A. F. Ames Elementary School

We are thrilled to be ranked in the top 50 of best public elementary schools in Cook County by Chicago Magazine! Our students and staff work hard to make the Ames’ community a great place to learn and grow — we appreciate being recognized! According to Chicago Magazine, performance measures were based on 2023-24 data which included IAR growth, attendance, and the 5Essentials survey. Way to go, Dolphins! #amesdolphins

Congratulations to our Spirit Day winners from Miss Giger, Mrs. Workman, Miss McPherson, and Miss Egeberg's classes! #amesdolphins

Our Fall Fun Run Fundraiser was a huge success! Thanks to the generous donations of Ames families and friends, we raised an amazing $22,599! 🎉👏 Every single dollar we raise goes right back into enriching the lives of our students with educational and cultural field trips, assemblies, and fun family events. 🌟Thank you for believing in Ames and supporting our student community! We are so proud to be Ames Dolphins! 💙🐬

🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️ The Ames Fun Run is TOMORROW — Wednesday, Sept 10th! 💙🐬 Parents & caregivers are invited to cheer from the grassy area in front of the school. 🎉 ⏰ Times by grade: • 8:30–9:30 → 2nd & 3rd • 9:40–10:40 → AM PreK & 1st • 12:25–1:25 → PM PreK & Kindergarten • 1:40–2:40 → 4th & 5th Bring your cheers and school spirit — let’s make it unforgettable! 🙌✨ TONIGHT is the last night to make your donations! HUGE thank you for all the generous donations so far! #AmesDolphins #FunRun #CheerSquad #CommunitySpirit

💰Day 4 totals are in and we’re OVER HALFWAY to our goal🎉👏🏽 Your efforts are paying off because we’ve raised $11,548 already and are only 4 days into our 10 day challenge! 📢 Spread the word: The more people your share your donation link with, the better chance we have of reaching our Fun Run goal together! Also don’t forget to utilize the employer match option to boost the impact your donation makes! % Students signed up: 55% % Students with pledges: 42% % of goal reached: 58% ⏳Only 5 days left till the Fun Run on Sept. 10th. It’s FREE to register and your child will get a Free Dave & Busters Play Pass ➕ be entered for a chance to win a MEGA VIP PARTY at Dave & Buster’s just for registering!

We hope to see you at Parent Night tonight at Ames! You can also visit the Book Fair this evening.

Make sure to visit the Book Fair today after school! Hours today are 3-6:30 PM. You can also do some book shopping tomorrow evening. The Book Fair is a great opportunity to build your child's home library and encourage a love for reading! 📚

Students celebrated the start of the school year at our first Dive Into the Day SEL assembly! Our SEL focus for the month of September is TEAMWORK & RESPECT. How can you show respect at home?

Congratulations to this week's Spirit Wear champs, Mrs. Taber & Mrs. Aiyash's class! 🐬 🏆 Spirit Wear is on sale through September 7th. Check out all the new designs this year! https://amesdolphins25.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Fifth graders tried out instruments for band and orchestra this week. We can't wait to hear the beautiful music our 5th grade musicians create this year! #amesdolphins

2nd graders listened to the story "Swimmy" and learned all about cooperation! How do you cooperate with others at school and at home?

🔥 New season, new style! 🔥 The Ames Fall Spirit Wear store is BACK and better than ever! From cozy hoodies to fresh tees, we’ve got the looks you’ll love in bold color and styles. Available for youth + adults! 💙🐬 Order today — shop closes Sept 7th. Don’t wait… let’s do school in STYLE! ✨ 🔗 https://amesdolphins25.itemorder.com/shop/home/

So many smiling faces on our first day of school today! 😃 Thank you to our amazing Ames PTA for organizing such a FUN first day assembly; our students and staff had a blast dancing and singing to kick off the new school year! #amesdolphins

Our 1st and 2nd grade teams are ready for the first day of school! We can't wait to see you all tomorrow (Wednesday) at 8 AM! #amesdolphins

Meet more of our new Ames Dolphin staff members! #amesdolphins

Hi, Ames families! My name is Kate Ditsworth and I'll be teaching Kindergarten at Ames this year. I have a B.S. In Elementary Ed from University of Vermont and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from University of Illinois. This will be my 10th year teaching elementary grades. My hobbies include cooking, running, and yoga. My favorite book is anything by Celeste Ng. My favorite quote is "If you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." - Conan O'Brien

Hello, Ames community! My name is Soo Schmidt. I will be working as a new Early Learner school social worker for this school year. I received a Masters in Social Work at Loyola University in Chicago. In my free time I love to walk and bike. Over the summer I had so much fun visiting South Korea with my family! I'm so excited to start a new journey and meet all the Ames families!!

Hi Ames Community! My name is Mary Taormino, and I am so excited to join Ames staff this year as a Resource Teacher. I hold a Master’s in Teaching and an LBS1 endorsement, and I’ve been working in education for 7 years. I’ve also taught 2nd grade, 4th grade, Kindergarten, and preschool. Outside of teaching, I love running, biking, yoga, and making art. I spent most my summer on a farm in central Illinois, where I grew vegetables and enjoyed time outdoors. It is difficult to choose one favorite book, but right now, I’m reading Judy Heumann’s memoir, Being Heumann. She was a disability rights activist whose advocacy was instrumental in the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Her story is powerful and I highly recommend learning about her. I can’t wait to continue building connections with students and families this school year.

Julie has been spotted reading! She's reading "Home Sweet Motel." Thank you to all of our Ames dolphins who shared their summer reads with us; we can't wait to see you in person soon! #amesdolphins

Calling all Kindergarten families! Bring a blanket and snack or lunch and join us for a special welcome picnic. Don’t forget to bring your child’s favorite stuffy, too. There will be a fun bingo activity and a chance to meet Principal Gierman, our all of our Kindergarten teachers, and get a picture with Bubbles the Dolphin! Don’t forget to wear the color corresponding to you Kindergarten classroom: ❤️ Ms. Ditsworth – Red 🤍 Ms. Kinkin – White 💙 Ms. McPherson – Blue We can’t wait to see you there, welcome you into the Ames family, and make sure your little one has an unforgettable year at Ames!