November 2017

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.

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! 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Cherry Creek teachers and staff shared what they are grateful for this season:

Mrs. Truscott: Colored Sharpies

Mr. Cornwall: Dr. Pepper

Miss Glenn: Weekends and chocolate

Miss Barrett: The huge windows in my room

Mrs. Deardeuff: Music, dark chocolate, Red Robin french fries, and Janelle Barrett (she really did say that!)

Mrs. Monney: Having another female in the house - my daughter moved home!

Mrs. Crowley: Good hair days

Mrs. Chang: Flushing toilets and a furnace

What better way to spend inside recess days than give service! Mrs. Grotegut, one of our Title 1 technicians, kept our 5th and 6th grade students busy during lunch recess by having them decorate cards and place mats to give to the Meals on Wheels program. Today, they made 43 cards and 13 place mats! This will surely bring smiles to those who participate in Meals on Wheels. What an inspirational way to spend free time! Way to go, Crocs!

This week in Kindergarten we are focusing on non-living things.  Today during science, the students used their imaginations to make non-living things found in our world.  Creations included a house boat, an airplane, a food truck, a tractor, a construction work place, and a train!  We love doing hands-on projects in class!!

Miss Brice's class reviews their multiplication facts by playing sports! Students practicing certain fact families (multiples of 2 or 10, for example) get to play tennis. Other fact families play hockey, and some basketball. It's a fun way to keep the kids motivated. They get a lot of opportunities to practice with the support of a classmate. Math is always fun in our class!

In sixth grade we explore engineering. On Halloween we built structures with gum drops and toothpicks. The goal was to create the tallest free standing structure. Sixth graders are very creative!!

Cherry Creek's second year of math instruction training (CMI) is well underway! Every other Monday afternoon, teachers participate in lessons and activities to improve math instruction and learning in their classrooms. Today's lesson involved teachers instructing teachers in other grade levels on how to complete various problems using specific strategies. The goal is to achieve improved conceptualization and understanding of math calculations and real life problems. Our teachers do so much to provide the best possible education for our students. Thank you so much for all your hard work!