January 31, 2025

Are We There Yet?

This is a common refrain heard at some point on long road trips and something we have all asked ourselves, even as adults. And our response to students who use any variations of this phrase is "Not quite." Students often feel like this period takes FOREVER to get through as if they are stuck in a car as we drive through a desert landscape. We remind them to keep pushing and have patience because Spring Break is just around a large bend in the road called February. On the plus side, we've made it through our interim assessments!

The theme of the second half of the year is persistence and perseverance. Stamina is a frequently used word because it is crucial to student success, and though it looks different in every class, we will focus on helping students build strong stamina. We know it isn't easy to maintain focus on one thing for extended amounts of time, but strong stamina helps students better navigate things like our Interim testing days. For example, in Math or reading, this might be ensuring students complete a set number of lessons in iReady each week; in ELA, having students sit and read for 20 minutes in class or putting together vocabulary Google Slides in Science. You might hear your kiddos talking about stamina when they come home because that is the name of the game for us going forward.

Save the Date

Tuesday, February 4th

-Spring Picture Day

Wednesday, February 5th

-GHES 5th Grade to CTMS

Friday, February 7th

-Spirit Day & Pep Rally

Thursday, February 13th

-5th Grade Valentine's Party @ 1:15-2:15

Friday, February 14th

-Bad Weather Makeup Day (NO SCHOOL)

LAST CALL FOR BABY GATOR PHOTOS!

Mrs. Robertson is in charge of the "Baby Gators" page in the Glenhope yearbook, which is a special honor given to all 5th graders. We would love to feature every student's baby photo. Mrs. Robertson needs all baby photos ASAP - please get those to her as soon as possible, as the yearbook has to be completed soon. 

Send your photos to: christi.robertson@gcisd.net 

GHES 5th Grade to CTMS

Our field trip to CTMS is next week. Please be sure that you have completed and returned the field trip packet by Monday, February 3rd. If the packet somehow didn't make it home with your child, we have linked it below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ooHWn91qd2mQ_N_4lzhm_Ws8Xz1pMT36/view?usp=sharing 

After our field trip on February 5th, students will receive their course selection papers. They will fill those out and then submit them to their homeroom teachers by February 10th. Mrs. Canafax and the 5th-grade teachers will review them to check that everyone has signed up for appropriate courses, then the week of February 17 Mrs. Canafax will meet with all 5th grade students to guide them through entering their course selections in Skyward. The Middle school counselors will give parents an opportunity to review what students have entered in Skyward before summer break. 

If you are interested in your child applying for the AVID program, you are encouraged to attend the AVID Family information night on January 29th at 5:30 pm in the GCISD Professional Development and Education Center.  Check out the AVID website to learn more about the AVID program! 

Check out our 5th to 6th grade transition website for more information about everything related to moving from elementary to middle school! Bookmark this site, as the elementary and middle school counselors will add more to it as information becomes available.

Questions? Please reach out to lauren.canafax@gcisd.net. 

Plastic & Glass Jars/Containers Needed

We have a few 5th graders doing a coin drive to raise money for wildfire relief in California. They hope to get enough plastic and glass containers to put one in every Glenhope teacher's room. If you have a container you feel would work for this, please send it in ASAP!

Yearbook Artwork

This year, the yearbook theme is “Gators Glow.” Draw Spike (our mascot) among glow sticks or surrounded by neon lights. Create a "dance party" scene that features silhouettes of students with glowing accessories or use abstract shapes and lines that look like they are glowing, with gradients transitioning between colors. Consider incorporating geometric patterns that resemble neon signs and lights. Make sure your picture is drawn on 8 ½ x 11” white paper, you may use color. You can add backgrounds, but no tiny details. Please put your name and teacher’s name on the back. Your picture is due by January 31st  to your homeroom teacher. Feel free to fill out the information below and attach to the back of your picture, but it is not required (you can simply write your information on the back of your illustration).

Note: One piece of art per class will go into the yearbook. Students in each class will vote on the artwork they would like to have illustrated on their homeroom’s yearbook page.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a0ItUJ8VHw2cvrixHB3kg959jRxZvAxE1N5_imIzmKs/edit?tab=t.0

Information on Math Telescoping

Parents interested in telescoping information in the spring or summer can find the district dates at this site.

GCISD Math Acceleration Testing

5th Grade Volunteer Opportunity

As many 5th graders are working on volunteer hours for this semester, we wanted to share this opportunity with you! Mrs. Cohen is doing the lemonade stand fundraiser again this year for UTSW Cancer Center on Sunday, March 2nd. Below are the links for shifts and supplies if your child is interested in helping out!

Lemonade Supplies Sign Up

Lemonade Volunteer Sign Up

Teacher Emails

Should the need arise for you to contact one of your child's teachers for academic questions/concerns/comments, or anything else, here are their email addresses:

6th Grade Accelerated Math (@iUPrep) - chad.baker@gcisd.net

5th-Grade Math- ashley.carter@gcisd.net

Science/Social Studies - christi.robertson@gcisd.net

ELAR - rion.wahpekeche@gcisd.net

Please do not hesitate to contact us. Our goal is to respond the same day if possible, but it may be the following morning before we can. 

Curriculum 

ELAR:

• I can identify the central idea of various texts and provide evidence to support my thinking.

• I can identify the theme of various texts and provide evidence to support my thinking.

• I can analyze literary elements, including setting, plot, and characters, and explain what they contribute to the stories we read.

• I can identify adjectives in sentences and paragraphs and use them correctly, including when editing drafts.

• I can compose an extended-constructed response that includes a clear answer to the question/prompt, supporting evidence from the text, and strong organization.

Math: 

• I can represent and solve problems involving a bar graph or frequency table.

• I can represent and solve problems involving dot plots.

Science: 

• I can model and identify how changes to Earth’s surface by wind, water, or ice result in the formation of landforms.

Social Studies:

• I can describe how the location of Kansas made it a place of conflict in the mid-1800s.

• I can describe the Dred Scott decision made by the Supreme Court.

• I can identify the boundary created, which was called the Mason-Dixie Line.

• I can analyze Abraham Lincoln's speech given at his nomination for Senate.

Without love, do you have grit?

We've discovered a quote from author Jon Gordon (The Energy Bus). It has made us reframe our thinking regarding grit because this statement rings true. If kids don't love what they're doing, they won't put in the effort to become great at it...and you can't force love. Students may feel okay about a subject (such as writing), so they won't show that grit. They won't show that extra effort to keep trying until they master it. This has led us to think of questions such as "What can we do to make students have that love for certain subjects?" "What if they don't develop that love?"

Feedback

We know we aren't perfect. Please click the link below and give us feedback on the first two weeks of school. We'd love to improve, and we'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks in advance!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfoE_vXWi42rGbnGON6X8uq5rLuCOsINgrfBgzyQa9kozcBrA/viewform?usp=sf_link