Spirit Month Continues!
This week, we enjoyed the holiday spirit for five more days of crazy outfits and festivities! We celebrated Twin Day, Channel Your Flannel, Reindeer Day, and Hat Day. Our students and staff brought out all the stops and made this week fully of whimsy and joy. Next week, we invite everyone to continue participating in Spirit Month with the following days:
- Monday, Dec 13: Candy Cane Lane (dress up in red and white!)
- Tuesday, Dec 14: Santa's Helpers (dress up like anyone who works at the North Pole - Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves, reindeer, snowmen, etc)
- Wednesday, Dec 15: Festive Feet (wear your favorite holiday socks or slippers)
- Thursday, Dec 16: Jeans + Holiday Sweater
- Friday, Dec 17: Keep it Classy (dress up in your classy Christmas outfits)
Thank you to all who have participated so far, and we hope to see the holiday spirit continue into our last full week of the semester!
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Lindsey Smith Ms. Smith didn't just dress like a reindeer - she pranced her way all throughout the building! | Light it UP We had students with the most festive headbands we have ever seen! | Ms. Young + Jersi Dress like a Reindeer Day got a little too rowdy for one reindeer in our building, who lost one of her antlers! |
Lindsey Smith
Ms. Smith didn't just dress like a reindeer - she pranced her way all throughout the building!
Light it UP
We had students with the most festive headbands we have ever seen!
Ms. Young + Jersi
Dress like a Reindeer Day got a little too rowdy for one reindeer in our building, who lost one of her antlers!
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Is that Santa Claus?? | No, it's just Ms. Webb! Ms. Webb began her Christmas deliveries early this year. Luckily, the weather stayed warm for her journey! | Dr. Rogers Dr. Rogers' favorite moment of this week was when she got to use Ms. Teska's AIM Zone bike pedals during a classroom observation. Reindeers have to train for a long night of exercise! |
Is that Santa Claus??
No, it's just Ms. Webb!
Ms. Webb began her Christmas deliveries early this year. Luckily, the weather stayed warm for her journey!
Dr. Rogers
Dr. Rogers' favorite moment of this week was when she got to use Ms. Teska's AIM Zone bike pedals during a classroom observation. Reindeers have to train for a long night of exercise!
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Mrs. Ralphs These three lovely ladies figured out that they were dressed just alike for Channel Your Flannel Day! | Jayden + Ms. McCarthy These two Patrick Henry people didn't even see their similarities until they were standing right next to each other! | Twin Day? The Leadership Team (and Mr. Curtis) took Twin Day to the next level and dressed up as septuplets. |
Mrs. Ralphs
These three lovely ladies figured out that they were dressed just alike for Channel Your Flannel Day!
Jayden + Ms. McCarthy
These two Patrick Henry people didn't even see their similarities until they were standing right next to each other!
Twin Day?
The Leadership Team (and Mr. Curtis) took Twin Day to the next level and dressed up as septuplets.
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Channel Your Flannel Ms. Hammock brought the flannel all the way to her feet this week! | Zariyah Ms. Rucker channeled her flannel into a fun buffalo scarf. | Twin Day Ms. Ivory and and Ms. Jackson brought the comfort level to Twin Day and made everyone jealous! |
Channel Your Flannel
Ms. Hammock brought the flannel all the way to her feet this week!
Zariyah
Ms. Rucker channeled her flannel into a fun buffalo scarf.
Twin Day
Ms. Ivory and and Ms. Jackson brought the comfort level to Twin Day and made everyone jealous!
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Checkered Cheer Who wore it best? | 12 Days of Christmas Mrs. Ralphs won one of the drawings this week to choose a gift under the staff Christmas tree. Congrats! |
Checkered Cheer
Who wore it best?
12 Days of Christmas
Mrs. Ralphs won one of the drawings this week to choose a gift under the staff Christmas tree. Congrats!
Reading Instruction Always Continues
Even with all of the fun and silliness of Spirit Month, our focus on reading instruction never ends! Our students are taking their Star Reading Assessment this week to show how much they have grown, and it is so important for our reading instruction to continue. Our classroom teachers and our Reading Specialist continue to push all of our students to grow in their reading skills. Guided reading is a purposeful and highly structured reading approach that allows students to work on their reading level but also find rigorous and challenging work in each of their groups or stations. We will continue our instructional approach in the spring semester, and we encourage all of our parents to ask how their child's day in guided reading went on a daily basis!
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Ms. Evans Our Reading Specialist knows how to keep a group extremely focused while they still have fun. | Collaboration Guided Reading relies heavily on a collaborative learning setting so that students in the same group can work together and challenge one another to grow. | Work Samples Patrick Henry teachers keep student work samples organized and in one place so that students can consistently look back at vocabulary words and standards they have learned. |
Ms. Evans
Our Reading Specialist knows how to keep a group extremely focused while they still have fun.
Collaboration
Guided Reading relies heavily on a collaborative learning setting so that students in the same group can work together and challenge one another to grow.
Work Samples
Patrick Henry teachers keep student work samples organized and in one place so that students can consistently look back at vocabulary words and standards they have learned.
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Reading A-Z Students at every grade level have access to ReadingA-Z, an amazing app on the iPad that allows students to read books that are assigned to their specific level. Ms. Jackson's students thrive in this app, where they are learning and reading at their own pace with the support of Ms. Jackson behind the scenes. | ReadingA-Z Teachers can assign a book and students are held accountable for their independent reading through comprehension questions at the end of the book, chapter, or section. | Flexible Seating If you come to Patrick Henry in person, you will quickly see that we are a big fan of flexible seating. Providing students with a comfortable space for reading is incredibly important to show them it's always a good idea to curl up with a good book! |
Reading A-Z
Students at every grade level have access to ReadingA-Z, an amazing app on the iPad that allows students to read books that are assigned to their specific level. Ms. Jackson's students thrive in this app, where they are learning and reading at their own pace with the support of Ms. Jackson behind the scenes.
ReadingA-Z
Teachers can assign a book and students are held accountable for their independent reading through comprehension questions at the end of the book, chapter, or section.
Flexible Seating
If you come to Patrick Henry in person, you will quickly see that we are a big fan of flexible seating. Providing students with a comfortable space for reading is incredibly important to show them it's always a good idea to curl up with a good book!
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Independent Reading Many of our youngest students are able to read independently with assistive apps like ReadingA-Z, that can even read the book aloud to the student as they follow along. Students can also read at their own pace and set the page turning when they're ready. | The Guided Reading Table Ms. Willard is shown here at the all-important guided reading table, where students are not allowed to interrupt while she is meeting with a group. Students throughout the rest of the class are in centers with different tasks that are all literacy-based. | Writing Practice Ms. Willard's integrated writing center allows students to practice their reading skills in a blended literacy model. |
Independent Reading
Many of our youngest students are able to read independently with assistive apps like ReadingA-Z, that can even read the book aloud to the student as they follow along. Students can also read at their own pace and set the page turning when they're ready.
The Guided Reading Table
Ms. Willard is shown here at the all-important guided reading table, where students are not allowed to interrupt while she is meeting with a group. Students throughout the rest of the class are in centers with different tasks that are all literacy-based.
Writing Practice
Ms. Willard's integrated writing center allows students to practice their reading skills in a blended literacy model.
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Making it Fun Robbie is pictured here completing his pattern work at one of the literacy centers of guided reading. Robbie was so excited about his efforts that he wanted to keep showing that he knew the right answer! | Forming Sight Words One easy way to practice literacy skills with young students is asking them to identify a sight word and recreate it themselves. Pictured here, Rai and Jayla had to cut out letters and find the correct letters to spell out their sight word "for." |
Making it Fun
Robbie is pictured here completing his pattern work at one of the literacy centers of guided reading. Robbie was so excited about his efforts that he wanted to keep showing that he knew the right answer!
Forming Sight Words
One easy way to practice literacy skills with young students is asking them to identify a sight word and recreate it themselves. Pictured here, Rai and Jayla had to cut out letters and find the correct letters to spell out their sight word "for."
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Zyaihre | Janiya | Laila |
Zyaihre
Janiya
Laila
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Bailey | Geremih |
Bailey
Geremih
2nd Grade Achievements
All of our teachers focus heavily on recognizing positive behavior in their classrooms. Most teachers have a classroom management system that lets a child know how they are doing throughout the day, and many students have frequent check-ins with other staff members to see their progress. This week, Ms. Jami's 2nd graders were caught doing all kinds of incredible things in reading and math, and there were also some amazing behavior moments of pride and joy. Shout out to her students for working so hard in their classroom!
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Olivia Olivia was voted by her classmates to receive the Kindness Award this week! | Andrew Andrew was so focused on completing his homework that he started right away - even during dismissal! | Rayshaun Rayshaun's behavior tracker shows off his growth and achievements and the pride he felt when he earned a blue day! |
Olivia
Olivia was voted by her classmates to receive the Kindness Award this week!
Andrew
Andrew was so focused on completing his homework that he started right away - even during dismissal!
Rayshaun
Rayshaun's behavior tracker shows off his growth and achievements and the pride he felt when he earned a blue day!
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Why wait? Ms. Jami's 2nd grade students mastered their math skills so well that she realized it was time for a challenge. She gave them 3rd grade standards to bump up the difficulty level! | Rising to the Challenge Ms. Jami's students worked hard and worked together to identify fractions. Our students are excited about their academic growth and we are proud of them for taking on the challenge! | Academic Pride Have you ever had that feeling of accomplishment that just fills you up and nearly bursts out of you? Rayshaun and his math group felt that joy after their challenging math workout! |
Why wait?
Ms. Jami's 2nd grade students mastered their math skills so well that she realized it was time for a challenge. She gave them 3rd grade standards to bump up the difficulty level!
Rising to the Challenge
Ms. Jami's students worked hard and worked together to identify fractions. Our students are excited about their academic growth and we are proud of them for taking on the challenge!
Academic Pride
Have you ever had that feeling of accomplishment that just fills you up and nearly bursts out of you? Rayshaun and his math group felt that joy after their challenging math workout!
