Barnyard Book Bonanza BINGO

This year we have totally revamped our Readers to Leaders Million Word Reading Campaign and I really think the changes have been very motivating for our students. Everyone who met the second goal at the end of our last quarter got to participate in our first ever Barnyard Book Bonanza BINGO! In 45 minutes we were able to play enough rounds of picture bingo for Kindergarten and First Grade that every student was a winner and for the older grades over half of the students won at traditional bingo. I also made sure everyone left with a little something (reading sticker, pencil or bookmark). For bingo winners our Media Specialist, KK Cherney, outdid herself - students were able to pick from mountains of books and other prizes. I have to say the event was one of the most exciting times I've had celebrating with our students. I'm so proud of all my readers and they can't wait to participate in our next celebration. Rumor is it has something to do with a picnic under the pavilion with popsicles and a PIG that needs a kiss from the principal. Oink!

March Madness - Chets Creek Style

Alright Creekers - because March isn't quite mad enough with all those evaluations I have to write I thought I'd challenge myself to getting into at least one (and sometimes five :) classrooms a day during the month to do a read aloud for you and every homeroom in the school!  I plan to dig back through our past book of the month books and pull out some "oldies but goodies" that some of you as teachers may not ever have been exposed to for the read alouds.  I am very excited about getting into the classrooms and sharing some of my favortite stories with all of you and the kids.  Click here to sign up for your homeroom's date and time.  Make sure to choose the "I don't want an account. I'll just enter my name" circle after you have clicked on the sign up box for your chosen time.  Sign up soon, there are only a limited number of spots - the madness begins March 1!!!!!

We Love You Romy Day at the Creek!

When you look at any successful organization, you will always find people behind the scenes who are dedicated, organized and who put all their energy and efforts into whatever task they have been given. Rosemarie Wilkening (Romy) is one such person to our organization. Romy serves as a part-time ESOL paraprofessional, working in classrooms and with small groups of students as a safety net instructor. She also manages all of the communication with our Hispanic families as their liaison and advocate.

Everyday Romy ensures that all of our students and families, regardless of the language they speak, feel informed and included. She routinely goes above and beyond the call of duty for our staff by translating written communication and sitting in on parent conferences long after her paid time has ended. Over the years she has consistently provided literacy support to our youngest at risk students. She meets with students daily, never missing an opportunity to boost their self esteem and reinforce their work in the classroom.

Romy’s willingness to help out wherever and whenever needed and her fast, efficient, no nonsense style has quickly earned her the valued respect of her peers. She has built strong relationships with her peers and the teachers she serves. You will always see her doing whatever is necessary, in order to benefit the school – even if it does not pertain to her normal duties. That’s just another way she shows her dedication to teamwork. Her attention to detail and her willingness to help in any way make all of our jobs easier.

Romy has gone out of her way to build relationships with many of our neediest families over the years. She’s been to their homes, been to court, interpreted legal documents, investigated immigration laws, met with distraught families and struggling children daily, and even cleaned out the spare room at her house in case she had to foster any of these families in need. Her heart knows no bounds!

Everything Romy does plays a direct role in educating children and fostering their academic success, her extraordinary compassion ensures that even their emotional and physical needs are met. She is a truly irreplaceable part of what makes our learning community a success.

So today we celebrated "Romy Wilkening Day" at Chets Creek! Not only was she chosen to represent our school this year as the Employee of the Year but then went on to be selected out of all the school district employees as the Duval County Employee of the Year! We are proud of you Romy!!!

Stumped...

This week has been a total blur...I mean really! As I sit here in my office, still and quiet for the first time this week I have absolutely no idea what to blog about. I already know what I'm going to write about next week, but this week - nada, zippo, nothing! I'm complettely stumped! I think it's because I've been so busy that I've had no real reflection time. At least I hope that's the only reason. So I'm going to turn this one on you, the reader - what exactly would you like for me to write about this week?

It's Fuel Up to Play with Maurice Jones-Drew Day!

This past Tuesday, our whole school got to celebrate our award of a Fuel Up to Play grant sponsored by the NFL and the Florida Dairy Council. It was no ordinary celebration. As part of our reward we were paid a very special visit by our hometown Jacksonville Jaguars superstar football player #32 Maurice Jones-Drew. In true Chets Creek fashion we welcomed him BIG - there was music, banners, highlight videos, and cheers. Besides presenting our PE Coaches Estrella Bailey and Ray Robinson with a $1700.00 check Mr. Jones-Drew spent time talking with our Fuel Up to Play Fifth Graders and then the rest of the student body about eating right, exercise and the importance of determination. He was humble, kind and answered our students honestly, even when the questions were tough. I loved the fact that growing up he wanted to be an astronaut, that his favorite subject in school was Math, and that his childhood hero was his granddad! He had a great sense of humor and his message for our students was perfect - work hard, make good choices, never give up and you'll be successful at whatever you choose. I wish him much continued success in his future and he is welcome to come back to The Creek anytime!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

On the first day of school this year every Chets Creek student planted a seed for a cold weather crop.  They tended and watered them as they germinated and began to sprout.  After 6 weeks, the ones that made it that far, were invited to plant them in our school's garden.  Our fifth graders really took this challenge to heart and weeded and watered our garden throughout the past months.  Each day the teachers and kids gave up parts of their recess to ensure that we cultivated a bountiful crop.  The fruits of their labor began to provide just before our Winter Break when they harvested beans.  Several students got to take the produce home and prepare it for their families.  I heard one student roamed door to door in his neighborhood looking for someone with butter he could use to cook them in! :)  This past week their rows of broccoli and cabbage were ready to be picked and I got to take home my own stalk of broccoli to eat.  The cabbage are some of the most gorgeous I've ever seen.  Our garden grows big and beautiful and the lessons our students have learned are limitless.  I'm so proud of our "Farmers" and their "Learning Cultivators"!  Next up is a spring planting.  I can hardly wait to see what grows next...

It's Not the End of the World...But Almost

Last night the external hard drive I use crashed. Yep, my school one. While most would think losing everything on your computer is not good - for me it's near catastrophic. You see that hard drive houses every single document for Chets for the past 14 years. Just sit quietly and allow that to sink in for a minute. Every Connection, Memo, Letter, Form, Photo, Graphic, Agenda, Schedule, Sign, Survey, Data Chart, Powerpoint, etc - the entire electronic history of our school. It was my worst nightmare. I am proud to report that I have remained uncharacteristically mature about it, I have thrown no hissy fit...yet. :) My crisis management mode took over and I started immediately to try and identify allies who could help me attempt to fix it. Thank goodness there are people out there smart enough to do that kind of magical work. Right now all the data on the drive is being imaged - it'll take 9 hours - before they start trying to extract it. Hopefully, they'll be able to recover it all and at least if they can't there is an electronic "picture" of all 20,000+ items. A special thank you to Jim C., my hero, who is attempting to save the world as we Creekers know it! Stay tuned...