Over the last two weeks, Patrick Henry staff came back to work to prepare for the new school year. We were thrilled to welcome our returning staff members and get to know our new staff members! You can find a brief introduction to everyone on our school website so that you can get to know everyone. For now, take a look at what we've been doing this summer to prepare for the 2021-2022 school year.

Staff had to race each other for the ultimate gift card prizes in various competitions designed to get to know each other and the school itself. We have several new faces on our staff this year, and a little competition usually makes the ice breakers a little more interesting!

Staff worked together in the gym in a socially distant but collaborative way to learn the school's procedures, protocols, rules, and routines. We worked together to problem-solve areas that we can improve from last year, and we also shared meals together so we could dive deep with our returning staff and get to know our new staff.

One of our professional development days was spent at Filament, a collaborative work space designed to bring teams together in meaningful planning sessions. We were able to not only look at what hasn't been working, but also what experiments we wanted to try this year to make our school the best school in the city. This beautiful space was full of snacks, games, and creative thinking spaces that encouraged all of us to find our greatest ideas and share them with one another.

Ms. Jami led our Summer School team for an incredible six weeks of summer learning with both Patrick Henry and Jefferson students. Many of our staff joined the summer team, and we also got to know other SLPS staff members from different schools. It was incredibly fun watching our students and staff blend together and become a new version of Patrick Henry. We are even more excited to know that many of our new friends are joining Patrick Henry forever this school year! Check back next weeks for photos that highlight all the fun that took place over the summer months.

Our Garden Committee teamed up and made sure that our garden stayed not only beautiful, but also fruitful. We planted, harvested, weeded, and planted again many fruits and veggies throughout the summer growing season. We are now gearing up for a giant harvest and then we will plant again for the fall growing season.