Our 1st and 2nd grade students had the opportunity to travel to the Heritage Center at Alma College on Tuesday to watch a dance performance. The dancers are students at the Academy of Performing Arts in Alma. Our Junior Jackets had a wonderful experience and were polite and well-mannered during the show. Bravo!
Each week, students receive Junior Jacket Tickets for demonstrating excellent behavior and setting a positive example at South Elementary. On Fridays, we draw one 'winner' from each classroom as our Junior Jacket Ticket Winners for the week. Here are the first winners for the 2026-27 school year.
This week in STEAM lab kindergarteners read a story about a girl who designed a fancy new school bus. They were then challenged to create their own new school buses. Our lab was filled with creativity!
South Elementary has some new graphics! We are excited about our new look! Thank you, Aaron's Graphics for getting these installed for us over Labor Day weekend.
Ms. Schrader's 2nd graders are shown here, paired up to work together on highlighting the different elements of Book Reviews! Their Shiny Snoopy for the week is also highlighted in the photos! Each week, a student who has followed their classroom rules and expectations earns the Shiny Snoopy Award. As their reward, Shiny Snoopy gets to visit their desk and stay with them for the entire week!
Mrs. Yelsik's 2nd graders have been playing games to strengthen their understanding of place value. Here, they are rolling the dice and using strategies to create the greatest 3-digit number they can to compare with their partner’s number.
Our 2nd graders are exploring with opinion writing this week! 📝 For ELA they chose a favorite beginning of the school year read aloud book and wrote a book review sharing their thoughts. They’re learning all the elements that make a good opinion piece; stating their opinion, supporting it with reasons, using transition words and providing a proper conclusion. Way to go, 2nd grade writers! 👏👏
🤒 Not Sure if They Should Stay Home? 🤒
If your child can participate in school activities, attending may be the best choice. When in doubt, contact your school—your attendance team can help.
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.
If your child can participate in school activities, attending may be the best choice. When in doubt, contact your school—your attendance team can help.
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.
This week in STEAM lab first graders learned that the Earth is always spinning. They then designed and tested their own tops to extend the idea of objects spinning!
Ms. Hayes and her Kindergartners read the book, “My Mouth is A Volcano” and discussed what to do if they feel like they are going to explode! 😊🌋 They also got to create a “volcano” and watched it explode (that might have been a favorite 😆
Thank you, Project Full, for your snack donations for the first trimester! We are so appreciative of your generosity! Thank you to all these 2nd grade Junior Jackets, too. They helped us carry and deliver all the snacks to classrooms!
After reading a book called Dreaming Up in STEAM lab and seeing how young builders can use all sorts of items to make models of real structures, kindergarteners used building cards to create their own models.
Mrs. Schaeding's 1st graders had their first day of partner reading on Tuesday and they did a fantastic job! 📚👫 Partner reading is an important part of learning in our early elementary classrooms! Reading with a partner helps students build confidence, practice fluency, strengthen comprehension, and learn from one another. Best of all, it makes reading engaging and fun! ❤️📖
Mrs. Schaeding's 1st graders had their first day of partner reading and they did a fantastic job! 📚👫 Partner reading is an important part of learning in our early elementary classrooms! Reading with a partner helps students build confidence, practice fluency, strengthen comprehension, and learn from one another. Best of all, it makes reading engaging and fun! ❤️📖
🍎 Everyday Attendance Starts Now 🍎
Showing up every day early in the year helps kids build confidence, connect with classmates, and stay on track with learning.
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.
Showing up every day early in the year helps kids build confidence, connect with classmates, and stay on track with learning.
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.
🍎 Everyday Attendance Starts Now 🍎
Showing up every day early in the year helps kids build confidence, connect with classmates, and stay on track with learning.
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.
Showing up every day early in the year helps kids build confidence, connect with classmates, and stay on track with learning.
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.
Second graders read Violet the Pilot in STEAM lab and were challenged to design flying machines that could rescue a "person", just like Violet did in the story. Collaboration was key for these successful designs!
These 2nd graders were excited to celebrate the '2nd day of 2nd Grade!"
📅 First Week = Routine Week 📅
Try to avoid “just one extra day” of vacation once school begins. The first week sets habits that last all year.
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.
Try to avoid “just one extra day” of vacation once school begins. The first week sets habits that last all year.
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.
Our South Elementary gym got a facelift this summer! The gym and kitchen were painted and new speakers were installed along with these graphics. Our custodial team has been working hard to prepare our building for our staff and students!
