5th grade end of Year Info

5th Grade Promotion 2025

Date: Friday, May 30, 2025

Cluster A- Hall/Riggs/ Lopez- 8:00-8:45am

Cluster B- Wiggins/Knox/Ponce- 9:00-9:45am

Venue: Poe Cafeteria

See FAQ below for more details.

Each year the 5th Grade Representatives work with the teachers and staff to plan for the 5th Grade end of year events. This includes creating a theme for the year, designing class t-shirts, helping with field trips, assisting with the 5th grade promotion ceremony, and organizing last day of school activities. To cover the costs of these activities, each 5th grade family is expected to pay a $100 fee. A payment plan is available.

* The first paid 20 students of each cluster will have a lunch with the teachers in their cluster (Lunch 1: Knox/Wiggins/Ponce and Lunch 2: Riggs/Lopez/Hall).

What does your 5th grade fee cover?

T-Shirt
Photography
Promotion Ceremony
Last Days of School Activities (may include field trip)
And more…

Please consider sponsoring 5th grade graduation! Click on the 5th grade graduation sponsorship of $500 to receive (2) VIP seats to the graduation ceremony and recognition in the graduation program. This sponsorship covers the mandatory fee. (Sponsorship opportunities are now closed.)

T-Shirt Design:

The back of the t-shirt includes portraits of the 5th graders created in art class with Ms. Choi. Families can purchase their students' artwork for $20 from the Auction bidding site.

T-Shirt Photoshoot:

We had a photoshoot in April to celebrate the start of the graduation activities. The photos are available for download until June 30, 2025. Please reach out if you did not receive the 5th grade newsletter with the link.

MAY 12TH UPDATE: T-shirts have been distributed. You may still donate or pay for a Sponsorship, Marquee Message, and/or the Field Trip Chaperone fee (due by WED, MAY 14 @NOON).

May 16th: Lanier Middle School Field Trip

May 28th: 5th Grade IB Exhibition: 8:30-9:30am

May 30th: Morning Promotion Ceremony - Poe Cafeteria followed by reception in the 5th grade hallway

Cluster A (Hall/Riggs/Lopez): 8am-8.45am
Cluster B (Ponce/Knox/ Wiggins): 9am-9.45am

Two (2) people per family allowed; strictly enforced and required for safety
Professional photography of the ceremony
Your student is welcome to go home with you after the ceremony, not required
Volunteer opportunities for parents to decorate the day before and help with June activities
Volunteer opportunities for 4th grade parents to assist during ceremony (Tradition is to allow 5th grade parents to enjoy the ceremony and let 4th grade parents prepare for next year)

June 2nd-4th: The committee will also organize a series of activities for the 5th graders. Please make sure your child attends school on those days so as to not miss out on the fun!

June 2nd: Meow Wolf Field Trip (https://meow.wf/ntk-houston) - pack a sack lunch

In order to ensure safety on the field trip make sure that your child is wearing a Poe Uniform. Below are the t-shirt colors for the homerooms.

Wiggins- Purple

Knox-White

Ponce- Red

Riggs-Green

Hall- Blue

Lopez- Orange

June 3rd: "Splash Day" at the Poe Spark Park

* Please send a change of clothes and a towel for your child by Monday, June 2nd 2025.

Make sure to put them in a bag and label them with your child's name. The clothes will be stored in their respective homerooms. This is to ensure that all children will have dry clothes to wear after the splash day activities.

Please send your child to school on the day with swim clothes, shorts, t-shirts, tennis shoes, sun hats and sunscreen.

We are in need of volunteers for monitoring the slides, please sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D44ADA922A7FF2-56933399-poe5th#/

June 4th: Last Day of School Fun

Student-Teacher Kickball game
Class parties and yearbook signing time - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D44ADA922A7FF2-56933399-poe5th#/
2:45pm: Join parents and Poe at the Main entrance for the traditional clap out of all 5th graders

FAQs on the promotion ceremony:

1. What time should my student arrive at the school on the 30th of May?

Please make sure your child arrives at school before 7.30am. This is important so that your child is able to be ready to attend their respective ceremony.

2. What time should I/we arrive for the ceremony?

Parents of Cluster A- Hall/Riggs/ Lopez: Please arrive at the school by 7.30am and check in. There will be parent volunteers who will check you in for the ceremony.

Parents of Cluster B- Wiggins/Knox/Ponce: Please arrive at the school by 8.30am and check in. There will be parent volunteers to check you in for the ceremony.

Only two adults/guardians per student will be allowed to attend the ceremony. This rule will be strictly enforced on the day!

3. Are there alternate options for extended family/ friends to view the ceremony?

Yes, the graduation committee is hoping to provide parents with a link to the PTO Youtube channel to be able to view the event live and also access to a recording of the ceremony for viewing after. Information on the link will be provided in the upcoming days.

4. Is there a dress code for the students for the ceremony?

Students are allowed to wear a formal dress that would suit the occasion. There will be no cap or gowns for the students. Make sure that the attire adheres to the dress code of the school.

5. Will there be a professional photographer?

Yes, there will be a professional photographer who will take a photo of every student as they receive their certificate from Mr. Alaniz. There will be a QR code provided for the two ceremonies in the printed program for the day. The QR code will also be made available for parents via this email. Once the photos are processed and reviewed they will be available for families to download. Please allow for sufficient time for this process to be completed.

6. Can I sign out my child after their ceremony?

Yes, you can. Students are free to leave once their respective ceremony has been completed. There will be snacks and water for students and parents in the 5th grade hallways after each ceremony. You are welcome to stop by the 5th grade hallways to grab a bite, chat with teachers and take photos.

7. Can parents irrespective of payment of the activity fee attend the ceremony?

Yes, all students and their parents can attend the ceremony irrespective of payment of the activity fee. Please make sure only two adults per student attends the ceremony.

Also, volunteers make all of the magic possible. We all strive to make it a memorable year for the kids before they move on from Poe. A lot happens in these last few weeks, and parents are welcome to share in these events!

For questions, contact graduation@poepto.org

For information about applying for middle schools, see the HISD School Choice website: https://www.houstonisd.org/schoolchoice. Note that Poe 5th graders take a field trip to Lanier Middle School on May 16, 2025.

Mr. Alaniz hosted a School Choice Informational Session on Monday, January 27th at 5:00pm in the Cafeteria. This session was intended for our 5th grade families to discuss the Phase I School Choice and Magnet application process, which closed on February 12th.

For incoming Lanier Middle School Students: