Patrick Henry Post

It should come as no surprise that February is "Heart Month" for the American Heart Association. While we love to celebrate Valentine's Day with heart shaped candies, we should also consider our physical and mental health this month! The AHA recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intense activity for adults, and 60 minutes per day of moderate-intense activity for kids. Wow! How can we keep our kids and ourselves moving, even when we are inside on cold winter days? Listed below are several resources for both kids and adults to get into healthier habits and start moving!

The American Heart Association and the NFL have teamed up to produce videos to keep our children moving. Take a look below at some of the videos that allow kids to exercise even when they're at home.

The American Heart Association is celebrating not only American Heart Month throughout February, but they are also celebrating Black History Month. On February 25th at 7:00pm, the AHA will sponsor an event that will stream live on YouTube (see link below). The title is "EmPOWERED Black Women and Well-Being Roundtable," and the conversation will focus on health equity, Covid-19 and its relationship to black women, and what the AHA is doing to prevent loss of life with black women.

Last week, our staff engaged in powerful professional development around culturally responsive teaching. Our first session with Dr. Kinette Richards was a session of self-reflection that allowed us to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. It laid the foundation for a series of professional development sessions where we will explore our implicit biases, examine how bias has impacted education throughout our culture and country, and determine how we address those biases in our own teaching.

This week our Garden Committee met to determine what we want to plant this semester. We are so excited to bring seeds and seedlings to Patrick Henry for the spring growing season. Our students will be busy readying the garden beds, planting the seeds, caring for them as they grow, harvesting the plants, and preparing them into edible arrangements. Stay tuned for many garden updates as the semester goes on, and join us if you're able!

Did you know that Patrick Henry is a part of a research study on how schools are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic? Thanks to our partnership with HomeWorks!, we were connected to Washington University and the University of Missouri. Each week we update researchers on how we are working with our students, families, and community partners to address the different roadblocks that could prevent our students from experience a full, robust learning experience. Researchers also help guide us and provide insights into other schools/districts' best practices. We are so grateful to be a part of the team!

According to Education Week, learning loss is a major side effect of the global Covid-19 pandemic across the country. With our students' education interrupted for over a year, reading and math skills are suffering. The impact of this learning loss varies by age and grade level. For example, Kindergarten-1st graders lost the most in general reading growth while 5th graders lost the most in reading fluency. On average, all grade levels are on track to losing 2 months of reading growth and 2.5-4 months of math growth. Access the whole article below.

What does this mean for our students at Patrick Henry?

• Attendance matters! Ensuring that your child is at school every day, all day, whether they are virtual or in-person learners is one of the most important things you can do to prevent learning loss.
• Following up with your child's teacher when they have to miss school is important as well. Students can make up their work and assignments to make sure they are still engaging in the work.
• We use our interventionists to identify potential learning loss and address those concerns in reading and math. When students are not in school, they miss the opportunity to get 1:1 or small group instruction.

As we move forward this semester, consider the impact of even one day's absence on your child's education and potential learning loss. When your child is sick or unable to attend school in person, always remember that they have the option to log in and participate virtually.

Ms. Wildermuth's students explored the artistic trend from Jean-Michel Basquiat, exploring their own beautiful creations and posing in the fabulous photo above. The iconic crown has many meanings for the artist, and has appeared in Basquiat's art almost obsessively! Many art historians interpret the crown as a symbol of the artist as a king, the artist believing others to be kings, and the artist trying to become the greatest possible version of himself. I love the idea of each of our students seeing themselves as the royalty they are!

Click HERE for more information on the Basquiat crown!