This mama duck clearly knows where the Nature Smart people are 🦆💛 She chose the EFA+ playground to build her nest, and we were lucky enough to welcome 7 adorable baby ducklings into our school community!
A perfect little reminder of springtime magic right on the playground 🌿🐥
Today was planting day! 🌱
After learning all about seeds, companion planting, and soil blocking, our third and fourth graders have been tenderly caring for their plants each day as they germinated and sprouted. Today, students got to put their learning and hard work into action by planting their soil blocks.
We’re so thankful to learn directly from the experts at Iron Fox Farm and are grateful for the meaningful real-world experiences they provide for our students.
Stay tuned for summer opportunities open to all to help the farm continue to flourish! 🌿
🎉 Friendly Reminder! 🎉 Our Spring Carnival & Book Fair is this Friday, May 8 from 6:00–8:00 PM, with doors opening at 5:45pm. We’re looking forward to a fun evening with our students and families. 📚🎡 We are still in need of volunteers and donations to help make the event a success. If you’re able to help, please sign up below! Book Fair Volunteers: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B45ADAA23A5FB6-63620506-spring#/ Carnival Volunteers: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4BADAD2DABFC1-63370144-2026 Carnival Donations: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4BADAD2DABFC1-63370108-2026 Thank you for supporting our school community! ❤️
🎉 A HUGE congratulations to EFA+ 1st grader Lucy O'Connor DeBoer on earning an Award of Excellence in the Visual Arts category of the National PTA Reflections competition! 🎨✨
We are incredibly proud of Lucy and this outstanding achievement. Her creativity, talent, and hard work truly shine, and we are thrilled to celebrate this exciting honor with her and her family. Way to go, Lucy! 💙
For more information and the full list of winners, use the link below:
https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections/awards
Our first graders have been learning about the American Revolution! During Art Integration, students used Visual Thinking Strategies to explore two famous paintings from the era: The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull and Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze.
Students discussed the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the events that led the colonists to seek a new nation. Then it was their turn to make declarations of their own! Each student boldly shared an idea that was important to them and invited classmates to sign their declaration. Along the way, they practiced sharing their opinions, listening to others, and disagreeing respectfully.
Some students even got a signature from Mr. Mees!
🎪 The EFA+ Spring Carnival is NEXT FRIDAY! 🎉
Our PTA is hard at work planning a fun-filled evening for our school community, and we’d love your help to make it a success! There are two easy ways to get involved:
🎟️ Donate Carnival Supplies:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4BADAD2DABFC1-63370108-2026
🙌 Volunteer at the Carnival:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4BADAD2DABFC1-63370144-2026
Thank you for supporting this festive event and helping create a memorable night for our students and families! 💙
Dear Families,
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up, and the PTA invites you to help us celebrate our wonderful teachers and staff!
Families are encouraged to record a short thank‑you video, post a note, or add a photo. These messages will be shared during Teacher Appreciation Week and mean so much to our staff.
How to participate:
• Use this link (https://www.tribute.co/efa-staff/?slideout=Invitations&invite=copy_link) to open our school's Tribute message:
◦ Record a brief video
◦ Write a short thank‑you message
◦ Submit a photo
Please send your submission by Tuesday, May 5th.
Thank you for helping us show our gratitude for all they do!
EFA+ PTA
In art integration, our kindergarten students explored weather by learning about different types of weather and creating symbols to represent them. They then used their symbols to design unique mobiles, incorporating sticks they collected on a nature walk.
Art Smarts and Nature Smarts in action!
Our primary students are exploring tap dancing in dance class!
Tap is an engaging and energetic style that sounds just as cool as it looks, and our students are having so much fun discovering its rhythms and movement.
From now through May 8, we’re collecting new or gently used children’s books in the EFA+ office. These books will be part of a MI Day lesson, where students will help prepare them as special gifts for CASA and NICU families in our community.
Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated—we’re so grateful for your support!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating 25 years of A+! We’re so grateful for your support and for being part of this special milestone.
Last night we celebrated 25 years of EFA+—and discovered an even bigger milestone: Eugene Field Elementary School has been part of our community for nearly 75 years! Meet Kermit, one of the very first 6th graders to attend when the school opened in 1952. It was such a treat to meet him and hear firsthand stories from the early days of this special place.
Our MI family groups came together to reflect on what makes our school so special.
Students shared what makes our community unique, then created artist trading cards to express their ideas.
We are proud to be A+ 25 years strong.
Tomorrow night is the night! Here are a few helpful tips for the evening:
• Enjoy the art show at your own pace—this is an open house-style event, so feel free to come and go as you please.
• Bring spare change to support our 5th graders during their Monologue Museum (5:30–6:15).
• Live music begins at 6:25 with the Treble Makers, followed by Just Sugar!
We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate 25 years of A+ learning!
As part of our We Are A+: 25 Years celebration, we’re excited to host a silent art auction!
Each class has collaborated to create a unique collage piece, all of which will be available for bidding. We’ll also be auctioning a framed Alice in Wonderland playbill featuring cast autographs.
In addition, limited-edition 25 Years of A+ mini pennants will be available for purchase—don’t miss your chance to take home a special piece of this milestone celebration!
As the school year winds down, our kindergartners are celebrating a year of big learning with their annual Alphabet Countdown!
So far, highlights have included Water Day and USA Day—full of fun, creativity, and lots of smiles.
Our 5th graders have been hard at work preparing for the Monologue Museum! 🎭
This Friday, they’ll share personal stories and reflections about their experiences as students at EFA+ through creative performances.
Join us from 5:30–6:15 to support and celebrate their work!
✨ This event also supports the 5th grade celebration—guests are welcome to bring spare change to contribute to student canisters after the performances.
During Black History Month in February, students began a unit exploring hip hop as an important cultural movement with deep roots in Black history and expression. This learning continued into March, where they discussed elements of hip hop culture, including graffiti as a form of artistic expression.
To conclude the unit, students created their own original hip hop-inspired dance movements, reflected on their inspirations, and gave their creations meaningful names. They also explored graffiti-style art in a short project, connecting visual art to the broader themes of creativity and self-expression within hip hop culture.
⏳ ONE WEEK to go! 🎨✨
We Are A+ is almost here, and we can’t wait to celebrate 25 years of creativity with our amazing EFA+ community!
Come see:
🎨 Artwork from every student
🎭 Our 5th grade monologue museum
🖼 Silent art auction
🧁 Delicious student-designed cupcakes
Bring your family and join us for a fun, inspiring night—you won’t want to miss it! 💜
