The winter holidays have come and gone and our teachers have just completed their mid-year benchmark assessments. Wow! January really threw us for a loop with our snow days and teacher work days. We are excited to share that, while we were apprehensive about Remote Learning Days, our first two went off pretty smoothly. The feedback we got was that students were able to still enjoy some "snow day" fun while also getting some school work done. I call that a win/win! Please read on to see what next month has in store for us!

February 10th: Early Release at 11:30

February 11th: No school for students

February 14th: Valentine's Day*

February 17th: PTA meeting begins at 6:30 via zoom

My name is Dana Griffin and I am honored to be a Mariner!! I was born and raised in Chatham County. I am happily married to my high school sweetheart and another Chatham County Teacher, Brian. We have three children, all of which called Perry Harrison home during their elementary years. My son Chess is 21, Tanner, 20 and my daughter Macy is 15 and attends Northwood High School.

This is my 26th year teaching, and my 23rd year at Perry Harrison. I currently teach second grade but have also taught Kindergarten, First Grade, Third Grade and AIG.

Education is my calling and I knew that from a very young age. After growing up and attending elementary, middle, and high school right here in Chatham County myself, I knew I wanted to come back and help promote a love for learning, just as it had been done for me. After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1996, I began my career with Chatham County Schools at Moncure Elementary. After teaching there for three years, I transferred to Perry Harrison where I have been ever since. It is my desire to continue to share my passion with the students of Perry Harrison for many more years to come. I especially love teaching STEM. It is a way to help students develop a set of thinking, reasoning, teamwork, investigative and creative skills that they can use in all areas of their lives. My passion for STEM began right here at Perry Harrison! Ever since my introduction to STEM learning, I have consistently worked to build my understanding and to share my vision and passion with students through classroom activities, after school clubs, and AIG extension work. I have had the honor of representing Perry Harrison and the STEM work we do at multiple conventions including the Bridging the Gap Convention in Raleigh, NC and STEMcon in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to my second grade classroom position, I currently hold the STEM lead position for our school and know with continued work and determination, our school will be recognized as a STEM School of Distinction.

A time to show your love and admiration right?! Also a time when we see a lot of sugary sweets being shared with students and teachers. This is not always a bad thing, but in light of the pandemic, we want to limit the foods that we are bringing into the school. If your child would like to share something with the class, please make the gift something that is non-edible. Things like stickers, pencils, erasers, bookmarks, etc are just as fun and less worrisome than foods brought in from home. Look for more specific guidance from you classroom teachers when we get closer to this special day.

Kids aren't the only ones having fun with STEM. Our teachers participated in a STEM activity at our last faculty meeting.

Speaking of STEM, our students are really starting to get excited about our monthly STEM challenges. This month the assignment included a cardboard tube and our students rose to the challenge.

After over 2 years without a chorus concert, Mr. Smith and his students put on a delightful performance that showcased their talents and sense of humor. The evening just whet our appetites for more and now we can't wait for the spring performance!