Westside Elementary

Westside would like to brag about our 2020-2021 district teacher of the year for this teacher feature! Meet Mrs. Andrea Ratcliff! "My name is Andrea Ratcliff. I’ve been teaching since 2006 and moved from my home state Arkansas to Oklahoma in 2017. I teach Art at Westside. I have 2 kids (Ella, 8th & Rivers, 3rd) and am married to Chris, the athletic director at RSU! Go Hillcats! I love good music playing real loud, travel (especially in the mountains), good food (and will travel a long way to get to it), pretty things, to laugh & making others laugh. I love kindnesses, I love life & I’m grateful every single day for it. Favorite Things: big cup Reese’s, Lindor truffles, quality music, good naps, watching others succeed, just LIVING…. Fun Fact: when I was a kid, I used to sneak out into our fields at our farm and lick our cattle’s salt blocks….after the cows had already licked them first. Yummy. " This is so very you and we thank you so much for sharing, Mrs. Ratcliff! We are very thankful for you! ❤ #TEACHERFEATURE #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

On Thursday of last week, Westside had a GROOVY time during our rise and shine, celebrating FOUR FANTASTIC YEARS BEING A GREAT EXPECTATIONS MODEL SCHOOL! Our Pre-K teacher, Mrs. T, said it best "The Great Expectations program is one in which I fully believe is best practices for the education of students. Essentially its premises boil down to giving your best and expecting the best from others and using respect to achieve that goal." It was wonderful to have some special guests and have all of us all together for the assembly! It's always a great day to be a Zebra! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #GREATEXPECTATIONSMODELSCHOOL #4GROOVYYEARSOFGE

Westside would like you to meet Mrs. Denise Classen! Denis Classen is an elementary teacher at Westside. Mrs. Classen was a paraprofessional at Westside for 7 years and has been a teacher for 7 years. Mrs. Classen grew up on a farm in North Dakota and has lived in Oklahoma for 30 years. She has 3 boys that are all graduates of Claremore Schools. Favorite Things: She enjoys reading, working with the youth football/cheer organization, and spending time with her family. Interesting fact: I do not like to wear closed-toe shoes. I only put them on for short periods when it is VERY cold outside but quickly change back into my sandals when I get inside. Thank you for sharing with us, Mrs. Classen! We are proud to have you with us at Westside! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #TEACHERFEATURE

First grade is hatching some big ideas and chicks!😉 Recently, they used an Ova-scope (pictured below) to look at the fertilized eggs. Mrs. Sanders's class currently has 17 that are moving around, 4 they aren’t sure about, and 2 that are not fertilized. It’s very egg-citing!! 🐣🐤🐥 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

We know you have been waiting and did not forget about our Miles of Change coin drive! With PTO's help, our students brought in an astounding 216 pounds of change! It totaled somewhere around $1,900! WOW. After we finished collecting change, assisted by PTO and some 4th and 5th graders, we laid out 1/4 of a mile worth of change and calculated the amount of change it would take to fill a WHOLE mile. (Our AMAZING students helped with the math!) It took 23,469 coins for 1/4 of a mile and would take around 93, 876 coins to do a full mile! We loved giving our students real-life experiences to connect to their classroom instruction and we can't thank you all enough for donating all these coins! A big thanks to PTO for all their effort in this. We are thankful for all you do at our school! This coin drive is sure to bring miles of change to our school. 😉 It's a day to be a Zebra! *Congratulations to our winning wings..... 3rd and 2nd grade! They nearly tied in weight of coins so both wings will receive a party* #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #MILESOFCHANGE

Westside now proudly introduces, Mrs. Hope Vinson! Hope Vinson is a certified PreK-12th Grade Reading Specialist for Claremore Public Schools. Mrs. Vinson has taught for 24 years, 22 years in First Grade, and is currently a Reading Specialist for Westside Elementary. Mrs. Vinson has taught in Texas and Oklahoma. Mrs. Vinson earned her Master's Degree in Reading from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin in 2007 and was awarded Outstanding Graduate in Reading Education. She enjoys reading of all genres, yoga, and spending time with her family. Interesting Fact: I went to the Drummond Ranch and toured the Lodge. I opened every drawer, closet, and refrigerator and explored the pantry. Guess what Ree keeps in the drawer next to the stovetop? Ree keeps hairspray and lipstick, not spatulas and spoons, in the drawer next to the stovetop! Thank you for sharing with us, Mrs. Vinson! We are thankful for you! ❤ #TEACHERFEATURE #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Have you enrolled your kids for school next year??? If you're having trouble, please make sure you are signed into wengage through GOOGLE CHROME on a computer. You can follow this link to get to the parent portal https://ok.wengage.com/Claremore If you need help or have any questions, please call the office. 918-923-4260. Pre-enrollment numbers are used to hire the appropriate number of staff members and create schedules. To ensure we have a full staff, please enroll your children by May 2nd. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

** REMINDER ** CPS will be closed on Friday, April 15th for an extended holiday weekend. We are "egg"cited to spend some extra time with our families. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

For this teacher feature, Westside would like to introduce one of our Reading Specialists, Ms. Marcia Rennick! "I am a Reading Specialist and I have taught Reading at Westside for 31 years. I live in Tulsa with my cats, Gracie and Bubby. I am a graduate of Tulsa Central High School. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master's Degree from the University of Tulsa. Favorite Things: I love to read a good mystery, collect teacups, and grow houseplants. Fun fact: I saw a humpback whale next to our boat in the Atlantic Ocean. He was as long as our boat!" Thank you for sharing with us, Ms. Rennick! Your work is very appreciated! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE # TEACHERFEATURE

Yesterday was National Paraprofessional appreciation day! Westside would like to thank our paras for all the work they do and the love they show our students. We couldn't do it without them! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

This Friday Funny comes to you from Ms.Palmer in the 4th grade! "One of my kids was showing me a cool comic book he has. He said that it’s vintage and that it is from the 90s. I said, “I’m from the 90s, so are you saying I’m vintage?" He wasn’t sure how to respond because he didn’t want to tell me that I’m old. 😂😂" #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #FRIDAYFUNNIES

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴! 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘵. 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘖𝘝𝘐𝘋-19 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵. 🏫 Mrs. Heatherly 🏫 Dr. Adkins 🏫 Mrs. Bopp 🏫 Mr. Worthington 🏫 Mr. Grisham 🏫 Coach Key 🏫 Mrs. Lee #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Westside is proud to share one of its teachers with you, Ms. Karen Olari! My name is Karen Olari, but everyone calls me Ms. O. I am an Elementary Teacher at Westside. I have lived in Claremore since I was five and attended Westside as a Kindergartener. I enjoy going to concerts, plays, and Triple D restaurants. I love machine embroidery and am teaching myself how to sew. Life Principle - Curiosity; how the heat of the sun bakes our s’mores. Life Principle - Empathy; understanding the sadness of a new Kindergarten friend and offering solace. Fun Fact - I am a lifelong Sooners fan! BOOMER! Thank you for sharing with us Ms. Olari! Westside is very thankful for you! ❤ #TEACHERFEATURE #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Westside is proud to share another teacher with you! This time we would like to introduce Mrs. Sonia Eckert, a fourth-grade teacher! "I love to teach, run, sing Disney songs, read biographies, travel, and see my son play soccer, and my daughter performs in Irish Dance competitions!! I graduated from ORU with 2 education degrees and got my master's degree in education from OSU. At the end of this year, I will have completed 17 years of teaching. I enjoy teaching with my wonderful co-workers at Westside!" Thank you for sharing with us Mrs. Eckert! Westside loves you! ❤ #TEACHERFEATURE #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Claremore celebrates the 100+ Paraprofessionals in our district! Thank you for EVERYTHING you do for our students and teachers!

Westside would like to introduce Mrs. Leigh Johnson! My name is Leigh Johnson. I have taught at Westside for 4 years. I have been in education for over 30 years. I hold two graduate degrees, the first in Early Childhood Education and the second as a Reading Specialist. I graduated from Pryor High School and married my high school sweetheart. We have a son and a daughter. My son is a very successful scientist and my daughter is a musician pursuing her doctoral degree. I was born and raised on our family farm near Pryor. I enjoy raising animals, traveling, kayaking, whale watching, and spending time with my wonderful family. Last year, I completed the Orton-Gillingham Reading Academy class. This year I am taking a two-year class called The Science of Reading. I enjoy learning new information that will help me be the best that I can be. I truly enjoy taking my students from where they are and watching them grow to their full academic potential. Thank you for sharing with us Mrs. Johnson. Westside is proud to have you! ❤ #TEACHERFEATURE #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

📚 THANK YOUR LIBRARIAN TODAY 📚 “A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people - people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book." [Letters of Note; Troy (MI, USA) Public Library, 1971] ― E.B. White It's National Library Workers Day and we can't think of any better way to celebrate than to visit your school librarian and check out a book. I know they will have a recommendation for whatever you want to feel between the pages of a good book. THANK YOU!!! Catalayah - Andrea Riggs Claremont - Ashley Troyer Roosa - Vanessa Mudd Westside - Brittany Lang WRJH - Donna Eddings CHS - Casey Moss #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

This Friday's funny comes from the third-grade hall! Student: Hey, Mrs. Campbell guess what I'm gonna be when I grow up?! Student: What's that? Student: I'm going to go play football at OU and then I'm going to go work in that Dorito factory because they need help. They need help filling those bags all the way to the top!! *Insert Mrs. Campbell laughing hysterically here.* 😂 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #FRIDAYFUNNY

Our 4th graders are recognizing each other for their good behaviors and good deeds! Similar to the Hero Wall, Mrs. Palmer has a wall in her classroom where her students can recognize each other and their teachers! We love to see our students acknowledging and encouraging each other. Keep up the fabulous work 4th grade! #SPREADKINDNESS #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

🌞ＣＰＳ Ｚｅｂｒａ Ｓｔｒｉｐｅｓ 🌞Ｓｕｍｍｅｒ Ｃａｍｐ Now Accepting Applications K - 5th Find out more > https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/article/692277