New Year, New Rules

The school library is a place where curiosity comes alive and the love of reading begins! With so many books and resources, it’s the perfect spot for kids to explore new stories, ideas, and perspectives. Our goal is to help students find books they truly enjoy while also encouraging empathy and a love for learning. In order to foster a love of reading, we have adjusted our check-out guidelines for our 3rd thru 6th grade students.  Students now have a little more freedom in their choice of books in the hopes that they will search and find books they most enjoy.  

Here are our new rules for the new year:

• 3 books maximum

• Only 1 can be a Graphic Novel

• Only 1 can be a Playaway (audiobook)

Things I want students to consider as they look for books:

• Interest - what kinds of books or topics do you enjoy?

• Purpose - is this for a school assignment or personal enjoyment? 

• Reading level -  are you reading this alone or with someone at home?

• Length - how many pages are in the book and do I have time or the stamina to read those pages?

Ultimately, we want students to choose books they WANT to read!  Ask your child what they checked out this week!  And we always appreciate the help in returning books on time so students can continue to explore and get new books in their hands. 

Mrs. Thompson

Red Elbow

 Sounds crazy right?  Well it is and it was! The first 2 weeks back from any break is always 

a mix bag of emotions–students are either tired from being up late all week, or tired because they

were stuck inside over break.

  I wanted to find a classbuilding activity that would put

everyone in a good mood and set the tone for the last half of the school year.

I dug around in my handy dandy files andI found an activity called Red Elbow. 

It is quite simple

but the fun is tenfold

How to play:

The teacher calls out a color and a body part.

The students find an object in the room that is that color and then touch the 

selected body part to the object.

So when I said, blue thumb–students had to find something blue in the room and put

 their thumb on it. Both third grade classes had a wonderful time..  It was a great

movement break and just plain fun.

Uhm, we quickly had to put 2 rules in place after playing a round: walking only when 

moving to the color, and the color needed to be in the room- NOT on a student!

So if you pop in my room, be ready to play Red Elbow at a moment's notice!

Harnessing Creativity and Curiosity via Energy Exploration!

The students in my 3rd/4th grade DEB block recently concluded their unit on energy systems by building their own windmills! This unit wasn’t just about learning facts—it was about igniting curiosity, fostering creativity, and discovering how perseverance can lead to great accomplishments.

Throughout the unit, students explored the fundamentals of energy, experimented with circuits, and read the novel The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. The story is about a boy named, William who overcomes serious challenges within his village. He uses determination and perseverance to power electricity via a windmill. 

To end our unit, our students put their knowledge into action by constructing their very own windmills! Armed with instructions, screwdrivers, and excitement they worked through the challenges of putting together the parts to construct their energy source. After the windmills were built, the students tested the voltage of the energy using fans and multimeters.

The students really enjoyed this hands on unit. They love creating and building. I have found that these hands on experiences really enhance their curiosity! 

Are Ms. Kilkenny's Preschoolers "Just Playing"?

"Just Playing" in Ms. Kilkenny's Room

Author Unknown

When I’m building in the block area,

Please don’t say I’m “Just Playing.”

For, you see, I’m learning as I play; about balance and shapes.

Who knows, I may be an architect someday.

When I’m getting all dressed up, setting the table,

Caring for the babies,

Don’t get the idea I’m “Just Playing.”

For you see, I’m learning as I play:

I may be a mother or a father someday.

When you see me up to my elbows in paint,

Or standing at an easel,

Or molding and shaping the clay,

Please don’t let me hear your say, “He’s Just Playing.”

For, you see, I’m learning as I play.

I’m expressing myself and being creative.

I may be an artist or an inventor someday.

When you see me sitting in a chair “reading” to an imaginary audience, 

Please don’t laugh and think I’m “Just Playing.”

For, you see, I’m learning as I play.

I may be a teacher someday.

When you see me combing the bushes for bugs, or packing my pockets with choice things I find,

Don’t pass it off as “Just Playing.”

For, you see, I’m learning as I play.

I may be a scientist someday. 

When you see me engrossed in a puzzle or some plaything at my school,
Please don’t feel the time is wasted in “Play.”

For, you see, I’m learning as I play.

I’m learning to solve problems and concentrate.

 I may be in business someday. 

When you see me cooking and tasting foods,

Please don’t think that because I enjoy it, it is “Just Playing.”

For, you see, I’m learning as I play.

I’m learning to follow directions and see differences.

I may be a cook someday.

When you see me learning to skip, hop, run, and move my body,

Please don’t say I’m “Just Playing.”

For, you see, I’m learning as I play.

I may be a doctor, nurse or an athlete someday.

When you ask me what I’ve done at school today,

And I say “I Just Played,”

Please don’t misunderstand me.

For, you see, I’m learning as I play.

I’m learning to enjoy and be successful in my work,

I’m preparing for tomorrow.

Today I am a child and my work IS play. 

New Year, New Games

 Happy 2025! It's been a great first week back. We've had fun talking about our break, playing games together, and getting back into a good schedule. One teambuilder that we played in particular was new to me, and it ended up being a big hit!

I was in a class in the fall called The Playful Classroom (shoutout to Mrs. McGovern :). It gave us lots of great ideas for teambuilders, classbuilders, and just fun games to play with your class. We tried one called Blind Drawing. The rules are simple; pair your students up. One partner is the drawer, and one is the instructor. The instructor is shown a picture, while the drawer cannot see it. The instructor must describe the picture in words, and give very descriptive instructions so their partner knows what to draw. We talked about directions such as right, left, up, down, below, above, etc. We also explained that it's important to name the shapes of objects, as well as the color. 

I had students sit back to back, with the instructor facing the TV, and the drawer facing away. We played the game twice so each student got to try both roles. This game was full of laughs! It was a great teaching moment to show students how they need to be specific when giving instructions, and also how it can be fun to make mistakes- the goal was never to make exact replicas of the original picture!

Here's to a great year ahead, Goodrich!

2025 Vision Boards

As we return from winter break, our sixth graders are stepping into an exciting chapter of their lives, their final months as elementary students and the beginning of their journey into junior high. This is a monumental time for them, full of anticipation, opportunity, and reflection.

To help our students start the year with purpose, we’re diving into a meaningful and creative project. Vision boards are a fantastic way for students to visualize their goals and hopes for the year ahead. This activity encourages them to think critically about their goals, whether academic, social, or personal, and to express these dreams in a tangible, artistic format.

Vision boards allow students to:

• Reflect on their unique strengths and interests.

• Set specific goals and create a visual reminder to stay motivated.

• Practice creativity and self-expression.

• Foster a growth mindset by focusing on what they hope to achieve.

Our students are using their creativity and Canva to design their vision boards digitally. They’re thinking about questions like:

• What are my academic goals for 2025?

• How can I grow as a leader and role model in my last year of elementary school?

• What kind of person do I want to be as I prepare for junior high?

Once completed, the vision boards will be printed out and proudly displayed in the hallway. This not only gives students a daily visual reminder of their goals but also creates a vibrant and inspiring environment for everyone in our school community.

Through this activity, students are not only looking forward but also learning to reflect on how far they’ve come. We discussed the importance of resilience, collaboration, and perseverance—skills they’ve practiced and will continue to develop this year and beyond.

This is a year of transition and celebration. Our sixth graders are stepping into leadership roles within Goodrich while preparing for the exciting challenges of Jefferson. By identifying their goals and hopes, students are learning the power of intention and visualization. As our sixth graders prepare to close one chapter and start another, their vision boards will be an anchor, helping them navigate this exciting and transformative year with confidence and purpose.

Area Dominoes!

Third graders are learning about finding an area of a shape. Before winter break, we made the connections between finding an area and drawing out rectangular arrays for multiplication. To kick off and review our math skills, students played an area domino game. 

Each group had a basket of dominoes and a sheet of graph paper. One person would pick the domino and tell the group the 2 numbers. Those 2 numbers were the group’s length and width for their rectangle. Each group member silently drew the box on their graph paper filling in the area in the center. Once each group member was done, they did a group check to ensure everyone had the same answer. After that, they could add the domino to a domino train. By the end of the activity, groups had so much fun watching the dominoes go down! 

A New Beginning

 It was so nice to start the second half of the school year with kids in the building today! They came in with smiles on their faces and all of their stories from winter break. You can tell that they missed being at school with their friends and their teachers and were eager to get back to business.

I enjoy the start of my day out at parent drop off giving hugs, smiles, high fives and greetings to all of the chidren who come in that way. In fact, it is my favorite part of the day because I know every child will be welcomed to school with a warm heart and a friendly face. I am fairly certain that parents enjoy that part of the day too! 

During the morning, the students were a bit quieter than usual due to their lack of waking up before 9 AM during break or having to go to bed at a reasonable hour. I enjoyed walking around the building and seeing them in somewhat of a daze but also very excited to be back. By the afternoon they were all back to their regular routines and were re-energized for the rest of the year to come. Below you will see an image of kindergarten exploring movement to warm up their bodies for class and just having a blast! 

Welcome back for the second half of the 2024-2025 school year!

Run, Run, as Fast as You Can....

If you know the rest of this stanza, you will know that we learned about the Gingerbread Man

in Pre-K!  The Gingerbread unit is always a favorite amongst children around the holiday

season.  As we read many Gingerbread Man titles, children are introduced to literacy skills

such as comparing and contrasting, character development, vocabulary, settings, sequencing

events, and making predictions.  

                                                   

Did you know there are more than 30 Gingerbread titles?  They vary between the

traditional fairytale that we know and love, to newer titles that introduce different

characters, settings and outcomes.  The one common theme… the Gingerbread

person ALWAYS runs!   

Not only are we focusing on the exciting collection of Gingerbread books, but we

had fun learning with different gingerbread activities, too!  The first book we read

was  The Gingerbread Man, and the main character was scared to get into the water. 

We had to learn WHY he was scared and opted to jump on the foxes back rather than

get into the water.  Then we had a conversation about what might happen if the

Gingerbread Man got wet.  Once we made some guesses, it was time to put the cookie

into a jar with water.  We patiently waited as the cookie drifted to the bottom of the jar,

and then broke apart into pieces.  We learned the word dissolved, and how the cookie

was affected by the water.  Now we understand why the Gingerbread Man does not want

to get wet!  

                                                     

After we learned why the Gingerbread Man does not want to get wet, we read

another Gingerbread story we read was the Gingerbread Baby.  This story was

different from the others because the Gingerbread baby did not become a snack

for the sneaky fox.  The Gingerbread Baby has a friend named Matty who helped

him hide in a gingerbread house.  After we read the story and compared the events

to our other titles, we created our own gingerbread house.  We decorated the house,

and on the inside, we drew a picture of ourselves holding the Gingerbread Baby.  

 

Children learned different prepositional words during our unit, too.  Our resident

Gingerbread Man, Crispin, liked to hide in different places in our classroom every

day, and the children had the opportunity to practice using different prepositional

words.  Did you know that children master different prepositional words at different

points in their development?

                                           

“Crispin is NEXT TO the snowman.”

Our other EC Teacher, Ms. Kilkenny is a master homemade play doh maker, and

she whipped up a big batch of sweet smelling Gingerbread play doh.  Children

enjoyed making their own Gingerbread people and Gingerbread items using cookie

cutters and their own creative ideas. 

                                               

         

As we wrap up our unit, we have a very important activity to complete. We get to

make our very own Gingerbread Man!  We each took turns adding and mixing

ingredients so he turned out perfect.  We popped him into the oven, and went back

to class.  

 Just when we thought we were going to be enjoying a nice, warm cookie.. OH NO!! 

Our very own Gingerbread Man has escaped and is running through Goodrich School! 

We have to find him!  Thankfully, we have been left clues as to where to seek out our

Gingerbread Man. So off we went to find him! 

                              

We searched high and low for our gingerbread man.  We went to find Mr. Ortiz, who s

aid that the Gingerbread Man had run right past him!  He said the Gingerbread Man was

SO FAST!

After searching high and low, we finally found our Gingerbread Man!  He was back in

our classroom, and it was our turn to taste the gingerbread cookie that we baked.  

    

He was delicious, and made our bellies very happy!  Our preschool students were very

excited and engaged while learning a variety of things over the course of our Gingerbread

Unit.  It was a fun addition to the holiday season.