Westside Elementary

Students at Westside created these stained glass hearts and I don’t know about you but I find them beautiful! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Reading 20 minutes after school becoming a chore? Go outside and read! Find a great spot! The garden, the porch, a hammack or a swing are great spots! Enjoy! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Today we are going take about the benefits of cooking with your children. Letting them help in the kitchen can be fun! Read through these rules with your child. If they can follow these rules you'll have a successful and safe experience with your child! When kids cook, everyone has fun! They learn about following directions, cooking skills, food safety, nutrition, math, reading, science, and motor skills. 1. Before we start *Wash your hands. *Roll up your sleeves. *Set out your utensils and ingredients. 2. While We're Cooking *Be careful with sharp knives! Only touch a knife by the handle. *If you have to sneeze or cough, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue and aim away from food. Then wash your hands right away before touching anything! 3. After We're Done *Clean all dishes and untensils. *Clean the countertops and wipe them down. *Wash your hands. Teach kids 6-8 years old how to mix. Teach kids 9-12 years old how to bake. Teach kids 13+ advanced skills. Cooking Tasks by Age: Ages 2-5: Kids in this age range are working on their motor skills. Make sure to watch them closely! What they can do: 1. Pour ingredients into a bowl. 2. Sprinkle seasonings, sugar, and flour. 3. Rise fruits and vegetables. 4. Cut with a plastic knife. 5. Mash foods. 6. Spread butter or icing. 7. Mix ingredients with their hands or spoon. 8. Knead or shape dough. 9. Use cookie cutters. 10. Use a pastry brush to oil food and pans. Ages 6-8: Between 6 and 8, your child is turning into a little chef. Their motor skills are more developed, so they can handle more complicated tasks. What they can do: 1. Read simple recipes aloud and follow instructions. 2. Measure ingredients. 3. Crack eggs. 4. Use paring knives and scissors. 5. Whisk eggs and mix batter. 6. Use tools like juicers and garlic presses. 7. Grate cheese. 8. Melt Chocolate in the microwave. 9. Boil Eggs and pasta with help. 10. Roll meatballs or cookies. Age 9-12 Starting around age 9, kids can work in the kitchen without much supervision. They'll understand most food safety rules and will begin to understand some of the science. What they can do: 1. Help plan meals. 2. Read and Follow most recipes. 3. Find ingredients in the kitchen. 4. Trim, slice, and chop vegetables. 5. Use the stove and oven. 6. Use most kitchen appliances. 7. Use a thermometer. 8. Bake microwave foods. 9. Scoop batter into muffin or brownie pans. 10. Work with moderate supervision. Ages 13+ By 13, most young chefs have an understanding of basic skills and can begin experimenting with their own ideas. What they can do: 1. Follow more complex recipes. 2. Use kitchen appliances. 3. Develop knife skills. 4. Plan meals by themselves. 5. Work with minimal help. 6. Understand food safety rules. 7. Cook with friends or siblings. 8. Help younger kids in the kitchen. 9. Experiment with new flavors and create new recipes. 10. Complete simple box recipes on their own. If you have or continue to cook with your kids in the kitchen. Send us a picture and we will post it to the Westside Facebook page and website! Email them to swhitaker@claremore.k12.ok.us #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month. When you hear someone say..."I'm a Speech Pathologist." and you hear someone reply, "So you teach people how to talk?" Here's a response that fully explains what the job of a Speech Pathologist is. They are not a Speech Teacher. They are so much more! Let me tell you what a Speech-Language Pathologist pours their heart into day after day... They help a person, whose brain can no longer send the correct signals to produce basic sentences, answer the simplest of questions so he can participate in social activities with others... They teach memory strategies to someone with dementia so she can remember the names of her grandchildren... They help a child on the autism spectrum with their social skills, in the hopes that the bullying will stop and they will make one friend before the end of the school year... They rehab someone's swallowing muscles so they can have a sip of McAlister's ice tea, because it is their absolute favorite... They give hope to the parents who have finally accepted their child is delayed, after the doctor repeatedly tells them he is just a late talker... They teach someone with new cochlear implants how to communicate without sign language after a lifetime of deafness being all they know... They ease a stuttering child's anxiety when they are preparing to stand up in front of their class to give a book report... They show someone how to apply a passy-muir valve to their tracheostomy so they can use their voice to tell their family "I love you."... They have the difficult conversation with a family to tell them that grandma's cognitive impairments make her unsafe to go back to her home alone... They help a child pronounce certain sounds correctly, after years of others reinforcing the wrong way, when they reach an age where their impairment is no longer considered cute... They help a young, intelligent woman who has had a massive stroke learn to use a speech-generating device so that she can return to her vibrant and capable self.... and they think about these people when they're falling asleep at night and they pray for them and they spend time off the clock and their own money on things that they think may help them even the slightest... and they constantly put up with being misunderstood and overlooked. So if you know a Speech Pathologist, tell them thank you and give them a hug, because I promise you, after spending their days pouring their hearts into others, they need someone to replenish theirs." May is Better Speech and Hearing Month❤️💙❤️ #bshm Thank you Nicole Arthur and Angela James for your "heart" work this year! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

🌞ＣＰＳ Ｚｅｂｒａ Ｓｔｒｉｐｅｓ Ｓｕｍｍｅｒ Ｃａｍｐ🌞 Now Accepting Applications Kindergarten - Fifth Grade 2 Sessions 🌞June 1 - July 2 🌞July 12 - August 6 6:30 AM - 6 PM Full Time l Part-Time l Drop-In Rates Available Find more information here: https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/page/zebra-stripes-child-care #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

This is a reminder that Friday, May 21st, is a FULL DAY of IN-PERSON learning for traditional and hybrid PreK -12th grade. Students and staff are expected to be in the school buildings on that day for instruction. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

198,235... That is the number of free meals our School Lunch Superheroes have served up this school year. Happy School Lunch Superhero Day!

Wouldn't it be great if we were sent text messages like this when we need them? Today's reminder is: Everyone's journey is different. Some might need more time in First grade, some might fly through sight words with no problem. Some might excel in Math, others might do better at Reading or Science. It might take you 10 tries to pass those multiplication timed tests , and your classmate might finish in 1 try. Some might have a hard childhood, others might have a hard adulthood. No matter what your path has been, focus on the road ahead! You've got this! We believe in you! YOU can do it! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Big Shout Out and thank you to Claremore First Baptist Church for treating Westside Teachers to Cinnamon Rolls from Front Porch Bakery! They were SO yummy! As you can tell! We've really had the best Teacher Appreciation Week! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Life cycles are a very big and interesting 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! Great job First Grade! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

A popular callback at Westside is: Teacher "Be Kind whenever possible.." Students: "It's always possible!" You can always be kind! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Hey, Westside! We still need pop donations for Family Fun Night! K- 2nd grade please bring 2 liters of pop! 3rd-5th grade please bring 12 packs of canned pop (or 24 packs)! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Happy Birthday to those born in May! We hope you have a great birthday and birth month! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Happy Birthday to those born in May! We hope you have a great birthday and birth month! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

What is a modern-day school librarian? At CPS they are media specialists, teachers, hope givers, a safe haven, the IT help desk, and more. Three of our district media specialists tell us more about themselves and their craft. ▶ https://youtu.be/syYlGGJh1Ac

It’s Back-to-Back Teacher of the Year for Westside Elementary. Congratulations Mrs. Ratcliff, Westside Art teacher! You can tell by her emotional reaction that she is a model teacher who cares for her students and her peers. Superintendent Bryan Frazier and other administrators decided to drop in on the Westside staff meeting this morning to surprise Mrs. Andrea Ratcliff with the announcement. https://youtu.be/JIPgN_VwMG8 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

💖Thank you! 💐Thank you! 🍫Thank you! 🍎☕ There are many ways to show your teacher how thankful you are for all he or she does! May 3rd-7th to show your appreciation, for Teacher Appreciation Week, do one of these things! 📖Make your teacher a card! Or draw them a picture! 🍫🍎☕ Pick up your teacher's favorite treat! Coffee, Soft drink, chocolate. You can't go wrong! 🎁 or pick out a special gift! Any way you choose to show your appreciation! We could not do it without you teachers! Thank you for all you do! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

𝙃𝙤𝙩𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩 𝙍𝙀𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙉 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 - Due by June 7th Appointment slots are available based on the following schedule: ⚫Thursday, June 3, 2021: 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ⚫Friday, June 4, 2021: 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ⚫Monday, June 7, 2021: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Make an appointment by visiting our appointment calendar page. 📅https://calendly.com/claremoredevers/hotspot-return?month=2021-06 Read more here ▶ https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/page/hotspot-return #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Welcome to #FridayFunnies, where we share funny things that happen in the classroom! For today's edition we have a funny story from first grade __________________________________________________________ While going though a pile of cards, I had my students make for people at the nursing home on Valentine's day, I found a beautiful pink card with adorable first grade hearts drawn all over the cover. When I opened it I let out a great laugh, for I know the sweet girl that made the card did not mean this to be offensive. Inside the card was written in huge letters "Happy Valentine's day Old Lady!". ____________________________________________________________ This concludes today's edition of #FridayFunnies, join us next Friday for more laughs! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Use your mask! Don't forget! Cover your nose and mouth. Stay healthy! Summer is around the corner! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE