage the animal goes through the most remarkable changes. The chrysalis hangs motionless and encased in a shiny hard covering for about one week. The last stage is the butterfly. We are patiently waiting for the emerging of the butterflies. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday!

It's a Wonderful Life! on PhotoPeach The students did an awesome job on their birthday timelines. They were given two options to present. Option 1: Technology Timeline, through Timetoast.com an online program. Option 2: Paper Timeline, using construction paper and paper birthday cakes. Each option had a project checklist to ensure that certain requirements were met. We had several students submit their time lines through Timetoast.com. Most of the students choose to do a paper copy. All the students were able to discuss some significant dates of their lives. It was wonderful and we were totally engaged throughout the presentations. Great job students!

Happy Valentine's Day 2013!

Happy Valentine's Day 2013 on PhotoPeach Love was in the air on Valentine’s Day in classroom 204! We had a great time passing out Valentines, writing something sweet or nice about two friends in class and enjoying delicious treats! Thank you so much to all the parents who sent in treats for all the students and for Miss Harkins and Mrs. Lankford. We appreciate all you do!

Happy 100th Day of School!

Happy 100th Day of School! on PhotoPeach Wow! how time flies when you are having fun! February 4th was the 100th day of school! We had an awesome time learning through play! Check out our activity checklist. Oh my!, we have 75 more days before Summer!! Enjoy the slide show!

Check out our February Standard Based Bulletin Board. For preparation for our unit on Non-Fiction Text. Our students did a great job previewing non-fiction text. Keep up the awesome work!

How's the Weather in your Neighborhood?

What's the Weather in your Neighborhood? on PhotoPeach How is the weather in your neighborhood? Chets Creek had a special visit from Tim Deegan, the Chief Meteorologist at First Coast News, providing the weather forecasts on the 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 6:00pm and 11:00pm weekday newscasts. Mr. Deegan discussed how he reads and records the weather. What to do in a Lighting storm. How he collects his data, and what tools he might use. Mr. Deegan also shared a story about being able to chase a hurricane and ride in the eye of the storm. Wow! Exciting job of a Meteorologist. Thank you Mr. Deegan for visiting our school!

Happy New Year 2013!

Happy New Year 2013! on PhotoPeach Happy New Year! We are back into the rituals and routines of our day. Enjoy the slideshow!