Polar Express Day!

We celebrated the Polar Express last Friday. The children came to school in their jammies. We then read the book The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. The students then made golden tickets so that they could get on board. The students had their tickets stamped as they began the incredible journey. The kids watched the movie based on the book while they enjoyed freshly made homemade doughnuts and hot cocoa. We had several moms and dads join us for this super fun day. Some of them even wore their pajamas. A great time was had by all.

Santa Clause, Old St. Nick, Pere Noel.

We are continuing to read with our Fifth grade friends each week. We have been reading previous December Books of the Month. We noticed that in many of these texts, Santa Clause is a character. This led to a discussion about the history of the Santa Clause and his many different names. We discussed several different names for him.
* Santa Clause
* Santa
* St. Nicholas
* Kris Kringle
We then challenged the children to find out any other names they could find for Santa. One Fifth grader, Sarah came back the following week with this list.
* French - Pere Noel
* Welsh - Sion Corn
* Italian - Babbo Natale
* Turkish - Noel Baba
* Vietnamese - ong gia Noel
* Portuguese - Papai Noel
* Romanian - Mos Craciun
* Slovenian - kaledu Senelis
* Latvian - Santa Klauss

Pow Wow 2011

Pow Wow 2011 from Chet the Eagle on Vimeo.

The annual Pow Wow event is spectacular! Take a look at the video and see a small glimpse of our amazing Pow Wow.

Morning Message

Each morning during Skills Block, we participate in a Shared Writing experience. We call it the Morning Message. We start with something that the teachers have written on the board with just a few things missing. The students then figure out what should be there and are invited to fill in the blanks. This is a wonderful daily tool. As the year progresses and our literacy skills become more vast, the students written participation increases. We love Morning Message, because we can cover so many different skills in so many fun ways!

Apples. Apples Apples

We had a wonderful day filled with APPLES! We have been reading many fiction and non-fiction books based on apples. We have also learned a great deal about Johnny Appleseed. Our culminating day of apples was filled with learning and fun. We began the day with a survey of who likes apples and who does not. The children were then given the opportunity to taste both a red apple and a green apple. The children then discussed the similarities and differences between the two. We also participated in shared reading of some poems about apples and songs about apples. The children were able to watch Mrs. Meissner use a special machine that peels and cores the apples with a twist of the handle, this was a highlight for all of the kids. We then made homemade applesauce. Each child was given the opportunity to taste the homemade applesauce, Every child took a bite. We would like to say a special thanks to the mom's of Brooke and Emily, and the dad of Mrs. Brown for making this super fun day such a super success!

Reading with Fifth Graders, what the Fifth Graders said.

After the first few sessions of reading with the fifth graders, we wanted to know what they had to say. This is what a few of them had to say about the experience.


"Whenever I got to an exciting part, they predict and they usually get it right." Katherine

"Where there were bolded words, the kindergartners repeated after me." Katie

"We used the cut-outs from The Three Billy Goats Gruff and we acted out the story." Sarah

"I think we should bring in our favorite books from when we were little." Ben

"I think we should change partners so we get to know everyone." Jaden

Reading with Fifth Graders

We are super excited about a new idea we are implementing this school year. We have partnered with Mrs. Shannon's Fifth grade class for some shared learning. The fifth graders will be joining us each Thursday morning to read and learn with our class. In the beginning the Fifth graders will read to the kindergartners and then the kindergartners will retell the story back to the fifth graders. As the kindergartners progress in their reading, they will begin to read to their fifth grade partners and the older students will share their knowledge about the reading strategies that they know and use. We are excited about this new project. We know that it will continue to change and grow throughout the school year. look for a post this week, from the children in our class. They will be sharing their thoughts about their first meeting with their new buddies.

The Beginning!

Friday, August 19th at 8:00 a.m. is our Kindergarten Orientation. We look forward to meeting our new class of kindergartners and their families. It is a wonderful time to meet the teachers, see the classroom and find out all of the information that you need to know for the first day of school and the rest of the year. Kindergarten is an exciting time for the children and the families alike. We look forward to meeting you all and getting to know the precious little ones that are being entrusted into our care. Get ready for the Super Powers of Chets Creek and the Super Powers your children will learn in kindergarten. Looking forward to a "Super" year.

Empowering the Future!! Welcome to Kindergarten 2011-2012

Chets Creek Elementary – Empowering the Future! from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

Please take a look at our video to introduce you to our theme for the upcoming school year. We look forward to a new group of Super Kindergartners and an exciting school year!

The End of the Year is Approaching

As we approach the end of Kindergarten, we must think about what it will be like to be a rising First Grader. In First Grade, students will be expected to be more independent in school. So here are some things you can try to take some steps toward helping your child be more independent.

* Let your child walk to the classroom alone in the morning.

* Make your child responsible for his/her lunch, money, and backpack.

* Make sure your child can tie their own shoes.

* Make sure that your child knows your home telephone number and address.

We are so proud of how much our class has learned and how independent they can be. Let them show you how grown up they can be.

Arts Extravagana Week

One of the many wonderful traditions at Chets Creek is Arts Extravaganza. It is a week to celebrate the arts. The walls are filled with artwork created by the students throughout the school year. Each day offers a new experience for the children. Tuesday we attended a concert given by the Fletcher Middle school band, there were a few Chets Creek Alums in the band. They did a fantastic job. On Wednesday we were able to see the Chets Creek Gifted students perform in a musical. It was a treat for the students to see their friends perform. Thursday brought the wonderful Sandalwood Chorus. They performed a variety of music from many different genres. They were a very talented group. Friday we had a storyteller who captured the children's attention and imagination. Friday night was the culminating event. The families were invited to Chets Creek in the evening to participate in a wonderful family centered evening of Arts and Crafts and a performance. Each year each class creates a theme basket filled with goodies to be auctioned off. The proceeds from each basket go to continue to fund the arts at Chets Creek Elementary. Thank you to the many amazing people that made this week so much fun and such a success.

Spirit Week at Chets Creek

This week is Spirit Week at Chets Creek Elementary. Each student and teacher has been invited to dress in a fun and silly way each day this week. Monday was "Dress like a Farmer" day. We had some great and cute farmers show up for the first day back from Spring Break. Tuesday was Mismatch Day. Take a look at our mismatched outfits. Wednesday is silly sock day and crazy hair day. Keep checking in to see pictures of our Super Silly Socks and Wacky Hair!

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day was a wonderful day of learning and fun! The children spent the week prior to St. Patrick's day working on a special homework assignment of making a Leprechaun Trap. The children came to school dressed in green. The children explained how they made their traps and how the trap was supposed to work. We spent the day listening to Irish music and participating in many crafts and learning activities. The children decorated "green cupcakes". There was a station where the children were able to taste a variety of "green foods". The children made fun hats and patterned beaded necklaces. The children made a cute Shamrock Man and decorated a rainbow with a pot of gold. It was a great day.

A Special Visit!

Mrs. Phillips (Our Awesome Principal) came to our class to read a book. The book was called The Leprechaun's Gold, written by Pamela Duncan Edwards and illustrated by Henry Cole. Mrs. Phillips told us that they had both been visitors to Chets Creek Elementary. It is one of Mrs. Phillips' favorite books. The book was a former Book of the Month. The book was addressed to "Susan",(Mrs. Phillips)and was autographed by the author and illustrator. She asked us questions as she read the story to us. Madeline says,"near the end of the book, the man (Old Pat) went away and the leprechauns made him a new harp out of the gold." Taryn says, "They made him a new harp because on his old one the other strings were broken." During the story Mrs. Phillips helped us learn the meaning of a new Vocabulary word. The word was "weary". "We now know that the word weary means,tired",says Yezen. Mrs. Phillips is a GREAT reader. "She also told us that she used to teach in our very own classroom",says Shane. Mrs Phillips admitted that our room is her favorite classroom in the building. She also stated that she loves to visit kindergarten. She used to be a kindergarten teacher. We loved having her in our room. We hope she will come back to read with us again.

This post written and created by the students in Mrs. Brown's and Mrs. Meissner's Class

Harry the Dirty Dog

Our excited class of Kindergartners went to the Wilson Center for Performing Arts to see a play. The play was based on one of our favorite books. The play was based on the book, Harry the Dirty Dog written by Gene Zion.

This is one of our "Star Books". A "Star Book" is a book that the children have heard several times as a read aloud. The children then have the opportunity to "read" the books, by retelling themselves the story. Due to the fact that the students were very familiar with the book they noticed many differences between the play and the original text. The children loved seeing a live action version of one of their favorite books. The play included singing and dancing, which the students loved. A great time was had by all.

Valentine's Day

We had an awesome Valentine's Day! We were able to do so many fun things, like "We decorated cupcakes," said Taryn. "We made hats that were called crowns, because we were either the King of Hearts or the Queen of Hearts." We went on a parade. We put on our crowns, we went through the front office and spread the love by blowing kisses at everyone. "We made Valentine Cards," said Brandon. "We even made Valentine puzzles," said Ethan. "We made beaded necklaces with Valentine colored beads," said Kiera. "We made a sign language I Love You heart," said Fiona. We all agree that it was a fun day. We do not agree on our favorite part of the day. Noah and Shane said, "We passed out candy and valentines and put them in the boxes." Kylie says her favorite part was, "We ate cupcakes." "We drank ice cream floats with a cherry on top," says Dominic. We were able to choose between strawberry and Root Beer for our floats. Nina said, "We ate jello and rice crispy treats." "We had some special guests, some moms came to the party," Kaya pointed out. It was a heart filled day.
The love was felt by all.

This post was written and posted by the students in Mrs. Brown's and Mrs. Meissner's Kindergarten Class

Me and My Shadow

The students spent a day learning about Shadows. We also learned about the position of the sun in the sky and how it affects how we see our shadow. The students went outside first thing in the morning. Mrs. Smith's fourth grade class helped by tracing each of the children's shadows on to the sidewalk, and writing the name of the student on the outline of their shadow so the child could find theirs again later in the day. The children then came back to the room and documented their observations about their shadows and their observations about the sun. After lunch we went back outside and the children stood in the same spot. They made new observations and documented them in their Science Journals. We repeated the process at the end of the day. Ask your child what they learned and please leave their response as a comment. We would love to hear what they learned that day. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Reading Strategies

Our students have come so far in their reading this year. Many of our students have "officially" become conventional readers and the rest are so close. We have spent a considerable amount of time working on a variety of Reading Strategies that the children can use when they come to an unfamiliar word so that they can figure out the word for themselves. Some of the strategies that we have been working on are:
1. Looking at the Picture Clues
2. Looking for Word Family words
3. Looking for words within words
4. Skip it and read to the end of the sentence
5. S-T-R-E-T-C-H the word.
6. Ask yourself, "Does that make sense?"

Ask your child to show you how they are using these strategies in their nightly reading.