Amelia Earhart Elementary School

Red Ribbon Week starts next week!

We’re sharing a list of our most-needed items, along with our spirit week schedule, so everyone can see how they can participate, show their school spirit, and support our community!

Donations can be sent to school with students, and we’ll collect them in the mornings, or you can drop them off in the office with Sarah and Taylor.

Every donation goes directly back to our community! Thank you for helping our Cubs make a difference!

Twenty-five years ago, our nation watched history change in an instant. Today, on this solemn anniversary, our #265Family pauses to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11th, 2001. We remember the countless first responders, service members, and everyday heroes who ran toward danger to protect others. Their courage and sacrifice remind us what it means to serve something greater than ourselves.

In that same spirit of gratitude, tonight we are proud to honor the first responders and members of our military who continue to serve and protect our communities and our country. All first responders and military personnel, with their ID, will receive FREE admission to tonight’s Goddard High School football game at 7:00 p.m. at the District Stadium, as a small gesture of our appreciation for their service and sacrifice.

Public education has always been one of America's foundational pillars, built on the belief that an informed, engaged citizenry is essential to a free society. Just as those we honor today gave of themselves for the country, USD 265 teachers and staff show up every day to shape the next generation of citizens, leaders, and neighbors who will carry that legacy forward.

Today, we teach our students not just history, but hope for the future; that unity, resilience, and love of country can rise above even our darkest days. It’s with perseverance and a strong sense of gratitude that we look back to reflect, and look forward with resilient hope for a brighter tomorrow and unity ahead.

Unlocking Inclusion: The Impact of the Adaptive Book Library

Every teacher wants their students to thrive in the classroom and during Specials times (like music, science, and library). But for students in our Mixed Abilities classrooms, staying engaged during these times hasn’t always been easy. When classroom content isn’t accessible or at their academic level, it’s hard for these students to fully participate.

For teachers, creating custom theme-based materials for dozens of different learning levels every single week is an exhausting uphill battle.

Thanks to a generous innovative teacher grant from the Goddard Education Foundation (GEF), two Special Education teachers at Amelia Earhart Elementary are changing the game. Amanda Wilson and Christa Larson share a deep passion for providing an adaptive learning environment, and their project is doing just that.

The teaching duo’s innovative teacher grant provided their building a library of adaptive board books and custom-printed books complete with velcro interactive pieces and simple QR codes for easy teacher check-out. Now, when a class is learning about science, music, or the seasons, teachers can instantly grab an adaptive book that matches that exact theme but is tailored precisely to each child’s academic level.

Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Larson shared, “It is our goal that by providing materials to help students be more engaged during their inclusion and Specials times, they will connect more with the content with the adaptive books, learn social skills from being more engaged with their peers, and build deeper relationships with other students that will continue throughout their school journey.

We are so excited to see these books continue to spark joy, connection, and learning at Amelia Earhart Elementary for years to come. Thank you to the GEF and the generous contributors who support innovative education.

Small Station, BIG Impact!

Sometimes innovation in the classroom looks like a dedicated corner of a classroom where breakthroughs happen every single day.

Meet the students of Mrs. Toribio’s Mixed Abilities class at Amelia Earhart Elementary. For these incredible learners, staying regulated, focused, and ready to learn can sometimes feel like a steep uphill climb. “When students are dysregulated they are unable to engage in learning thus losing precious academic time,” shares Mrs. Toribio. “Many students in the Mixed Abilities program can spend a lot of their day in a dysregulated state due to delays in social/emotional learning.”

To help combat this and increase learning time in her classroom, Mrs. Toribio, with the help of a Goddard Education Foundation (GEF) Innovative Teacher Grant, was able to build a brand new Sensory Station directly into her students’ daily learning rotations. Instead of leaving the classroom to regulate, students now have a proactive, independent space right in the classroom to decompress, stimulate fine and gross motor skills, and reset their bodies.

“Utilizing the Sensory Station, which includes different physical manipulatives like stepping stones, balance boards, textured floor mats and tunnels, provides that crucial regulation,” shared Mrs. Toribio. “By providing students with tools that help them to regulate their physical and emotional needs we are able to increase the time our students are in a ready-to-learn state.”

By providing the sensory station, Mrs. Toribio isn’t just teaching academics, she is teaching lifelong regulation skills for independence and success.

Thank you Mrs. Toribio for your dedication and creative teaching, and to the GEF for funding an Innovative Teacher grant that helps ensure every student has the tools, space, and support to thrive.