As much as we love and admire our classroom teacher's work in the core subject areas of English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies, we know that there are so many learning opportunities that happen outside of the classroom curriculum.

This week's Patrick Henry Post is dedicated to what our students learn when they are in Art, Music, Physical Education, and the Garden. Take a look below to see what students get to experience outside of the regular curriculum at Patrick Henry.

Hello, families! Welcome to the art room! This year we are trying out the "T.A.B." art model for class - Teaching for Artistic Behaviors. This model allows students to use the art room more as their personal studio than a traditional classroom. Each class will focus on a short lesson followed by studio time where students get to choose what kind of art they would like to make.

Our goal in Quarter 1 is to learn how to be safe and responsible with art supplies, think about where artists get ideas and make plans to bring them to life, and create art that is meaningful to us personally. In Quarter 1 we will focus on drawing skills and drawing choices during studio time to build confidence before moving into collage, paint, sculpture, and fiber arts later this year. I am so excited to see what creativity blooms in our art this year!

Our Patrick Henry Rock Stars have been hard at work this school year! While our older elementary musicians are playing educational music games to review last year's content and build relationships, our younger musicians are exploring the musical elements. For the next couple of weeks, our focus will be on exploring musical expressions, learning about beat vs. rhythm, and warming up our voices. Our students have big plans to bring concerts back to Patrick Henry's walls!

Throughout the entire school year, I continually work with students on understanding the importance of teamwork, cooperation, and relationship building. However, the first 4 weeks of school I focus specifically on activities that revolve around these specific concepts. I think it's important to build these foundational concepts at the beginning to help students be successful the remainder of the school year. After the first 4 weeks I will move onto two weeks of fitness testing. Students will get tested on push-ups, sit-ups, and the pacer test. Students do not get graded on these fitness tests, but they are markers to see how students improve from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year. Students in grades PK-2nd grade will only practice the fitness test and never actually record their scores. Students in 3rd-5th grade will get a chance to record their scores to see how they have improved from the fall to the spring. Overall students are just encouraged to try their very best! After fitness testing, I will move onto specific sports. For each sport, students will participate in activities that teach the skills specific to that sport. For example, if we are in our football unit, students will learn how to throw, catch, and run. At the end of the school year, I spend two weeks on health. Students will learn about proper nutrition and get a chance to experience our wonderful garden. My PE class is always about making learning fun and getting students as much movement as possible!

The Patrick Henry Garden is an award-winning community garden that provides an incredible amount of learning opportunities for our students and our staff. Every season, we prepare the beds, plant seeds, tend to the growing plants, harvest our fruits and vegetables, and cook our own food! Students are a vital part of each step in this process, and they work hard through every season to produce fresh fruits and vegetables that our school and neighborhood community get to enjoy. Learn more about our garden and why it is so important to connect kids to nature by looking at the references below.

All grandparents are invited to Patrick Henry on Monday, September 12th, from 8:30-9:30am. Grandparents will be directed to their grandchild's classroom to get a tour, participate in a lesson, and spend some quality reading time with their grandchild.

On Friday, September 16th, families will receive their child's 1st quarter Progress Report Card via email. Please make sure you have updated your contact information if you do not have a current email address or phone number. You can update your contact information by calling the school at 314.231.7284 or by clicking here.

All SLPS will be closed on Friday, September 23rd so that staff can have an in-service day of professional development. Enjoy your three-day weekend!