The 5th Grade Leadership Council was born out of the need to have more student voice, choice and leadership at ASL. Students were surveyed and the data overwhelmingly showed that students wanted to be more involved in shaping their school family. Two driving questions frame the work of the council:
What does it mean to build a School Family?
How are 5th grader leaders important for building our school family?
All 5th Graders are part of the 5th Grade Leadership Council. At ASL, all 5th graders are leaders, no matter where a student might be in their leadership journey.
Two 5th Grade Leadership Council Advisors AND the 5th Grade Advisors lead the council throughout the year. The council meets once per month to discuss their leadership roles and to breakout into their Take Action Teams. 5th Graders help develop school spirit weeks, speak at the ACS monthly Board Meetings, help lead school tours, help with lost and found, playground support and much more!
The fifth grade year is a busy year. It is a culminating year and a developmental year as our oldest students prepare for their middle school journey. Springtime is the busiest time of year for the 5th grade team:
APRIL:
CAASPP Testing
ELPAC Testing
Some Spring Internal Assessments will begin
COL preparation
Culmination preparation will begin (see notes below)
5th Grade Mural preparation will begin (see notes below)
MAY:
Spring Internal Assessments will conclude
Catalina Right of Passage Trip! (see notes below)
More Than Sex Ed Human Development Classes (see notes below)
COL preparation & COL
Culmination preparation will continue (see notes below)
5th Grade Mural work will continue (see notes below)
JUNE:
End of year class reflections and good-byes
Mural will be completed
CULMINATION
RIGHT OF PASSAGE TRIP:
At Aveson, we believe in celebrating the developmental, social and academic milestones that come with major life transitions. We celebrate this transitions with a Right of Passage experience. Second grade students have an ROP campout night at school to celebrate moving onto the 3-5 team. 5th grade students celebrate by taking an ROP trip to Catalina Island for two nights.
The Catalina ROP is facilitated by one of the 5th Grade Leadership Council advisors. The 5th grade advisor team is expected to attend this trip.
Planning for this trip starts in the fall.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CLASS:
Aveson partners with More Than Sex Ed, a comprehensive, gender inclusive organization that facilitates our 5th grade human development classes.
These classes are broken into three different sessions and take place over the course of three different days in late May, early June.
Calendaring these classes is facilitated by one of the 5th Grade Leadership Council advisors. The 5th grade advisor team are expected to proctor these classes.
Planning for this starts in the fall.
CULMINATION NOTES :
5th Grade Culmination is a school-wide event. It is a beautiful ceremony where student voices shine. Advisors/staff should refer to this planning doc for details: Fifth Grade Culmination Planning Details for Staff
MURAL NOTES:
Each year, the 5th grade culminating class paints a mural as their legacy project.
Examples from past years are on the walls at the 3-5 car line.
Students will decide on a theme, design and quote. They will each paint a draft and then work in small groups to paint on the mural location wall.
The mural project is facilitated by one of the 5th Grade Leadership Council advisors. The 5th grade advisor team are expected to support and participate as needed.
Planning for this starts in the late winter/early spring.
BRIDGING DAYS:
Bridging days are special days that take place for Tk/K/2nd/5th grade students as they culminate from one grade level to the next big grade level span.
Tk/K/2nd bridging days take place at the end of the school year. Advisors work together to plan the details of how they want their classes to visit with each other.
5th graders will bridge to Aveson Global Leadership Academy’s 6th grade classes several times throughout the year. Details TBD.