November is National Homelessness Awareness Month and we’re excited to be partnering with United Way of Greater Central Michigan to raise money for Hope Works Mid-Michigan 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 wins cupcakes! 🧁
Congratulations to our October students of the month at South Elementary! Students this month were nominated for their 'Creativity'.
Thank you to the parents that joined us for "Raising Resilient Kids" with Tracey Galgoci on Tuesday evening. It was a great discussion around parenting kids during a tech-filled generation. Everyone who attended received a free copy of the bestselling book "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt, as well.
Kindergarteners in Mr. Whitford's classroom are busy getting prepared for Halloween!
📞 Stay Connected With Us 📞
Call, email, or message us if your child is absent or late. Share what is getting in the way. We will work with you on a plan.
Funding for Strive for Fewer than Five is supported by the Region 5 MiFamily Engagement Center.
Call, email, or message us if your child is absent or late. Share what is getting in the way. We will work with you on a plan.
Funding for Strive for Fewer than Five is supported by the Region 5 MiFamily Engagement Center.
Second graders read a story about a skeleton who kept falling apart in STEAM lab. After watching how his friends used their STEAM skills to help him solve his problem, they were challenged to create their own skeletons!
Join us for our October community/school event at the Thompson Home Public library on Monday, October 26. Our STEAM story hour will start in the children's area at 5:30pm!
We want to send a huge thank you to our amazing bus drivers!! Thank you for safely getting students to school, home, to field trips and sporting events. We appreciate you!! Earlier this week, our Junior Jackets met with our bus drivers to review bus safety rules.
📅 The Power of Showing Up Together 📅
Families and schools are a team. Missing 10% of school (about 2 days a month) adds up fast. Tell us what helps your child arrive on time. We will help make every day count.
Funding for Strive for Fewer than Five is supported by the Region 5 MiFamily Engagement Center.
Families and schools are a team. Missing 10% of school (about 2 days a month) adds up fast. Tell us what helps your child arrive on time. We will help make every day count.
Funding for Strive for Fewer than Five is supported by the Region 5 MiFamily Engagement Center.
On Tuesday, our second graders were present for the official ribbon cutting and opening of the new play structure at Woodland Park! What an exciting morning for all our Junior Jackets to be included in this momentous occasion. We are so grateful that the City of Ithaca invited us to this special event!
Still thinking about joining us? There’s a seat for you.
Parenting in a digital world brings plenty of questions, and you don’t need to have everything figured out before walking through the door.
Join Tracey Galgoci, MA, LPC for Raising Resilient Kids, a welcoming conversation about screens, social media, boundaries, independence, communication, play, and helping kids build resilience.
Come as you are. Bring your questions. Leave with practical ideas you can try at home.
📅 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
Parenting in a digital world brings plenty of questions, and you don’t need to have everything figured out before walking through the door.
Join Tracey Galgoci, MA, LPC for Raising Resilient Kids, a welcoming conversation about screens, social media, boundaries, independence, communication, play, and helping kids build resilience.
Come as you are. Bring your questions. Leave with practical ideas you can try at home.
📅 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
GSRP preschoolers had a fun field trip, with beautiful weather, at the Chippewa Nature Center last week! They learned about farm animals: what they need to live and what they provide. They also explored some areas inside the visitor center and a Nature Play Area.
Reminder: Donuts with Grown-Ups will be held at South Elementary from 7:15-8:00 a.m.
Our 1st and 2nd grade students took their fall trip to the school woods this week. Mrs. Hindbaugh-Marr and a few FFA students led the students through three separate stations. Students will return in the spring to see how the woods changes through the seasons.
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
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
Mrs. Gulick's 2nd graders couldn't stay inside earlier this week on such a beautiful day! For Number Corner this month, they've been learning about Pinnate and Palmate leaves. They've practiced recognizing patterns in leaf type, color and orientation. On this day they went on a leaf hunt! Students found a ton of Palmate leaves and some Pinnate leaves too! 🍁🍂
👨👩👧 Make Time Together 👨👩👧
Spend quality time with your child. Listening, talking about school, and sharing experiences shows them how much you value education and keeps them motivated to attend every day.
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.
Spend quality time with your child. Listening, talking about school, and sharing experiences shows them how much you value education and keeps them motivated to attend every day.
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.
2nd Graders had a wonderful morning at Lake Farms! They learned about different varieties of pumpkins, beef cows, explored the sunflower and pumpkin patch as well as enjoyed a donut and cider treat! Thank you to Lake Farms, FFA members and our PTO for sponsoring the trip! 🌻🎃🐄🐮
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!
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.
