Quick hide from the hunter...

It is time for the annual disguise turkeys. Another year that friends and families did not disappoint with their lack of creativity. Check out the show and see how cute the turkeys are disguised. I don't think the hunter will have any idea where to find the class turkeys which would be too bad because turkey is one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving dinner.

Fabulous Read Aloud-Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Thirty chapters and 155 pages later we finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today! Hold on-they clapped when I finished the book. It was priceless and made my eyes flood up. They went on and on about how they loved it! This is one of those occasions we as teachers live for and remember through the tough times. I wanted the kids to draw their favorite parts and when I saw the details and variety (all before watching the movie mind you) I can tell you I got goose bumps. Enjoy the show. Below you will see pictures from Chocolate Day 2009. There was so much chocolate it smelled like Mr. Wonka's factory in our classroom. We had chocolate pudding, milk, brownies, cookies, covered raisins, M&Ms, OREOs, and candy. There was so much a child actually said "I ate too much chocolate, I can't eat any more." It was a great way to end our read aloud and then we watched the movie to look for similarities and differences between the book. The class picked them out with ease.

Veteran's Day

Volusia County released students and teachers today in remberence of Veteran's Day. I want to say a special thank you to all the veterans that sacrificed their lives, time, and loved ones for the freedoms we have today, especially to my favorite veteran, my dad. I talked to my class and Ms. Garver's, across the hall, yesterday about my father and veterans I met at the nursing home and the local VFW. I read The Wall by Eve Bunting and cried again while reading about the young boy that wishes he had his grandfather. We talked about what freedom means to us and what we are most thankful for... living in America. We wrote some letters and Ms. Garver took them to the local VFW. I hope you think of the veterans today and remember all they do to ensure our freedom and way of life here in America. I called my dad first thing this morning and told him thanks. I love you daddy and I am proud of you.

Best Fall Festival EVER!!!

Cypress Creek PTA held the 1st Annual Fall Festival and it was totally fabulous!! It started off with Kindergarten and First Grade singing some of the cutest songs ever! My personal favorite was Shine, Shine, Shine and the 1st graders are letting their light shine in the picture. This wasn't the only performance. There was a tap dance classes, cheerleading, martial arts, and a hip hop routine. Children had an open field of bouncing houses, an obstacle course, a bungee jump/swing, rock climbing, and even horse rides. Our PTA and business partners really put on an event that will be talked about for months. The children enjoyed a fun filled afternoon with Mr. Butler our principal and teachers at every corner. My son Carson especially enjoyed the slot car track as you can see in the picture. As a teacher and parent at Cypress Creek Elementary I can say it was so heartwarming to see families with chairs out talking to one another, children running around having fun, and a faculty and staff working together like a team that had been together for years. This is only our 3rd year since the school opened and we are destined for great things. WAIT did I mention the best news is yet to come...
Our PTA and Principal Mr. Butler, after much digging, are supporting the Promethean Interactive Whiteboard movement by purchasing 34 more boards to completely outfit the entire school with a board in each classroom! It is a dream come true for me. Kaile is in 3rd grade while Carson is in 1st so they will use the boards for years to come (and my husband hears about them all the time. ) I have seen such a growth with students in the past 4 years of using the Promethean ActivBoard and now every child will get to experience the interactivity it provides to increase student learning. I can't wait to train the teachers and watch them work collaboratively to ensure the very best lessons for all students. I'll keep you posted on the progress...

Ritter's Night

Our school is blessed to have such awesome business partners. Ritter's Frozen Custard is one such partner. Cypress Creek Elementary teachers and families can be seen eating frozen custard on the first Thursday of each month. It is a fabulous evening filled with laughter, friendship, and most of all the sense of community it brings out of everyone. Kaile, Carson, and I enjoyed our worms and dirt and Italian Ice while Lynn from Party Explosion made balloon animals. You can see our fun monkey palm tree hats and Carson had a balloon sword. Thank you Ritter's Frozen Custard and Party Explosion for being a part of the team at Cypress Creek Elementary.

50s Day!

Well, we made it to the 50th day of school for the 2009-2010 school year. This year the whole 1st grade took part in the festivities! It was great fun. We dressed the part, watched the candy factory episode of I Love Lucy and rotated to 5 different centers. We hula hooped, limbo rocked, took part in a bubble gum blowing contest, painted a poodle with 50 dots, made a Fruit Loop necklace, made a record (What are those?)and enjoyed root beer floats. It was funny because another teacher asked why we were celebrating the 50s day and a child replied "...because we have 50 states." Funny how we count each day, talk about tens and ones, count money and they sometimes forget why. I asked my class and their simple response was because we were on our way to the 100th day. Out of the mouths of babes. We sure did have fun as you can see from the pictures below. Thanks to Ms. Marianne who took them through the centers and to all the parents that donated supplies for our fun filled day. Keep on rocking first grade...