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
Our 3rd and 4th grade students shined and showed what they’ve learned in Reading today! We are excited for our 5th graders to have the opportunity to demonstrate their growth and finish the school year strong tomorrow. 💪🌟
📝 Testing Schedule:
📅 Wednesday, May 6 – FAST Reading (Grade 5)
📅 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 Grade 3 & 4 begin.
💡 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! 🎉💙
#CTERocks #CTEStrong #StudentSuccess #FinishStrong #FASTTesting #WeBelieveInOurStudents #CrackerTrailElementary
Our students are ready to shine and show all they’ve learned this year! We are excited for them to have the opportunity to demonstrate their growth and finish the school year strong. 💪🌟
📝 Testing Schedule:
📅 Tuesday, May 5 – FAST Reading (Grades 3 & 4)
📅 Wednesday, May 6 – FAST Reading (Grade 5)
📅 Tuesday, May 12 – FAST Math (Grade 5)
📅 Wednesday, May 13 – FAST Math (Grades 3 & 4)
📅 Thursday, May 14 – State Science Assessment (Grade 5)
💡 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 students and know they are prepared to succeed! Let’s cheer them on as they give their best effort! 🎉💙
#CTERocks #CTEStrong #StudentSuccess #FinishStrong #FASTTesting #WeBelieveInOurStudents #CrackerTrailElementary
We appreciate all the creativity, planning, and heart you put into making this event so special!
#ThankYouTeachers #5thGradeFun #TimeTravel #MakingMemories #StudentExperience #SchoolSpirit #Grateful
Thank you Mrs. Prince and Mrs. Hill
🎤✨ That’s a Wrap on Mustangs Got Talent! ✨🎤
What an incredible evening of talent, creativity, and Mustang pride! 🐴💫 Our students truly shined on stage, and it was amazing to see so many families come out to support them.
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who performed, attended, volunteered, and helped make this event such a success. Your support means the world to our students and our school community! 👏🎶
Special Thanks to the CTE Mustang leadership team for all of the cleaning preparation that went into tonight‘s performance. This performance is 100% run by CTE Student Leaders. We also appreciate this year’s Mustang Leadership Team sponsors, Mrs, Byrd and Mrs, Rowe, for their guidance and support of our students throughout the year. Extra Thanks to Mr. Hayes for assistance with sound & lights as well as Mrs. Sebring for her guidance with the Living Art portion of the show.
Our Talented Mustangs who took to the stage included:
Paislee H - Singing
Natalie and Nevaeh - Cheerleading
Lainey G. - Tumbling
Nola G. - Singing
Emily D. - Singing
Hope P. - Dancing
Jaxson L. - Magic Show
Blake & Hailey - Singing
Annabel P. - Dancing
Amber K. - Singing
Isaiah V. - Singing
Addison P. - Singing
Andi S. - Gymnastics
Josiah G. - Singing
Skylar & Felicity- Singing
Bentleigh A. - Dancing
Kersten W. - Singing
Sophia, Bobbi, Vanessa, Chloe, Skylar, & Maelynn- Living Art
We’re also proud to share that we raised over $410 for the Champion for Children Foundation—what a wonderful way to give back while celebrating our talented Mustangs! ❤️
#MustangsGotTalent #CTEMustangs #StudentShowcase #FamilyNight #MustangPride #SupportOurStudents #ShineOnMustangs
Mr. Rick Kogelschatz
Today we celebrate an incredible leader who goes above and beyond to support our students, staff, and families every single day. Your dedication, positivity, and commitment to excellence make a lasting difference in our school community.
Thank you for inspiring us, guiding us, and creating a place where everyone feels valued and encouraged to succeed. We appreciate all that you do, today and every day!
#PrincipalsDay #CrackerTrailElementary #ThankYouPrincipal #SBHC
The first Friday in May is dedicated to the incredible men and women who make our cafeterias—and our schools—a better place to be! 💛
What was your favorite school lunch? Do you remember the smiling face who served it to you? Those moments matter more than we realize!
At CTE, we are so grateful for our amazing cafeteria crew who work hard every single day to serve over 700 students and 70 adults with care, kindness, and a smile. You truly are heroes to our Mustangs! 🐎✨
Thank you for all that you do to keep our school fueled and happy!
#SchoolLunchHeroDay #LunchHeroes #ThankYou #CTEMustangs #MustangPride #Grateful #SchoolFamily #ServingWithHeart #EveryChildMatters
Get ready for an evening full of creativity, energy, and amazing performances! Join us for Mustangs Got Talent tonight - April 30 at 5:30 PM - as our talented students take the stage to showcase their incredible skills. 🌟
From singing and dancing to unique acts you won’t want to miss, our Mustangs are ready to shine! 🐴💫
We invite all families to come out, support our students, and enjoy a fun-filled night together. Let’s pack the house and cheer on our performers! 👏🎶
#MustangsGotTalent #CTEMustangs #StudentShowcase #FamilyNight #MustangPride #SupportOurStudents #ShineOnMustangs
🎤✨ Mustangs Got Talent Tomorrow Night! ✨🎤
Get ready for an evening full of creativity, energy, and amazing performances! Join us for Mustangs Got Talent on April 30 at 5:30 PM as our talented students take the stage to showcase their incredible skills. 🌟
From singing and dancing to unique acts you won’t want to miss, our Mustangs are ready to shine! 🐴💫
We invite all families to come out, support our students, and enjoy a fun-filled night together. Let’s pack the house and cheer on our performers! 👏🎶
#MustangsGotTalent #CTEMustangs #StudentShowcase #FamilyNight #MustangPride #SupportOurStudents #ShineOnMustangs
