Teutopolis Grade School

Mrs. McClellan’s first graders enjoyed reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas and then teamed up to design their own sleighs! The challenge was getting them up Mt. Crumpit, and we tested how many presents each sleigh could carry. What a fun holiday activity!

The buddies in Mrs. Siemer’s 3rd grade class and Mrs. Willman’s 1st grade class enjoyed spending time together listening to the story Elf and learning how to draw Buddy the Elf. They also enjoyed singing some Christmas songs together!

Our 4th-grade students worked hard to deck the halls for the holidays, filling our school with creativity, teamwork, and festive spirit! We are so proud of their effort and enthusiasm. It truly makes our school shine this season.

The third graders will be participating in the Bikes for Books program sponsored by the Edgewood Masonic Lodge #484. This will take place in the 3rd quarter. Students will earn tickets for successfully passing an AR test on a book. In March, we will draw the winner, and they will win a bike. This is our 2nd year of doing this program. Thanks to the Masonic Lodge for giving us this opportunity. We can't wait to see how many books the 3rd graders can read in the 3rd quarter.

Mrs. Kreke’s students had a wonderful time building gingerbread houses at school. The classroom was filled with creativity, teamwork, and lots of holiday excitement. Here are a few of our masterpieces.

These first graders in Mrs. Mellendorf's class have spent the last two weeks completing a Gingerbread Unit in class. Their Reading curriculum story was "The Gingerbread Man," so they extended this unit and read many of the other versions of the gingerbread stories together in class. They then became the author/illustrator and created their own gingerbread stories, painted a gingerbread man and house, and this week will make an edible gingerbread house for a snack.

The student council hosted a staff Ugly Christmas sweater contest! The votes are in, and they voted Mrs. Waldhoff as the 1st place winner, Mrs. Habing as second place, and Mrs. Dayton as the 3rd place winner!

2nd Quarter Student Council hosted a staff surprise today in the form of an apple bar! Staff at TGS picked an apple, sliced it, and added some of the yummy, fun toppings that were provided. TGS is a SWEET place to learn and grow because of all the wonderful staff!

Christmas Week Dress-Up Days at TGS!
The TGS Student Council invites all students and staff to help spread holiday cheer by participating in our themed dress-up days next week! We can’t wait to see the halls filled with festive fun.

Dress-Up Schedule:

• Monday – Polar Express
Wear your coziest pajamas!

• Tuesday – Santa vs. Grinch
Pick your side, wear red or green!

• Wednesday – Christmas Vacation
Bring the tropical holiday vibes with Hawaiian gear!

• Thursday – Holiday Headwear Day
Show off your favorite holiday hats, headbands, or accessories!

• Friday – All Things Christmas
Go all out in your most spirited Christmas gear!

Let’s make it a week full of joy, color, and Christmas spirit at TGS!

Congratulations to our TGS students who achieved a perfect score on last year’s English Language Arts state assessment! This is an incredible accomplishment, and we are so proud of you both. Your hard work and dedication truly shine!

What is The Morning Buzz?
It’s a weekly Friday gathering where all TGS teachers are invited to come together, share laughs, tell stories, and build connections beyond the classroom. It’s a simple, fun way for our staff to start the morning feeling supported, appreciated, and part of a team.

Today’s Buzz included a Little Debbie snack gift exchange, adding even more sweetness to our Friday!

We’re grateful for the positive energy our teachers bring to TGS every day.

5th graders in Mrs. Schabbing’s reading classes enjoyed a fun and flavorful Book Tasting Feast! Students selected a favorite book, wrote a summary to persuade classmates to give it a try, and brought in a treat that connected to their story. They loved exploring each other’s top picks, adding new titles to their “want to read” lists, and of course, sampling all the delicious snacks!

Thanks to all who supported our online book fair at TGS. We raised almost $600 in funds for brand new books for the library! We are so blessed to be part of such a supportive community.
Congratulations to the book fair raffle winners!

First-grade teachers and the Title Reading Crew had an important message for everyone on 6-7 Day! How many nights a week should you be reading????? 6-7!!!!!!

The annual First Grade Friendsgiving Feast was another huge success. These Pilgrims and Native Americans did not leave hungry! We are thankful for these little turkeys!

Mrs. Kinkler’s first graders have been busy creating Thankful Spoons to celebrate Thanksgiving! Each student decorated a special spoon that can be used at home to help friends and family share what they are thankful for.

The hope is that these thoughtful little spoons inspire a new family tradition, one filled with connection, gratitude, and happy memories year after year.

We are so proud of the kindness, creativity, and heart our first graders put into this project. Wishing all of our families a Thanksgiving full of warmth and thankfulness!

Thank you to all our students and staff for making American Education Week such a fun and spirited celebration! Each day brought creative dress-up themes, and we loved seeing everyone participate and show their school pride.

Throughout the week, we also surprised our daily gift certificate winners. Congratulations to all who were chosen; you helped make the week even more exciting!

Thank you, TEA, for sponsoring American Education Week!

First graders in Mrs. Mellendorf's class completed a nonfiction unit over Owls. They concluded their unit by "trying" to be silent flyers just like those interesting owls!

TGS has officially wrapped up our “Food for Friends” drive, and what an incredible success it was!
Our school-wide goal was 6,900 items, and our amazing students went above and beyond, collecting over 9,000 items to donate to Catholic Charities. Because we met our goal, the entire school has earned a NO HOMEWORK day coming soon!

Today, our 2nd quarter Student Council members, along with volunteers from the TJHS Student Council, helped load all the donated items.

A huge THANK YOU to all TGS families for your generosity and support in making this drive such a success!

Thursday, November 20th, in Illinois is considered "Family Reading Night." This is an annual statewide event to encourage families to spend quality time reading together. Reading together can be an enjoyable activity for children and help encourage a passion for reading that can last a lifetime. We encourage you to take a little bit of time out of your day on November 20th to sit down and read with your child or children. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -- Dr. Seuss