Our Junior Jacket ticket winners are especially spirited this week in honor of Homecoming! Great job for Being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe this week. We are proud of you!
about 7 hours ago, Bethany Vozar
Students pictured in school colors.
Our South Elementary Junior Jackets had a special visit from some of our local Gratiot Emergency Services Authority (G.E.S.A.) Firefighters early this week. Firefighters talked with students about fire safety, demonstrated how to use their fire equipment, and gave students the opportunity to look inside their fire trucks. We are thankful for these community helpers that serve and protect our local families.
1 day ago, Bethany Vozar
Firefighters talking to students.
Firefighter talking to student about equipment.
Firefighters demonstrating how to put on their equipment.
Students with a firefighter.
Students standing in a fire truck.
Students standing in a fire truck.
Students standing in front of a firetruck.
Student wearing a firefighter helmet.
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
2 days ago, Bethany Vozar
football helmet, football, pennant, and yellowjacket
⏰ Morning Routines = Strong Attendance ⏰
Set out clothes, prepare backpacks, and start the day with a healthy breakfast. Small routines lead to big success!

Need support or want to learn more? Visit fewerthan5.com for family resources. Funding for Strive for Fewer than Five is supported by the Region 5 MiFamily Engagement Center.
3 days ago, Bethany Vozar
students packing backpacks
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!
3 days ago, Bethany Vozar
photo of hulk socks, superman socks, and a boy dressed in a superman costume
Today students dressed as community helpers as part of our Homecoming celebration. This Junior Jacket decided to dress like Mr. Hessbrook, one of our custodians at South. Good choice!! We have the BEST custodians in our building. Thank you, Mr. Larry and Mr. Hessbrook for keeping our school squeaky clean! Go Jackets!! 💙💛🐝
3 days ago, Bethany Vozar
student and staff member making a silly face at each other.
student and staff member sitting together on a bench.
This past week in Music, 1st graders have been practicing their beat and rhythm skills by creating patterns using 1 and 2 syllable fruit names. One partner would create the fruit pattern, and their partner would read the pattern to a steady beat. We had lots of fun creating music in a very simple way!
4 days ago, Gretchen Heegeman
students pointing at pictures of fruit.
students pointing at pictures of fruit.
students pointing at pictures of fruit.
students pointing at pictures of fruit.
students pointing at pictures of fruit.
students pointing at pictures of fruit.
WEDNESDAY PREVIEW: Everyday Real-Life Heroes!

Not all heroes wear capes—some wear scrubs, uniforms, or high-vis vests! Tomorrow we celebrate the heroes in our community.

What to wear: Dress like an everyday hero—doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers, teachers, military members, or postal workers.

Keep it simple! Scrubs, a sports jersey, a high-vis vest, or a homemade paper badge taped to a plain shirt does the trick.
4 days ago, Bethany Vozar
community superheroes shown: firefighter, police officer, nurse,military
Our kindergarteners had some special helpers in STEAM lab this week! Fifth graders came over to help with a living/nonliving things hunt outside and with fire safety helmet models inside!
4 days ago, Amy Hindbaugh-Marr
students looking for living things
students looking for living things
students looking for living things
students with fire helmet model
students with fire helmet model
students with fire helmet model
We are so un-beelievably PROUD of our Junior Jackets! Today we presented 162 students with attendance awards. These students missed no more than 1 day in the month of September. Keep "Striving for Fewer than 5"!!
5 days ago, Bethany Vozar
Students sitting on the carpet with awards.
Students sitting on the carpet with awards.
Students sitting on the carpet with awards.
Students sitting on the carpet with awards.
Students sitting on the carpet with awards.
Students standing on the carpet with awards.
TUESDAY PREVIEW: Hero Graphic Tee & Comic Brights!

Day 2 is all about showing off your favorite characters and bold power colors!

What to wear: Your favorite superhero t-shirt OR bright comic book colors (red, blue, yellow, green, or purple).

Don't have a superhero shirt? Any top featuring an empowering word like "Kind," "Strong," or "Brave" totally counts as a hero shirt!
5 days ago, Bethany Vozar
superhero tshirts with red background
South Elementary students had a visit from the Farm Lab on Thursday and Friday last week. Students had the opportunity to learn about Michigan agriculture, parts of a plant, and goods and resources from local farms. Thank you to our Ithaca PTO for funding this experience for our students!
5 days ago, Bethany Vozar
Teacher dressed as a butterfly with students on the carpet.
Students working at a table.
Student with desk.
student at desk.
Student at desk.
Students working at desks.
Students working at their desks.
Students working at desks.
Students working at desks.
MONDAY PREVIEW: Superhero Color Squad!
Tomorrow kicks off Homecoming Spirit Week! Let’s fill the hallways with color.

What to wear: Dress in your assigned grade-level color!

PreK/K/DK: RED

1st Grade: GREEN

2nd Grade: ORANGE

Any basic t-shirt, sweatshirt, or socks in your grade’s color works perfectly. Zero fuss required!
6 days ago, Bethany Vozar
tshirts with grade levels and colors
South Elementary is proud to announce our September Students of the Month! This month, students were nominated for displaying great teamwork skills. Congratulations, Junior Jackets!
8 days ago, Bethany Vozar
students with certificates
students
students with certificates
HOMECOMING SPIRIT WEEK IS NEXT WEEK!
Get ready to show off your superpowers and school pride! Next week is Homecoming Dress-Up Week, and we are keeping it simple, fun, and 100% budget-friendly.

No need to buy fancy costumes! Everything your child needs can be found right in their drawers, closets, or around the house. Check out the lineup below and dive into the spirit:

THE DAILY LINEUP

Monday: Superhero Color Squad

The Look: Dress in your grade level’s assigned superhero color!

Around-the-house tip: Any basic t-shirt, sweater, or socks in your grade color works perfectly.

Tuesday: Hero Graphic Tee & Comic Brights

The Look: Wear your favorite superhero shirt OR wear bright comic book colors (red, blue, yellow, purple, or green)!

Around-the-house tip: Have a shirt with a positive word like "Kind" or "Brave"? That counts as a superpower shirt too!

Wednesday: Everyday Real-Life Heroes

The Look: Dress like a real-world community hero—doctors, nurses, firefighters, teachers, military members, or postal workers.

Around-the-house tip: Scrubs, a high-vis vest, a sports jersey, or a simple paper badge taped to a shirt instantly does the trick.

Thursday: Superhero Accessories & Sock Day

The Look: Rock your favorite superhero socks, hats, wristbands, or capes!

Around-the-house tip: Tuck a small towel or pillowcase into a shirt collar for an instant DIY cape, or wear fun, mismatched colorful socks!

Friday: Homecoming Hero Spirit Day!

The Look: Show your ultimate school pride! Wear your BLUE & GOLD school colors or spirit shirts to cheer the YELLOWJACKETS on for Homecoming!

Quick Friendly Rules for a Safe Week:

No weapons or play props (keep swords, shields, and blasters at home).

No full-face masks or scary face paint (we need to see those smiling faces!).

Let’s make this the highest-participation Homecoming week ever!
8 days ago, North Elementary
A flyer to describe each day of homecoming dress up days
There is nothing preschoolers love more than the freedom to be creative! 🎨🖌️🖍️✂️
8 days ago, Bethany Vozar
students painting at a table
student with artwork
students painting at a table
students coloring pictures
students painting at a table
student holding their artwork
student holding a picture of a Yellowjacket
Second graders read Going Places in STEAM lab and were challenged to create frog inspired vehicles like the children were planning to build in the story. Teams were encouraged to keep revising until they designed a vehicle they were truly proud of!
9 days ago, Amy Hindbaugh-Marr
students with vehicle
students with vehicle
students with vehicle
students with vehicle
students with vehicle
students with vehicle
students with vehicle
You know it's a good day when your stuffie gets to spend the day with you! These Kindergartners in Miss Hayes's room worked hard to earn their stuffed animal party. The stuffed animals got to learn with them and enjoy a day at school 😊🧸
9 days ago, Bethany Vozar
teacher with students and their stuffies
students at a table doing work with their stuffies
students at the carpet with their stuffies
students work at the table with their stuffies
students work at the table with their stuffies
students in a class picture with their stuffies
First graders in Mrs. Schaeding's room showed fantastic teamwork as they worked together to complete 120 counting chart puzzles. It was a time full of learning and fun! 🧩🙌
9 days ago, Bethany Vozar
students holding a puzzle
students on a rug showing a puzzle
students smiling and sitting on a rug with a puzzle
students on the rug with a puzzle
students on the rug with a puzzle
students sitting on a rug with their puzzle
students working together on the rug to solve a puzzle
students working together on the rug to solve a puzzle
students working together on the rug to solve a puzzle
South Elementary preschoolers are hard at work learning the routines of their classroom. They recently learned how to appropriately use glue sticks and then practiced using them to glue paper shapes. Preschoolers have also learned how to use stamps and ink pads and played daily in the Sensory Table Area.
10 days ago, Bethany Vozar
students with shapes and glue sticks
students with shapes and glue sticks
students with paper and stamps and ink pads
students with paper and ink pads and stamps
children playing in a sensory table
children playing in a sensory table