Livesay's Owl Post

August 11: Explorer Kick-Off Night 4:30-6:30 p.m.

August 13: First Day of School! 🎒

August 22: PTO meeting in Library 8:30 a.m.

August 25: Picture Day 📸

We are excited to invite you to our Explorer Kick-Off Night on Monday, August 11th from 4:30–6:30 PM! This special evening is a chance for students and parents to meet the teacher, explore the classroom, drop off school supplies, and connect with classmates. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community and start the school year with smiles, laughter, and fun. We can’t wait to see you there!

We would love your help in making this school year a success! I’m looking for volunteers for the following roles:

• Thursday Folders – Help organize and send home weekly papers.

• Party Coordinators/Helpers – Plan and assist with our class celebrations.

• Auction Basket Coordinators – Organize and gather items for our class auction basket.

If you’re interested in volunteering for any of these roles, please sign up using this link. Your time and support make a big difference, and our classroom wouldn’t be the same without you!

Homework
From Monday–Thursday, students will have both daily and weekly homework responsibilities.

Daily Homework:

• Vocabulary practice

• Math homework (online or paper)

• Any unfinished classroom work (this will vary by day)

Weekly Homework:

• 40 minutes of iReady Reading lessons (spread out over the week)

• 3 Reflex “Green Lights” to build math fluency

Regular homework will most likely begin on Monday, August 18th (this is subject to change). Homework is designed to reinforce the skills we are learning in class and help students build consistent study habits. Students will be offered time each day during Study Hall to begin any homework along with teacher support. Please check in their student planner daily to see what assignments are due. Thank you for supporting your child in staying organized and on track!

In reading, we’ll kick off the year by building our comprehension skills and developing strong reading habits. During the first few weeks, students will learn how to identify the main idea and key details, make predictions, and use text evidence to support their thinking. We’ll also practice summarizing, exploring new vocabulary, and having rich discussions about what we read. These strategies will help us become thoughtful, confident readers ready for a great year of learning!

In math, we’ll start the year with a placement test to help us see what each student already knows and where we can grow. Our first unit will focus on place value, extending our understanding up to the millions and exploring how each digit’s value changes depending on its place. We’ll practice reading, writing, comparing, and rounding large numbers, as well as working with powers of ten. This foundation will set us up for success as we dive into more complex math skills throughout the year!

In writing, we’re excited to begin using our new curriculum, ThinkSRSD (Self-Regulated Strategy Development). This program helps students learn how to plan, organize, and improve their writing step-by-step. We’ll start the year by focusing on opinion and informational writing, learning strategies for crafting strong introductions, clear body paragraphs, and thoughtful conclusions. Students will also practice using text evidence, transition words, and revising their work to make it stronger. ThinkSRSD gives students the tools to write with confidence and purpose—skills they’ll use all year long!

In social studies, we’ll begin the year exploring the regions of the United States. Students will learn about each region’s geography, climate, natural resources, landmarks, and culture. We’ll compare and contrast regions, discuss how geography impacts daily life, and build map skills along the way. To strengthen our knowledge, we’ll also use an online 50 States quiz to help us learn and remember all 50 state names and their locations on the map. This unit will give us a strong foundation for understanding the diversity and richness of our country before we dive into more U.S. history later in the year.