Westside Elementary

From 1941 to 1945 Nazi Germany and its collaborators committed the systematic murder of over six million Jews. The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was Nazi Germany’s “Final Solution” for eliminating all Jewish people within Nazi Germany’s grasp. By the end of this heinous act, roughly two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population had been murdered. The United Nations General Assembly’s resolution 60/7 designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day on November 1, 2005. Join us on January 27 for International Holocaust Remembrance Day when we remember the Nazi’s act of genocide so that no one else will suffer like that again. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Who inspired you? Who inspired you to do what you do? What Teacher inspired you? ___________________________________________________________ A teacher's wish is to inspire their students to great things. Mrs. Sayre Whitaker was inspired by her 1st Grade teacher, Mrs. Mary Marshall, now retired from Roosa Elementary in Claremore. Mrs. Nicole Woods was inspired by her first grade teacher, Mrs. Copeland. Mrs. Lauri Titsworth was inpired by Mrs. Melba Quinton, a retired teacher from Claremore High School. Miss Gentry Pilant was inspired by her Oklahoma History teacher Mrs. Prather now known as Mrs. Koger. __________________________________________________ Westside Teachers...Who inspired you? #WHOinspiredYOU #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

District-wide parent-teacher conferences will be held from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM on February 4, 2021. Parents will need to make an appointment with their child's teacher(s). Read more for scheduling appointments... https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/o/cps/article/387114

Introducing.... Mrs. Kaitlynn Hink Fourth Grade Teacher Thank you for your dedication to Westside! ____________________________________________ My name is Mrs. Hink. I grew up here in Claremore. I went to Westside Elementary School as a kid and had amazing teachers while I was here. I graduated from Claremore and attended RSU and Cameron University. I am so excited to now be teaching at Westside. I have been at Westside for 5 years and have been teaching 4th grade for 4 years. My husband John and I have been married for 7 years. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

You're such a great teacher! You inspire me to great things! You make school fun! You're my hero! All of these are great compliments! In honor of National Compliment day, January 24, 2021, give your teacher a heart felt, genuine compliment. I guarantee your teacher will remember it for the rest of his or her life! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Let's all do our part to help our school look nice! 5th graders took this lesson to heart! 💖 5th Graders in Miss Frost's class at Westside Elementary helped clean up the leaves around the school after learning about the different impacts humans have on the Earth and how we can help! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Welcome to this week's edition of #FridayFunnies where we share funny things from the classroom. This week's edition comes from a First Grade classroom. _______________________________________________________ In my first grade class we were discussing text to self connections with the book, Tacky the Penguin. I asked the students, “How have you helped your friends before?” Most said they helped when someone was hurt at recess, or when the cafeteria needed to be cleaned, even helping younger siblings at home. One sweet boy said he saved his brothers life one time. We were all of course amazed. 😮 I asked him how he did it. He said, “We were playing together and my brother’s health was getting real low so I gave him one of my lives so he could keep playing the video game with me. I do it all the time.” _____________________________________________ This concludes this week's edition of Friday Funnies! Thanks for reading! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Just like the cast of High School Musical... We're all in this together! Our Principal, our counselor, your teachers, your friends. We're all in this together! We're here to support one another during good times and bad. During healthy times and during a pandemic! We're all in this together! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Introducing... Mrs. Sonia Eckert Fourth Grade Teacher Thank you for your dedication to Westside! ___________________________________________________________ My name is Mrs. Eckert. I have an Early Childhood degree, Elementary degree and a Reading Specialist master's degree. I have two kids that go to Westside. Phillip, my son, is in 4th grade. My daughter, Addie, is in second grade. I love being a teacher! I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was a freshman in high school. My family and I love to take trips and travel! I have a picture from our travels this summer! I enjoy working out and running. I also enjoy watching Disney movies and singing Disney songs. I really love spending time with all my family! Reading is my favorite subject. Recently, I have been reading a lot of biographies, but I like reading all the genres! ________________________________________________ My students were learning about light energy and how shadows form. __________________________________________________ I give these out to students I see displaying life principles throughout the day. They can wear them around their neck or hold them, but they get recognized for the day for using that Life Principle I put on the monkey. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Ever heard of Tacky the Penguin? Mrs. Cummings and Mrs. Woods's classes were in for a treat! They read the book Tacky the Penguin and then did this fun craft with water colors! Tacky the penguin is not your typical penguin. He wears loud Hawaiian shirts , sings off key, trips over his own feet, and does “splashy cannon balls". He clearly doesn’t fit in with the other pretty penguins that make beautiful music and march in straight lines. Tacky’s the odd bird out among all his friends. This nonconformist teaches his old penguin friends some new tricks and helps save the day by outwitting some hunters! This hilarious series following the adventures of this superlative penguin and is a modern classic. This was the perfect time for this project as January 20th is National Penguin day! Who doesn't love penguins? Want to watch a live webcam of penguins? https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/penguin-cam Here is a GREAT webcam of some at the San Diego Zoo! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

What is GE? GE stands for Great Expectations. Westside students have been learning about Great Expectations for several years now! We have made model school two years in a row! This year we are trying for our 3rd consecutive year! With Great Expectations comes the 8 Great Expectations. Our students recite these daily. Teachers refer back to these expectations in their daily classroom interactions. With GE, also comes Life Principles. These are words you will find in every classroom on their word walls but you will also see these words exemplified in our students. Things like Respect, Compassion, Honesty, Patriotism, Espirit de Corp, etc. _________________________________________________________ Teaching children to count is fine, but teaching them WHAT COUNTS is best". -Bob Talbert _________________________________________________________ We are so happy to have Great Expectations in our school! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Don't forget the 3 W's! 1. Wash your hands! 2. Wear a mask! 3. Watch your distance! Stay Safe Zebras! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Claremore Public School Celebrates School Board Recognition Month The Claremore Public School (CPS) District joins school districts throughout Oklahoma to celebrate School Board Recognition Month, Superintendent Bryan Frazier announced. "Our school board members are volunteers who shoulder critical responsibilities and often make difficult choices for our District, all without pay. Their goal focuses on the future success of the children in our District," Superintendent Frazier said. "Celebrating School Board Recognition Month is one way to say thanks for all they do." Rea more here: https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/o/cps/article/382373

Be kind and wear your mask! Two things we need from every Westside student! 💖😷🦓 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Introducing Ms. Stephanie Bailey Fourth Grade Teacher Thank you for your dedication to Westside! _________________________________________________ My name is Ms. Bailey. I have 2 kids that currently go to Westside. My daughter, Claire, is in 4th grade. My son, Carter, is in kindergarten. I graduated from Oklahoma State University with degrees in elementary education and history. I’ve been teaching for a total of 9 years. I have been teaching at Westside for the past two years and I love it here! My kids and I enjoy any outdoor activities, especially hiking. I also love to read, travel, and spend time with my family and friends. ________________________________________________________ A couple of pictures are from a catapult experiment and the other is from a back to school activity where we connected string based on our commonalities. It was to show how we are always connected through the things we share even when we’re apart. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

The power of the mind is becoming increasingly more apparent. That’s why you’re seeing focus on activities such as mindset development, meditation, and mindfulness. Our mindset forms the foundation and plays a big role in our overall success and happiness. That’s why it’s so important for us to find ways to improve our mindset. Failing to do so puts you at a significant disadvantage as you will allow your mindset to hold you back. That is why we encourage you to start daily affirmations with your child! Daily affirmations are a great way to build confidence in kids! ____________________________________________________________________ Tell your child: "You are special and you have something you can feel positive about every single day!" Try out these Affirmations! You will LOVE the difference it makes in the life of your child! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Do us a favor? Go to our Facebook page, Click Community, and then Invite! Invite everyone on your list to like Claremore Public Schools, CHS, WRJH, Catalayah, Westside, Claremont, Roosa, Claremore Public Schools Foundation! Like us all! We want to make sure that our messages reach everyone! Like, comment, share! It doesn't cost you a dime, just a few minutes of your time! Thank you!

We all have moments where we doubt ourselves. It's what we do afterwards, that matters most! We've talked a lot this month about "self care". We as parents have to take care of ourselves. As Teachers we have to take care of ourselves. You can't pour from an empty cup! A growth mindset is believing in the power of yourself and your brain! We know our intellect and abilities develop when we try difficult things, use the right strategies, and don't give up. So a growth mindset is when we know, with practice, we will get better at something. This year has been incredibly challenging for parents, and it's okay if things don't always feel okay at the moment. Remember that your own mental health is important too--and that this is a time to be kind to yourself. Take time when you can to check in with yourself, have a break, and do the things that help you look after yourself during challenging times. These are different for everyone--it could be doing exercise, reading a book, watching a movie, having a bath, or talking to friends. Remind your kids of this chart and remind yourself of this chart! Children are always watching their parents. If you beat yourself up over failures. They will follow in your footsteps. When homework turns into a struggle. Take a break! Go outside! Go for a walk as a family, or a bike ride! Enjoy the fresh air! Then revisit it. Sometimes all it needs is a fresh pair of eyes! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

On January 15, we celebrate the birthday of civil right’s leader, Martin Luther King. When we hear his name, we most often think of his legendary “I Have A Dream” speech, the civil rights movement, and, sadly, his assassination. When we celebrate his birthday, let’s take a few moments to look into the personal story of the man himself. HISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY Martin Luther King, Jr. was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. King’s given name at birth was Michael King, which was also his father’s original name, but after a period of gradual transitioning by the elder King, he changed both his and his son’s names in 1934. King was a middle child, between older sister Christine King Farris and younger brother A.D. King. He sang with his church choir at the 1939 Atlanta premiere of the film “Gone with the Wind” and enjoyed singing and music. When King was a child, he befriended a white boy whose father owned a business near his family’s home. When the boys were six, they started school: King attended one for African Americans and his friend went to one specifically for white children. Their friendship ended because the boy’s father didn’t want his son playing with a black child. In 1955, Dr. King received his Ph.D. in systematic theology at Boston University, with a dissertation titled “A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman.” While pursuing his doctoral studies, King worked as an assistant minister at Boston’s historic Twelfth Baptist Church with Reverend William Hunter Hester, who was an old friend of King’s father and a huge influence on the young man. Also in 1955, Claudette Colvin, a fifteen year-old black schoolgirl in Montgomery, and a few months later Rosa Parks both refused to give up their seats on busses to white men. This lead to the Montgomery bus boycott, urged and planned by Edgar Daniel Nixon and led by King. His role in the bus boycott transformed him into a national figure and the best-known spokesman of the civil rights movement. The quote in the image seemed like perfect timing for everything going on in the world today. Things we need to realize. Let me leave you with one more Martin Luther King Jr. quote that spoke to me. _________________________________________________________________ Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree today. -Martin Luther King, Jr. ❤

Welcome to #FridayFunnies, where we share funny things that happen in the classroom! Today's episode comes from a 2nd grade classroom. _______________________________________________________ Teacher: A man named, Charles Osborne, once had the hiccups for 68 years! Student: Is he related to Ozzy Osborne? Teacher: No. Student: Dang, that would be really cool. _________________________________________________________________ This concludes today's edition of #FridayFunnies, join us next Friday for more laughs! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE