Visiting Author/Illustrator

We were amazed today by the talented and funny author and illustrator, Mr. Henry Cole. He shared stories with the children about how he began his lifelong passion to draw and write stories. We are very fortunate to have such a talented guest at Chets Creek.  

Sowing the Seeds of Learning

Today, my students planted potatoes. Thanks to  Dr. Zenk for curing our potatoes and having them all ready for us to plant. We used a process called hilling. When hilling (or earthing up) potatoes, you draw earth up around the vines of the potato plant once they start to grow. 



 We were able to integrate measurement in this science  activity. The students made sure to plant the potatoes inside the trench at about eight inches deep. Then they added two inches of rich soil and two inches of organic matter, leaves collected from the trees around the school. 

I really loved how one of my expert "farmers" went back to put some loving touches on our work. He checked to make sure that our entire trench was evenly and loosely covered with leaves and he did this with such attention and care. Love it!


  Stay tuned to see how our potatoes grow!

Literary Character Parade

What a blast we had dressing up as a literary character. Check out the slideshow below.

Literary Character Parade 2012-13

Mouse Characters

What's the coolest thing that a six-year old can say to his or her teacher? Wow, this was the best day ever! I guess making puppets on a stick is pretty cool. I only wish that you could hear the stories the students made up using these adorable mouse characters by Kevin Henkes.

Aloha!

Thanks to my clever and resourceful colleagues, Mrs. Alvarado and Ms. Daniels, for planning some great "in school field trips" for our students. These two teachers came up with a great plan to invite parents of our first graders to share a special talent or skill with our students. Thus, the very first assembly featured one of our own parents, Mrs. S. She spoke to the students about her native homeland of Hawaii, shared legends and danced. We are so lucky to have such amazing support from our parents as well as teachers who are out of the box thinkers. 

While You Were Away

 So this is what our classroom looks like when everyone is away for the summer. These photographs were taken after the old carpet was torn out and replaced with shiny new tile. Looks like there is some work to be done to get ready for the first day.

 Stay tuned for the transformation.

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!