Westside Elementary

Fiction Vs. Non-Fiction What's the difference? These are things every student needs to know! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Introducing... Mrs. Hope Vinson Reading Specialist Thank you for your dedication to Westside! Hope Vinson is a certified PreK-12th Grade Reading Specialist for Claremore Public Schools. Mrs. Vinson has taught for 23 years, 22 years in First Grade and currently as a Reading Specialist for Westside Elementary. Mrs. Vinson has taught in Texas and Oklahoma. Mrs. Vinson earned her Master 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. Mrs. Vinson’s W.I.N. students enjoy exhibiting the Life Principle of Perseverance while striving to discriminate words that have consonant digraphs and words without consonant digraphs. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Just when I felt like I wasn't doing enough to help my kids through this year, I had a student, (I teach Kindergarten) come up to me, put her arms around my neck, her tiny head on my chest, and sigh. I asked her, "Baby are you ok?" Her reply, "I just needed you for a couple minutes". I almost cried. For all teachers that think they aren't reaching their students this year. You are, even if they don't tell you they need you, they know you're there. **This was taken from Kathrine Ann from Teaching with Neons on Facebook. Our students are so lucky to have the amazing, caring, wonderful teachers we have here at Westside! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Transition Tip: Avoid using the word "Okay?" at the end of what you are asking your child to do. Instead of "Let's go eat lunch, okay?" try this instead "It's time for lunch. Come to the table". This helps your child learn what is a choice and what isn't, as well as creates consistent boundaries. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Introducing... Mrs. Marcia Rennick Reading Specialist Thank you for your dedication to Westside! _____________________________________________________ Marcia Rennick has taught Reading at Westside for 30 years. She is a Reading Specialist and has also taught Second and Fifth Grade. She lives in Tulsa with her sister, Donna. She has two cats, Bubby and Gracie. She is a graduate of Tulsa Central High School. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from University of Central Oklahoma and a Master's Degree from the University of Tulsa. Her favorite pastime is reading a good mystery! _______________________________________________ The students are working in teams to sort words with cvce patterns long i and long a that have the same vowel sounds. Our G.E. words were Cooperation and Effort. ___________________________________________________ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

It's time for our next STEM CHALLENGE! This time we are building domino chain reactions! If you have dominos use them, if you have Legos, build it with them! You can use anything! DVDs, blocks, etc. Take a video of your chain reaction and send via email to: swhitaker@claremore.k12.ok.us. Submitted videos will be compiled and posted to our facebook page. Please have your entry sent no later than April 25th! Happy building! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Look at what 5th Grade is up to! Wow! Students are making drone delivers by creating maps, plotting routes, reading graphs, and zoning in on locations. 5th grade is reviewing all of the information learned while studying coordinate planes. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Welcome to #FridayFunnies, where we share funny things that happen in the classroom! For today's edition we have some funny comments from one of our Virtual Teachers. ______________________________________________________________________ During Assessments, students have some funny responses, here are a few of them. When Teacher asked the student to write his first and last name, student responded, "Oh man I hate with this happens". When asked to draw a rectangle, student drew it, and with all the confidence in the world and "bouncing" eyebrows responded, "And THAT'S how a kid draws a shape!" When student showed up for his meeting to do his assessment, he hopped out of the car and said, "My body was so mixed up this morning! My head was excited to come but my tummy didn't want to go". When asking a student to identify her letters, with such excitement she responded with these "Hmm, it has to be T!", "Of course, it's B", "It's N! It's N!". After finishing her letter identification she commented, "All this excitement, I need to go home and take a nap!". __________________________________________________ This concludes today's edition of #FridayFunnies, join us next Friday for more laughs! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Reading Begins at Home Ages 4-6 *After you read a book with your child, choose a few words from the story that begin with the same letter and sound. Say the first sound in words like /d/ in dog and point out the other words that start with the same sound (like day and dig). *Point out words that rhyme in the story, such as bat, mat, and cat. *Introduce new words to your child, like bow and stern, which mean the front of a boat and the back of a boat. Point out signs and labels that have letters, like street signs, and ask your child to find a specific letter, like m in Main Street. *Talk with your child about the letters of the alphabet and notice them in books, like r for red and b for book. *Talk with your child about the stories you read together and make connections to things that happen in your own world. *Ask questions when you read with your child to help him or her follow along and understand the story. *Help your child hear words that rhyme, like moose, goose, and caboose. *Encourage your child to stage a puppet show based on a favorite book. Suggested Reading... *Books and magazines with appealing pictures that match your child's age and interests. *Also read signs, labels, and logos. Make it a game! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #ZEBRASREADTHEWAY

Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo da Vinci, Ulysses S. Grant, Maya Angelou, Booker T. Washington, Charlotte Bronte... What do all of these famous people have in common? APRIL Birthdays! Today we celebrate you April Birthdays! We hope you have a GREAT birthday month! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Happy Paraprofessionals day! We are so thankful and grateful for our paras! We couldn't do it without you! Thank you so much for all your hard work! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

April 5th-9th is National Library Week. School libraries are vital to our schools, and city libraries are vital to our communities. We are so thankful for our awesome new library! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Reading begins at home. Children tend to do well at reading when read to at home. They value your opinion and if you enjoy reading with them, they'll enjoy reading with you. For children Ages 2-4... *Read "with" your child, not "at" your child. As you read to your child, interject your own thoughts or emotions about the story as it unfolds. By sharing thoughts about the characters, the plot, the pictures, or what might happen next, you show your child that you are enthusiastic and thinking about what is being read. Similarly, encourage your child to talk about what was just read. Reading comprehension is as important as the actual ability to read. *Ask questions. If your child is stumped, reread part of the book. *Make reading fun! Read books together that will interest your child. Use expression in your voice when you read different roles. Encourage your child to repeat the story in his or her own words. *Enjoy your reading time together. There is nothing more rewarding than watching your child grow and learn. Be certain to praise your child for the knowledge gained from books and for making the effort to read. *Read with your child every day. Twenty minutes is preferable but even if it is only for five minutes, you are encouraging a habit that will last a lifetime. *Encourage your child to pretend to read a book--hold the book, go from page to page, say words, and tell a story. *Take your child to the library often and encourage him or her to choose books for you to read together. *Be patient when your child wants to read a favorite book over and over again. Suggest Reading for Ages 2-4 *Picture Books with rhythm, rhyme, and repetition. *Simple nonfiction books with short sentences and photographs. *Fiction books with short, simple text. At this age, the attention span of children is short and they don't have the developmental capability to sit through stories that are too long. *Interactive books with touch-and-feel texture pages or flaps that lift to reveal peak-a-boo pictures are excellent choices. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #ZEBRASREADTHEWAY

Just Breathe... Take this time to follow this activity. Breathe and clear your mind. Make sure you're in a quiet area! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Keep focused! Make sure you have these items around you so you can stay focused while distance learning or doing your virtual school work! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

While there is a developmental sequence of stages in literacy, not all children learn to read at exactly the same time. Young children needs A LOT of opportunities to practice reading in order to grow as literacy learners. Learning to read and developing literacy skills take time. Follow these tips to encourage your child to find the joy and fun in reading. 💕Read with your child every day and let your child see you reading, whether it's the newspaper, a magazine, or a best seller. 💕Get your child a library card and visit the library often. (Will Rogers Library has a summer reading program where you child can earn cool prizes!) 💕Discuss the books your child is reading in school and the ones you have read at home. 💕Take your child to story times at the library, author visits at a local bookstore, and other public programs that foster a love of books and reading. 💕Create a comfortable reading space for your child in your home. 💕Give your child paper and crayons so he or she can scribble, make pictures, and create his or her own book. 💕Play rhyming and word games, sing silly songs, or write stories and poems together. 💕Talk about daily activities to help your child develop language skills. 💕Read street signs, billboards, menus, and labels out loud. 💕Carry books to read to your child wherever you go. It is important to remember that what doesn't work one day may work well the next day. Keep trying! Keep Reading! and #ZebrasReadtheWay

Sign up for Zebra Stripes Summer Camp! #CPAZEBRAPRIDE

The fourteenth annual World Autism Appreciation Day is April 2, 2021. Joined by the international community, hundreds of thousands of landmarks, buildings, homes and communities around the world come together on April 2, Autism Appreciation Day, in recognition of Austistic people and those who love and support them. #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #GoGoldForAustism

SAVE THE DATE! Westside's Family Fun Night is scheduled for May 7th, 2021! Mark your calendars! It's sure to be a ton of fun! It will be outdoors this year! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

☀CPS Zebra Stripes Summer Camp☀ Now Accepting Applications Kindergarten - Fifth Grade 2 Sessions ☀June 1 - July 2 ☀July 12 - August 6 6:30AM - 6PM 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