We also buy t shirts for our 5th graders. Along with those, we give each 5th grader a yearbook (for free). On the last Monday of the school year, we host a picnic at the county park. We have games and a cook out. All parents are invited to attend with their child. We have a great turn out for this. And the kids love to get out of school for a whole day. They receive their yearbooks at the picnic and run around having everyone sign them! The best part of this day is that it only costs us about $150.00. (Not including the price of t-shirts and yearbooks) It works for us!!
We had always budgeted money for a fifth grade dance...but our new Superintendant put a stop to all dances in the elementary schools (she thinks it is pushing the kids to act grownup and hormones are racing at this age...stupid I know). ANYWAYS...this year we are taking all the fifthgraders to the local IMAX Theatre at Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village. The kids were VERY disappointed about the dance but they are so busy with DARE graduation and field trip,class field trips, and middle school tours, that they are just happy to be able to have one more trip together. We had thought of doing a trip to Cedar Point and have the money we make from our Market Day sales go toward that...but we could not work out the details in time for this year (the super didn't give too much notice on the dance cancellation) I think that as long as you do something for them they will be happy...as my fifth grader say's any reason to get out of class makes him happy....
Our PTA also has budgeted money for our 5th grade and also kindergarten. We buy all the 5th graders t-shirts with the school name and "Class of" and inside the numbers they all sign their names. What we raise money for is the dance at the end of the year for just the 5th grade. Thanks for the ideas.
Our 5th grade, as well, has budgeted items for certain things. They get t shirts, they get additional money for field trips so they can do more than the other classes etc. Last we the kids had a party at one of the 5th graders house at the parents expense. We have also added in the budget a class gift line so that something can be purchased in the name of the 5th grade.
As far as raising money just for the 5th grade maybe a car wash or selling candy.
We actually have our 5th grade party as a budgeted item in our PTO budget.. Our kids have a pool party on the last day of school (it's always a half day). One or two of the 5th grade parents organize it. For the last several years, the PTO had also paid for t-shirts for the 5th graders. They're signed by all the kids & teachers & have the name of the school on them. They get them in time to wear either to field day or on their class field trip.
Good luck!
Some of the things our 5th/6th grade classes have done in the past include a school store (selling paper, pencils, things like that) t-shirt sales and candy bar sales.
