Thank you to all of our families that joined us in celebrating our incredible grandparents for National Grandparents' Day on Friday morning! We had the best donuts in the city (thank you, Pharaoh's Donuts!) to go along with the best grandparents in the city, who have the best grandchildren in the city! I wanted to take one more step in thanking our grandparents on The Post. Whether you have your grandma, your grandpa, your great-aunt, your great-great-uncle, or your neighbor who is a generation or two older than you, we can all relate to learning from generations that came before us. I feel very lucky to have known four grandparents in my life (see pictures below), and three of them are still with me today! I have also been lucky to have people in my life who were of an older generation who could give me wise advice throughout my childhood and adulthood. There is something very special about having an older influence in your life to help guide you through your toughest times and to celebrate you through your greatest achievements. And there is also something special about how they can spoil you just a little bit, or be tough on you in a different way than your parents. They are here to laugh and love, to guide and correct, and ultimately, to support. Our surrounding community and Patrick Henry values family. Grandparents' Day allowed us to celebrate a part of that family structure, and we hope you will join us for our future events to celebrate everyone that is a part of our students' family structure.

Thank you to our grandparents and all those who came before us. You are still shaping each of us with your powerful examples!

This week I had the chance to sit down with Ms. Williams' fifth graders. I asked them all about themselves and what they like to do with their free time, and I also heard about what they like so much about Ms. Williams' class. Did you know that Tyneah, Alona, and Dereona all love Six Flags? I also learned that Janaye and Dariona share a love of volleyball (which I also loved when I was younger!) I found out that Ranyaa loves math, that both Javoney and Jemonta love to play games, and both Gregory and Antonio love to play football. I was so happy to meet this incredible class of students.

One of the best parts of sitting down with them was hearing what they like about Ms. Williams' classroom. They couldn't decide if "nice" was the right word to describe Ms. Williams - they all agreed that she cared so much about each of them, but then they also all agreed that she was tough. Finally one student said, "No, she really is nice, because it wouldn't be nice of her to just let us get away with everything. She wants us to be the best." Ms. Shaniece Webb, a colleague, said this about Ms. Williams: "I have a lot to say about Ms. Williams and the way she uses her words. She is so very encouraging!" When I asked Ms. Williams to share some of her thoughts about her class this year, she said, "I'm really enjoying seeing the students I had last year and how much they've grown."

Thank you to Ms. Williams for pushing your students and challenging them every day! They are an amazing group of students, and I know they will do great things this year as our oldest students in the building. I see a lot of leadership in this group!

Ms. Watson provided a unique learning opportunity for her students during a math lesson this week. Students were excited by a hands-on and EDIBLE math exit slip! Each student received three graham crackers and a tube of cookie icing. Students had to create mathematical equations using the correct symbols. When the math session was complete, Ms. Watson invited everyone to gobble up their work as a snack! They loved making and eating their edible flashcards. Awesome job, Ms. Watson and her second graders!