3/3-3/7 Fifth Grade Newsletter

Hope everything is well! Here’s a look at what’s coming up for the week of March 3-March 7. 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:

• May 27: 3rd Trimester Mass Reflection (10 reflections required)

Ash Wednesday- March 5
Marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Our faith commands us to love God and neighbor. We will have our all-school mass on Wednesday not Friday. Kindly make sure that your child wear formal mass uniform on Wednesday not Friday. Every Friday in Lent we have our 1:30pm all school Stations of the Cross in the church.

Thursday, March 13- Report Cards
Fifth-grade report cards will be sent home on March 13th with your child. Please take the time to review their progress, celebrate their achievements, and discuss any areas for growth with them.

Awards Ceremony
Our 2nd Trimester Awards Assembly will take place in the hall on Thursday, March 13, starting at 8am. Grades K-4 at 8am in the Hall, and Grades 5-8 at 9am in the Hall.

Awards
I will be sending out direct emails to all families of our awardees by Tuesday, March 11. For a student to receive a Citizenship award, a student must earn A's (Outstanding = 92-100%) on both work habits and behavior grades. Therefore, students' daily behavior, participation, attendance, assignments, projects, ST MATH AND AR goals and work habits are IMPORTANT factors in receiving an award.

Students are not eligible for a Citizenship award each trimester if they have one of the following:
5 tardies
5 unexcused absences
5 unexcused early leave
3 conduct slips
3 effort slips
3 detentions
ST Math and AR goals are not reached

Please know that if your child doesn't earn Citizenship this trimester, there's still a chance to earn it in the last trimesters. 

Honors
1st Honors - All A’s including Handwriting, Music, and PE
2nd Honors - A’s & B’s including Handwriting, Music, and PE

Grading Scales (from 5th grade syllabus)- Grades 3-8
Subject Areas                                                               Skill Areas
A (93 -100) Excellent                                                    O      Outstanding
B+ (90 - 92)                                                                 G      Good
B (87 - 89) Very Good                                                 S       Satisfactory
B- (85 - 86)                                                                  NI     Needs Improvement
C+ (80 - 84)
C (75 - 79) Average
C- (70 - 74)
D (65 - 69) Poor
F (0 - 64) Not Passing

Raise Craze Kindness Fundraiser - NOW through March 5, 2025 
Spend time SERVING - NOT SELLING.
We are very excited to see the Acts of Kindness that will raise funds for our school.
UPDATED information was sent home in an email (February 13, 2025).
Parent Incentive - 2 Service Hours if parents send 25 emails by 11:59pm February 15, 2025
This Fundraiser replaces the Hundred X Survey and Jog-a-thon.
Families who do not participate will be charged $100. (per tuition contract)

Pauly’s Project
This Lenten Season, our class, in partnership with Pauly’s Project, will be leading a Donation Drive and Community Service Opportunity to serve homeless individuals in Downtown Los Angeles. We invite the SAP community to help us raise at least 100 hygiene kits for those in need.

Donation Drive: March 5th–29th Donation Goal: 100 Hygiene Kits

Class Donations:
Kindergarten: Travel-size toothpaste & toothbrush
1st Grade: Hand sanitizing wipes
2nd Grade: Body soap
3rd Grade: Stick deodorant
4th Grade: Travel-size shampoo
5th Grade: Adult socks
6th Grade: Floss & travel-size mouthwash
7th Grade: Small notebook & pen
8th Grade: Razors & comb
Optional Donations: Toilet tissue, hot packs, nail clippers, gallon-size Ziploc bags.

More Info:
Pauly’s Project Website
Pauly’s Project Instagram

Donations do not need to be branded and can be purchased at dollar stores. Any contributions are greatly appreciated!
Thank you for your support, and may God bless you all!

Focus of the Week:
Math: Module 8.2: Represent Multiplication of Whole Numbers by Fractions
Reading: Fact and Opinion; Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? & Esperanza Rising
Vocabulary: Lesson 12 words
Word Study: VCV Pattern
Grammar: 2.5 Pronouns as Indirect Object
Religion: TOB Book 2: Lesson 3
Science: Matter is Everywhere
Social Studies: Chapter 4 - pp. 82-89

Tests
Tuesday: 
Religion: TOB Book 2: Lesson 2
​
Thursday
Spelling Test (Phonics & Vocabulary)
Religion TOB Book 2: Lesson 3

Friday (Multiple Choice test)
Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary
Decoding and Grammar
Social Studies

Fifth Grade Parent Survey
As we continue our journey through fifth grade, I welcome your feedback on how the year is going and how we can work together to make this a positive and enriching experience for your child. While it may seem early for an evaluation, I want to ensure every family has the opportunity to share thoughts, ask questions, or offer suggestions—especially if you didn’t have a chance to do so at Back to School Night.
This survey is anonymous, and I sincerely appreciate your input. Please keep feedback focused on the classroom experience. Click the link: https://forms.gle/Tp9d9GRGMUvtHeoh6


Classroom Tissue
As we continue our school year, our classroom is running low on tissues, and we would greatly appreciate any donations! With the colder months ahead, tissues are essential for keeping our students comfortable and our classroom clean.

If you are able to donate, please send a box of tissues with your child at your earliest convenience. Every contribution helps, and we truly appreciate your generosity and support!

Thank you for helping keep our classroom a healthy and welcoming space for all.


Upcoming Events:
For more details, please refer to the [school calendar here].
March 5 – ASH WEDNESDAY (Mass uniforms), beginning of Lent
March 6 is the last day of the 2nd Trimester.
March 10- We have NO SCHOOL for Students on due to a faculty Lenten retreat. There will be NO Daycare offered that day.
March 12 is our next Mandatory Parent Faith Formation Meeting from 6:30-8 in the Hall. 
March 13 is our 2nd Trimester Awards Ceremony in the Hall. Grades K-4 will meet in the Hall at 8am and Grades 5-8 will meet in the Hall at 9am. 
March 19 – St. Joseph’s Feast Day, Mass with Father Figures
March 25 – Marian Consecration Culminates today with All School Mass: Feast of the Annunciation
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