Central Elementary - 5th Grade
Meet the 5th Grade Team!
Mrs. Cogdill
Hello and welcome to 5th grade!
My name is Kennedy Cogdill and I have been teaching 5th grade at Central for three years. I absolutely love the community Central has and cannot wait to kick-off the 25/26 school year! I have always loved school and learning, so I adore that TCA focuses so much on finding our joy in learning. "We can do hard things" is a common phrase that is used in my classroom and I am thrilled to watch your child overcome, work through, and even choose to journey into some hard things this year, both inside and outside of the classroom.! When I am not teaching, I love watching all the sports, especially Oklahoma Sooners and Denver Broncos football. Spending time with my extended family, my French Bulldog, Frank, and reading are other ways I love to spend my free time!
Mrs. Cogdill
Mrs. Kelly
Hello~
My name is Noel Kelly and this will be my 5th year teaching fifth grade and my 10th year at TCA. I am so excited to begin the 25-26 school year. One of my favorite things about TCA is that there is a great emphasis on relationships with students and parents alike. The other thing I truly love is the focus on building exemplary citizens. I always say to my students at the beginning of the year that my hope is that they will not be the same at the end of fifth grade as they are today. Watching the students grow in this area brings all kinds of joy. When I am not with my amazing students, I love to be outside either playing tennis, going for walks and hikes, or being with dear friends and family.
Mrs. Kelly
Mrs. Holmberg
Hello 5th grade families!
My name is Tami Holmberg and I am excited to welcome you to 5th grade this 25/26 school year! After finishing my fourth year in 5th grade at Central as a para last year, I am honored to be returning to the 5th grade team this year as a teacher. My family and I have been incredibly blessed to be a part of the TCA Central community ever since my daughter started Kindergarten nine years ago. I am passionate about creating a safe and welcoming classroom where my students and I can grow together in our learning and relationships, striving to become better Titans as we give our best to the world around us in mind, body, and spirit. Outside the classroom, I enjoy spending time with my family in the mountains kayaking, camping, and hiking. I also love reading in the hammock with our dog at my side. Finding joy in watching things grow, I have started quite a collection of succulents! I look forward to partnering together as we endeavor to make this school year one that fosters supportive relationships, joy in learning, pursuit of beauty, and triumph over challenges. We are Titans!
Mrs. Holmberg
Mrs. Johnson
My name is Sarah Johnson, and I am thrilled to be joining the 5th grade team at Central. This will be my 14th year of teaching, and I am so excited to spend it with your children! I believe that every kid has incredible potential, and it's a privilege to come alongside them to help them grow. My goal is to create a classroom where students feel supported, challenged, and inspired. Outside the classroom, the greatest blessings in my life are my husband and our two sons. We love spending time outdoors, especially kayaking, camping, and hiking together. I also enjoy crafting and decorating cakes whenever I find a little extra time. Thank you for entrusting me with your child’s education. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year!
Mrs. Johnson
Mrs. Stauceanu
Hi! I’ve been a part of the TCA community since 2020 and feel so grateful to work alongside such a dedicated team. Before coming to Colorado, I had the opportunity to attend Bible college in York, England—an experience that deeply shaped my love for learning and serving others.
My husband and I are originally from Southern California, but since moving here, the Colorado mountains have truly made this place feel like home.
I love being part of students’ lives during these formative years—supporting their growth and helping them develop a love for learning is one of the best parts of my job.
Outside of school, you can usually find me baking something sweet, playing board games, or exploring the outdoors with my husband.
Mrs. Stauceanu
Mrs. Fleenor
My name is Emily Fleenor, and I am excited for my first year as a full-time Para for 5th grade at Central. I was a substitute last year and I really loved getting to know the students and staff. I'm looking forward to getting to know more of you and be there for you in any way I can. I have four boys that have all gone to TCA. I have twins that have graduated, as well as a freshman and a senior at North this year. TCA has been such a wonderful and supportive community to be a part of all of these years and now I get the privilege of working here alongside very talented staff members each day.
Mrs. Fleenor
Upcoming Events
Jan 30: Renaissance Day - 5th Grade
Feb 4/5: Renaissance History Test
Feb 6: Denim Day and Sports Shirt Day
Feb 12: Valentines Day Party (2:30 - 3:30)
Feb 13: No School (Teacher Inservice)
Feb.15: Pi Day Shirt Orders Due (tcacentralpi.com)
Feb 16: Presidents' Day; No School
Contact Us
Weekly Course Assignments
Spelling
Week of February 9th - February 13th
Monday 2/9: Enter List 16
Tuesday 2/10: Enter List 16
Wednesday 2/11: List 16 Practice Test
Thursday 2/12: List 15 Test
Friday 2/13: No school
| factors | fatigue | foreign | foreigners | frequent |
| frequency | gradual | gradually | isthmus | level |
| library | model | moment | mosquito | muscle |
| muscular | narrow | nature | natural | naturally |
| naturalist |
Rule of the week: r.12: After c, we use ei (receive). If we say "a", we use ei (vein).
Syllabicated word: en/vi/ron/ment
Bonus word: writhe - make continual twisting, squirming movements, or contortions of the body.
Prepositions:
aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
around
at
atop
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
but
by
concerning
down
during
except
for
from
in
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
onto
out
outside
over
past
regarding
since
through
throughout
to
toward
under
underneath
until
up
upon
with
within
without
All Spelling Rules (Abbreviated):
5th Grade Spelling Lists (Full Year):
Literature
We are reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Week of February 9th - February 13th
Character Focus: Teamwork: Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one’s share. Perspective: Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people.
Monday 2/9: Chapter 11
Tuesday 2/10: Chapter 12
Wednesday 2/11: Chapter 13
Thursday 2/12: Chapter 14
Math
Week of February 9th - February 13th
Chapter 9: Decimals & Chapter 10: Four Operation of Decimals
Monday 2/9: Ch.9 Practice Test *HW
Tuesday 2/10: Ch. 9. Test *HW
Wednesday 2/11: Ch.10, L.1: Adding Decimals to Thousandths *HW
Thursday 2/12: Ch.10, L.2: Subtracting Decimals *HW
Friday 2/13: No school
*Homework is to be expected Monday-Thursday. Each teacher will communicate to their class what problems are to be done.
Parent Resources
Advanced Math - Winter
(6B) Ch 9 "Equations & Inequalities"
M (2/9): Lesson 9.1c, p.24 #8-10
T (2/10): Lesson 9.1d, p.27 #11-20
W (2/11): Lesson 9.2a, p.34 #1-3
R (2/12): Lesson 9.2b, p.36 #5-7
F (2/13): No School - Teacher InService
Writing & Grammar
Week of February 9th - February 13th
Unit 6 - Summarizing Multiple References
Monday 2/9: Subtopic 3 KWO & Fused KWO
Tuesday 2/10: Intro & Conclusion KWO
Wednesday 2/1: Citation Workshop for Sources
Thursday 2/12: RD for Subtopic 1
Writing and Grammar Resources:
- Dress-Ups: Added words that we use to "dress up" our writing. Strong Verbs (action words)
- -ly Adverbs (describe verbs)
- Quality Adjectives (describe nouns)
- WWWASIA Clause (a clause that begins with When, While, Where, As, Since, If, or Although)
- Because Clause (a clause that begins with Because)
- Who/Which Clause (a clause that begins with Who or Which)
Sentence Openers: (Sentence openers are what we use to begin a sentence. They should be the very first words of a new sentence.)
- Subject
- Prepositional
- -ly Adverb
- -ing (where the word ending in "-ing" is a verb, not a noun)
- Clausal (wwwasia or because)
- VSS (Very Short Sentence, 2-5 words)
RACE - We use RACE to help our students grow in the way that they answer questions. If they have questions, please refer to this.
R: Re-State the Question
A: Give Answer
C: Cite your Work (According to, my notes, discussion, book, encyclopedia, etc...)
E: Explain or Give an Example
Ex: When did the Maya People Live?
(R) The Maya people lived (A) between 200 B.C. through 900 A.D. (C) According to page 18 of Pearson's History and Geography, archaeologists believed the Maya people were at their heigh of their civilization between 200 B.C. and 900 A.D. (E) Archaeologists have found ruins that support a thriving culture in the Yucutan peninsula area reaching down to what is today Guatemala.
History & Science
History and Science:
Westward Expansion / Protecting Earth's Resources
Week of February 9th - 13th
Monday 2/9: Daniel Boone & the Cumberland Gap / Land Contamination
Tuesday 2/10: Daniel Boone & the Cumberland Gap / Land Contamination
Wednesday 2/11: Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea / Living off the Land
Thursday 2/12: No skills - Valentines Day Parties
Monday/Wednesday
Johnson & Cogdill - Science
Holmberg & Kelly - History
Tuesday/Thursday
Holmberg & Kelly - Science
Johnson & Cogdill - History
Recitation & Geography
Current Recitation
The Gettysburg Address
by Abraham Lincoln
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. (Due 1/30)
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. (Due 2/6)
We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. (Due 2/12)
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. (Due 2/20)
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion— (Due 2/27)
that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth (Due 3/6)
Geography
Throughout 5th grade, students are expected to learn, memorize, and then be tested on United States geography. They will need to know the capitals, states, and abbreviations, as well as knowing where they are placed on the map. Below is the current schedule.
Study Resource: The U.S.: States in the West - Map Quiz Game - Seterra
Western Region (Tested on Oct. 2nd, 2025)
Olympia, Washington WA
Salem, Oregon OR
Sacramento, California CA
Phoenix, Arizona AZ
Carson City, Nevada NV
Salt Lake City, Utah UT
Boise, Idaho ID
Helena, Montana MT
Cheyenne, Wyoming WY
Denver, Colorado CO
Santa Fe, New Mexico NM
Austin, Texas, TX
Oklahoma City, OK
Honolulu, Hawaii HI
Juneau, Alaska, AK
Midwest Region (Tested on Dec. 12th, 2025)
Practice test on Nov. 21st, 2025)
Topeka, Kansas, KS
Lincoln, Nebraska NE
Pierre, South Dakota, SD
Bismark, North Dakota, ND
St. Paul, Minnesota, MN
Des Moines, Iowa, IA
Jefferson City, Missouri, MO
Madison, Wisconsin, WI
Springfield, Illinois, IL
Lansing, Michigan, MI
Indianapolis, Indianna, IN
Columbus, Ohio, OH
Great Lakes -
Lake Superior
Lake Michigan
Lake Huron
Lake Erie
Lake Ontario
Southeast Region (Tested on Feb. 6th, 2026)
Practice test on Jan. 23rd, 2026
Little Rock, Arkansas, AR
Baton Rouge, Louisianna, LA
Frankfort, Kentucky, KY
Nashville, Tennessee, TN
Jackson, Mississippi, MS
Montgomery, Alabama, AL
Charleston, West Virginia, WV
Richmond, Virginia, VA
Raleigh, North Carolina, NC
Columbia, South Carolina, SC
Atlanta, Georgia, GA
Tallahassee, Florida, FL
Northeast Region (Tested on March 20th, 2026)
Practice Test: March 5th, 2026
Augusta, Maine, ME
Concord, New Hampshire, NH
Montpelier, Vermont, VT
Boston, Massachusetts, MA
Providence, Rhode Island, RI
Hartford, Connecticut, CT
Albany, New York, NY
Trenton, New Jersey, NJ
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, PA
Dover, Delaware, DE
Annapolis, Maryland, MD
All 50 states (Tested on May 8th)