5th Grade 

2023-2024 

             Newsletters             

March Update

I hope this finds you warm and enjoying the nice "heat wave" we are experiencing. (LOL) This newsletter will contain a lot of important information so I appreciate you reading to the very end. I have included information about our Valentine's Party as well as Parent Conferences. 


Important Dates


Wednesday, 2/14 - Valentine's Party 11:55-12:50

Friday 2/16 - NO SCHOOL

Monday 2/18 - NO SCHOOL

 3/4-3/7 Parent Teacher Conferences

Spring Break 3/18-3/22

CMAS testing: Weeks of 4/2-4/4; 4/9-4/11; 4/16-4/18 (all testing takes place in the morning please be mindful of scheduling appointments during this time) 


Parent Conferences


I have an incredible opportunity to go visit my daughter in Italy this year so we are heading out the week before Spring Break. This is when the whole school is hosting conferences this year and I will be gone. Because of this, I will be having conferences the week of March 4-7. I plan on hosting one late night so that I can accommodate those of you that need a later time due to work. I appreciate your understanding and support in this matter and if those dates do not work for you, I would be glad to meet with you the week before. I will be sending my schedule next week so that you can sign up for conferences. If you do need an alternate date, please let me know as soon as possible. Thanks!


Just so you know, I have a substitute in my room that will be the same for the whole week. She is a well-known sub by the kids and was in my teammates long term sub position last year at this time. She knows the kids as well as the curriculum and curricular materials so unless anything major happens, Jennifer Brown will be in my classroom. (Not to be confused with Dr. Brown, principal.... ) Again, thank you for understanding and your support. Having my own daughter a full continent AND ocean away is pretty heart wrenching!! Thank goodness for your kids; they help fulfill part of that emptiness I feel having her away.  


Valentine's Party


The kids have decided they would like to play Bingo, Trivia, and pass out Valentines cards. We will be having our party from 11:55-12:50. Here is the sign-up genius link for volunteers to help out and provide goods. Thank you in advance for this! We have 24 kids in our classroom. I will be sending home the class list on Monday, 1/30.


Reading


We are finishing up our nonfiction reading unit on Innovation in a Changing World (a study of argumentative text as well as problem/solution text structure and summarizing and synthesizing) and will be jumping back into fiction. Our next unit , Unit 6 Struggles for Survival has kids focusing on themes, inferring, comparing and contrasting, and how the setting influences the plot of a story.. We will also be looking at a variety of survival stories that help kids recognize the theme of struggling to survive. As an addition to this text, our read aloud is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. We will be carrying what we learn in Unit 6 into that story and other book club books that we read about survival. 


Writing


We will be finishing up writing through a historic lens this week. Students have been busy researching and learning about various events that led to or were part of the American Revolution. I am excited to read these published pieces this week and can't wait for you to see them as well! After this, we will be diving into writing during assessments in order to refresh our memories about the various writing assessments we will have to do during CMAS. The purpose of this unit is to address constructed response writing that students will have to do for years to come. 


Science 


Students will be learning about water sources and matter in the next few weeks. After we look at the distribution of water on earth, we will be diving into matter by  exploring the properties of matter and its interactions with other matter. 


We will be exploring many phenomena while learning the following concepts: 


Math


We are on the verge of finishing up our unit on Addition and Subtraction of Fractions. Next up, Multiplication and Division of Fractions!  In this unit, students will be learning how to multiply fractions and mixed numbers. Your student may have assumed that multiplying numbers always makes them larger, and dividing always makes a number smaller. He or she may be surprised at first that multiplying a number by a fraction less than 1 gives a product that is less than the original number, not more. Your student will also need to understand that 1/3 of a number means 1/3 times that number and is a way of expressing multiplication.

Here is an activity you can use to acquaint your student with the concept of finding a

fraction of a fraction


"Taking a Part Apart"


Each of the figures below represents the number 1 divided into fractional parts. Ask your child to shade a part of each figure on the left to represent the fraction above it. In the figure on the right, ask your child to shade only a part of the area he or she shaded before, so as to represent the fraction of a fraction above it.

Other resources that may be helpful to your student during this process are Math Antics Videos on YouTube. The presenter teaches students math by breaking down the process and showing them examples of how to do the problems. I understand that when they get home, sometimes they forget what we learned and these videos can quickly help them remember. We will be focused on the topics multiplying fractions by whole numbers, whole numbers by fractions, fractions by fractions, and mixed numbers by mixed numbers/fractions. 

For more information specific to the unit, please click on the links provided and it will take you to more lesson specific information. I am including Unit 8 and 9 in this newsletter.

Unit 8: Multiplication of Fractions

Unit 9: Division of Fractions



Thanks for reading all the way through and I hope you have an excellent week!!

January Update

Welcome Back!! 


I'm so excited to welcome the kids back to school in this new year! Wow! 2024...I cannot believe I am typing 2024. The years are certainly flying by but as we sit and reflect on the year that we would like to have, I can say with certainty I am so excited to be spending this half with your children!  I am still waiting to find out information about Outdoor Education. As soon as I know, I will be passing it on to you. 


Important Dates


Monday, January 15 - NO SCHOOL (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

Friday & Monday February 16 & 19 - NO SCHOOL (PLC day for teachers & President's Day)

Parent - Teacher Conferences - TBD**

March 18-22 - Spring Break

May 6-7 - Outdoor Education at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park** 


**(more information to come)


Reading


We will be starting Unit 5: Innovation in a Changing World.  In this unit, we will be exploring nonfiction texts again and we will be learning how to summarize and synthesize, about the text structure of problem/solution, analyze argument, and we will continue our work in using context clues to build our vocabulary using roots and affixes. Students continue to work in small targeted instructional groups with me during this time.

Writing

We are going to embark on one of my favorite subjects and topics to write about: history! To write as a historian means that we are not just sharing important parts of history but also analyzing those moments. Historians choose a perspective to write from and then explain this perspective in ways that help readers not only remember important parts but also synthesize their learning. For instance, one writer may look to write about the youth who supported the civil rights movement while another may write about political leaders during this time. This type of writing is not your report writing from years ago. It is much more like current nonfiction where writers utilize different text structures and features to best explain their time period and perspective. Writers will develop their ideas with voice and craft while keeping an audience in mind. Students will be creating an informational piece about a topic of choice from Colonial history (1700-1775). 

Math

Fractions here we come! Students will begin Topic 7 by activating their schema about the different parts of a fraction, comparing and ordering fractions, and then finding equivalent fractions. Once we feel confident in those skills we will be off to the land of computation! We will begin with adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators. As I mentioned with division, the most important work your child can be doing at home is practicing their multiplication and division facts. I challenged your child to practice their facts for five minutes a day over break. Oftentimes, students can remember the steps of finding equivalent fractions, but when they aren't fluent with their facts, they get the small multiplication or division conversion wrong and then they have decided they will never like fractions! We will also extend our math fact practice to include using the words factors and multiples. So for example, in the car if you can ask your child to list the factors of 20, you are asking them to list all of the multiplication combinations that equal 20, 1x20, 2x10, 4x5. Multiples are when we skip count by the starting number. So multiples of 20 would be 20, 40, 60, etc. 

Unit 7 Parent Resources (click on the link and it will take you to a pdf; all links in the pdf are live and you can click for more lesson specific resources at the bottom of the page)

Science

Your child is about to begin a new journey as he or she explores water on our Earth and the protection of Earth’s resources and environments. Your child’s mission will be to understand Earth's major systems, available water on Earth, and what steps we can do to conserve water. As your child works toward this goal, he or she will be exploring many phenomena while learning the following concepts: 

● Earth’s major systems (geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and     

   atmosphere) interact with each other.

● Most of Earth’s available water is in the ocean, and most of Earth’s 

  freshwater is frozen in glaciers and ice caps. 

● People can use information about Earth’s systems and water to protect 

   Earth’s resources and environments. 


We will do many investigations in class over several weeks to help your child learn these concepts from firsthand experiences. Encourage your child to share these experiences with you and to teach you what he or she has learned. Ask your child to identify examples of what he or she is learning in everyday life



December Update


Important Dates


11/27 - First day back

12/21 - Holiday read in/party

12/22 - 1/8 - Winter Break No School

1/9/24 - First day back

1/15 - No School (Martin Luther King Jr Day)


Important Math Request from the 5th Grade Team

We wanted to bring to your attention the significance of our last block of the day, our math block is from 2:10-3:15. Lately, we've observed that many students are being pulled out during this time, which can impact their understanding of crucial math concepts.


While we understand that end-of-day appointments are sometimes unavoidable, we believe that pulling students out before 3:15 is having a notable effect on their learning experience. To mitigate this impact, we kindly request your collaboration in minimizing early check outs during our math block.


If avoiding early dismissals is not possible, we will ensure that students bring home their in-class assignments and any assigned homework on the same day. This will help them stay on track and avoid any regression in their learning. Your support in this matter is greatly appreciated, and together, we can ensure that every student gets the most out of our afternoon math block.


Outdoor Ed Change

Exciting news! We've had a slight change in plans for our upcoming outdoor education field trip. The date is now set for May 6-7, and we've secured a fantastic new venue YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park Center, that promises an enriching experience for our students.


We're thrilled about this adjustment and believe it will add an extra layer of excitement to the trip. Please mark your calendars with the new date, and we can't wait to explore and learn together at Outdoor Ed. 


Looking forward to the adventure and discovery! As of now, we are waiting to hear from the YMCA of the Rockies for classes, information on cabins, food, etc. When we have more logistical and event specific information, we will share that with you immediately. 


Reading


We have been reading nonfiction in this unit. Our focus has been on the question: Why do laws continue to evolve? The kids have really enjoyed reading about the various reasons why our laws have changed and how amendments change. We have been working hard on the skills of determining important, main idea, summarizing, identifying the text structures of cause and effect and compare/contrast, and using those text structures to help us summarize. We will finish up this unit on Thursday.


Our next unit will be a fiction unit focusing on inferring, identifying third person point of view, figurative language, identifying context clues with cause and effect relationships, and comparing and contrasting different points of view. We will also be launching another book club so expect your child to be reading a book at home to help them finish up their assignments so they can meet. Those books are TBD as I like the students to pick them out of a group of books I present to them. They will be a mix of adventure and historical fiction. 


Writing


Our unit in writing was focused on memoirs. Students chose a topic of their choice from a time in their life where they learned a lesson and have developed it into a quick, short memoir. Students have focused on adding in sensory details, exciting introduction, endings that provide closure, lessons that can be taught, and more.  Our fifth graders are at a point in life where they can look back over their life and consider stories that really taught them something about themselves, others, or the world around them. These are important stories to tell and also hear. In order for this to happen in authentic ways, we relied on our writing community, where there is trust and respect, to help us brainstorm and write our stories.  We will be finishing this up this week and moving into another narrative focused unit: responding to literature. 


Our literary essay unit is a fun and engaging unit that prepares students for our next writing unit: argumentative essay writing. students will pick a short story and analyze it by looking for an idea that they can write about. We will learn how to write a thesis and find evidence to support that thesis. By the end of this unit, students will have written a five paragraph essay that includes an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. 


Math


Unit 5: Use Models and Strategies to Divide Whole Numbers

In this topic, your student continues to develop his or her understanding of division by

using number sense and models to divide whole numbers up to 4-digits by 2-digit divisors.

Your student will use strategies such as rounding and compatible numbers to estimate

quotients. Then he or she will use patterns and relationships in different methods to

calculate the actual quotients.


Here are two activities that you can do with your student to help him or her review

division and practice estimating when dividing with greater numbers and two-digit

divisors.


Reviewing Basic Facts

Review basic division facts. Have your student name a related multiplication

fact for each division fact. For example, if the flash card shows 42 , 7 = 6,

a related multiplication fact is 6 × 7 = 42.


Break It Up

Step 1 Choose a 3-digit number, such as 526.

Step 2 Work with your student to create a story that involves dividing the chosen whole

number into a number of equal groups that is greater than 10.

Step 3 Have your student find the number in each group and tell if there is a remainder.


We will be taking the test for this unit the week we get back from break; however, it will be closer to the end of the week. Here are some other family resources for you for Unit 5. Click on the link and you will be brought to a great resource for each lesson. This resource will show you how I am teaching the idea of division. I will also be teaching students how to use the traditional method of division. 



Unit 6: Use Models and Strategies to Divide Decimals


In this topic, your student is learning to divide decimals by decimals and by whole

numbers. He or she will be asked to divide decimals to the hundredths place in a variety of

ways, including using models and strategies based on place value and number sense. Your

student will also develop proficiency in estimating when dividing decimals.


Try this activity with your student to help him or her practice dividing a decimal number

by a whole number.


Share the Money

Materials: real or play dollar bills, dimes, and pennies

Step 1:  Pose this problem: Three sisters want to share $3.48 equally. How can they divide

the amount equally? Display 3 dollar bills, 4 dimes, and 8 pennies.

Step 2:  Have your student suggest some ideas for sharing the money equally. If needed,

remind your student that a dime can be traded for 10 pennies.

Step 3:  Work together to find the answer. Then have your student model the solution: Each

sister gets 1 dollar bill, 1 dime, and 6 pennies. Have your student record the amount. ($1.16)

Step 4:  Repeat with the amount of $2.94. (Each sister gets 9 dimes and 8 pennies; $0.98.)

Continue with other amounts of money that can be shared equally



Here are some other family resources for you for Unit 6. Click on the link and you will be brought to a great resource for each lesson. If you click on the arrow by the word "Overview" on the left of the screen a dropdown menu will appear with all of the lesson links. If you need to help your child at home, this will provide that help. It has videos included that your child can watch. Don't forget about YouTube as well! There are a plethora of videos on YouTube that can help! It's how I got through Middle School and High School with my daughters. :)


Science & Social Studies


We are wrapping up our Science for this semester and starting Social Studies when we get back from break. We will be learning the Geography of the United States including the 5 Themes of Geography: Location, Place, Human/Environment Interaction, Movement, and Region. I will also be encouraging students to memorize the 50 states and capitals. After that, we will begin exploring the theme of movement and location with the start of Exploration in the New Age. We will investigate why and for what reasons European explorers made their way west. 


I wish you all the best these next four weeks. May it bring you a time of reflection and enjoyment. For us, we will be looking at gratitude and happiness so that we can share that with our families and each other. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. 


Warmest regards,

Kelly Broecker



November/December Update

Good Afternoon!!


I hope this email finds you well and ready for the upcoming week. Please bear with me as it is a long newsletter, but worth it!  It's been awhile since I sent anything. I didn't want to bombard you with so much information during October since we had parent teacher conferences and then, Wham! November flew by!  It feels like every year the time speeds up. :) Since November is a time for thankfulness, I am going to take this opportunity to thank you and your families. I am so thankful for each and every one of you and your children. They bring such joy into my life every day. I sincerely love my time with them from the moment the bell rings in the morning to the craziness of the afternoon when the bell rings. We have so much fun together all while learning. They make me laugh and smile daily. I think it would have been such a tough year sending my kids to college had I not had your children to hang with daily. They have made this year one of the best and I cannot thank them enough! Now, on to you. I am so grateful for the partnership that we have built this year. I am grateful for each and every one of you in helping me to educate your children and set them up for success. Without you, my job would not be possible so thank you from the bottom of my heart! I wish you and your family the best Thanksgiving and hope it is full of laughter and love. Happy Thanksgiving!


Important Dates


11/20-11/24 - No School -Thanksgiving Break

11/27 - First day back

12/21 - Holiday read in/party

12/22 - 1/8 - Winter Break No School

1/9/24 - First day back

1/15 - No School (Martin Luther King Jr Day)


Reading


We have been reading nonfiction in this unit. Our focus has been on the question: Why do laws continue to evolve? The kids have really enjoyed reading about the various reasons why our laws have changed and how amendments change. We have been working hard on the skills of determining important, main idea, summarizing, identifying the text structures of cause and effect and compare/contrast, and using those text structures to help us summarize. We will finish up this unit on Thursday.


Our next unit will be a fiction unit focusing on inferring, identifying third person point of view, figurative language, identifying context clues with cause and effect relationships, and comparing and contrasting different points of view. We will also be launching another book club so expect your child to be reading a book at home to help them finish up their assignments so they can meet. Those books are TBD as I like the students to pick them out of a group of books I present to them. They will be a mix of adventure and historical fiction. 


Writing


Our unit in writing was focused on memoirs. Students chose a topic of their choice from a time in their life where they learned a lesson and have developed it into a quick, short memoir. Students have focused on adding in sensory details, exciting introduction, endings that provide closure, lessons that can be taught, and more.  Our fifth graders are at a point in life where they can look back over their life and consider stories that really taught them something about themselves, others, or the world around them. These are important stories to tell and also hear. In order for this to happen in authentic ways, we relied on our writing community, where there is trust and respect, to help us brainstorm and write our stories.  We will be finishing this up this week and moving into another narrative focused unit: responding to literature. 


Our literary essay unit is a fun and engaging unit that prepares students for our next writing unit: argumentative essay writing. students will pick a short story and analyze it by looking for an idea that they can write about. We will learn how to write a thesis and find evidence to support that thesis. By the end of this unit, students will have written a five paragraph essay that includes an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. 


Math


Unit 5: Use Models and Strategies to Divide Whole Numbers

In this topic, your student continues to develop his or her understanding of division by using number sense and models to divide whole numbers up to 4-digits by 2-digit divisors. Your student will use strategies such as rounding and compatible numbers to estimate

quotients. Then he or she will use patterns and relationships in different methods to calculate the actual quotients.


Here are two activities that you can do with your student to help him or her review division and practice estimating when dividing with greater numbers and two-digit divisors.


Reviewing Basic Facts

Review basic division facts. Have your student name a related multiplication fact for each division fact. For example, if the flash card shows 42 , 7 = 6, a related multiplication fact is 6 × 7 = 42.


Break It Up

Step 1 Choose a 3-digit number, such as 526.

Step 2 Work with your student to create a story that involves dividing the chosen whole number into a number of equal groups that is greater than 10.

Step 3 Have your student find the number in each group and tell if there is a remainder.


We will be taking the test for this unit the week we get back from break; however, it will be closer to the end of the week. Here are some other family resources for you for Unit 5. Click on the link and you will be brought to a great resource for each lesson. This resource will show you how I am teaching the idea of division. I will also be teaching students how to use the traditional method of division. 



Unit 6: Use Models and Strategies to Divide Decimals


In this topic, your student is learning to divide decimals by decimals and by whole numbers. He or she will be asked to divide decimals to the hundredths place in a variety of ways, including using models and strategies based on place value and number sense. Your

student will also develop proficiency in estimating when dividing decimals.


Try this activity with your student to help him or her practice dividing a decimal number by a whole number.


Share the Money

Materials: real or play dollar bills, dimes, and pennies

Step 1:  Pose this problem: Three sisters want to share $3.48 equally. How can they divide the amount equally? Display 3 dollar bills, 4 dimes, and 8 pennies.

Step 2:  Have your student suggest some ideas for sharing the money equally. If needed, remind your student that a dime can be traded for 10 pennies.

Step 3:  Work together to find the answer. Then have your student model the solution: Each sister gets 1 dollar bill, 1 dime, and 6 pennies. Have your student record the amount. ($1.16)

Step 4:  Repeat with the amount of $2.94. (Each sister gets 9 dimes and 8 pennies; $0.98.) Continue with other amounts of money that can be shared equally



Here are some other family resources for you for Unit 6. Click on the link and you will be brought to a great resource for each lesson. If you click on the arrow by the word "Overview" on the left of the screen a dropdown menu will appear with all of the lesson links. If you need to help your child at home, this will provide that help. It has videos included that your child can watch. Don't forget about YouTube as well! There are a plethora of videos on YouTube that can help! It's how I got through Middle School and High School with my daughters. :)


Science & Social Studies


We are wrapping up our Science for this semester and starting Social Studies when we get back from break. We will be learning the Geography of the United States including the 5 Themes of Geography: Location, Place, Human/Environment Interaction, Movement, and Region. I will also be encouraging students to memorize the 50 states and capitals. After that, we will begin exploring the theme of movement and location with the start of Exploration in the New Age. We will investigate why and for what reasons European explorers made their way west. 



Thanks for hanging in there until the end! Again, I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving Break and if you are traveling, safe travels. If you are staying close to home, safe travels as well. Have a great week and as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out!!




September Update

Tomorrow is the Digger Dash. Please send your child with a water bottle (with their name on it), sunglasses if wanted, a hat, sunscreen, comfortable clothes, and appropriate running/walking shoes. Also, please have them wear their 5th Grade GRE shirt. I have medals for them to match our name: Mrs. Broecker's Screaming GOATS. In addition to the Digger Dash, we have a lot going on in our classroom now that the school year is in full swing. I have really enjoyed getting to know your children! They make me laugh and smile everyday...I'm so thankful for that! 


Parent teacher conferences will be on October 10th and 12th (a Tuesday and Thursday). I will be sending out the conference schedule soon. Please look for that email. 


Important Dates


9/18 - Digger Dash envelopes due

9/22 - No School - Teacher Professional Development Day

10/10 & 10/12 - Conferences

10/16-10/20 - Fall Break


Reading


We have finished Unit 1: Partners in Survival. Students learned how to interpret the main idea of an informational text as well as how to identify personal narrative/first person point of view. They also learned the difference between author's purpose and author's message. We will continue to revisit these standards throughout the year. 


On Friday, we began Unit 2: Characters Develop Relationships. In this unit, students will be focusing on visualization and character conflicts. In this unit, your child will read stories in which he or she compares characters and analyzes their relationships with each other. We will read several excerpts from various stories and compare the responses of characters in them. This will help students get an idea of how different characters interact with each other, and it will also help them understand what makes some characters more likable than others. In addition to this example of realistic fiction, the unit also includes some letters, as well as a biography. I’m looking forward to this exciting unit, exploring with your children what makes characters “tick.” It will be fun to discover how they make connections between the characters in the stories and people in real life. Students will be reading a book in a small group. I encourage you to ask them what their book is about and talk about the conflict the characters have within that book. 


Writing


In this unit, we are working on writing like a scientist. Students will be using informational writing techniques such as text features, text structures, and elaboration in a way that will help them to write in a clear and concise manner. This genre pushes writers to use scientific details to teach about a scientific topic. By the end of this unit, students will have a written piece on a topic of their choice. 


The goals of this unit are for students to:


Science


Your child has been on the journey as he or she has been exploring the matter and energy flow in ecosystems. Your child’s mission was  to explore many phenomena while learning the following concepts: 


We have almost completed this scope and will be moving on to our next one which is Observing Our Sky. Your child is about to begin a new journey as he or she explores how objects in space are observed and how they interact. Your child’s mission will be to design a planetarium combined with a thrill ride that lets people experience and learn about the Sun, the Moon, Earth, and the stars as well as the motions of Earth and the Moon. As your child works toward this goal, he or she will be exploring many phenomena while learning the following concepts: 


We will do many investigations in class over several weeks to help your child learn these concepts from firsthand experiences. Encourage your child to share these experiences with you and to teach you what he or she has learned. Ask your child to identify examples of what he or she is learning in everyday life.


Math


In Unit 3, your student is learning to fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm. He or she will learn to explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10. Your student will also apply his or her

understanding of place value to estimate products. This topic also uses money as a real-world context to connect mathematics to problems arising in everyday life. 


There are a variety of videos on YouTube that you can find regarding multiplication. Here are some keywords to use if you want to search: traditional method for multiplication, partial products, area model for multiplication. Math Antics and LearnZillion on YouTube can be great resources for your child. Also, the videos provided by our math program are an excellent resource for your child. If they are stuck at home and are having trouble remembering the lesson, have them look in the math program in Clever under Savvas. They can access the unit and any resources to help them. You can also go to the following pdfs that I am linking here can also be a great resource for you and your child. This may help you more than I can over email. :)


Unit 3

Lesson 3-1

Lesson 3-2

Lesson 3-3

Lesson 3-4

Lesson 3-5

Lesson 3-6

Lesson 3-7

Lesson 3-8


The videos included in the parent resources are the same videos students can watch. I highly recommend the video link that says: Another Look. These videos are less than 4 minutes and explain the top of the homework sheets for them. 


I hope you have a great week and I look forward to meeting with you at conferences!

August Update

Good Afternoon!


What a wonderful three weeks it has been! I have really enjoyed getting to know your children and I am 100% impressed with the way they are already becoming a community of learners. We have made mistakes, taken risks, made friends, and have already begun learning. Each month, I will be updating you on what is to come so that you know what we are learning about and I will provide any resources that can assist you at home.


This is a long one (sorry). Please read to the end as there are some great resources for you attached!


Google Classroom


In order to access Google Classroom for any assignments that might be homework, here is a help sheet. I also sent one home with your child if they are in math with me. We will not always have google classroom assignments for homework so this is not a consistent thing, but in case you need to know it's there! Also, if you do get into Google Classroom, please do not worry about any assignments that say they are late or missing. I use Google Classroom the most for writing assignments and I put due dates for me, but that is just for planning purposes. Many times, your child will be working on an assignment for a week because we work through the writing cycle continuously within our writing block or within a topic. 


Clever


Clever is how students access all apps from the district. They have access to our reading program (Benchmark), Google Classroom, library, math program (Saavas), Discovery Education, Stemscopes (science), and more. If your child is having any difficulty with math, they can access Clever from home using this link, but they must be signed on to Google (see help sheet above). You can also find this link on our GRE website here under Student Resources. In Saavas, our math program, you will click on Grade 5 and you can/or your student can access any math videos or games associated with the lessons we have been learning. If you would like more information on how to navigate SAAVAS at home, I would be glad to meet with you in person, just let me know. It's way too hard to email steps. I can also show your child. They have been accessing it for years now so they can't tell you the famous words, "I don't know" or "I forgot." :) 


Reading


We are well underway in our first unit in Benchmark. Students are learning how to:


We are using nonfiction mentor texts to discover these skills. We will be doing this for the next two and a half weeks, and then we will move onto fiction mentor texts that have students focusing on a variety of skills that include genre classification, inferring skills, building vocabulary, imagery, visualization, and first person point of view. In this unit, your child will read stories in which he or she compares characters and analyzes their relationships with each other. We will read several excerpts from various stories and compare the responses of characters in them. This will help students get an idea

of how different characters interact with each other, and it will also help them understand what makes some characters more likable than others. In addition to this example of realistic fiction, the unit also includes some letters, as well as a biography.


Writing


Currently, we are working on perfecting the paragraph. We have just finished writing a single paragraph and now we are going to expand that into a multi-paragraph. We are doing this in preparation for our next unit on science writing. The goals of this unit are for students to plan and generate ideas for informational writing from areas of science. Writers will use scientific details to explain their topics clearly and writers will intentionally structure their writing to teach and guide their readers. I am super excited about this unit as students have shown me some fabulous writing!! 


Science


Your child has begun a new journey as he or she explores the matter and energy flow in ecosystems. Your child’s mission will be to exploring many phenomena while learning the following concepts: 


We will do many investigations in class over several weeks to help your child learn these concepts from firsthand experiences. Encourage your child to share these experiences with you and to teach you what he or she has learned. Ask your child to identify examples of what he or she is learning in everyday life. 


Math


We will be taking our first math test on Monday and Tuesday (if needed) this week. Our first learning, as many of you already know, was on place value and decimal place value patterns. This is a hard concept for kiddos and will be revisited a lot throughout the first semester through multiplication and division of decimals. Once we finish this unit, we will be moving on to Topic 2. Topic 2 is Using Strategies to Add and Subtract Decimals. One strategy I have for you when helping your child to solve any problems in this unit, is to think about decimals as money. Tenths are dimes and hundredths are pennies. I introduced the tenths and hundredths place this way when I first introduced decimals so this should help ring a bell for your child. I have linked a slew of fantastic resources for you to use in the unit. I will make sure to include these for ALL Topics going forward. This, I believe, is a new resource for us. It looks as if you do not need to be logged in to view the various links on the page, but if that changes, will you please let me know? Also, YouTube is a great resource for videos not only for your child but for you! I use them all the time to help find different ways to teach a concept and have also used those videos as a parent to help my own children as they entered Middle School and High School. I love Math Antics videos because he breaks it down so easily for kids. 


Topic 2 Overview

Lesson 2-1

Lesson 2-2

Lesson 2-3

Lesson 2-4

Lesson 2-5



I look forward to this being a successful partnership this year! Just a couple of reminders. If you email me, I have 24-48 hours during the work week to get back to you. If it is the weekend, I will get back to you on Monday unless it is an emergency email. Many times, this email will be sent to you on Sundays. If you have any questions regarding the content, I will gladly answer them during the school week. 


Thank you for the gift of teaching your children daily! I am so excited this year to be working with your children! After 23 years of teaching, I feel a sense of renewal and excitement with teaching. It's going to be a fun year!!

Back to School Night Presentation

Broecker back to school night 23-24

Dear Families,

Hello and welcome back!! I am so excited to meet and see you all! My name is Kelly Broecker (pronounced Breker) and I am so excited that I am going to be your child’s teacher for the 2023-2024 school year at Gold Rush. I cannot wait for this year to begin so that we can get to know one another and have a fun, successful year of learning! Please read to the end as this has a lot of important information for you and your child. 

Growing up in Colorado, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. 23 years ago I stepped into my first classroom and haven’t looked back. Education is my passion and watching your children grow to be strong, independent critical thinkers is why I teach. I have a BA in History from Colorado State University, my Elementary Educators license from Metropolitan State University of Denver and I have a Masters in Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction. I’ve taught both 4th and 5th grades over the past 22 years as well as one of those years as an instructional coach. This will be my seventh year at Gold Rush and I couldn’t have asked for a better community and school to be a part of.

My family and I live right here in Parker. I love teaching in the community where I live; it allows me to stay connected to my children and the entire Parker community. I am married to my husband of 23 years, and we have two wonderful daughters. Emily, 20, will be a Junior at Colorado State University, and Abby, 17, will be a Freshman at Colorado State. As a family we enjoy watching soccer, walking our dog Izzy, and hanging out together. I am so excited for the Women's World Cup!! This year will be the first time in 12 years that my husband and I are not attending weekend games to watch our girls play soccer so I have to substitute it for something and the USA Women's Team is a close second! My own hobbies include reading, rooting for CSU Ram Football, exercising on my Peloton, watching Marvel and Star Wars shows and movies (especially anything Baby Yoda {Grogu} which you'll soon see), walking to enjoy our beautiful weather and scenery. 


As we enter this year, please know that working together as a cohesive team will ensure that your child has a successful year as they prepare for middle school. Communication is very important to me and to the success of your child.  E-mail is typically the best way to reach me. During the school year I will be working with your student during school hours, so if I am not able to respond immediately, I will do my best to respond after school or the following morning.  I look forward to working with you and your child.  This is their last year of elementary school and I want it to be a memorable and fun learning experience.  I can't wait for them to experience all of the fun and exciting lessons and activities that I have planned! 

I look forward to hearing about all your summer adventures! As a family we traveled to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico where we hung out by the pool, played at the beach and saw the Ancient Mayan ruins at Tulum. You will soon find out I seek out history wherever I go when I travel because I love learning about the past. Something I'm excited to pass on to you!  We also went to San Diego for a week around the 4th of July. We spent much of the time hanging around Encinitas, Carlsbad, San Marcos (where we discovered a love of Pickleball), La Jolla, Solano, and spent the 4th at Dana Point Harbor hanging out with the seals. Unfortunately, we were only able to see the sun at the beach our last night there, but it was definitely one for the books! We saw two dolphins swimming and jumping about 100 yards off the coast. They hung out until sunset; I don't know what was more amazing, the sunset or the dolphins! 

I am looking forward to meeting you and your student at our Meet the Teacher on Monday, August 7th.  Please CLICK HERE to sign up for a 15 minute increment time slot that starts at 8:30 with the last slot at 10:50. You can sign up anytime from  July 18-29th if you haven’t already done this. (Select Gold Rush Elementary and the password is digger.) Students will drop off their supplies this day and take their pictures in the gym after our visit.  If you could please also fill out this form (also found on my website) to help me get to know your child before the first day of school, I would appreciate it! With the limited amount of time we have at Meet the Teacher, this will help give  me additional information privately prior to our first day of school. Please remember to bring the majority of your supplies with you (if possible) on this day so that students don't have the burden of carrying their supplies on the first day as we will have the traditional Flag Ceremony on the first day of school. 

Finally, if there is an alternate email you would like me to use, please let me know ASAP by responding to this email and providing me with the new email address you prefer.

Have a great rest of your summer, I can’t wait to meet you on  August 7th  and see you for our first day on August 8th!


Best regards,

Mrs. Broecker

Classroom Webpage (if you want to see pictures of my summer and family)



Me with my favorite flower!! 

My family and I near Salzburg, Austria in 2019. 

Space Mountain Summer 2021

My girls & I on a bike ride in Crested Butte (2021) where I grew up.

Emily, Abby & I

San Diego 2023

My husband and I 

San Diego 2022