5th Grade Weekly Newsletter
10/19 - 10/23
Conversation Starter
Some prompts to ask about from this week.
- Mrs. Schletz and the Maud Hart Group will prepare for and lead the end-of-year Quiz Bowl.
- Zodiac lesson in ELA. Did it fit how they view themselves? Difference between Astrology and Astronomy.
- Capture the flag game at recess
- The phases of the moon Kahoot game and the science test on Friday.
- The concept of light pollution, and the Zoom meeting with Mr. Jesse from Voyageur National Parks.
- VIS Give Day and the Thank You Cards.
Curriculum Connections
Religion: This week we learned about Moses and the Ten Commandments.
Math: This week and next week in Math, we are focusing on adding and subtracting unlike fractions. Students have learned two different methods for adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators and will continue practicing these strategies next week.
Attached is the School-to-Home Letter for Chapter 3: Addition and Subtraction of Fractions, which provides an overview of the concepts we are learning.
Reading/Writing: This week we’ve had a blast continuing to work on our spooky stories, editing, and crafting. Amazing to see all their creativity we are looking forward to reading them in class next week. We are also making incredible progress on Hello Universe with the plan to finish the novel in class on Monday.
Science: This week in Science, we wrapped up our unit on the phases of the Moon. Students reviewed their learning with a fun Kahoot game and took their unit test on Friday.
We also had the wonderful opportunity to meet again with Mr. Jesse from Voyageurs National Park via Zoom! This time, he guided us through an engaging exploration of the night sky and light pollution. The students had a great time and learned so much from this exciting experience!
Social Studies: Next week, we will learn about Indigenous peoples and their history in the United States.
Languages and specialists are moving at a great pace. Ask your students about those classes and their teachers!
Field Trip
The Lower School 3rd-5th graders will be on a field trip for theUniversity of St. Thomas Women's basketball game on November 24th.
The bus will leave around 10am and return no later than 2pm.
Oct. 30: Out of uniform/costume
October 28th, 2026
St. Thomas Academy Coffee & Tour Event at 8:15
(Parents only)
St. Thomas Academy is hosting a Coffee and Tour Event for parents interested in learning more about the school. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore the campus, discover its academic programs, and learn about student life.
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, October 30
- 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.
Important Dates
- Wednesday October 28, All Saints Mass; Formal Uniform.
Thursday October 29, Vision and Hearing Screening (1st, 3rd, 5th)
- Friday, October 30: Out of Uniform Day - simple Halloween costume or Halloween shirt/outfit
- Friday October 30, Trick-or-Treating in The Heart 12:40p.m
Wednesday November 4th , Picture Retake Day
- Friday Nov. 6: No school.
Thursday November 19th, Formal Uniform
Thursday November 19th, All School Thanksgiving Mass, 9:05am
Friday November 20th, Coffee and Convo (Ross and Jennifer) 7:45am
Monday November 23rd, LS Conferences, 3:30-7:30pm
Tuesday November 24th, 3rd-5th Grade UST Basketball Field Trip
Tuesday November 24th, LS Conferences, 3:30-7:30pm
November 25th-28th, No School, Thanksgiving Break
