Welcome to Fifth Grade 

2024-2025

I am excited and looking forward to working with you and your child this year. You are receiving quite a bit of information about fifth grade, but it is all important. 

~ Feel free to contact me at any time with questions, concerns, etc.

~My email is mskinner@stcletusparish.com during my office hours. I welcome communication and want this year to be successful for your child.

~ Office hours: Before/after school from 7:30 – 4:00 pm, M-F. Correspondence after 4pm will be addressed the next school day. 

Below you will find the guidelines and expectations for an amazing year. 

Chromebooks 

Each student will have their own Chromebook. 

1. Students are responsible for bringing their Chromebooks to school daily 
2. Chromebooks should be charged every day. 
3. If there is an issue with the Chromebook, please notify me immediately, so I can let tech support know and we can fix the issue. 
4. We expect students to handle these devices with respect at all times. 

Dress Code

The dress code will be enforced daily. 

1. The dress code policy is included in the student handbook, and can also be found on the school website. 
2. It is recommended to periodically review the dress code with your child

Behavior and Discipline

In our classroom, I emphasize respect, honesty, responsibility, and citizenship. Using our Religion and Growing with God curriculums, students will continue to learn how to identify and manage their emotions and behavior. Consistent routines, clear expectations, and positive feedback are key pillars of 5th grade behavior management. 

In the event of unacceptable behavior, students will be given a warning to correct it before receiving a logical consequence. Logical consequences are ones that are relevant, respectful, realistic, and give the student a chance to learn from their mistakes. 

Homework

There will be a Simple Solutions assignment in either Math or English every day except Fridays. 

As we prepare for the transition into middle school, fifth graders are responsible for writing down assignments in their planners. Any homework, projects, quiz, and test dates will be written on the board each day.

Work that is not completed during the school day becomes homework and is due the next day. Students should have a take home folder for any school announcements, sign up forms, permission slips, and incomplete classwork. Please remind your fifth grader that this should be checked daily at home. In most cases, late homework will receive a 25% deduction. If there is a reason for a late assignment, please reach out to me.

Students should write their first and last names on their papers. This will save time for everyone! Additionally, students are expected to write neatly and read all directions before starting work.

1. It’s expected that homework is completed and turned in on the due date. If the homework is not turned in by the given due date, a 25% penalty will be given once the assignment is turned in.  
2. Large projects and book reports will require a parent signature on expectations of the individual project
3. If a student is absent we are able to send that day’s homework home with a sibling or friend, upon request.

Tests

Material taught will be assessed regularly. 

1. Students will be informed of upcoming tests several days in advance. 
2. We will review in class, but students should be studying material learned on their own as well. 
3. Students who do not earn a passing grade will be asked to complete test corrections. 
4. Students can make test corrections for ½ of the points back. These should be on a separate piece of paper.

Snacks & Water Bottle

We have a working snack in 5th grade. Please make sure you send a healthy snack for your child (i.e. fruit or veggies). No sugary or caffeinated drinks please.

We strongly encourage your child to have their own water bottle in class each day. 

Wednesday Envelopes

Please look out for our school’s White Envelope which will be sent home most Wednesdays to the oldest or only child in the family. In it, you will find important reminders or FSA papers about what’s currently going on here at St. Cletus! 

Please return the white Wednesday envelopes the following school day.

5th Grade Syllabus 2024/2025

Curriculum

Religion: In our We Believe series, we dive deeper into our faith through learning about the sacraments, how Jesus shares His life with us, how to love and serve as Jesus did, and about the Liturgical year. 

Growing with God: This program is focused on helping children learn to gain confidence, to keep themselves safe, and establish and maintain healthy relationships. Before we begin Growing with God, a letter will be sent home with the dates and subject of each lesson. Parents can choose to have their children opt out of the program. If you choose to opt out, your child will be sent to another classroom or to the office to complete other work. Growing with God lessons take around 30-45 minutes. 

Math: Ms. Diaz, our 6th grade homeroom teacher, will teach 5th grade math. Students will switch rooms for this class period. During this time, I will teach the 6th graders Religion. Our new math program this year is “Into Math” from HMH and is full of interactive lessons, needs-based learning, and regular assessments to evaluate progress.

Simple Solutions Math: Every other day, students will bring their Simple Solutions Math book home to complete one lesson.

Social Studies: We will use the Archdiocese’s eSchool 3.0 curriculum for Social Studies. This year is all about the United States: how people first migrated to North America, the colonization of the continent by the French, Spanish, and English, the American Revolution, and how our country grew after gaining independence. 

Reading: In fifth grade, we move from learning to read to reading to LEARN! We work heavily on our reading comprehension through book reports every trimester. Students will practice time management and book progression through working in their groups to set reading goals. More information will be sent home before we start.

Simple Solutions Reading: Every other day, students will bring their Simple Solutions Reading book home to complete one lesson. 

ELA: In Phonics, ​​students will learn about consonant variants, syllables, prefixes, root words, possessives, suffixes, plurals, and dictionary skills. We use Savvas Plaid Phonics for this subject.
We use Zaner-Bloser’s Spelling Connections, which teaches common spelling patterns and rules so students learn how to recognize and anticipate syllable types and apply those spelling and syllable patterns to new words.

i-Ready: i-Ready provides personalized instruction for students in Math and Literacy. We spend time on i-Ready daily. i-Ready is research based and provides wonderful insights on a student’s needs in each subject. After the Diagnostic testing in the beginning of the year, we will set at least 1 goal for each student in an area they can improve. 

Science: Our new science program is called Into Science from HMH. Every unit starts with hands-on exploration to get students excited for our upcoming lessons. This program is incredibly interactive, intellectually engaging, and includes real-life examples and applications! I am really excited to spark curiosity of how our world works.

Rules

As Cardinals, we are expected to be compassionate, respectful, and responsible in and out of the classroom. We also have some classroom rules to help make this year a wonderful and safe one!

1. Respect yourself, others, and property.
2. Raise your hand and wait to be called on before speaking. 
3. Follow directions promptly.
4. Have your materials with you when you come to class.
5. Work quietly.
6. Complete class work and homework neatly, accurately, and on time!

Write down homework assignments and upcoming assessments in your planner.

Schedule

Mondays: Spanish

Tuesdays: PE, Spanish

Wednesdays: Art & Music

Thursday: PE

Friday: TLC