Weekly Newsletter: June 1st- 5th

Dear 5th Grade Families,

As we head into our last week of school before Summer, I first want to say thank you. Thank you for this wonderful, joyful school year that we spent together. Thank you for your support and trust in my journey of helping to educate your child. There are so many reasons why this year will be one that I will never forget. One of the main reasons is because of how exceptional your children are. I went to school every day, surrounded by incredible love and energy. We worked together to make our classroom culture something special, and I hope it was a year that they equally enjoyed and learned from, even though we these past few months have been spent apart due to COVID-19. They enhanced my passion for education, and it just goes to show how amazing these young humans are that you raised. I genuinely believe they will make positive impacts on society, being the problem-solving, empathetic, creative people that they are. I am so proud of them. I am sad that these last few months of 5th grade had to be apart, but I hope that students will be able to take what they have learned from 5th grade and apply those skills throughout their education and lives.

With that being said, this week is our final week of school. Tomorrow is 5th-grade's designated day for families to turn in computers and library books to the school. High Desert has organized a drive-thru procedure to collect school items and distribute student belongings. This drive-thru process will still maintain social distancing for all. For this reason, we ask that families remain in their vehicles. The collection process will take place in the school’s bus drive-through lane in front of the High Desert School. Please see the information below and take special note of the alphabetical time slot reserved for your child (according to last name):

• A through F: 8 am - 9 am
• G through L: 9 am - 10 am
• M through R: 10 am - 11 am
• S through Z: 11 am - 12 pm

Since many students are returning computers and supplies on Monday, our school and district policy is that no official school work will be sent home this final week of school. I will provide a list of Learning and Enrichment Activities that students can work on throughout the week; however, these activities will not need to be collected. Students can still send me their progress, though, if they wish. Students can also use this time to make up any of the distance learning work they have missed/ need more time on, or complete assignments from their take-home math workbooks that are in their pick-up bag.

Finally, even though it is our last week of school, I will still provide times where we can meet as a class and enjoy each other’s company. If a student wants to join, I will hold a Morning Meeting this week on Wednesday and Friday from 9:30- 10:00. Initially, I told the kids last week that we would meet on Monday; however, since that is the 5th grade drive-thru day, I realize now I wouldn’t be able to have a meeting. I am sorry for any confusion this may cause them.

Once again, thank you for such a wonderful year. To celebrate our last week, I have included a PDF of our class cookbook, Cooking for Connection: A 5th Grader's Tribute to Family Recipes, on my website. Feel free to download it from my Google Drive and save it to your device!

It has been a privilege teaching your child and I hope you have a safe and restful Summer!

-Mrs. Lepp

Learning & Enrichment Activities

Below, I have included some websites students can use to continue their learning. There are tools for VR experiences, coding, 3D design, music, art, and more Google Experiments. There are also math, language arts, science, and history resources. All of these resources are free and intuitive! Many of them work for students K-8th grade. (in case you have a younger student who is also home during this time).