Travel: Our staff went all over the world this summer!
- Amber Smith (our new Academic Instructional Coach) went to the Dominican Republic
- Brunette Watson traveled to Las Vegas
- Kelly Valentine traveled to Jamaica
- Megan Willard was able to visit her family
- Rylee Shea (our new first grade teacher) traveled the East Coast
- Brookie Blake said she's gone somewhere new just about every weekend of the summer
Celebrations: Our staff enjoyed some incredible life events!
- Antron Rose became a grandfather! Congrats to his entire family on this exciting new adventure.
Work: Our staff rested but also worked!
- Kristine Terrance ran a landscaping business with her mom.
- Morgan Hill worked in the Early Childhood Department to research best practices for our youngest students.
- Several of our staff taught summer school during the month of June and they were able to provide an amazing learning opportunity for our students and students throughout the district. Thank you for your extended service to our families!
- Our staff came together in small groups and individual meetings to discuss ways to improve Patrick Henry for all students and staff, and I was blown away by the commitment to excellence. Thank you all for your time this summer to meet with me and your efforts to make this an incredible school year!
Professional Development: Our staff used their time off to become even stronger teachers!
- Iris Jackson attended Washington University's Learning Institute and spent her summer days in hands-on learning labs.
- Rylee Shea took a deep dive into Conscious Discipline.
Volunteering: Our staff always loves to give back to our community!
- Patti Stogsdill (and Mr. Stogsdill!) volunteered throughout the summer in our school garden to make sure our veggies were healthy and happy. She also coordinated a team of volunteers from Texas to come and work on some major projects that required more muscle. Thank you to Patti and to Karin Versen and our volunteers who picked weeds even in the hottest heat.
DonorsChoose: Three of our teachers received full funding for their summer projects!- Megan Willard funded "I read, you read, we all love to read!", a project posted for guided reading books. One donor wrote, "I've loved reading since I was little! I hope y'all get loads of books and enjoy the adventures they take you on! Go Ms. Willard!"
- Karin Versen funded "Sit in the chair, sit on the chair, who cares?", a project posted for flexible seating for her classroom. One of the donors is a fellow educator from Meramec Elementary, and is rooting for Patrick Henry's students from across town!
- Audrey Hammock funded "Time for Kids to learn about current events," a project posted for a magazine subscription. Google matched all of her donations and said, "We’re incredibly grateful for the work teachers do every day to create learning environments that represent all students, so we’re contributing $4 million to double donations to classrooms through the #ISeeMe campaign, as part of our new $5 million commitment to public school classrooms!"
