During the week of October 20 – 24 the Elementary highlighted the importance of Math & Science with a variety of special events and activities. With support from the Gobles Foundation and the Elementary Parents’ Club, we were fortunate to offer several unique opportunities for students, parents, and the community.

Special events for the week included:

• Dress up days. Students were encouraged to make this a special week by dressing up according to the schedule of daily events being held; aliens & astronauts, aviator clothing, wacky clothes, and clothing with numbers on them. 
• Dome Theater Mobile Planetarium. This traveling, inflatable dome offered the wonders of Earth and the thrill of our surrounding universe. Each classroom visited the Dome Theater during the school day. The Dome Theater remained in the elementary gym for parents and others to see a 20-30 minute show and visit during the evening.
• The Aviation School at WMU was here with a mobile airplane and presentation. This was for students in Grades 3rd-5th.
• Wacky Science Assemblies. More than just whiz, bang, poof and pop, this proven show puts science in the hands of more than a dozen onstage volunteers. With a focus on science with everyday objects, Dr. Science makes the Scientific Method easy to understand. This is the only show to ever win Dow Chemical's Touch-Tech Award for excellence in hands-on science education.
• Math & Science Fair. On Thursday, October 23, we invited all parents/guardians and guests of students to join in the Math & Science Fair. In most of our classrooms, short presentations and hands-on activities were available for students and guests to participate in. Many individuals and organizations from the area agreed to volunteer their expertise and time for the benefit of our students.
• Math & Science Basket Raffles. We assembled 17 different baskets for a student raffle that took place on Friday, October 24. Students earned raffle tickets by participating in take home activities and by participating in events during the Math & Science Fair.

A special thank you to the Gobles Public Schools Foundation for supporting our Elementary Math & Science Fair and the Gobles Elementary Parents' Club for supporting the Dome Theater Planetarium.

One of our unique educational experiences during Math and Science week at Gobles Elementary was a visit from two recruiters at Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation. They brought a mobile airplane and spoke with 3rd-5th graders about the learning goals of current college students in their program. The students used official terminology for various parts of the plane and learned about the four main forces acting on planes during flight. The presenters stressed the importance of math and science classes in preparation for an exciting future. Having their pictures taken while sitting in the pilot’s seat appeared to be the best part!

On behalf of the Gobles Athletic Department, we would like to congratulate Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach John Curtis for receiving two separate awards on October 11, 2014. While attending the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Coaching banquet in Lansing, Coach John Curtis was awarded the 2014 Region 5 and the 2014 Class C Coach of the Year Award! Congratulations Coach Curtis and the 2013-14 Girls Varsity Basketball Team!

Late last spring, an art projects funded by the Gobles Foundation came together with great success.  Five advanced art students had pieces of their original art printed onto card stock. All of the art showcased tigers done in a variety of mediums. The cards are all purpose and are now available for Tiger fans to buy and use for their personal correspondence. The cards are blank inside so they can be used for anything. They make great gifts too! Cards are available from Mrs. Butler in the art room, from Mrs. Martin in the transportation office, or from the HomeTown Pharmacy downtown Gobles. Featured artists are Tamara Rutherford (ink and pastel on paper ), Taylor Fifer (oil paint on canvas board), Sharyena Hunt (pen & ink), Alissa Dickerson (scratchboard), and Lindsey Hansen (pen & ink). For more information, please contact Carrie Butler at cbutler@gobles.org or 628-2113 x 1807.

Mrs. Julia Baker works with a small group of Kindergarten students during math success time.  Success time is a part of Gobles Elementary 8-Step Process to increase student achievement. Math success time, which occurs three days per week, is a 30 minute period in addition to the daily 60 minutes of math instruction in all classrooms. During Success time, students in each grade level (K-5th) are divided into smaller groups to receive extra support and instruction connected to math curriculum.

It was a year of snow day after snow day. It was a year of AP students needing to be in two places at one time. It was a year of inconsistency and a fear that students were not prepared to take such a high-stakes test as the National College Board Exam for English Literature. It ended up being a year where students from this small town of Gobles beat the odds; as a matter of fact, they beat the National odds. This past May, 20 of our students took the A.P. (Advanced Placement) English Literature College Board exam, and 15 of them scored high enough to receive college credit. Nationally, 55% of the students taking the AP English Literature exam scored a 3 or better (on a 5-point scale). At Gobles, 15 out of our 20 students scored a 3 or better on this very difficult test. That’s a success rate of 75%--well above the National average. “When I saw the scores, I literally jumped up and down and let out a loud hooray that the whole town could have heard. I was ecstatic that our students did so well on this test. The results told the students that they are capable of ranking with the best that this Nation has to offer,” stated Pam Westcott, AP English Literature teacher. The song “Happy,” with its suggestion of feeling so good that it’s like a “…room without a roof” is very appropriate here. With these type of results, we can be proud that we are an academically-sound school that has much to offer its students so they may be successful in any endeavor they choose.

On another positive note, the class of 2013-14 was the class that took the total number of Gobles students having scored well enough to receive college credit to over 100. We first offered AP English in 1993, and since then Gobles has also offered such AP courses as AP Biology, AP Calculus, and AP History, one of the few schools our size to do so.

The Gobles community should be proud of these students and their commitment to academics: Cheyenne Allyn-White, Russell Aspinwall, Alexis Boes, Alyssa Ellis, Jessie Goodrich, Tucker Harbaugh, Sharyena Hunt, Kaden Kerns, Caitlyn Kropp, Keegan Roder, Tamera Rutherford, Michaela Scholte, Shannon South, Rachel Waldron, and Amber Wallace.

Great job, everyone!! Be HAPPY!!