Five Hawks Parent Newsletter
May 2024
Hello Five Hawks Families~
Elementary school life moves fast in May. We have celebrations, Family Fun Night, field trips and special events meant to honor your amazing children. We acknowledge and appreciate the effort you make to join us when possible!
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and we are lucky to have amazing teachers at Five Hawks! Many thanks to our PTC for their leadership in showing them how much we appreciate their work.
As you shape up plans for the summer, make sure to include daily reading time in the day. Benefits of summer reading are many including the few listed below -
- Reading helps preserve academic gains from the school year. It goes a long way in stopping 'summer slide' or 'brain drain'.
- Reading improves attention span. Too much screen time can lead to a shortened attention span, but reading can help counteract that.
- Reading can calm and comfort children, especially when you can read with them. Snuggling up together with a good book promotes bonding, reduces stress and helps children feel calm after a busy day.
- Reading is fun! All reading is good reading. Graphic novels, picture books, non-fiction books or comic books - when a child gets to choose their own book, they are invested and interested in reading. Plan a trip to the public library today!
In this newsletter:
- Family Fun Night
- Kindergarten Open House
- 5th Grade Art Show
- Choir Opportunity
- School Finance 101
- Balanced Class Sizes
In partnership,
Katy Schuerman
(952)226-0103
Family Fun Night at Five Hawks
Family Fun Night is around the corner! Mark your calendars for Friday, May 17th from 4:30-7:30 pm and plan to join us for an evening of games, fun and fellowship with other Five Hawks families!
Volunteers are needed to make FFN a success! Sign up at the link below. Let's work together to make this a great event for our kids and families!
Wristbands are $5. Cash or VENMO only. (We do not have the capacity to accept credit or debit cards.). Families are also encouraged to bring a blanket or bag chairs for additional seating. In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved indoors.
Join us at the regular PTC meeting on Tuesday, May 7th at 6:30 p.m.
Save the Date
May 13, 2024 Kindergarten Open House
Students will have an opportunity to ride a school bus and see their school.
- Five Hawks: 3:30-4:30 PM
If you have not yet enrolled your student in kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year, please do so today. Enrolling early helps us plan for staffing needs at each building.
Enroll today at www.plsas.org/enroll
4th & 5th Grade Choir Opportunity!
All students in the spring 4th & 5th grades choir have the opportunity to perform at a special performance at the end of the school year. This performance will take place the day after school gets out, on June 6th. This performance will be with elementary choirs from all PLSAS elementary schools at Prior Lake High School for the staff end-of-year celebration. Choir participants will sing 2 songs–one at the beginning of the program and one at the end of the program. Students will need to arrive at Hamilton Ridge Elementary School by 6:45 am June 6th, 2024. Students will need to wear their choir shirts. Buses will leave promptly at 7:05 am. Students will perform the first song at 8:00 am and then have breakfast. They will finish the program and return to Hamilton Ridge for you to pick up around 10:15 am. Please be on time for pickup at Hamilton Ridge!
Below is a registration link that you will need to fill out for your child to participate.
Please fill this out so that we can accurately plan for the buses and breakfast. This
registration will close on 5/10 at noon, so please take care of this as soon as possible.
Registration is free. Here is the link: https://tce.me/iGbF3n
Registration-related questions please direct to PLSAS
Community Education:
Phone: (952) 226-0310 Email: communityed@plsas.org
School Finance 101
At PLSAS, we have a love for educating that extends beyond the classroom. Take school finance for example - it’s a very complicated topic. That’s why we’ve taken the time to break down those complex money matters into bite-sized, easy-to-digest pieces.
Introducing our newly launched School Finance 101 web page - a resource designed to provide clarity and understanding in just a few short minutes.
Big decisions will be made in the coming months that will affect students, staff and our district and it is important for each person to know and understand the issues and challenges our district is facing. Explore our School Finance 101 pages today at www.plsas.org/schoolfinance101 to stay informed and engaged in shaping the future of our educational community.
Balanced Class Sizes
Our starting place in creating classes for the 2024-2025 school year is the number of students in each grade which determines the amount of staffing we are allocated by the district. The teachers, in cooperation with the principal, build balanced classrooms to create the most positive, engaging, and rigorous learning environment for all students. They consider factors such as students’ unique strengths and areas of needed growth, work habits, ability, and special individual needs. All teachers at Five Hawks are highly qualified and we do not guarantee specific teachers.
Considerations in creating balanced classes included:
- Class size
- boy / girl ratio
- Students with designations for special needs
- English language learners and language proficiency levels
- academic achievement
- social and emotional needs
- requirements for resource or behavior support
- students who work well together
- students who would benefit from being separated
Please know that while we do not take teacher requests, we work very hard at creating the best possible placement for your child.
Mark Your Calendars
May 1 - Early Release at 1:00 PM
May 8 - 1st Grade Field Trip to MN Arboretum
May 8 - 4th Grade Field Trip to MN History Center
May 8 - 4th Grade Cookie Dough Pick Up from 3:30-5:30 PM
May 9 - Kindergarten Field Trip to MN Zoo
May 16 - 5th Grade Wax Museum
May 16 - Choir Concert at 6:30 PM
May 17 - PTC Family Fun Night from 4:30-8:00 PM
May 27 - No School (Memorial Day)
May 24 - 5th Grade Track & Field Day
May 28 - Book Giveaway
May 29 - 3rd Grade Field Trip to MN Arboretum
May 29 - 4th Grade Field Trip to Lakefront Park
May 30 - ESTEM Day
May 31 - 5th Grade Graduation at 9:30 AM
May 31 - 5th Grade Five Hawks Trail at 11:30 AM
May 31 - Kindergarten Graduation at 1:15 PM
June 3 - Five Hawks Game Day
June 5 - Last Day of School - Release at 12:00 PM
Reading progress celebration.
Reading progress celebration.
Reading progress celebration.
Read Aloud with Mayor Briggs
Read Aloud with Mayor Briggs
Read Aloud with Mayor Briggs
Five Hawks Elementary School
Email: kschuerman@plsas.org
Website: https://fh.plsas.org/
Location: 16620 Five Hawks Avenue Southeast, Prior Lake, MN
Phone: (952) 226-0100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiveHawksPLS
Twitter: @SchuermanKaty