Parents & Students, thank you for such an incredible year! I feel so thankful to be a part of the Georgetown community! Thank you for your partnership this year as we worked together to grow your kiddo emotionally, socially and academically. Without our teamwork, we wouldn’t have made the gains that we did! Also, thank you so much for all of the end-of-the-year gifts! Completely unnecessary, but greatly appreciated! The Keurig will complement the room nicely and I hope to incorporate it into our incentives system  somehow as well! The gift cards and kind words will be cherished this summer as well!

I wish you all a wonderful summer! See you around! Check out some camp adventures below!

Mr. Cooley

PS- I will begin posting for the next year families. If you wish to unsubscribe, click unsubscribe from the email!

We had an amazing time at Camp Henry! These and more photos can be viewed and downloaded from SmugMug here.

Hello parents!  Hopefully, your child came back from camp exhausted and full of lots of stories of our adventures! What a wonderful couple days it was filled with excellent weather, activities, and laughs!  I would like to shout a HUGE thank you to our chaperones who came along and helped monitor, encourage and support your children to have the best time at camp! So…THANK YOU TO:

• Lori Armstrong
• Debbie Scholz
• Megan Lemke
• Lauren Poisson
• Joel Parm
• Doug VanderVeen

Your assistance with head counts, up-hill hikes, gear haulin’, and your sacrifice of sleepless help make this year’s camp a massive success! Check out a few pictures & videos below!

Please note some important things coming up!

• Thursday, May 24 – Social Studies Test-Study our orange foldable study guide and Quizizz (via Google Classroom)
• Friday, May 25 – 5th-grade Celebration at Craig’s Cruisers! We will be away from the building from approximately 10:00-2:00 on Friday! Today, a release form will be coming home that we need back no later than WEDNESDAY, MAY 23!

  

Hello Parents!  5th-grade camp is coming up quick! Hopefully, you and your child are already talking about what to pack and have some things beginning to be laid out! If not, use this weekend as a kickstart to avoid “packing panic” later on in the week…we’ve all been there!!!  Help your child to be PROACTIVE!

We are still working on curriculum content and we are noticing some end-of-the-year tune out.  The weather is getting nicer and students are getting antsy.  Support your child with a positive attitude and encourage them to stay focused!

Math: We are continuing our work with Measurement and Geometry.

ELA: We are working on units in reading and writing on Research-Based Argument Essays.

Social Studies: Unit 7 – A New Nation

Science: We will continue to investigate the patterns and relationships between our Sun, Moon, and Earth.

Important Dates:

• May 11 – Early Release
• May 15 – Camp plan for pick up due (Pink Half-Sheet)
• May 15 – Let your child’s teacher know if you will be visiting during the day at camp
• May 17-18 – 5th-grade Camp
• May 25 – 5th-grade celebration

Hello Parents!  We were so glad to see many of you who made it to the camp meeting this week!  If you were unable to make it, look below for a link to the presentation that was shown that highlights the important information regarding what students will do, what to pack, medication guidelines and pick-up & drop-off procedures.  PLEASE REVIEW & REFERENCE THIS CAREFULLY!

CAMP PARENT PRESENTATION

Our T.E.A.M. program started this week. T.E.A.M. stands for: TEACHING, EDUCATING, AND MENTORING (T.E.A.M.)  and is a school liaison program put on by the Michigan State Police.  It features a school-based, “law-related” curriculum, taught to by T.E.A.M. trained police officers.  T.E.A.M. will take place on Wednesdays and will be led by Deputy Smith from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department.

Important Dates:

 

• May 4 – Look out for a white PowerSchool Web Portal letter coming home with your child which details accessing important online registration and transportation information for next school year!
• May 9 – Medication Form / Camp Waiver form Due

• May 11 – Early Release

• May 15 – Let your child’s teacher know if you will be visiting during the day at Camp

• May 17-18 – 5th Grade Camp

Check out some of what we’re doing in ELA!  We’ve begun a new unit called, Argument & Advocacy, in which we are examining opinion-based reading and writing.  Currently, students are working in groups to search through articles that take different positions on particular arguments.  We are navigating elements of ethical research by holding on to our biases while we understand each point of view surrounding the topic.  After understanding both sides of the issue, students will choose a side and write to support that point of view in a balanced way.  Some topics include: Should We Recycle? ,  Should Competitive Sports be Allowed in Schools? , Should Killer Whale Shows be Banned? , Is Climbing Mount Everest Worth the Risk?, Should We Focus More on Space or Underwater Exploration? and Should Animals be Kept in Zoos? ,  Check out some photos from our work today!

 

Hello parents!  Spring has finally sprung!  It’s about time!  I cannot believe that we are going into May next week!  We have a lot of exciting things coming up, including getting ready for camp!  Be mindful of an important meeting for camp coming up next week Wednesday, May 2nd at 6:00 PM in the GES multipurpose room.  Aside from that excitement, we are working through more curriculum content and focusing on some more of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students as we continue towards the end of the school year.  Never a dull moment in fifth grade!

Math:
We will be starting Unit 8: Measurement and Geometry.

ELA:
We are starting units in reading and writing about Research-Based, Argument Essays.

Science:
We will continue exploring the scientific phenomenon around forces and motion.

Important Dates:

• May 2 – WEDNESDAY EVENING @ 6:00 PM! Parent information meeting for fifth-grade camp in the Georgetown Elementary multi-purpose room!
• May 10 – Jet’s Pizza Night
• May 11 – Early Release
• May 17-18 – 5th Grade Camp

We did some fun during MSTEP where we simulated Escape Rooms that helped review some ELA and Math materials.  They had to work collaboratively by communicating effectively and problem-solving difficult questions.  It got intense as competing groups got closer and closer to the end and even raced toward the finish line!The students had a lot of fun escaping Planet Emoji and Emoji Island!

 

Important Dates:

 

• April 24 – Culver’s Fundraiser 5-8 PM.  Come and be served by your 5th-grade teachers  from 6:30-7:00 Details

• April 24- District Wide Art Show 5:30-7:00 Details

• May 2 – Parent information meeting for fifth-grade camp (Georgetown Elementary multi-purpose room – 6:00 PM)

 

Math:

• We will be finishing up Unit 7: Algebraic Reasoning.

ELA:

• The students will be crafting an informational on-demand writing piece.

Science:

• We will be exploring the force of gravity.

Happy end-of-a-busy-week, parents! Wow! What a week! Coming back from Spring Break and jumping into 3 days of testing and an early release day! Whew!  I want y0u to know how incredibly proud I am of their hard work and tenacity during these days.  I felt that all of our students put forth their very best effort and gave their all.  We’ve intentionally kept the afternoons light to avoid the stress of added work and have opted for extra breaks, read aloud, and some fun review activities to ease the demands of the mornings.  We’ll have one more day of testing on Tuesday for Social Studies and then we’ll be done! Yay!  I am looking forward to resuming a normal schedule once MStep is behind us!

 

SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU TO PHIL SAYERS, Grace’s dad, for bringing in a fun treat to end this week’s testing!  Blizzards from Dairy Queen! What a sweet way to end 3 days of testing!  Thank you so much for your generosity and helping us celebrate our hard work!!

Important Dates:

April 10, 11, 12 & 17 – M-STEP testing dates for fifth grade. Please avoid scheduling appointments during the school day on these dates if at all possible.

April 13 – Early release

April 20 – Check out an offering from HHS Science Students.  Free Screening.  Earth Week Free Family Movie Activity:  Chasing Coral

April 24 – Culver’s Fundraiser 5-8 PM (see your fifth-grade teachers from 6:30-7:00)

May 2 – Parent information meeting for fifth-grade camp (Georgetown Elementary multi-purpose room – 6:00 PM)

Hello Parents!  Happy (almost) Spring Break Week!  5th graders have been working hard to prepare for the MSTEP test.  We have been taking advantage of using computers to review material and increase our tech skills!  Hopefully, students feel more comfortable and confident with each session.  Below, you can see some of the work we did as we collaborated on a Google Slides Presentation to teach each other and review specific geometry terms.

Important Dates:

• March 26 – **Baldwin Street Middle School tour, lunch and registration for classes (afternoon)
• March 30 – April 9 – Spring Break
• April 10, 11, 12 & 17 – M-STEP testing dates for fifth grade. Please avoid scheduling appointments during the school day on these dates if at all possible.
• April 13 – Early release

Math:

• We will be finishing up Unit 6: Operations and Word Problems

ELA:

• We are working on Text-Dependent Analysis which requires responding to reading through thoughtful, crafted writing.

Social Studies:

• We will be having a social studies test early in the week on the Revolutionary War.  Foldable study guides should be going home each night with your child.  Also, students have access to a Unit 6 Quizzizz practice link on our Google Classroom!

Counselors from Baldwin Street Middle School visited fifth-grade classrooms today to talk with students about course selection.

• All students take four core classes: ELA, science, social studies, and math.
• Students can choose from a variety of exploratory options to fit their interests or their needs for additional support or challenge in specific content areas.
• Students received course selection sheets. These must be filled out and returned to your child’s teacher with a parent/guardian’s signature by Friday, March 23.

• For a more complete explanation of exploratory options, including course descriptions and promotional videos, see the BMS Counseling page.  
• If you have questions or need more information, please contact Baldwin Street Middle School at (616)669-7750 or contact one of the counselors:
  • Jody VanZalen (works with students with last names beginning with A-K) – jvanzale@hpseagles.net
  • Marc Arnoys (works with students with last names beginning with L-Z) – marnoys@hpseagles.net

Music staff from the middle school also visited this morning to fit students for instruments.

• Students had the opportunity to try out some different band and orchestra instruments.
• Your child will be bringing home some information about these programs.

Hello parents!  It’s a bit of a short update this week but we’ll connect in person early-mid next week during our conference time!  Also, check out some photos below of some math work we were doing this week exploring the volume of composite-solid figures!

Misc.

• Conferences – I am looking forward to meeting with you at conferences!  
  • Link to my conference schedule

• March 15 – Instrument fittings
  • Teachers from the middle school will be coming to Georgetown; they will bring band and orchestra instruments here to have the students try them out.
• Jet’s Pizza Night- THURSDAY, MARCH  8th!  Mention “Mr. Cooley’s Class” when you order!
• School Safety Request from Mr. Cooley
  • If your child is a safety, please check at home for any brightly-colored safety belts that may be around.  We need those to rotate to new safeties each week. Thank you!