Westside Elementary

Ladies and gentlemen, Westside is proud to announce our 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year... Coming from our 3rd-grade wing... ✨MS. CYNTHIA NICKS!✨ Ms. Nicks has been at Westside for 11 years, one year as a paraprofessional, and ten years teaching. She is a zebra through and through! When asked what her favorite part about teaching is, she will immediately tell you that it's the kids. Her students are her "why" and she proves that every day! "I was shocked and very blessed to even be nominated! When it was announced all I could feel is overwhelming happiness. Thank you all."-Cynthia Nicks 21-22 Teacher of the Year It's a great and proud day to be a Zebra! ps. Please enjoy these awesome pictures of her finding out! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #WESTSIDETEACHEROFTHEYEAR

Starting this month, we will be spotlighting several teachers throughout each week; we call it our Teacher Feature! To get this party started, Westside proudly introduces our music teacher, Mrs. Jenny Gaylord! Favorite things: I love coffee, Mexican food, watching my kids play sports, spending time with my family on the weekends! Fun fact: I’ve gotten to play with a lot of amazing musicians, including Hanson, Wynton Marsalis, Amy Grant, and Michael W. Smith! Upcoming project: Working with K and 1st on Veteran’s day songs! Life principle: Patriotism, which goes right along with our Veterans day lessons! We are proud to have you and thank you for sharing with us, Mrs. Gaylord! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #TEACHERFEATURE

It is Hero Wednesday again! Our students work hard to model ALL 8 of our great expectations, and our hero wall is an example of that hard work paying off. There were so many fantastic reasons why each student made the wall, but one of the most popular among them has been modeling expectation number 5, "We will help one another whenever possible." Our students have been so kind, caring, and helpful to each other this year! We love seeing them support each other! Fabulous job, Westside students! We are so proud of you! ❤ "The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see."-Felix Adler #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #HEROWEDNESDAY

Our 1st graders got the honor of visiting some real heroes last week! Thank you to the Claremore Veterans Center for having our students out! They had so much fun visiting the veterans in their costumes and trick-or-treating with them. These sweet 1st graders were extremely respectful and could be heard telling the veterans thank you for the candy and for serving our country. It was a great time and smiles were plentiful! Great job representing Westside, 1st grade! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Ms. Palmer reviewed possessive nouns last week by playing Blooket with her 4th-grade students. Booklet is a program that asks questions, but it is done in a game format. It is very interactive and engaging. As you can see, the students loved it and the best part is it can used for any subject area! Great job, Ms. Palmer and friends! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

WOULD YOU JUST LOOK AT THIS HERO WALL?!?! We cannot express how proud we are of our students! This is the fullest this wall has ever been and we are blown away! Westside friends are working hard to model our Great Expectations every day and it absolutely shows! ❤ "Not every hero wears a mask. Some heroes save the day in the simplest of ways. By just being there for us, or letting us know we’re believed in."-Barry Allen #HEROWALLWEDNESDAY #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Every student, kindergarten through 5th grade, created a t-shirt design to compete for this year's Westside school T-shirt. A winner was selected and their design will be used for this year’s school shirt. We brainstormed and thought, why do we love Westside, and what makes Westside such a special school? Every student had their reasons and creative spin on the designs. The designs were completely up to the students’ imagination and ideas. Our students worked hard and were super creative in their Zebra-tastic t-shirt creations. They all did such a fabulous job and we are proud of all of their work. Choosing just one was hard! Great job, Westside students! We are proud to announce and congratulate Owen Lyons on his winning shirt design!! We loved your design and the words you used for Westside. “We are super proud of all of our creative artists at Westside and the designs they came up with. Owen, we are so very proud of you and that creative heart of yours. Keep on artist, superstar! !”- Mrs. Ratcliff #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Congratulations to our Literary Pumpkin Decorating Contest overall winner, Kai Chalakee! His "Harry Potter" double pumpkin was too cool! Once again, great job to all who participated! It's a great day to be a Zebra! ❤🎃❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Our 3rd grade is working hard during WIN time! Mrs. Campbell wanted to show off her group! They are working on creating their own stories and quizzing each other on their multiplication facts using dice! WIN is an acronym for 'What I Need' and it is a flexible time we added to our schedule to provide extra help or enrichment opportunities for our students. We are so proud of them for using this time to its fullest! Great job, 3rd grade! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #WIN

Our awesome Librarian, Mrs. Lang, challenged our students to a Literary Pumpkin Decorating Contest! Students were asked to decorate a pumpkin to look like their favorite book character! Our students rose to the challenge! It was hard to pick because they were all so good, but here are our grade level winners: Pre-K: Moriah Duty-"Pinkalicious" Kindergarten: Pierce Vaughn-"Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea" 1st Grade: Olivia Purtell-"Olivia 2nd Grade: Peighton Barnes- "Bad Case of Stripes" 3rd Grade: Emma Houston- "Cat in the Hat & Thing 1" 4th Grade: London Woods- "Crankenstein" 5th Grade: Teghan Blizzard- "Dog Man" Great job, everyone! ❤ (Stay tuned for the announcement of our overall winner!) #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Mrs. Collins's class put together a game of Duck Duck Goose all on their own and played so well together. They encouraged and cheered each other on throughout the game. Each time someone wanted to join in, they all patiently made room and included everyone. It started with just a few students, and eventually, the entire class joined in! Thank you for modeling our life principles, Mrs. Collins's class. Keep up the good work! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

It’s Bus Safety Week and the CPS Transportation Department is introducing their staff and additional safety service for all of our buses - GPS! This technology has been added to all their buses and is now connected to the Stopfinder App which will allow families to get real-time information concerning the bus their child is on. Watch here ▶https://youtu.be/j1g9sPCWxmE Transportation webpage ▶https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/page/transportation #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Ms. Frost's students are digging into their STEM bins during science time! STEM education means educating students in four specific disciplines, namely, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. These STEM bins help to encourage students to create, invent, and problem solve. In the pictures below you will see a conveyor belt, an excellent tower, and a car, all made with the materials in the bins! Great job, 5th grade! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #STEM

We are back with another Hero Wall Wednesday! This week we have SEVERAL students who were recognized for working hard, using manners, and being thoughtful. Some students used their best behavior and listening ears all day and other students helped friends clean up without being asked! Keep showing off those great expectations, Westside students! It's a great day to be a Zebra! "A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom." -Bob Dylan #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #HEROWALLWEDNESDAY

We are proud to introduce Westside's fundraising royalty! Our top sellers were Brennan Sather, who raised $1,628, and Finley Faulconer, who raised $3,174! All proceeds go towards the new playground we are hoping to purchase next spring and altogether over $11,200 was raised! Great job and a huge thank you to all who participated! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Today we celebrate the people who first called this land home. We remember the struggles and tragedies they endured. We honor their place in and contributions to the shared story of America. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

CPS staff members are leaders inside our walls and outside our walls. We are honored to celebrate women in leadership at the Claremore Area Chamber of Commerce Leading Ladies Gala. It is exciting to see a table full of leading ladies from the Claremore Public Schools! Congratulations to all of the winners! Left to Right: LaRonna Hurt - Will Rogers Junior High, Andrea Ratcliff -Westside Elementary, Shanna O'Shields - CPSF, Jennifer Levesque - Westside Elementary, Robyn Foxworth - Project CEEP, Ranetta Eidson - Catalayah Elementary. #CPSF #LeadingLadiesGala #ClaremoreAreaChamber #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Westside's Second Grade had some very special visitors! The Tulsa Zoo's animal ambassadors Peeper and Gracie came to teach our students all about owls! This visit was extra special considering a Westside Alum got to come back and teach in the room that was once her classroom! Thank you Sarah Harren-Varnell for coming with your feathered friends and doing an amazing job! She made a big impression on our students and was a fabulous example of all the things they can achieve! Westside is proud to have you as one of our own! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #TulsaZooVisit

It's HOCO Day!!! Join us for the festivities! 📣 7:45a - Pre-pep outside the student entrances. 📢 9:25a - Pep Rally/Assembly @ CHS 🍴 10:00 - Alumni Asso All Class Brunch @ Elks Lodge 🤠 1 to 5p - Claremore Museum of History open 🚗 2:45p - Line up for Parade @ Expo Center 🟢 3:15p - Parade begins at Expo center down Will Rogers Blvd to FBC 👑 6:30p - Coronation @ Lantow Field 🏈 7p - Game vs Tulsa Memorial @ Lantow Field Gate Admission: $5.00 l Reserved Tickets - Purchase online at www.purplepass.com/claremorefootballvsmemorial Livestream: https://youtu.be/CFmlXYCf0GU NOTE: CPS/ZTV never charges for Livestream. There are some scams popping up asking people to pay for Livestream - DO NOT click on their links. After game All Alumni Gathering (Elks Lodge) #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Its's time for another Hero Wall Wednesday! Our students are definitely modeling hero behaviors! Just look at all the amazing faces on this wall! Let's spotlight a few of these awesome recognitions: Helped in the classroom while they had a sub! Being a great friend to a new young lady! Helpful, polite, and always trying to do the right thing! Great listener in class and during dismissal! Uses good manners and kinds words! They continue to amaze us daily! It's a great day to be a Zebra❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #HEROWALLWEDNESDAY