Fifth Grade: Practicing Leadership Skills Fifth grade students are taught leadership skills and are given daily opportunities to lead.  The children learn to share the vision of the school, strive to make a difference, help each other, use good judgment, and perform small but effective acts of selflessness.  During Monday morning all-school ceremonies, they raise the flag on the flagpole, lead the flag salute, and make announcements.   The students are involved in community service projects throughout the year, such as a beach cleanup day, and the American Heart Association Jump-a-thon! Powerful literature units are integrated with the study of American History.  It's one thing to learn the facts about our nation and begin to understand big ideas like democracy and equality, but it's even better to experience them with the characters of great books, such as Johnny Tremain. Challenging mathematics lessons foster growth and development of higher levels of logical thinking and algorithmic prowess.  The program reinforces the basic skills of math, yet expands each student's math awareness, and problem solving expertise. Fifth graders take an in-depth look at the oceans and what lives in them.  They visit the tide pools several times a year, and take a field trip on the Floating Marine Classroom, where they spend the day catching and sorting fish, dredging for invertebrates and collecting plankton samples.  In the spring, both fifth grade classes hike to the top of a mountain.  Most importantly, though, fifth graders are being prepared throughout the year, academically and socially, for the transition to Middle School.