Ithaca North Elementary

Screens are part of childhood now. Figuring out how they fit into family life isn’t always simple.
How much is too much? What boundaries are realistic? What do we do when kids push back? How can we help them build independence and resilience both online and offline?
Join Tracey Galgoci, MA, LPC for Raising Resilient Kids, an honest and judgment-free conversation for parents and caregivers.
We’ll talk about practical ways to:
• Set realistic boundaries around phones, gaming, and screens
• Navigate social media and digital habits
• Handle pushback around technology limits
• Build independence and problem-solving skills
• Make more room for connection, play, sleep, and real-world experiences
There are no perfect answers and no expectation to have it all figured out. Come with your questions and hear ideas that can work in real family life.
📅 Tuesday, Oct. 27
⏰ 6:00-7:00 p.m.
📍 North Elementary
This FREE event is for all South and North families. Food, drinks, giveaways, and childcare will be provided.
Register here: https://forms.gle/tDfcpA2usdChtLq96

Mr. DeRosia's 5th grade class used a creative scientific way to compare the layers of the geosphere to the layers of a delicious cookie!

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Who remembers neighborhood end-of-year parties and having the same best friend in class from Kindergarten through 6th grade?

We’re catching up with a 2014 North Elementary alum who turned a passion for school into a career inspiring the next generation.

Please read the post to find out what special memory they had from North Elementary and what they are currently doing now.

Our 5th graders in Miss Sopocy’s class had an incredible morning on a walking field trip to the Gratiot County Historical Museum and the Genealogy Museum in downtown Ithaca!

What a privilege it is to have such amazing historical resources within walking distance of our school. The students loved diving into the rich history of Gratiot County, discovering fascinating details about their own local relatives, and engaging with the fantastic volunteers who helped bring the past to life.

A huge THANK YOU to both the Historical Museum and the Genealogy Center for welcoming our students, sharing your wealth of knowledge, and to all the volunteers who made this memorable experience possible!

🎉 We are thrilled to announce the return of our Jacket Buddy program to North Elementary! Through our partnership with Mentors in the Mitten, high school students will visit our school once a week to connect with, guide, and inspire our elementary students. This weekly mentorship builds strong relationships, fosters leadership, and strengthens connections across our entire school district. We can’t wait to see the positive impact, big smiles, and lasting friendships our Jacket Buddies will create this school year! 💙🐝

🎉 We are thrilled to announce the return of our Jacket Buddy program to North Elementary! Through our partnership with Mentors in the Mitten, high school students will visit our school once a week to connect with, guide, and inspire our elementary students. This weekly mentorship builds strong relationships, fosters leadership, and strengthens connections across our entire school district. We can’t wait to see the positive impact, big smiles, and lasting friendships our Jacket Buddies will create this school year! 💙🐝

Pictures are coming home today!

Third graders read Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile in STEAM lab and were challenged to design Botley robots that could replicate the "egg swap" Mrs. Chicken carried out in the story to save her chicks. It was a perfect story to extend their science work on inherited traits and animal life cycles!

During our Homecoming week the incredible 5th graders stepped up as amazing leaders to mentor our youngest learners in Kindergarten. Together, these buddy pairs headed outside for an outdoor learning adventure to explore living and non-living things. The 5th graders guided the kindergartners through the environment, helping them identify objects, ask great questions, and record their findings. Seeing our 5th graders shine as patient leaders and watching our kindergartners jump into hands-on science with such excitement was truly inspiring. Everyone had a fantastic time engaging, exploring, and learning together! Way to swarm together, yellowjackets!

Parenting in a world of phones, gaming, social media, and screens can feel complicated. There are a lot of questions, a lot of opinions, and rarely one perfect answer.
That’s why we’re inviting parents and caregivers to join us for Raising Resilient Kids: Navigating the Pitfalls of a Screen-Based Childhood with Tracey Galgoci, MA, LPC.

This will be a practical, welcoming, and judgment-free conversation about raising kids in today’s digital world. Come as you are, bring your questions, and hear realistic ideas you can use with your own family.

Together, we’ll talk about topics like:

Setting realistic boundaries around screens and technology
Navigating social media, gaming, and phones
Building independence, resilience, and problem-solving skills
Strengthening communication and connection at home
Making room for play, relationships, sleep, and real-world experiences
Responding when limits around technology feel difficult

There is no expectation to have it all figured out. This is a space for honest conversation, questions, and practical strategies that can work in real family life.

When: Tuesday, Oct. 27
Time: 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Place: North Elementary

This FREE event is for all South and North families. Food, drinks, giveaways, and childcare will be provided.

Register here: https://forms.gle/tDfcpA2usdChtLq96

Whether screens are already a challenge in your home or you simply want to think ahead, we hope you’ll join us for the conversation.

Superhero Accessory Day! We have enjoyed this week! It has been so nice to see the kids participate in spirit days! Some of our students are very creative!

FINAL POM POM SALE TOMORROW AT LUNCH! Get ready to cheer loud at the mini-parade and Friday night football game! We are selling our last and final round of pom poms during lunch tomorrow at North Elementary. Price: $2 Exact Cash ONLY: Please send your child with exact cash ($2)—no change will be on hand or given. Great Cause: 50% of all proceeds will go directly to our Hoops for Hunger food drive! Send in $2 exact cash tomorrow so your student can snag the last of our school spirit pom poms and help feed families in our community!

FRIDAY PREVIEW: Homecoming Hero Spirit Day! The big day is almost here! It’s time to bring maximum school pride for Homecoming Friday! What to wear: Show off your ultimate school spirit! Wear your Ithaca shirt or school colors of BLUE & GOLD

Parent Teacher Conferences

Our mealworms have officially completed their life cycle and transformed into beetles! Students have enjoyed observing each stage of this amazing metamorphosis and seeing firsthand how living things grow and change.
What an exciting milestone for our 4th grade classroom scientists!

Even though construction is underway at Forest Hill Nature Area, their team brought the learning to us!
Our 4th graders participated in a hands-on animal skull investigation, using clues such as teeth, nose structure, and eye placement to determine which animals the skulls belonged to. Students put their observation and critical-thinking skills to the test while learning how physical features help animals survive in their environments.
Thank you to Forest Hill Nature Area for bringing this engaging experience to North School!

This is one of our favorite days of the year! We love having our varsity football and varsity cheerleading teams come to our lunch and recess! We have great leaders to look up to!

THURSDAY PREVIEW: Superhero Accessories & Sock Day! It's time to gear up for Thursday! Let’s see those super accessories and fun socks in action. What to wear: Superhero socks, wristbands, hats, or capes! Here are a few ideas to help find your superhero accessories around the house: use supplies to make a lightweight DIY cape, or just pull on a pair of bright/mismatched fun socks!

From creative student projects to leading tech teams in healthcare, our alumni continue to make a major impact!
Meet our featured alum from the Class of 2017:

Current Title: Salesforce Administration Manager at Rula (leading a team of 8 software engineers supporting mental healthcare access)

Higher Education: Kettering University (B.S. in Computer Science, Cybersecurity specialty)

Favorite School Memory: Creating an Indiana Jones–stylized comic book series!

It is fantastic to see how creative storytelling and technical expertise have combined to build a thriving career in tech leadership and service.