1. Students that passed the safety check and will ride on a route through Southwood.
2. Students that did not pass the safety check, don't know how to ride, or chose not to ride will walk on a walking route through Southwood.
3. Students/families that chose to opt out of both (signed form required) and will remain on campus during that time.

Good Afternoon 5th Grade Families,

I can't believe how quickly the end of the year is approaching! Even though summer is on the horizon, it is important that students come to class on time, and that they are prepared to work and do their best each and every day. Please make sure that your child is arriving on time as we begin promptly at 8:30 am each morning and students miss crucial information when they are late. Please note the upcoming events for the remainder of the year and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. 

April 25th: deadline to turn in t-shirt order forms and money, and deadline to turn in the opt-out form for the 5th Grade Bike Ride on April 29th

April 24th: take your child to work day (forms should be turned in before April 25th in order for students to participate)

April 29th: Conley 5th Grade Bike Ride

May 1st: ELA FAST PM3 Exam! Please make sure your child is well-rested, has had a hearty breakfast, and is in the classroom on time for this exam. We've been working hard and I am excited to see their hard work pay off!

May 5th: Progress Check up 11 ELA (unit 5 week 2 test online on SAVVAS)

May 6th: FAST Math Exam

May 8th: 5th Grad Science Exam

May 9th-16th: STAR Reading Test

May 14th: Social Studies Revolutionary War Chapter Test

May 15th: 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony

May 19th: 5th Grade Wonder Works Field Trip!

Take Your Child to Work Day Form

*Please turn this form in to the office before April 24th, if you would like your child to participate!

Important Reminders and Updates:

2/17-Presidents Day, No School

2/24- Picture Day! See flyers sent home

2/25- Literacy Night

2/26- Black History Month Assembly at 9:00 am

2/28- All classwork is due

3/7- End of 3rd Quarter and Field Day

*We will have at least one workshop day the week of March 3rd. Please check in with Ms. Centers if you have questions about make up work. You can check in during Lexia time or during our workshop!

Interim Progress Reports: 2/12/25 

MagLab Field Trip: 2/12/25 *Students who requested a school lunch on the field trip form will be provided with a bagged lunch. All other students will need to bring their lunch with them.

Sting Card Friday: 2/14/25 in Cafeteria 

Presidents Day: 2/17/25 No School

New World's Reading Literacy Night: 2/25/25 5:30-7:00 pm (click on link for more information!) Deadline to sign up for free dinner is 2/11/25

Black History Month Assembly: 2/26/25 9:30 am Cafeteria 

Grades are due: 2/28/25 *Students should be checking our monthly planner on a daily basis in addition to our daily planner board to keep up with important deadlines in their personal calendars!

End of Third Quarter: 3/7/25

Field Day: 3/7/25 We need volunteers! Kinder-2nd plays in the morning and 3rd-5th plays in the afternoon. You MUST be an LCS approved volunteer in order to help at Field Day. If you have not filled out the application yet this year (yes, you MUST do it each school year!) please go to www.volunteers.leonschools.net. ONCE YOU ARE APPROVED: Email Coach Vance at vanceb@leonschools.net to let her know which shift you would like to work.

FAST Writing Test:  4/1/25 *Please make sure that your child is well-rested and has had a good breakfast. We will begin promptly at 8:30 and students who are late will not be allowed to begin the test. 

On February 4th, 2025, students will be taking a writing assessment that models the FAST Writing test. Students will be expected to respond to either an expository or argumentative prompt using the format we have been practicing in class! Students should be well rested and on time, as we will begin the test promptly at 8:30 am.

Please ensure that your child arrives on time and has had a hearty breakfast before the test. Students will be provided with scratch paper and ample time to complete the assignment via Canvas. The essay must be typed and submitted through the assigned Canvas Module in class. 

1. The fifth-grade music performance is tomorrow, Friday, December 6, 2024, at 6PM in the cafeteria at J. Michael Conley Elementary School. Participation in this concert is optional, but we have been hard at work preparing to spread our holiday cheer and we would love for your family to be a part of this fun event. Photography and video will be taken.  

1. This is a holiday concert in the American tradition of an “ugly sweater party”. We encourage children (and families) to wear blue jeans and a seasonal sweater; the uglier, the better. If you do not have a seasonal sweater, please wear any Conley t-shirt or a top in school colors of blue or yellow.  

1. Students may be dropped off at the Art or Music room at 5:45PM when the cafeteria doors open for the show. They will be released back to the classrooms for parent pick up after the concert to ensure their safety.  

2. Group picture day is this coming Monday, December 9th, and it is also the day for retakes. Students came home with an informational flyer earlier this week for group picture day as well. If you would like to look at, or order, the individual pictures, please go to lifetouch.com, and the site requires your child’s student number. Yearbooks are also available to be ordered online at ybpay.com, the code is 15235925 or select the school – Conley Elementary School at Southwood. 

    

3. Candy Cane Grams! Conley Student Council is selling Candy Cane Grams this week for $1.00 each! If your child would like to buy some Grams for friends or teachers, please send them with money and have them turn in their money and complete the Gram in class with their teacher. Candy Cane Grams will be delivered to classrooms on Wednesday, December 18^th! Thank you for helping support Student Council!

    
4.  5^th Grade Symphony Field Trip: December 13th. If you know that your child will not be attending school that day, please contact me. Students who are coming to school, but not attending the field trip, will be assigned to another classroom and given appropriate work to complete. 

It's that season of the year... no, not the Christmas Season, the season to prepare for 6th grade!!!!  Parents, UNLESS you plan to have Junior go to the middle school your address is zoned for and attend their "general-ed" program, YOU WILL NEED TO CHOOSE A SCHOOL.  This is true for ALL of the magnet programs around the county.  You are also going to have to be prepared to provide PROOF OF RESIDENCY to Ms. Porter some time in the spring.  ALL RISING 6th grade families will have to do this for registration purposes. 

Keep your eyes on my website for updates concerning parent nights, middle school open-houses, and community events involving our middle school partners.  Many of the schools will have "shadowing-day" opportunities that Junior can participate in to help your family with the choices ahead.  Look weekly on their websites for announcements concerning those opportunities, or use their website to contact the school guidance counselors or magnet program coordinators concerning any questions you may have.  

DON'T wait...  Feb 28th will be here before you know it and the school choice window will close.  Many of the magnet programs are number-capped, so get started soon.  Most of the magnet programs have teacher recommendation forms that must be processed as well as other forms that you will need to fill out.  It takes TIME for these forms to get processed... DON'T WAIT.

1. Ask your child about the topic they have chosen/have a discussion about it at home
2. Encourage your child to write their speech on note cards (students are allowed to use note cards while presenting)
3. Practice presenting in front of a family member or friend at home

The School Level Spelling Bee competition will take place on Friday, November 15th in the school cafeteria. We have a winner from Mrs. Camper's homeroom class as well as Ms. Centers' homeroom class! We are excited to see the spell-off! Winners and runner ups should refer to the word list under the "Spelling Bee" tab on my website to prepare for Friday.

We are currently working on our 4-H Speeches. The class competion will take place in approximately 2 weeks on November 22nd, in Ms. Centers' ELA block. Students, please keep up with your class work and work on your individual speeches at home as well! Once we have our final drafts perfected, practice your speech on index cards in front of a family member or friend.