February Newsetter
February 6, 2024
Deep Thoughts By Mr. Jones
So many wonderful things happening at Claywell
We had a fun month and if I know our Claywell community we are going to have an even better February. Our students are so focused in our classrooms, and we saw so many gains. We are very proud of the work that we are doing in our school. We are also sending our students all over the county to compete in various events. We are fully involved in STEM, the arts, and all the various Math and Black History Bowls. We love to compete and show everyone the talent that we have at Claywell. We hope Mr. Claywell is proud to have his name on our school.
Denny, our Crossing Guard
As you know our crossing guard, Denny passed away over the winter break. He was beloved by the students and we were devastated to hear the news. The family was very grateful for the money and gift cards that were collected. They were brought to tears when they saw the picture collage. It was a beautiful celebration of life, and he effected so many in our community.
Excellence in Education Awards
Mrs. Martinez, Mrs. Dunnam, Mrs. Fernandez, (on behalf of Mrs. Perotin) attended the Excellence in Education Awards Thursday. All the school nominees for Teacher of the Year, Instructional Support Employee, and Ida S. Baker fill the Straz and they nominate the top person in each domain. Congratulations to our nominees and we were represented by excellent educators, that add something very special to our school each day. The county puts on a wonderful event and it adds a boost of inspiration each time I attend. The picture was below was taken at the Straz on Riverwalk. It was not the best quality, but you get the idea.
Please make sure you read the entire newsletter. There is a lot to read. "You Can Do It"
Mr. Jones
Principal
Media Center News
Our Spring Book Fair will be held March 5th-8th, and March 7th we will be open till 8pm all families welcome. Don't miss out on the excellent opportunity to grow your child's personal library while supporting our school library! Volunteers needed, contact Alexandria.Wells@hcps.net if you are interested.
At the end of March, our media center will be closing for a renovation! Included here are some of the projected images of the final product. We are so thankful to be a school getting these updates and are immensely looking forward to using the new space next school year. For April and May of this year, limited media services will be available on campus and relocated to another room. The modernized space, technology, and all the wonderful books will be opening next school year.
Fundraiser for the Year
Okay, we have some fundraiser talk to inform you about. Let me pull back the curtain. Fundraiser companies and companies in general constantly approach me about doing fundraising and sending out literature on our campus. I protect our community by doing what makes fiscal sense. Most fundraising companies take anywhere from 50 to 60 percent of the profit. We decided a few years ago to create a simple fundraiser and we truly hope that our community supports the effort. This way we keep 100 percent of the profits. We generally ask each family to give a flat donation and then we have a day of fun for our students. This years theme is football and cheerleading, and it looks to be a lot of fun for our kids. We ask that each family gives what they can. Thank you in advance for anything you can do for our school. We have been fortunate to get our school updated with technology and we are getting a brand new media center. We are adding to last years fundraiser to get playground covers. If anyone would like to donate from their business we would appreciate that as well. The covers are estimated to cost $40,000, and last we were able to raise $8,000 last year. We will collect money February 13th through February 26th. The day of the event will Friday February 23rd
Kindergarten Round Up February 22nd
We are looking for our 24-25 class of Kindergarteners. Our Kindergarten Round Up is February 22nd from 6-7 PM. Come and meet the kindergarten teachers, and they will tell you everything you need to know as a Kindergarten parent. There will also be school tours including the kindergarten classrooms. We look forward to meeting you. Claywell is a great place to be.
Literacy Night 23-24
Thank you to Ms. Ramsey and the entire committee that pulled this literature rich even together. We counted well over 300 people at the event. The Claywell community comes to support our events. We hope everyone had a great time!
100th Day of School
Principal Celebration
I like to spend a good part of my day surrounded by students and staff that are promoting positivity. I aske the staff to send me students the are performing exceptionally well. I listen to students read their writing, or read their first book. It is a rewarding part of my job. We work on goal setting with the kids and many of them flourish in our environment. Below is a picture of Enrique and Deangelo who made huge growth from their fall to winter assessments and they wanted to share. It's great to spread great news. We get excited about this stuff at Claywell.
Science Saturday Academey
Science Saturday Camp was a huge success! Our campers dissected flowers, to learn how they are pollinated and fertilized. They also made different types of seeds in order to investigate how they are dispersed. Thank you to our staff: Diane Dunlap, Krysten Hurman, Kelly Colucci, and Brittany Collins for spending part of your Saturday helping our students. Deangelo I see you showing up all over this newsletter.
Economics Calendar WInner- Bryce Tulle
Bryce Tulle won the Economics Calendar contest sponsored by the Florida Council On Economic Education for the second year in a row! His winning entry depicted Producers and Consumers and is currently being displayed in our school office. The contest was statewide and most of the winning entries are from twelfth graders across the state. I could not possibly be prouder of this amazing and incredibly talented student!!! He is beyond amazing!!! The calendar picture is below.
Congratulations Devarri!!!!
On Thursday, January 12, 5th Grader Devarri Moreno-Smith had the honor of performing with the Florida All-State Elementary Chorus. Devarri was selected out of over 1,000 students who auditioned throughout the state of Florida. Congratulations, Devarri!
Our Fifth Graders Competed in the Black History Bowl
Thank You Mr. Gries for working with our students
Nice job Enrique Kindred, Kylee Aleman, Harper Lucas, and Deangelo Southers
February Calendar
Week of February 5th- School Counselor Week
February 6th- Regional STEM Fair
February 9th- Fourth grade goes to Kennedy Space Center
February 9th- Gaither Stampede
February 13th- NAEP Fourth grade assessment. Don't be late fourth grade
February 14th- Valentine's Day
February 15th- Sweetheart Dance (Information on the flyer above)
February 16th- No School
February 20th- Third Grade Fieldtrip to the Tampa Theater
February 22nd- Kindergarten Health Screenings
February 22nd- SAC Meeting
February 23rd- First grade health screenings
February 23rd- Football Fun A Thon Fundraiser (Staff Run- 100 percent of the profits go to buying the covers for our playgrounds)
February 23rd- All students with February birthdays get a cookie and pencil in the atrium
February 24th- Saturday Academy
February 26th- Character of the Month Breakfast
February 28th- Fine Arts Festival
We are a Uniform School and it has been AWESOME!!!!
Tops are white, red, or blue.
Pants or shorts are khaki, or blue.
Hoodies are not to be worn inside of our school.
During the chilly months students must have on the correct color shirt underneath their sweaters and jackets.
If you are having difficultly getting uniforms we can help. We made our colors easy to find no matter what time of the year it is.
A Few Words from our Awesome Social Worker, Kelli WIld
Donate Gently Used Uniform Items
If your student has outgrown any uniform items, we are in need!
Please drop off any gently used uniform items at the front office. We will be using them for our nurse's station when a student needs a change of clothes, as well as for any students needing extra uniform items.
Thank you for keeping the Claywell family in mind as your child grows!
Pop-Up Parties!
We will be randomly selecting homeroom classes with perfect attendance for the day and stopping by for a Pop-Up Party to celebrate! EVERY student has something unique to contribute. Our best days begin when everyone is present and on time ready to learn!
Thank you, parents, for all you do to get your student out the door and to school on time! We hope your student's class will enjoy a Pop-Up Party soon!
Mindset Mornings
Our 1st - 5th grade students have been doing a great job with their “7 Mindsets” lessons in the mornings. 7 Mindsets is a district approved curriculum that teaches ways of thinking that can help students lead happier, more satisfied, and successful lives. We just wrapped up "We are Connected", ending with a service project "Links of Love", where our 4th and 5th grade students wrote inspirational / affirming statements on strips of paper to be displayed at Jefferson High School Relay for Life next month. Next we will be learning the mindset "100% Accountable".
Lauren Stockslager
Guidance Counselor
Kids Get Breakfast Free at Claywell on their Birthdays
Now that I have your attention. The good news is your kids eat breakfast and lunch for free each day.
Our reputation is very important to us. Our staff works tirelessly to get every child a good education. I have noticed that our students that are late and tardy are not getting as good of grades as our other students. We offer a free breakfast at Claywell and it stops at 7:35. Students leave the cafeteria at 7:35 to be in class by 7:40. No food goes to our classrooms. If you buy your child food then please have the m eat it in the car. We only drink water at Claywell as well. Our goal is to continually provide healthy choices to our students. Thank you for your help.
Congratulations to Our Claywell Substitute Nick Dunlap
We are very proud to announce that our self proclaimed "Number 1 Sub" who substitutes at Claywell as his second job. He was recently awarded the Civilian Officer of the Year for MacDill Air Force Base Fire Department. The kids love Mr. Dunlap and we are fortunate to have him teach at Claywell.