FUEL 5th Grade Monthly Update

Hello 5th Grade Families!

We are trying something new this year! I will share out a monthly flyer specifically for 5th grade families that will be focused on 5th grade events and to-dos. This final semester of elementary school can often be a whirlwind of events and activities - our goal is to send one of these informational newsletters out each month with your need-to-knows!

Note: this does NOT take the place of the FUEL weekly newsletter. Your school-wide events, dates, etc. will still all only be in that newsletter. The regular newsletter will contain 5th grade events as well, but this will hopefully help to streamline the information for you in this final semester.

If you have any feedback, please feel free to send it my way via Remind or email: katharine.jeffrey@ferndaleschools.org

The majority of our scheduling transition days are done! Check out resources below and final dates for transition activities:

• Student Slide Deck from 2/13/25 & 2/25/25
• Parent Information Night Slides
• FMS Electives & Activities
• AVID Application
• FMS Tour & Student Panel Presentation Slides from 3/13/2025

Please also read Mrs. Castle's MARCH COUNSELOR UPDATE.

• Tuesday, March 11 - 5th Grade Camp Meeting, 7:00-8:00 pm in FUEL Cafeteria (Zooming in with Camp Copneconic!)
• Thursday, March 13th - FMS Building Tour & Student Panel, 6 pm in the FHS Auditorium (students welcome, too!)
• Tuesday, March 18th - 5th Grade Battle of the Books, 1:30 pm @ FUEL Gym
• Monday, April 7 - Friday, May 16 - MSTEP Testing Window (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies)
• Monday, April 21 - All Camp Payments AND Forms Due (NO EXTENSIONS or LATE SUBMISSIONS)
• Monday, May 19 - Friday, May 23- 5th Grade Sex Education Lessons
• Tuesday, May 27 - Thursday, May 29- 5th Grade Overnight Camp @ Camp Copneconic

Save the Dates:

• 5th Grade Move Up Day, - Wed. 6/4, 11:45-2:30 pm (field trip to FMS)
• End-of-Year 5th Grade Celebration Event - Thurs. 6/5, 2 pm @ FUEL Playground

About Wait Until 8th: The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade.

Why Sign the Pledge?: Did you know that top Silicon Valley executives do not allow their own children to have a smartphone until the age of 14? Some of the reasons to delay include the following:

• Smartphones can impair sleep and increase the risk for anxiety and depression.
• Smartphones can be an academic distraction and excessive use of screens actually alters children's brains.
• Many other reasons can be found at waituntil8th.org/why-wait

How to Sign the Pledge:

• Visit waituntil8th.org/take-the-pledge
• Complete the fields -- be sure to enter OAK PARK as the City of Child's School
• On the second page, Ferndale Upper Elementary will appear in the dropdown.
• If your child is a 5th grader, please type in Ferndale Middle School in the "Next School" field -- it may not appear in the search.
• Click Submit!

What Happens Next: Once 10 families from FUEL have signed the pledge, you will be notified that the pledge is active. You will receive a list of families who are delaying smartphones and will be connected via email with the parents. It's helpful to be connected with other families who are waiting!

Questions: Please visit waituntil8th.org or email Colleen Clark (colleenpk1@gmail.com) for questions or additional information.

Battle of the Books 2025

Prior to break, our local Ferndale librarians came to meet with our 5th graders to review our Battle of the Books competition scheduled for Tuesday, March 18th! This program is sponsored and run by the Ferndale Library each year. It is an optional event, and students sign-up in groups of 3-4 students. They are not required to read all of the books - though they certainly can! They will then work as a team to answer questions about the books on the day of the Battle!

We are in need of 2-3 parent volunteers for Tuesday, March 18th during the Battle. The commitment time is 1:20-3:00 pm in the FUEL Gym. Volunteers will be "running" the slips from the battle floor to our judges! Please email Mrs. Jeffrey at katharine.jeffrey@ferndaleschools.org if you are willing to volunteer!

Check out more information at the library's website HERE.