1/13-1/17 Fifth Grade Newsletter

Dear Fifth Grade Families,

Hope everything is well! Here’s a look at what’s coming up for the week of Jan 13 -Jan. 17. Please make sure to read all the important information below to avoid any questions that may already be addressed. If you missed last week’s email, you can find updates on my school blog: Fifth Grade Blog.

Deadlines:

• January 15: 50 States Project
• February 24: 2nd Trimester Mass Reflection (7 reflections required)

Missing Work & Progress reports
Progress reports will be going home on January 23rd. Please take a moment to check Gradelink to see if your child has any missing homework. If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to reach out to me directly—I’m here to help.
As a reminder, the progress report is simply a snapshot of where your child is at right now. There is still plenty of time for grades to improve before final grades are issued at the end of the 2nd trimester.

STAR Testing

The new window for STAR testing has opened and we will be testing on Tuesday (1/14) and Wednesday (1/15). Students must bring their Chromebooks fully charged. Please ensure your child gets a good night’s sleep and has breakfast before school. If you have any planned trips or doctor’s appointments on those days, please let me know so that we can set a schedule for their make-up test.

Encouraging good study habits at home
In our classroom, I provide students with resources and study guides weekly, and I dedicate time for discussions and extra practice to help them grasp the material. Before every test, I ensure students have additional time to review and prepare. However, I’ve observed that students who practice good study habits at home as well as in school are more confident and better prepared for their tests.
Learning doesn’t stop when the school day ends—it happens everywhere. Your encouragement at home plays a very important role in reinforcing the concepts we cover in class. When students see the importance of studying both at school and at home, they develop habits that will benefit them far beyond the classroom. And with your continued support, we can create a strong partnership that helps your child succeed!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need resources to use at home or any concerns you may have.

Focus of the Week:

• Math:  Estimate Fraction Sums and Differences
• Reading: Esperanza Rising, Conclusions (Storm Warriors)
• Vocabulary: Storm Warriors Words
• Word Study: Compound Words
• Grammar: Nouns as Indirect Objects
• Religion: Session 9
• Science: Ecosystem

Tests
Tuesday
Math: Module 6: Sum and Difference of Fractions

Wednesday
Reading: Esperanza Rising Chapters 1 and 2

Ocean Institute Trip

Our Ocean Institute Overnight Field Trip will be on January 16-17! Resending the important information you need to know for this trip. Please see attached information.

Truancy Policy
Please remember to email the school when your child is not attending.
Please note that on the syllabus, it stated that every 3 Tardies, students will receive an effort slip. Effort slip will be received this week based on the number of tardies. 

A student is considered truant when he or she is absent from school without a valid excuse for three full days in one school year or is tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof. The school shall report the student to the local public school district’s attendance office or the public-school district’s superintendent.

In the event that a school suspects that a student is truant (absent from school without a valid excuse), the school administration should first contact the parents/guardians. If the school suspects that the student is a habitual truant (absent three times in a school year without a valid excuse) and all resources at the school level have been exhausted, the school principal should notify the local Child Welfare and Attendance authorities.

If a student has been reported once as a truant and then is absent again for one or more days without a valid excuse or tardy on one or more days without a valid excuse, the school should again report the student as truant to the local public school district’s attendance office or the public school district’s superintendent. A student who has been reported as truant three or more times is considered a habitual truant and is subject to dismissal.

If a student has been absent without excuse, and it is impossible to contact the parents/guardians or designated emergency contacts within 4 hours and after repeated attempts, the school should notify the attendance office of the local public school district, the local police department, Child Protective Services, or all of those agencies.

Lastly, if you’d like to support our classroom, here’s the link to our Classroom Wishlist: Wishlist.

Upcoming Events:
For more details, please refer to the [school calendar here].

• January 13: $2 Jeans Day with Uniform Top (Fundraiser for LA Wildfire Victims)
• January 16-17: 5th Grade Ocean Institute Overnight Trip
• January 20: NO SCHOOL MLK Jr. HOLIDAY
• January 21: 8th Grade Fundraiser $2 Dodger Day dress up
• January 22: Gently Used Uniform Sale, Catholic Schools’ Convocation at Cathedral, Dodger Day 8th grade fundraiser ($2)
• January 24: K-8 Progress reports go home today for 2nd trimester
• January 26-February 2: Catholic Schools’ Week
• January 26 (Sunday): Open House 11 am Family Mass, Open House 12-2pm, Catholic Schools’ Week begins through 2/2, Family Mass at 11am (wear formal Mass Uniforms for free dress passes), Open House from 12-2. Student Government leads tours at school, Folklorico school group to perform
• January 27 – Teacher Appreciation Day, SAP Choir performs at PMA Mass 
• January 28 – Student Appreciation Day, “Cozy Day”
• January 29 – Administration Appreciation Day, Student Teacher Volleyball game
• January 30 – Parent Appreciation Day, Coffee and Donuts provided for parents in morning
• January 31 – Special Persons’ Day, Mass at 10am, noon dismissal, daycare till 6pm 
• January 28-30: Musical Auditions for Aladdin, Jr. Callbacks are 2/4, rehearsals are Tuesdays and Thursdays starting 2/11. Rehearsal is from 3:15-5:15pm
• February 5: 2nd Mandatory General Parent Meeting in the Hall at 6:30pm ($50 fine for non-attendance)
• February 5: Musical Callbacks, 8th grade Nacho Fundraiser after school, 100th Day of School
• February 17 – Presidents’ Day Holiday NO SCHOOL
• February 19 – All School Spelling Bee 10:30-12 in Hall 
• February 18-21: Re-Registration Week for returning students (all online) 
• Feb 20 – All School Marian Consecration (ends on 3/25, Feast of the Annunciation: Mary’s Day)
• February 21 – Yearbook Pre-Sale ends 
• February 26-28 – 7th Grade Catalina Field trip
• March 5 – ASH WEDNESDAY (Mass uniforms), beginning of Lent, SAP Choir sings
• March 20 – Santiago Retreat Center 6th grade trip
• April – ARK testing starts
• April 17- 25– Easter Break
• April 26 – School Resumes
• April 28-May 1 – Thousand Pines 8th grade Retreat
• May 16-18 – Parish Fiesta

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you & God Bless!

Warmly,
Ms. Alejandre