Westside Elementary

Before we went on break, Pre-K spent some time trying out different ways to paint! If we were judging off facial expressions, we would say they had a blast! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Westside had a very special visitor! We hope your holiday is as magical as this visit was! Spend time with your friends and family, make a memory, and spread kindness! ❤🎄 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

'Twas the night before Christmas and we are missing our students! These friends looked Christmas eve ready on our last day together before break! We hope you are enjoying your holiday time! We miss you and cannot wait to see these smiles when we come back! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Matching is always fun but flannel makes it even better! Flannel day was successful! ❤🖤 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #FLANNELDAY

While these sweaters are ugly, there is nothing ugly about these kiddos! Ugly sweater day was a hit and oh so much fun! The giggles were plentiful this day. ❤🎄 #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #UGLYSWEATERDAY

Westside now would like to introduce you to the fabulous, Mrs. Bettie Sue McCaw! "I was raised in Claremore, attended Claremore High School, and now live here with my husband, John. We have two married children, Audrey and John. I enjoy gardening and traveling, and I love teaching! Fun fact about me, the natural decorations in my room come straight off my property! The first pictures are of the kids reading together show cooperation & friendship. The next pictures are of the kids with leaves from when we collected and investigated leaves, then created art with leaves, this project was inspired by the book "Leaf Man." Thank you, Mrs. McCaw! We love getting to know more about you and we are proud to have you at Westside! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #TEACHERFEATURE

Westside proudly introduces, and welcomes back, Mrs. Sommer Sweet! Mrs. Sweet returned to Westside this year. She is a part of our fabulous 2nd-grade team! "I have been a teacher for 16 years. I am blessed to have been at Westside for 13 of those years. I am married and have 1 grown son! I graduated from Claremore High School then went on to Graduate from NSU with a degree in Education! I absolutely love my job, my students, and this school! I enjoy reading and spending time with my family! We also like to travel and explore new places! My fun fact, I did a lot of acting as a child. I was in plays, commercials, radio things! We love to do hands-on learning in our room! From Unlock challenges to becoming published authors! The students are always working and learning in many ways!" Thank you for sharing with us, Mrs. Sweet! We are so happy to have you back! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #TEACHERFEATURE

Claremore Public Schools is now live with the new electronic flyer communication tool called “Peachjar.” To view school-approved eflyers, simply click the Peachjar button on your school’s website homepage or mobile app. This “green” initiative will save our schools tons of paper and reduce copy costs by thousands of dollars. On top of that, posting school flyers in this electronic backpack reduces clutter and will help parents keep track of school events. Read more ▶ https://www.claremore.k12.ok.us/article/607562

On reindeer dress-up day, we make reindeer! Mrs. Book's class did a fabulous job drawing reindeer and they even wrote a little about what they would do if they were reindeer! Great work, Mrs. Book's class! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Missing flyers have begun to pop up all over the building! Peef the Christmas Bear has been bear-napped from Mrs. Stones' class! Students are diligently making and putting up flyers all around the building in hopes that their good friend Peef might return before their Christmas party. Peef always seems to get bear-napped around this time of year, who would do such a thing?!?!?! Hearts are broken and wishes are unwished without their special Christmas Bear! Good luck in your search, Mrs. Stones' class! We love how hard you worked on your flyers and we anxiously await Peef's safe return with you! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Reading Makes You A Smart Cookie! Look at these smart cookies diving into their books! One of their favorite parts about spending time in the library is talking about their favorite books with friends and finding new books to read! We love to see our students fall in love with reading! It's a great day to be a Zebra! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Happy Hero Wednesday! Even with all the fun and crazy Christmas activities, our heroes are shining!! Some of these heroes helped out in the classroom, some of them comforted friends that were having rough days, others cleaned around the school without being asked. No matter the kind action, we appreciate them all! Way to go, Westside students! ❤ "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 by."- Felix Adler #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #HEROWEDNESDAY

The Elf magic is getting real around here! Students have been getting sweet messages, treats, and sentiments from their magical friends. One Elf was even spotted working on some spelling! 😱 Our building is feeling the Christmas spirit and we hope you are too! 🎄❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Some of our 3rd-grade friends have been busy constructing Array City! An array refers to a set of numbers or objects that will follow a specific pattern. Arrays are visual tools that assist in teaching division and multiplication. They are a great tool that can help engage students with various learning styles. Look at the fantastic work these students did! We love their hard work and focus! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Westside proudly introduces one of our new teachers in the 3rd-grade wing, Mrs. Morgan Nelson!! ❤ "I’m married to my sweet husband, Cody. We have our adventurous boy who’s in kindergarten and a fur baby. I love to read, travel and be with friends and family. Fun fact, I have been to 8 different countries." Current projects - students have been researching and learning about Native American Indians and shared their knowledge with the class. Responsibility - making the choice to be reliable and dependable Compassion - ability to share another’s feelings or ideas Mrs. Nelson's students are picking up and helping around the school in the pictures below! This is a great example of responsibility. They are also pictured showing support for their classmate's sick family member! Great job everyone and thank you for sharing with us, Mrs. Nelson! We are happy to have you in our Zebra family! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #TEACHERFEATURE

🎶Now I Know My ABC’s🎶 In addition to focusing on one letter each week, Pre-K has been playing a variety of matching games where students look at a printed letter and find the plastic manipulative piece to match. We hope you enjoy these proud faces as much as we did! Way to go, Mrs. T and friends!! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE

Our 5th grade had such a great time at JA BizTown, and they did a fantastic job! This program allowed our students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor. The program helps students connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world. We had opening ceremonies, interviews, voting processes, newscasting, and so much more! We are incredibly proud of our students and teachers! Thank you to all who made it possible! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #JABIZTOWN2021

Westside now proudly introduces a teacher that is not new but has recently moved to our 2nd-grade wing, Mrs. Nicole Woods! ❤ "I have a husband and three children. My favorite thing to do is chill by my pool and hang out with my family! I graduated from both RSU and NSU. I was able to stay home with my children until my youngest started kindergarten. All three of my children have gone through Westside since pre-K! So, it only made sense for me to work here! I have been at Westside for 5 years! I started as a para in Special Education and then taught kindergarten for three years and am now in second grade! I enjoy hanging out with my family, swimming in the summer, gardening, and traveling to the beach! Fun Fact: I went to cosmetology school and am also a licensed esthetician and make-up artist!" Mrs. Woods's class made x-rays of their own using black crayons, construction paper, and oil! That picture is shared below. They also worked together and wrote a class book and had to have picture proof of course! Great job, friends! Thank you for sharing with us, Mrs. Woods! Westside is proud to have you!! ❤ #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #TEACHERFEATURE

Ladies and gentlemen, Westside is proud to introduce you to 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

Westside finished up our Fall Food Drive!! We had SO MUCH food donated! Thank you to all those who brought food and other items to make this happen! There are going to be some very happy families this holiday season thanks to our amazing students! With that being said we are proud to announce our grand totals and winning wing! Coming into first place with a total of 721 items is..... 3rd grade!!! Grade Level Totals: Kindergarten- 313 1st Grade-272 2nd Grade-302 3rd Grade-721 4th Grade-225 5th Grade-196 These totals do not include the food items brought in by the Running Club Turkey Trot! Again, thank you to all who participated! We are happy to help our community and proud of our student's commitment! #CPSZEBRAPRIDE #FALLFOODDRIVE