The teamwork and caring shown by Tuttle Avenue School students will make this holiday season special for so many children in the community.

For several weeks, students donated toys for district families and the Eastport Bible Church. Called the Stuff-A-Bus program, the school gathered in the gymnasium to view the collection and to hear words of thanks from Pastor Jeremy Herr and his wife Laura Herr. The Herrs reminded the students that there are gifts inside of them that will last forever, such as their attention to peers and family, kindness and being a good friend.

Each first grade students was then invited to choose a toy to transport to the church’s bus, where the toys will be collected and distributed as needed this holiday season.

Students enrolled at Dayton Avenue, Eastport Elementary, South Street and Tuttle Avenue Schools celebrated the Thanksgiving season with an array of memorable activities. 

On Nov. 21, Tuttle Avenue first graders participatedin a Thanksgiving celebration, which recognized and honored all essential workers in their school along withthe veteransand active militaryin their community. It was a morning of poetry and song as each of the grade’s classrooms donned turkey and pilgrim headdresses and took to the stage to perform a variety of Thanksgiving holiday music and to recognize the important work that the faculty and staff do each day. 

Dayton Avenue and Eastport Elementary School students in grades 3-6flew “balloons” in individual Macy’s Department Store-like parades.A collaboration between STEAM and library classes, students worked on their balloon designs for the past two weeks. In library class, the students read Melissa Sweet’s “Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade” and developed a concept and theme for their own balloons. During STEAM class and in the schools’MakerSpacerooms, students created a balloonand paraded their designs through the perimeter of their school’s gymnasium. 

South Street second graders also harvested the spirit through participation in Thanksgiving stations, which included Thanksgiving Bingo, making a turkeyplacemat, ModelMagic turkey creations and balloons for a similar afternoon Balloons Over South Street parade. 

Tuttle Avenue students, faculty and staff made the world a little sweeter by celebrating Kindness Week from Nov. 10-14 with activities that emphasized that kindness can make a difference in a person’s life.

Throughout the week, the students received various kindness challenges, such as giving out compliments, saying hello and thank you, and helping a sibling at home. When they completed a kind act, they were encouraged to share their actions on a leaf that was then added to the school’s Kindness Tree. Students also took a gratitude walk to reflect on the things they are grateful for. On Nov. 13, World Kindness Day, students decorated and wore kindness crowns. The week culminated in a Kindness is a Chain Reaction activity in which classrooms connected their chains with other classrooms to symbolize that kindness can spread throughout the school.

Most importantly, students learned the message that they can continue kindness challenges each day.

Click here to view the Tuttle Avenue School Celebrates Kindness slideshow.

Tuttle Avenue students participated in the democratic process and took to the polls on Nov. 5 to vote. The school’s voting booth was prominently located in the hallway and decorated with patriotic symbols and voting information.

Students first completed a voter registration card. Student ambassadors then explained to each class the voting process and that each individual will vote for a favorite special, which included physical education, ESM time, STEAM, social emotional learning, art and library. Students then entered the voting booth one-by-one to cast their vote and were given an “I Voted” sticker.

The results were not at all surprising. The students voted physical education as their favorite special, followed by art and STEAM.

Click here to view the Tuttle Avenue Casts a Vote slideshow.

 

Tuttle Avenue School students sharpened their STEAM skills while having a “gourd” of a good time. Assisted by parents, the students rotated to centers in which they measured the height and width of their pumpkins, learned about its life cycle, predicted and determined whether it would sink or float, and wrote their observations. They also played themed math games and used their artistic talents to color pictures of pumpkins. 

Not only did the students hone their educational skills, they enjoyed quality time with parents and peers. 

 

Click here to view the A Gourd of a Good Time slideshow.

Date Added: 10/31/2025