We’ve had the unique opportunity to watch the scores come in as our students completed their assessments—and the results speak volumes. Our students worked hard all year, and their dedication paid off. I’ve often spoken about the importance of showing up each day and learning from our exceptional teachers. That consistency and commitment have truly made a difference.

I’m proud to share that we are projected to be an A-rated school once again. We even achieved some record-setting results for Claywell! I can’t say enough about the strength of our community. You supported us every step of the way—responding to our reminders, encouraging your children, and showing up. Phenomenal job. If we can carry this momentum into next year, we can reach even greater heights. The first step is getting our students here—we’ll take care of the rest.

A Birthday to Remember

I was genuinely surprised and deeply touched when I saw our students and staff gathered on the covered court to sing me happy birthday. Seeing the kids smiling, laughing, and enjoying the moment was a gift in itself. Our chorus, under the direction of Mrs. Travaglino, sang beautifully as always. The celebration ended with the Claywell Cougar song, which brought a tear to my eye.

A heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Dunlap, Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. Travaglino, and all the staff who helped keep the surprise under wraps. It truly felt like a scene from Mr. Holland’s Opus—a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Dads and Donuts: A Huge Success

We were thrilled to welcome so many of you to our Dads and Donuts event—57 dads and 63 kids in total! Thank you to every father who took time out of your busy schedules to be here. As a parent myself, I understand how many directions you're pulled in, and we deeply appreciate your commitment to Claywell.

Your involvement—your “sweat equity”—has made a real impact, and we’re excited to continue that momentum into the summer. We have several beautification and learning space projects planned, and your help will be invaluable. Mr. Rudd, our Dads Club Chair, has shared that this is just the beginning, and we’re grateful for your continued support.

We had 57 dads and 63 students attend had a few moments to eat donuts and enjoy one another. Thank you Dads Club for all of your help this year.

Thursday, May 29, 2025

• Fifth grade superlative awards in the cafeteria will begin promptly at 8:00 AM. Please enter through the cafeteria like we do for the award ceremonies. After the award ceremony we will have about 15 minutes to take pictures with teachers that you would traditionally do on the last day.

• Directly after the award ceremony at about 9 AM we are going to do our traditional clap out. We are doing this one day early, so parents don’t need to take two days off, and it is a little less hectic.

• All our classes will be outside in the car loop. It is important to remember that our Shillington car line closes at 8:30. Families, if you want to get there early to set up your parking space area, please feel free. This should be a memorable and fun day for the kids. If you are decorating your car, please come from 7:00-7:55, and park. Stay in the parking lot. We will cross you over at 7:45 AM to go to the ceremony.

• Our 2017-2018 seniors will also join us. They will need to sign in to the front office. Mrs. Fishback and Mrs. Fernandez will welcome them and host them until it is time to start our clap out. We will also get pictures with the seniors. Please make sure they bring their cap and gowns.

• Last day of school. Parents, it has been a pleasure teaching your children

• Please make sure they are reading, and do not forget about those flash cards. K-2 (additions and subtraction) K-5- (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.) Also consider getting them a notebook to write in their journal each day. Practice helps their thoughts and helps to build strength in their hands.

Preventing the Summer Slide: Simple, Effective Strategies

Each year, children risk experiencing the "summer slide"—a loss of academic skills if they don’t engage in certain activities. To help prevent this, consider dedicating at least an hour a day to the following practices. While summer should be fun, these habits pay off tremendously for those who stick with them.

For Grades K-2

• Use or create flashcards for addition and subtraction and have your child practice 20 minutes a day.

• Practicing together enhances learning—even simple memorization makes a huge difference when school starts.

For Grades 3-5

• Make or purchase flashcards for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

• Multiplication and division are crucial, but kids often forget the basics—strong fundamentals make advanced math easier.

Encourage Daily Reading

• Have children read for at least 20 minutes a day—more if they’re interested!

• Technology can be a distraction; encourage them to choose books instead.

• Make reading fun by visiting the library to pick books they love.

• Reading strengthens vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills—exposure is key to improvement.

Start a Summer Journal

• Grab an inexpensive notebook and let kids decorate it—it becomes their personal space to document experiences.

• Writing daily helps them reflect, process thoughts, and develop storytelling skills.

• Parent-child journals are a fun way to communicate through writing.

• Set a routine—just one paragraph a day can make a lasting impact.

Consistency is Key

These suggestions work! The more consistent children are throughout summer, the better prepared they’ll be for the next grade level.

As mentioned, “summer slide” is real. If an NFL player never practiced in the off-season, would he be ready to play? No. The same goes for our kids when they spend the summer not reading or writing. They come back to school and must catch up. Here are some fun and FREE things your family can do to prevent that this summer: · Head to the public library for activities and books. Did you know your child already has a library card? They can borrow up to three books and use thousands of eBooks and audiobooks for free! Find out more about the

• HAAL PASS Program here! · Read on myON and participate in the summer reading challenge ·
• Reading with The Rays
• Summer Reading with the Tampa Bay Rowdies
• Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program
• Log your reading on Beanstack, use Boundless, and myON through the HCPS Hub!
• And, last, but not least, get a head start on those SSYRA/SLAM books! New brag tags, fun events and challenges await in 2025-2026.

I would personally like to challenge your family to commit to participating in at least one of these challenges and make a summer reading and writing commitment, you will see a big difference because of it. If you are ambitious, do as many as you want – just keep reading!

Attendance was pretty solid this week. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we knock it out of the park. We still cannot solve the Monday and Friday drop in attendance. Maybe by the time the kids get to work we will only work three days a week. We can only hope. We will not stop trying.

Monday, May 19th

• Hassan Abdulkadhem 🎂

Tuesday, May 20th

• Mrs. Van Name 🎂
• Azaria Urena 🎂
• Amir Gale 🎂

• Jovan Cruzado 🎂
• Third grade geography bee
• National Elementary Honor Society 6-7 PM (Claywell Cafeteria)

Thursday, May 22nd

• Lucas Shepard 🎂
• Weston Lucas 🎂
• Aiden Nguyen 🎂
• Mia Mendez 🎂
• May/June birthday celebration for students that have a birthday.

Friday, May 23rd

• Quinn Dupree 🎂
• Maya Lawrence 🎂
• Michael Thomas 🎂
• Fifth grade banquet 11-1 🎉🎉🎉

Saturday May 24th

• Slade Amos 🎂
• Ricairis Ferreira 🎂
• Jordan Agard 🎂

Sunday May 25th

• Mrs. Mullins' birthday 🎂
• Audriana Bonilla 🎂
• Lilly Smolen 🎂

🎂=birthday

I give you this now so you can plan around these dates. Enjoy your lives, just not during testing time. 😂

We are looking for more business sponsors in the 2025-2026 school year. The more business sponsors we have the ore we can do for our students. You benefit from advertising to 1300 parents, and 100 staff members. It is quite a bargain. Please call Adair at 813-975-7300, and she will get you where you need to be.