Claremore Public Schools

Develop skills, make friends across the district, build a team and show your #CPSZEBRAPRIDE ! Lil Zebra Football Camp begins June 7th! More Info ▶https://5il.co/s2i8

Happy retirement to Kerri Garroutte, Principal at CHS. Let's give her a virtual 👏ovation for her years of service in the comments. 🍎 What school did you begin teaching at for CPS? WRJH in 1988 🍎 What year did you start teaching for CPS? 1988 🍎 How many years were you a CPS employee? 33 years 🍎 What you are most proud of in your time at CPS? Students and their accomplishments. They are absolutely amazing. 🍎 What are the memories you will take with you? As a teacher, it will be those moments when I knew I made a difference either in the student's understanding of math or in learning a life lesson. As an administrator, it will be talking to students in my office and witnessing the growth, both mental and cognitive, that takes place in a student from freshman year to senior year. Graduation is the best night of every school year. 🍎 What does it mean to be a Zebra to you? It means everyone is a unique, valued member of a family and we take care of one another. 🍎 What is one piece of advice you would give incoming teachers? Be passionate, be present, be positive. Smile at the students. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

The Cherokee Nation is receiving $1.8 billion in COVID-19 recovery funds as part of a historic investment in Indian Country. We at Claremore Public schools want to make sure that our students and families are aware of this. Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner’s proposed spending plan for the funds will provide every Cherokee citizen with a total of $2,000 in direct relief assistance. This assistance is for EVERY Cherokee citizen with a blue tribal membership card. The Cherokee Nation will begin launching applications for its Respond, Recover and Rebuild COVID-19 assistance using FRF funds through the tribe’s online Gadugi Portal. Applications for direct assistance are expected to be online on June 1st or 2nd, but citizens are encouraged to register for the Gadugi Portal now to ease the sign-up process later. It is encouraged that everyone in the household creates a profile on the Gadugi Portal this means each citizen, yes children as well. Follow the link below to the Gadugi Portal. Please contact Jackie Boyd at jboyd@claremore.k12.ok.us if you need any assistance with this process. https://cherokee.org/about-the-nation/gadugi-portal/

When testing is done for the day, 5th graders will play! 5th grade students who were among the first students to finish their state tests were given the opportunity to go to the library with Mrs. Troyer and work with manipulatives like Legos, stacking sticks, spend time coloring or reading, and browsing National Geographic magazines. One of our 5th grade students made some elaborate designs with Legos! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Graduation pictures are now available for viewing and purchase online. One collection has the diploma and group pictures and the other collection has great random pictures from before, after and during the ceremony. https://meansphotography.pixieset.com/2021graduationceremony/ https://meansphotography.pixieset.com/2021graduationrandom/

We have added a Volleyball Camp to our summer options. Check out the details on our webpage. https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/page/summer-camps-programs #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Happy retirement to Debra Cox, teacher at Westside Elementary. Let's give her a virtual 👏ovation for her years of service in the comments. 🍎 I began in Claremore last year.2019-2020 🍎 I was only with Claremore for 2 years. Prior to that, I was with JT for 9 years 🍎 I am most proud of watching my SPED students "get" math on a 5th-grade level. 🍎 My memories I will take with me are the students that I have met as well as the teacher conversations and friendships built. 🍎 It means a lot to me to be a Claremore Zebra as I was born, raised, and graduated from Claremore in 1979. I love the town and all of the friends that I have here. 🍎 Advice for new teachers would be to not take yourself too seriously as things don't always go as planned in the classroom. You have to be able to let it go and move on to the next day without frustration. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Happiness Hatched in First Grade earlier this month. Life cycles are a huge and exciting unit for our first graders! They discuss frogs, butterflies, plants, and chicks. Before they begin the chick unit, the classes predict how many will hatch and how long it will take to incubate them. They use ova-scopes to chart their development in the egg as they grow. They have “chick journals” that they use to write their progress and our observations as well. During this unit, the students learn vocabulary words like albumen, oviparous, incubator, brood, and pullet. What a great way to bring real-life experiences into the classroom, and what a fun way to make this unit more memorable! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Claremont Elementary is "officially GE Model School official!" Mrs. Fay received our GE Model School flag and certificate from our Great Expectations coach. This is Claremont's inaugural year to accomplish this prestigious goal. - and we are so excited about it! Every person at Claremont is thrilled to have achieved model school status! So much so, we can't stop talking about it! This award makes 5/6 of our CPS sites GE Model Schools. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Happy retirement to Suzie Woods, teacher at WRJH. Let's give her a virtual 👏ovation for her years of service in the comments. 🍎 I subbed in several schools throughout the district, with a semester-long position at Westside. I had my first official teaching position at Roosa - 5th grade with Sharleen Hart. 🍎 I started teaching for Claremore Public School Schools in 1992, however, I had subbed in the district for the 3 years prior. 🍎 I have been a CPS employee (substitute teacher and then teacher) for 31 years. 🍎 I am most proud of the relationships I have made with students and parents throughout the years I have worked for CPS. I am proud of the year that Sandi Gilliam and I entered into a partnership with the Embassy School in Washington, D.C. and we did a streamed lesson with their students over Medieval times where we turned a lab at CUE into a castle room filled with authentic-looking dress, dishes, foods, and decorations. Students on both ends of the stream loved it! (This was the first time this had happened for this time period and a huge bus was sent with tons of recording equipment - 199? I am also very proud of the 10 years of Yearbook production and the hard work my students put in to make some of the best Jr. High Yearbooks in the state of OK!! 🍎 The memories that I will take with me are the fun times with teachers, students, parents, and lifetime friends gained during my tenure here at CPS. I truly LOVE teaching and am thankful for the opportunities I have had here. 🍎 Being a ZEBRA to me is being part of a family that cares about each other and is there in times of need. It is a group that I have shared my children with and that I count my blessings for being!! 🍎 I would advise new teachers to be open to change, to believe in themselves and their abilities, and most importantly----LOVE WHAT YOU DO!!! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Seniors, Make sure you have transferred any of the documents, projects, photos, etc., you have on your school Google Drive to a personal Google Drive by July 1, 2021. Once we roll up the students for the 21-22 school year, you will no longer have access to your claremore.k12.ok.us school email or drive. You can follow these steps to make sure you have everything you want to be transferred. Since you have turned in your laptops, you can use a school desktop or personal computer to complete this task. #CPSZEBRPRIDE #CPSZEBRPRIDE

Starting an end of the year collage at Westside Elementary. Kindergarten through 5th graders are working together cutting magazine pieces and gluing together to create this big beauty. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

ZEBRAS READ THE WAY! 3rd grade students got to Drop Everything And Read during their library visit this week! DEAR time is something that is very important to aiding students in learning to love to read! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Claremore's rich history is what gives us roots and wings. Roosa Elementary is named after the famous 🚀 Astronaut Stuart Roosa 🚀 from Claremore, Oklahoma, and orbited the moon on Apollo 14 fifty years ago. Stuart Roosa took with him some tree seeds to be brought back to Earth and planted. These trees are now known as "Moon Trees." Yesterday, his daughter, Rosemary Roosa, stopped by Claremore and brought a Moon Tree and planted it at The Claremore Museum of History, where its roots will continue to grow. Afterward, she stopped by the school named after her father, Roosa Elementary, to take a tour to view the #ZEBRABOND2019 updates, the new STEM center, and view some of the artifacts on loan in the school's lobby. While she was there, she made a surprise announcement that Roosa would be receiving its own Moon Tree. A few Roosa students were there to welcome her, and Cooper Key, 4th grader at Roosa gave a tour of the school. Rosemary Roosa signed a copy of her book, To the Moon: An Autobiography of an Apollo Astronaut's Daughter, and donated it to the Roosa Library. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Happy retirement to Marlene Townsend, Kindergarten teacher at Claremont Elementary. Let's give her a virtual 👏ovation for her years of service in the comments. 🍎 My teaching career with CPS began in 1985 at Claremont Elementary. 🍎 My employment with CPS spans about 35 years, however, my full-time teaching is 34 years. 🍎 I’m proud to have the opportunity to teach in the area I love- kindergarten! I am proud to have been one of the first teachers to establish the all-day kindergarten program. 🍎 The memories are many: the colleagues & administrators that have been a privilege to work with & know; participating with the input & transition into the building of Claremont (having the same classroom there for 25 years until being part of the first faculty at Catalayah Elementary); being involved in the first literacy lab program for kindergarten; Claremont Teacher of the Year; involvement in CCTA, Professional Development & Negotiations Committees, supporting education at the State Capitol. Most memorable are having had my own children graduating CPS and now having grandchildren that are advancing through CPS. 🍎 Being a Zebra means that I am one of many working within the process and/or being the product of our elementary & secondary schools working in unison & being embraced by our community to be role models for individuals to reach their best potential. These individuals continue to provide support for education & the community in their lives. Zebra strong, Zebra proud. 🍎 My advice to new educators: You have to have PASSION for teaching & supporting your field. Every year will bring new experiences; be flexible, but be strong. Being a teacher, you will be expected to wear many hats: counselor, nurse, mediator, therapist, negotiator, mentor, advocator, etc. in making decisions, be sure that it is for the best interest of your students and education. Keep your PASSION active. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

4th grade science Rock and Jelly bean Dichotomous keys! A dichotomous key is a tool that allows the user to determine the identity of items in the natural world, such as trees, wildflowers, mammals, reptiles, rocks, and fish...or jelly bean flavors!! Keys consist of a series of choices that lead the user to the correct name of a given item. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

"Congratulations to Michelle Rahn, recipient of the 2020-21 Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Elementary Teaching. A passionate sixth-grade STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teacher at @Will Rogers Junior High in Claremore, Rahn is known for an infectious enthusiasm about the subjects she teaches and inspiring her students to think critically and creatively. She nurtures a team environment in her classroom, guiding students through collaborative processes that encourage deep thinking and cooperation. Rahn was honored at the 35th annual Academic Awards Celebration on May 22 at the Cox Business Convention Center in Tulsa and later televised on OETA." (http://bit.ly/39ARGza) The public is encouraged to view the awards ceremony broadcast at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 29, or 10 a.m. Sunday, May 30, on OETA Public Television. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Mrs. Casey's 2nd grade class at Catalayah Elementary had so much fun playing this domino game at the end of their coin unit. They were learning how to match coin values while using various coins to make the amounts. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Work hard and serve the talent. Our Zebra Tennis team played in the State Tennis Tournament and brought back some state hardware: 🎾 4th place - Team 🎾 7th place - Preston Peck - #1 Singles 🎾 3rd place - Tanner Steidley - # 2 Singles 🎾 4th place - Parker Green & Beau Parsons - # 2 Doubles That hustle and heart set them apart as the Conference Champions the week before the State Tournament. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

10 months of school and 10 babies. May 4th was a big day for our Zebra family. Both Mrs. Warren and Mrs. Rice brought CPS their 9th & 10th lil' zebras into the world. Congratulations to Mrs. Warren on the arrival of Weston and Mrs. Rice on the arrival of Blair. Your Zebra family can't wait to meet you! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE