Ithaca North Elementary

Celebrating Our October Students of the Month
There is nothing spooky about hard work, kindness, and strong character! We are thrilled to recognize our October Students of the Month here at North.

These outstanding individuals have exemplified our Positivity Project traits—showing exceptional Creativity, Integrity, and community spirit in everything they do. From going out of their way to assist classmates to supporting our teachers and staff, they make North a brighter, more supportive place to learn every single day.

Thank you to our honorees for your dedication, leadership, and positive influence! Please join us in congratulating them!

Last week, in honor of Bus Transportation Week, our incredible bus drivers dropped in as special guests during Mrs. Rayburn’s monthly Principal Chat!

They spent time talking with our students about bus safety, situational awareness, and key expectations for a respectful, safe ride every day. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn directly from the team that gets them to and from school safely each morning and afternoon.

Thank you to our dedicated drivers for everything you do to keep our kids safe on the road!

Spooktacular Storytime with Mrs. Rayburn! Today, we had the honor of a special visit from our principal, Mrs. Rayburn, who stopped by to read us a Halloween story! The book served as a wonderful reminder to look around and notice the imagination and beauty in our everyday environment—tying in perfectly with this week’s Positivity Trait! It was so refreshing to pause our daily routine, gather together, and reflect on the creativity that surrounds us every day. Thank you, Mrs. Rayburn, for taking the time to share such an inspiring story with us!

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.

After watching a video about giant pumpkins being used as boats, fourth graders were challenged to build pumpkin pulley systems in STEAM lab that could load a "giant pumpkin" into a Lego Jeep. Collaboration was key to devising a working design!

We are excited for our Hoops for Hunger, CMU basketball game next week! Our students did an amazing job with the food drive and had a great time at the hype assembly with a few CMU basketball players!

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Who remembers homecoming week dress-up days, annual AR parties at Reed’s Park, field day, and 6th grade camp?

We’re catching up with a 2021 North Elementary alum who turned a passion for helping others into a career as a Registered Nurse at MyMichigan Health in the Progressive Care Unit.

We are so proud of our alumni!

We had an absolute blast at our Hoops for Hunger assembly! A huge thank you to the team members of the CMU Women’s Basketball Team for spending time with us! They did an incredible job getting our students hyped up for the game and sharing an important message about the impact of supporting others through the hoops for hunger canned food drive. To top it all off, a few lucky students even got the chance to hit the court and play a little basketball against the CMU players! Thank you, CMU women’s basketball, for inspiring our students and showing us what leadership and giving back look like!

Miss Sopocy’s 5th-grade class blended science learning with this week’s Positivity Project character strength of creativity through a spooky science project! Using the chemical reaction between acids and bases, each student created their very own art project. By combining turmeric, laundry detergent, and vinegar, students drew custom designs and watched in awe as the paper magically changed colors right before their eyes! It was a thrilling, hands-on experiment, and the students absolutely loved this interactive lesson. Great job, 5th graders, on bringing creativity to life in the classroom!

Sixth graders learned about costume engineering in STEAM lab this week and were challenged to design their own masks! Students could choose to sculpt a mask out of clay or construct one out of recycled materials, so the lab was buzzing with creativity!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for parent-teacher conferences last Wednesday and or Thursday! Our school achieved an amazing turnout, with 94% of our families participating. This shows what an outstanding community we have and highlights the strong support of our parents as we work as a team—students, teachers, and parents together!

Sheila Moore from Mid Michigan District Health Department educated fourth graders on natural disasters following their research projects during ELA.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Who remembers the legendary field trip to Greenfield Village?

We’re catching up with a Class of 2011 North Elementary alum who turned their early school days into a successful career in accounting and internal auditing!

Check out the graphic below to see where they went to college, what they're doing today, and read their favorite North memory!

Big smiles, shiny new slides, and a ribbon officially cut! We are so incredibly fortunate to belong to a community that continually shows up for our kids. Today North Elementary celebrated the official opening of our brand new playground at Woodland Park!

Today, Miss Sopocy’s 5th-grade scientists took a deep dive into Earth's major systems: the biosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere! To bring their lessons to life, students participated in an interactive, hands-on lab exploring how human activity impacts our planet. Through model scenarios, they saw firsthand what happens when litter overtakes the geosphere (dirt) and hydrosphere (water), and they observed the realistic effects of an ocean oil spill. It was a fantastic team-building activity that sparked critical thinking, engaging discussions, and a deeper awareness of our role in protecting the world around us.

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

Our 6th graders had a fantastic day exploring Central Michigan University last Friday! Students took a walking tour to experience college life firsthand and got a close-up look at historical artifacts inside the Clarke Historical Library.
This hands-on trip directly connects to what students are currently learning in ELA with Miss Yoder. It was a wonderful opportunity to inspire our future graduates and explore a major university campus!

Hoops for Hunger Food Drive & Monetary Donation We’re collecting donations for Hoops for Hunger through the end of this week (Thursday evening)! Every canned good or dollar donated goes directly to support a local soup kitchen. How You Can Help: Canned Goods: Bring in a can or two and drop them on the bookshelf right outside the main office. Monetary Donations: Drop any cash or spare change in the donation jar located inside the office. Visiting for parent-teacher conferences this week? You can drop off your cans or monetary donations at the office while you're here! Thank you for helping us support our community!