5th Grade Weekly Newsletter

2026 - 2027

Conversation Starter

We had another wonderful busy week!

Here are some highlights to ask your child about:

The short fire drill due to the rain.
The Assembly and recognizing the Indigenous Peoples Month.
Decorating Thanksgiving Food Collection boxes

Thanksgiving Food Collection Boxes

As part of our Lower School Thanksgiving tradition, each classroom will be collecting food items to create boxes for families in need who live near the Minneapolis Visitation Sisters.

Our fifth-grade goal is to fill two boxes, one from each homeroom. To help us reach this goal, we have created a Google Document where you can sign up by typing your family/student name next to the item(s) you are willing to donate. PLEASE NOTE DO NOT BRING MORE THANK ASKED the sisters have limited space.

If each family signs up for just one slot, we will be very close to reaching our goal!

Click the link below to sign up! Send the items anytime between now and the 19th!

Fifth Grade Thanksgiving Food Collection Sign-Up Google Doc

Curriculum Connections

Math:This week, we wrapped up Chapter 3, Adding and Subtracting Fractions, and completed our chapter test. Next week, we will begin Chapter 4, Multiplication and Division of Fractions.

I have included the link to the School-to-Home Letter for Chapter 4 below so you can see what we will be learning in the coming weeks.

Area of Growth: Computation

Multiplication fact fluency is crucial right now, and regular practice with multiplication facts at home will be very helpful!

Reading/Writing: This week, we jumped back into spelling and grammar, focusing on plural nouns. We also explored expository texts to practice key non-fiction reading strategies. To put these skills into action, students examined text about the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, learning what specific details, features, and structures to look for when reading informative materials. Next week we will explore Folktales as a genre.

Science: We started learning about the Solar System and each student researched a planet and presented or is presenting it to the class

Social Studies:

This week, we finished Unit 1, Lesson 2, The Native Americans and Their Land. Students learned about how Indigenous peoples came to the Americas and completed the lesson test.

We are also exploring how Indigenous peoples recorded important events and seasons through pictures and symbols. Students are creating their own pictographs to represent important events in their lives, challenging themselves to use only pictures rather than letters or numbers. This activity allows them to experience another way of recording and sharing information from the past.

Next, we will learn more about Native American cultural regions, the different regions Indigenous peoples lived in, and how they adapted to their environments.

Languages and Specialists: Languages and specialists are moving at a great pace. Ask your students about those classes and their teachers!"

Lower School Conferences are November 23 & 24

Visitation Lower School will hold in-person conferences on Monday, November 23, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, November 24, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. We encourage you to schedule a conference time with your child's classroom teacher, you will be meeting with Mr Drake and Ms Mansour together since they both teach your child. Schedule links are below.

Registration is now open and closes on Friday, November 20.

If your child sees Mrs. Olson, please sign up for the same time slot as your classroom teacher, and she will join you in the classroom.

Reach out with any questions. We look forward to seeing you at conferences!

Fifth Grade.

Mrs. Olson - Learning Specialist

Popcorn Corner Friday

Sponsored by Global Girls to support College Monfant, and continue the virtue of hospitality shown by Sister Mary Paula.
Join us after school from 2:40–3:15 PM on these dates:
- Friday, November 20
- Friday, December 18
- Friday, January 29
- Friday, February 26
- Thursday, March 18
- Friday, April 23
- Friday, May 28

Rotation Days - Specialists schedule update

Mansour:

Blue Day: Art at 8:10, Spanish at 2:00

Red Day: Music at 8:10, library checkouts at 8:50 (first Red Day of the week), French at 2:00

Yellow Day: P.E. at 8:10, Stem at 1:00, Chinese at 2:00

Drake:

Blue Day: Music at 8:10, Chinese at 2:00

Red Day: P.E. at 8:10, library checkouts at 8:50 (first Red Day of the week), Spanish at 2:00

Yellow Day: Stem at 8:10, Art at 1:00, French at 2:00.

For Both Classes:

Religion will be once or twice a week at 1:30.
SEL is once a week for each class at 1:30
Orchestra meets on Tuesdays at 11:30 and Ms. McGuire hosts an ensemble on Fridays at 2:45 regardless of rotation day. Questions: reach out to Jmcguire@vischool.org
Vistory with Mrs. Hansen twice a month.

Field Trip

The Lower School 3rd-5th graders will be on a field trip for the University of St. Thomas Women's basketball game on November 24th.

Bag Lunch will be provided

No Water bottles (drink provided with Lunch as well as drinking fountains)

No Concessions

The bus will leave around 10am and return no later than 2pm.

Preparing For The Middle School

STA Group Entrance Testing – December 8

STA is offering an optional group entrance testing day for all boys on Tuesday, December 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. If you have already registered your son for the November testing date, you are encouraged to switch to this December date. Please let us Know if your son will not be attending the December 8th testing day.

Move Up Day – December 16 & 17

We will also have our Move Up Day visits to STA and VIS Middle School! During this time, the girls will visit the classrooms upstairs, while STA teachers will walk the boys over to STA for their visit.