Ithaca North Elementary

Feeling that crisp air? Time to break out the flannel! Cozy up in your favorite plaid and celebrate fall — show us your best flannel fit on Thursday, November 13

Happy Veterans Day from the Fifth Graders at North Elementary! Today, the fifth graders in Mr. DeRosia’s, Ms. Richardson’s, and Ms. Sopocy’s classes attended the Veterans Day ceremony at the courthouse in downtown Ithaca. Several students had the special opportunity to present speeches they wrote and practiced. Each student did an incredible job speaking and representing North Elementary with pride! Our fifth graders were especially honored to recognize and thank the veterans who are part of our Ithaca Schools staff — Mr. Pendell, our RTC Coordinator at North Elementary; Mr. Netzley, our Superintendent; and Mrs. Loving, our School Social Worker at North. The fifth graders are so grateful for the veterans in our community and were proud to honor them today. As they continue learning about U.S. history in social studies, they are gaining a deeper understanding of just how important our veterans’ past and present service truly is. Happy Veterans Day to all the veterans in our community — thank you for your service!

Sixth graders used their electrical engineering skills to control their chromebooks with playdoh and makey makey circuits boards in STEAM today. Partners experimented with playing different instruments and creating etch-sketch artwork using only their created playdoh circuits!

Reminder: Tomorrow is Veterans Day. We invite students and staff to wear red, white, and blue to honor the service and dedication of our Veterans. Small acts of recognition build a culture of respect.

Our 5th graders had an amazing opportunity today when a Native American group visited North Elementary to share a special presentation with us! The presenters performed traditional Native American dances and songs, and even invited students and teachers to join in and learn a dance together. Students also had a chance to ask questions and learn about the different outfit styles and types of dances performed. This experience tied perfectly into our 5th grade learning, connecting to our social studies unit on Native Americans and one of our classroom books. It was a wonderful day of learning, culture, and connection!

Sixth graders experimented with materials engineering today by constructing tennis rackets in STEAM. Working designs bounced tennis balls on the ground at least six consecutive times!

Fourth graders learned about the man who holds the world record for paddling a giant pumpkin the longest distance and were challenged to design a system to transport our STEAM lab version of a giant pumpkin. Working designs used a pulley system to lift a clay pumpkin into a Lego Jeep. This was a tricky challenge!

We had a fun day on Friday with all of the Halloween activities. The kids were dressed in their costumes for our annual Halloween parade. Thank you to all the families and community members who came out to see them.

November is National Homelessness Awareness Month and we’re excited to be partnering with United Way of Greater Central Michigan to raise money for Gratiot County Hope House through a coin war challenge called Coins for a Cause! Start saving and collecting your coins to send with your student! The classroom that raises the most amount of money will win a PIZZA PARTY! 🍕

We are thrilled to shine a spotlight on our October Students of the Month at North Elementary! These students stand out because they have been demonstrating our character traits of the month: forgiveness, integrity, and creativity. Crucially, they also understand that their words and actions have significant impacts on everyone around them.It takes courage and commitment to live these values every day. We are so proud of their hard work!

Our cross country team demonstrated true community spirit today by visiting North Elementary before their big race at Michigan International Speedway this Saturday. The support from our young fans, marked by high fives and fist bumps, embodies the essence of teamwork and motivation in sports. Best of luck to our athletes as they represent us on this important stage!

Celebrating creativity and community in our sixth-grade classrooms this Halloween! A special thank you to our dedicated parents who contributed snacks and treats, making the day a memorable experience for the students. Engaging students in festive activities fosters collaboration and joy in learning.

It was a great day for Halloween fun in 3rd grade!

We hope everyone has a great Halloween weekend! Remember to Fall Back on November 2nd for Daylight Savings time. Please watch the weather and make sure your child has cold weather clothing if needed. Fall will quickly turn into Winter.

Swarm Together,
Jessie Rayburn

Today third graders learned how to conserve natural resources! Thank you to Consumers Energy for the wonderful presentation!

Consumers Energy came to talk to 4th graders about energy. The students learned about kinetic and potential energy, as well as renewable and non-renewable resources. It was a great presentation with a lot of interesting information and great tips on how to save money at home by reducing the amount of energy we use!

Our 6th graders combined creativity, technology, and citizenship as they honored local veterans through a digital tribute and heartfelt letters. Students designed slides recognizing a veteran’s service and crafted letters to express gratitude in time for Veterans Day. Together, they demonstrated excellence, collaboration, and community pride — empowering excellence through engaging opportunities that inspire all to excel.

A sincere thank you from our entire staff to every parent and guardian who made time to attend our Parent-Teacher Conferences last week! We are celebrating an amazing 92% attendance rate! This level of engagement is a powerful reminder that it truly takes a dedicated team to ensure our students thrive. The conversations we had—focusing on academic goals, social-emotional growth, and future success—highlighted our shared commitment to the whole child. When parents, teachers, and students work together, we build a foundation for lifelong achievement. Thank you for your trust and partnership! We look forward to a successful year ahead.

Our 6th-grade musicians are making some serious noise—in a good way! This week in music class, they're becoming true music detectives, learning to identify different music genres and read music like pros. From classical notation to the rhythm of a backbeat, they're exploring it all! And the fun doesn't stop there: they're also mastering rhythm and teamwork through bucket drumming! We love seeing their creativity and collaboration shine.

As we are learning about how the five senses help animals survive in the wild, 4th graders learned they would not make good nocturnal animals when they had to sort colored bottle caps in the dark!