Ithaca North Elementary

Celebrating our February Students of the Month! These students have also been exemplary in the classroom and across the school community — a reminder that strong character drives both personal and collective growth.

The Read A Thon has officially kicked off! Sign your child up today!

We are so grateful for Mrs. Loving, our school social worker, for coming in each month to support our students and teach them helpful ways to handle social and emotional challenges. This week, Mrs. Loving spent time with each of our 5th grade classes, where she had students participate in a partner project focused on friendship. Through this activity, students worked together, shared ideas, and learned positive ways to build and maintain healthy friendships. Thank you, Mrs. Loving, for your time, care, and dedication to our students’ well-being—we appreciate you so much!

Students in Ms. Sopocy’s class have been working hard on multiplying fractions, and today they put their skills to the test with a fun, hands-on card game! Each partner group received two decks of cards and worked together to build fractions. The players then multiplied their fractions, recorded their answers, and compared results. Whichever player had the larger fraction got to keep the cards! This game was engaging, interactive, and competitive in a positive way. It allowed students to practice fraction skills, collaborate with a partner, think critically, and learn through play—all while enjoying a brand-new game. What a great way to make math meaningful and fun!

We are excited for the bowling team that is heading to States!! Go Jackets!!

Olympic ski jumping made its debut in our STEAM lab today! Students were challenged to build jumpers attached to skis, launch them off the table, and record where they successfully landed. Thank you Gratiot County Community Foundation for the chompsaws that made jumper and ski construction easy and fun!

MSTEP testing is right around the corner! It's time to make sure your child has a working pair of headphones!

🐝📚📖📚READ, READ, READ, for the READ-A-THON! 📖 📚📖🐝 Sign your child up today to receive the first incentive! If a class gets 100% of their students to sign up, they receive a free recess!

This week, our 5th graders had a very special opportunity to spend time with Mr. Marr and Mrs. Hindbaugh-Marr! Mr. Marr came in to share his personal story with our students. We appreciate Mr. Marr speaking honestly about his own experiences and the perseverance it took to overcome challenges he has faced after an accident that resulted in him losing his arm. His message was powerful and inspiring, reminding our students that hard work, resilience, and a positive mindset truly make a difference. His discussion connected beautifully to our school’s positivity characteristics and also to the new novel our 5th graders have just begun reading, Bud, Not Buddy. Students are already exploring themes of perseverance, identity, and determination in the book, and hearing a real-life story that reflects those same themes made learning even more meaningful. We are so grateful to Mr. Marr for taking the time to speak with our students and to Mrs. Hindbaugh-Marr for helping make this opportunity possible. Experiences like this help bring learning to life!

Ithaca Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, February 15, 2026 for staff professional development.

Mrs.Hull's third graders celebrated Valentine's Day by having a game day! The kids enjoyed learning new games, playing some classic games and enjoying each other's company.

What fun activities for Valentines. Great teambuilding, problem solving, and celebration skills!

Thank you Jerry Seaman and Craig Frames for donating your scraps to our STEAM lab! Our students constructed and decorated their Valentine boxes using the materials you shared!

Mr. DeRosia's 5th grade class was tasked to create moon phases but with a fun twist, with Oreos! This is a fun way to show off their scientific knowledge on the phases of moon!

Due to the generosity of our PTO, our 4th graders were able to enjoy an exciting and educational field trip to the Sea Life Aquarium! Students had the opportunity to explore a variety of marine habitats, observe fascinating sea creatures up close, and participate in interactive exhibits that brought their classroom learning to life. It was truly hands-on learning at its best, creating memories and meaningful connections that will last well beyond the classroom! Thank you PTO!!

Thank you SO much to our wonderful friends at the Thompson Home library for making the grade level round of our Invention Convention such a huge success! Our families appreciated seeing the projects on display in the library basement and our students LOVED their library-sponsored books and goodies! We are so thankful for our amazing student-centered community!

Ms. Sopocy’s 5th graders are off to an exciting start in their new science unit on matter! Students explored the question: Is gas really a type of matter? After learning about how airbags work, they put their thinking to the test with a hands-on experiment—using an “air bag” (ziplock bag and straw) to try to lift different objects around the classroom. This engaging activity helped students see gas in action while also building important teamwork skills, as some objects required more than one helping hand. Learning, problem-solving, and collaboration all in one fun experiment!

Thank you to GAPS FS for generously donating popcorn bags to our PTO for Popcorn Day! ❤️The red bags were especially perfect for Valentine’s week and helped make the day extra festive. Thank you for helping deliver smiles to our students this Monday, we truly appreciate your support!