Welcome to the Dragon Class! 
Dear New Dragons,
What a pleasure and privilege it is to welcome you into the Dragon classroom- fantasy realm of incredible learning experiences designed to stimulate your imagination, activate your creativity and satisfy your love of learning. This year as a fifth grader, you will face many challenges that will empower you with confidence and courage, while you engage in a rich variety of exciting units of study. Over the course of this school year, we will work together to refine previously learned skills, develop new skills, and discover the treasure of your own potential and hidden talents! To facilitate this goal further, we have planned wonderful fifth grade adventures which include culminating events like our ‘Westward Expansion Exhibit’ and ‘African Celebration.’ In addition, our overnight field trip to Galena, IL and Dubuque, IA, scheduled to take place in May, will provide enrichment to our Social Studies and Reading/Language Arts curriculum. It is sure to become a memorable highlight from your fifth grade experience!
In the ancient Celtic culture, the Celts named the dragon the guardian of the world. They believed the dragon to be the most courageous, intelligent, and strongest creature of the world; therefore, it was charged with the responsibility of overseeing and protecting all other creatures of the earth from harm. As a new Dragon student, you will be tested to be the guardian of your dragon world. You will work and play with your fellow Dragon classmates to create a magical learning environment in which every student feels safe and free to share her/his uniqueness. Together, we will celebrate the individuality of each member of our Dragon classroom and continue the charge of being noble guardians of our world.
There are several exciting changes awaiting you at Quest Academy this year! We will welcome our new Middle School head, Ms. Terri Wallace, along with several new teachers and staff members! We will explore and integrate new technology into our year of in-depth learning experiences, and the West Campus will continue to offer you an extended classroom learning environment, specifically designed to enhance your school experiences, while you continue your educational journey as a new 5th grader! In addition, you are sure to find the most recently completed summer building renovations quite wonderful!
Progressing to fifth grade will present you with several new experiences, all intended to propel you further and deeper into the most important journey- learning about and understanding yourself. I am always thrilled to be given the opportunity to teach and guide my students along that very important journey, so I am especially excited about each upcoming school year and meeting my new class of Dragon students!
I know that your summer vacations have provided you great family fun, travel, relaxation, or perhaps even interesting summer studies. Such summer delights are the necessary “fuel” needed to propel you forward into each upcoming school year with enthusiasm and energy, so I encourage you to enjoy the remainder of your summer vacation thoroughly.
In the meantime, I will be busy preparing our Dragon classroom and planning our new school year. You may visit me and your new Dragon classroom during the final Teacher In-Service day- Tuesday, August 25th from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. for a quick “look around” before our first day of school on Wednesday, August 223rd . Please feel free to email me if you cannot stop by for a visit. My email address is: heidi.senetra@questacademy.org.
*To all new Dragon Parents,
I would like to send a warm welcome to all new Dragon parents! I look forward to meeting all of you very soon! It will be a pleasure to communicate with each of you about your 5th grader’s progress and growth, as well as provide you with important information that will prove useful throughout the school year. On that note, I have included some important information for you and your children within this ‘Welcome’ letter. Please read through:
1. Quest Academy Nut Aware Full Policy, which I hope you will find informative and helpful when planning treats or meals for your children this year.
2. A list of materials/tools for your 5th grade Dragon student to bring to school. These materials/tools, though not provided in the school packs I will have ready for them, will be necessary additions for their course work. I encourage all Dragon students to acquire and bring them to class as soon as possible. However, students may have until the end of the second full week of school to acquire these items, if they need more time.
3. A list of optional “extras” that each student may bring to school, but are not required.
Lastly, I invite all new Dragon parents to attend the Lower School ‘Meet the Teacher Night’ on September 8th at 6:30 p.m. when I will share detailed information about the 5th grade curriculum, my homework policy, and our classroom goals. I look forward to seeing and/or hearing from you very soon!
Most eagerly,
Mrs. Heidi Senetra
Dragon Teacher- 5th Grade
List of additional materials/tools to bring to class: 
- American Heritage Dictionary- most recent paperback edition, if possible. (Barnes and Noble, Amazon. com, or other book stores)
- Roget’s Thesaurus– most recent paperback edition, if possible (Barnes and Noble, Amazon. .com, or other book stores)
- A pair of clean athletic shoes to keep at school and use for P.E. classes only
- Calculator- Texas Instruments- II- 30xa solar- (Office Max, Staples, or other office supply stores)
- Metal hand-held pencil sharpener- artist pencil sharpener (Michael’s Crafts, Office Max, Staples, or other office supply store) Please bring a small plastic container in which to collect your pencil shavings as you sharpen your pencils)
* Note: Please do not purchase or bring a large three-ring multi-subject binder to class! You will have individual folders in which to house your papers. Let’s keep our backpacks free from heavy weight and our desks neat and free from bulky clutter!
** Also, you will be provided with a plastic school box in which to house your pencils, pens, markers, etc., so you needn’t bring your own, unless you prefer to use it in place of the one I provide.
*** List of optional “extras” for your desk: 
- Small toss pillow- for your chair
- Small houseplant – to care for and keep at your desk. Please find its botanical/scientific name, its common name, and select a personal name for your plant. Bring notes about how to care for your plant and a water saucer to catch draining water beneath your plant.
- Small personal item- to keep on your desk and make you feel “at home” (framed photo, dragon miniature, or other small figurine, small knick-knack box for pencil sharpener, paper clips, etc,)
- Small water bottle– for occasional sips during class.
**** Reminder s for all Dragon students!
Remember to bring daily:
- A small/medium size book bag /backpack to carry school materials to and from home and school. (Students must keep backpacks cleaned out and free from collected clutter)
- A nutritious snack and drink for mid-morning or afternoon snack (candy or soda not permitted)
- Your assignment notebook (provided by teacher) ….(if lost, student must purchase replacement)
- A nutritious lunch- (candy and soda is strongly discouraged!!!)
- Your daily school materials/tools- (students will be required to replenish particular materials they use up or lose throughout the year)
- Your enthusiasm, respectful and courteous manners, courage, patience, strong work ethic, cooperation, open-mindedness, curiosity, flexibility, creativity, and talents!
See you soon!
Mrs. Heidi Senetra