Patrick Henry School Blog and Podcast

Parents are reminded that 2nd grade students will not report to Patrick Henry School on 12/4/08.  This is due to a professional development session that your child’s teacher will attend.  We hope that students will use the day to read, play board games, go to the library or perhaps a museum.

Should you have any questions, please call the office or the office of early childhood at 216-348-4559

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo visited Patrick Henry this morning for grades K thru 3 and introduced them to classifications of animals that can be found at the zoo.   The students were able to see many different animals during the presentation and a few teachers even got caught up in the act.

Student Council will be taking part in the Braylon Edwards Collaboratives  Food Drive.  This event will be taking place from 11/13/08 thru 12/19/08.  A pizza party will be given to the homeroom that collect that collects the most food for the event.

Penny Crusade for Rainbow and Babies Children Hospital will be collecting pennies as a fund raiser.  Containers will be delievered to homerooms on 11/13/08.  The homeroom that collects the most pennies will recieve a pizza party.

If you have any questions about Student Council activities, please see Mr. Williams.

Patrick Henry School hosted Family Night last night at the school from 6 to 8 PM.  Family night allows parents and students to come and gather as a group and learn about issues within the school community that may be of interest to them.

The meeting was followed by dinner, and music.   A great time was had by all in attendance.  Check out our slide show to see who was here and plan to join us again for our next Family Night on 1/29/08.   Check back here on our blog for updates!

Click Here to see our Video! 

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

 

Science

October has been a busy month.  We are wrapping up our units on 6th grade life sciences learning about our carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen cycles and how organisms depend on each other for survival.  The 7th grade is finishing our unit on pollution, causes, effects, and possible solutions.  The 8th grade is completing a unit on erosion, weathering, our world and what it’s made of.  Please watch for report cards…they’re coming soon.  Come in or call me anytime to check on your child’s progress.

Mrs. Pope

 

Reading

What characters!  We have been studying how authors make their characters seem real to their readers, in both direct and indirect ways.  In older grades we are also examining how these choices affect the plot of a story.  We are also exploring the genre of historical fiction.  For example, we are examining how Alex Haley (author of Roots) combined his family’s word-of-mouth, or oral history, with research he uncovered in archives.  This led him to Africa, where his family’s story further unfolded.  We are exploring our own “Furthest-Back Person,” and creating family trees much like Alex Haley did when he launched his journey into the past in 1965.  To help your child become a strong reader and writer like Mr. Haley, please be sure he or she reads for one hour nightly.  We have many intriguing chapter books for students to borrow from our school library and our classroom library.  After all, the more you read the more you know and the more you know the further you will go! 

Ms. Cassidy

 

Math

Hope everyone has adjusted well to the new year policies and procedures!  Second quarter is a fresh start for your child.  Please encourage him/her to be responsible for his/her work, to do homework and turn it in with their name on it!!!  It’s amazing how many assignments have no name!!!  All students will be receiving access passwords to an online textbook, so they will be able to use it anywhere they have internet access.  This will be very helpful to you and your child!!  If you have trouble with the website, please let me know!!  Looking forward to report card pick-up day!  See you then!

Miss Koenig

 

English

As we approach the end of the first quarter, I would like to thank all the parents that I have spoken to for your continued support.  It does make a difference when students know that parents and teachers are working together to insure their success.  In October, students participated in a writing contest, A Christmas Carol.  While the contest was first presented as an option for those who were interested, it later became a requirement for the middle school.  We have devoted much time to it.  Contest winners will be announced after the first week in November.  In November, we will begin to use a new strategy for writing called the 6 and 1 Writing Traits.  It does not replace the formula writing model, but has been accepted as an addition to help students build upon and enhance their writing skills.  As another reminder, please be sure your student comes to school prepared to learn with the proper supplies.

 

Ms. Gammons 

 

 

History

November is here!  The Second Quarter begins on November 3^rd.  Students were informed of their missing assignments and had more than two weeks to complete them.  The due date for missing assignments was October 22^nd.  The Sixth and Seventh grade students have begun to use the Student Interactive Notebooks which are part of the new text book.  Students may bring these workbooks home but they were told that there is only one book for each student.  Most students choose to leave the notebook in the classroom so that they will not lose them.  Report Card pick-up is schedule for the second Wednesday of November on the 12^th.  Also, there will be no school on Tuesday, November 4^th, Election Day.   

 

Mr. Corte

 

Room 223

The school year is moving right along. This month in reading we will be reading exciting stories of different genres in our books and also listening to them on tape. We do flexible group in the class. We use a variety of strategies to improve on our reading skills.  In math, we are taking fact test every Friday. If you have flashcards at home, please feel free to have fun drilling them. They are trying to beat their own time each week. Please make sure your child has a lock for their locker. No coats, hoodies, or book bags are allowed in class. Please check your child’s school supplies to make sure you know what needs to be replaced. The weather is changing quickly, please make sure you child layer dresses and has an appropriated school sweater no emblems and no stripes. They are not allowed to wear coats and hoodies in the classroom.

 

                                                                                                            Ms. Thomas

Room 222  

Students in Room 222 completed their first book report on October 20^th. Everyone did a great job! We will continue developing literacy and math skills. Students are currently identifying five (5) elements of a plot as well as developing vocabulary skills. Math focus is on developing skills in the area of number, number sense and operations.

 

 Please provide a lock for your child. Students are not allowed to bring book bags, jackets, coats, hats, etc. into the classroom.

 

Continue to encourage daily reading and sign and return Daily Behavior Reports. Your cooperation and support is greatly appreciated.

 

                                                                                    Mrs. Hamby-Walker, Ms. Lee

ELEMENTARY NEWS

                       

Room 116    

     In reading we are going to working on the letter Ll, Dd and Rr. In math, we will be working on counting and writing 1-5. We have a field trip on November 19th at the Cleveland Museum of Art. We have no school on Friday November 21st for a Pre-K meeting.

                                                                             

                                                                                                         Mr. Sisson and Miss Blair

Room117 & 118

 I hope this portion of the newsletter finds everyone in good health and spirits.  In Kindergarten this month we are going to be very busy.  In Language Arts, we will be exploring the letters, “Nn, Dd, Ff, Gg, and Ii”.  Also we will learn four more sight words: go, we, on, and to.  In Math this month, we will be exploring the concepts of numbers 0-5, and comparing sets, data, and graphing. 

                                                                                                            Mrs. Mason and Ms. Silagy

Room 120 & 121            

First Graders have had a busy fall!  In Language Arts, we’ve begun reading groups and learning centers.  We are writing sentences independently (a skill you can practice at home):  capital letter to begin the sentence; finger spacing between words; period at the end of the sentence; neat printing; and a sentence that makes sense!

 

In Math, we are learning subtraction and are practicing addition every day.  We will soon begin a unit on graphing. In Science, we are completing our Living Things unit–ask your student about our experiment.  In Social Studies, we will investigate the election process and the students will soon get to vote!

 

Please continue to assist your children with homework and read to/with them DAILY.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

                                                                                    Mrs. Herbele and Ms. Meaker

Room 103 & 104

Our second graders can show good citizenship and responsibility by coming to school on time and doing all their class work and homework.  We will learn about the fall season by completing science experiments with leaves and graphing and interpreting our data. Second graders will compare and contrast their lives with the lives of the pilgrim children.  We will continue to increase the student’s vocabulary knowledge since this is a major skill this year.  Parents/guardians can assist in this effort by going to the library and having your child select books on different topics.  More reading equals more vocabulary knowledge!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our families!

                                                                                                Mr. Weller and Mrs. Runion

 

Room 119

October 31st is the end of first quarter.  Please send your son or daughter to school with 5 pencils per week and a box of crayons. THANKS!!!!  I would also appreciate if each one of my students could bring a large bottle of hand sanitizer.  This would last our class to June, 2009.

  We have homework on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  Please sign your son’s or daughter’s homework papers each night.  Beginning in November on Fridays, your son or daughter will receive a weekly passport. PLEASE sign and return with comments on Mondays.  THANKS!!!

  We are currently working on building our sight word vocabulary, rhyming words with short vowel sounds, reading fluency, and basic math fact families.

  Please have your son or daughter read to you for 20 minutes five times a week.  This is very important, and it will increase his or her fluency and vocabulary, too.

  Please come and visit us any time in Room 119.

  I do appreciate all your efforts, and I’m glad to be teaching your son or daughter this school year (2008/2009).

                                                                                                                        Ms. L. Kehoe    

 

Room 215

 Just a reminder to our 3rd grader and their parents, (red) homework folders are to be returned daily.  Parents please check your child’s folder for homework and incomplete assignments.  (Blue) homework folders go home on Fridays.  Parents please check folders and Take out all completed work.  A weekly progress report is also given; this should be signed and returned.

     We are getting ready for Mock elections in our classroom.  They will be held on Nov. 3rd.  Our class has been studying the rights and responsibilities of a citizen and how the election process works.  Please talk to your child about the elections.

      As part of their homework students should be watching the news to get the weather report.  They should also be reading for at least 20 minutes a day.  They can read anything they like, their own books, the newspaper, as long as they are reading and practicing their word skills.  Also, please talk with your child about what we are doing in math class.  Please make sure they can explain it to you.  This will help them understand the processes we are learning. 

       Every time we take a test in class, students will be given their graded tests to bring home.  They should correct the test and study it.  They will be given a second chance to take the test and improve their grade. 

                                                                                            Mr. Goodwin & Mrs. Spearing 

Room  221

We have been busy reading books so that we can attain the Read Alot Benchmark goal of each student reading 25 books for the school year.  The students in our class have completed 5 book reports so far. They are doing a great job!  Each student is also completing a mid-western state poster.  Each student has selected a sate to complete a poster on. They are learning about the geography, economy, history and culture of the state.  When the posters are completed they will sharpen their public speaking skills by sharing the information they have learned with the class.

                                                                                                            Ms. Randall

Room 220

The students in Room 220 have been learning about elections.  We studied election vocabulary words, read about the history of our voting rights, and discussed this year’s presidential election campaign.  In math we have studied place value and comparing numbers.  The fourth and fifth graders enjoyed hearing the Cleveland Orchestra.

                                                             Ms. West

Room 218

This month should be a very fun and educational one for the fourth graders here at Patrick Henry. In the beginning of the month Room 218 will be going on a field trip to the Case Western Reserve Historical Society. We will be reading Charlotte’s Web and learning how to write summaries. In math we will be learning how to multiply and divide numbers with up to three digits. In social studies we will be learning about Ohio history. In science we will be learning about biology and botany. I look forward to meeting all the parents at Report Card Pick-up!

                                                                                                            Mr. Miller

Patrick Henry will begin to broadcast podcasts for parents and students who wish to keep up with information using a portable media device like and ipod or mp3 player.

Listeners who wish to subscribe can find us on the Itunes network by following http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=276606789

You may also choose to follow this feed for your subscription using a reader of your choice, if you are not a member of Itunes: http://feeds.feedburner.com/switchpod/RlIQ

http://www.switchpod.com/users/patrickhenry/PHPNShow3111108.mp3