J. Michael Conley Elementary School at Southwood

Important!!!

ATTENTION (Per LCS Policy 5112) ALL 5TH GRADE STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE ADDRESS VERIFICATION BY MAY 17

Acceptable Proofs of Address • Two proofs of residency (Both a Primary AND a Secondary are required): o Primary Proof (Pick ONE) ▪ Homestead exemption ▪ Mortgage deed ▪ Current lease agreement ▪ Current rental agreement ▪ Property tax record o Secondary Proof (Pick ONE) ▪ The current electricity bill, (dated within 30 days) activation notice is acceptable ▪ Vehicle registration ▪ Government mail (excluding a voter’s registration card or driver’s license)

Please check your Parent Portal to upload documents OR email your school’s enrollment team: conleyenrollment@leonschools.net ***

Please be aware, until these proofs have been approved, your student will NOT roll over to Middle School or receive a Schedule for the 2024-2025 school year.*** 

No School Monday, April 1 

We have been working really hard on Top Score writing the last few weeks.  I have sent home an example of the expository and argumentative writing prompt with the rubric and various sample writings that came from the Florida DOE website.  Additionally, we have looked at the practice test on paper and online in class.  You can also access this information by visiting the FL DOE website if you would like to see it. There are practice tests there for families.  

We write Wednesday, April 3- Please speak to your child about the importance of this test and encourage them to do their best.  The night before testing, it is important to get a good night's rest and to eat a good breakfast the morning of the test.  I appreciate your help in ensuring this is a successful day for your child!!  

Field Day Friday, March 8

Remember to wear comfortable clothes, shoes to run and play in, and a hat and/or sunscreen (needs to be applied at home).  If you would like to bring a water bottle, we will have two water tents to fill them. There will be some cups available but not an unlimited amount.

March 5-8

We are wrapping up Savvas Unit 4 Week 1 with our story "Keeping Mr. John Holton Alive".  We will test Monday on this story.  If you would like to practice with your child, there are assignments on Savvas that can be accessed through Classlink.  We will continue Top Score writing.  We are moving into informational writing this week.  In social studies we are reading some Readworks articles on Women's History.  

Very Important reminder- Our statewide writing assessment is scheduled for April 3.  

We have looked at the example prompt for 5th grade that can be found online at the FLDOE website, as well as the rubric for scoring.  Additionally, we looked at several writing examples and the scores they received using the rubric.  We will continue our writing practice every day.  

Important Information and Future Dates: 

Field Day March 8^th

Field Day is coming up and we are still looking for volunteers, mainly for our afternoon shift with 3rd-5th grade from about 11:45-2:00pm.  If you are interested, you MUST be an approved LCS volunteer.  You can fill out the form here: https://volunteers.leonschools.net/

Once you have been approved, please email Coach Vance at vanceb@leonschools.net  so she can add you to the list of volunteers.  Thank you

New World Reading Initiative Event
Reading night is on February 29^th from 5:00 – 6:30.  All slots have been filled for food service, but feel free to join us for the event portion beginning at 5:30 even if you didn’t sign up. For those who signed up for Food Service please arrive by 5:00pm. Parking is available on both sides of the school.

Black History Month Celebration

Our school wide Black History Assembly is on Wednesday, February 28^th during the school day. This event is for students only and will consist of guest speakers and performers from Conley Elementary and Fairview Middle School. We are excited about this school wide assembly and we will post pictures to Facebook for everyone to see after the event.

Congratulations to our Black History Door Decorating Competition winners!  Check out the video to see all of the entries! https://fb.watch/qtAglaV26J/

1st Place: Asia Ross (2nd Grade)

2nd Place: Cera Krueger (3rd Grade)

3rd Place: Deanna Wishnia (4th Grade)

Food Donations

We are accepting can food donations at all times for distribution to other Conley families in need.  If your family has a need for food on the weekends please contact cssoffice@leonschools.net

Future Dates:

2/29 – New World Reading Night – RSVP closed for meals

3/11-3/15 – Spring Break – No School

3/18 – Teacher Planning Day – No school

4/1 – Spring Holiday – No School

5/22-24 – Early Release Days – school out at 12:20

5/24 – Last Day of School

February 26- March 1

We are continuing to focus heavily on writing and continuing our practice with expository writing prompts.  Students have learned to write an outline, an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.  We will continue to have lessons on this as we are approaching our FAST writing date of April, 3.  

We are in Savvas unit 4 week 1.  Our story is "Keeping Mr. John Holton Alive."  The vocabulary words for this lesson are endure, ponder, commotion, commenced, and strapping.  The story is historical fiction and our comprehension skill is analyze characters.  The online lessons can be found on Savvas through classlink.  

In Social Studies we are continuing our Black History unit. 

Friendship Day tomorrow:  

We are looking forward to a super fun day tomorrow celebrating friendship and connection.  I'm looking forward to having some fun and seeing lots of smiles.  Remember if you plan to send items in, please send something for each person in the class.  Block one has 21 students and block 2 has 22 students.  Thank you for the items we have already received. All food items should be store bought.  

Valentine’s Day Deliveries

Please do not arrange for delivery services to deliver items to school. The front office will not accept deliveries on Valentine’s Day and students will not be called out of class to receive items. Students are not allowed to take balloons, flowers or other bulky items on the bus.  

New World Reading Initiative Event

Conley is hosting a reading night on February 29^th from 5:00 – 6:30.  Food is available, but only for those who RSVP by following the link in the QR code or below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14XZnRMGwVJCruxdegS-Qm0xbOouww-Ne-OGglsqdQbo/viewform?edit_requested=true

Yearbook Update

The deadline for Yearbook Love Notes for 5th graders has been extended through February 15th. Please remind your students and parents to send their orders in. The cost is $15 for 1/4 page love note. Thank you for your help and support!"

Food Donations

We are accepting can food donations at all times for distribution to other Conley families in need.  If your family has a need for food on the weekends please contact cssoffice@leonschools.net

 Future Dates:

2/19 – President’s Day – No School – (corrected from last week

2/29 – New World Reading Night – RSVP for meal

3/11 – 15 – Spring Break – No School

3/18 – Teacher Planning Day – No school

4/1 – Spring Holiday – No School

5/22-24 – Early Release Days – school out at 12:20

5/24 – Last Day of School

This week we are wrapping up Unit 3 week 5, Life and Art, which is about the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House.  We have really enjoyed this story and have had fun looking at various Frank Lloyd Wright homes around the country.  Students will complete the assessment on this story this week.  

We are working hard on writing and completeting Top Score lessons each day.  This really breaks the writing process down in to small parts, which is helpful.  I am loving this and I think the students are really grasping the concepts.  

We are doing LOTS of fun things for Black History this month.  We are working on a Black History Notebook, reading about various people and their amazing accomplishments.  

Celebrate Literacy Night!!  Come and join us for a fabulous night of activities February 29th 5:00-6:30.  Please see flyer below.  

The Raa Arts Magnet Programs will be hosting our Magnet Parent Night on January 30^th at 6pm in the Raa Gym.

Food Donations

We are accepting can food donations at all times for distribution to other Conley families in need.  If your family has a need for food on the weekends please contact cssoffice@leonschools.net

Future Dates:

2/19 – President’s Day – No School – (corrected from last week)

3/11 – 15 – Spring Break – No School

3/18 – Teacher Planning Day – No school

4/1 – Spring Holiday – No School

5/22-24 – Early Release Days – school out at 12:20

5/24 – Last Day of School

Field Day Volunteers

Save the Date!  Conley's Field Day will be Friday, March 8th!

In order to have our event run smoothly, we need lots of volunteers to help for both our morning K-2 session and our afternoon 3-5 session.  All volunteers MUST be LCS approved.

If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the application here: https://volunteers.leonschools.net/

You must fill out a new volunteer form each school year.  Once you have been approved by LCS, email Coach Vance at vanceb@leonschools.net to let her know which session you would like to help with.  She will be reaching out with more information closer to the event.  See you on the field!!

January 22- 26 IMPORTANT- Please remember that homework comes home every Friday and should be returned the following Thursday..  I had many students that did not complete their homework last week.  This is very important for the second semester.  

This week we are continuing our Tuck Everlasting book study.  We will read and complete the book study for chapter 9-18.  Additionally, we will be completing a writing project this week.  

It's celebrate literacy week!!!!  If there is anyone that would like to come and read to our class this week, please email me and we will get it planned.  Please see other planned activities below. 

The state reports were so, so good!!  I think the students really enjoyed this project and I did, too.  We all learned new and interesting information.  

January 16-19

We have had a great first week back to school.  Students have been assigned a state for research and will create a project based on this information.  Much of the research will need to be completed at home.  Students have a choice for completing the project.  They may create a poster board, PowerPoint, or a brochure.  Students have seen examples of each in class. The following information should be included in the project:  state bird, state flower, state motto, capital, any resources found in the state, landmarks, bordering states, state tree, a picture of the state flag , and any other unique or important information.  There must be a minimum of 10 facts.  Power Points and poster boards should have five or more pictures and brochures should be filled with information and completely colored.  

ELA- Tuck Everlasting book study chapters 4-13.  

Writing- we are analyzing FAST prompts and looking at the rubric to score different versions of the writing in order to become familiar with the expectations.   Additionally, we are continuing to practice summarizing.  

AR goals have been set for the nine weeks.  Please encourage your child to read at home.  They can come to school prepared to take AR tests.  I also set aside time for independent reading in class each week.  

Homework packets were sent home Friday, January 12.  They are due Thursday, January 18.  

Field Day Volunteers

Save the Date!  Conley's Field Day will be Friday, March 8th!

In order to have our event run smoothly, we need lots of volunteers to help for both our morning K-2 session and our afternoon 3-5 session.  All volunteers MUST be LCS approved.

If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the application here: https://volunteers.leonschools.net/

You must fill out a new volunteer form each school year.  Once you have been approved by LCS, email Coach Vance at vanceb@leonschools.net to let her know which session you would like to help with.  She will be reaching out with more information closer to the event.  See you on the field!!

Celebrate Literacy Week Coming Soon!

Food Donations

We are accepting can food donations at all times for distribution to other Conley families in need.  If your family has a need for food on the weekends please contact cssoffice@leonschools.net

Future Dates:

1/8 – Students return to school/Beginning of the 3^rd 9 Weeks

1/15 – MLK JR Holiday – No School

2/19 – Spring Holiday – No School

3/11 – 15 – Spring Break – No School

3/18 – Teacher Planning Day – No school

Looking forward to seeing all of you Monday morning!!  I hope you had a wonderful break and are ready to return to school for lots of learning.  I have several fun things planned for and I am so excited. Below please see the email that was sent home Friday, January 5.  

Good afternoon,

Pajama Day- December 14 and also wear an ugly sweater for the performance!

Please see the sign-up genius if you would like to send in an item for the Winter Celebration.  Please only send store-bought items, nothing homemade.  Thank you for sending things and helping to make our day fun!!

Block 1:  Mrs. Quisenberry's homeroom

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CACA62DA2F9C16-46860758-winter

Block 2:  Mr. C's homeroom

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CACA62DA2F9C16-46867671-winter

Important Dates: 

PM2 Math- December 12

STAR reading- December 13

WINTER CONCERT- December 14 at 9:00

Winter break does not begin until December 20th this year.  We have school on Monday, December 18 and Tuesday, December 19.  

I plan to have a Winter Celebration on December 20.  

Please encourage your child to read over the break.  I have a super fun reading challenge that is coming home.  If students complete this and return it, I'll give them a treat.  To become a better reader, kids need to practice reading.  If they read 20 minutes every night, they will improve.  Practice makes perfect, and this is especially true for reading.  I truly appreciate your help in encouraging them to read.  

Important!!!  PM2 for FAST ELA is tomorrow.  Please be at school on time.  It is important for students to be well rested and have a good breakfast before school in order to do their best.  Please encourage your child to do their best work, as this is important for them.  I truly appreciate your support!!  

I plan to have a Winter celebration and a few other fun activities for the kids to celebrate and spread some cheer.  A sign-up genius will be coming soon.  

We have such a busy week ahead with many things happening.  

Important:

Tuesday: 12/5  FAST Progress Monitor 2- ELA

Wednesday 12/6- Picture retakes and School Spelling Bee

Thursday 12/7- Field Trip

Friday 12/8- Class Tropicana Speech- All speeches are due on this day.  

We will continue with A Pet for Calvin this week, which is Unit 3 week 2.  There are online assignments if you would like to view them and have practice at home.  I have planned for the assessments for this unit for early next week, being that we have so many things happening this week.  This will be our last ELA assessment for this nine weeks.  

Please encourage your child to check their grades on Focus and see me for any missing assignments.  

Just a reminder that if you are hoping for homework for ELA, there are always digital assignments on Savvas that can be accessed through class link.  If you have questions, please reach out.  

A HUGE shout-out to students this week.  They have been working so hard on their Tropicana speeches, and they are coming along beautifully.  I am SO proud of them.  Please ask them to practice their speech for you at home.  We will have our class speech contest on December 8^th and all students will give their speech that day. 

A reminder about the “Healthy Smiles” visit.   The deadline/last day to turn in a permission slip is Thursday, December 7th, 2023. 

Important Upcoming Dates:

November 28- class spelling bee

December 5- progress monitor 2 for ELA

December 6- school spelling bee

December 7- field trip

December 8- class Tropicana speech contest

December 12- progress monitor 2 for math

December 18- school Tropicana speech

Tropicana Speech

The information about the Tropicana speech went home before Thanksgiving.  I have dedicated some class time to have students work on it this week.  Students should also work on this at home.  If your child needs information for the speech, if you could print it off at home and send it in, that would be helpful.  The speeches should be no less than two minutes and no longer than three minutes.  Students should practice the speech, and it would be helpful to time them.  The class contest will be on December 8th and the winner will go to the school contest on December 18th.  The winner of the school contest will move on to the district contest.  

November 27- December 1

Welcome back!!  I hope everyone had a wonderful week filled with lots of relaxation and all the things that fill you with happiness.  Thank you so much for all the pie donations for our pie tasting.  The kids loved it!  They wrote some amazing opinion-writing pieces based on the activity.  

We have a busy week ahead.  We will be spending some time working on Tropicana speeches in class this week. Students should also be working on this activity at home.  Our class spelling bee is Tuesday, November 28.  

Book Fair

Get ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. AND—as always—every purchase at the Fair benefits our school.

Here’s what you need to know about the big event, which will take place in the media center from November 27 – December 1, 2023. On Monday through Friday, the Book Fair will be open in the media center between 8:30 until 2:30, and on Tuesday, the times will run from 8:30 until 6:00.  Say goodbye to cash and hello to eWallet—your child’s digital payment account. Before the Fair, set up eWallet for worry-free, cash-free purchases. Anyone can contribute! Share each child’s eWallet so friends and family can add funds and give your kids more books to enjoy.  If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Book Fair online. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Every online purchase will also benefit our school.

Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping at https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/conleyelementaryschool8

Winter Break

We have an unusual break this year. Please be mindful that the last day of school this semester is Tuesday, December 19th.  We will resume on Monday, January, 8th.

Thanksgiving Holiday

Conley Elementary will be closed next week for Thanksgiving.  Our office will reopen on Monday, November 27th at 7:30am.

Progress Reports

Progress reports will be posted to the parent portal this Wednesday.  This report is just a snapshot of the grades at that time and current grades can be viewed at any time.

November 13- 17

Our main focus in ELA this week will be opinion writing.  I have some fun writing projects planned.  We will continue reading and discussing Love, Amalia.  This week we will only have the comprehension quiz for the story, rather than also having the assessments and cold read.  

In social studies we will begin chapter 3 The Age of Exploration.  

This Thursday we are going to do a super fun activity, but we will need some help.  We are going to review adjectives and how they make writing descriptive and exciting.  We are going to do a pie tasting and then write about it. This is a fun way to practice opinion writing. We will need several different types of pie.  Pies should be store bought only.  Thank you in advance for all the things you send in to make our learning engaging and fun.  Please see the sign-up genius below if you would like to donate. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4CACA62DA2F9C16-46021210-pietasting  

November 6- November 10

Important Info:  Spelling lists for the spelling bee were sent home on Friday, November 3.  We will have the class bee Tuesday, November 28.  Classroom winners will advance to the school bee, which will be held on Wednesday, December 6.  The words should be practiced mostly at home.  We will likely only have a small amount of time to practice in class, as we have two busy weeks ahead before the break.  

ELA- Unit 3 week 1- Our story is Love, Amelia.  Our comprehension skill this week is analyzing characters.  The vocabulary words for this story are enthusiasm, shattered, reassuring, encompass, and inseparable.  We will focus on the Latin roots port, dict, ject, and terr.  There are Savvas assignments posted online that you can access through classlink.  

We will wrap up chapter 2 in social studies and take an open book test Wednesday.  We will begin chapter 3, which is Early Explorers.  

Thank you for all the items you donated for our STEAM project.  

Please read 20 minutes each evening with your child.  It is so important.  Students may read AR books at home and come to school ready to take the test.  I am hoping for most students to achieve their goal this 9 weeks.  

No school this Friday, November 10

No school November 20- 24

October 30- November 3

We have a very busy week ahead!!! 

ELA- We are wrapping up Unit 2 Week 5 this week.  We will take the comprehension and cold read quiz this Thursday and the assessment Friday.  The vocabulary words for this unit are sanctuaries, diminished, thrive, unfettered, and cooperate.  We are also learning base words with prefixes and suffixes.  There are online assignments on Savvas for this material if you are hoping for extra practice for your child. 

Our Read- A- Thon glow party is tomorrow.  This will be a fun reading time in which students can read and take AR tests.  I am hoping this extra time will be beneficial in making their AR goal.  Also remember students must make the percentage goal, meaning they are reading for accuracy, as well as the point goal.  The average for test score should be 80% or above to make the percentage goal.

 Please feel free to send in store bought treats, if you wish for tomorrow. 

On Wednesday will be doing our STEAM project building Native American shelters specific to each region.  Students will collaborate in groups, plan, choose materials, and work together to build.  This is a fun day with lots of hands on learning. 

We are continuing with chapter two in social studies, which is The First Americans.

Other important dates and info:

November 2 is picture day.  That’s this Thursday. 

11/10- No school- Veteran’s Day

Dimes for Down Syndrome

This week we are collecting dimes to support the Down Syndrome Foundation of Tallahassee. This foundation supports families in our community including Conley families.

October 23-27

Red Ribbon Week

Monday- wear red

Tuesday- Crazy Sock Day

Wednesday- wear your favorite team shirt

Thursday- wear jeans

Friday- wear PJs

ELA- Argumentative Texts Unit 2 Week 5

Our story this week is Let Wild Animals Be Wild and Don't Release Wild Animals Back Into the Wild. 

The word study for this week is base words and suffixes. Vocabulary words are thrive, unfettered, sanctuaries, and diminished .  We will focus heavily on writing this week.  

In social studies we are learning about Native American tribes from different geographical regions and the cultural aspects. 

We are in need of some items if you are able.  I have a STEAM project planned for next week.  I also plan to have a "glowing" Read- A- Thon next Tuesday, along with some snacks.   We need the following  items: 

1. Elmer's glue
2. modeling clay
3. large popsicle sticks
4. snacks for Tuesday (cookies, fruit, juice boxes, any store-bought treats)
5. glow items from the dollar store
6. any natural materials that could be used to build Native American shelters
7. copy paper

We appreciate all the things you send in.  

Wear pink tomorrow... Friday, October 20 for Breast Cancer Awareness

AR goals for the second nine weeks have been set.  

October 16- 20

We have a busy week ahead.  We are working on unit 2 week 4 in Savvas.  Our story for this week is Tracking Monsters, which is an informational text.  Our vocabulary words are fragmented, transmitter, nocturnal, burrows, and iconic.  We are working on additional words this week that incorporate the base word graph, including the words autograph, graffiti, graphite, paragraph, and telegraph.  Additionally, the -ir and non-prefixes are included.  These words are irrational, irregular, irrelevant, nonexistent, and nonverbal.  This information went home with students on Tuesday.  

We will have a comprehension and cold read quiz this Thursday, October 19th.  We will have the unit 2 week 4 assessment on Friday, October 20, along with a vocabulary quiz.  

In social studies we are learning about Native Americans.  I plan to do a fun STEAM project in the upcoming weeks.  We need supplies for this if you are able to contribute.  Some things on the list include large popsicle sticks, white Elmer's glue, modeling clay, small sticks from your yard, pinecones, small rocks, or any other items that may be useful in building a Native American shelter.  If you would rather send in a dollar to contribute, that is helpful, too.  

Wishing you a wonderful week. 

Mrs. Quisenberry