Patrick Henry Post

Alderman James Page met with Dr. Rogers when he was first elected into office last school year in May of 2021. Read about his visit by clicking here. Alderman Page listened to the concerns of the school community, and turned those thoughts into action. One of the biggest concerns of Patrick Henry is the dangers of 10th Street. This is a thru-way for downtown, meaning cars, bus transit, and trucks come down our street to avoid downtown traffic. Sometimes, this means that our street is very busy and traffic is moving way too fast for a school zone. We have partnered with the St. Louis Police Department to increase patrols during school drop-off and pick-up hours, and this week, Alderman Page delivered on a big request for a speed bump! In less than 24 hours, our street was transformed from a fast thru-way to a much slower street that is safe for our students.

Our students even got to watch the construction unfold, and it was so interesting to see! Thank you to Alderman Page and his commitment to the 63106 zip code, the families that live here, and the students that attend Patrick Henry. We are all so grateful!

Read more about Alderman James Page by clicking here.

Every morning, our teachers spend time connecting with our students during a morning circle meeting. This looks different for every teacher, but the goal is the same: listen to each student and check in with them to see how they are feeling emotionally and socially before the day even begins. This small gesture makes a big impact on our students. We work hard every day to form connections not only between student and teacher, but also between students as peers. It helps our students form better relationships, resolve conflict in a healthy way, and express their thoughts and feelings in a safe environment. Take a look below for three highlights that were caught this week!

Students at Patrick Henry had a real treat when the Vision Van came to school to complete vision screenings. We were so excited to see our students sporting their new glasses just a few weeks later, and we could not be more thankful to Nurse Gibbs for arranging this visit from such a steady community partner. Did you know that Dr. Rogers also went to a vision van when she was a kindergarten student, and it was a volunteer on the van who figured out she needed glasses? She has been wearing glasses ever since!

Our students are amazingly athletic, energetic, and fun, which means they need to move...a LOT! We give our students brain breaks throughout the day and we also encourage them to move as much as possible. Pictured above is a great game of tag that took place in Physical Education with Mrs. Ralphs where kids were really getting into great shape for Thanksgiving Break. Keep the movement going with a few suggested activities below!

Cookie is our latest stray animal to come and find us at Patrick Henry. Cookie was named by several students this morning after she not only wandered up our steps and right up to our front door, but also ran right through the door and up to the second floor! Cookie was immediately sweet and sleepy with our staff - she just needed a great place to snuggle! Thanks to Ms. Jones and Ms. Gonzalez, Cookie was adopted right away! She will now have a home off the streets where she will be adored for years to come. Congratulations, Cookie!

Dear Patrick Henry Family,

I wanted to include a personal note of thanks at the end of this week's newsletter. Last week, I was able to take a few days off so I could get married to a wonderful man, Mr. Rob Curtis. We took a few days off before the wedding to spend time with our closest friends and family who were coming in town from all over the country, and then we got married right here in St. Louis (in Forest Park, Dr. Rogers' favorite place!) on Saturday, November 13th. It was a wonderful day filled with love and laughter. I wanted to thank all of our staff members for pulling together in my absence and making everything go so smoothly! A special thanks to Ms. Amber Smith for serving as the interim principal while I was gone. And I also wanted to say thank you to the staff, students, and parents who have been so kind in congratulating me and sending me their best wishes for a long and happy marriage. I take each of these messages to heart, and I thank you for them!

With lots of love,

Dr. Rogers