5th Grade Weekly Newsletter
September 3rd, 2026
Lower School Parent Night September 10th from 6 - 7:30
Please join us for our upcoming Parent Night on Thursday, September 10. This is an adult-only event and you are invited to join us at 6 p.m. in DeSales for updates and large group communications.
Parents will then have the opportunity to hear from two classroom teachers for 20 minutes each, giving you a chance to learn more about your child's classroom experience and how you can support their learning this year. 5th Grade usually presents in Ain Karim
The evening will conclude by 7:30 p.m., and a Parents’ Association social event will follow.
Conversation Starter
In this section of our newsletter we always try to share conversation starter ideas to spark up at home or in the car. We know not all students offer up the details of the day, so use these starters to help squeeze out a little more from our week together.
- Ask about our first Assembly, first Fire Drill, and first Science Investigation about the shadows and the sun.
- Ask about our fresh air break at the peacock this week
- Find out your students job for this week
- Check in on our Fall STAR Testing, This is one measure we use to monitor student academic growth and progress.
- Ask about how they are feeling about their fifth grade personal essay.
- Ask about the student's visit to the Hanky's Garden. What vegetables did they taste?
- Find out about the Bus Evacuation Drill.
Curriculum Connections
We are slowly adding in curriculum with our community building. It will take a few weeks to fully ramp up with all subjects. This also applies to homework. We will slowly start adding in more homework in the coming weeks.
Religion: This week we learned about Saint Augustine.
Math: This week we had our Math Star Test and we started the first chapter in our Math curriculum, Multi-Digit Whole Numbers. Next week we will continue with the same chapter.
Reading/Writing: Students are learning expectations and routines for reader's and writer's workshops. This week we started drafting the different secions of their personal essay and have worked on how to engage the reader and transport them into our scene. Students have worked through brainstorming strategies and have learned about the structure of this essay with a Beginning, Rising action, Climax and Ending. Next week we will start the editing process with special pop ins from Ms Hallin and Ms. Schletz.
Science: This week we went outside to learn about shadows and the sun. Students had so much fun tracing their shadows, playing shadow tag, and learning about why shadows changes position shape and orientation
Social Studies: This week we started to learn about Geography and students had fun making the grid on the floor in the classroom which will help us learn about Longitude and Latitude.
SEL: Mrs. Trammell joined us this week to talk about upper brain vs lower brain and ways to help identify, regulate and manage our emotions.
Of course languages and specialists are off and running. Ask your students about those classes and their teachers!
Allergy Aware Snack and Water Bottles
We allow students to enjoy a brief snack time every day around 8:50. Students are responsible for bringing their own snacks.
We require an allergy aware healthy protein or fruit/veggie option. We encourage students to bring snacks that will not trigger nut allergies, and definitely do not share snacks if they do not know about the contents.
We love to see apples, oranges, bananas, cheese sticks, yogurt, hummus, pita, applesauce, etc.
Water: (only clear water please)
Students have access to water fountains and fill up stations. They are welcome to bring a water bottle. Please no straws/spill able bottles.
Bring Family Photos
Please print and bring family and student photos for our photo walls.
Every year we create a photo wall in our classroom where student family photos are displayed. It communicates that we all share our room and our classroom community with each other and it emphasizes how important our families are. We are all apart of the team, and there is comfort and joy when we see our families in our classrooms.
We encourage students to bring them this week, but photos are gladly accepted all year.
Shoes and Socks:
- Uniform shoes should be a solid, white, low top athletic shoe.
- Students should also have shoes to change into for Phy Ed, Recess and Extended Day.
- Socks need to be white (not navy, not gray).
- Socks cannot have logos (Nike swoosh, Polo horse and logo, etc)
No School and Extended Day
- As a reminder, we do not have school Friday September 4 and Monday September 7 for Labor Day Break
- Extended Day is open on Friday.
- Families needing care on Friday 9/4 please connect with Kayla Christy, our Extended Day Coordinator
- Extended Day is closed on Monday September 7 for the holiday
Visitor Badges:
Related to our morning routine, K–5 students should be walking independently into school each morning. This helps build confidence and allows students to transition smoothly into their school day.
If an adult needs to escort a child into the building, they will need to enter through Door #5 and check in at the front desk using our Raptor security system. For the safety of our students, no visitors or guests will be permitted into the building without a name tag and badge.
We greatly appreciate all families honoring these safety and security procedures and helping us maintain a welcoming environment for our students."
School Picture Day: September 11
Uniforms are optional on Picture Day. Please keep in mind that the clothing you send your child in, your child will remain in for the full-day. All pictures will be completed before lunch, with hopes to keep everyone looking sharp!
Rotation Days
Mansour:
Blue Day: Art at 1:00, 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), Stem at 1:00,
Spanish at 2:00
Yellow Day: Art at 1:00, French at 2:00.
For Both Classes:
- Religion will be twice a week at 1:40.
- SEL is once a week for each class at 1:40
- 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
Important Dates
Monday September 7, No School, Labor Day Break
Tuesday September 8, Star testing reading
Thursday September 10, Back to School Parent Night, 6pm. (Adults Only)
Friday September 11, Picture Day (uniforms optional)
September 14-18, Homecoming Week
Monday September 14, Base Camp for 5th Grade
Thursday September 17, Homecoming Pep Rally, 10:10am
Thursday September 17, Homecoming Sport Night, 3pm
Friday September 18, Formal Uniform
Friday September 18, All School Mass and Flag Raising, 9:05am
Thursday October 1, Early Release Day.
Daily Schedule
Classrooms open each day at 7:45am
Prayer followed by Morning Meeting each day at 8:00am
All students that arrive after prayer will report to the Front Desk
Dismissal carline begins each afternoon at 2:45pm
We encourage our fifth grade students to arrive at 7:45 so they can help with our morning jobs. We support the school by preparing the dining room and we also help lead morning prayers. Additionally, we ask our students to complete other morning tasks and work before we leave for specialists at 8:10.
