Phone Message 5.2.2021

 Good afternoon Cub Families and Happy beginning of May.  I can not believe it is already May.  We have five weeks of school left. Remember this year our last day is June 4th because of the late start.  I want to have the best five weeks ever as we have many fun things planned to conclude this school year and still much more to learn.  

This week is the DCES Staff Appreciation Week.  It is a week that we are able to make sure the entire staff at DCES knows we appreciate what they do for our Cubs.  Everyone person at the school serves a role and I couldn't ask for a better staff.  If you see them during pick up or drop off , please let them know you appreciate what they do for our students everyday.  We are lucky.

This Tuesday at 5:30pm we will have the last SAC/PTO meeting of the year.  This meeting is once again virtual and all families are invited to attend.  Just use the link meet.google.com/jjb-goiu-pre and join us at 5:30pm on Tuesday.  We will be holding these meetings in person again next year.  

This week will we again have some grade levels that will be completing end of the year Florida Standards Assessments.  On Tuesday and Wednesday fourth and fifth grade will be completing the Engish-Language Arts Assessment.  Then on Thursday and Friday third grade will be completing the Mathematics Assessment.  Please make sure students get a good night's sleep and are ready to come to school to reach Nothing Less Than Their Success.  

Thank you all for listening.  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning

Phone Message 4.25.2021

 Good afternoon Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with a quick announcement for the upcoming week.

This Tuesday, April 26 Mrs. Skavroneck will be holding another Mobile Book checkout at Pelican Sno- Cones.  Join her in picking out another book for your child between the hours of 3 - 6pm.  Thank you to Mrs. Skavroneck for holding all of these events and for the numerous families that attend.  It's so important to keep making sure our Cubs understand the power of reading.  

We are quickly speeding to the end of this school year and our Cubs have been doing a great job making sure they remember that We are Cubs and are a school family.  There has been some bumps on the road, but we work hard to learn from them.  I am also proud that our Cubs have been working hard to achieve Nothing Less Than Their Success.  I have seen many students showing GRIT, not giving up, and doing their best on state assessments.  Please let them know I am proud of them all.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Phone Message 4.18.2021

 

Good afternoon, this is Mr. Vernon with announcements for the upcoming week.

I am proud of all of our students state assessments have been taking place over the last few weeks.  Our third, fourth and fifth grade students have been showing GRIT and doing their best as they have been completing the different assessments.  Our Kindergarteners, first graders and second graders have done a real nice job of being flexible with their schedules and making sure they are moving around campus at a level zero so their voices will not disturb the older students.  Testing continues this week as our third graders will be completing the SAT 10, which is an important reading test for fourth grade placement.  I know the third graders will do great.

This week is also the start of Kindergarten round up.  If you have a student that will be starting kindergarten next year, this is the week to come in the front office and register.  The office will be ready for K registration between the hours of 9am and 1pm all this week.  Please let family and friends know if they have students that will be Kindergarten ready.  This registration will be only for students who live in the Deep Creek Elementary district, the school is closed due to enrollment numbers in kindergarten for families that live out of the DCES district.

Yearbook sales have been booming.  There is an $18 presale still in place until April 24, after that they will increase to $20.  We ordered a limited amount this year, so they are on their way of selling out.  To ensure your child receives a yearbook, please go online to http://ybpay.lifetouch.com/ and use the school code 12884421.  Remember fifth graders do not need to purchase one, as they will be in included in the fifth grade graduation package, which was free this year.

This is a reminder for our parents that have students that walk from our Deep Creek Walker and Harbour Heights walker gates.  If your student is in Kindergarten or first grade, they must be met at the gate and the person picking them up must have a DCES parent pick-up card.  If the card is not present, a license will need to be available in place of the card; second through fifth graders may walk themselves home.

Finally, transportation has had a difficult keeping our school buses full with drivers.  On many occasions, buses have not been able to operate due to lack of drivers.  This causes students to ride other buses and drivers to add stops to their routes.  This has caused a delay in getting students home at their scheduled times.  If you know or are interested in a position as a Charlotte County Bus driver, please use the following link to apply for a position

https://charlotteschools.ted.peopleadmin.com/hire/index.aspx

 

Thank you all for listening.  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Phone Message 3.28.2021

 Good evening to all of our Cub Families. I have a few announcements for this upcoming week.

Remember there is no school this Friday, April 1 in observance of Good Friday.  Students have a three day weekend and will return to school Monday, April 5.

Teachers were at the school yesterday completing report cards for the conclusion of the 3rd quarter.  3rd quarter report cards will be available for parents to view on April 5.  It is amazing to think that tomorrow we start the last quarter of this school year.  As always, I encourage all of our students to be at school all day, every day as we finish the school year.

One last reminder, we will be holding our traditional Teddy Bear Picnic this Thursday, April 1. It will look different this year as we can not have guests on campus.  Instead students will be having the picnic with their classrooms in our courtyards.  Students will be getting their regular free lunch from the cafeteria and then bringing it outside to eat with their classmates. Please have your child bring a towel or blanket to sit on during lunch.  They also may bring their teddy bear to join them. We look forward to our next Teddy Bear Picnic where hopefully our families can join us for this tradition.  

Thank you all for listening.  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.  

Phone Message 3.21.2021

 Good afternoon Cub Families.  I hope you all are having a great weekend.  I also hope all of our Cubs enjoyed their Spring Break and are ready to get back to school.  We still have a lot of learning to do and I am excited to get back to it and finish this school year strong.  I know it's going to be a great end.

Just a couple of announcements this afternoon.  This Friday, March 26 Mrs. Skavroneck has organized the next Family Reading Center Experience.  Join us at Laishley Park on Friday between the hours of 3:30 - 7pm for the Spring Fling Book Experience in the Park .  There will be free books and small prizes.  If you would like bring a blanket, chairs and a dinner and picnic in the park.  Again 3:30 - 7:00pm on Friday the 26 at Laishley Park in Punta Gorda.  

As we come back to school tomorrow and as we finish the year attendance, as always, is so important.  Please remember to have your child in school all day, every day unless they are ill.  Instruction starts each day as soon as the bell rings at 8:20am, so please have students at school in plenty of time to be in their seats ready to learn by 8:20am.  

I don't know how many college basketball fans we have out there, but I got up early today and got all my work done so I could watch March Madness for the rest of the day. If basketball isn't your thing, I hope all of our families enjoy the rest of their weekend in some manner.  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.  

Phone Message 3.7.2021

 Good afternoon Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon hoping you all are having a nice weekend.  I'll keep this phone message short as I only have a few announcements.

This Thursday, March 11 we will be receiving the orders for our Otis school fundraiser.  We will be organizing pick up of these items from 4 - 6 pm in front of the school.  To keep with our restrictions you will just have to pull up and we will deliver the products to your car.  If the delivery comes early enough we will try to organize products for our parent pick up students and bring them out during this time.  This may slow parent pick up on Thursday, so thank you in advance for your patience.    Again, if your child sold items during the Otis fundraiser, pick up of these products will be between 4 - 6pm this Thursday, March 11.  We will send out more reminders this week on the DCES Facebook page.

Last, this week will be our last week of school before spring break.  Spring Break is March 15 - March 19.  Students will return to school on Monday, March 22.  I won't do a phone message next Sunday, so I hope everyone has a good spring break and enjoys time with their families and friends.  I also hope it will give all of our Cub Family a chance to refresh and come back ready to finish the year strong.  I really miss our school events where we can have interactions with our Cub Families, but I do think we have made the best of a challenging school year.  I thank all of our families for their help and understanding as we have navigated through all the challenges.  Thank you all.

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

Phone Message 2.28.2021

 Good afternoon to all of our Cub Families and the DCES staff.  This is Mr. Vernon with announcements for the upcoming week.  

This week we will be encouraging a love for reading by celebrating Dr. Suess week.  Dr. Suess was born on March 2 , 1904.  If you have ever read a Dr. Suess book you will remember that they are so fun to read.  They contain so many rhyming phrases, made up silly words, quirky illustrations and learning lessons.  For example, did you know "Green Eggs and Ham only uses 50 different words, which makes it a great book for beginning readers.  Do you also know that he wrote "Cat in the Hat" because he was concerned about students learning to read and wanted to write a book that a child did not want to put down 

This week DCES will celebrate the importance of reading and have some fun in the process. Thank you to Mrs. Riddell and the DCES Literacy Leadership Team for coming up with some fun events that will help provide excitement for reading.  Tomorrow there is a recording of me reading, "If I Ran the Zoo." which is definitely a book with rhyming and crazy made up animals.  Students will be getting some animal crackers that can be snacked on while listening to my recordings.  Tuesday, we were honored to have past DCES Media Specialist, Mr. Treader read, "The Sneetches" and students and staff will wear a star with a word that defines their uniqueness.  Wednesday we have Mrs. Sare reading, "Wacky Wednesday" and students may come to school with Wacky hair in celebration.  Thursday will be a slideshow of staff sharing their favorite Dr. Suess books and finally Friday students may wear a Dr. Suess shirt with their uniform bottoms if they have one.  

We are looking forward to a great week.  

For planning purposes, we are two weeks from the start of Spring Break.  Spring Break is March 15 - March 19.  Students return to school on Monday, March 22.  Unfortunately, we will not be having our normal traditional Teddy Bear Picnic the Friday before Spring Break.  We do have plans for an altered Teddy Bear Picnic with our students later in the school year.

I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend.  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Phone Message 2.21.2021

 Good afternoon Cuc Families.  I hope you all are having a great weekend and once again enjoying the beautiful weather.  I have friends and family spread across the US and we by far have the most to be thankful for when it comes to the weather.

Speaking of thankful I am extremely thankful for all of our families' help this year in regards to sicknesses.  I know some of the protocols that we have had to put in place this school year are inconvenient.  We will be continuing in the same manner the rest of the school year, but attendance is still important to us.  Please of course keep your child home if they are medically excluded from school or show any symptoms of sickness at home.  All other times, please make sure students are here at school all day, every day.

Mrs. Skavroneck is holding another mobile family reading center check out this Wednesday, February 24 at Harbour Heights Park.  She will be at the park from 3:00pm - 5:30pm.  Stop by to check out books and get a keeper book.  3pm - 5:30pm this Wednesday at Harbour Heights Park.

Also, don't forget about the Parent Title One Survey that is still continuing.  Please be sure to earn your child 100 LiveSchool points and give us valuable feedback to keep improving Deep Creek Elementary School.  I once again have sent the link to the survey in the email that comes with this phone message.    https://surveys.panoramaed.com/charlottecounty/login

Last, for planning purposes, Spring Break will begin on Monday March 15 and students will return to school Monday, March 22.  Teddy Bear Picnic is normally scheduled on the Friday before the start of Spring Break.  Unfortunately we will not be having the Teddy Bear Picnic this year in the normal setting as we can not allow parents and families on campus.  We are currently planning a way that we can have something similar with our students that afternoon during lunch.  We will sending more information out in the near future.

Thank you all for listening.  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Phone Message 2.7.2021

 Good afternoon to all of our Cub Families.  I hope all of you are enjoying the weekend.  I'll keep today's message short as I know many of you are excited to be getting ready for the Super Bowl.  

This Tuesday, February 9 is the next virtual SAC/PTO meeting.  We will begin at 5:30pm and the link is posted in the email that comes with this phone message and also on the DCES Facebook page and DCES webpage.  Topics will include an updated school report and mid year student achievement data.  Remember all are welcome to use the link and join.  https://meet.google.com/psb-phbg-jhq?authuser=0

Next, this Wednesday, February 10, Mrs. Skavroneck has another mobile book checkout planned at Pelican's Snowcones on Tamiami Trail.  Times are from 3:30 - 5:30pm.

Last, just for planning purposes remember we do not have school on Monday, February 15 in honor of President's Day.

That's it for announcements. If you are going to be watching, I hope you all enjoy the Super Bowl.  Since my Browns were eliminated, I am just rooting for a blow out, so all of you put your kids to bed at halftime. I look forward to seeing our well rested,  Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning. Have a great evening.

Phone Message 1.31.2021

 Good afternoon to all of our Cub Families.  It's another beautiful weekend and I hope you all are enjoying it.  I have a few quick announcements for this coming week.  

First, Monday will conclude our Otis fundraiser.  Please make sure all order forms are turned into school.  The front office has been working to get prizes out to students.  Thank you all for your support of the fundraiser.  

Next, a flyer will be coming home this Take Home Tuesday with a QR Code to complete the annual Parent Survey for DCES.  Once you complete the form please send the flyer back to school so that your child can earn 100 Liveschool points.  For two years in a row DCES has had the most parents complete this survey, please help us lead the way for a third straight year and give us valuable feedback to keep improving our school.

Just for planning purposes the next SAC and PTO meeting is Tuesday, February 8th at 5:30pm.  The meeting will be virtual and the link to the meeting will be included in next week's phone message and posted on Facebook.  The topic for the SAC Meeting will be an updated school report and sharing of our Mid-Year data.  Remember all parents are invited to attend.

The link to February's Newsletter is attached to the email that comes along with the phone message.

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

Thank you all for listening.  I am looking forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

Phone Message 1.17.2021

 Remember tomorrow we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and there is no school for staff and students.  School will resume Tuesday, January 19.

On Tuesday we will begin our traditional Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough Fundraiser.  Fundraising envelopes will be coming home with your students Tuesday afternoon.  These packets will contain all the information about this years fundraiser including prizes for students, merchandise and dates.  The dates for this year's sales are Tuesday, January 19 - Monday, February 1.  This year's fundraiser will be different as the sales will take place online.  Once again, please take a look at the envelopes that come home Tuesday.  As always we thank you for your support and of course understand this year that many jobs have been affected and this fundraiser may not be possible for some of our families.  

I want to continue to remind families that January 25 - January 29 is Celebrate Literacy Week.  Flyers and information came home, but I especially want to keep reminding parents of the January 29 Character Parade where students can dress like up like a character in their favorite book.  The parade will take place that Friday morning and students will be showing off their character costumes to their friends as we parade through our campus.  We will keep reminding families as the event approaches.

The last message is for families who drop off their children in the morning for Parent Drop Off.  We must close the front gate at 8:18am as I need our staff and students in classroom to start instruction at 8:20am.  If I keep that gate open any longer staff and students will be late to class.  If you arrive after this time you must walk your child into the office and sign them in.  I appreciate your understanding as many classrooms start their Math and Reading blocks at 8:20am and I do not want to have classroom instruction time missed.  Thank you for helping getting our Cubs to class on time.

Thank you all for listening if you are football fans I hope you all have enjoyed the playoffs and that you all are rooting for the Cleveland Browns this afternoon.  I hope our Cubs enjoy the extra day off and I look forward to seeing all my Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs Tuesday morning.

Phone Message 1.10.2021

 Good afternoon Cub Families.  I hope you all are enjoying the cool weather and having a wonderful weekend.  

We have some exciting events coming up this week.  Join us Tuesday, January 12 at Harbour Heights park for the Mobile Family Reading Center.  Mrs. Skavroneck will be at the park with some free books and giving out 25 Liveschool points to all students that check out a book.  The hours we will be at the park are 3:00 - 5:30pm.  Another exciting event is our postponed WinterFest Drive Thru, which will be at the school on Thursday, January 14 between 4:30 and 6:30pm.  Stop by anytime between these hours for free hotdog, chips and Pelican’s rainbow snowball for students, books, activity packet and lots of fun.  Families will not get out of cars, but will drive thru for these treats.  We are looking forward to seeing our Cub Families at these two events.

Also on Tuesday, January 12 is picture retake day.  Any new students or students wishing to take new pictures can go to mylifetouch.com and use the code EVT978TV9 to place an order. Remember these pictures are for the DCES Yearbook, so all students must be in school uniform.  

Next Monday, January 18 there is no school as staff and students have the day off to honor Martin Luther King Jr.  

One last reminder to help families plan ahead is a reminder that January 25 - January 29 we will be Celebrating Literacy Week at DCES.  There will be fun activities throughout the week and the week will end on January 29 with a character parade. Students will be able to dress like a character from their favorite book.  More information will be coming, but this will allow families to start helping students think of their favorite characters.

Thank you all for listening and have a great rest of your Sunday.  I am going to enjoy it watching some NFL playoffs and finally rooting for my Cleveland Browns in the playoffs!  I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning. 

Phone Message 1.3.2021

 Good afternoon and Happy New Year to all Cub Families.  This is Mr. Vernon with a quick message for this week.

Remember all Cubs return to school tomorrow morning, January 4 and need to be in class by 8:20am.  

I hope you all had a terrific Winter Break, I know I did.  But, now I am ready for the second half of this school year and I hope our Cubs are ready too.  Please help me in reminding all of our students that We Are Cubs.  When we return we will be sure to remember that Cubs are always Ready, Responsible and Respectful.  Cubs also work towards Nothing Less Than Our Success.  We show GRIT and always do our best.  If we remember these things there is no way we can fail.

The second half of the school year is going to be great.  Once again, Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing our Ready, Responsible, and Respectful Cubs tomorrow morning.

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.