Correia, Lankford & Lewis Empowering the Future

Happy 100th Day of School!

2012-02-04T17:33:00.001-05:00

Happy 100th Day of School! on PhotoPeach

Readers to Leaders Superhero Bingo!

2012-01-31T21:26:00.001-05:00

Super Hero Bingo! on PhotoPeach
Mrs. Phillips and Mrs. KK hosted a Super Hero Bingo celebration in the dining room last week to honor our students that meet their Readers to Leaders goal for the second nine weeks. All the students that attended left with a prize. Woo Hoo! It was a SUPER time had by all! Please continue to encourage your child to read every day!
Enjoy the incredible smiles in the slideshow!

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-17T21:54:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year 2012 on PhotoPeach

Welcome Back Incredibles!
In Math we are studying Measurements. We spent the work period in Math comparing lengths and using direct and indirect comparison to identify equal lengths.
In Science we were figuring out which container holds the most water? We are finishing our study of Matter.
We took time out to take a picture with Miss Harkins. We are so excited to have her spent the next 92 days with us. Yes, did you know that today is the 88th day of school? February 3rd will be the 100th Day of School! Wow! Time flies when you are having fun! Ryan, Mrs. Lankford’s son who attends The University of Illinois came by for a quick visit. It was great! The students had super questions for him and he actually autographed balls and notes for all the students! Thank you Ryan! Go Illini! Enjoy the slideshow!

Multicultural Day 2011!

2011-12-21T11:21:00.003-05:00

Multicultural Day 2011 on PhotoPeach
Second Grade Multicultural Day!
On Thursday, we will traveled the world to see, how other cultures celebrate the holidays differently.
We made Kwanzaa mats called mkeka and played the game of Dreidle. We actually went caroling (parranda) down the first grade hallway and to the dining room for the staff. Parranda is a long standing Christmas tradition in Puerto Rico!
A huge Thank you to Mrs. Snead, Coach Bailey and Mrs. Tamburrino, who taught us all about Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad, and Hanukkah.

On Friday we came to school with our pajamas on and enjoyed the movie The Polar Express and an awesome visit and story from Auntie Claus. It was an incredible way to end 2011!

Miss Correia and Mrs. Lankford thank you so much for all our Christmas goodies! We appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Happy Holidays to you and your family! See you on Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Our Holiday Play

2011-12-11T21:10:00.001-05:00

Our students did an Incredible job with their performance
“Once on a Housetop” We are very proud of them! Congratulations! We hope you enjoyed the show!

Our Family History 2011

2011-12-04T23:01:00.001-05:00

Our Class History 2011 on PhotoPeach
In Social Studies the study of America’s Past has given us a unique opportunity to investigate where we come from. All the projects presented by the students were great! We learned about family seals, the history of names and heard awesome poems and legends. One of our students from India shared kum kum jewels to wear on our foreheads. What an incredible experience for us all to hear some interesting facts about our classmates. Well done boys and girls! Enjoy the slideshow!

Readers to Leaders

2011-11-10T21:53:00.005-05:00

Readers to Leaders on PhotoPeach
Our principal Mrs. Phillips rewarded students for reaching their reading goal for the Million Word Campaign on Tuesday. She was duct taped to the wall for two hours while she read. Students thoroughly enjoyed the sight! Please encourage your child to keep reading to meet our next goal! Mrs. Phillips you are our Superhero!

To check out additional pictures, copy and paste the link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30720725@N08/sets/72157628094201714

Bean Biologists Part Two

2011-11-06T18:26:00.002-05:00

Bean Biologists Part Two on PhotoPeach

We have enjoyed every minute of learning about The Life Cycle of a Bean Plant.
Each student was given a Ziploc bag and a seed to place by the window. Over the past couple of weeks we have observed how a seed has grown into a plant. We also planted seeds in soil and place one by the window and one in the closet.
Our discussion covered several topics. What do seeds need to grow? What roots are for? Why are plants important? We discussed what we noticed was happening and why we thought it was happening.

Each student drank with a straw to show how important roots are. The straw represented the root system and the drink represented the water. The students began on the floor in a ball as seeds and drank the water to grow tall like plants. It was a fun experiment!

As you can see from our slideshow some seeds grew faster than others.
Overall it has been an incredible experience seeing a seed grow into a plant.
Ask your Bean Biologist what they learned.

Literary Pumpkins 2011

2011-10-22T11:40:00.001-05:00

Literary Pumpkins at Chets Creek on PhotoPeach
Fall is in the air! Our week at Chets Creek was very special. If you did not get to see our Literary Pumpkins in the lobby you missed out on some incredible creativity! Every class or team chose a book to represent with their literary pumpkin. The pumpkins were awesome!

Our classrooms chose the book Heroes of the Vegetable Patch. This adorable story included two mischievous, but well-meaning children, magical carrots, and a quest to save an old lady's vegetable garden while she's away.

Enjoy the slideshow with our pumpkin along with all the others. Our week ended with our Fall Carnival. Thank you to all the families and students who came out to support our school at the Fall Carnival. All of the volunteers were wonderful and our booths ran like clockwork! We appreciate all your support and help!

Bean Biologists at Work in 2nd Grade!

2011-10-16T22:06:00.001-05:00

Bean Biologists at Work in 2nd Grade! on PhotoPeach

Bean Biologists at Work in 2nd Grade

For the past few weeks we have been investigating The Life Cycle of a Bean Plant. Our first investigation was observing several different types of beans and seeds. The students were allowed to use hand lens to observe what they thought were the same or what they noticed was different about all the seeds. Our next investigation was soaking the beans overnight and exploring the inside of the bean. So far we have learned that the life cycle of a seed begins when it sprouts or germinates. We also learned that the bean has a seed coat on the outside which protects the tiny plant that’s inside of the seed. Stay tuned there is a lot more learning to do! Enjoy the slideshow!

The Super Market!

2011-10-09T20:52:00.003-05:00

You may have heard about our class store where students can use their behavior bucks on Wednesdays after our comprehension test. Students can rent items such as legos, markers, computer time, a reading chair, etc. Students can also buy items such as teacher's assistant, craft items, pencils, silly bands, food items, etc. Each morning, students earn two behavior bucks for having their planner signed and their nightly reading logged. They can also earn behavior bucks in various ways. In second grade, we are creating self-directed learners and being prepared is one way to get us there! Thank you to everyone who has donated items for our store!!! Students are thoroughly enjoying the store (it is our secret that they are learning valuable life skills as well)!

2nd Grade Math Night

2011-10-02T13:24:00.004-05:00

Dust off your “thinking caps!”
School is now in session for parents.
Please join us for a night of problem solving on Tuesday October 4, 2011 from 6-7 pm in Mrs. Lankford’s classroom #204. We will be going over Math strategies that we will be teaching your children this year. Participating will allow you to better help your child at home. Math Investigations is a fun, fast paced curriculum packed with new and challenging strategies. We hope to see you on Tuesday!

Rocks, Soil and Earthworms in Science!

2011-09-25T17:23:00.002-05:00

For the past couple of weeks In Science we have been studying and observing rocks, soil and earthworms. Our students have learned that the Earth is made up of rocks which come in many shapes and sizes. The basis of soil is made up of small pieces of rock and dead plant and animal parts. We ended the unit observing earthworms. Earthworms are important to our environment. Earthworms live in the ground mixing up the different layers of soil.
Thank you to everyone that sent in rocks for us to observe. We appreciate all your support!
Enjoy the slideshow!

Incredible Things Happening at Open House

2011-09-16T22:26:00.001-05:00

Open House 2011
We appreciate everyone who attended our Open House.
We hope you enjoyed yourself and got a glimpse at how your child spends their day at Chets Creek with
Miss. Correia, Mrs. Lankford & Miss. Lewis. Enjoy some snapshots from Open House and our Science Standards Based Bulletin Board.

Thank you to the families that have provided us with items from our “Wish List!”
We appreciate your support.

Our Incredible Second Week!

2011-09-02T16:46:00.002-05:00

Our second week together has been incredible! We have set rituals and routines and have moved into our workshops. Check out some of the pictures from our Math and Readers Workshop. Students received their binders today they are a great reference for homework when working with your child. Students will bring their binders home each night and must bring them back to school each day. Have your child show you their binder this weekend! Have a great long weekend- See you Tuesday!

Welcome Back!

2011-08-21T20:59:00.001-05:00

It was such a pleasure to meet so many of you at Orientation on Friday! We are looking forward to getting to know your child very well in the coming months. We will be communicating often in these first few days and weeks, as there is so much new business to take care of.

School begins at 9:00 AM. Please have your child here by 8:55 but not earlier than 8:30 AM. Please be sure your child is on time.

To learn more about your child’s academic strengths, we will be giving a diagnostic test in Reading and Math this week. Your child is aware that this test is not for a grade, but is used as a tool for prescribing an academic plan for mastering 2nd grade skills. Please be sure your child gets plenty of rest and eats a good breakfast, for we will be testing through Friday.

Lunch is $1.60/day. You may pay in advance by check or cash every Monday or Tuesday or via www.mylunchmoney.com. Any questions or concerns may be directed to Mrs. Collins in the dining room at 992-6397.
Our lunch is from
11:30-12:00 PM. Lankford homeroom
11:35-12:05 PM Correia/Lewis homeroom

Please send requested supplies in as soon as possible. We have requested that you do not put your child’s name on the individual supplies.

Please return all completed forms as soon as possible.

If your child’s mode of transportation changes at any time, we must have instructions from you in writing. Please help us adhere to this important safety policy.

Please join the PTA.

Thank You: Thank you all for being so involved in your child’s educational experience! Remember, reading with your child each day will reap great rewards. Also, thank you for responding so generously to our “Wish Lists”! You are super!

It's That Time Again

2011-08-14T21:37:00.004-05:00

Welcome Back!
We are getting ready for another successful school year. Mrs. Lankford will be partners with Miss. Correia and Miss Lewis. We are looking forward to Empowering Every Child for The Future. Mrs. Lankford will be teaching Math, Science and Social Studies. Miss Correia will be teaching Reading and Writing while Miss Lewis will be teaching all subjects. We hope to see you at Orientation on Friday, August 19th at 8:00 am in our classrooms. The first day of school is August 22nd.
See you soon!

Last Day of School! Summer is Here!

2011-06-12T16:27:00.004-05:00

Thank you for an Awesome year! Continue to read everynight for 20 minutes, practice your Math facts and don't forget all your Reading and Math strategies!

Parents, thank you for all our end of the year goodies! We appreciate all your support this year!

Check out this site to help you stay prepared for 3rd grade.
http://cce2.wikispaces.com/Summer+Activities

Have a blessed Summer!
Love,
Mrs. Lankford & Mrs. Morgan

Our Study of the Human Body

2011-05-30T16:24:00.000-05:00

Important Dates/2nd Grade Field Day!

2011-05-22T21:37:00.002-05:00

Our 2nd grade Field Day will be on Monday,
June 6th from 9:30 – 11:30!
If you would like to send in water bottles, treats, etc. for that day, please write us a note in your child’s planner and we will let you know what we are in need of. Thank you!

5/26 Flag Raising-Flag Retirement Ceremony 9:05am
5/26 Last Day for Gifted Classes
5/27-5/30 Memorial Day Holiday-NO SCHOOL
5/31 SAC Board Meeting 6:30pm
6/6 2nd Grade Field Day 9:30-11:30 am
6/6 4th 9 Weeks Awards Ceremony 2:15 pm
6/6 Chick-fil-a Spirit Night 6pm-8pm
6/8 PTA Night at Adventure Landing 5:30pm-8:30pm
6/10 Last Day of School for Students!!! Dismissal at 12:00 pm

2nd Grade Sunshine Math Brawl!

2011-05-08T22:47:00.002-05:00

2nd Grade Sunshine Math Brawl

CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Emma and Tomas for representing our class in this year’s 2nd Grade Sunshine Math Brawl!
You guys ROCK!We also want to thank each student who participated in our Sunshine Math program! You all worked so hard! Keep up the critical thinking!

Thank You For Your Support

2011-05-01T20:38:00.005-05:00

A huge thank you to our parents! Our basket looked great and the proceeds will benefit the Arts at Chets Creek.We appreciate all your support.

Our Principal Kissed a Pig!

2011-04-25T21:03:00.001-05:00

We met our reading goal Oink! Oink!
So our class enjoyed lunch outside with Mrs. Phillips.
The students waited for the big moment…..
During lunch Mrs. Phillips puckered up with red lipstick
and kissed the pig named Jasmine!
The students went HOG WILD!!!
Enjoy the slideshow!

FCAT Week!

2011-04-17T21:06:00.004-05:00

Mrs. Zollinger, Ms. Patterson, Ms. Symons and several 5th grade classes were thrilled with our treats throughout the week! Thank you for sending in treats to make this event successful!
FCAT will continue through Thursday April 21st.

Spirit Week at CCE!

2011-04-10T14:03:00.001-05:00

Celebrating Mrs. Morgan’s birthday and Spirit Week was Awesome!
We all enjoyed showing our Chets Creek Spirit!
Check out some funny pictures from the week.

Our Day at The Jacksonville Zoo

2011-03-29T20:20:00.001-05:00

We had perfect weather and enjoyed a super day at the Zoo!

A Special Visitor!

2011-03-20T22:45:00.001-05:00

A Special Visitor
On Tuesday we had a very special visitor come by our classroom.
Mrs. Phillips stopped by to read a book titled Leprechaun’s Gold by Pamela Duncan Edwards. The children were totally engaged while Mrs. Phillips read and it was such a special time for us all.
On Wednesday, we released our butterflies into their natural habitat. We joined forces with Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Meissner’s Kindergarten class. Our 2nd graders did a wonderful presentation of the life cycle before we released the butterflies. Way to go boys and girls!

Classroom Critters

2011-03-13T21:46:00.002-05:00

The students did a great job with their critters! Enjoy the slideshow!

The Caterpillars Have Arrived!

2011-03-06T20:40:00.003-05:00

In Science this week, our study of the Painted Lady butterfly is in full swing. The caterpillar’s skin splits one last time. After the split, a hard shell forms. The shell is the Chrysalis. A big change is taking place inside the chrysalis and soon we will see a beautiful butterfly. Ask your child about what’s happening with our butterflies.

Enjoy the snapshots of the students in their Book Clubs. Happy Reading!

How many times have your child visited the following websites?

Math Number Worlds:
http://sranumberworlds.com/

Compass Odyssey:
https://odyssey.duvalschools.org/childu/index.html?SSL=1

Please try to visit these websites weekly to sharpen your skills in reading and math. Passwords and login information is in your child's planner.

Have fun while learning!

Our Wonderful Week!

2011-02-18T23:41:00.002-05:00

Did you know that today was the 111th day of school? Wow 69 more days!

Our week started with our Poetry Café. The students did a wonderful job sharing their poems. We enjoyed delicious donuts and punch…..Yummy!
A special thank you to Mrs. Boyd and Mrs. McKinney for setting up our treats.

On Wednesday, 5th graders visited our classroom to show us baby chicks that had hatched earlier in their Science class. We actually got to watch them hatch via CCE News Network.

Because we met our Reading Challenge for the second nine weeks, we ended our week with Barnyard Book Bingo with Mrs. Philips.

Overall it was a fun-filled week! Enjoy your long weekend! See you on Tuesday!

Measuring in the Land of Inch

2011-02-12T00:30:00.001-05:00

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In Math the students have used inches, feet, yards, centimeters, and meters to measure length. The students practiced measuring lengths greater than 12 inches by creating a map of the Land of Inch. Measuring in the Land of Inch was great! Enjoy the pictures of our maps of the Land of Inch.

Happy 100th Day of School!

2011-02-03T22:11:00.002-05:00

Today's Weather Is.....

2011-01-30T20:15:00.001-05:00

For the next few weeks our class will be Meteorologists. Meteorologists are scientists who study, observe, and record information about the weather. We will then use that information to forecast the weather. We created a graph that shows our favorite weather. Most of us like the hot weather the best. Ask your child about what we are doing in Science.

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-04T20:06:00.000-05:00

We wasted no time getting back into the swing of things in 2nd grade. During our Science workshop on Monday we measured and compare the volume of liquids using containers of various shapes and sizes. We watched a small clip on the importance of measuring volume while the measuring cup is sitting on a surface so we don’t tilt the cup and misread the volume. Scientist hard at work and loving it!
Tuesday during our Math workshop we went on a Scavenger Hunt looking for the length of items in our classroom. Today was the beginning of our new unit Measuring Length and Time. Stay tuned while we develop an understanding of linear measurement, estimate and use standard units, including inches and centimeters, to partition and measure lengths of objects.
Did you know today was the 80th day of school! Wow! 100 days away from 3rd grade!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-22T11:13:00.002-05:00

Holiday Fun Itinerary
Wednesday we wore our warmest pajamas, scarves, and hats for a memorable journey aboard the Polar Express.
On Thursday we traveled Around the World. We made lots of crafts to help us remember all the ways people celebrate the holidays in December.
On Friday we had a day to relax and kick back. We watched movies, made crafts, and had pizza for lunch.

We will miss you over our Holiday Break
Come back on January 3rd for new memories to make!

Happy Holidays!
Love, Mrs. Lankford & Mrs. Morgan

2010-12-03T15:04:00.007-05:00

Today we had a special visitor from The North Pole. Auntie Claus came to Chets Creek for story time. The story Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays was about a young Sophie Kringle's dream coming true when Auntie Claus, Santa's older sister, changes her plans and brings the entire cast of the "The Nutcracker Ballet," right to her door in the North Pole!
After the story we enjoyed delicious chocolate milk and cookies. Yummy! Another great day at Chets Creek!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-01T11:19:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday, December 7th, our class will be
performing our Holiday Musical! We have
been working so hard and can’t wait
to share it with you. We will have a full
dress rehearsal on Tuesday afternoon at
2:15pm followed by our night time performance at 7:30pm.

Our expectations for both the dress rehearsal and performance are…
1.Wear a PLAIN, WHITE shirt long or short sleeve and nice blue jeans.
2.Have your lines, songs, and motions memorized.
3.For the night performance please be in our classroom at 7:15pm!
4.Smile and have fun!!!

We are looking forward to a special performance!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T23:46:00.000-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for. Enjoy the moments!

2nd Grade Holiday Play

2010-11-15T22:54:00.001-05:00

Our Holiday Play “Once on the Housetop” rehearsal is in full swing!
We are working very hard at school learning all the songs for our play. Please have your child practice their speaking part at home daily. Our dress rehearsal will be on Tuesday December 7, 2010, at 2:15pm. Our evening performance will be at 7:30 pm. The children should wear a plain white shirt with nice jeans. We will be providing each child a scarf to wear. We are looking forward to a fun filled evening!

Busy Times in 2nd Grade

2010-11-14T20:30:00.006-05:00

So much to do so little time!
In Math we played the game Beat the Calculator.

In PE we learned all about Bike Safety with Coach Bailey, Coach Robinson, Coach Hall and Coach Leclair. Ask your child what they learned about Bike Safety last week.

Bean Biologists at Work Part Two

2010-11-14T20:04:00.002-05:00

We have finished our study of beans. After seeing that one part of the embryo becomes the root and the rest becomes the upper stem and leaves, the students were very pleased at the way their beans grew. They noticed that the stored food got smaller, which helped the plant grow. They loved seeing the roots beneath the dirt. The beans that were planted and placed in the closet also grew. That plant was not as green as the one we planted near the window. We concluded that with sunlight, plants grow stronger and greener. We took our plants outside and planted them in our school garden with hopes of bean pods coming next.
In Science, we have moved on to studying and testing the properties of Matter. We made slime and tested the properties. Ask your child if slime is a solid or a liquid?? Look for more to come on Matter.

Sykes and Cooper Farms

2010-11-06T23:35:00.004-05:00

Our field trip was awesome! Thank you to our chaperones, Mrs.Kaiser, Mrs. Boyd, Mrs. McKinney, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Mann, and Mr. Krueger. It was a fun filled day!

Our Literary Pumpkin

2010-10-31T10:52:00.004-05:00

Our Literary Pumpkin is finished! A huge “Thank You” to Mrs. McKinney, Mrs. Boyd, and Mrs. Mann, who willingly came in to work on our beautiful pumpkin. They did the research, came up with an idea, and executed it amazingly with the students. Our pumpkin is based on the book “Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty” by Nick Bruel. Hopefully you had a chance to see all the wonderful creations on display in the front lobby.

Field Trip Reminders

2010-10-31T10:47:00.002-05:00

We will be visiting the Sykes and Cooper Farm on Monday, November 1st.
We will depart the school at 9:10 and return at 2:00. All children must bring a bag lunch to school unless you signed up for a bag lunch from the dining room. Please wear your Chets Creek green t-shirt and comfortable shoes. Chaperones can ride the bus with us. Please be on time, we are looking forward to an exciting day!

Bean Biologists at Work in 2nd Grade

2010-10-24T19:56:00.002-05:00

For the past week we have been studying the life cycle of a bean plant. Our first day started with observing several different types of seeds. We discussed what was the same and different about the seeds. Where do we think seeds come from?
We also observed and planted lima beans. Did you know that the lima bean has a seed coat to protect them?

We are discovering that beans do not need soil to grow, but are usually grown in soil. We put two beans in a bag and planted some in soil. Through the bag we are able to see the seed germinate (grow) and sprout to become a seedling. We are learning that plants grow both above the soil and below. Our Bean Biologists are still observing. Ask your child about our beans on the window and in the closet.

What’s happening in Science and Math in 2nd Grade

2010-10-09T09:00:00.004-05:00

Over the past few weeks in Science we have been observing and recording our thoughts about rocks, soil and earthworms. The students have learned that our Earth is made up of rocks and soil is made of pieces of rock and dead plants and animal parts. Earthworms help change the soil.

In Math the students have been investigating the value of coins and finding solutions to addition and subtraction situations with hands on activities.Turn over Ten, Tens Go Fish and Collect 25 cents. Oh yeah! Learning through play is so much fun!

Sensory Safari Part 2

2010-09-25T12:33:00.001-05:00

Sensory Safari Part 1

2010-09-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

More pictures on the way! A Huge Thank You to our chaperones: Mrs. McKinney, Mrs. Mann, Mr. Boyd, and also thank you to all the parents that sent in water. It was an Awesome morning!

Congrats to K!!!

2010-09-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

Friday our class and all the classes at CCE participated in a fun day started by our PE Team. It was part of a city wide program called "Fuel Up to Play" and every student took two laps around or track to participate. All student names were then entered into a drawing for 2010 Jaguar Play books and footballs. Our very own K was drawn as a winner of an autographed football by Rashean Mathis. Congratulations K on your big win!!!

What's Poppin' in Science?

2010-09-15T20:58:00.000-05:00

Friday we had a blast in Science! We used our five senses to experience popcorn. We used our ears to listen to it pop, our eyes to watch the Jiffy Pop pan expand and to use a hand lens to look closely at each piece. We then used our hands to feel the popped corn and the kernel before it was popped. We used our noses to smell the yummy smell as it popped on our portable burner and it made our mouths water. We finally were able to taste it. And all along the way we made observations and recorded those on our lab sheets. We even learned about how to make an hypothesis and write a conclusion. It was so much fun to use popcorn to learn!

News You Can Use

2010-09-10T10:00:00.003-05:00

Communication is key! So....we wanted to send out a reminder about how we communicate with you. These things are essential for the success of your student. Please read about these three things so that we can better communicate with you and your student. Thanks!!!

On Mondays The Chets Creek Connection and our class newsletter will be sent home.

Our Orange Homework Folder will come home on Friday with homework for the week. Homework may include Writing, Language, Math and Reading.
Monday and Tuesday's homework will be due in on Wednesday. This will allow for us to review on a midweek basis.
All homework is due in on Friday.
Students should bring their Homework Folder to school EVERYDAY.

Our Student Planner is a great way for us to communicate with you everyday. Students should bring their Planner to school EVERYDAY.Please look it over and sign it every night.

Our Green Take Home Folder will come home every Thursday. In the Take Home folder will be graded tests and any other important information that must be seen and signed by parents.

You can reach us via email @ lankfordw@duvalschools.org for Mrs. Lankford and
morganl2@duvalschools.org for Mrs. Morgan

We appreciate all your help and support!

Perfecting Rituals and Routines

2010-09-06T17:42:00.013-05:00

We are off to a wonderful start in 2nd grade. The students are perfecting our Rituals and Routines each day.
During our Skills Block the students made corrections on their Daily Oral Language worksheet. Each day the D.O.L. will need to be corrected with punctuation, spelling, naming nouns and capitalization.
We also enjoyed some quite reading time during our Readers Workshop and decorated our Science Journal.

On Friday at the end of the day we had a great time dancing and making silly faces with each other. It was another great week of school!

Our First Week of Second Grade

2010-08-27T22:13:00.001-05:00

Wow! What an awesome first week we have had!
On the first day our principal Mrs. Phillips “wowed” us with real live farmers. We got to roll in a watermelon patch, watch bees make honey and even taste some. Yummy! Mrs. Phillips even brought 25 live animals for us to pet and love on. The seeds we planted are already sprouting!
The rest of the week was spent getting to know each other. We had to take a diagnostics test in Math, Science, and Spelling. We were so happy to get the testing done! We received our Science and Social Studies textbooks, explored our Math manipulatives, and learned about Readers and Writers Workshop. We also have been learning our rituals and routines.
Check us out walking in a straight line ha! ha!
We are so excited for all this year holds!

A Few Reminders:
• Monday and Tuesday’s Math homework is due on Wednesday.
• All ELA Homework is due on Friday along with Wednesday and Thursday’s Math homework.
• Please make sure all important forms are signed and turned in.

Thank you so much for entrusting us with children.
Love, Mrs. Lankford and Mrs. Morgan

Orientation 2010

2010-08-20T22:44:00.002-05:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It was such a pleasure to meet so many of you at Orientation today! The folder you received today is VERY IMPORTANT. Please complete all forms and return them to school ASAP! We are looking forward to getting to know your child very well in the coming months. We will be communicating often in these first few days and weeks, as there is so much new business to take care of.

Email is the best way to contact us.
Mrs. Lankford lankfordw@duvalschools.org
Mrs. Morgan morganl2@duvalschools.org

Lunch is $1.50. You may pay in advance by check or cash at the beginning of each week or via www.mylunchmoney.com. Prepayments will not be accepted until Monday August 30th. Any questions regarding lunch should be directed to Mrs. Collins at 992-6397. Our lunch time is 11:35-12:05

Please help our class reach 100% participation by joining PTA. The cost is $5.

Looking forward to Cultivating a Community of Excellence!
Mrs. Lankford & Mrs. Morgan

Moving to Second Grade

2010-07-27T21:29:00.006-05:00

Mrs. Lankford is moving to Second Grade! Woo Hoo!
We will be Cultivating a Community of Excellence!
I will be co-teaching with Mrs. Morgan.
We look forward to the 2010-2011 school year.
See you at orientation, August 20th.
The first day of school is August 23, 2010 :)

Duval County School News

2010-07-07T12:35:00.004-05:00

Learning shouldn't stop just because it's summer break. The summer provides students with great opportunities for engaging learning experiences that can be both fun and academically rewarding.

Duval County Public Schools, as well as many community organizations, such as the library, zoo and museums, provide activities to keep your child busy and engaged over the summer.

DCPS' Community Education Summer Camp Program
As an extension of the Extended Day Enrichment Program, summer camps are offered at a number of select elementary, middle and high school sites throughout the school district. Summer camps are designed to assist working parents by providing participants a wide variety of enrichment activities at an affordable fee. Enrichment activities may include recreational sports, arts and crafts, special events, field trips and computer literacy.

Summer camps range in length from six to eight weeks and most provide extended hours in the morning and afternoon. For a complete list of camps, please visit our Web site or call the Community Education office at 904-858-6080.

Jacksonville Public Library
The library is always a great place for students to visit over the summer, offering summer reading programs and age-appropriate story times, as well as some other learning opportunities like photography exhibits, art clubs and events, computer classes, teen book and movie clubs, and more. Visit http://jpl.coj.net for a calendar of events and locations.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Day Camps
Students can spend an entire week at the zoo this summer exploring the animal kingdom, conservation, zoo careers and the great outdoors. All programs include instruction, behind the scene tours, animal encounters, a train ride, hands-on activities, crafts, visits to Play Park and the new penguin exhibit. For more information about the session schedule, activities and cost, visit www.jacksonvillezoo.org.

Museum Visits
The Cummer Museum of Arts & Gardens Art Connections exhibit provides students with the opportunity to walk through a painting, create patterns through dance, make a collage, listen to a sculpture, or paint with a virtual paintbrush. Visit www.cummer.org for the museum’s hours of operation.

MOCA Jacksonville offers artcamp@MOCA, nine, week-long sessions of creative art making for ages 4-5, 6-11 and 12-15. Museum educators and certified local art educators provide quality instruction in a wide variety of subjects and media. Summer artcamp@MOCA includes a variety of art-making activities, exploration of art history, tours of the museum’s collection, literacy and creative movement. www.mocajacksonville.org

JaxParks Summer Activities
Sensational summers start at JaxParks with several different types of summer camps, including art/creative, aquatics, junior lifeguard, nature/history and more. Visit www.jaxparks.com for more information.

Summer Learning at Home
If summer camp or programs are not possible this year, set up learning activities at home that your child can participate in, such as science experiments; backyard explorations; a summer-long book club; history projects; and/or supervised cooking responsibilities, which provide students with excellent practice in mathematical measurements and following directions.

Summer Food Service Program
Duval County Public Schools participates in the 2010 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) during the months of June, July and August.
The SFSP was created to ensure that children in lower-income areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations, when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast.
The SFSP provides free nutritionally balanced meals to all children 18 and younger regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. There is no discrimination in the course of the meal service.
For more information, visit the Duval County School Web site.

First Day of School is August 23rd.

Summer Reading

2010-06-14T19:46:00.002-05:00

THE IMPORTANCE OF SUMMER READING
By having your child continue reading throughout the summer, you will help develop life-long reading habits and also help maintain literacy skills that have been taught during the school year. There are many ways you can help your child continue the reading habit during the summer months.

• Let your child choose the books to read. Encourage a variety of genres (fiction, biographies, science, history, etc.)
• Visit the public library-it’s free and has many summer programs available for children.

Many of the books may be housed in the Y Reader Collection in the Public Library.

• Read to your child. Sit next to them so they can see the pictures in the book too.
• While talking with your child, introduce higher level words to help build your child’s vocabulary.

Have a great Summer! Happy Reading!

Kindergarten Field Day!

2010-06-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

First Grade Here We Come!

2010-06-06T17:44:00.001-05:00

Last Week of School!
We want our last week of Kindergarten to be memorable! So, each day, we will have something fun going on.
Check it out…

Monday, June 7th: Field Day and Awards
We will participate in a Field Day in the morning. We will wear our red Field Trip t-shirts. Please make sure you child wear sneakers for this fun event. At 2:00, we will have our final awards ceremony for the year. This is a day you don’t want to miss!

Tuesday, June 8th: Movie Day
Bring your favorite G Rated movie to school to share. We will watch some of the movies throughout the day.

Wednesday, June 9th: Game Day
Bring your favorite card or board game to school. Please make sure it is a game you know how to play so that you can teach it to your friends. Make sure the game is labeled with your name and place any loose pieces in a bag.

Thursday, June 10th: Favorite Music Day
Today we will be cleaning our classroom and preparing for next year. You may also bring in your favorite CD and we will listen to some of your favorite songs as we clean up.

Friday, June 11th: Last Day!
Please make sure that your child brings their folder and backpacks on this day. They may have a few things to bring home.
Report cards will not be handed to students; they must be placed in their folders. Also if you owe pictures or money to the school, and or your child will be absent you will have to go to the front office to pick up your child’s report card.

Thank you for a great year!
Mrs. Lankford & Mrs. Meissner

Plants

2010-05-29T21:49:00.003-05:00

We have been discussing Plants and Animals in Science. Our discussions have been about:
• How real animals and plants are different from animals and plants in storybooks, cartoons, or some movies.
• How and what is needed for plants and animals to grow.
• Living and non-living things.
We planted grass and drew pictures to explain what our grass needed to survive.
To finish our study of plants we made a fun dessert called “Dirt Cup” our ingredients were Oreo cookies (dirt), cookies and cream pudding (soil with fertilizer), jelly beans (seed). We crumbled up Oreo cookies to make a layer of “dirt”, next we added the jelly beans as the “seed”, and then we added some “soil with fertilizer” the pudding, and last we added a top layer of Oreo cookie the “dirt” and a gummie worm. YUMMY in our TUMMY!

Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

2010-05-14T22:53:00.002-05:00

Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens/Riverside Park Field Trip

The weather was perfect for us to enjoy our picnic style lunch at Riverside Park. Our tour at the Cummer highlighted selected works from the exhibition Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits by Paul Rogers.
Our tour lasted about an hour and a half and includes both gallery and studio art experiences. The students had a fun time in the interactive education center.
THANK YOU to all our chaperones: Mr. Robinson, Mr. Weaver, Mr. Winter,
Mrs. Hall, Mrs. Paul, Mrs. Spears and Mr. Rose. We appreciate all your help and support! Ask your child about our fun time!

Muffins for Mom & Doughnuts for Dads

2010-05-08T14:20:00.000-05:00

Thank you to all our parents that attended our Muffins for Mom and Doughnuts for Dads’ celebration. It was wonderful! We thank you so much for all your help and support this year! Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Father’s Day!

Arts Extravaganza

2010-04-27T06:22:00.001-05:00

Arts Extravaganza
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 “Happy Birthday” Silent Auction basket! THANKS to all for your continued support!

Hoppy Spring!

2010-04-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

Eric Carle Celebration
Thank you to everyone that sent in items for our Eric Carle Celebration. The children enjoyed the pancakes and all the fun activities. A special thank you to Dru, Danielle, and James’ family. We appreciate all your support!

Spring Celebration
THANK YOU to Mr. Winter, Mrs. Hori,
Mrs. Reyes, Mrs. Spears, Mrs. Hall, Mrs. Paul, Ms. Souza and “Grandma” Loyal for helping with our Egg Hunt & Spring Celebration! The boys and girls had a great time hunting eggs & eating ice cream sundaes! Thank you to all families for making these events possible!

St. Patrick's Day Chets Creek

2010-03-17T19:44:00.001-05:00

Wow! What a day we had. The leprechaun really messed up our classroom. He left footprints, turned over chairs, made a maze with tissue paper, scattered glitter everywhere and left a green surprise in the bathroom. Ha! Ha! We were not laughing. We looked everywhere but No Luck! No Leprechaun!
Before going to lunch we set our traps with hopes of catching him!

BOO! He actually surprised us with a quick visit near our window. Again No Luck! No Leprechaun!
Oh well, we had a fun day anyway we made a leprechaun mask, a pot at the end of the rainbow, enjoyed lots of green food, made pistachio pudding and ended the day with some River Dancing! We hope your St. Patrick’s Day was as GREAT as ours.

FCAT SUPPORT

2010-03-15T06:59:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Smith’s & Ms. Tillis’ class were thrilled with our treats throughout the week! Thank you for sending in treats to make this event successful!
FCATS will continue through Thursday Mar.18th.

Officer Friendly visits Chets Creek

2010-03-07T20:46:00.003-05:00

Friday we had a visit from “Officer Friendly” a JSO police officer.
Officer Friendly discussed several things with us. Our discussion started with how you can identify a police officer by their navy blue uniform and their name badge. Officer Friendly discussed her “duty belt” which carries all their tools. Wow! they carry a lot of tools; a gun, handcuffs, pepper spray, taser gun, night stick, and wear a body armor (vest).
We were reminded to make good choices like wearing a seat belt when ridding in a car, wearing a helmet when riding a bike, NEVER go with someone you do not know, they are considered a stranger, stay away from guns and bullets they are DANGEROUS.
We all chanted the emergency number to call 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. Police officers are our friends. Ask your child about our visit with Officer Friendly.

Our Day at The Jacksonville Zoo

2010-02-28T21:09:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at the Zoo on Friday! Thank you to all the chaperones. We appreciate all your help and support. Have a great week!

Me and My Shadow

2010-02-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

Letter Combinations Poem

2010-02-17T07:13:00.002-05:00

Please review the Letter Combinations poem with your child each night when reading. We read it during Skills Block and use it daily for reading and writing.

Valentine's Day Fun

2010-02-12T21:20:00.000-05:00

Awesome Valentine’s Day Celebration.
Thank you so much to all the parents and grandparents who gave their time to help make our celebration so great!

Newsletter for the week of Feb. 8th

2010-02-08T15:50:00.003-05:00

Important Dates
Mon., Feb. 8th PTA Cookie Dough Sale begins
Mon., Feb. 8th Chick-fil-A Night
Fri., Feb. 12th Flag Raising @ 9:05 am /
Valentine’s Celebration
Fri., Feb. 12th PTA Valentine’s Day Dance
Mon., Feb. 15th Presidents’ Day NO SCHOOL
Fri., Feb.26th Zoo Field Trip
Wed., Mar. 3rd Early Dismissal

Valentine’s Day Celebration
Valentine’s Day is near and Love is in the air! Don’t forget we will be having a Valentine’s celebration on this Friday, February 12th. We will be exchanging Valentine’s cards and having fun centers. You should have received a homework sheet explaining about the cards and decorating a mailbox. Each child will need 34 cards to exchange with their friends. If you would like to help us decorate and set up on the 11th after school, please let us know. Please plan to join your child for this day of heart filled fun!

Awards Ceremony
On Monday we had an awesome Awards Ceremony. Thank you to all the families who attended. It makes the students feel so special. We appreciate all your support!

100TH DAY OF SCHOOL
We had a fun filled day with counting to 100 by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s. Thank you to everyone who provided items to make this day complete. Ask your child about Zero the Hero (aka Mr. Dygan) and the 100 year old items that he shared with us from yesteryear. A washboard, rug beater, milk can, and a tool box to name a few.

WE ARE WORKING ON…

Skills Block: Rhyming (Word Families _en, _ug,); Letter Recognition & Sounds and Letter Combinations (ow, ou)
Reader’s Workshop: Reading Strategies: Does it make sense?, Get your mouth ready & Finding Letter Combinations in our reading; Fiction & Non-Fiction books about Presidents Washington & Lincoln, Dental Health, and Valentine’s.
Writer’s Workshop: STRETCH the word sound by sound for writing; Re-reading our writing, Writing Reports & Sharing our work with a partner.
Math Workshop: Calendar Skills; Math Games; Counting Strategies, Learning about Lengths, Exploring Data
Science Workshop: Earth in Space: Day & Night time skies, Shadows

Behavior Calendars
We’re at the time of year when we expect to see a decrease in the frequency of card flips each week. PLEASE check your child’s behavior calendar each night and initial the box to indicate that you have discussed it with your child. We need your help to maximize our learning time. We appreciate your support from home!
Fun Friday Treat Reminder

This week’s treat is being brought to you by…
• Feb. 12th ~ Sophia’s Family
• Feb. 19th ~ Vincent’s Family
• Feb. 26th~ Tanner’s Family
• Mar. 5th ~ Will’s Family
• Mar.12th ~ Open
Thank you to the families who have supplied us for the past few weeks. We appreciate all you do. PLEASE remember we have 34 students.

Hooray the 100th Day of School!

2010-02-07T15:50:00.001-05:00

We had a fun filled day with counting to 100 by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s. Thank you to everyone who provided items to make this day complete. Ask your child about Zero the Hero (aka Mr. Dygan) and the 100 year old items that he shared with us from yesteryear. A washboard, rug beater, milk can, and a tool box to name a few. Awesome history!

Can You Hear The Sounds?

2010-01-31T23:21:00.001-05:00

Can you hear the target and blending sounds? We can!
We are back in the swing of things. Check out what we are working on…..

Skills Block: Rhyming (Word Families _en, _ug,); Letter Recognition & Sounds and Letter Combinations (ow, ou) and Target Sounds.
Reader’s Workshop: Reading Strategies: Does it make sense?, Get your mouth ready, Finding Letter Combinations in our reading & Non-Fiction books about Presidents Washington & Lincoln, Dental Health, and Valentine’s.
Writer’s Workshop: STRETCH the word sound by sound for writing; Re-reading our writing, Writing Reports & Sharing our work with a partner.
Math Workshop: Calendar Skills; Math Games; Counting Strategies, Learning about Lengths, Exploring Data
Science Workshop: Earth in Space: Day & Night time skies, Shadows

Important Dates
Mon., Feb. 1st Volunteer Orientation @ 7pm
Wed., Feb. 3rd Early Dismissal @ 1:45 pm
Fri., Feb. 5th 100th Day of School
Mon., Feb. 8th PTA Cookie Dough Sale begins
Mon., Feb. 8th Chick-fil-A Night
Fri., Feb. 12th Flag Raising @ 9:05 am /
Valentine’s Celebration
Fri., Feb. 12th PTA Valentine’s Day Dance
Mon., Feb. 15th Presidents’ Day NO SCHOOL

100TH DAY OF SCHOOL
On Friday, February 5th we’ll celebrate the 100th day of school with many fun counting activities. We’re in need of the following items to make our day complete. Please let us know if you’re able to provide a large container of : Mini-Marshmallows, Pretzel Sticks, Froot Loops cereal, Gummi Bears, Jelly Beans, Chocolate Chips or Skittles for us to make a special 100th Day snack!

Valentine’s Day Celebration
We will be having a Valentine’s celebration on Friday, February 13th. We will be exchanging Valentine’s cards and having fun centers. There will be a homework sheet explaining about the cards. Each child will need 34 cards to exchange with their friends. Look for a note letting you know what you can send in to make this celebration special. Please plan to join your child for this day of heart filled fun!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child, please don’t hesitate to contact us through your child’s Home-School Folder, or by phone, or by Email. Thank you for all your support. Have a great week!

Day 88th And The Music Continues

2010-01-18T20:31:00.003-05:00

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Thank you to all families that sent donations for the six Chets Creek families that lost their homes to the fire at The Links. The school and surrounding community were extremely generous in this time of need.

Important Dates
Wed., Jan. 20th Early Dismissal @ 1:45 pm
Fri., Jan. 22nd NO SCHOOL – Teacher Planning Day
Fri., Jan.29th Report Cards Go Home
Sat., Jan. 30th Campus Clean-Up
Mon., Feb. 1st Award Ceremony @ 9:15 am
Mon., Feb. 1st Volunteer Orientation @ 7pm
Wed., Feb. 3rd Early Dismissal @ 1:45 pm

Reminders
Please return signed Field Trip permission slip, lunch order form & money (cash only) by February 8th!
Please send Scholastic Book orders with checks made payable to Scholastic by
January 25th.
Please return signed Highlights forms (no purchase necessary) by January 25th.

Reading Logs
Please return all Reading Logs ASAP so we can check to see is your child has met the Readers to Leaders goal for the second grading period.

Zoo Field Trip Chaperones
If you are planning to attend this trip with us please remember you must have a current Chets Creek volunteer badge. The next Volunteer training opportunity will be on Monday, February 1st @ 7 PM. Childcare will be provided.

WE ARE WORKING ON…
• Skills Block: Rhyming (Word Families _et, _ay,); Letter Recognition & Sounds and Letter Combinations (ay, ai, er, ir, ur, ar, ow, ou)
• Reader’s Workshop: Reading Strategies (Look at the pictures, Point to the words, Look for the smaller words in the word & Get your mouth ready); Story Vocabulary; Non-Fiction Winter, Penguin & MLK Jr. books
• Writer’s Workshop: STRETCH the word sound by sound for writing; Narrative writing and Report writing.
• Math Workshop: Calendar Skills; Math Games; Counting Strategies, Learning about Lengths, Exploring Data
• Science Workshop:Forms of Energy: Sound

This week we’ll finish updating our Reading Diagnostic Assessment.

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-16T21:53:00.002-05:00

Scholastic Book Order
If you would like to purchase books from any of these forms please send in a check made payable to Scholastic with your order form/s by January 25th.

Highlights
Every year Highlights Magazine makes a special offer to classrooms for free materials. You can help us receive these materials by signing the attached form. You do not need to purchase anything. You only have to sign your name and check no you do not want to order or yes you do want to order. Please return the signed form by January 25th. Thank you.

Zoo Field Trip
On Friday, February 26th, we will be going on a field trip to the Jacksonville Zoo. Parents are encouraged to chaperone on this fun trip only if you have completed the volunteer training. Please remember to sign the permission slip and fill out the attached lunch order form before returning them to school. The money (cash only) is due on Monday, February 8th. We look forward to this great trip!

WE ARE WORKING ON…
Skills Block: Rhyming (Word Families _et, _ay,); Letter Recognition & Sounds and Words-in-Words
Reader’s Workshop: Reading Strategies (Look at the pictures, Point to the words, Look for the smaller words in the word & Get your mouth ready); Story Vocabulary; Non-Fiction Winter & Penguin books
Writer’s Workshop: STRETCH the word sound by sound for writing; Narrative writing and Report writing.
Math Workshop: Calendar Skills; Math Games; Counting Strategies, Learning about Lengths, Exploring Data
Science Workshop: Earth in Space and Time: Gravity, and Forms of Energy: Sound

Reminders
Please label all lunch money with your child’s name and put it in the Home-School Folder along with any other correspondence, please be reminded that we do not check the students backpack. Thank you for your help and support.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child, please don’t hesitate to contact us through your child’s Home-School Folder, or by phone, or by Email.

Holiday Fun!

2009-12-20T21:37:00.003-05:00

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday! Enjoy this time with your family! See you next year.
School resumes on Monday, January 4, 2010.
If you are bored go to our Duval County School website @ http://www.duvalschools.org and click on the Winter Packets. This will keep you enriched during our break. Enjoy!

The Humane Society visits Chets Creek

2009-12-05T09:39:00.003-05:00

Our Season of Giving Project was a HUGE success.
Thank you for all the supplies! Meagan from the Humane Society, along with her dog Noodles, provided us with an excellent assembly. The children learned about the Humane Society, caring for a dog and how to approach a dog they do not know. We appreciate your support and participation in giving back to our community!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T22:33:00.001-05:00

We have so much to be THANKFUL for!

Pow Wow Part 2

2009-11-22T21:00:00.001-05:00

Pow Wow Part 1

2009-11-22T20:51:00.002-05:00

Last Friday we had our annual Pow Wow celebration and it was fabulous! We would like to THANK all of the parents that attended and sent in the supplies and extra items that we needed to make your children’s costumes. We would like to say a special THANK YOU to the moms who could help at school and at home. We really appreciate all that you did to help make our Pow Wow a huge success! We hope your child has wonderful memories of this Chets Creek Tradition.

Pow Wow on Friday

2009-11-15T21:17:00.003-05:00

Pow Wow Family Night
On Tuesday, November 17th, we will be having a PTA Family Night. Your family can prepay to have a dinner provided by Gourmet Grocery from 6-7 pm, and then come to our classroom for the Pow Wow Make-N-Take from 7-8 pm. Your family will work together to make a “chickee” (a traditional Seminole house) using the provided directions and supplies. The chickees will be displayed outside our classroom for the remainder of the month. PLEASE make plans to join us for the fun!

Our Pow Wow is this Friday, November 20th. Please make sure your child is at school and in our room by 8:45. After dropping off your child, you will go to the viewing area on the East side of our school. The ceremony will begin at 9:05. After the ceremony you are invited to spend the day with us as we visit different learning centers. Please remember that siblings may attend to watch the ceremony, but they cannot attend the centers with us. Also, you must have attended the Volunteer Training and have received your I.D. badge in order to attend the centers with your child. We will be eating lunch in the Dining Room and your child will need to bring a bag lunch. We will provide a bag for your child to use. It will be sent home on Thursday with a Pow Wow reminder.
Our Pow Wow will be a day your child will not forget!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You to everyone for sending your Pow Wow supplies. An extra THANKS to Mrs. Weaver and Ms. Souza for all your help. We couldn’t have done it without you both!

Busy Times in November

2009-11-08T22:07:00.004-05:00

Important Dates
Mon., Nov. 9th Chick-fil-A Night 6-8 pm
Wed., Nov. 11th Veteran’s Day (NO SCHOOL)
Thurs., Nov. 12th This is the last time! Volunteer Orientation @ 7pm
Thurs., Nov. 12th Flag Raising @ 9am
Tues., Nov. 17th Pow Wow Family Night 6-8pm
Wed., Nov. 18th Early Dismissal @ 1:45
Fri., Nov. 20th Pow Wow @ 9am

WE ARE WORKING ON…
Here is a snapshot of what we are working on in our classroom!

Skills Block: Letter Names & Sounds, Rhyming (Word Family _it, _ig), Vocabulary, Words-in-words
Reader’s Workshop: Literacy Centers, Retelling Stories, Sight Words (we, this, from, of, was, in, on, so, that, it), and Native Americans.
Writer’s Workshop: Writing Genres (Report s) and
S-T-R-E-T-C-H the word (sound by sound for writing)
Math Workshop: Calendar Skills, Patterns, Writing Numbers, Number Recognition 0-30, Math Games, Number Line
Science Workshop: Forces and Changes in Motion ~ Push/Pull

Pow Wow Family Night
On Tuesday, November 17th, we will be having a PTA Family Night. Your family can prepay to have a dinner first, and then come to our classroom for the Pow Wow Make-N-Take. Your family will work together to make a “chickee” (a traditional Seminole house) using the provided directions and supplies. The chickees will be displayed outside our classroom for the remainder of the month. PLEASE make plans to join us for the fun!

Reminders / Needs…• Please send in Pow Wow supplies. If you have any questions about the item/s you were assigned, please ask.
• Don’t forget the last scheduled Volunteer Orientation is Nov. 12th @ 7pm. You must have a badge to attend any school events.
• We need any size coffee-type cans, if you have an extra please send it in.
• We need any size post-it type notes.

School Pictures
Pictures were sent home last week. If you are interested in purchasing pictures, please send your payment with any unwanted pictures and keep the sheets you want. If you do not wish to purchase any pictures, please return the entire package to school.

Mr. Rogers’ Sweater Drive
CCE’s annual Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive runs through Nov. 28th. Contributions of “gently” used sweaters, coats, blankets, pants & shirts can be dropped off in the lobby of the school.

My Grade Parent Portal
Don’t forget to come by the front lobby November 9-24 between 7am-6pm with identification to pick-up your log on information for the district’s new On Course web based system to access your child’s grades via the Internet.

Thank you for all your help and support! Have a great week!

Fire Safety

2009-10-30T21:01:00.002-05:00

Our week started with an assembly about Fire Safety. It was Awesome! The fireman talked about not playing with lighters and/or matches; having a family fire drill with a meeting place and the importance of stop/drop/and roll if you were ever in a fire. The firemen acted out how they would enter a house that was on fire, their gear glowed in the dark. It was really exciting. The children were able to ask questions and our assembly ended with a tour of the fire truck. We also watch a Fire Safety Video. Please discuss with your child your family’s fire safety plan. A big Thank You to Mrs. Harbour for inviting the firemen to Chets Creek.

We are finishing our study of Pumpkins. We explored with our five senses. We tasted pumpkin pudding made by Ms. Lewis’ class. Yummy! We also made predictions about pumpkins being a fruit or a vegetable. Ask your child if a pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable? Hint: Seeds should help you. We acted out the poem Five Little Pumpkins. Hilarious!
Another question we explored was Will a Pumpkin Sink or Float?
For this experiment we joined Ms. Sasso’s class. We tested several items before testing our 3 pumpkins. As you can see from the pictures the pumpkin floats!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR…
Wed., Nov. 4th Early Dismissal @ 1:45
Thurs. Nov. 5th Student Recognition Awards @ 9:15 in our classroom
Fri., Nov. 6th School Picture Retakes
Mon., Nov. 9th Chick-fil-A Night 6-8pm
Wed., Nov. 11th Veteran’s Day (NO SCHOOL)
Thurs., Nov. 12th Volunteer Orientation @ 7pm
Fri., Nov. 13th Flag Raising @ 9am in the courtyard
Tues., Nov. 17th Kindergarten Family Night
Fri., Nov. 20th Kindergarten POW Wow
Look at the additional information about these events that came home today in your child’s home-school folder.

Diamond D Ranch Field Trip

2009-10-26T19:30:00.000-05:00

So Much Too Learn No Time To Burn

2009-10-26T19:11:00.005-05:00

We are so busy learning and having fun in Kindergarten. During our Science workshop we have been measuring ourselves and other items with pumpkins. Thank you to all who supplied pumpkins. There is still much for us to learn about them, so be on the lookout for more pumpkin fun.

Our first field trip to Diamond D Ranch was awesome! The kids had a great time. A huge thank you to all the chaperones! The Diamond D Ranch has been a family owned and operated ranch for over 50 years. The beautiful 600 acre ranch is still a working horse and cattle ranch and a place where families and friends can go to enjoy a fun filled day of entertainment. As we rode around the ranch we saw a variety of the ranch animals such as American Bison, Water Buffalo, Ostrich, Sheep, Goats, Antelope and more. Please click on the link above to enjoy more pictures from Mr. Robinson, Dazha’s dad.

The Chick-fil-A cow stopped buy Chets Creek to encourage us to be a Bully Buster. We discussed the top 10 ways to resolve conflicts.

Our literary pumpkin was made like the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree. Thank you to Mrs. Weaver for assisting with this craft.

Enjoy the pictures!

Hopscotch Paths

2009-10-18T19:00:00.001-05:00

We continue to explore repeating linear patterns in Math Investigations. We arranged large pink and blue squares on the floor to generate hopping patterns and “paths” that resemble hopscotch boards. We made miniature hopscotch paths with color tiles at our table. We ended the day with a trip to the large playground where we all were able to hop on the hopscotch board. So much fun while learning!

Literacy Centers

2009-10-10T22:35:00.002-05:00

Literacy Centers were introduced to our class this week. Literacy Centers allow the students to be actively engaged in a list of activities. The students rotate to a different station every day. Each center is set up to focus on a different skill. Our centers consist of Art, Make-a-Book, Poems (Nursery Rhymes), Writing/Reading Journal, and “I see” Theme Book. Ask your child about our Literacy Centers.

Exploring with our Five Senses

2009-10-04T21:06:00.002-05:00

Check out our class using their Five Senses to explore, and observe at Centers. So much fun while learning.

Important Dates
Wed., Oct. 7th EARLY DISMISSAL @ 1:45
Fri., Oct. 9th SMILE! Fall Pictures
Mon., Oct. 12th Book Fair Week / Chick-fil-A Night
Tues., Oct 13th Book Fair Family Night 6-8pm in the Media Center
Thurs., Oct. 15th Field Trip to Diamond D Ranch
Here are some reminders for chaperones:
• Chaperones MUST have a current Chets Creek volunteer ID badge
• Chaperones cannot ride the bus—they can follow it or meet us at our destination
• Siblings are not allowed
Please be sure to turn in your child’s permission slip and payment by Oct. 8th. This will be a great trip!

We Need Pumpkins!
Please send a small (ornamental) or medium-sized pumpkin to school on or before Friday, October 9th for our upcoming Science unit. We also need a large one to observe and to decorate for the Literary Pumpkin Festival. If you would like to donate it, please send a note in your child’s folder. Thank you in advance!

FALL FUN
ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23RD WE WILL BE HAVING A FALL CELEBRATION. THE CHILDREN WILL BE ALLOWED TO DRESS UP AS THEIR FAVORITE LITERARY CHARACTER & WILL PARTICIPATE IN A PARADE AROUND THE SCHOOL. OUR CLASS WILL CONTINUE THE FUN THROUGHOUT THE DAY. YOU ARE INVITED TO COME & SEE THE PARADE AND STAY FOR THE FUN. WE WILL BE SENDING HOME A LETTER SOON ASKING FOR YOUR HELP.

THIS YEAR’S PTA “SYMPHONY OF FUN” FALL CARNIVAL WILL BE FROM 6-9 PM ON THE SAME DAY. OUR CLASS WILL BE SUPERVISING “PUTT-PUTT” AND WILL NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR 30 MINUTE SHIFTS THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. IF YOU CAN HELP OUT PLEASE SEND A NOTE IN YOUR CHILD’S FOLDER WITH A DAYTIME CONTACT NUMBER.

THE PTA NEEDS CANDY DONATIONS FOR THE EVENING. PLEASE LABEL ANY DONATIONS & SEND THEM ANYTIME BEFORE THE 23RD.

ART TO REMEMBER
Friday you received the ART TO REMEMBER Fundraiser packet from our ART teacher, Mrs. Snead. The due date for the envelopes to be returned is Friday, October 9th.

WE ARE WORKING ON…
Skills Block: Letter Names & Sounds (Star of the Day), Rhyming (Word Family –at), Vocabulary
Reader’s Workshop: Literacy Centers, Retelling Stories, and Sight Words (and, is, to, go, for, have, said, are, at)
Writer’s Workshop: Writing Genres (Report & Functional Writing) and S-T-R-E-T-C-H the word (sound by sound for writing)
Math Workshop: Calendar Skills, Patterns (Identifying the unit of a pattern), Writing Numbers, Number Recognition
Science Workshop: Five Senses, Pumpkins

Can you hear the music?

Thank You!

2009-09-27T16:19:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Mrs. Lankford!
Wow! Thank you so much for the beautiful cards and the sweet well wishes! I appreciate all you do!

Apples, Apples, We Love Apples

2009-09-27T16:05:00.004-05:00

Apples, Apples, We Love Apples!
THANK YOU to all the families that sent apples! Our activities were a huge hit! We learned about graphing, making applesauce, and the best part was tasting! YUMMY! Please ask your child about apple tasting and making applesauce.

Important Dates
Tues., Sept. 29th PTA Family Night @ 6:00 pm
Fri., Oct. 9th Fall Pictures
Mon., Oct. 12th Book Fair Week
Tues., Oct 13th Family Night Book Fair 6-8pm
Thurs., Oct. 15th Field Trip to Diamond D Ranch

Progress Reports & Conferences
This week your child will bring home a progress report. Please sign and return your child’s Progress Report as soon as possible so that we can begin contacting parents to schedule conferences on an as needed basis this first nine weeks. If we didn’t indicate the need for a conference on your child’s progress report then your child is meeting academic expectations at this time. Please let us know at anytime if you feel you need to schedule a conference with us.

WE ARE WORKING ON…
Skills Block: Letter Recognition & Sounds (Star of the Day), Sight Words (I, a, an, can, see, my, the)
Reader’s Workshop: Literacy Centers
Writer’s Workshop: Report and Functional Writing
Math Workshop: Calendar Skills, Patterns, Writing Numbers, Number Recognition
Science Workshop: Five Senses, Seasons (Fall)

Five Senses

2009-09-19T21:26:00.011-05:00

Wow! What a great turn out for Open House! We appreciate everyone who attended. We hope you enjoyed yourself and got a glimpse at how your child spends their day in our classroom at Chets Creek.

This week we are working on…
Skills Block: Letter Recognition & Sounds (Star of the Day), Sight Words (I, a, an, can, see, my, the)
Reader’s Workshop: Book Bins (Independent Reading Time), Reading Strategies (Look at the Pictures, Point to the Words)
Writer’s Workshop: Responding to Literature (Favorite Part) &
S-T-R-E-T-C-H the word (sound by sound for writing)
Math Workshop: Calendar Skills, Patterns Writing
Science Workshop: Five Senses, Seasons (Fall)

Important Dates
Wed., Sept. 23rd Early Dismissal @ 1:45 pm
Fri., Sept. 25th Scholastic book orders are due.
Fri., Sept. 25th Flag Raising in the courtyard @ 9:00 am
Sat., Sept. 26th Campus Clean-Up @ 9:00 am
Tues., Sept. 29th PTA Family Night @ 6:00 pm

THANK YOU!
Our class enjoyed a popcorn party because of you! Yeah! Thank you for supporting our PTA.
Thank you to the families that have provided us with items from our “Wish List!” We appreciate your support. We are still in need of the following items:
Lysol wipes
Post-It notes

The Music Continues!

The Music Continues

2009-09-13T21:42:00.003-05:00

In Math Workshop we continued to work on Making Patterns. The students used a variety of math manipulatives to construct their own two and three part linear patterns. After using the math manipulatives, the students were able to construct patterns with different color construction paper. They shared their finished patterns with each other. Awesome!
Using our book bins during Reader’s Workshop was also a hit!

We look forward to showing you much more at Open House on Thursday, Sept. 17th @ 6:30 pm in our classroom. Our Volunteer Orientation will be held via the TV at that time. At the conclusion of our classroom presentation please plan to go to the dining room to get an ID badge made if you plan on volunteering at the school, attending field trips, or eating lunch with your child. See you at Open House.

Kindergarten Fun!

2009-09-06T21:22:00.005-05:00

Making sweet sounds in Kindergarten!
Every morning begins with our Skills Block. During this time our focus is on the “Star of the Day”. Every “Star” shares valuable information about themselves. It’s a great way for the children to learn about their new friends and the letters/sounds in their names. Each child draws a picture of the “Star” to take home. After Skills Block we move right into Writer’s Workshop. This week we learned about Reading and Writing strategies. Picture walk (look at the pictures), and point to the words. During our Writer’s Workshop we worked on an “I see” book. To help the students with writing we use our pocket chart with family word cards.
In Reader’s Workshop we heard the “Star Book” Caps for Sale. We made monkeys to help with our retelling of the story. Stop by our hall to see our tree filled with monkeys wearing different color caps.
Sharing our homework assignment was great! The students needed to find items at home that begin with the first letter/letter sound of their first name. Wow! We were exposed to several thoughtful items. We ended the week with some dancing. The song titled Let’s Dance: Learning Basic Skills through Music by: Hap Palmer was a great way to end the week!
Can you hear the music?

Our First Week of Kindergarten

2009-08-29T19:30:00.024-05:00

After you enjoyed your Boo Hoo Breakfast, our day started with a WOW assembly held in the dining room, featuring The KTG Musical Entertainment group. It was awesome and we all totally enjoyed it.
Most of Monday was spent teaching rituals and routines, practicing a Fire Drill, Tornado Drill and touring the school. On Tuesday, we started our day with our Skills Block. During this time all the children practice reading and sounding out each other’s name along with a Letter Name and Sound song. During Reader's Workshop we heard and "read" Nursery Rhymes and other poems.
During our Writer’s Workshop Mrs. Meissner read the story The Night before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing. The students were asked to think about what they did the night before Kindergarten. After turning and talking with each other, the students were asked to go to the tables and draw and write about what they did the night before Kindergarten. The children were also introduced to our “Star Books”, Caps for Sale, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Where the Wild Things Are. The children will hear these books several times this month.
After reading these books the children were asked to retell their favorite part with pictures and words. The students shared their work front and center in the “Share Chair”
In Math Workshop the children were able to explore with our manipulatives.
Each child used interlocking cubes to count out the letters in their name. We discussed and created patterns with our colored shapes. Calendar Math was also introduced. We could hardly wait to see what next week will be like. Thank you for entrusting your children to us.

Awesome Orientation!

2009-08-23T21:42:00.008-05:00

Welcome to Kindergarten!
It was such a pleasure to meet so many of you at Orientation on Friday! We are looking forward to getting to know your child very well in the coming months. We will be communicating often in these first few days and weeks, as there is so much new business to take care of. Please make sure you have filled out and returned ALL forms that were sent home with your orientation packet. It is very important for us to have the information for our classroom records and for the school’s records.
If you have any questions please email or jot us a note in your child’s Home-School Folder. We look forward to an exciting year! :)

Kindergarten Supply List 2009-2010

2009-08-11T10:47:00.003-05:00

Each Kindergartner should bring the following items to school:
Every student needs a backpack (No rolling backpacks - space limitations)
• Please purchase plain-colored materials (no designs)
• Please do NOT label individual items with your child’s name (except art shirt)
Supplies
• 2 plain (solid colored) spiral notebooks (1 subject; wide ruled)
• 4 plain (solid colored) duotang folders with prongs and pockets on each side
• 1 pack of Crayola markers
• 1 pack of Crayola colored pencils
• 1 box of 24 Crayola crayons
• 3 glue sticks – boys
• 1 large liquid glue - girls
• 1 package of gallon-sized Ziploc bags – girls
• 1 package sandwich-sized Ziploc baggies – boys
• 1 package of copy paper
• 2 packages of baby wipes
• 1 oversized shirt for art (old shirt from Mom or Dad will work)
• 1 bottle of liquid soap
• 1 box of tissues
• 1 bottle of waterless hand sanitizer
• 2 PRIMARY composition journals by Mead

Welcome to Kindergarten

2009-08-11T10:30:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Mrs. Lankford and Mrs. Meissner’s new Kindergarten classroom blog. Our school theme this year is "Orchestrating a Symphony of Student Success." The year will be about experiencing life through the moves of music. Kindergarten will keep it simple as our little ones boot scoot and boogie into school on a Country beat.
We look forward to sharing with ya’ll our weekly experiences!

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Field Day at Chets Creek Elementary

2009-06-01T11:05:00.001-05:00

Reminders/Important Information:
• Our Wii Field Day for the 2nd Grade team will be on Tuesday, June 2nd from 9:30 – 11:30. Please apply sunscreen BEFORE your child gets to school, and have him/her wear sneakers. We will be wearing our red field day t-shirts.
• At 11:45, lunch will be provided in the pavilion. Hotdogs, chips, cookies, and juice/water will be served. Please have your child bring a bagged lunch if they do not wish to eat what is on the menu.
If you would be able to volunteer for Field Day, we would greatly appreciate it! But please be reminded, siblings are not able to attend due to our school policy. Please email, call, or write a note in your child’s planner if you are able to join us. 
• Our last Awards Ceremony will also be on Tuesday, June 2nd @ 2:15 in our classroom.
• Thank you for all your help and support this year. Have a great summer. 

Chets Creek PTA

2009-05-31T21:04:00.001-05:00

ANNOUNCNG A NEW WEBSITE!!
Chets Creek PTA has sponsored 'supportchetscreek.com' for parents, friends and neighbors to use when shopping on the internet. Businesses under this website, a branch of 'shoptoearn', will donate a percentage of your sale back to the school. Many popular businesses are connected with this on-line shopping mall, so please remember to use 'supportchetscreek.com' when looking for on-line merchandise! If you have any question how to use the site, please contact Pam Witt @ 821-8172.