End of the Year Events and Celebrations

Dear Fifth Grade Families,

Can you believe how quickly the school year has gone?  Well, as things

are winding down for the school year, we wanted to give you an update about plans for the rest of our year together.  As you can tell, we are going to be quite busy over the next few weeks.  Our plans are as follows:

1.  Fifth grade teachers will be taking our students to Wydown on Wednesday, May 7, 2014.  We will leave Captain at 1:15 p.m. and should be back no later than 3:00 p.m.  While there, the students will take a tour of Wydown and enjoy a refreshing treat.  Permission slips for this field trip will be sent home the week of April 28, 2014.

2.  There will be no school for students at Captain, Glenridge, or Meramec on Friday, May 16, 2014.  Teachers will use this day to prepare final report cards for the 2013-2014 school year.

3.  Field Day is scheduled for Friday, May 23, 2014.  Each student is asked to wear his or her Community Team shirt (or a similarly colored shirt) on that day and bring a sack lunch as well.  For those choosing to order lunch at school on Field Day, a sack lunch will be provided.  As the day draws nearer, order forms for sack lunches will come home to families.  Field day will be held in Concordia Park, but if there is rain we will hold all events at Captain.

4.  The End of the Year Pool Party is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, 2014.  It will take place at Shaw Park (Inclement Weather Location: The Center of Clayton).  We will leave Captain at 10:45 a.m. and arrive back at 2:00 p.m.  Lunch will be provided for the students.  Students may wear their swimsuits under their clothing or they may change at school that day.  Students will not need to bring any money for this trip, as lunch and snacks will be provided to them.

5.  Our Fifth Grade Promotion Celebration is planned for 9:00 a.m. on the last day of school, Friday, May 30, 2014 .  The ceremony will be held in the cafeteria, however we ask that the students report to their classroom upon arrival to school that day.  Students are asked to dress nicely for the ceremony, however formal dress is not required.  After the ceremony, there will be a small reception hosted by the fourth grade parents in the gym for the fifth grade students, their families, and other invited guests.  We look forward to seeing you each then.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have.  Thank you for all of your continued support as we wind down a great school year.

Sincerely,

Miss Benoit

Ms. Crowley

Mrs. Ketzer

Mrs. Williams

Picture for Fifth Grade Promotion Ceremony

Dear Fifth Grade Families,

We hope you are having a wonderful week!! It seems hard to believe that we are in the midst of April and beginning to plan for our end of the year celebrations. As our Fifth Grade Promotion ceremony approaches, we wanted to ask for your assistance. At our Fifth Grade Promotion, there is a wonderful slideshow at the ceremony that celebrates the students’ growth.  This slide show will include baby pictures of the students.  We are lucky enough to have Mr. Mark Lynn, Captain's Technology Specialist, put this slideshow together for our students and their families.

Please send a baby picture to Mr. Lynn no later than Friday, April 25, 2014!  You may submit pictures in two ways:

1. Attach a picture to an email to Mr. Lynn.  His email address is marklynn@claytonschools.net. This is the preferred method of picture delivery.
2. Drop a picture to Ms. Patti at the front desk.  Please place it in an envelope with Mr. Lynn's name on the front and your child's name so that we can return the picture to you.

No matter how you deliver the picture, please put your child's name on it!  

Thank you so much for your help!  Please contact us with any questions you may have!

Gratefully,

The Fifth Grade Team

Newsletter - Week of February 24, 2014

Dear Fifth Grade Families,

I hope you all are having a wonderful week thus far!!  Please follow the link below to our monthly newsletter with updates regarding conferences, upcoming events, and our current studies.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions!

Gratefully,

Ms. Crowley :)

Newsletter - Week of February 24, 2014

January and February Important Dates

Below I have included the important dates for the months of January and February:

Saturday, January 25, 2014 - PTO Pancake Breakfast - 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Saturday, February 1, 2014 - PTO Elementary Schools Trivia Night

Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - Late Start Day - School begins at 9:40 a.m.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - PTO Meeting in LRC - 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 13, 2014 - Valentine's Day Parties - 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 13, 2014 - Incoming 6th Grade Curriculum Night at Wydown for 
Parents and Students - 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Friday, February 14, 2014 - No School - Professional Development Day for Staff

Monday, February 17, 2014 - No School - President's Day
Thursday, February 20, 2014 - Black History Night - 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - Late Start Day - School begins at 9:40 a.m.


If any questions arise regarding any of the above events, please let me know!!

A Wonderful Winter Day!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  Thank you to each of your families for your support of our field trip to Hidden Valley last Thursday.  It was truly a wonderful experience for all of the students!  It was so exciting to see the students learn a new skill, persevere through difficulty, and support each other along the way. Many complimented our students on their manners, their perseverance, and their respect for others who were on the slopes.  It was such a fabulous day on the slopes!  Please follow the link below to view some pictures from our trip!

http://www.claytonschools.net/Page/12698

October Important Dates

It seems hard to believe we are about to enter into the month of October!  Here are the important dates for the month of October:

Tuesday, October 1, 2013 - Picture Day

Wednesday, October 2, 2013 - Late Start Day - School begins at 9:40 a.m.

Friday, October 4, 2013 - Field Trip to Cahokia Mounds - 8:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Monday, October 7, 2013 - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 - Parent-Teacher Conferences Begin for Ms. Crowley's Class

Tuesday, October 8, 2013 - PTO Meeting in LRC - 7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 11, 2013 - No School - Conference Prep Day

Monday, October 14, 2013 - Friday, October 18, 2013 - Parent-Teacher Conferences Continue for Ms. Crowley's Class

Friday, October 18, 2013 - No School - Conference Day

Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - Late Start Day - School begins at 9:40 a.m.

Thursday, October 31, 2013 - Halloween Parade and Parties - 2:00 p.m.
If any questions arise regarding any of the above events, please let me know!!

The History of Formal Friday

Ever since October 2008, Fridays have been a special day for my classes.  One Friday in October of 2008, I was greeting my students as they entered our classroom, and I noticed one of my students was wearing a suit and tie.  I asked him why he was so dressed up and he explained to me that his dad had "Casual Fridays" because he had worn formal attire all week.  The student then said to me that he should therefore have "Formal Fridays" because he wore casual attire all week.  I was struck by the originality of the idea, the confidence he demonstrated, and also, the amazing ripple effect.  Soon, each of my students began asking if they could put their own spin on our new classroom tradition.  We, of course, set up our norms and procedures for the day so as to not disturb our learning and the learning of others.  I was so excited that our class had created a new tradition, one that anyone in the school could be a part of if they chose, and that it brought our class together as well.  Ever since that day, "Formal Fridays" or "Tie Day Fridays" (the name it was given at Captain), have been a part of our classroom community.  Students are welcome to wear ties on Fridays.  I have a class set as well in case any students may forget or want to borrow one from me.  At the same time, wearing a tie is completely optional.  Many students may choose to not wear a tie, and it is completely each student's choice.  We celebrate everyone's choice to participate or not participate each Friday.  As I had stated above, we also have our norms and procedures for the day, as the tie is reminder to us to be professional and focused in our learning without any distraction.  The tie is also a reminder to always be original and let innovative and creative thinking shine through each day.  Our class has chosen to carry on the tradition, and I look forward to seeing our class make the tradition their own.  I look forward to posting a whole class picture soon of our "Formal Fridays" together!