 |  |
 |  |  |
A.I.M. Zones Our Academics In Motion (A.I.M.) Zone Program is an extensive effort to increase movement in our students' school day. Every classroom is fully equipped with movement activities, areas, and resources to ensure all children have the opportunity to stay in their classroom while they are taking a movement break. Kids (and adults!) need to move a lot in order to maintain their focus on learning. Our A.I.M. Zones allow that movement to take place in the classroom so that students never miss a moment of learning. | Outdoor Learning In partnership with SLPS, Healthy Schools Healthy Communities, and BJC, Patrick Henry has an incredible outdoor learning space and an outdoor learning kit that teachers can use as often as they like. Getting kids outside and using the earth itself as a science lab is one of the easiest ways to engage children in learning about the world around them. It is a natural way to build an environmental consciousness, and we are growing our students to love and respect their planet, as well as know how to take care of it. | The Garden Our Patrick Henry Garden has been awarded many times because of its pure magic for our students, staff, and community! A true neighborhood garden, our beds provide fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to anyone who is interested in making a healthy meal for themselves or their family. We partner with local organizations like Seed St. Louis, St. Louis Compost, BJC, and many one-day volunteers to maintain this gorgeous space and make it a true growing space for our plants and our students! |
A.I.M. Zones
Our Academics In Motion (A.I.M.) Zone Program is an extensive effort to increase movement in our students' school day. Every classroom is fully equipped with movement activities, areas, and resources to ensure all children have the opportunity to stay in their classroom while they are taking a movement break. Kids (and adults!) need to move a lot in order to maintain their focus on learning. Our A.I.M. Zones allow that movement to take place in the classroom so that students never miss a moment of learning.
Outdoor Learning
In partnership with SLPS, Healthy Schools Healthy Communities, and BJC, Patrick Henry has an incredible outdoor learning space and an outdoor learning kit that teachers can use as often as they like. Getting kids outside and using the earth itself as a science lab is one of the easiest ways to engage children in learning about the world around them. It is a natural way to build an environmental consciousness, and we are growing our students to love and respect their planet, as well as know how to take care of it.
The Garden
Our Patrick Henry Garden has been awarded many times because of its pure magic for our students, staff, and community! A true neighborhood garden, our beds provide fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to anyone who is interested in making a healthy meal for themselves or their family. We partner with local organizations like Seed St. Louis, St. Louis Compost, BJC, and many one-day volunteers to maintain this gorgeous space and make it a true growing space for our plants and our students!
 |  |  |
Partnering with Food Services Our cafeteria team is so much more than what the average lunch lady used to be like. Chef Jeff and his team lead our students towards healthy options with new smoothies this year that are high in fruits, vegetables, and protein, providing those crucial growth vitamins that all children need. Our students are so excited to get to the smoothie bar in the morning that they often need to be reminded to use their walking feet on the way down to the cafeteria! | University of Missouri - Southwest Food Services Partnership This year, we have added a new partnership to our Food Services program. The University of Missouri Extension Program has selected Patrick Henry for nutrition classes for our preschool and kindergarten for the next eight weeks. Health services staff come to Patrick Henry and provide introductory lessons about safe food handling, the power of green foods, how to find foods with the right balance for growth and development, and even how to accommodate tricky or picky eaters and still provide something healthy! Stay tuned for more excitement from this new program. | Movement Minutes The Patrick Henry teachers are not only excellent with academic instruction, they are also incredible at knowing when students need to get their wiggles out. In fact, our teachers proactively plan for "brain breaks" using resources like GoNoodle and the A.I.M. Zones either in their classrooms or in the common areas of the school to ensure that students are able to get their movement minutes that goes above and beyond what the PE minutes provide once or twice per week. We love seeing our students thrive because our teachers and staff understand what children need in order to be successful. |
Partnering with Food Services
Our cafeteria team is so much more than what the average lunch lady used to be like. Chef Jeff and his team lead our students towards healthy options with new smoothies this year that are high in fruits, vegetables, and protein, providing those crucial growth vitamins that all children need. Our students are so excited to get to the smoothie bar in the morning that they often need to be reminded to use their walking feet on the way down to the cafeteria!
University of Missouri - Southwest Food Services Partnership
This year, we have added a new partnership to our Food Services program. The University of Missouri Extension Program has selected Patrick Henry for nutrition classes for our preschool and kindergarten for the next eight weeks. Health services staff come to Patrick Henry and provide introductory lessons about safe food handling, the power of green foods, how to find foods with the right balance for growth and development, and even how to accommodate tricky or picky eaters and still provide something healthy! Stay tuned for more excitement from this new program.
Movement Minutes
The Patrick Henry teachers are not only excellent with academic instruction, they are also incredible at knowing when students need to get their wiggles out. In fact, our teachers proactively plan for "brain breaks" using resources like GoNoodle and the A.I.M. Zones either in their classrooms or in the common areas of the school to ensure that students are able to get their movement minutes that goes above and beyond what the PE minutes provide once or twice per week. We love seeing our students thrive because our teachers and staff understand what children need in order to be successful.
 |  |  |
Food Alternatives for Student Incentives Patrick Henry believes strongly in recognizing student achievement in academics, attendance, and personal growth and development. It is a natural instinct to want to reward students by giving them a sweet treat, but upon research and reflection, we realized how those rewards can actually have a negative impact on a child's mental and physical health. We have utilized non-food incentives for the past four years with the support of The Little Bit Foundation, who provide fun rewards for our students that do not include food. Instead, students are able to choose from a treasure chest of prizes that are more academic in nature but still appeal to a child's whimsical and fun side! | Prioritizing Recess The research is in, and it suggests that recess is an incredibly important element to a child's day! We make sure to prioritize outdoor recess to give students the chance to run, play, move, wiggle, laugh, and interact with their peers. According to the CDC, recess is vital for children because it increases their physical activity, improves their memory/attention/concentration, helps them stay on task when they are in the classroom, reduces disruptive behaviors, and improves their social/emotional development. Click here to read more from the CDC on the importance of recess. | Providing Health Resources to Our Families Patrick Henry has incredible partnerships that led to the creation of the Patrick Henry Parent Resource Room, a place for parents and families to receive support in a number of areas. In this room, parents have access to a full food pantry, hygienic supplies for personal use, cleanliness supplies for children and for the home, and mental health resources for parents, children, and whole families. This room is designed for our families in transition, but many of our families have utilized it to find help in rent assistance, utility assistance, and physical and mental health resources. |
Food Alternatives for Student Incentives
Patrick Henry believes strongly in recognizing student achievement in academics, attendance, and personal growth and development. It is a natural instinct to want to reward students by giving them a sweet treat, but upon research and reflection, we realized how those rewards can actually have a negative impact on a child's mental and physical health. We have utilized non-food incentives for the past four years with the support of The Little Bit Foundation, who provide fun rewards for our students that do not include food. Instead, students are able to choose from a treasure chest of prizes that are more academic in nature but still appeal to a child's whimsical and fun side!
Prioritizing Recess
The research is in, and it suggests that recess is an incredibly important element to a child's day! We make sure to prioritize outdoor recess to give students the chance to run, play, move, wiggle, laugh, and interact with their peers. According to the CDC, recess is vital for children because it increases their physical activity, improves their memory/attention/concentration, helps them stay on task when they are in the classroom, reduces disruptive behaviors, and improves their social/emotional development. Click here to read more from the CDC on the importance of recess.
Providing Health Resources to Our Families
Patrick Henry has incredible partnerships that led to the creation of the Patrick Henry Parent Resource Room, a place for parents and families to receive support in a number of areas. In this room, parents have access to a full food pantry, hygienic supplies for personal use, cleanliness supplies for children and for the home, and mental health resources for parents, children, and whole families. This room is designed for our families in transition, but many of our families have utilized it to find help in rent assistance, utility assistance, and physical and mental health resources.
 |  | |
FFV Program Our Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is an integral part of our school's health initiative to get nutritious food in the hands of our students throughout the school day. Students receive a fresh fruit or vegetable as an afternoon snack. Often, it is the first time a student has ever tried or even heard of that fruit or veggie, and our students find new healthy snacks! | Harvest Celebration Every year, we celebrate the "fruits" of our labor in the garden by harvesting and cooking our homegrown fruits and vegetables. Students are 100% responsible for the planting, caretaking, and harvesting in the garden, and they even cook their own food in their classrooms! We then celebrate with a massive Harvest Festival where we sample all of our food and pair it with fantastic things to create snacks and meals. |
FFV Program
Our Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is an integral part of our school's health initiative to get nutritious food in the hands of our students throughout the school day. Students receive a fresh fruit or vegetable as an afternoon snack. Often, it is the first time a student has ever tried or even heard of that fruit or veggie, and our students find new healthy snacks!
Harvest Celebration
Every year, we celebrate the "fruits" of our labor in the garden by harvesting and cooking our homegrown fruits and vegetables. Students are 100% responsible for the planting, caretaking, and harvesting in the garden, and they even cook their own food in their classrooms! We then celebrate with a massive Harvest Festival where we sample all of our food and pair it with fantastic things to create snacks and meals.
Patrick Henry Named a Missouri Green School - Sprout Level
On October 10th, Patrick Henry was named a Missouri Green School at the Sprout Level. This is the second year in a row that Patrick Henry has been honored as a Missouri Green School! This recognition comes from our efforts to become a sustainable school with a low impact on the environment. We strive to make our school as healthy as possible not just for our students and staff, but also for our neighbors in 63106, our city, and the Earth. We are so excited to see the partnerships around Missouri grow and change our mindsets and actions to make us ever more sustainable!
Patrick Henry Throws a Party!
Our students and staff are the reason we won these incredible awards, so of course we had to celebrate their efforts! On Wednesday, October 12th, our students started their day like any normal day...they came in and received a delicious breakfast that they ate in their classrooms with their peers. Dr. Rogers came over the PA to make the morning announcement, but suddenly, music started playing through the whole school! Students found out about their reward, and the party started immediately! We took two minutes to dance out our joy, then every student received a medal and a certificate of their achievement. Each teacher also received a trophy to display in their classrooms to remind all of the students of their hard work. And we topped off the celebrations with a healthy snack! We are so proud of our students and the impact they have made on creating a sustainable school and a healthier community!
 |  |  |
Thank you, 5th Graders! | Thank you, 4th Graders! | Thank you, 3rd Graders! |
Thank you, 5th Graders!
Thank you, 4th Graders!
Thank you, 3rd Graders!
 |  |  |
Thank you, 2nd/3rd Graders! | Thank you, 2nd Graders! | Thank you, 1st Graders! |
Thank you, 2nd/3rd Graders!
Thank you, 2nd Graders!
Thank you, 1st Graders!
 |  |  |
Thank you, Kindergarteners! | Thank you, PreSchoolers! | Thank you, PreSchoolers! |
Thank you, Kindergarteners!
Thank you, PreSchoolers!
Thank you, PreSchoolers!
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Special Recognition for Mrs. Ralphs
Mrs. Morgan Ralphs, PE Teacher, is also our Wellness Champion. She works tirelessly to manage a major grant through Healthy Schools Healthy Communities. This requires time during the school day and outside of the school day to ensure that we are good stewards of our grant funding and that we make progress towards our goals. This requires a large amount of work and effort! Thank you, Mrs. Ralphs, for your service to Patrick Henry and the larger 63106 community!
Special Recognition for Ms. Bailey
Ms. Sherian Bailey, Special Education Teacher, is also our "Garden Guru." She has gone above and beyond to share her knowledge of gardening with our school team, and has led the efforts to keep our garden growing. Ms. Bailey often takes her free time to tend the garden, and she always involves the rest of the staff and our students in her work. It is a constant science lesson when you are outside in the garden with Ms. Bailey, and we love her green thumb! Thank you, Ms. Bailey, for your knowledge and your willingness to grow not only the plants in the garden, but also the people who tend it!
Special Recognition for Patrick Henry Partners
Our awards and recognitions simply are not possible without our community partners. We have had longstanding relationships with Seed St. Louis, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, BJC, Washington University, and Saint Louis University that have allowed our garden and our sustainability dreams to become a reality. A special thanks go out to all of our partners for their financial contributions, their volunteer time to work in the garden with our students, and their preservation efforts to ensure the garden is always in excellent condition. Thank you for your service to our school, you have truly made an impact!
