Chets Creek Elementary School is having a Read-a-thon. Instruction sheets and login information will be sent home on Monday, February 26. Below is an example of what your child's information sheet includes.

We have decided to raise money by focusing on reading for the next few weeks. This is such a great opportunity for us to keep our focus on education and still raise the money we need. Best of all it only takes a few minutes to activate your account and we really need everyone to participate. Simply follow the steps below. 

Step 1: Go to www.read-a-thon.com/readers/ 
Go to www.read-a-thon.com/readers on your personal computer, smart phone, or tablet and enter the secret code below to access your secure Read-a-thon account. Your Secret Code: customized for each student

Step 2: Create Your Profile 
You will be guided through a few simple steps to activate your Read-a-thon account like adding a photo and sharing the Read-a-thon through social media and email. You also get a free prize just for creating your profile. 

Step 3: Track Your Reading Sessions Online 
Reading sessions are tracked online in your Read-a-thon account. You can use the fun reading session timer or log a reading session after you have already completed your reading time. Your participation not only helps us reach our goal but promotes reading skills at the same time. It only takes a few minutes to help us with this fundraiser!

Our first reading session will begin on March 5, 2018. This is a great opportunity for our school and all of our students. We hope that you join us in this Reading Adventure! 

ARTS EXTRAVAGANZA WEEK IS HERE!

This week, we celebrate the arts through Arts Extravaganza, a Chets Creek annual tradition. Our walls are adorned with fabulous works of original art from our own talented and creative young artists. Our school is alive and beautiful with the student work!

Today, the students participated in an assembly presented by an Orlando based theatre group, Theatreworks. The students learned about the famous painting of the Mona Lisa, the mysterious woman smiling, by Leonardo DaVinci. The students also learned about other artists during the Renaissance Period.

                    

Thank you to the cast for staying after the show, enthusiastically answering so many questions from our students. You have certainly left a positive impression on all of us!                                           

How is my child progressing in school?

We have added two links from Duval County Public Schools with detailed information on how to register for an account to view your child's progress in school. You will need your child's student number to set up an account. Your child's student number is located inside the back cover of his/her planner. 

DCPS FOCUS REGISTRATION SITE

PARENT/GUARDIAN PORTAL REGISTRATION PROCEDURES

Second grade students earn letter grades in Conduct, Language Arts, and Mathematics. 

A = 90% - 100%     B = 80% - 89%     C = 70% - 79%     D = 60% - 69%     F = 59% and below

Second grade students earn an S, N, or U in Science, Social Studies, and all of the resource classes.   
S = Satisfactory Progress      N = Needs Improvement      U = Unsatisfactory

Shanghai Circus Field

Shanghai Circus Field Trip February 22, 2016 on PhotoPeach

Getting To Know You

What a great day this was discovering fun and interesting things about my students! They are each so unique and amazing.

Entomophagy: Bug Eating

Today was my first day back to school with my fabulous new first grade students and we started our morning out with an assembly featuring, The Bug Chef. Well if anyone is wondering, I did eat a scorpion, fried of course with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Aside from the crackly shell, I must say, it tasted ok and the kids had a great time cheering us on. What a great first day!

Meet the Teacher

Today was orientation for the new students in my class and the turn out was excellent. Thank you to the families that were able to join us. I am looking forward to a great year with all of our amazing first grade students and families!

We Love Our Volunteers!

Today, volunteers small and tall came together to assemble over 1,200 information packets that need to be completed by each family that has a student attending Chet Creek this year. Our volunteers are truly a remarkable and dedicated group and we appreciate them. Thank you!

Relationships and Our First Day

Teachers First Day Back

After what seems like a brief summer holiday, it was time to return to work, and as always, our first day back was filled with fun and fellowship. Mrs. Phillips, our principal, continues to start off each new year with passion and positivity. Looking forward to another amazing year at the Creek!

The First Step

Every month at Chets Creek Elementary, our principal, Mrs. Phillips, selects a book that will be shared amongst the entire school community. The books Mrs. Phillips has selected over the years have been filled with profound lessons and rich literature that extend across content. Both younger and older students are able to engage with the text at various levels. As a teacher, I enjoy her book of the month presentations and I am always eager to participate in her lessons. Mrs. Phillips models new and tried and true ways of teaching, which enrich my own practice.


This month's book of the month is Giant Steps to Change the World, by Spike and Tonya Lewis Lee. The book is filled with quotes and text about fulfilling your dreams and taking chances.

I began this lesson by activating the students' schema prior to reading the text. I shared with the students only the title of the text and asked them to draw a picture of what they thought the cover of the book might look like. Then the students wrote their predictions of what the book was about.

After sharing the text with the class, the students were asked to summarize what the text was about and share their summaries during our closing session. I was very proud of how the students expressed their understanding of what it meant to follow your dreams, take chances and not let anything get in your way of your goals and aspirations. One student said during our closing session, "The first step is the hard one and then you start running." So true! 

The video below was shared with my class as an example of how students can respond to literature using music.   

Kevin Henkes Celebration Day!

We had a wonderful time yesterday celebrating Mr. Kevin Henkes and his fun mouse characters. The students attended various stations centered around our Kevin Henkes theme. The morning began with a very excited group of students making mouse ears and playing Kevin Henkes’ Book Characters bingo. The next station was our Artistic Abode. Here, the children decorated purple purses, wallets, snazzy ties, and cool sunglasses. After that, we watched the video Chrysanthemum followed by Owen while munching on cheesy snacks. Lunch and game time came right after. The day ended with a visit to the Lightbulb Lab. The students were engaged with their own books filled with fun activities and writing projects.  The day was absolutely amazing and our little mice were ecstatic!  Kevin Henkes Celebration Day! on PhotoPeach

Volunteers Needed

Happy October! The first day of October has brought us some refreshing weather and signal's a change in seasons. Thus, our Fall Carnival is quickly approaching. This year, our class has teamed up with Mrs. Nash's fourth grade class to operate the cotton candy booth. This booth is a great fundraiser and always sells out fast. Please check the link below if you would like to volunteer to either make and/or sell cotton candy this year. This year's carnival is sure to be the best one yet with the dedication and support of an amazing team of volunteers. Mark your calendar to attend this fun filled event. 

Sign Up Here to Make Cotton Candy
 

Sign Up Here to Sell Cotton Candy

  

First Day of School

Our first day of school was action packed. The students were greeted at the door by real Superheroes. We spent the day getting to know each other with various activities, while reviewing rituals and routines. Each student received a poster sized picture of a backpack (Powerpack), that included questions about the student. The students answered questions about themselves and spent time decorating their Powerpack. The students had the opportunity to share their work with their classmates.

First Day of School on PhotoPeach



Later on in the day, everyone attended a fantastic assembly presented by Omegaman, whose motto is "the choices you make today determine your tomorrow." The children were thrilled when Omegaman tore a phonebook in half. He left quite an impression with our Superkids.
 


Thanks to the generosity of our PTA, each student received a new Chets Creek t-shirt with this year's school mascot, Chet the Super Eagle. The children were amazing and excited today and are so eager to learn. I am looking forward to an incredible year!