Phone Message 12.13.2020

 Good afternoon to all of our Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon and I hope you all are enjoying a good weekend.  I have a few messages for this week.  

Remember, we try very hard to make Tuesday our day that important school information comes home.  We call it Take Home Tuesday, so be sure to check your child's backpack every night, but especially on Tuesdays.  This Tuesday, you will see two items coming home from the DCES front office.  One will be a flyer for this Friday's Grinch Day.  Students may wear a green shirt or a Grinch shirt with their uniform bottoms as we celebrate Grinch Day at DCES.  We have made Grinch Day a new tradition at Deep Creek to promote kindness.  In the movie, The Grinch, the Grinch realizes that kindness and giving made him so happy that his heart grew three sizes that day.  We will be promoting kindness and giving at DCES by asking for donations to the Charlotte Homeless Coalition.  The flyer will have some suggestions of items that could help their food pantry.  If you would like your child to donate, please send them to school Friday, December 18th with this donation.

The next letter coming home Tuesday will be a reminder about uniforms and technology.  We know know some of our Cubs will be excited about new clothes and technology they may receive over Winter Break.  Please review the uniform policy and technology so we are proactive in making sure students only wear or bring to school items that are permitted.  I thank you for helping us pay attention to small details, so we can continue having a great school.

Wednesday, December 16 is a fun event.  We will be having a Winter Fest Drive Thru between the hours of 4:30pm - 6:30pm.  The event will be taking place on our bus loop.  We have the event lasting two hours to avoid the long lines, so come at anytime between those hours.  We have arranged for coach to grill some hot dogs for our students, snow cones for students, and of course Mrs. Skavroneck will be passing out free books.  We miss our school wide events and the cheer that they bring.  We are hoping this small event will put some smiles on our Cubs' faces.  Please drive thru and enjoy.

Last, I want to again remind all families of the updated calendar for Winter Break this year.  Winter Break will begin on December 24 and all students will return on January 4.  Thank you all for listening and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Phone Message 12/6/2020

 Good afternoon.  This is Mr. Vernon with some messages for the upcoming weeks.

We have 13 school days left until Winter Break.  Unless your child is not feeling well or showing any symptoms, please be sure to have our Cubs at school all day, every day.  We definitely want to use every minute to help them learn.  We will still of course have some fun along the way and I want to share those days with you.  

As an entire school we are competing in a Liveschool challenge to earn some fun activities before Winter Break.  As a school we have to work together to get 75,000 LiveSchool points before Friday, December 18th.  Our students get LiveSchool points by remembering We Are Cubs.  Cubs are always Ready, Responsible, and Respectful.  Every time a student is caught doing one of the three Rs they earn a point.  We have great students at DCES and I know they will reach this 75,000 point goal.  If they do, I want to let you know what we are doing so students can participate if you would like.  Friday, December 18 with be Grinch day students can wear a green or Grinch shirt to school that day.  We will make this our day of giving as we will also be collecting food for the Charlotte County Food bank.  Monday, December 20 will be Holiday/Winter sock day and students can wear their favorite winter socks with their uniforms.  Tuesday, December 21will be Holiday/Winter hat and headwear day and students can wear their favorite winter headgear with their uniforms.  Finally, Wednesday, December 22 will be pajama day and our December DEAL Day.  Students can wear their pajamas to school and we will have our December DEAL day activities.  Remember these days start on Wednesday, December 18.  I am including them in today's message so you have time to prepare if you would like your Cub to participate.

This Tuesday, December 8th is our next SAC Meeting.  The meeting will again be held virtually using Google Meets at 5:30pm.  I have attached a link to the meeting on the email that comes with this phone message.  This message and link will also be posted on our DCES Facebook page and the DCES website.  This month's topic will be about upcoming State Testing for our students and school wide testing that takes place.  We will also do a school report and answer any questions.  The link is meet.google.com/ivo-ntwh-der

Please join us virtually on Google Meets Tuesday, December 8 at 5:30pm.

We are missing the fun events that we normally do at DCES each year.  However, we are very appreciative of the turn out that Mrs. Skavroneck has had for her mobile book check out events.  Mrs. Skavroneck is busy planning another fun event so save the date of Wednesday, December 16.  The plan is to have a drive thru winter event during the hours of 4:30 - 6:30pm.  So save some time on Wednesday, December 16 for this fun event.

Finally, the link to the December Newsletter is also attached to this email. https://sites.google.com/yourcharlotteschools.net/dces/december

Thank you all for listening.  I look forward to seeing my Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.  Have a great evening.

Monday Morning Memo 11.30.20

 

December:

We hope you had a restful fall break!  This was a much needed time to decompress and focus on all that we are thankful for.  Now, it's time to breath deep and get ready to dive into the rush of December.  We hope that we have some fun things planned that will keep your spirits up and let you and your students have some fun.  Be sure to take a look at the email from Sarah Baldwin about the LiveSchool Challenge that begins Monday and lasts throughout the month.  

One of the best things to do to keep our kiddos on track during this busy time of year is to keep their routine the same and their academics progressing as much as possible.  When routines and structure change we often see students struggle behaviorally.  Think about some creative ways to keep instruction and routine on track while still getting in some holiday fun.  Some examples we have seen in the past allow students to still complete their normal academic assignments, but just change the way that  students respond or change the tools that students use to answer their questions.  Ideas include using some fun manipulatives (holiday erasers, small jingle bells, marshmallows, etc) as counters for math, letting students respond to their comprehension questions in reading on colored paper or with special writing utensils, letting students graffiti their answers on a piece of large butcher paper, doing their work underneath their desk, heading out to the courtyard or a sidewalk area with chalk to answer math problems, having the snow fall or a fireplace crackling on the tv in the background, and so much more.  Don't hesitate to share some creative ideas with your peer to help keep our academic pacing on target, get our kiddos into the holiday spirit, and keep the rooms structured to keep behavior in a positive place.

Gift:

If you have not done the survey to indicate your jacket size please do so by Tuesday at 3:00 pm.  You can access this survey by clicking here.  We are hoping to be able to give you a special gift this year, so we need ALL staff from all departments to complete this survey.  If you have a friend that does not often check email please give them a nudge so they hop on and complete the survey!

Welcome:

We would like to welcome two staff members to the DCE family!  Karen Johnson will be joining us as our new custodian.  She comes to us from Peace River Elementary.  We can't wait to have her!  Also, Mathilda Meade has been serving as the long term substitute for Dani in kindergarten.  She has interviewed and been selected as our new paraprofessional III.  She will be working in Kelly Smith's classroom.  She is working on completing her master's degree in special education, so this position is a perfect fit!

We are finishing up interviews this week for a paraprofessional I (2nd grade) and a paraprofessional III (one-on-one).  Hopefully we will be fully staffed soon.  Your patience and flexibility the last few months has been so appreciated.

This Week:

Hoping you have an amazing start to the month of December!

-Keli and James

Phone Message 11.29.2020

 Good afternoon Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with a few announcements for this upcoming week.  I was able to enjoy some time during the break to have fun with my family.  I hope you all were able to as well.  I also hope that all of your families and our Cubs were able to stay healthy.  We will continue with our school protocols to keep DCES as safe as possible for our staff and students.  Please be sure to keep your child home if they show any symptoms.  I thank you for your patience and assistance as we try to keep DCES safe.

I looked at the weather this week and saw that some cooler temperatures were on the forecast this week.  Please add your child's names to the tags of jackets and hoodies they may wear this week.  Our Florida students are not used to keeping track of these items and they often end up in lost and found.  Also remember that all warm clothes worn must follow DCES uniform policy.  They must be blue, yellow, black, pink or white with no writing or logos.  Jackets not meeting dress code may be worn outside of the school buildings.

Keeping our Cubs reading is very important.  Mrs. Skavroneck is again hosting a remote Family Reading Experience this Wednesday, December 2.  Join us at Harbour Heights Park from 3:00 - 5:30pm to check out a book and get a free keeper book.

I hope all of you enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Monday Morning Memo 11.23.20

This year has been an incredibly challenging one, yet there have been so many wonderful things that have also taken place that we are so thankful for.  It is so easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the challenges of our days instead of celebrating the positive aspects.  This is something that I am working on myself.  The reality is that we have faced a pandemic, new testing platforms, challenging behaviors, new initiatives, and a lack of toilet paper to name just a few. But, we have also returned to school in person when others around the country have not, we have immersed our CD students into general education specials and lunch classes successfully, we laughed at Staff Bingo together, held amazingly successful drive through and off campus parent events, started catching our students up academically, managed to build relationships with students even though we are wearing masks, celebrated the birth of babies and some marriages, and jumped in and helped each other out when they needed it.

James and I are so thankful to work at such a special school.  You all are the reason it is so special.  The culture here is just different.  It feels like family.  This is what makes the tough days possible to get through.  We can't thank you enough for showing up each day ready to tackle the obstacles that come our way with a positive attitude, a willingness to jump in and help when needed,  laughter at the end of the day when we debrief about the craziness, and a relentless passion to still give our Cubs a quality education despite the pandemic.  To show you just a bit of our love we have planned two activities for this week.  

On Tuesday, there will be a turkey feather hunt around campus.  Be on the lookout for clipart turkey feathers that contain a reason we are thankful for you on them.  Collect one of these feathers and turn it in to the office.  When you turn the feather in it will be added to our turkeys on the chalkboard and you will be rewarded with a gift card!  There are only 16 feathers hidden, so look carefully!

On Wednesday, we have ordered individual personal size pies for you.  Please stop by the staff lounge to select your pie and grab some whipped cream to take to go.  We hope this yummy treat gets you through your day!

Textbook Adoption:

We will be meeting on Tuesday during your planning periods to discuss the beginning steps of textbook adoption.  Please plan to meet where your team has placed your sample materials.  You will need to bring your blue BEST standards booklet with you and program planners will need to bring a copy of the paper rubrics.  

Weekly Schedule:

Have a great week!

-Keli and James

School Messages 11.22.2020

 Good afternoon Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with a few short messages for this week.

First, remember that we have school 3 days this week, Monday - Wednesday.  Our students and staff have Thursday and Friday off for a short Thanksgiving break.  We hope everyone will be able to have some family time and has things they can be thankful for.

I am very thankful for our DCES staff, families, and students.  This has been a very complicated year and we have had a lot of obstacles to overcome.  Still the DCES school community has done everything we can to stay positive.  We have been trying hard to remember that we can't control the circumstances that we are in, but we can control our attitudes and I have been very proud of our Cubs.

Last, I have attached the December Newsletter to the email that comes with this email.  Thank you all for listening and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.  I will see our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

https://sites.google.com/yourcharlotteschools.net/dces/december

Phone Message 11.15.2020

 Good afternoon to all of our Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with some announcements for next week. 

Last week was a crazy week and we are happy that storm Eta got out of Punta Gorda without causing much damage.  I was proud of our Cubs as they were able to show GRIT and keep learning despite being out of normal school week routine. I was especially proud of them the way they handled our November Fire Drill on Friday.  I was out watching all the areas and our Cubs were Ready and Responsible.  We were able to evacuate our building in 2 minutes and 15 seconds.  I saw all Cubs listening to their teachers and patiently waiting in the assigned areas.  We practice one fire drill and one unannounced crisis drill each month and they have gone very well.

This Tuesday, November 17th is Fall Picture Day at DCES.  These pictures will be used for our DCES yearbook, so Cubs will need to be in normal school uniform.  Pictures can be purchased online.  The Lifetouch link is available on our DCES Facebook page and will be attached to the email that comes with this phone message.  https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/?fbclid=IwAR2rq3XXBe4HSDl04VUU0aUrrbqaeu930VKFb2zMzdttiud3l6C61pM4mho#/

The picture code for DCES is EVTXHNS7B.  

Last is a reminder of the school calendar this year.  Our students have Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th off this year for Thanksgiving.  We have school Monday - Wednesday that week.  Please unless your child is sick or showing symptoms of sickness, have them at school all day, everyday.  We are working hard to make sure our Cubs learn everything they need to know.

Thank you all for listening.  I hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend and I will see my Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Monday Morning Memo 11.1.20

 Happy Monday!

Cooler air should be headed our way.  A cool breeze is always a reminder to me to slow down and breathe.  As we head into the month of November please remember to stop and breathe.  We have made it through the first quarter of school during an unprecedented time.  We have successfully kept our kids and ourselves healthy, implemented new safety and wellness protocols, learned new testing platforms, and participated in a new initiative of collaborative planning.  It has been busy... but we have made it.  Take a minute... and breathe!  

Reminders:

Professional Development Day:

Tuesday is Election Day and PD day.  Please remember that there will be voters on campus visiting our cafeteria.  You may want to enter and exit from our black gates instead of the main entrance of the school.

Paraprofessionals should have registered to attend the PD session that is being held at the Charlotte Harbor Event Center.  If you have not yet registered, please do so today.

Teachers, you will be participating in various professional development sessions throughout the day.  In the morning we will begin in the media center for a PD session on Freckle that will be presented by Doreen Alvarez and Alicen Rhodes from 8:00-9:00.  Following this session, James and I will remain with you in the media center from 9:00-11:00 to train you in our new observable elements and explain how the observation process will take place this year.

We will take a lunch break from 11:00-12:00.  We have arranged for a bagel sandwich and chips for you.  Please be sure that you have completed the form for Marie to select your sandwich type.  

In the afternoon we will have break out sessions.  A big thank you to our teacher leaders that will be facilitating these sessions.  We know that it is not often we get to select areas that we want to learn more about and get to learn that information from our peers.  We hope you enjoy your afternoon sessions!  The day will wrap up at 3:00.

Testing:

This week begins our second window for STAR progress monitoring.  Students in kindergarten through second grade will be required to test between November 4 and November 13.  ACCESS students are also required to test during this window.  Please complete the google form to designate your testing dates and times if you have not already done this.

Testing Dates and Times Form

If you teach grades third through fifth you may choose to administer the STAR assessment to check in on your students if you wish.  This is not a requirement since you just completed the APM assessment and are continuing to assess your students in ClearSight.  

This Week's Schedule:

Please let us know if you need anything.  Have a great week!

-Keli and James

Phone Message 11.1.2020

 Good afternoon Deep Creek Families.  I hope all of you are enjoying this beautiful first day of November.  Hopefully, everyone remembered to set the clocks back an hour and enjoyed some extra sleep. Also hope that all of our Cubs that celebrated last night are safe and remember to keep their candy at home.  Parents please help us in keeping these treats at home, so our Cub can focus on learning,  

I have heard that we are going to have some cooler weather the next few days and maybe next week.  Remember that any jacket, hoodie or sweater worn in the school building must adhere to our agreed upon dress code.  However, if a family does not have the proper dress code jackets these can be worn on the way to school, on the playground, at PE or any outside activity where it may be chilly.  Once we get back in the school building these items that don't meet dress code will need to be taken off.  Please remember to write your child's name inside the jacket as Florida students are not used to keeping track of these items and often leave them on campus.  If your family is in need of a jacket we did get jackets donated that we can give students in the front office.

Remember Tuesday, November 3rd is Election Day.  DCES is used as an election site, so Tuesday is a Professional Development Day for our teachers and our Cubs do not have school.  School will be in session the rest of the week after the election.  The next students day off will be Thanksgiving Day on November 26th.  Unless students are not feeling well or have been exposed to the virus it's so important that they are on time for school and at school every day.  

That concludes the reminders for this week, thank you for listening.  I hope you all have a great Sunday.  I can't wait to see our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Phone Message 10.25.2020

 Good afternoon to our Cubs and their families.  This is Mr. Vernon with messages for the upcoming week,  Let's get right to it.

This week is Red Ribbon Week.  This is were we as a Cub Family pledge to make safe and healthy choices and always stay drug free.  Tomorrow each Cub will receive a Red Ribbon Week Spirit Stick as a reminder of this commitment.  On Wednesday, we are encouraging all Cubs to wear a red shirt with their uniform bottoms.  We will all be proud to wear red together as a symbol of our school wide commitment to stay drug and alcohol free.  Finally on Friday each student will bring a pledge home to share with your families.  Thank you all for your support and working together with DCES to promote healthy choices with our Cubs.

Another fun event this Friday, is once again, Mrs. Skavroneck is taking our Family Reading Center Experience on the road to Pelican SnoBalls. Books will be available for check out and Mrs. Skavroneck will have free books that students can add to their collections.  Please have students returned previously checked out books.  The times of the event are from 3:30 - 6:30pm and Mrs. Skavroneck would love to see all students in their Halloween costumes if they would like.  We hope you can join us for this fun event at Pelican SnoBalls at 4045 Tamiami Trail between the hours of 3:30 - 6:30pm.

Last Friday, was the start of Mrs. Riddell's Book Fair and many students were excited to start shopping.  Students may shop each morning this week before school and during the school day during their scheduled Media Center time.  The last day for the book fair will be Friday, October 30.  If you would like to use a virtual option remember that Mrs. Riddell sent home a flyer explaining the ewallet that is available for book purchase.  

Just a reminder that Election Day is upcoming on Tuesday, November 3rd.  There is no school for students on that day as the school is used for voting and DCES teachers will be using the day for Professional Development.  Also this week will conclude the first quarter of this school year and teachers will be finalizing grades next weekend.  Encourage our Cubs to as always, reach for Nothing Less Than Their Success.

I'll finish by again making sure that we all know that costumes are not permitted at school this week.  We will have our traditional Character Parade during Celebrate Literacy Week later this school year.  I did also attach a copy of the November Newsletter to the email that comes with this phone message. Thank you all for listening.  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and I will see our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning. 

November Newlstter

https://sites.google.com/yourcharlotteschools.net/dces/november

Phone Message 10.11.2020

 Good afternoon Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with a few announcements and reminders for our upcoming week.  

Let's start with some fun.  As you know, we can not host our normal Family Reading Center Experiences on our school campus as has occurred in years past.  However, it is still so important that our Cubs stay excited about reading and books.  Mrs. Skavroneck knows this and is hosting a Family Reading Center event off campus at Pelican's Snoballs from 3:30 - 5:30pm this Wednesday.  Please stop by and have your Cubs check out some books and get a free book for their home library. There is no purchase necessary to participate in this event. However, if parents would like to to buy a snow cone they will receive $1.00 off each child's snow cone purchased. Pelican's Snoballs is located at 4045 Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte.

This week health screenings are scheduled for some Cubs in Kindergarten, First and Third grades.  Our school nurse, Nurse Capo, has orchestrated these screenings with assistance from some county health officials.  Schedules have been created and these screenings will take place during school hours.  Other grade levels will have the same opportunity the week of October 24th.  We will honor all forms that have come back to school where parents have refused the screening.

I'll finish with a reminder that we do have school tomorrow.  Our original calendar had tomorrow as a teacher work day.  That teacher work day has been canceled and all schools will be in session tomorrow.  The next student day off is November 3, which is election day.  Just in case, there is a link to the updated school calendar attached to the email that comes with this phone.  

https://www.yourcharlotteschools.net/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=39823&dataid=37993&FileName=Revised%202020-21%20Reg%20Calendar%20-Board%20Approved%207.30.2020.pdf

I hope all of our families enjoy the rest of the weekend.  Make sure our Cubs know that remember to do their best every day and to show GRIT.  Our Cubs never give up when things get difficult. They show GRIT and don't quit.  Thank you all for listening, I can't wait to see our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Phone Message 10.4.2020

 Good afternoon Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with two quick announcements for this coming week.

Our second SAC/PTO meeting of the school year is this Tuesday, October 6th at 5:30pm.  Remember that all parents are welcome to attend.  The meeting will be held virtually, through Google Meets and the link is included in the email that comes with this phone message.  

meet.google.com/npm-vptp-ynt

Also attached to the email will be this the October DCES Newsletter.  Each month the newsletter is posted on our DCES website under the Family Resource tab.  In the newsletter, you can find a message from Mrs. Sare and I, grade level information, our Student Leaders of the Month and much more.  Again the link will be attached in the email that comes with this phone message.  

https://sites.google.com/yourcharlotteschools.net/dces/october

Speaking of the October Newsletter it is amazing that we are already in the month of October. Teachers and students have been hard at work mastering grade level standards.  Parents you can help your child's achievement in many ways.  Two ways are Attendance and being on time each morning.  This is so important for our students' success.  We know that many students have had to stay home due to illness, but we need them at school all other days.  Also, please make sure students are on time to start their days confidently without missing classroom activities. If your child is eating breakfast at school getting them here by 8am is a necessity to be in class on time.  Thank you for your assistance and helping our students be Ready and Responsible. 

Please know we appreciate all our families and the partnership we share in helping our children reach Nothing Less Than Their Success.  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.  I can't wait to see our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful students tomorrow morning.

 Good afternoon Cub Families,

This is Mrs. Sare with our messages for our upcoming week. This week is a quiet week for our Cubs with no major activities scheduled.  Students have settled into learning and are doing an amazing job with all of our new health and safety protocols.  We couldn't be more proud of them.  Many Cubs have been sent to the office with positive leadership awards. We can't wait to see which students visit Mr. Vernon and me in the office this week!

Now that we have gotten into academics and wrapped up beginning of the year assessments, our students are starting to face some academic challenges.  They have been learning about the word grit.  According to researcher Angela Duckworth, "Grit is passion and perseverance for long term goals.  Grit isn't talent.  Grit isn't luck.  Grit is holding steadfast to your goal even when you fall down or mess up."  Our Cubs are growing in this mindset.  They are learning that not everything is easy.  But with practice and hard work and the mindset that we will not give up when things are hard we can make progress toward our goals.  Attached to our Facebook post and email message for today's call there will be a link to books that help teach students about this mindset.  Many of these books have great read alouds on YouTube that would be great to listen to as a family.  We hope that you can check some of them out.

Our October newsletter has been posted to our website.  This newsletter can be found on the website by clicking on "Family Resources." This newsletter provides a lot of resources each month such as information from each grade level and specials teams about what students are learning and information and resources from our mental health staff. 

Mark your calendars!  Next week on October 6 at 5:30 pm we will be hosting our next SAC and PTO virtual meetings.  We welcome all parents that would like to attend.  A link to join us on Google Meets will be sent out in next Sunday's call and also be posted to Facebook.  These meetings are a great way to hear about what is happening at school and offer your input.  

Last week our Cubs arrived showing us what it looked like to be READY by being on time with the right tools and mindset.  This evening talk with them about being RESPONSIBLE.  We tell our Cubs that they are responsible for their actions and their learning by following school expectations and putting forth the effort to achieve goals they have set.  Ask your Cub how they are doing with their Live School points and don't forget to check out those books and videos on grit and growth mindset!  I hope that you have a great rest of your day and I can't wait to see our responsible Cubs tomorrow morning!

Phone Message 9.20.20

Phone Message 9.20.20 

Good afternoon Cub Families,

This is Mrs. Sare, your Assistant Principal, with our messages for the week.  This week is a quiet week with our Cubs settling into their school routines and wrapping up beginning of the year assessments.  Thank you for continuing to make sure that your Cub has their face mask each day!  They have been doing an amazing job wearing their mask responsibly and making sure to clean their hands each day.

This Friday, September 25, from 7:30-8:15 am we have a special drive through event that will be taking place in our parent drop off loop.  It is "Dad's Take Your Child To School Day" which is organized across our state by the Florida Department of Education.  Deep Creek Elementary would like to invite dad's, or any other special adult in our Cubs lives, to bring their child to school on Friday.  As you loop through our parent drop off you will visit stations to receive a free book from our Family Reading Center, participate in a photo opportunity, and receive a snack and an activity sheet to save for after school to complete together.  We hope to keep our drop off line still running smoothly and quickly.  If you plan to participate in our drive through event with us on Friday we ask that you remain in your car and that you keep the line moving quickly as you pass through each station.  At the photo booth station we ask that you have your driver's side windows rolled down and that you have your child or children seated near the driver's side back seat window so all of you can lean forward and our volunteer can snap your photo which will later be shared on Facebook.  We are very thankful to Mrs. Skavronek who worked hard to find a way to still have our families participate in this annual event.  She has a special google form posted to our website that she would love to have you complete to record that you participated in this event.

https://sites.google.com/yourc.../family-reading-center/home

This year our Cubs have been learning more about what it takes to be a ready, responsible, and respectful Cub.  As we spend this afternoon and evening preparing for the start of a new school week ask your Cub to share with you how they will be "ready" for school with the right tools and the right mindset.  Help them tidy up their backpacks, check their planners, and organize their supplies.  See if they can share with you what it means to have grit and perseverance.  We have learned that although there may be things that we may not be able to do that it is just that we can't do them "yet."  With the right mindset and a belief that with practice we can get a little bit better each day that our Cubs can accomplish amazing things this year.  I hope that you have a great rest of your weekend.  I am looking forward to seeing our READY Cubs at school tomorrow morning!

Phone Message 9.13.2020

 Good afternoon this is Mr. Vernon calling with a few messages for the third week of the school year.  The first two weeks have gone remarkably well and I have been so proud of our students and staff.  We know there have been many new things, but our school has accepted the mission and has had positive attitudes.  I am a very proud principal.

Some of the most important items at Deep Creek are being Ready, Responsible and Respectful.  Please help our Cubs be Ready each day by having them at school each day on time.  We want students in their seats Ready to learn at 8:20am.  This means students that are parent drop off need to be dropped off by 8:15am as they need time to walk to their classes.  Any student dropped off after 8:15am will end up being late to their classrooms.  Starting tomorrow we will be shutting the Parent Pickup gate at 8:15am.  Any families arriving after 8:15am will have to park and walk their child into the front foyer to get a late pass.  We don't want to make things difficult, but we want to stress the importance of being always be Ready to our Cubs.  This is such an important life skill and we thank you for partnering with us to help your students understand.

Another extremely important thing at DCES is Nothing Less Than Our Succes.  Our Cubs understand that the road to success is reached by giving their best and showing GRIT.  This past week and this coming week students have been completing new STAR assessments, Diagnostic Reading Assessments and Fluency Assessments.  All of these assessments will help us see students' current academic levels and determine the path to help each of them grow.  Like everything we do, it is important to do their best and show GRIT, especially when questions are challenging. Parents please help us stress the importance of doing their best and showing GRIT at home as well.  Again, we are partners helping our Cubs grow.

Last, I want to inform parents that we will have our 2nd fire drill this week and the first safety drill this week.  We practice one fire drill and one safety drill a month.  The goal is to make sure we are calmly prepared if we ever have an emergency.  

Thank you all for listening.  I hope you all have a relaxing Sunday night.  I am looking forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs tomorrow.  

Phone Message 9.6.20

 Good afternoon Deep Creek Families,

This is Mrs. Sare, your Assistant Principal, with a few messages.  It has been so wonderful to have our Cubs back on campus.  They have done an amazing job with getting back into the school routine.  The hearts of our staff have been filled back up to hear the kiddos laughing and having fun learning. It just wasn’t the same without them in our buildings.

Just a reminder, we do not have school this Monday in observance of Labor Day.  We hope that you and your family and are enjoying the long weekend.  

We will be hosting our first School Advisory Council meeting and Parent Teacher Organization meeting on Tuesday evening.  The SAC meeting will begin at 5:30 pm and the PTO meeting will follow directly after.  These meetings will be hosted virtually through Google Meets.  The purpose of these two committees is to hear about the current status of our school, assist administration in making decisions related to the school, and to provide assistance in the planning and facilitation of events. We hope that you can join us.  The link for this meeting will be posted to Facebook and through email connected to this phone message.  If you do not have a personal google account you can still join us, but you will not be able to use a mobile device and will need to access the meeting via phone or a computer.  

meet.google.com/cer-swzr-czh

In order to keep our Cubs safe we wanted to remind you that we do not have supervision for students prior to 7:35 unless your child attends our Cub Club program.  Please do not drop off students until 7:35 am. If you arrive early, you will need to remain with your student in the car until staff is present on the drop off loop.  

Our gate at the front of the school closes each morning at 8:15 am.  Once this gate closes, parents will need to ring the bell on the pole at the driver’s side of your vehicle near the gate and state your purpose for visiting the campus.    Once you park, you must show identification at the bell and camera inside our lobby to enter the office.  Please be sure that you have identification with you anytime you visit our school.

Masks are required on all Charlotte County Public Schools campuses.  If you are on campus to pick up your child and are out of your vehicle you will need to have a mask on as well.  Please be sure that you have yours on if you are walking onto our campus grounds.  

Mr. Vernon and I are looking forward to week two!  Our Cubs have learned a lot about how to be a ready, responsible, and respectful Cub during week one and they are starting to get to visit us in the office for a positive leadership award for standing out as a student that is displaying these characteristics in their classrooms.  We know this week they will continue to strive for nothing less than their success and will live these 3 Rs.  We can’t wait to see them Tuesday!  Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Phone Message 8.30.2020

 Good afternoon Cub families,

This is Mr. Vernon calling from Deep Creek Elementary.  I am so excited that today I am getting to call you to welcome you back school.  Mrs. Sare and I are incredibly excited to see all of our Cubs and their smiling faces this week.  Just a reminder, students in grades first through fifth and pre-K will be starting school tomorrow, August 31.  Our new kindergarten students will be joining us on Tuesday, September 1.  School is going to be just a little bit different this year, but with our mission possible attitude we know that we can still have fun and enjoy learning together as a Cub family.

I have a few important pieces of information I wanted to be sure to review with you one more time before the big first day of school.  First, breakfast service opens at 7:35 and runs until our school bell chimes at 8:20.  Students that are not eating breakfast should arrive at school between 7:50 and 8:15 so that they can head straight to their classrooms.  When students arrive to campus by bus, car, as a biker or a walker they will need to have a mask on as they step onto campus.  We can’t wait to see what mask each of our Cubs chooses to wear on the first day.

Please remind your child that when they arrive to school that we will have several student safety patrols stationed around campus wearing yellow patrol belts as well as adults that will have class lists and will be able to help find their new classrooms.  You should have received a post card during our drive through event or in the mail that states your child’s teacher’s name and room number.  We are asking that you please send your child to school with this postcard.  On the postcard there is a section in red writing that asks for the way that your child will be going home from school.  It is very important that you fill this out so that your child’s teacher gets them home safely the first day!

You will also notice that we have a new gate at the front of our school this year.  This gate will be open in the mornings until the conclusion of morning drop off.  Once the gate closes, if you visit the campus you will need to pull up to the gate and ring the doorbell located on the pole.  When the front office staff member answers you will need to state your name and your reason for visiting the campus.  The gate will open and you will be able to park.  You will then need to ring the second doorbell at the office door and show your identification.  In the afternoons, the gate will be open at 2:00 pm to allow our parent pickup to begin forming.  

Our school begins dismissal procedures at 2:50 pm.  Because of our school’s location on Harborview Road we often have delays at the start of the school year for parent pickup.  Please know that we will need you to have a little bit of patience and understanding with us as we make sure that all of our Cubs get home safely.  If you were unable to pick up a parent pickup card from us last week, please be prepared to pull up and park in our lot and show us your identification.

That was a lot of information, so thank you for listening.  I may not be able to sleep tonight as I have the excited first day jitters.  Tomorrow is going to be a great day!  I can’t wait to see our ready, responsible, and respectful Cubs.

Phone Message 8.23.2020

 Good afternoon Cub Families. This is Deep Creek principal, James Vernon, with some information as we approach our last week of preparation for the school year. It has been too long since we have seen our Cubs and we can't wait to see them on the first day.  If you don't already, please remember to follow our Deep Creek website at yourcharlotteschools.net/DCE and also our Deep Creek Elementary Facebook page as updated information is included on these locations.  This week on our website the Title I Open House video and a video from Mrs. Sare and I will be posted with a back to school message.  Also included are several links with information regarding the upcoming school year.  Hopefully, these videos will answer some more of your questions.

Now that Charlotte Virtual School has closed registrations class rosters will be finalized and sorted and post cards will be mailed home Tuesday to families.  Also on Tuesday, starting at 12pm and ending at 6pm, we are hosting a drive through on the school bus ramp.  At this time parents can obtain parent pick up cards, our new DCES ID cards, free keeper books from our Family Reading Center and off drop Chromebooks that are still out.  We also will have new shoes available to our families that need them.  Bus information should be available later this week, it is doubtful it will be ready for Tuesday as transportation will also be finalizing routes now that Charlotte Virtual School has concluded registration.  

Our new kindergarten students do not need to attend this drive through as they should have a scheduled meeting with kindergarten teachers on Friday, August 28th.  If you are a new kindergarten family, please call the school on Tuesday if you do not have a meeting scheduled.  

Last, remember school starts on Monday, August 31st for all students in 1st - 5th grades.  Our new kindergarten students will start school on Tuesday, September 1st.  Once again please be sure to log on to our DCES website for the Open House video and other information starting tomorrow.  Thank you all for listening and please be sure to tell our Cubs that I am so excited to see them and finally get this school year started.  Have a great evening.

Phone Message 7/26/2020

Good afternoon to all of our Cub families.    This is your principal, James Vernon, and I am hoping that all of our families have stayed healthy and have been able to enjoy their summer.  I know these times have been unusual and changes in our routines have been challenging.

This week our district shared their newly updated Health and Wellness Protocols. You can find them on Charlotte County Public School's website, our school website, and on our school's Facebook page.  You also should have received the notification that our students’ school start date has been pushed back to August 31^st.  I know the district is working around the clock to finalize the students’ and staff’s new calendars and I will get information out to our families as soon as I can.

I appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue forming our classes and preparing our school for reopening. I know everyone has understandably strong feelings and emotions about whether or not to bring their children back to our school building. All of these feelings are of course, fine as each family faces different situations

For those of you considering enrolling your child in Charlotte Virtual School or homeschooling. I want you to understand the entire process of each option so you can make an informed decision regarding your child's schooling at least for the first semester of this school year. 

I encourage you to go to their website at https://www.yourcharlotteschools.net/domain/4536 and read through the information provided, especially the FAQs and review the curriculum for which your child will follow. This is probably the most important thing you can do before making a final decision on whether you will register them at CVS, attend school at Deep Creek Elementary, or home school your child.

If you do complete an application for your child to attend CVS, your child will be withdrawn from our school and be placed into Charlotte Virtual School. Once enrolled in Charlotte Virtual School, all parents and students will be required to participate in a virtual orientation and commit to the conditions of enrollment. There is a 21 day grace period for which a student can return to their zoned school.

If you are interested in home education, the most important thing you need to know is that you will be withdrawing your student from Charlotte County Public Schools and taking on the responsibility of educating your child with your curriculum of choice.

Please know that we honor whatever decision you make as a family in regards to your child's schooling, at least for the first semester of this school year.

For those students who will be attending Deep Creek, you can expect a letter or postcard regarding Open House and your child's class placement by the middle of August. To say we are excited to see our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs is a severe understatement!  I know this school year will look different, but our goals of being a Cub Family and reaching Nothing Less Than Our Success will not change.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this message. Have a nice weekend!

Phone Message 5.29.20

Good evening to all of our Deep Creek families.  This is Mr. Vernon with one last message for this crazy school year.  Yesterday, was our official last day and it was great to be able to see most of our students today and our 5th graders on Wednesday.  I learned these past few months that it is no fun to work at an elementary school without our students.  I missed their smiles, their excitement to learn and yes, even the chaos they sometimes cause.  I want to thank all of our families for their patience this school year and the support that I felt as a new principal.  Today was a perfect example, we had to figure out a way to get over 700 students their belongings today.  Which required lengthy, lengthy wait times for many families, but still kindness and patience was shown when you finally got your belongings.  The patience, support, and belief that DCES gets from our parents is special.  Again, thank you for your support as we tried to figured what was best the last three months for our Cubs.  I hope desperately that we get to have our Cubs back to start next school year and I will be sure to keep you all informed over the summer if we get any news from the state.  If you did not get a chance to stop by today and pick up student belongings the school will be open next week from 8am - 3pm for pick up of belongings and drop off of Chromebooks and library books.  Yearbooks are still not in from our printing company, but we will send out a message and a plan as soon as they come in.  Also don't forget about the Summer Slide Challenge.  The Summer Slide paper was placed in all of the student bags from the school and will be posted on the DCES Facebook page and the school website.  I'll close the school year by thank you all one more time for a crazy and memorable school year.  I feel lucky knowing I get to be the Principal of the school with the best students in this county.  I wish all of our 5th graders good luck next year and I absolutely can not wait to see our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs next year.  Have a great summer!

Phone Message 5.17.2020

Good afternoon Deep Creek Cubs.  This is Mr. Vernon calling and I want to make sure we start getting information out to our families about the availability of picking up student belongings and dropping items off that belong to the school.  Teachers have packed bags with student belongings and these bags will be delivered directly to your car in our parent pick up line at the front of our school.  At this time, we also will collect borrowed Chromebooks, MiFi devices and library books, once again directly from your car.  Let's start with 5th grade, our 5th graders get a special time period just to themselves in honor of their promotion from Deep Creek Elementary.  This date and time is Wednesday, May 27th between the hours of 1 - 3pm.  The rest of the school, Pre-K through 4th grade, will come on Friday, May 29th.  Parents may come anytime between the hours of 8am - 1pm.  However, if you or your child wants to to see their classroom teacher, teachers will follow this schedule.  Pre-K/Kindergarten 8 - 9am, First Grade 9 - 10am, Second Grade 10 - 11am, Third Grade 11 - 12pm, and Fourth Grade 12 - 1pm.  Just to confirm, parents of Pre - K through Fourth grade may come at any time on Friday, May 29th between the hours of 8am - 1pm, but if students want to see their teachers, please makes sure to follow the schedule.  We will post the schedule on Facebook and have classroom teachers share with families as well.  This is definitely not the way we wanted to end our school year, but we are excited to see our students once last time before summer.  It is not mandatory to bring them to this pick up, but we would love to see them. 

Once last thing for today, Kindergarten round registration is continuing online, but there still is required paperwork that we need to collect for all incoming kindergartners.  We will be having two drive thru Kindergarten registration events this week.  This will allow parents to complete the additional packet for registration. This will take place on Thursday March 21st from 9-12 pm and Friday March 22nd from 4-6 pm.  Parents/guardians will be able to register and complete all paperwork in their vehicle to ensure all social distancing.  Please be sure to bring the following with you: birth certificate, proof of residency, up to date physical and immunizations.  If you have already emailed/dropped off the registration packet then you do not need to attend. For any questions please email : Scarlett.allen@yourcharlotteschools.net

Thank you all for listening.  Make sure our Cubs know we have two more weeks of elearning and to continue to reach for Nothing Less Than their Success.  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs.

Phone Message 5.10.20

Good afternoon Cub Families,

This is Mrs. Sare with our messages for the upcoming week.  Before we get started, I wanted to wish you Happy Mother's Day if you are serving in the role of mom to one of our Cubs.  I hope you are having a wonderful and restful day.

This week we have an exciting event planned.  On Tuesday, May 12th we will be holding a reverse parade.  Many of our staff members have volunteered to be in our parent pick-up loop from 2:00-4:00 pm to wave to our Cubs as they drive through in their cars with their families.  Due to social distancing recommendations we will have to ask that you remain in your vehicle during the parade.  Our goal of this parade is just to see the smiling faces of our Cubs and spread a little sunshine in their day!  Attached to our Facebook post and email message there will be a direction sheet and a map showing how this parade will work.  If your Cub has books that belong to the media center or to the Family Reading Center please be sure grab those and bring them with you.  Mrs. Riddell and Mrs. Skavroneck will be at the parade to collect your books.  Mrs. Skavroneck has also been working hard to get some new books to hand out.  During the parade there will be stops to pick up a new pencil, a bookmark, and a new book to take home and keep.  We hope to see you there!

We have been working hard on a plan to allow families to pick up items from the school that belong to their child.  We wanted to let you know that May 29th is the date that we have designated to have you drive through the school to return your child's chromebook if they had checked one out and to collect items belonging to your child. These items include their yearbook or class picture if they ordered one as well as any workbooks and materials that are theirs from their classroom.  This pick up and drop off day will be for students in grade Pre-K through 4.More specific information will be coming out to you soon. Our 5th grade students have a special day designated just for them.  Fifth grade parents should have received information from their child's teacher about a special promotion drive through that will be taking place on May 27th.  That will be their day to drive through to drop off items and pick up some special items from their teachers before they head off to middle school.

Last Friday was our virtual Big Bucket Book Bash event.  If you missed it, please be sure to check out the video that is posted to Facebook and to our Specials Hub which can be found on Classlink and on our DCE webpage.  This video shows our students that earned VIP AR status and many fun videos of staff members getting slimmed as a result of our Cubs smashing their April reading challenge.

Finally, we are in the middle of Kindergarten Round-Up.  Charlotte County Public Schools has created an online form on their website and our DCE website that families can fill out to indicate that they have a child that will be enrolling for kindergarten for the 2020-2021 school year.  Once the form is completed, one of our staff members will contact the family with information about the next step of the process.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.  Please tell your Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cub that I miss them and that I am so proud of how hard they have been working!

Kindergarten Round Up

Good morning Deep Creek Families.  I am calling with an update to Kindergarten Round Up.  The registration will not be available today like first reported on last Sunday's call.  Instead, online Kindergarten registration will be available this Monday, May 4th, by accessing the CCPS District website or by accessing our own Deep Creek website. The online registration application does not replace the formal registration process for all new incoming kindergarten students; however, completing the online application will provide the District and each school with the information we need to begin the registration process. Once CCPS can designate days for onsite registration, we will contact you directly using the contact information you provide after completing the online registration application. We will also post the onsite registration dates on the district website and our Deep Creek website. Please make sure you visit the district website or the Deep Creek website frequently for Kindergarten Registration updates. Remember, the online registration application for new incoming Kindergarten students will be available on the District and our Deep Creek website beginning Monday, May 4th.  Have a great weekend. 

Phone Message 4.26.2020

Hello Cub Families, this is Mr. Vernon with a few announcements.  Recently there have been a lot of questions about Kindergarten Round Up.  This Friday, May 1st on the Charlotte County Public Schools website and the Deep Creek Elementary School website there will be a link to complete online registration for incoming Kindergarten students.  This link will also be posted on our DCES Facebook page.  If you have children that will be attending Deep Creek next year, please be sure to start this registration process.  Please also share with any friends who have children that will be joining us as well.  However, due to our school population we are closed for any families that live out side of our school zone.  Families with siblings at the school will need to fill out reassignment paperwork for approval.  The next question is how are we going to get students their belongings from classrooms, now that we know we can't return this school year.  Once we turn to May 1st and we are able to see the governor's decision on the stay at home order, we will start getting information out to pick up belongings.  The plan will have to start with teachers being able to get into rooms and start their summer organization process. From there we will come up with a safe plan for parents to get students' belongings as well as yearbooks that were purchased and 5th grade promotion items.  We will make sure we keep you updated with phone messages, Facebook updates and regular communication from your child's classroom teacher.  We miss our students a lot and thank you for keeping them motivated as they work through learning at home.  Please keep reminding them We are Cubs and we will get through this.  Once again, I can't wait to see our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs.  Have a great night.

Phone Message 4.10.2020

Good morning Cub Families.  Just wanted to make sure you knew that our entire DCES staff is sending warm wishes your way as we work through this challenging time.  Thank you all for your assistance in helping our students and teachers with this new adventure of online schooling. 

I do want to make sure you all know that today is Good Friday and was a holiday on our school calendars.  Students are not required to complete their required minutes of online learning at home today.  However, you are the boss, if you want students working today that is your choice, especially if they need some time to catch up.  Teachers will once again be available next week Monday through Friday during their office hours. 

One last reminder is to not forget that meals are still being served Monday through Friday at Peace River Elementary, Neil Armstrong Elementary, Punta Gorda Middle and LA Ainger Middle in Englewood.  They are not serving today, but will start again Monday at those locations M - F between the hours of 10am - 1pm.  I wish you all a wonderful weekend and again thank you for all your support and patience. 

Phone Message 4.5.20

Good afternoon Cub families,
This is Mrs. Sare with some important messages and updates for this week.  This message is a bit long, so please be sure to listen or read through to the end.  First of all, we hope that you and your family are settling in at home and are staying healthy.  We miss our Cubs so much, but know that right now home is where they need to be!  Thank you for helping our students transition to learning at home.  Giving your kiddos a quiet space to work and a daily schedule to follow will help to set them up for success.  Be sure to add in some brain break time into their schedule too!
With our Governor announcing the new Stay at Home order, many changes have needed to take place here at our school site.  Champ's Cafe will be moving their food service locations.  Starting Monday, April 6th, our Cubs can still pull through to pick up a breakfast and a lunch from Champ's cafe by visiting one of the four designated pick up locations.  These locations are now Peace River Elementary, Neil Armstrong Elementary, Punta Gorda Middle School, and L.A. Ainger Middle School.  Any child 18 years of age or younger can come through the service lines between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm to pick up their meals.  Also as a result of the new order, we are having to close our school office.  Although you will no longer be able to reach us by phone, we want you to know that you may continue to reach out to your child's teacher through Remind and email.  If you have questions that are specific to the office staff they will forward your question to the appropriate staff member.
We wanted to be sure that you are aware of some of the other opportunities that are available for your child from DCE in addition to their core online academic programs.  The first resource is our WCUB news broadcast.  Mrs. Rhodes has worked hard with her Cub Leaders to find a way to bring school news into your home.  Your child can access WCUB by clicking on the icon in their ClassLink account daily.  Parents can also view the news by visiting our DCE Facebook page at 8:00 am daily.  Our specials team is awesome.  In addition to WCUB, they have also made a Specials Hub.  This hub can be accessed through Classlink, our DCE webpage, and through links on Facebook daily at 10:00 am.  Within this hub our special area teachers are placing plans and videos for your child.  There is even a spot where our Cubs can keep checking for new book read alouds that are being completed by our staff members!  Our Scientist of the Week challenge is continuing as well.  Each week on our DCE webpage students can view their grade level's question by visiting eLearning and then clicking on "Weekly Science Questions."  On Friday mornings on WCUB, the scientists will be reviewing the answers to these questions and announcing the names of the student Scientists of the Week.  The child from each grade level that is randomly selected will receive their award and science spirit stick in the mail from Mr. Vernon and me!  We hope your child participates.
Monday starts the Big Bucket Book Bash Challenge.  This year our challenge will be taking place virtually!  This is a great time to snuggle up with some good books or check out a few digital ones in MyOn and take some AR tests.  Please tell your child to read, read, read!
Finally, our quarter three report cards have posted digitally to our Parent Focus Portal.  Teachers have been provided with information to assist you in logging in to this program if you have not done so before.
Alright Cubs.  That is it for now.  We hope that you know that whether we are here at school together or apart in our homes... we are in this together.  We are Cubs!  Stay healthy and enjoy this additional time with your families!

Phone Message 3.29.2020

Good afternoon to all of our Cub Families. We hope all of you are making the best of this situation and are able to stay positive.  We will get through this.  Our DCES staff this week had a mindset that we know we can't control this situation, but we can control how we respond to this situation.  Our choice has been to react in a manner where we stay positive and do whatever we can to help our students.  You should have had some form of communication from your child's classroom teacher this past week.  If you have not, please reach out to your child's teacher and let them know the best way to contact you.  Teacher's email addresses are located on our DCES webpage.  Also on our web page is information on the district's Instructional Continuity Plan and more information on the programs that students will be using.  If you have any questions or issues as this new process of learning is navigated, please reach out for assistance.  We will additionally be posting our WCUB News each morning with messages from the school for our students.  Our morning news can be reached by going to the DCE WCUB Folder on your student's Classlink page.  This Classlink page is also where students will be able to access i-Ready, MyOn and for grades 3 - 5, USA Test Prep.  One other additional item on Classlink will be our DCE Specials folder.  Our specials teachers will be posting activities for students in here each day, Monday through Friday.  Tomorrow, when your child logs into i-Ready they will have access to the diagnostics in both Reading and Math.  This diagnostic is extremely important as it will set the learning paths for your child.  Please make sure that students do their best on these and they do not have any assistance.  If they have help it could set their learning path at a level which will be too difficult for them and if they don't do their best the path could be too easy.  Thank you all for listening and I can't stress enough to reach out to classroom teachers if you need assistance. Remember, we are Cubs and we will work together to make the best of this situation.  Please be sure to tell our Cubs I said hello and to make sure they remember that Cubs are always, Ready, Responsible and Respectful. 

Superintendent's Phone Message 3/17/2020

Below is the content of Superintendent Dionisio's phone call this afternoon to our district's families:

“This is Steve Dionisio Superintendent of Schools.

I am calling with an important message for parents and guardians.

The Commissioner of Education has instructed School Districts to prepare for the possibility to implement an Instructional Continuity Plan if schools must remain closed for an extended period. This means students would need technology at your homes to continue to do their coursework regardless of grade level. In order to implement this plan, the School District must know what parents and guardians have available at their home. We will be placing a survey on our District website later this week to gather this information. We will send another phone message to let you know when the survey is open.

No decision has been made, as of yet by the Commissioner as to how long the students will be out of school. As soon as that decision is made, I will get the information to you.

Charlotte County Schools will continue to do updates through these phone messages as well as placing information on our School and District Websites.”

Phone Message 3/20/2020

Good afternoon to all of our Cub Families.  We know that this Spring Break may not have been what many of us had planned, but we hope that you have had some quality time with your families playing board games and watching movies.  We know this is an uneasy time for many of us, so we are hoping that this call brings you some peace of mind and a reminder that we are Cubs and that we are in this together.

We wish desperately that we were starting school back in person this week, but as you know attending school is currently on hold.  Charlotte County Public Schools is working on a virtual learning plan that will be shared with staff and families next week.  Virtual learning for our students is set to begin on March 30th.  To facilitate virtual learning families will need access to technology and the internet.  We need to know what resources your family currently has so we can assist if possible.  Please be sure that you complete the District survey through the link below no later than Tuesday. If you do not have resources to be able to complete this survey digitally, please call the DCE front office on Monday between 8am and 2 pm to complete it with one of our staff members over the phone.
 http://bit.ly/ccpshometech

Charlotte County Schools and Champ’s Cafe have worked hard this week to get a plan in place to provide food to all students 18 and younger on all regular school days.  On Monday, the COW bus will be set up at the Hampton Point Apartment buildings from 12:30 to 1:00 pm.  Beginning Tuesday and running through April 15th, breakfast and lunch meals will be available for curbside pickup at Deep Creek Elementary School from 10 am to 1 pm.  In order to receive meals, parents must have identification and students under the age of 18 must be present.  Meals will not be available for pickup on Good Friday, April 10th.

As you know, things are changing on a daily basis.  We will do our best to stay in contact with you as we are informed of changes that impact your families.  If you have not already followed our DCE Facebook page please be sure to click the like button!  We will also have read alouds and other fun activities that will be popping up to our Facebook page next week that will allow us to stay a bit connected in these unique times.

Last, remember that We are Cubs and as a school family we will get through this.  We expect all of our Cubs, whether they are at home or at school, to be Ready, Responsible and especially Respectful during this challenging time.  We will get through this and I can’t wait until I see you all back at school.

Phone Message 3/12/2020

Good evening Deep Creek Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with reminders about tomorrow's big day.  We are so excited that the Teddy Bear Picnic is finally here.   The school will be open at 10:45am, but classrooms will not be open for student-led conferences until 11:15am.  Parking will be a challenge and this is why we have the school open at 10:45am.  Parents can visit our Student Expo in the cafeteria or wait in our courtyards until classrooms open at 11:15am.  Also to assist with parking the back Deep Creek Walker gate will be open at 10:45 as well.  Please also remember to plan ahead for food as lines at restaurants in our area may have long lines.  Last, remember that any time you come to the school, please be sure to have your IDs.  We are looking forward to a great day and kicking off a terrific Spring Break.

Phone Message 2.14.2020

Good afternoon Cub Families.  I hope all of you are having a great weekend and will enjoy the extra day off tomorrow in honor of President's Day.  I have a few announcements for the upcoming week.  Let's start with our Title One Survey, we are trying very hard to have the most parents fill out the survey in the whole county.  Remember, it not only help us decide on events for our families, but your child can also earn 100 Liveschool points.  Survey links are on our school website.  Next, two letters will be coming home on Tuesday.  One letter is addressing Smart Watches and other electronics at school.  Please help us remind our Cubs that Smart watches are treated like cell phones. They must be off and kept in backpacks during the school day.  We know communication is important with our Cubs and their homes after school, but we do not want any distractions during the school day.  Thank you for your help keeping our Cubs learning.  The second letter will be about donations for our annual Teddy Bear Picnic Silent Auction.  If you have a business or want to donate a basket for our auction, please make sure to read the letter on donations that will also come home on Tuesday.  Last announcement is about breakfast, if you are dropping off your Cub in the morning and wish for them to eat breakfast at school, please make sure they are dropped off by 8:00am, so they may be in class by 8:20am for instruction.  Breakfast opens as early at 7:35am, and again thank you for your help making sure our Cubs do not miss any class instruction, as our teachers start right at 8:20am.  Last, I hope you all enjoy tomorrow off and I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs Tuesday morning. 

Phone Message 2.9.2020

Good afternoon Cub Families.  I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weekend.  This is Mr. Vernon with announcements for the upcoming week.  Let's start with two exciting events that are coming up.  This Tuesday, our Math Committee, with the help of Publix, is sponsoring Math Night from 5 - 7pm.  Please join us at the Kingsway Publix anytime between 5 - 6:30pm for fun Math activities at our local Publix.  The activities will take up to 30 minutes and our event ends at 7pm, so be sure to give yourself time for the fun.  Also remember to save the date for the Grand Dance.  On, Tuesday February 18th between 6:30pm - 7:30pm our Cubs can bring one person who is Grand in their lives to our dance.  The cost is $5 per Cub and guest and will include an ice cream.  Grand dance forms need to be turned in before this Thursday, February 13th.  Next, if you want to help your Cub earn 100 Liveschool points, please take the time to fill out the Title 1 survey.  The Parent Title 1 survey assists our school in making improvement to DCES each year as we use the data to improve our communication and events for our families.  If you have more than one student you can fill out multiple surveys to earn each child the 100 Liveschool points.  Thank you for your help.  Last, in an effort to keep making parent pick up and parent drop off running smoothly, please remember to be courteous and as patient as possible during these times.  Please take turns letting others turn into the school parking lot off of Harborview and forming the double lines in the parking lot.  We will continue to try our best to make these busy times run as quick as possible.  Again, thank you for your assistance.  That concludes our messages, please enjoy the rest of your Sunday.  I can't wait to see our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.  Have a great night.

Phone Message 2.2.2020

Good afternoon to all of our Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with announcements for this upcoming school week.  First, we had a tremendous turnout for our Annual Glow Run.  We were so excited that we had so much fun and were able to get the run in before the rains.  Thank you to all of our Cubs and families that continue to support our events and make them so successful.  Speaking of fun events, our next one is coming up quickly, which is our Grand Dance.  Save the date of Tuesday, February 18th for our 2nd Annual Grand Dance.  On this night, our Cubs can bring anyone who is "Grand" or important in their life.  Look for information that will be coming home from school very soon.  This Tuesday, is our next SAC/PTO Meeting at 5:30pm in the Media Center.  We will be reviewing our School Improvement Plan and sharing how our students progressed on iReady Math and Language Arts.  Everyone is always welcome to attend these meetings.  Last, I want remind all of our parents dropping off in the morning that the parent drop off gate shuts before 8:20am, as we need all Cubs in their classrooms ready to learn by 8:20am.  If you are running late, please remember to park and sign your Cub into the front office.  Students can not walk across the parking lot by themselves into the school building.  Thank you all so much with your help keeping our Cubs safe.  That concludes our message for today.  I hope you all enjoy the Superbowl, but don't let our Cubs stay up too late because I am looking forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.  Have a great evening.