May Update

Upcoming Dates:

May 3- Last day of Spark Hour

• • • • • • For the remaining Wednesdays, we will follow our Wednesday Schedule and have class in the afternoon as normal. 

          • 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM- Students will have Asynchronous work

          • 12:00 - 3:00 PM - We will have class live in WebEx

May 10th- Showcase of Learning 

• • • • • • K-5 showcase will be from 1:45 pm - 3:00 pm 

May 12th- Field Day

• K-5 8 AM- 11: 30 AM

• Webex meet will start at 1:05 pm 

May 19th- Park Day @ John Venezia Park  1:30 - 2:30 pm 

May 23rd- Elementary Last Day of School 

May 24th- 5th Grade Continuation Ceremony @ Trailblazer 8:00 AM- 9:30 AM

📢 Announcements: 

• Updated Attendance Policy: 

  • • • Attendance is now recorded multiple times throughout the school day. 

      • If a student is unresponsive after 15 minutes and 3 attempts by the teacher, the student will be marked absent. 

      • Parents are required to fill out the Missed Live Instruction form if their student will be absent for all or part of the school day. 

• Updated Camera Policy: 

  • • • Please remind your students to start each day as active learners. This means that cameras are on, they are prepared with their supplies, and they are ready to participate. We would much rather see student faces than gray boxes with their names. 

Greetings 5th Grade Families, 

As the last day of school draws near, I want to express how grateful I am to have been a part of your child's educational journey. However, I have noticed that some students are more distracted than usual as we approach the final weeks of school. Please remind your child about our expectations regarding the use of personal devices and adhering to our schedule. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. Thank you! 

March Update

Upcoming Dates:

Mar. 1st- NO SPARK HOUR

• • • • • • We will follow our Wednesday Schedule and have class in afternoon as normal. 

            • 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM- Students will have Asynchronous work

            • 12:00 - 3:00 PM - We will have class live in WebEx

          • We will watch Round 4 Spark Hour Ads

Mar. 3rd- Students will sign up for their chosen Spark Hour

• • • • • • Spark Hours are filled up based on the order in which students sign up. They fill up quickly! Please ensure you have discussed your students chosen Spark Hour with them and reviewed any required materials. Students will not be able to switch their Spark Hour after they submit their form. 

          • After March 8th, if students did not sign up for a Spark Hour, the front office will automatically assign them to one. They will not be able to switch. 

          • This last round will run from March 15 - May 17

          • Attendance is taken by Spark Hour teachers. Please ensure your student is attending the Spark Hour they signed up for. 

Mar. 8- Student Led Conferences- Please sign up through this link: CLICK HERE

• Students will not have asynchronous work today. 

Mar. 9 - 10- NO SCHOOL for students (Teacher work and data days) 

Mar. 15th- Round 4 of Spark Hour starts 

• We will go back to our normal Wednesday schedule

Mar. 24th- Brick Day at Trailblazer from 12:00-1:00 CLICK HERE for information about this amazing opportunity

Mar. 27 - 31: Spring Break!

📢 Announcements: 

• Updated Attendance Policy: 

  • • • Attendance is now recorded multiple times throughout the school day. 

      • If a student is unresponsive after 15 minutes and 3 attempts by the teacher, the student will be marked absent. 

      • Parents are required to fill out the Missed Live Instruction form if their student will be absent for all or part of the school day. 

• Updated Camera Policy: 

  • • • Please remind your students to start each day as active learners. This means that cameras are on, they are prepared with their supplies, and they are ready to participate. We would much rather see student faces than gray boxes with their names. 

Greetings 5th Grade Families, 

It's hard to believe we only have a few more months of school left! March is a busy month for us! We have a new round of Spark Hour starting, Student- Led Conferences, Brick Day, and Spring Break! 

In Humanities and STEM, we are trying out the Flipped Classroom Model to give students more agency over their learning and mastery. What does this look like? Students will begin a lesson by watching a pre-recorded video from Mrs. Stacy or Mrs. Soto. Then, they will demonstrate their learning and follow up with their teacher afterward to get feedback. 

We have seen many benefits of using this self-paced model, however, with some students we have noticed an increased opportunity to become distracted. We need your support at home to ensure students' environments are free of distractions. Preferably, keeping other devices such as phones, computers, game consoles, or TVs away from their physical space during class time so they can focus on the tasks for the day. Please also continue to check and monitor student progress through Schoology. If you need help setting up your Parent Account, please reach out and we are happy to help. 

February Update

Upcoming Dates:

• Feb. 10th- Field Trip to The Pioneer Museum 10 AM- 12:15 AM (ONLINE STUDENTS WILL JOIN MR. K)

  • • • • • Students will be dropped off at the Museum. Please plan to drop your student off at least 10 minutes early to ensure we can begin the tour on time. Please plan on picking your student up on time so teachers can make it back home to continue the school day. 

          • The museum does not allow any food, drinks, or large bags-- If any of these items are brought, they will be held at the front desk. 

          • Behavior Expectations: 

            • • The museum has very strict expectations regarding behavior (we will spend time going over beforehand in class). 

              • No running, No touching, No loud voices or side conversations during the tour, students will be expected to raise their hand and wait to be called on by a guide. 

              • Students will be escorted to the bathroom by a teacher, they are not allowed to roam the building alone. 

• Feb. 13th- Mrs. Stacy will be out, there will be a sub for Humanities

• Feb. 20th- NO SCHOOL - President's Day

• Feb. 23 & 24th- Mrs. Soto will be out, there will be a sub for STEM

📢 Announcements: 

• Updated Attendance Policy: 

  • • • Attendance is now recorded multiple times throughout the school day. 

      • If a student is unresponsive after 15 minutes and 3 attempts by the teacher, the student will be marked absent. 

      • Parents are required to fill out the Missed Live Instruction form if their student will be absent for all or part of the school day. 

• Updated Camera Policy: 

  • • • Please remind your students to start each day as active learners. This means that cameras are on, they are prepared with their supplies, and they are ready to participate. We would much rather see student faces than gray boxes with their names. 

Greetings 5th Grade Families, 

In Humanities and STEM, we are trying out the Flipped Classroom Model to give students more agency over their learning and mastery. What does this look like? Students will begin a lesson by watching a pre-recorded video from Mrs. Stacy or Mrs. Soto. Then, they will demonstrate their learning and follow up with their teacher afterward to get feedback. 

We have seen many benefits of using this self-paced model, however, with some students we have noticed an increased opportunity to become distracted. We need your support at home to ensure students' environments are free of distractions. Preferably, keeping other devices such as phones, computers, game consoles, or TVs away from their physical space during class time so they can focus on the tasks for the day. Please also continue to check and monitor student progress through Schoology. If you need help setting up your Parent Account, please reach out and we are happy to help. 

5th/6th Indoor PE Day

January Update

Upcoming Dates:

• Jan. 16th- Martin Luther King Jr. Day- No School

• Jan. 20th- 🧱 Brick Day @ Trailblazer 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Greetings 5th Grade Families, 

Happy New Year!  We hope that everyone had a restful break! 

As we get back into the groove of school, there are a few changes that will be implemented for the second half of the school year:

• Updated Attendance Policy: 

  • • • Attendance is now recorded multiple times throughout the school day. 

      • If a student is unresponsive after 15 minutes and 3 attempts by the teacher, the student will be marked absent.

      • Parents are required to fill out the Missed Live Instruction form if their student will be absent for all or part of the school day. 

Please remind your students to start each day as active learners. This means that cameras are on, they are prepared with their supplies, and ready to participate. 

December Update

Upcoming Dates:

• Dec. 9th- Skating with STEM Field Trip 

• Dec. 12th/13th- STAR Math/ELA testing

• Dec. 13th- MOY Dibels Benchmark

• Dec. 14th- ✨ K-6 Showcase of Learning ✨ 1:45 - 3:00 pm (Virtual)

• Dec. 16th (Last day of Quarter 2)- 🧱 Brick Day @ Trailblazer 1:30 - 3:00 pm

• Dec. 19th - Jan. 4th- ❄️ Winter Break ☃️ (students return Jan. 5th)

Greetings 5th Grade Families, 

Happy first day of December! We have lots of amazing things going on up until winter break. This upcoming week, students will begin preparing for their Showcase of Learning, where they will highlight proud learning moments with our Spark Community. Please encourage your family and friends to attend! 

Please keep in mind that there will be no Spark Hour for December. Students will watch commercials on Wednesday, Dec. 7th, and sign up for a new Spark Hour on Wednesday, Dec. 14th. Please ensure you have viewed the Spark Hour commercial your student has chosen for approval. 

November Update: 

• Upcoming Dates: 

  • Nov. 11- Star Assessments (ELA & Math)

  • Nov. 17- Spark's First Annual Turkey Trot/Fitness Challenge (CLICK HERE for more info)

  • Nov. 18: 🧱Brick Day @ Trailblazer 1:30-3:00 pm

  • Nov. 21 - Nov. 25: Thanksgiving Break 🍁

  • Nov. 30- Spark's Art & Music Extravaganza (CLICK HERE for more info)

• Important Reminders:

  • Wednesdays: 8:00 - 11: 30 am: Wednesday mornings, students have self-paced learning to complete. Please note that this work is not optional and is a vital part of student learning. We have a live WebEx meeting at 12:00 pm. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns regarding Wednesdays. 

  • Spark Hour: At the beginning of each semester, students choose a Spark Hour that they will attend every Wednesday from 1:45 - 2:45 pm. Attendance is recorded and documented on student records. 

Greetings Families, 

It was so lovely to meet with you all during Student-Led Conferences and to hear students talk about their learning thus far. Here's what we will be focusing on in Quarter 2: 

• STEM: Students are still working on base-ten skills and modeling decimals to the hundredths. Soon we will perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and decimals. This learning will prepare students for our work with equivalent fractions. We will also connect our learning to our science project, where students will build (in Minecraft or through a demonstration of their choice) a biosphere. Students will plan and explain each component of their enclosed ecosystem to demonstrate their understanding of how matter cycles and energy flows within an ecosystem. 

• Humanities: Students are exploring the development of early America through informational text. Students will demonstrate their understanding of Native Americans and Early Settlers (in Minecraft or a demonstration of their choice) by comparing and contrasting their use of land, resources, and customs.