The Patrick Henry Post

It might seem crazy, but we are entering our final week of the 2022-2023 school year! Our students and staff have been working hard all year long, and now it is time to celebrate our accomplishments! Take a look below for a final farewell from our teachers before we turn to celebrations in our final week of school.

This has been an amazing school year, and I am so proud of all that we have accomplished as a school community! It has been extra special for me because my husband Rob and I (and our dog, Hank) are very excited to welcome our first child in just a few weeks! In my place, Dr. Chavon Curry will step in as Interim Principal. She will work hard to keep communication lines open between the school and families, and she will make sure Patrick Henry runs just as smoothly as it runs right now! I am excited to see Dr. Curry step into this role because she is already an excellent and effective administrator in the district. Dr. Curry's experience in St. Louis Public Schools and her doctoral work has prepared her fully to take on the Patrick Henry Principal position, and I know she will shine as the Interim Principal!

Thank you to all of the Patrick Henry families, staff, and students who have been so wonderfully kind and supportive throughout my pregnancy. It has meant the absolute world to me, and I promise to update you once Baby Tess arrives. Have a wonderful summer!

Love,

Dr. Rogers

I look forward to serving and leading the students, staff, families and overall Patrick Henry School community as the Interim Principal at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. I will prioritize a safe, inclusive and holistically enriching education that each scholar deserves.

I'm currently the Assistant Principal at Mason and prior to that I was the Assistant Principal at Gateway Elementary School for 3 years. In addition to being a school leader, I have over 10 years of elementary teaching experience. Places I've taught include Illinois, Los Angeles and Kansas City. During my teaching journey I was the recipient of awards, such as the 2018 St. Louis American Golden Apple and the 2020 SLPS Elementary Reading Teacher of the Year. Prior to being an educator, I worked as a television news reporter and anchor.

Together, as a school community, we will have a successful start to the 2023- 2024 school year!

I cannot believe it is the end of the school year already! It seems like yesterday I was welcoming you to our classroom. Time sure does fly when you're busy learning new things like life cycles and addition. The end of the school year always makes me think about the beginning. I feel proud of everything you have accomplished. I am most proud of your enthusiasm to learn and I feel lucky that I got to experience things with you for the very first time. My days with you have been filled with joy and laughter. I hope your love for learning continues to grow as you grow. Have lots of fun during the summer months and make sure to read each day!

Love,

Ms. Smith

Wow! I cannot believe it is the end of the school year! I am amazed with the growth the students have made; we have worked hard academically and socially but have had a lot of fun too! I am going to miss the P4s moving on to kindergarten but I am excited to have the P3s back next year to be the leaders in the classroom. It has been a wonderful year and I am looking forward to next school year!

My first year with Special Ed Inclusive PreK was amazing! Watching my kids grow over the year has been really special and I feel so lucky to be able to witness their achievements. My kids went from not being able to walk in a line to being able to walk to the garden while carrying supplies. My kids have learned their sounds and letters, numbers, and how to sit for a story, but most importantly, they have learned kindness. My kids make me so proud and surprise me everyday with the consideration they have for their classmates and peers. They have huge hearts and are always thinking about others. I look forward to my kids returning next year and wish well to those who are moving on. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

XOXO, Ms. W.

This has been such a wonderful school year - it’s hard to believe the school year is over! We have had so much fun learning and playing together and making new friends. I am so proud of each student for how hard they have worked and how much progress they have made this year in so many ways. I love every one of you – you are each so special! You will always have a special place in my heart. I hope you have a fun filled summer with family and friends. I will miss all of you but looking forward to seeing some of you back at Patrick Henry again next year. Happy Summer!

What a year it’s been! This year’s Kindergarten class has been the most consistent. They show up ready to learn and tackle the day! I’m so proud of the work ethic, collaboration, and bonds that we established in our room this year. Each and every one showed tremendous growth either academically, socially, or both! With that being said, you've worked so hard and waited for it all year. It's finally that time... you are ready for 1st grade! ☺️ I can't wait to see you all succeed next year! Love Ms. Willard

We did it! I am so proud of the effort that first grade put forth each and every day. They are going into second grade with so much knowledge about language that I can let them go, confident in their literacy abilities. And to second grade, what a ride you five have had this year. Your ability to persevere will take you far.

We have had so many laughs and real-time learning experiences this year, but by far my favorite was the Pumpkin Patch. That was my first time ever taking a class there and we had so much fun on the hayride and in the spooky house.

I can't wait for our Reading party and all of the other activities planned for our final week.

I love you so much,

Mrs. Versen

I enjoyed working with you guys this year! We learned a lot and laughed a lot and that made for a big successful school year. If you want to get a big success in life, I want you all to keep dreaming big . I want you to always remember to use the knowledge and wisdom you learned this year to self-improve year by year. My proudest moments were teaching you all the Black National Anthem and how proud you all were to learn about Black history. To see you all yearn for a deeper understanding of the society around you made me so proud. Our time in the community circle each morning encouraged me as an educator, to keep going strong and keep finding better ways to connect with you all. I wish you all the best for your future. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey! Each of you have black girl and black boy magic. Continue to be proud of who you are. I love you guys always!

Ms. Ivory

This year, I am overwhelmed when I think about the amount of growth I have seen in this amazing classroom of children. Not only academic growth, but emotional as well. They are kind, smart, and will continue to do incredible things in this world! I will miss them very much but look forward to hearing about the adventures they experience over summer break! They are a special group of students who will always have my heart. I hope they continue to read and enjoy books as they have in our room all year and remember to be kind always. ♥️

This has been an amazing year of transitions, growth, and relationship building. We have learned a lot together and grown so much as friends and scholars. Take all of your growth with you into the summer as you accomplish all of your goals and continue to become stronger, more intelligent young learners. I hope your summer brings you fun times with friends and family, as well as more time reading some interesting books.

This year I am proudest of my students for learning to accept each other and learning to work together with me as their new teacher, six weeks into the school year, at just a moment's notice. I know it was not an easy task, but we did it together. I have watched each one of my students grow in reading and math and I am so proud of them.

It has been an interesting year in 5th grade. The students have worked very hard adjusting to the many changes that have occurred. I am most proud of their ability to be flexible and adapt. Learning and building relationships have been a priority. Students have worked collaboratively on Project Based Lessons. They have done independent research on a variety of topics. They team up for Independent Practice activities after each math lesson. Students have learned from each other academically as well as socially. I will truly miss the culture of the classroom. My hope is that they embrace their individuality and display confidence in what they have learned throughout their time here at Patrick Henry.

To My Cross Cat Students –

It has been an incredible journey, and I am so proud of you. At the beginning of the year, I had three students on my caseload and soon after there were twelve. Once we identified your individual learning goals, you always kept trying until you got it.

You put faith over fear by working hard at the stations with your friends, took pride in your work and focused on your assignments until it was completed. I always enjoyed how you never gave up when you did not know or understand something the first time. You have made great progress with your sight words, reading, writing and math.

I am so proud of how much you have grown in learning! Keep up the amazing work! You make teaching the greatest job in the world. Most of all, you learned how to work “together” as friends - kind, supportive, patient and caring every day.

Thank you Ms. Zonnie for being my “ride or die” - nurse, social worker, political analyst, activist, and “the voice” to all of our students. When there was a concern, our students know you have their backs unconditionally. I – “we” - could not have done it without you.

For the fifth graders going to middle school, remember to listen and follow directions. For students returning, we look forward to seeing you next year. And to everyone – read, read, read, read!

What a year in art! This year students got to experience a more choice-based art studio and it was a huge success! We got to see who our artists really are through their self-expressive drawings, paintings, sculptures, and other art forms. Some of our students were featured in the district art fair at the St. Louis Zoo, and there were two art field trips this year with third and fifth grade. We ended the year with a tie dye project, and it will be so special to see the kids wearing their designs on field day! Have a creative and safe summer, Patrick Henry artists!

As the school year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to express how incredibly proud I am of each and every one of you. You have learned so much this year from how to play different instruments, discover genres of music, and how to compose your own music! I also want to acknowledge the outstanding success of our Black History Month program! Together, we celebrated and honored the rich heritage of Africans and African Americans through song, dance, and art. As summer begins, I hope you embark on exciting musical adventures, whether it's attending concerts or exploring artists you have never heard of! Have an amazing summer and just know we cannot wait to see you again in August.

This year has been nothing short of amazing at Patrick Henry. Being the PE and Health teacher I have gotten the opportunity to watch all our students grow in their knowledge of sports, understand what it means to be a good teammate and most importantly have fun! This year I am most proud of our school winning the National Green Ribbon Award! It was such an amazing accomplishment! I hope that this summer my students stay active and are getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity in every day. I am sad that this is my last year at Patrick Henry and will miss the students and staff more than they will know! It has been a wonderful 2 years working at this school, and I hope everyone has a blessed summer!

I can't believe it's the end of the year! I have truly enjoyed working with all of my upper elementary reading groups. I am most proud of their efforts and perseverance... some of my students are still asking me to test their reading levels again because they want to reach and exceed their personal goals.

My hope is that you all continue to read, read, read, and read some more, lol. I also hope you continue to build your confidence and never lose hope in yourselves, even when others can't see your potential! You all worked so hard on every lesson and task I gave you, thank you for making my job easy... I gave you the tools and strategies, YOU did all the work!

In the words of my very insightful 5th graders - "Having strategies is like cheating on your test without a cheat sheet...it makes it easier."

~Farewell Scholars~

A Backward Glance at Reader’s Row: Ms. Evans

This has been a challenging year for readers at Patrick Henry, but they persevered.

· We moved out of our small space into the hallway for safety reasons, due to Covid, and we expanded, and expanded, and expanded, and expanded!

· Donor’s Choose has been very good to us. (Books, room dividers, couches, chairs, ottomans, and lots of cheering on)

· We created spaces for visiting volunteers, PT workers, and conferencing spaces for any small reading group who needed a private space to read, assess, or just talk.

· We created Keplar’s Korner, where Mr. Keplar hosted a boy’s reading group, when time permitted.

· Our kids have made great strides in raising their reading levels

· We learned sight words, letters, letter sounds, and read many books, and took many books home.

· The most favorite books this year was “Elephant Piggie Books” by Mo’ Willems. We even made pigeons (who can’t drive the bus).

· Some of our boys in 1st grade and Kindergarten were given “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) Sleeves for learning their Kg, 1st, and 2nd grade sight words.

· Every Child in Kg, 1st, and 2nd grade will receive an “Elephant and Piggie Book” on Awards Day, thanks to Donor’s Choose.

· Lastly, the greatest addition to our reading team was Ms. Emily Bryson. She was molded and handmade for Patrick Henry. She fit in so neatly, you would have thought she’d been here for years. She made relationships in the upper grades, and encouraged the joy of reading in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. You can see the difference she made with these kids in our STAR Scores. Yay! Ms. Emily!

Patrick Henry will not have Afterschool the last week of school. Parents, please make sure your child is picked up between 2:52pm and 3:07pm. If students are picked up late the last week of school, they will not be able to be a part of the Afterschool program next school year.

Make sure your child is on time on Monday, May 22nd for our whole school field trip to the Zoo! Students will be with their homeroom teacher at all times, but we always need chaperones! If you're able to chaperone this field trip, please contact your child's teacher. All chaperones need to provide their own transportation to and from the Zoo. We will be there from 9:30am - 1:00pm.

All classes are invited to attend Field Day on May 23rd from 1:00-2:30pm. Parents are welcome to come and help at this event - please email deborah.rogers@slps.org or contact your child's teacher if you are able to come and help the class move through their stations!

On Wednesday, May 24th, Patrick Henry will host a Promotion Ceremony for our 5th grade students. Only family members of 5th graders are invited to attend, and we will also live stream our ceremony on Microsoft Teams. The link will be emailed out to all 5th grade parents and can be shared with other family members by forwarding the email. The Promotion Ceremony will begin at 9:00am in the Patrick Henry gym.

On Thursday, May 25th, Patrick Henry will host an End of Year Awards Ceremony for our Preschool - 4th Grade students. Family members of PreK-4th graders are invited to attend in person, and we will also live stream our ceremony on Microsoft Teams. The link will be emailed out to all families and can be shared with other family members by forwarding the email. The Awards Ceremony will begin at 9:00am in the Patrick Henry gym, and will include the following class times:

• 9:00-9:10, Welcoming Remarks
• 9:10-9:40, PreK (Ms. Smith, Ms. Munnelly, Ms. Womack, Ms. Young)
• 9:40-10:10, KG + 1st + 2nd Grade (Ms. Willard, Ms. Versen, Ms. Ivory)
• 10:10-10:40, 3rd + 4th Grade (Ms. Ivory, Ms. Fales, Ms. Hammock)
• 10:40-10:45, Closing Remarks

All SLPS schools will have their last day of school on Thursday, May 25th. All SLPS schools are closed on Friday, May 26th. Have a wonderful and safe summer vacation!