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5th Grade Weekly Updates

5th Grade Weekly Updates
5th Grade WeeklyUpdates

October 9, 2026 October 9, 2026

Hello 5th grade families! Please see this week's updates below. Next week is Fall Break. Students will return to school on Monday, October 19.


PLUM Registration & Invoices Update:

  • Stone Canyon EDventures has communicated that registration should open for Pine Lane families immediately following Fall Break. We will publish that information in the newsletter dated October 23rd.
  • PLUM fees have been added to MySchoolBucks. We still have one upcoming fundraiser as an opportunity for families to reduce their costs for PLUM. We recommend waiting to make payments until after all fundraising activities are completed. If you do not plan to fundraise, then you may make payments at any time in MSB. However, overpayment refunds cannot be issued.


Sincerely, The 5th Grade Teachers

Ms. Taft, Ms. Stucky, Ms. Hormachea & Ms. Dunlap

Emails Still Going to SPAM? Emails Still Going to SPAM?

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How to Create an Email Filter

If you are continuing to find emails from teachers/staff in your spam folders, a parent shared the following steps to force emails originating from @dcsdk12.org into your Inbox. We are sharing this to help ensure that our emails are consistently received by families.


How to create an email filter to ensure emails route to inbox (use a desktop browser, not a phone or tablet):

  1. Click the Search options icon (the sliders icon) on the right side of the Gmail search bar.
  2. Paste *@dcsdk12.org into the "From" field.
  3. Click "Create Filter" at the bottom of the window.
  4. Check the box for "Never send it to spam."
  5. Check "Also apply filter to matching conversations" if you want Gmail to pull existing district emails out of your spam folder right away.
  6. Click "Create Filter" to finalize it.


Once complete, all emails from any staff member, school, or automated system using the district's domain will now bypass the spam filter entirely.

CogAT Testing in November CogAT Testing in November

Dear Parents/Guardians,

DCSD is committed to implementing equitable practices to increase access to advanced/gifted learning opportunities. Based on state and national recommendations and requirements, we implement Universal Screening for students in 2nd grade (February) and 5th grade (November).

As part of this process, ALL students in 5th grade who have not been identified for gifted programming will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) the week of November 2nd. This assessment indicates the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student in comparison to grade and age mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school.

If your child is already identified for gifted programming, they will not participate in this universal screen testing. Your Gifted Education Facilitator will contact you directly with more detailed information about this process.

Please see the following for additional information linked below:

DCSD Universal Screening Letter to Families_Fall

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Robichaud at mlrobichaud@dcsdk12.org.

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events

October

  • Week of Oct 12-16: Fall Break
  • Oct 19: Students return to classes
  • Oct 21: SAC Meeting (4:45 - 6:30pm)
  • Oct 28: StuCO Candy Wars Ends
  • Oct 30: Fall Class Parties
  • Oct 30: PLEA Fall Festival (5:30 - 7:30pm)

Specials Next Week Specials Next Week

Week of October 19

Stucky and Hormachea Group 1: Art

Taft and Hormachea Group 2: Spanish

Dunlap and Hormachea Group 3: PE (Bring athletic shoes!)

Candy Wars Candy Wars

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The Battle Continues after Fall Break!

Candy Wars runs through 10/28. Students should bring in bags of wrapped candy; the bigger the bag, the better the battle. You need to record the weight on the form below, and then it can be stored in the blue bins that will be up front, either in the office or by it.

Academic Updates Academic Updates

Literacy (Mrs. Taft & Ms. Hormachea)

After break, we will continue unit 2, which focuses on character development and analysis. We will be reading the excerpts "Sky Glitter" and "Ernie's Secret" from the Jason Reynolds book, As Brave As You. The students will also be using Depth and Complexity to summarize short stories. In writing, the class is planning an opinion essay about whether or not schools should have assigned seats in the cafeteria.

Math (Mrs. Stucky & Mrs. Dunlap)

Kodiak, Polar & Giant Panda Bear Groups: Students completed Unit 1 and will move on to Unit 2 after Fall Break. We will begin with understanding decimal place value and powers of 10.


Grizzly Bears: Students completed Unit 1 as well as several skills associated with decimal and fractions calculations. We will continue this line of study after Fall Break, incorporating more complex word problems, modeling a problem visually, and explaining our reasoning/thinking to others in a coherent manner.

Science (Mrs. Stucky & Mrs. Dunlap)

Students learned about Earth's moon and the stars in our Galaxy. This unti of study will continue after Fall Break, and include the movement of Earth relative to the sun and stars, and how that changes what we see from Earth (shadows, constellations, etc).

Science (Earth Systems, Hormachea & Taft)

After break, the students will learn about the hydrosphere, specifically why there is a shortage of fresh water on Earth.

STEM (Ms. Kinner)

Students are in their second rotation of specials. Each class will rotate through STEM in the coming weeks. Students will be focusing on the hydrosphere, creating a hydro dome and learning about hydroponics. If you have paper rolls, small cardboard boxes, or SMART water bottles, we could use some donations.

Excellence Trackers Excellence Trackers

Due to parent conferences this week, along with the break, there will be no excellence trackers this week.

PLUM Updates PLUM Updates

  • Stone Canyon EDventures has communicated that registration should open for Pine Lane families immediately following Fall Break. We will publish that information in the newsletter dated October 23rd.
  • PLUM fees have been added to MySchoolBucks. We still have one upcoming fundraiser as an opportunity for families to reduce their costs for PLUM. We recommend waiting to make payments until after all fundraising activities are completed. If you do not plan to fundraise, then you may make payments at any time in MSB. However, overpayment refunds cannot be issued.
PLUM Information Session Slides
PLUM 5th Grade Details At-A-Glance
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5th Grade PLUM Website
Dates, Pricing, and other important information

PLE Dress Code PLE Dress Code

At Pine Lane Elementary, we pride ourselves on the appearance of our facility, students, and staff. Our dress requirements reflect our belief that school is a dedicated place for teaching and learning. Please review the key expectations from our student handbook below:

  • Tops & Shirts: Must reach the belt line or be long enough to tuck in. Midriffs must remain fully covered.

  • Pants, Shorts, & Skirts: Pants and shorts must be worn at the waistline with no visible undergarments. Skirts and shorts should be a reasonable length (mid-thigh length is a helpful guide).

  • Footwear: Tennis shoes are strongly recommended for PE class and daily playground activities.

  • Prohibited Items: Hats and costume-like apparel are not permitted outside of designated spirit days. Apparel with emblems, symbols, or graphics promoting alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or illegal activity is strictly prohibited, as is any clothing that disrupts the learning environment.

Friday Late Start Reminder Friday Late Start Reminder

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Pine Lane’s Friday start time: 9:55 AM

  • 9:45 students can arrive at school
  • 9:55 Final Bell rings
  • Breakfast will be available from 9:45 - 9:55 when the bell rings
  • 5th Grade has an alternate schedule on Fridays, and lunch/recess are at a different time.
Please plan accordingly and remember: Fridays = 9:55 AM start!

Teacher Websites & Email Contact Teacher Websites & Email Contact

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Ms. Dunlap's Website | Contact Ms. Dunlap

Ms. Hormachea's Website | Contact Ms. Hormachea

Ms. Stucky's Website | Contact Ms. Stucky

Ms. Taft's Website | Contact Ms. Taft

5th Grade Teachers
Pine Lane Elementary
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