The Gray Wolf Gazette
December 2nd, 2022
Our Mission and Vision
Mission(Why we exist): Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary is a collaborative community committed to ensuring equity and high levels of learning for all.
Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary is a community of belonging that empowers all children to connect, discover, and thrive as leaders equipped to make a positive impact on our world.
News From Today
Givens Elementary briefly went into a lockout earlier today for about 10 minutes. The Rock Hill Police Department was notified of a possible external situation in our neighborhood that has since been resolved. We are thankful to the RHPD for their prompt response.
Police determined that a report of a resident with a weapon in our area was not true. Our staff and students responded safely and appropriately. All students are safe, and the brief lockout was lifted. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Weekly Update
Happy Friday Givens Families!
What a week we had. We were so happy to end it with our Gray Wolves in the Building. While a lot of my emails lately have been sharing the facts, this one will focus on the passion, heart, perseverance in the face of adversity, and teamwork that filled the building throughout the week.
While I am usually not speechless, this week had me at a loss for words. Not because of the unexpected occurrence of the pipe bursting, or the need to pack up classrooms and other learning spaces and move them, but the work of each individual staff member that came together to make this impossible task possible. I wish that you could have seen this story unfold.
We are so lucky to have the staff we have at Givens. While they should pride themselves in creating learning spaces where students are loved and challenged to grow. They also should pride themselves in their ability to pull together in the face of challenging situations. This unexpected emergency brought out the essence of our motto, "One Team, One Dream! I am still in awe of all that occurred.
We also appreciate several parents that pitched in to help on Tuesday. We could not have done it without you. Thank you for being here, even when we were too overwhelmed to give you specific instructions. You helped with patience, care, and initiative. Thank you
We also had members from our School District Community come together to help us complete this difficult task. Central Office Administrators, Administrators from the High School and Bristol Elementary School, members from our technology department and Maintenence team, and our district curriculum coordinators, pulled together to help us create learning spaces for our students.
Finally, we would like to thank more members of our community that understood the extent of the work we did and provided moments of joy through supportive actions and words. Thank you to the partner elementary schools that reached out to provide lunch, breakfast, or treats to brighten our day. We appreciate you and your ability to come together for all of our students.
I could go on and on about this community (Givens and WDSD), however, I am going to end it with a quote from another staff member and their letter to our staff:
"...I saw perseverance. I saw passion. As we worked together throughout the day, the joy of family rang through the building. We laughed and cried, pushed and pulled, lifted and stacked our way through. I'm so proud to be a Gray Wolf."
While this week was tough, our community helped us through!
Thank you for your support!
Ms. Malissa Beecham(A Proud Gray Wolf)
Interested in the Science Fair:
Interested in participating in the Science Fair? Please sign up on this form. If you have any questions, please visit our Science Fair website or contact Shayla Pott, District Science Fair Coordinator at pott.shayla@wgmail.org. Good luck!
Did you know that we use letter days at Givens(A- E )? We do this to make sure each classroom gets its curriculum time within our specials rotation. I will share the letter days in the Gazette each week. Some classroom teachers share their rotation days so you know when your students are going to Library(Book Return) and PE(Remember tennis shoes).
Monday - E
Tuesday- A
Wednesday-B
Thursday- C
Friday- D
Upcoming Dates
December 5th: Harambee 8:10-8:50
PTO Meeting 6:30-7:30 (Library and Virtual)
Zoom link: https://wgsdstl.zoom.us/j/91946363555...
Meeting ID: 919 4636 3555
Passcode: Givens
December 12th: Late Start
December 15th: 4th and 5th Grade Concert and Art Show 6PM-7PM
December 21st: Pajama Day
Winter Games
December 22nd-January 3rd: Winter Recess No School
January 4th- Welcome Back to School
Compassion is Our Focus For November and December
NEW DATE IS DECEMBER 15th
4th & 5th Grade Concert and Art Show
2nd -5th Grade After School Opportunity
We are excited to announce a new student club for the yearbook, led by Mrs. Mannisi and Ms. Rosewind! This club will create an opportunity for students in grades 2-5 to photograph school activities/events, and collaboratively select photos to be used in the yearbook. This is a great opportunity for our learners to share their perspectives as students, nurture their creativity, and be leaders of our school.
Who: 2nd through 5th grade students (20 max. total students)
When: Late Starts, Dec. 12- March 27: 7:40-8:50 AM
Where: Makerspace at Givens Elementary
What: Yearbook Club, led by Mrs. Mannisi and Ms. Rosewind
4th and 5th Grade After School Club Opportunity
The PTO would like to thank everyone who donated and supported the Wolf-a-thon Fundraiser! Thanks to your incredible generosity, we were able to reach well over 100% of our fundraiser’s goal! Let’s go Gray Wolves!
We would also like to thank everyone who donated time, funds, or snacks to share a little joy with our staff today. Members of the PTO cared treats and words of gratitude around the building today. Thank you!
Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 5th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. The meeting will take place in the Givens library and will have a Zoom option as well. Zoom information below:
Zoom link: https://wgsdstl.zoom.us/j/91946363555...
Meeting ID: 919 4636 3555
Passcode: Givens
View the meeting agenda here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GWzncPhQO-Mcj8kjLUKqZGYN-a_3wHYvEMXsyicCVa0/edit?usp=sharing
Looking for a gift for your child’s teacher(s)? Check out the Teachers Favorite Things List. Compiled here is everything you’ll need to know about each Givens staff member’s favorite things (fave food, sports team, color, candy, etc…) making gift shopping a whole lot easier! View here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16BBujj-4pKI7W-Pj8RgaJDnIa_cXeiiG/view?usp=drivesdk
2022-2023 Givens School Buzz Book
**All editing will be closed down at the end of March. At this time, we will download a PDF and share it electronically with all families. Until then, you will always be able to access this from our Gray Wolf Gazette.
News From Around the District
Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary School
Email: beechamjudge.malissa@wgmail.org
Website: https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/domain/142
Location: 701 North Rock Hill Road, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314-963-6460
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GivensElem