Goochland Elementary School

Our Goochland Elementary 3rd graders just finished the 6-week Teaching Kindness program with Goochland Pet Lovers. Over the past six weeks, students learned how to safely meet a dog, what shelter animals need to feel safe, how to care for pets responsibly, and how kindness and empathy impact both animals and our community.

During our trip to the animal shelter, students saw those lessons in action and met some very sweet adoptable friends! 🐾💛🦦

📚✨ The Book Fair has arrived at GES! Mrs. Smith is so excited to welcome our Otters to shop next week!

Students will visit the Book Fair during their Library/Encore time, and families are invited to shop together too. 🛍️

🗓️ Family Shopping Times:
📖 Tuesday, Nov. 18 | 7:45 – 8:45 a.m.
📚 Monday – Thursday, Nov. 17 – 20 | 2:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Check out this post for all the details about when your student’s class will shop:
👉 https://ges.goochlandschools.org/o/ges/article/2515406

🚌🌟 Bus Behavior Superstars! 🌟🚌

A big Otter shout-out to our Students of the Month for showing the very best bus behavior! These students go above and beyond to demonstrate respect, responsibility, and kindness on every ride. 💛💙

Thank you for helping make our buses safe, friendly, and fun places to be! Keep up the great work, Otters! 🦦✨

🎉🚌 Bus of the Month – October! 🚌🎉

Congratulations to Bus 82 for earning Bus of the Month honors! 🎃👏

Thank you, Ms. DiPace, for leading your riders in showing respect, responsibility, and kindness every day. We’re proud of our Bus 82 Otters for setting a shining example on the way to and from school! 💛💙

🧥 Lost and Found Reminder!
Please take a moment to check our Lost and Found for any missing items — coats, water bottles, lunchboxes, and more!
All unclaimed items will be donated on Tuesday, November 25.

Let’s help those lost treasures find their way home before break! 💙

🍂 November OT/PT Activity Calendar! 🍁
Looking for simple, fun ways to help your child strengthen motor skills this month? Check out our November OT/PT Activity Calendar — it’s full of easy, playful ideas you can do at home too!

Here are just a few examples you can try this week:
💪 Touch each finger to your thumb, one at a time
🪑 Sit and do gentle chair twists
👣 Walk heel-to-toe down the hallway
🧻 Tear up small pieces of paper for finger strength
🙌 Play “Simon Says” to build coordination and listening skills

Each quick activity helps with balance, coordination, and focus — all through movement and play!

🧡 View the full calendar here: https://tinyurl.com/NovPTOTCalendar

🎉🕺💖 Our kindergarteners are rockin’ and rollin’ — it’s the 50th day of school! 💖🕺🎉 We had a fab-u-lous time celebrating 50 days of learning in true ’50s style — poodle skirts, leather jackets, and all! Our youngest Otters have adjusted beautifully to school routines and are cruising right along. We can’t wait to see how much they’ll continue to grow and learn this year! 🌟

🔥 Need Firewood? 🔥
Ragland Memorial Baptist Church is offering free firewood to anyone in the community who could use a little help staying warm this winter.

📅 Date: Friday, November 8
🕙 Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍 Location: Ragland Memorial Baptist Church

If you or someone you know needs assistance, please reach out to Ryan Ferrell at ryan.ferrell@raglandbaptist.org
.

Let’s help keep our community warm this winter! ❤️

🎃 Thank You, PTA! 🎃
A huge thank you to our fabulous GES PTA for hosting an Otterly Spooktacular event last night! From the festive decorations to the fun activities and smiling faces, it was a wonderful evening for our students, families, and staff. We’re so grateful for all the time, energy, and creativity our PTA poured into making the night such a success! 💜🦦👻

🎄✨ Goochland Christmas Mother Food Drive! ✨🎄

Between now and November 20, GES will be collecting food donations to support the Goochland Christmas Mother Program. ❤️

Our school is responsible for gathering:
🥣 Soup
🥫 Green beans
🍚 Rice
🍎 Applesauce (please, no glass containers)

Thank you for helping us spread kindness and holiday cheer throughout our community! 💛

🎃 An Otterly Spooktacular Reminder! 👻

Join us TONIGHT from 5–7 PM for a night of festive fun!
🕸️ Trick-or-treat through GES hallways
🎶 Enjoy music, games, and food trucks
🎤 Don’t miss the 2nd Grade performance at 6 PM!

👜 Don’t forget to bring a bag or trick-or-treat bucket to collect prizes along the way!

🚗 Parking Reminder: Please be safe and obey all parking laws. If parking at the secondary complex, note there’s no sidewalk, so use extra caution when walking to GES. If you live in Holland Hills, the walking path will help you skip all the parking lot chaos.

We can’t wait to celebrate with our otter families! 🦦

Get those costumes and smiles ready because TONIGHT is the NIGHT of the Otterly Spooktacular Event! We're so excited to see everyone from 5-7pm. At 6pm, we will all have the opportunity to watch a special 2nd grade Halloween singing performance! Food trucks will be available for purchase so grab dinner after a round of trick or treating! Let's make some fun, spooky memories together! 👻🎃

👉 Questions? Reach out to our PTA at 📧 gesptavoice@gmail.com

The most otterly fun event of the year is almost here! The GES Otterly Spooktacular Event is TOMORROW! We cannot wait to see your smiling faces. All GES families are invited to this FREE event. All siblings 12 and under are welcome to join the "trick or treating". There will be Food Trucks available for food to purchase! Stop by the Photo Booth to capture those great looks! See everyone soon! 👻🎃

Otters, we’re sooo close to reaching our $10,000 goal! 🦦✨
Our Raise Craze fundraiser has been extended through Sunday, November 2 — let’s finish strong and keep spreading kindness!

Every dollar helps support our school and celebrates the incredible Acts of Kindness our students have completed. 💫

👉 Donate here: https://my.raisecraze.com/give/apkk72u5/

Let’s do this, Otters!

A big thank you to Law Offices of Jonathan P. Bourlier for treating our amazing GES staff to a delicious lunch today! We’re so grateful for our supportive community and the partnerships that make Goochland Elementary such a wonderful place to learn and work.

We love our community connections! 💫
If you’d like to get involved, reach out to riverotters@glnd.k12.va.us
.

🌟 Otter Snack Shack Special Delivery! 🌟

A huge shoutout to Ms. McDaniel’s class for their otterly awesome act of kindness! 💙 Students practiced their communication skills by delivering special treats from our Otter Snack Shack to staff across the building. What a wonderful way to spread smiles and kindness throughout GES! 🦦💫

🍎 What’s cooking in the cafeteria? 🥘
Check out this month’s lunch menu online:
https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/GoochlandElementarySchool

Thank you to our amazing School Resource Officers for taking time to help our students build math fact fluency! 💙🔢 Your support makes learning fun and engaging for our Otters!

Interested in volunteering? We’d love to have you!
✅ Complete the volunteer application: https://www.goochlandschools.org/page/volunteering

📧 Reach out to us at riverotters@glnd.k12.va.us

#GoochlandOtters #Otteriffic #CommunityPartners #MathFluency