Throughout the school year, Student Leadership Team has collected funds during Hat Days, and they recently voted to donate those funds to one of our very own, Mrs. Bonnie "Action" Jackson.
Mrs. Jackson is the definition of strength, perseverance, and determination. Her grit in the face of challenges inspire our students, staff, and community every day. She reminds us that courage is not about never facing obstacles—it is about continuing to move forward with hope and resilience.
We are proud of our student leaders for choosing to support someone who has made such a meaningful impact on our school family. Mrs. Jackson, please know that the entire CTE Mustang family is behind you and cheering you on every step of the way.
CTE loves you, Mrs. Jackson! ❤️
#CTEMustangs #MustangPride #MustangsLeadTheWay #StrongerTogether #CommunityStrong #CTEFamily #MustangLeadership #GritAndGrace #WeLoveMrsJackson #MustangStrong
After much mystery… secret meetings… dramatic debates… and probably way too many fish jokes… our 2027 school musical has officially been chosen!
Some students wanted to venture in the jungle… with The Jungle Book!
Some wished for a magic lamp… with Aladdin!
But this year… we’re going under the sea! 🌊
🐟✨ Our 2027 musical will be… Disney’s Finding Nemo KIDS! ✨🐟
That’s right! Get ready for ocean adventures, colorful sea creatures, catchy songs, and at least 47 students asking if they can play a shark.
So start practicing your swimming (on land only, please), warm up those singing voices, and remember…
🎶 “Just keep singing… just keep singing…” 🎶
Audition information will be coming fall 2026. It will be open to all 4th and 5th graders at CTE. Sea you there! 🐠🌊
💙🐴 A Special Thank You from the Mustangs 🐴💙
After 7 wonderful years, we are sunsetting our Art Banner Program this summer.
A huge THANK YOU to Glades Electric, Mrs. Sebring, and Hines Ag Services for their support and assistance in helping keep this program going over the years. Your partnership and generosity have meant so much to our school and students.
We hope these banners have brought joy and inspiration to everyone who has seen them throughout the community. Thank you for supporting our Mustang artists and celebrating their creativity with us! 🎨💙🐴
#CTEMustangs #MustangPride #StudentArtists #CommunityPartners #ThankYou #GoMustangs #SupportingTheArts #MustangCreativity
Thanks for your patience while we finish everything up for the summer! Photos highlighting all the fun moments and memories from the last few weeks of school will be shared soon. Facebook posts are loading! 📸✨
The last day to pick up student medication from our school clinic is Thursday, May 28, 2026.
If you missed last week’s pickup window, medication may be picked up during the following times this week:
📅 Tuesday, 5/26: 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
📅 Wednesday, 5/27: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
📅 Thursday, 5/28: 7:00 AM – 2:30 PM
🚫 Medication was NOT sent home with students last week.
🗑️ Any medication remaining at school after May 28, 2026 will be properly discarded according to district guidelines.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Nurse Dean at Cracker Trail Elementary at 863-471-5777.
Thank you for your cooperation and for helping keep our Mustangs safe and healthy! 💙🐴
#CTEMustangs #MustangPride #StudentSafety #HealthyMustangs #GoMustangs
As you celebrate this exciting milestone, we hope you’ll stop by campus and snap a picture in front of our marquee before you head off to your next adventure. Your time here has helped build the legacy of our Mustang family, and you will always be part of the herd. 💙
Graduates and families, we’d love for you to share your graduation photos in the comments so our school community can celebrate with you! 📸✨
Congratulations to the Class of 2026! Wishing everyone a fun, memorable, and safe graduation weekend. 🎉
#MustangPride #OnceAMustangAlwaysAMustang #ClassOf2026 #MustangLegacy #GraduationWeekend #FutureReady #ProudMustangs
Each day, our safety patrols help make arrival and dismissal run smoothly by assisting with student drop off and pick up, showing leadership, responsibility, and kindness along the way. Their hard work and dedication help keep our campus safe for everyone!
A special thank you to our patrol sponsor, Mrs. Cook, for her leadership and support throughout the year. 💙
We are so proud of this incredible group of student leaders as they head off to middle school next year! We know they will continue to do great things. New patrols will soon step into these important leadership roles and continue the Mustang tradition of service and responsibility.
#CTERocks #MustangPride #SafetyPatrol #MustangsLead #StudentLeaders #FutureLeaders #ThankYouSafetyPatrols #MustangStrong #MiddleSchoolBound 🐴💙
This is a reminder that all student medication must be picked up from the school clinic by 2:00 PM on Friday, May 22, 2026.
🚫 Medication cannot be sent home with students.
🗑️ Any medication remaining at school after May 28, 2026 will be properly discarded according to district and state guidelines.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Nurse Dean at Cracker Trail Elementary at 863-471-5777.
Thank you for your cooperation and helping us keep our Mustangs safe and healthy! 💙
🍋🐴 Our Mustangs Turned Reading Into Real-World Fun! 🐴🍋
Mrs. Jones’ 3rd grade class recently finished reading The Lemonade War and brought the story to life by creating their very own lemonade stands! Students worked hard designing creative displays, developing presentations, and serving up delicious lemonade for staff and visitors to enjoy.
Guests had the opportunity to vote for the best lemonade and the best presentation, making this an exciting and engaging learning experience for everyone involved. 🎉👏
Congratulations to our winners:
Best Lemonade: Fresh Fizz!
Best Stand: Da Boiz!
We are so proud of our Mustangs for combining literacy, creativity, teamwork, and entrepreneurship in such a fun way! 💙💛
#MustangPride #TheLemonadeWar #3rdGradeFun #HandsOnLearning #FutureEntrepreneurs #MustangsLeadTheWay
Yearbooks for the 2025–2026 school year are still available for purchase!📖
We currently have only 65 books remaining, so be sure to purchase your copy soon before they are gone. Yearbook cost is $25!
📌 Payment Options:
Exact cash💵
Check payable to CTE🖊️
Don’t miss out on capturing this year’s special memories—once they’re gone, they’re gone!🐎
We are excited for our 5th graders to demonstrate their knowledge in Science tomorrow! 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students shined and showed what they’ve learned in Math earlier this week! 💪🌟
📝 Testing Schedule:
📅 Thursday, May 14 – State Science Assessment (Grade 5)
📅 Makeups for FAST Reading and Math Grades 3, 4, and 5 continue.
💡 Families, you can help by making sure your child:
✔️ Gets a good night’s sleep
✔️ Eats a healthy breakfast
✔️ Arrives on time and ready to do their best
We believe in our Mustangs and know they are prepared to succeed! Let’s cheer them on as they give their best effort! 🎉💙
#DoYourBest #CTERocks #CTEStrong #StudentSuccess #FinishStrong #FASTTesting #WeBelieveInOurStudents #CrackerTrailElementary
💙🐴 Celebrating Our Amazing Mustang Safety Patrols! 🐴💙
A huge THANK YOU to our dedicated Safety Patrol students for their leadership, responsibility, and commitment throughout the entire school year! These student volunteers have helped keep our campus safe during arrival and dismissal by assisting with traffic and pedestrian safety, guiding fellow students, and serving as positive role models each and every day. 🚸👏
We are so proud of the leadership and character they demonstrate while helping our school community run smoothly and safely. Your hard work does not go unnoticed!
A special shout out to Mrs. Cook who has served as our Safety Patrol sponsor this school year! A huge thank you to our wonderful PTO for treating our Safety Patrols to pizza, drinks, cookies, and ice cream as a celebration of all they’ve done this year! 🍕🍪🍦 We also appreciate PTO members Mrs. Nichols and Mrs. Vasquez for helping with the setup and making the celebration extra special.
Thank you, Mustangs, for leading the way! 💙
#MustangPride #SafetyPatrol #StudentLeaders #MustangsLeadTheWay #ThankYouPTO #SchoolCommunity #MustangStrong #LeadershipInAction #MakingADifference
🎧📼✨ Totally 90s Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week! ✨📼🎧
CTE's Righteous PTO took it way back last week as they celebrated our incredible teachers and staff with a Totally 90s themed appreciation week—because they’re truly all that and a bag of chips! 💛
🌀 Monday: “When I Sip, You Sip!” kicked things off with a coffee truck to jumpstart the week ☕
🌮 Tuesday: We Spiced Up our lives with delicious tacos and all the fixings
🥪 Wednesday: Our team was All That with subs, chips, and dessert
🔥 Thursday: Lunch was da bomb with BBQ chicken, sides, and sweet treats
🍕 Friday: PTO wrapped it up with Sliced, Sliced pizza Baby, salad, and ice cream floats—talk about ending on a high note .
A HUGE thank you to our amazing PTO for treating our staff to such a fun, thoughtful, and totally rad week. Your support means everything, and you made our team feel so appreciated! 💙
#CTEPTORocks #TeacherAppreciationWeek #Totally90s #AllThatAndABagOfChips #BestStaffEver #ThankYouPTO #SchoolFamily #MakingMemories #GratefulHearts #MustangPride
We are excited for our 3rd and 4th graders to demonstrate their growth and knowledge in Math tomorrow! 5th grade students shined and showed what they’ve learned in Math yesterday! 💪🌟
📝 Testing Schedule:
📅 Wednesday, May 13 – FAST Math (Grades 3 & 4)
📅 Thursday, May 14 – State Science Assessment (Grade 5)
📅 Makeups for FAST Reading Grades 3, 4, and 5 and Math Grade 5 continue.
💡 Families, you can help by making sure your child:
✔️ Gets a good night’s sleep
✔️ Eats a healthy breakfast
✔️ Arrives on time and ready to do their best
We believe in our Mustangs and know they are prepared to succeed! Let’s cheer them on as they give their best effort! 🎉💙
#DoYourBest #CTERocks #CTEStrong #StudentSuccess #FinishStrong #FASTTesting #WeBelieveInOurStudents #CrackerTrailElementary
We are excited for our 5th graders to demonstrate their growth and knowledge in Math tomorrow! 3rd and 4th grade will be assessed on Wednesday, May 13. Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students shined and showed what they’ve learned in Reading last week! 💪🌟
📝 Testing Schedule:
📅 Tuesday, May 12 – FAST Math (Grade 5)
📅 Wednesday, May 13 – FAST Math (Grades 3 & 4)
📅 Thursday, May 14 – State Science Assessment (Grade 5)
📅 Makeups for FAST Reading Grades 3, 4, and 5 continue.
💡 Families, you can help by making sure your child:
✔️ Gets a good night’s sleep
✔️ Eats a healthy breakfast
✔️ Arrives on time and ready to do their best
We believe in our Mustangs and know they are prepared to succeed! Let’s cheer them on as they give their best effort! 🎉💙
#DoYourBest #CTERocks #CTEStrong #StudentSuccess #FinishStrong #FASTTesting #WeBelieveInOurStudents #CrackerTrailElementary
Mrs. Turner’s 2nd grade class recently published their very own book, and what an incredible celebration it was! Parents and caretakers were invited to hear students proudly read their stories aloud while also admiring the beautiful artwork they created to go along with their writing. 🎨✏️
After the reading celebration, students enjoyed a special author signing party where they signed copies of their books and celebrated their hard work together. What an amazing way to celebrate literacy, creativity, and student achievement while making lifelong memories! 💙
We are so proud of our young authors and all the dedication they showed throughout this project! 📖✨
#MustangPride #PublishedAuthors #FutureWriters #CelebratingLiteracy #MustangsRead #ElementaryExcellence #MakingMemories #StudentSuccess #MustangStrong
💙🐴 Mustangs Show Their GRIT! 🐴💙
During the month of April, our character word was GRIT, and we are proud to celebrate our amazing Herd of Honor students who show it every day!
Grit means sticking with something even when it’s hard—never giving up, trying your best, and learning from mistakes. 💪 These students lead by example and show what it means to stay determined and keep going!
We also love celebrating the special bond of our Mustang families—in this post we’re excited to highlight some siblings who are showing GRIT together and supporting each other along the way! 💙🐴
Congratulations to our Herd of Honor Mustangs—we are so proud of your hard work and perseverance! 🌟
#MustangPride #HerdOfHonor #CharacterCounts #Grit #NeverGiveUp #StudentSuccess #ElementaryExcellence #ProudPrincipal #KeepPushing #MustangFamily
🌎🗽 A Journey Through History at CTE! 🗽🌎
Our amazing 2nd graders have been diving deep into their CKLA Immigration unit, learning all about the history of Ellis Island and the journey to becoming a U.S. citizen—both in the past and today.
Students brought history to life by choosing a European country to immigrate from and creating their own identity, including a name, age, occupation, and even an ailment. They then experienced the Ellis Island inspection process firsthand! After being “approved,” students proudly celebrated by taking a photo with the Statue of Liberty. 📸
A HUGE thank you to our wonderful volunteers who helped make this immersive experience possible—we couldn’t have done it without you! 💙
#CTEMustangs #HandsOnLearning #EllisIslandExperience #CKLA #ImmigrationUnit #FutureHistorians #ThankYouVolunteers #MustangsLearn #ElementaryEducation #MakingHistoryComeAlive
Today we celebrate National School Nurse Day 2026 and give a HUGE thank you to our incredible nurse, Mrs. Candace Dean.! 🩺💛
From caring for our students when they’re not feeling their best to supporting our staff and keeping our school healthy and safe, she does it all with compassion, patience, and a smile. We are so grateful for the dedication and heart she brings to our Mustang family every single day!
Thank you, Mrs. Dean, for all you do—you truly make a difference! 💙
#SchoolNurseDay #ThankYouNurse #MustangPride #WeAreMustangs #SchoolFamily #CaringHearts #StudentSupport #Grateful #MakingADifference
We are proud to recognize Cracker Trail Elementary’s three outstanding student essay winners from last week’s Law Day contest! 🎉
Hosted by the Highlands County Bar Association, the 2026 Law Day theme -“The Rule of Law and the American Dream” - inspired thoughtful and powerful writing from our talented Mustangs. 🐴📚
Essay Contest Winners were:
3rd Place – Holland N. from Mrs. Rowe’s Class
2nd Place – Matheias H. from Ms. Velasquez-Warenhime’s Class
1st Place – Mariana H.-L. from Ms. Velasquez-Warenhime’s Class
Our winners were honored during the Law Day Children’s Program, where they were recognized alongside other student essay and poster winners and had the special opportunity to hear from John D. Couriel of the Florida Supreme Court. What an incredible and inspiring experience! 👏
Congratulations to our essay winners for representing CTE with excellence—we are so proud of you! 💫
#CTEMustangs #LawDay2026 #StudentSuccess #MustangPride #FutureLeaders #RuleOfLaw #AmericanDream
