This has been an amazing school year, and I am so proud of all that we have accomplished as a school community! It has been extra special for me because my husband Rob and I (and our dog, Hank) are very excited to welcome our first child in just a few weeks! In my place, Dr. Chavon Curry will step in as Interim Principal. She will work hard to keep communication lines open between the school and families, and she will make sure Patrick Henry runs just as smoothly as it runs right now! I am excited to see Dr. Curry step into this role because she is already an excellent and effective administrator in the district. Dr. Curry's experience in St. Louis Public Schools and her doctoral work has prepared her fully to take on the Patrick Henry Principal position, and I know she will shine as the Interim Principal!

Thank you to all of the Patrick Henry families, staff, and students who have been so wonderfully kind and supportive throughout my pregnancy. It has meant the absolute world to me, and I promise to update you once Baby Tess arrives. Have a wonderful summer!

Love,

Dr. Rogers

I cannot believe it is the end of the school year already! It seems like yesterday I was welcoming you to our classroom. Time sure does fly when you're busy learning new things like life cycles and addition. The end of the school year always makes me think about the beginning. I feel proud of everything you have accomplished. I am most proud of your enthusiasm to learn and I feel lucky that I got to experience things with you for the very first time. My days with you have been filled with joy and laughter. I hope your love for learning continues to grow as you grow. Have lots of fun during the summer months and make sure to read each day!

Love,

Ms. Smith

My first year with Special Ed Inclusive PreK was amazing! Watching my kids grow over the year has been really special and I feel so lucky to be able to witness their achievements. My kids went from not being able to walk in a line to being able to walk to the garden while carrying supplies. My kids have learned their sounds and letters, numbers, and how to sit for a story, but most importantly, they have learned kindness. My kids make me so proud and surprise me everyday with the consideration they have for their classmates and peers. They have huge hearts and are always thinking about others. I look forward to my kids returning next year and wish well to those who are moving on. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

XOXO, Ms. W.

What a year it’s been! This year’s Kindergarten class has been the most consistent. They show up ready to learn and tackle the day! I’m so proud of the work ethic, collaboration, and bonds that we established in our room this year. Each and every one showed tremendous growth either academically, socially, or both! With that being said, you've worked so hard and waited for it all year. It's finally that time... you are ready for 1st grade! ☺️ I can't wait to see you all succeed next year! Love Ms. Willard

I enjoyed working with you guys this year! We learned a lot and laughed a lot and that made for a big successful school year. If you want to get a big success in life, I want you all to keep dreaming big . I want you to always remember to use the knowledge and wisdom you learned this year to self-improve year by year. My proudest moments were teaching you all the Black National Anthem and how proud you all were to learn about Black history. To see you all yearn for a deeper understanding of the society around you made me so proud. Our time in the community circle each morning encouraged me as an educator, to keep going strong and keep finding better ways to connect with you all. I wish you all the best for your future. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey! Each of you have black girl and black boy magic. Continue to be proud of who you are. I love you guys always!

Ms. Ivory

This has been an amazing year of transitions, growth, and relationship building. We have learned a lot together and grown so much as friends and scholars. Take all of your growth with you into the summer as you accomplish all of your goals and continue to become stronger, more intelligent young learners. I hope your summer brings you fun times with friends and family, as well as more time reading some interesting books.

This year I am proudest of my students for learning to accept each other and learning to work together with me as their new teacher, six weeks into the school year, at just a moment's notice. I know it was not an easy task, but we did it together. I have watched each one of my students grow in reading and math and I am so proud of them.

To My Cross Cat Students –

It has been an incredible journey, and I am so proud of you. At the beginning of the year, I had three students on my caseload and soon after there were twelve. Once we identified your individual learning goals, you always kept trying until you got it.

You put faith over fear by working hard at the stations with your friends, took pride in your work and focused on your assignments until it was completed. I always enjoyed how you never gave up when you did not know or understand something the first time. You have made great progress with your sight words, reading, writing and math.

I am so proud of how much you have grown in learning! Keep up the amazing work! You make teaching the greatest job in the world. Most of all, you learned how to work “together” as friends - kind, supportive, patient and caring every day.

Thank you Ms. Zonnie for being my “ride or die” - nurse, social worker, political analyst, activist, and “the voice” to all of our students. When there was a concern, our students know you have their backs unconditionally. I – “we” - could not have done it without you.

For the fifth graders going to middle school, remember to listen and follow directions. For students returning, we look forward to seeing you next year. And to everyone – read, read, read, read!

As the school year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to express how incredibly proud I am of each and every one of you. You have learned so much this year from how to play different instruments, discover genres of music, and how to compose your own music! I also want to acknowledge the outstanding success of our Black History Month program! Together, we celebrated and honored the rich heritage of Africans and African Americans through song, dance, and art. As summer begins, I hope you embark on exciting musical adventures, whether it's attending concerts or exploring artists you have never heard of! Have an amazing summer and just know we cannot wait to see you again in August.

I can't believe it's the end of the year! I have truly enjoyed working with all of my upper elementary reading groups. I am most proud of their efforts and perseverance... some of my students are still asking me to test their reading levels again because they want to reach and exceed their personal goals.

My hope is that you all continue to read, read, read, and read some more, lol. I also hope you continue to build your confidence and never lose hope in yourselves, even when others can't see your potential! You all worked so hard on every lesson and task I gave you, thank you for making my job easy... I gave you the tools and strategies, YOU did all the work!

In the words of my very insightful 5th graders - "Having strategies is like cheating on your test without a cheat sheet...it makes it easier."

~Farewell Scholars~

Patrick Henry will not have Afterschool the last week of school. Parents, please make sure your child is picked up between 2:52pm and 3:07pm. If students are picked up late the last week of school, they will not be able to be a part of the Afterschool program next school year.

Make sure your child is on time on Monday, May 22nd for our whole school field trip to the Zoo! Students will be with their homeroom teacher at all times, but we always need chaperones! If you're able to chaperone this field trip, please contact your child's teacher. All chaperones need to provide their own transportation to and from the Zoo. We will be there from 9:30am - 1:00pm.

All classes are invited to attend Field Day on May 23rd from 1:00-2:30pm. Parents are welcome to come and help at this event - please email deborah.rogers@slps.org or contact your child's teacher if you are able to come and help the class move through their stations!

On Wednesday, May 24th, Patrick Henry will host a Promotion Ceremony for our 5th grade students. Only family members of 5th graders are invited to attend, and we will also live stream our ceremony on Microsoft Teams. The link will be emailed out to all 5th grade parents and can be shared with other family members by forwarding the email. The Promotion Ceremony will begin at 9:00am in the Patrick Henry gym.

On Thursday, May 25th, Patrick Henry will host an End of Year Awards Ceremony for our Preschool - 4th Grade students. Family members of PreK-4th graders are invited to attend in person, and we will also live stream our ceremony on Microsoft Teams. The link will be emailed out to all families and can be shared with other family members by forwarding the email. The Awards Ceremony will begin at 9:00am in the Patrick Henry gym, and will include the following class times:

• 9:00-9:10, Welcoming Remarks
• 9:10-9:40, PreK (Ms. Smith, Ms. Munnelly, Ms. Womack, Ms. Young)
• 9:40-10:10, KG + 1st + 2nd Grade (Ms. Willard, Ms. Versen, Ms. Ivory)
• 10:10-10:40, 3rd + 4th Grade (Ms. Ivory, Ms. Fales, Ms. Hammock)
• 10:40-10:45, Closing Remarks

All SLPS schools will have their last day of school on Thursday, May 25th. All SLPS schools are closed on Friday, May 26th. Have a wonderful and safe summer vacation!