Westside Elementary

Tobi Riggs, a teacher at Roosa Elementary, tells us about the digital tools she received from the Claremore Public School Foundation and encourages you to participate in this year's virtual Brainiac Brawl. https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/article/390711

Welcome to #FridayFunnies, where we share funny things that happen in the classroom! Today's episode comes from a 3rd grade classroom. _______________________________________________________ I always talk to my kids about their light bulbs going off when they understand a concept that I have been teaching. One year a little boy was struggling in math and had been all year. We were going over a concept and all of a sudden he sat up straighter, smiled and said, "I get it!" Yes, he did. I told him that I saw his light bulb go off. He sat there with the most bewildered look on his face, looked above his own head and said, "where, I don't see it?" But he DID understand the concept that I had been teaching. Proud moment for me. _________________________________________________________________ This concludes today's edition of #FridayFunnies, join us next Friday for more laughs! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Mrs. Sayre Whitaker, Westside Elementary teacher, wants you to know how CPSF has made a difference in her classroom and with her students. If you have ever received a grant from CPSF, comment on the CPS FB and tell us your story. Bonus points for a photo! https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/article/388886 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

This week's Fridays With Frazier features another finalist for the District Teacher of the Year, Andrea Ratcliff. Mrs. Ratcliff is an Art Teacher at Westside Elementary and also oversees the yearbook. Although she started teaching in 2006, she joined CPS in 2017. Mrs. Ratcliff and her husband, Chris, have two children who attend school at Westside and WRJH. She holds certification as a Secondary Principal (5-12), Elementary Principal (PK-8), Art (PK-12), and Physical Education/Health/Safety (PK-12). She taught and/or coached students from ages 4 to 24 throughout her career. She had an article published in a national magazine covering PLCs' principles and how they apply to sports teams. When asked what was her why and she told us, "The students, always the students. They are my why. The students, their enthusiasm and their creative minds." She felt an immediate draw at Westside when she brought her daughter in for a school tour. Westside felt like a place of belonging, a place of potential, and a place to grow professionally. Always giving credit to her fellow peers and administrator, she is also thankful for coworkers who have made the move from Arkansas a warm, welcoming environment & a place to grow as a teacher. Favorite Quote - "Your life is your life don't let it be clubbed into dank submission. be on the watch. there are ways out. there is light somewhere. it may not be much light but it beats the darkness. be on the watch. the gods will offer you chances. know them. take them. you can't beat death but you can beat death in life, sometimes. and the more often you learn to do it, the more light there will be. your life is your life. know it while you have it. you are marvelous the gods wait to delight in you." -- by Charles Bukowski Watch her in action in this video. https://youtu.be/Oy-_hznwOh0 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Let's make a Mix Tape! Comment on our Facebook post, with a song you remember singing when you were in school! Some might remember singing the school fight song every day at school, others might remember singing "The Wheels on the Bus" or the "Days of the Week" sung to the tune of The Addams Family. What fond memory do you have of singing at school? #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

4 Ways to Prepare for Distance Learning Fridays! 1. Find a quiet place in your house. Turn the tv off, make sure there's no distractions! 2. Make sure your device is charged and ready. Sometimes they need up update, so the night before. Plug it in and turn it on. Check for updates. Then shut it down and keep it plugged in overnight. 3. Don't give up! Everything is hard until it's easy. Keep working hard! Keep trying! Ask your teacher if you have questions. 4. Take a break if you need to. Sometimes you need to take a break, and then start again with a fresh set of eyes. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

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

Introducing... Miss Tracie Frost Fifth Grade Teacher Thank you for your dedication to Westside! _______________________________________________________________ Tracie Frost has taught 5th grade at Westside for 2 years. Prior to that she was a paraprofessional 3 years. She lives in Claremore with her two children, Andrew, who is in 5th grade at Westside, and McKenzie who is in 7th grade at Will Rogers Junior high. She has a Bachelor's degree in Administration and is finishing her Master's in Elementary Education for the University of Phoenix. Mrs. Frost enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching her kids play sports, and hiking. Her favorite subject is Science! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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