USD 265-Amelia Earhart Elementary

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.

No More Pressure: Harmonizing Music at Amelia Earhart Elementary

When most adults think about learning the recorder, they likely recall obnoxious, ear-piercing squeaks. For decades, mastering this instrument has been a challenge for developing elementary students who may not have the manipulative skills needed to cover the tiny open holes that prevent air leaks and the inevitable squeaks.

For 3rd and 4th-grade students at Amelia Earhart Elementary, who have been eagerly waiting for their chance to play a recorder, fine motor skill deficits can quickly crush that excitement. But thanks to the help of a Goddard Education Foundation Innovative Teacher Grant, Amelia Earhart Music Teacher Rochelle Mann is changing the “tune” by introducing Nuvo Recorder+ instruments to her classroom.

These recorders feature soft silicone flaps that seal completely with just a gentle press, an upgrade that allows students of all abilities to achieve the correct tone without the squeaks.

“After sampling the new recorder with a student in my music classroom, he immediately went home and exuberantly told his family how he would be playing the recorder just like all his other classmates,” shared Mrs. Mann.

The immediate emotional impact of this grant is undeniable, particularly for special education learners. By providing these upgraded and adaptive recorders for the entire class, music at Amelia Earhart continues to be an inclusive environment that ensures every student can find success with their instrument.

“Student success is the whole reason I wrote this grant,” explains Mrs. Mann. “I have watched first hand students who were frustrated from day one, who had given up ever playing recorders alongside their peers, instantly thrive when switched to the new recorders. With these recorders, every student can feel that joy, pride, and sense of accomplishment.”

These results won’t stop when students leave Amelia Earhart; elementary instrument success can help build that confidence and contribute to future participation in band or orchestra as they continue their journey through Goddard Public Schools.

Thank you, Goddard Education Foundation, for removing the pressure, allowing students to participate in music with minimal stress or fear of failure… and helping every instrument in our ring out clear and true!

The Goddard Education Foundation is excited to introduce the Goddard Public Schools Hall of Fame Class of 2026!

Established in 2018, the Hall of Fame celebrates, honors, and recognizes the extraordinary service, success, and achievements of our alumni, retired staff, and dedicated friends of education.

Join us in celebrating the Class of 2026:
* Dan Buchanan, Former Educator & Coach
* Dr. Mary Cohen (Shinogle), Goddard High School Class of 1986
* Jerry Longabaugh, Former Educator, Administrator, and Current USD 265 Board of Education Representative
* Dr. Christopher Warren, Goddard High School Class of 1992
* Dr. Michael Vivion, Goddard High School Class of 1962

Save the Date!
Please join us on September 18, 2026, to celebrate the Class of 2026.
Keep an eye out for event details, registration opens in July.
Stay tuned as we highlight each of our individual inductees in the coming weeks. Let's join together to celebrate the past and inspire the future of Goddard Public Schools.

A huge THANK YOU to Mel Hambelton Ford for coming out to help us celebrate absolutely CRUSHING our 200,000 Beanstack reading minute goal this semester… and then casually blowing past it with an amazing 257,860 minutes read!

We are incredibly proud of our students and staff for fully embracing Beanstack this year and making reading such a fun and exciting part of our school community. The love for reading was definitely strong this year!

And the best part? We’re just getting started! Beanstack will be back next year, and we’re aiming for even BIGGER reading goals and even MORE minutes!

We had a BLAST at Field Day yesterday! Thanks to all of our parents who came out and our volunteers. We got so lucky with the weather! Enjoy these photos!

Fueling Innovation with EarhART

At Amelia Earhart Elementary, the halls are no longer just corridors, they are a rotating museum of student imagination. While the school currently operates without a designated art class, teacher Angi Webster saw an opportunity to ensure creativity didn’t fall through the cracks. With the support of an Innovative Teacher Grant from the Goddard Education Foundation, Webster launched “EarhART,” a school-wide initiative that turns every student into a featured artist.

“Our teachers incorporate art whenever they can, but resources and time are often limited,” Webster explains. “EarhART was designed to fill the gap, engaging the entire school community through themed gallery exhibits.” EarhART is a school-wide program designed to fill the artistic gap.

Instead of a traditional classroom setting, EarhART turns the entire school into a living gallery. Each quarter, students are challenged with a themed creative project—like the Spring quarter project "Falling into Creativity" exhibit, which combines nature, print media, and the vibrant colors of autumn.

The impact goes deeper than paint and paper. By integrating art history, science, and literacy into each theme. EarhART helps over 500 students in grades K-4 develop the fine motor skills and critical thinking necessary for success in all subjects. Perhaps most importantly, it invites families to be a part of the process, celebrating student achievements through quarterly gallery walks.

"EarhART brings art to Earhart," says Webster. "It’s about building momentum and showing our students that their creativity has a permanent home here."
Thanks to your generosity, the school was able to purchase the initial supplies and gallery display materials needed to make this vision a reality. Now, with a permanent gallery space and plans for an after-school art club, the future at Amelia Earhart Elementary is looking much more colorful.

Check out this video to learn more about EarhART at Amelia Earhart Elementary!

Your support of the Goddard Education Foundation makes “aha moments” like these possible. When you give, you aren’t just buying supplies, you’re fueling the innovation that makes our schools unique.

May 2026 Newsletter- Must Read!

May 2026 Newsletter- Must Read! Click HERE to read the May 2026 Newsletter!

Reminder for All Star Spirit Night TONIGHT! 6-9pm. $20 Wrist bands for unlimited access to: Go Karts, Mini Golf, Laser Tag, and the Climbing Wall!