5th Grade Celebration

Dear Families,

Well, it’s our final quarter of 5^th grade and we wanted to send out a reminder about our End of Year Plans.

Thank you for sending in pictures of your 5th graders. Just a reminder that we’re planning on preparing a slide show that includes photographs we’ve taken at our various 5^th grade events as well as two photos of each student (one of them as a baby and one of them as a 5^th grader).  At the end of the day (around 2:30) will be a slideshow presentation of all the fifth graders in the gym. 

We’re also going to have a last-day celebration on June 4^th at Tallman Park.  We’ll be taking school buses – leaving Gold Rush at10:45 and returning by 2:15.  Families (moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, etc.) are more than welcome to meet us at the park – pack a picnic and come on along!  It has become a wonderful tradition - time for kids to play games, chat across classroom lines, and just enjoy each other before they leave Gold Rush.  Students are welcome to bring sports equipment that you deem appropriate.  Rev Track is now open for you to electronically sign up to give permission and to help with the bus fee.  To access, click here: Rev Track Sign Up

Also, as a surprise this year, we would like to do a little something special for our fifth graders.  As the slideshow ends in the gym, students will make their way back to classrooms for final goodbyes.  We would love for you to meet Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Bergner, and Mrs. Barta in the Kindergarten Hallway to join a school-wide effort in a graduating Clap Out to send our wonderful kiddos off to Middle School.

A general schedule for the day will be:

10:45 - leave school

11:00 - picnic in the park

2:00 - return to school

2:30 - gather in the Gym to view the slide show (parents are welcome to join us for this also)

3:45 - Goodbyes!

We’d love your help donating chips, cookies and water for the kids to go along with the sub sandwiches we'll provide for the students.  If you’d like to donate any items, please click here:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/9040B4CACAA229-endofyear/

Thank you again for all your support this year!  It’s been grand.

Ashley Dalcerri, Bev Holtzer, Allison Hawk, Kylee Lautenbach, and Lauren Rayens.

Summer Reading

Barnes and Nobel are doing a fun summer reading program where kids can earn a free book!  Check out their website for more information or go straight to the entry form.  

I just thought I'd pass on the information to you in case you are interested!  Happy reading!

Outdoor Ed

Dear Parents,

We are happy to inform you that our fifth graders will be attending the Douglas County Outdoor 

Education Center on May 26, 2015.  For this incredible day, we will need students to arrive at

school at 7:45 a.m. for an 8:00 departure. This is the day after Memorial Day so we will be

sending many reminders to be at school early that day.  The cost of the trip is $45.  You will

need to register for this field trip through the school’s RevTrak Online Payment system found on

the school’s website under the “Parent Resources” tab.  Registrations must be complete by

Wed., May 20th.  Please send in or email the registration receipt to your child’s teacher.  Those

students who qualify for free and reduced lunch will have the ability to indicate “no payment”, but

must still register online for us to have all releases signed and emergency contact information.

Students will be engaging in a variety of team building activities throughout the day including but

not limited to: zip line, low ropes, high ropes, and team-building activities.  Due to the

independent nature of this experience, it is Outdoor Education policy that parents do not attend.

In order to make sure this is a wonderful experience, please read the following reminders:

1. Students are to bring a sack lunch and plenty of water.

2. Students need snacks for 2 breaks.

3. Students are not to bring any electronics including phones.



4. The camp is located in Larkspur at 12163 S. Perry Park Rd. The following

number can be used to make emergency contact with the camp: 303.387.0721.

5.  Online registration needs to be completed by May 20th.

6. The bus will leave the school at 8:00 a.m. and return back to the

school by 3:45.

Thank you for your support in making this trip a fun and educational experience for our students.

Sincerely,

The Fifth Grade Team

5th Grade Health/Changing Bodies Discssion

April 22, 2015

 Our fifth grade students will have the opportunity to learn about the changes that occur during puberty including male and female anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system. This health information is provided to students in alignment with Health Standards 2 and 3: standards are available on the District web site.

The students will watch a video appropriate to the topic and their age in gender-like groups. The video covers the anatomy of the reproductive system, the menstrual cycle, feminine hygiene, changes that may occur for boys including erections and nocturnal emissions.  It is presented in an up-to-date format with age-appropriate questions and answers from students.  

Video to be shown is:

“Always Changing/Always Growing” 2008

http://www.pgschoolprograms.com/parents.php    

 - The videos are located towards the bottom of the screen

**Parents are welcomed to preview the video at home in order to facilitate family follow-up discussion of these topics.  The video is online and is included in the above link.

After the students view the video, boys and girls will stay separated during a follow-up class presentation in order to promote more participation and decrease disruptions from giggles.  Boys and girls will be taught both the male and female material. The outline for the classroom presentation includes the following subjects:

Anatomy and function of reproductive organs:

• For males: testicles, scrotum, urethra, epidiiymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, prostate, penis

• For females: ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and endometrium, cervix, vagina

Body changes that occur during puberty;

• For males: facial hair, deepening voice, enlargement of reproductive organs (testis & penis), testicles produce sperm, shoulders broaden, 

• For females: breasts develop, hips widen, uterus/vagina grow, ovulation, menstrual cycle

• For BOTH males and females: growth spurt, active oil and sweat glands, underarm hair, pubic hair, hormones, hygiene issues.

This class will be presented by: Mary Schmitt BSN, RN, School Nurse Consultant.

    

Date of presentation by the nurse: May 14th, 2015

To keep the lines of communication strong between you and your child, we will encourage students to talk with their parents about these topics. Other resources for you to explore with your son or daughter:

• www.kidshealth.org is another good website

•  www.always.com information parents/girls and resources for educators

• www.girlshealth.gov promotes healthy, positive behaviors in girls between 10    and 16. 

If for some reason you would prefer that your child not be involved, please indicate this to your teacher either in the form of a note or email by Monday, May 11th and we will discreetly plan another activity for your student.

Ashley Dalcerri

Allison Hawk

Bev Holtzer

Kylee Lautenbach

Lauren Rayens

Woah!! Scheduling!

Hello Families!

So as the end of the year gears up there is just so much going on here at Gold Rush, especially for our graduating Fifth Graders.  To help you keep track of all that we have coming up I am making a list below.  Many of the items will have more information forthcoming, but I wanted you to have the dates ready.

Mark your calendars!!

May 1 - Gold Rush Talent Show
May 7 - field trip (about an hour or two) to Cimarron to do a school tour
May 8 - Shrek the play
May 11-13 End of Year PARCC testing
May 14 - Puberty discussions (more info to come)
May 15 - Junior Achievement Day (this is where business professionals come in to teach kids different aspects of Financial Literacy)
May 25 - Memorial Day
May 26 - Outdoor Ed. (more info to come)
May 28 - Field Day
June 4 - End of the year picnic at Tallman Park followed by a slide show here at school

For our Fifth Grade Celebration slide show, I am asking that you send in two digital photos of your kiddo - one from when they are little and one from this year.  I will compile them and create a slide show and on the last day of school you are invited to come and watch with the entire fifth grade.  Also, I will make you a copy of this for your keepsakes.

Hope this helps you organize your lives!!  Please send in the pictures at any time!

Tidbits

Hello families! 

Just a few notes on things coming up:

- we are in desperate need of pencils! Having a few extra for your student or the class would be appreciated

- I've received elective choices for Cimarron and have turned them in; thank you!  As I get more information about the transition, I will be sure to pass this along.  Transitions will be discussed at conferences

- Conferences are coming up; be sure to sign up.  Also, as always, I am available most mornings from 8:15 on and right after school if those days do not work for you (the online scheduler doesn't allow us to add more days)

- PARCC state testing is coming up the week of March 9th.  I'm sure more information will come out in Jenny Brown's Principal Blog

- I am getting all the information ready for our Young Ameritowne unit and field trip.  More information to come!  We, as a fifth grade, will start hitting this concepts after the upcoming three day weekend and our field trip will be March 17th.  There will be many volunteer opportunities with this unit and your help will be greatly appreciated!

- Double check what your kiddo is working on for the weekly Math Log.  At this point they should be practicing progressively harder skills like double/triple digit multiplication, double digit divisors, and almost anything to do with fractions (adding, subtracting, multiplication, division, mixed numbers and improper fractions, reducing/simplifying)

- Lastly, we are in need of a Valentine's Party Organizer.  Your help to have this one last party for our kiddos would be more than welcomed!  Our party will be on Feb. 12th from 2:50 - 3:50.  Please let me know if you are available!

Science

We've been exploring a few things within Earth Science lately and the students seem to be learning so much.  We've discovered through experimentation that evaporation occurs when the energy from the sun affects the water molecules changing them from a liquid state to water vapor, that temperature and surface area affect the rate of evaporation.  We then moved on to the discovery that the earth materials heat up at different rates: water is a heat sink which can hold a lot of energy before changing temperature (both increasing and decreasing temperatures) while soil changes rather rapidly.  This will be the basis of understanding weather patterns and atmospheric pressure.

In our reading we've analyzed diagrams of the water cycle, looked at the water table and ground water (which connected to our read aloud: A Long Walk to Water), and discussed water conservation efforts.

It's so exciting to see students interested in learning and science really peaks interests!