Meet Bill Peet!

"I drew for hours at a time just for the fun of it, and yet I was hoping to find some practical reason to draw for the rest of my life. But when I entered grade school, my drawing habit suddenly became a problem." Bill Peet

Today we began a new author study on Bill Peet. We learned many exciting facts about his life and style of writing by exploring his books today. During our author study we will examine his special crafts, techniques, reoccurring trends, and themes.

Have you ever seen any of these movies?
The films listed below are movies were Bill Peet did storyboards for.

THE SWORD AND THE STONE
101 DALMATIANS
SLEEPING BEAUTY
PETER PAN
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
CINDERELLA
SONG OF THE SOUTH
DUMBO
FANTASIA
PINOCCHIO
JUNGLE BOOK

Find out more about this talented man at his website below!

Bill Peet's Website

Here we come to rock the FCAT!

Be confident! You can do it!


This week students will take the Reading the Math FCAT test. Reading will be Tuesday and Wednesday for 60 minutes. Math will be given on Thursday for also 60 minutes. Students are ready to prove just how well equip they are with plenty of reading and math strategies. Mrs. Tsengas and I are so proud of every student this year and we know you all will do fabulous!

Below are some tips and suggestions just to calm and reassure your child, and yourself, about what to do the days prior to testing.

*Encourage your child and pump them up about how well they are going to do. A positive outlook helps children do their best.

*Arrive at school early or on-time.
*Make sure that your child is well rested and eats a good nourishing breakfast. Thank you for the parents who have donated animal crackers, small candies, granola bars and juice as a nice way to refresh before the test begins. We appreciate your generosity!
*Give your child a well-rounded diet. This will help ensure a healthy body and a healthy, active mind. Try not to throw off their regular diet on these days.
* Realize that your child may seem more tired than usual after each day of testing.
*Help your child de-stress by reading a simple book to them before bedtime. Children STILL benefit from being read to nightly. :)
* Express your support and confidence in your child to do well on FCAT. Slip a positive note to them in their lunchbox or backpack. Small gestures really do go the farthest.
*Help your child understand that testing is a part of the instructional process, and there is nothing to be feared.

PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND TEACHERS: Take several deep breaths and try to be calm. Remember it is only a test and all the hard work and studying has already been done!

Language Arts Skill Practice

Each week we focus on a different Language Arts skill. These skills can range from punctuation marks, homophones, word choice, parts of speech and verb tenses. Knowing these basic skills is a direct transfer into their writings. Skill practice sheets and quizzes are usually on pink paper to help keep students organized throughout the week.

One suggestion is to review these sheets weekly with your child. Ask them questions about what they learned and where they see examples of these skills in their nightly readings. For extra practice, I have a great website where you can search the topic and view various games to enhance your child's grades.

Skill Games

Just type in the topic, such as, "commas" and the results will show up in seconds!

I hope you enjoy this great resource. :)

Florida Achieves...YOU ACHIEVE!

Are you ready to sharpen up your reading comprehension and language arts skills? I HOPE SO! This is the FOCUS website. First, go to http://www.florida-achieves.com/, log in to the FOCUS side of the website (the right side).

Your sign in name will be your last name and first initial (For example, if your name is John Smith, your sign in would be smithj)

Once you have your sign in, enter your password which is the number 16, the first four letters of your last name and your birthday month, then year. (For example John Smith, born on January 1st would have the password of 16smit0101)

Once you have logged in, you can choose any link to work on. These assignments align with topics and skills we have gone over in class. They all build reading comprehension. Also, the reading skills correlate with the types of questions on weekly reading tests and on the FCAT.

Don't forget FCAT night is Tuesday, Jan. 26th from 7-8. It will be held in the Media Center. Please come to be well informed on this important test. General information will be presented along with tips and suggestions to help your child.

See you there!

Humane Society Drop Off

What a successful donation drive we had for the Humane Society. The staff and animals were so grateful for the toys, blankets, treats, and toys. It made the holiday. Mrs. Tsengas, several students, and I dropped off the supplies today after school.

Thank you for the friends who donated for the Humane Society. The animals said, "MEOOOOOW" and "WOOOOOF!" ( This means thank you)

Holiday Celebration

Our class holiday party will be on Wednes. the 16th. Don't forget to send in the slip that was sent home this week indicating an item we would like for our celebration. We need to make sure we have enough of each item so we can plan accordingly. At our party we will be doing several holiday activities, reading holiday books, and creating crafts while enjoying some yummy treats. Thank you for all your help and support in the classroom!

The Spirit of the Season

During the holiday season, it has been a tradition at Chets Creek to create a holiday wreath/decoration to auction off. Each class created some kind of holiday craft and the highest bidder received the wreath. This year, things are a bit different. Each class was told to decide on some kind of volunteer project or donation drive to help our community. After brainstorming, the children voted on helping out the Jacksonville Humane Society. As the best way to help them out would be to adopt all their pets, we realized this was a bit unrealistic. After explaining to students that their parents could not properly adopt 343 cats and dogs, we did bit of researching on how else we could help.

Ways to Help the Humane Society

The Humane Society has a website that lists all the items they are in need of. Also, you can even make donations right there on the website.

Dog Crates (Medium & Large)
Kuranda Dog Beds (40x25)
Cat Carriers (Small & Medium)
Dog Treats
Cat Treats
Cat Toys
Stainless Steel Food & Water Bowls (small & large)
Towels
Blankets (no stuffing)
Paper Towels
Clorox Bleach
Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
Laundry Detergent
Playtex Rubber Gloves
Tug-a-Jug Interactive Dog Toys
Hard Rubber Dog Toys (Kong or Nylabone brand)
List of Treats for Kong Toys
Meaty Bone Flavor Treats (18 oz)
Lamb Meal & Rice Biscuits (24 oz)
Milk Bone Crunchy Mar-O-Snacks (24 oz)
TBonz Filet Mignon Flavor (22 oz)
Milk Bone Chewy Chicken Drumstix (9 oz)
Liver Treats Hollywood Stars (4 oz)
Pup-Peroni Original Beef Recipe (25 oz)
List of Needs for Maintenance
Shovels
Rakes
Power Blower
Lawn Mower
Weed Eater (w/blade attachments)
Chain Saws
Wheelbarrows
Pitch Forks
Rack Hooks (for hanging equipment)
Upright Tool Box
Hatchet

Pretty neat! These items do not have to be brand new. If they are in a decent condition, they accept them as well. However, if you purchase an item, try to have your child with you as you purchase it. I will be delivering all the items over the holiday break. As a result, all items are due Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Happy Holidays!