Ms. Patti + Ms. Tolbert's Music Instruction
Watching Ms. Patti's preschoolers experience music in the classroom has been a fun adventure this season! We thank Ms. Cornelia Tolbert for offering her musical background to our preschoolers, Mrs. Patti Stogsdill for creating an environment in which students get to experience so many special opportunities, and our students for keeping the fun alive in our preschool classroom!
Mrs. Munnelly's Smiling Faces
Mrs. Lindsey Munnelly's preschoolers have worked hard this year to get their classroom routines and procedures down to a science. Students were photographed here during their morning routine, which they performed perfectly! They used their routine to settle into an awesome discussion of what community helpers are like in our neighborhood, and then specifically chatted about firefighters and fire safety.
Ms. Valentine's Block Builders
Ms. Kelly Valentine's preschool students have an incredible sense of partnership with one another. They have come together as a class to work as a team, and they are kind and supportive to one another! It is a special thing to watch our youngest students build so much empathy in such a short period of time.
Sister Support
During our Open House event, many siblings got to explore their younger or older sibling's classroom. Pictured here, Ms. Smith's preschool library provided a perfect moment for sisters to share a special reading moment.
First Day of School
From the first day of school to the last day of this semester, our students have been lending a helping hand to make sure everyone feels safe and welcome here!
Smart Board Fun
Ms. Willard's new Smart board, purchased and installed this fall, was utilized the very first moment it was available! Students are able to actively participate in their lessons, and it's awesome to watch them try their hand at math with confidence, whether they get it right the first try or not.
Musical Fun
Cranston found the joy of discovering a new musical instrument during Hispanic Heritage Month. Kindergarten music class is always fun for students and staff to enjoy!
Ms. Shea's Jumprope
If you have never seen Ms. Shea's first grade class at the end of the day, you have to stop by! Students are invited to jump rope to the song of their choice as the rest of the class cheers them on and applauds them, no matter how long they can keep the jump rope going. It is the best way to end the day on a high note for all of her students, and it keeps the relationships positive between peers and between students and their teacher.
A Quiet Moment of Reading
Lazarus joined me in my office one afternoon for a moment of exploration through my library. I had to pull Lazarus away from the fun when it was time to leave for the day, and his love for reading was infectious! It reminded me how hungry our students are for great books and the opportunity to explore!
Field Trip to the Zoo
Second grade students were able to go to the St. Louis Zoo in Forest Park this fall, and they had so much fun! Thank you to our district for sponsoring the field trip and providing the transportation, and thank you to our parent volunteers who went with our staff to ensure that students were able to participate!
Focus on Reading
It has been an exciting journey this year to see our second graders increase their attention and focus on reading. Students read independently in the classroom library, with reading partners, and in small groups during guided reading. I cannot wait to see where they can go throughout the second semester!
3rd/4th Graders
On a field trip with her students, Ms. Rashidah Ivory was able to make personal connections with so many through sports. Rashidah's passion for her students and pursuing their interests allows her to build strong relationships with each student in her class. Those relationships form the foundation of the academic and personal growth that is able to occur in this third/fourth grade classroom. We are thankful for our students and their teacher!
Do the Right Thing
Darrion Hendricks was recognized for his contributions to our community in a special ceremony with the St. Louis Police Department and the local news. We were so proud of his actions, and so happy he was recognized! Thank you to everyone who ensured Darrion and his family were able to attend the ceremony.
Art Opportunities
Isaac Arnold's field trip to the St. Louis Art Museum was far more than a simple field trip. Isaac's art journal sparked a conversation with the owner of one of the art collections and resulted in a series of opportunities for Isaac to pursue art!
In the News
Ms. Williams' fifth grade students spend time reading and discussing the St. Louis American on a regular basis. Students become well-informed on local and national news, and also find a fun way to challenge their independent reading skills.
Music Creativity
Can it get any cooler than this? Students wrote their own compositions in Mrs. Terrance's music class this semester during the holiday season. Kristine is always coming up with new and exciting ways to engage our students in the art of singing. We love her for it, and we love our students for working so hard to bring us the joy of song!
Making Cultural Connections Through Art
Mrs. Carolyn Bryant's art classes have consistently been a time of learning not only artistic principles, but also about other cultures, and making connections from one culture to another. Masterpieces are not only studied here, but also created!
Ms. Blake's PE Class
Ms. Brookie Blake consistently gives our students the opportunity to challenge themselves physically and learn various sports as a team. Kindergartener Honor shows us how much fun PE can be. We are thankful for all that Ms. Blake does to keep our school community healthy!
Garden Pride
This semester was another successful harvesting season for our staff, students, and neighbors! Ms. Patti's leadership of the school garden allowed us to grow vegetables, including a massive amount of sweet potatoes! Students harvested the sweet potatoes and even helped cook them in their classrooms. It was an awesome effort!
Get moving!
In our efforts to become a part of the Healthy Schools Healthy Communities grant, we know how important it is to keep our students and staff active. Ms. Blake's PE class inspires me every day to keep myself active, healthy, and up to date on the latest best practices for a healthy lifestyle.
Mrs. Norton-Young + Elijah
Teresa is a new staff member to us this year, and she has served our students so well! Here she is pictured with fourth grader Elijah during a performance they clearly both enjoyed! We are so proud of Elijah's academic growth, and we love how his smile lights up a room. Thank you to Elijah for your hard work this year, and to Teresa for your kind, selfless presence in our school!
SIPPS
SIPPS is a specialized reading program to help our youngest students with their decoding skills to build independent readers. It is not possible to run SIPPS without lots of assistance from our staff. We thank all of our classroom teachers, our reading interventionist, our related arts team, and our support staff for making SIPPS happen every day! We thank our students for their focus on a very tough subject area, and for committing to this learning process!
Flexible Seating
We were so lucky this semester to receive donations of money and furniture to give our students comfortable flexible seating options. In the reading room, students have been able to snuggle up with a good book, a special spot, and even a cozy stuffed animal!
Finding the Right Level
Adrian in Mrs. Wildermuth's class told me in a moment of feeling frustrated that he wanted to read a book, but he didn't know how to read yet. I asked him if he thought we could find a book together in Mrs. W's library - and before we even made it there, he said, "Actually, I think there might be some books on my table I can read by myself." He was right! He was able to find something not only interesting to him, but also on the right level to feel confident as he read independently.
801 Connections
Did you know that we have a number of our district staff who send their preschoolers to Patrick Henry? The proximity of Patrick Henry to the Board of Education make it an easy commute, and we love that our district staff are able to come to school events!
Grandparents' Day
National Grandparents' Day in September was fun to celebrate with grandparents who came from both near and far!
Instilling Sibling Responsibility
There's something very special about being a big brother or big sister. Our students often go the extra mile to make sure their siblings are supported. During this Henry Honors celebration, the whole family got to participate!
Tyme + Jaylen
This dynamic sibling duo always looks out for each other, and their support and kindness to each other inspires me every time I see it!
Family Love
The generational love is so apparent here at Patrick Henry. Students are so happy to have their family members come and visit, and their smiles make our day!
Grandparents' Day
Preschool's participation in Grandparents' Day drew in the biggest crowds, and it could not have been more fun to see the looks on our students' faces when their grandma or grandpa walked through the door!
Welcoming New Family Members
It is such an honor to be a part of our students' and families' lives, and one of the most exciting things to celebrate are new additions to the family!
Open House Night
Meeting our families, both new and returning, during our Open House Night was a highlight for me as a new principal. I got to interact with so many amazing families, but I also got to see my teachers interact with our families, and start the important task of building connections and relationships. I am so thankful for our family participation!
Colleagues or Family?
I love that our team works together so closely and in such support of each other that we are more than colleagues. On this family dinner night sponsored by HomeWorks!, colleagues and friends Iris Jackson and Audrey Hammock showed us that connections we build here at work carry over into our personal lives and enrich our experiences overall!
Ms. Smith + Ms. Jackson
Both Amber and Iris are "new" this year - this is Amber's first year at Patrick Henry, and Iris' first year as a classroom teacher. They have both been working hard in their new roles, and we are so proud of what they have accomplished so far!
Ms. Willard + Ms. Jones
This is the perfect symbol of the friendships that have sprouted up among the Patrick Henry staff. Ms. Kelsey Jones and Ms. Megan Willard bring their friendship to the school community by supporting one another's students and creating an environment we are proud to work in.
Ms. Bivens' Retirement
We were able to celebrate the retirement of Ms. Ira Bivens, school counselor. Though Ms. Bivens was not with Patrick Henry for the duration of her career, we were able to benefit from her time with us. We are thankful for the relationships she built with staff and students, and we wish her an amazing retirement!
Harris Stowe Alumni Award
Ms. Rashidah Ivory was recognized by Harris Stowe State University during their Alumni Awards for her work as an educator in St. Louis Public Schools. Rashidah was honored at a dinner with the other recipients of the award, and we were lucky enough to attend and celebrate her achievements!
Harris Stowe Alumni Award
Ms. Ribbon Williams was also selected for the Harris Stowe Alumni Award for her work as a fifth grade teacher at Patrick Henry. We celebrated Ribbon's accomplishments alongside Rashidah, and we could not be more proud of her contributions to our school community!
First Day of School
From the first day of school to the last day of this semester, we have been a team. We love and support one another, we work hard for each other, and we want the best for each other. Team work makes the dream work!
The Creativity Within
Even before our students arrived for the school year, our staff came together to determine what we wanted to accomplish this school year. Out of the minds of our incredible staff came great ideas and creative solutions. I'm so excited to see our initiatives taking shape throughout this year, and I cannot wait to see each project through to the end!
Central Public Library
Because of our unique downtown location, our students often get to walk to incredible outside learning experiences! On this field trip, students were able to walk to Central Public Library for a free performance of "A Christmas Carol," and they had an amazing time! Thank you to our St. Louis Public Library system for an amazing partnership!
Little Bit
Little Bit is one of our community partners we get to work with on a weekly basis. Little Bit provides a special boutique experience for our students to find uniforms, coats, undergarments, shoes, and warm winter accessories that fit. They meet our immediate and our longterm needs, and serve our community through several outlets with food, clothing, and even academic support! Pictured here was the Little Bit Book Fair, in which students went home with books of their choosing! Thank you for all that you do to love and support our families and our staff!
HomeWorks!
Our home visiting program, HomeWorks!, provided dinner for our entire student body and their families this fall. Staff served dinner while parents got to connect with teachers and each other, and fellowship together over a great meal. HomeWorks! is a program that pays teachers to go on visits to students' homes, to connect deeply with students and their families, and to build lasting relationships that will assist in not only academic achievement but also social and emotional growth. Thank you for the opportunity to do home visits and connect over our first family dinner of the year!
Volunteer Tutors
Mr. Bob Stogsdill has faithfully volunteered with our students both in the preschool classrooms and in upper elementary, sharing his wisdom and experience along the way. We are lucky to have the extra set of hands and the outside experience our tutors bring to the table. Thank you to Bob and all of our incredible volunteers who work directly with our students and staff members!
Biking4Books
Students from across St. Louis Public Schools came to Patrick Henry for an incredible event in October. Biking4Books provided a brand new bike for all student participants, and also partnered with a roving book van to send students home with brand new books of their choosing! All of the money raised from this charity event will go into purchasing new books for all participating schools. We are so appreciative of each layer of these partnership, and we love that our students got to feel so well cared for!
U.S. Coast Guard
Mrs. Lindsey Munnelly's family connection to the U.S. Coast Guard allowed us the opportunity to recognize our students with 100% attendance during the first quarter of the school year. Students were treated to a special pizza party and celebrated for this awesome achievement! We are thankful for the support of our students!
GGO
Gateway to the Great Outdoors (GGO) partnered with us throughout the fall semester to expose our students to incredible outdoor experiences, knowledge, and fun. The semester culminated in an incredible camping trip to Camp Manitowa, where our fourth and fifth grade students were able to hike, canoe, and even eat smores. It was such an adventure, and one that we would not have been able to provide to our students without GGO's partnership!
St. Louis Public Radio
Mr. Ryan Delaney, reporter for St. Louis Public Radio, has been working with our students throughout the fall semester to learn how our students are achieving high levels of reading growth. The time Ryan has spent in our classrooms has exposed our students to the world of journalism, and sparked so many of their interests in the field of writing and reporting!
Ameren EmpowerU
Ameren partnered with the Patrick Henry community to provide a special event called Ameren EmpowerU. Bringing together utilities companies, banking services, and housing assistance, Ameren's event was complete with dinner and direct learning opportunities with several companies. One of the participating companies brought their VP with them, who happens to be a Patrick Henry alum herself!
Reading Room
Through the support of our incredible community partners and individual donors, one of our classrooms was transformed into an expanded library area called The Reading Room. Students are able to come and enjoy a cozy spot to read and find an awesome new book to read!
Left Bank Books
Our favorite local bookshop, Left Bank Books, arranged for an author visit from Pablo Cartaya, complete with a signed copy of his new book for each one of our upper elementary students! Pablo also spoke with our students in a presentation, and focused on the impact his cultural identify has had on his life. We are so appreciative of this opportunity to meet such a successful author with such an important message of self-acceptance and cultural pride!
Gateway Green + SLU
Our school garden is in full swing throughout the summer and fall growing/harvesting season, and it's all thanks to our community partners! Gateway Green assists us financially and with teaching resources to ensure our school garden is a real farm where science comes to life. Thank you to SLU for several volunteer days that kept the garden healthy and happy!
Mr. Kirk, Volunteer
Mr. Kirk has remained committed to Patrick Henry this school year and has provided so much support to our staff - taking tasks off their plate, asking where he can help, providing supplies. His impact has been felt by our team, and we are appreciative!
Maritz
Our partnership with Maritz has provided us with supplies, funds, and manpower over the course of this semester. I am constantly amazed at all of the ways Maritz makes an impact directly on our students and staff - providing supplies, sponsoring our Henry Honors program, providing dinner to teachers on long conference nights. Thank you to every small and large project you have completed for us, and for your continued commitment to our school community!
First Lego League Tournament
Patrick Henry is sponsored by Little Bit and St. Louis Public Schools to participate in a Robotics League known as First Lego League. In November, our team, "The Codies," took their robot to the district wide tournament and won first place in the "Teamwork" category. We are thankful to so many for making this possible - Little Bit and SLPS for sponsoring our team and the tournament, Ms. Kelsey Jones for coaching the team to victory, and our amazing Codies students for pushing themselves to such great heights in a challenging field!
The Roving Chef
Southwest Food Services offers an incredible opportunity for a roving chef to visit with our students and lead them in a cooking class! It is not only fun, but also delicious! Our students giggled in their chef's hats and aprons, but then got down to the real business of cooking, and their creations were delightful. Thank you to our district for providing this free experience for our students of all ages!
Trick or Treating at 801
The Board of Education district office invited us to a walking field trip to trick-or-treat throughout the building. Each department had their offices decorated and prepared for students of all ages. They even had a full blown haunted house through the technology department - and our upper elementary students screamed their way through it, then laughed hysterically when they were out. It was such a fun event, and we are thankful that we got to treat our students to all the excitement!
Building Repairs
Patrick Henry, built in 1906, requires a lot of work to keep it looking bold and beautiful. We are so thankful for our district teams that come and repair so much throughout the building. The windows team repaired not only classroom windows but also the beautiful stained glass of the office windows. The plumbing team installed a brand new water fountain with new pipes to replace old and outdated water fountain, and they also replaced/repaired several toilets in the restrooms. Our electrical team installed new flood lights to make sure our path to our vehicles is well lit and safe, and they replaced lights throughout the building. Our carpenters replaced door panels, stairs, concrete, and fence pieces to keep everything safe. There is so much to list here as a thank you to the Buildings and Grounds Crews and our own custodial staff!
District Focus on Reading
Because our district prioritizes reading and reading initiatives, we at Patrick Henry are able to not only pursue excellence in reading achievement and growth, but also set up special projects like the library expansion into the Reading Room. We are excited to see our growth scores this year, and we are even more excited to see our students fall in love with the world of books!