Ms. B. in Class

Welcome 5th Graders!!

I am so excited to join Guy Elementary this year in 5th grade. I know some of your students because I was lucky enough to teach summer school here as well. For those for whom I am new, I know new and unexplored things are uncomfortable, scary, and exciting. Know I am feeling all of that, too!

I’m so happy to have you in my class for the 2021-2022 school year!  Fifth grade is such an exciting time. I can promise that you will learn so much by next May.  I already have lots of fun and interesting lessons, activities, and projects planned for us during the upcoming months.  We are going to teach each other so many new things. In fifth grade, you will really hone your reading and writing skills in preparation for middle school. We will also learn how to multiply and divide fractions!  You can count on a lot of fun and exciting learning surprises along the way too!

Here is your first bit of fifth grade homework!  I would like you to write a letter introducing yourself and bring it with you on the first day of school.  Follow these six steps:

Start with a greeting like Dear Ms. Boelter,
In the first section, tell me about your family and any pets you have.
Skip a line and in the next section, tell me about three different things:  what you really like about school, what you want to learn this year, and what you would like help getting better at.  (Don’t worry – we all have something we can improve on!)
Skip another line to make a new paragraph and tell me what you like to do for fun.  What are your hobbies? what sports do you like to play, what shows you like to watch, etc.
In the last paragraph, ask me any questions you might have about fifth grade.
End your letter with a closing and sign your name.  For example, Your student, Frank N. Stein

I will be sure to answer all of your letters!  I would also love for you to bring me a favorite 3×5 or 4×6 photo of yourself or your family during the first week of school.  We will display these pictures in our room all year long!

Please enjoy every last moment of your summer vacation.  I hope it has been a fantastic summer for you and your family.  I can hardly wait to meet you and find out all about you. I’m looking forward to seeing you at Meet the Teacher on Friday, August 6, at 2:40 PM.  Feel free to bring your school supplies that day.  See you soon!

Your 5th Grade Teacher,

Ms. Boelter aka Ms. B.

As this year comes to a close, I am reminded of a long time favorite quote from Mark Twain. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. I don’t know that another quote is more applicable to this year as a whole.

I’ve seen the majority of your children in “our hall” at Stuckey since they were in second grade. They walked past my room each time they went to recess. We’ve seen and done so many things together. We calculated measurement, created recipes, and made lemonade a few years ago. We shared a multicultural buffet and explored at the Springs Preserve. And last year, as we watched the news our lives changed, we felt and understood the impact of a global virus as we had our year cut short. We all had so much apprehension about how we would approach consistent learning this school year.

We started this year in make shift classrooms that included shared bedrooms, kitchen tables, dens, sofas, or any place we thought we might be able to learn. We learned that class may be interrupted by faulty modems, door bells, barking dogs, younger siblings needing attention, or anything in our reach that could draw our attention from the screen, our connection with each other. But, we persisted and persevered.

This year was rough, right? It was frustrating. We hit road blocks so many times as we attempted to learn. But, we all learned. We all became part of that productive struggle that we implore our students and children to endure to become better problem solvers. In hindsight, we approached and struggled with the concept of productive struggle, just like the kids have historically struggled. In truth, this is probably not the self reflection we are ready to undertake at this point, but I think it will be as the sting from this year’s frustration eases. The enormity of what we’ve learned as educators, students, and parents is possibly immeasurable.

I feel I did not get enough time with your students. I wanted field trips, group discussion at desks with true expression and understanding, and meetings on the carpet when we needed to work through things. I worried consistently about being able to make meaningful connection through Google Meets with your children. Amazingly, that connection was made. We connected in a way I could not have imagined. We survived together. Consequently, I feel a different type of connection to these students, one unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

So, though this year has come to a close, and as some of you know, my time at Stuckey has also come to a close as I am moving to a school a little closer to my home (the drive post COVID really wore on me, enough to make a change), the bonds we’ve created this year are never ending. I’ve encouraged your students to keep sharing their successes and frustrations with me. I want to hear all about them. Classcraft will likely ever be a part of my classroom, and your students can message me, or send an email, whenever they need an ear or just to be heard.

Thank you for sharing this year with me. Thank you for raising incredible human beings. Thank you for trusting me with your student’s education. They make me a better person each day. Have a wonderful summer.

With love,

Ms. Boelter

The Drive Thru Clap Out for our 5th graders will be Monday, May 24th, from 4:30 pm – 6 pm. Families can drive through the Stuckey Parking lot and the Stuckey Staff will be there to cheer them on to middle school. Students must stay in their cars while driving through.

From Mrs. Young:

Thank you to all the families and students that checked out a Chromebook, hotspot or iPad for the 2020-2021 school year. At the conclusion of our school year, Stuckey ES will need to collect ALL Chromebooks, hotspots and iPads that have been checked out. Please see the attached flyer for more information about dates and times for Technology Collection.

What you need to know:

Please see the attached flyer for the dates and times of the location.

If the student does not check back in their Chromebooks they will be fined the full amount and the device will be disabled.

Students will be fined for any damage they caused to the device.

Fines can be paid during the scheduled Technology Collection in cash or check.

Chromebooks need to be fully charged at the time of drop-off.

Both the Chromebook and power cord will need to be present at the time of check-in.

Please clean the device with a damp disinfectant wipe prior to returning the device.

Please be patient as we collect the devices and limit the amount of people coming to drop-off, as only 2 people per family will be allowed in the building at a time.

WHO: All Stuckey 5th graders (students who RSVP’d only)

WHAT: Food Truck Friday (Students will be getting a personal pizza, a s’more, drinks, gold fish, and oranges.)

WHEN: May 21st from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm. (If your child is doing distance learning, please drop them off no earlier than noon and pick them up no later than 1:30.)

WHERE: Stuckey Playground by the 4 square courts

***We will also be taking our 5th Grade group picture, so students are asked to wear their 5th grade shirt.

Please do not send your student with a backpack tomorrow. We will not have space for them in the multipurpose room. They can bring their lunch and their chromebooks. Thank you!

Promotion

Our promotion is at 2:15 tomorrow. Distance learning students are encouraged to arrive as early as 1:45. They will be sent up to our room and we will enter the multipurpose room as a group.

I am so excited we get to share a promotion this year.

Don’t forget your tickets and make sure to read the message from Mrs. Mills attached to the message with your tickets.

Send me a Remind Message with any questions!

Curriculum/Class This Week

We do have promotion on Monday and our Picnic/Food Truck on Friday. Other than the times detailed for the events, there will be synchronous and asynchronous lessons. Though the last day to turn in missing work was last Friday, students will still be responsible for graded work this week.

Our digital planner is here:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQl6V2bx0S5ImMazIk-olUFC-8mv_AUoGCfEuK26sYUJ7Fi-3Kenj3Ciag54ZjTQlL8joDG_mysxYoT/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000

Important Dates

5th Grade Promotion Ceremony:
Monday, May 17th – Boelter 2:15-3:10
(2 guest tickets per student ONLY. Assigned seating in the multi-purpose room will be stated on your tickets. RSVP mandatory.)

Food Truck Friday:
Friday, May 21st – 12:00-1:30pm
(Distance learning students must be dropped off at 12:00pm and picked up at 1:30pm.)

5th Grade Drive Thru “Clap-Out”:
Monday, May 24th – 4:30-6:00pm
(Please drive thru the parking lot at Stuckey ES and wave goodbye to your teachers. Students must remain in the vehicle.

Last Day of School:
Wednesday, May 26th
(Dismissal time 12:35pm)

Completed tiles will need to be returned to Stuckey by Wednesday, May 12th. Please make sure they are dry when returned and please write your student’s name on the paper bag. In person students can bring them when they come to school. Distance learning students will need to drop tiles off between 3:30 and 5:30 on Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday,  May 11th – 10:20-12:20 (may need extra time after lunch)

Thursday, May 13th – 10:20-12:20 (may need extra time after lunch)

All students must MAP test. There is no opt-out option. Distance learning students will MAP test from home on the Google Meet. All screens MUST be on during MAP testing.

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Tomorrow, our class will start Mock Middle School. This means students will move from class to class and receive instructions from all 5th grade teachers as well as our counselor, Mrs. Reicher.

Students will be on expected to participate in live lessons all morning after specials, until lunch. The schedule with links is posted in our Google Classroom My Digital Planner. I’ve also posted our digital planner here, but without links to the teacher’s Google Classroom Meets for privacy reasons.

We also MAPs test on Tuesday and Thursday. Students can take this test at home, but must remain on camera at all times. This is a test that shows the growth over the year for each student. Students cannot receive help while taking this test. It is not for a grade.

After Mock Middle School finishes in the afternoon, students will have a study hall in which they’ll do all of their independent/asynchronous lessons for the day. Specials will continue to be first thing in the morning. Mock Middle School work is graded and students are required to participate.

Here’s our digital planner for the week: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTxXfRwILOmaJcoXZ3hvg-d9K6oAKQZuID1IldgI_uS9xFnoG4-AK0QUlMtuD2RYYYFxCZ27q-0wNxi/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000