On December 15th Mrs. Deardeuff's class walked to Mountain West Animal Hospital to learn more about reindeer from the amazing Doctor Bott! Dr. Bott is an expert on reindeer and let us ask questions and see his 6 reindeer. One student asked Dr. Bott if reindeer can fly. He responded, "I've never seen one fly, but that doesn't mean they can't." Well said! Thanks, Dr. Bott!
Ever heard of "lead measures" and wondered what that means? You may know that it has something to do with tracking goals at school, or at least you may suspect it has something to do with the Leader In Me program.
To demonstrate what lead measures are and how to use them to reach a goal, Mr. Duncan told the kids about his "Big WIG" - a personal goal he's working toward. This goal is to write a draft of a book. Lead measures are the small, daily actions that will help you to reach a larger goal. Done consistently over time, lead measures help you visualize and track how well you are doing toward reaching your goal. You can see if you need to re-evaluate your goal, change how you approach it, or know if you're on the right track.
Mr. Duncan is using a calendar tracker (see pictures) with his two lead measures marked on each day that he does them. It gives him a daily reminder to stay focused on his goal. Teachers have encouraged students to come up with their own "Big WIG" that is not necessarily school-related. We hope that the students can be inspired to reach any goal they set their mind to!
Mrs. Deardeuff's class is doing a 12 (school) days countdown to Christmas break. On one of these days, they read "The Gingerbread Pirates", made gingerbread man ornaments and played a fun "Build-A-Gingerbread Man" game. Mrs. Deardeuff was even gracious enough to share her recipe for making gingerbread man ornaments. They smell amazing!
1 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp Elmer's glue
4 ish oz. cinnamon.
Mix ingredients, adding cinnamon until the dough is the consistency you want. Press flat on wax paper and use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out the shape. Use a straw to poke a hole through the top of the gingerbread man. Let sit out to dry for a few days.
Mrs. Golding’s students get to take charge of “Lead Time” every day. They walk our class through changing the calendar, updating the weather, reviewing the 7 Habits, reciting a 7 Habits poem, and leading a brief discussion on how we have used and can use the habit of the month! They are great leaders!!
Bethany Clark was this year's Crystal Apple Award winner. The Crystal Apple is given to employees who demonstrate above and beyond service and kindness. Recipients are nominated by their faculty, and we all feel that Bethany is so deserving of this award. She does so much for our school and our students, much of it behind the scenes. We appreciate all that she does! Congratulations, Bethany!
Links to all the online programs students use are now on the Cherry Creek website! The kids use a lot of these programs in the classroom, and also for homework. Teachers can provide each student's login information if they haven't already for you to to be able to help at home.
Yesterday's Victory Assembly featured Leaders of the Month and Top Crocs from November. Mr. Duncan updated the kids on how our school is doing on our Wildly Important Goals. In November, students increased 400 reading levels, putting us at just over 600 reading levels improved so far this school year! However, our on-time attendance goal slipped in November to 84% of students being on time to school. We hope students can be proactive in helping their families get ready on time in the mornings so that they can have a strong start to their school day. Check back for more posts about the Cherry Creek's Got Talent performances and the kindergarteners' video introducing December's focus habit, Habit #3: Put First Things First!
Last Friday, second through fourth grade students attended BYU's "Christmas Around the World" performance. Students got to see first hand how cultures around the world celebrate Christmas through music and dance. Some groups of dancers were visiting from other countries, including one dance company from China! One part of the performance was a mash-up of dances from different cultures. This was fun and exciting for the students to watch. It was a wonderful event!
The giving tree is up, and starting tomorrow, parents can come pick an ornament off the tree to help provide a merrier Christmas to families in the area. Here's how it works:
1. Starting December 1st, adults can come pick an ornament off the tree right outside the main office. Ornaments will specify what kind of item to buy. Items range from $1 on up.
2. Go purchase the item with your students.
3. Return items in their original packaging, unwrapped, with ornament attached to the main office.
4. Gifts must be returned by Friday, December 15th.
If you'd rather, cash donations can be made online at the following website: www.cherrycreek.ecwid.com
Thank you for your generosity! It will surely warm your heart and those who will receive your thoughtful gifts.
To help Cherry Creek's hallways reflect more of what we're teaching students about the 7 Habits, we've put up some extra bulletin boards around the school. Each grade level is in charge of decorating a board for a specific habit. The fun part is that the decorations are student-made, with only a little help from teachers. We hope this helps remind the kids of what we're all about here at Cherry Creek!
