5th Grade Newsletter

TMS Student Handbook — Please Review

The 2026–2027 Topsail Middle School Student Handbook is attached to our newsletter. We encourage all families to take a few minutes to review it with their child. It contains important school-wide policies, procedures, and expectations that apply to all TMS students.

A few items we especially want our 5th-grade families to be familiar with include:

Attendance & Absence Notes: Absence documentation should be submitted within 3 days of returning to school. Parents may provide notes for the first 5 absences; beginning with the 6th absence, a doctor's note is required for the absence to be considered excused. Submit all absence notes electronically. Parents may upload an absence note through Infinite Campus. To submit a doctor’s note through Infinite Campus, open Campus Parent and select your child. Tap the ☰ menu, choose More, and then select Absence Request. If the absence is already listed, select View Requests and choose the appropriate absence. From there, select Upload Document to attach a photo or PDF of the doctor’s note, then click Save. Handwritten absence notes will not be accepted.
Make-Up Work: Absent Students, whether excused or unexcused, have 3 days after returning to class to submit missed coursework without penalty. After the third day, the missed assignment can no longer be made up.
Electronic Devices: Cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and other personal electronic devices should not be activated, used, displayed, or visible during the school day unless specifically authorized by a teacher or administrator.
Early Checkouts: Students must be checked out through the front office and will only be released to an authorized adult. To protect instructional time, students may not be checked out between 3:00–3:40 PM.
Food Deliveries: Outside food and drink deliveries, including services such as DoorDash and Grubhub, are not permitted.
Transportation: Students may not ride a different bus except in an emergency that has been pre-approved by administration.
Behavior Expectations: Students are expected to follow TMS school-wide expectations for Safety, Achievement, Integrity, and Leadership (SAIL) in classrooms and throughout the school.

These are only a few highlights. Please read the complete TMS Student Handbook, as families and students are responsible for knowing the school-wide policies and expectations outlined within it.

5th Grade News to Know

🐟 Field Trip Alert — Sturgeon City!

We are excited for our upcoming field trip to Sturgeon City in Jacksonville, NC, on Monday, October 26th, from 9:00 AM–2:00 PM!

Permission slips are coming home today, so please be sure to check your student’s yellow folder.

📄 Permission slips are due: Monday, October 12th

💵 Payment is due: Wednesday, October 21st

🚌 Field Trip: Monday, October 26th | 9:00 AM–2:00 PM

Please return permission slips and payment by the dates listed above so we can get everything organized for a fun day of learning! Pay online here.

🎧 Headphones/Earbuds Needed for Benchmark Testing

Please check with your child to make sure they have a working pair of headphones to bring to school. Our Science Benchmark is on October 21st, and students will need them during testing. Please label them with your child’s name and make sure they're ready to use this week.

Thank you for helping us prepare for a smooth testing week!

🏴‍☠️ Help Us Stock the Pirate Store! 🏴‍☠️
Quarter 1 is coming to an end, and it’s time for our students to spend their hard-earned Pirate Cash! 💰 We are excited to kick off our first Pirate Store of the school year and want to make it a fun and exciting experience for our students!
We are looking for donations of items for students to purchase with their Pirate Cash, as well as special items for each homeroom to raffle off. We would greatly appreciate any help in making this event a success!
🛒 Shopping Made Easy! Included here is the link to the requested items, which takes you directly to that specific item on Amazon, making it easy to shop and donate!
📅 All donations are due by Thursday, October 22nd, so we have time to prepare the goodies and set up the store.
Thank you so much for your support and for helping us reward our students for their hard work and positive choices! We appreciate you! ❤️🏴‍☠️

👓 Vision Screenings — October 19

TMS will be conducting vision screenings on the morning of October 19th for all 5th- and 7th-grade students. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like your child to opt out of the screening, please contact Nurse Chewning at jessica_chewning@pender.k12.nc.us.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our students healthy and thriving! 💙

Squishies & Classroom Items:

Squishies may be used in the classroom only when teachers have appropriate documentation. Recently, several squishies have been misplaced, lost, or reported stolen, and a few have also burst in the classroom, leaving a very sticky residue on desks and floors. Please help us prevent distractions, messes, and lost items by reminding your child to leave squishies and similar items at home unless they are part of a documented accommodation.

Thank you for partnering with us as we help our students become confident, responsible learners and strong advocates for themselves!

Please review these important reminders:

Agendas: Please check and sign your child’s agenda each night. Agendas are an important communication tool for daily assignments, upcoming events, and communication between home and school. During the first few weeks of school, behavior reminders/warnings will be documented in student agendas through September 24. This grace period allows students time to learn and practice the expectations and procedures for their 5th-grade classes. Beginning September 24, repeated behaviors may be documented in Educator’s Handbook and addressed as a minor or major behavior, as appropriate.
Make-Up & Missing Work Policy: If a student is absent: Students are responsible for completing work missed during an absence, whether the absence is excused or unexcused. Students have 3 school days to submit missed assignments. After the third school day, the assignment will no longer be accepted for credit. If a student is present: Students are expected to complete and submit assignments during the designated class time. If a student is present but does not complete or submit an assignment by the end of the allotted class time, the assignment will receive a 40%.
Infinite Campus: Please help your child make it a routine to check Infinite Campus (IC) regularly for current grades and assignments that may be marked missing or incomplete. Even if a parent does not have the IC app, students can access Infinite Campus from their school Chromebook. If a student completes a missing or incomplete assignment, the student should let the teacher know it has been submitted. Teachers may not automatically receive a notification or regularly return to check past assignments. This is especially important after an absence. Students should check Infinite Campus and Google Classroom for missed work, complete the assignments, and notify the appropriate teacher once the work has been submitted.
Chromebooks: Students will bring their Chromebooks home each day. Please make sure your child brings their fully charged Chromebook and charger to school every day. Teachers do not have extra chargers available, and Chromebooks are used regularly in 5th grade classrooms and some Encore classes.
Absences and Transportation Changes: Submit absence notes within three days to avoid an unexcused absence. TMS allows five parent notes per school year; after five, a doctor’s note is required. Submit all absence notes electronically. Parents may upload an absence note through Infinite Campus. To submit a doctor’s note through Infinite Campus, open Campus Parent and select your child. Tap the ☰ menu, choose More, and then select Absence Request. If the absence is already listed, select View Requests and choose the appropriate absence. From there, select Upload Document to attach a photo or PDF of the doctor’s note, then click Save. Handwritten absence notes will not be accepted. Email all transportation changes to the TMS front office at tms@pender.k12.nc.us. For last-minute transportation changes, especially after 1:30 PM, please contact the front office directly. Teachers may not be able to check email or Rooms messages while actively teaching in the afternoon. The front office can ensure the classroom teacher is notified of the change before dismissal.
Daily Snack: Fifth grade students will have snack time each day. Please send a healthy snack to help your child remain energized and focused.
Water Bottles: Students should bring a water bottle to class each day. Please make sure it has a secure, closable lid to prevent spills.
Electronic Devices: According to board policy, cell phones and smartwatches must be completely turned off and kept in students’ backpacks from 8:15 AM–3:40 PM. Wireless earbuds are also not permitted.
Encore: Fifth grade students attend Encore each day from 9:30–10:15 AM. You can view the 5th Grade Encore Schedule HERE.
Lunch and Recess: Lunch is from 12:36–1:01 PM, and recess is from 1:01–1:28 PM.
Independent Reading Book: Please have your child bring a book from home each day to read after finishing classwork. Our first library visit will be in mid-September. Students should always have a book available to read both at school and at home.

Thank you for your continued support. Let’s make it a great year!

The 5th Grade Team

Wireless Communication Device Policy Reminder

As we begin the 2026–27 school year, we want to remind families that this is our second year following the updated Policy 4318, which addresses student use of wireless communication devices. This includes cell phones, smartwatches, wireless earbuds, and other personal electronic devices.

Pender County Schools continues to enforce this policy to support a safe, focused, and distraction-free learning environment.

Student Expectations

Students may bring personal devices to school, but devices must remain completely turned off and stored in their backpacks from 8:15 AM–3:35 PM.
Devices may not be used or displayed unless a teacher has approved their use for instruction or the student has an approved accommodation in an IEP or 504 Plan or a documented medical need.
Wireless earbuds are not permitted during the school day.

Consequences for Misuse

First offense: Warning
Second offense: Device held in the office; student may retrieve it at the end of the day
Third and subsequent offenses: Device held in the office; a parent or guardian must retrieve it
Misuse involving academic dishonesty, bullying, or inappropriate content may result in more serious disciplinary consequences.

Thank you for partnering with us to help students remain focused and engaged throughout the school day. Please contact the school if you have any questions about the policy.

Curriculum Spotlight -What We're Learning

📚 ELA:

Wit & Wisdom® is our English curriculum. It builds knowledge of key topics in history, science, and literature through the study of excellent texts. By reading and responding to stories and nonfiction texts, the students will build knowledge of the following topic in Module 1: Cultures in Conflict. Wit and Wisdom Tips for Family can be found here.
We are reading Thunder Rolling in the Mountains, a historical fiction book by Scott O'Dell and Elizabeth Hall. This powerful story recounts the Nez Perce people's defeat by the United States Army in 1877. Throughout our study, students will make connections between the narrative and their prior knowledge of the conflict between Native Americans in the West and European-American settlers.
We're excited to announce that our library visits will be twice a month on Mondays. Your child will have the opportunity to bring home books to enjoy both in the classroom and at home. Research suggests that reading for at least 15 minutes each day can significantly boost reading skills, with even greater gains observed when reading for over 30 minutes. Please encourage your child to read each night and make sure they bring their library books back to school every day. This will allow them to return their current books and check out new ones if needed, keeping their reading experience fresh and engaging. Your support in nurturing a love for reading is invaluable!

➗ Math: This week in mathematics, we will continue Module 2 Topic B, in which students add and subtract fractions with different units, or different denominators, such as thirds and fourths. They use models and equations to find a common unit (denominator) before adding or subtracting. Family Math Letter

🔬 Science: We’re going to have a lot of fun in science over the next several days! As we dive into our matter unit, students will be conducting lab investigations with solids. Through hands-on experiments, they’ll explore what happens to matter and record their findings in their science journals. Be sure to ask your student about what they’re discovering in science class!

🌎 Social Studies: We are wrapping up our unit on explorers! Students have learned about the different explorers who traveled to North America, how their exploration impacted the Native Americans who already lived here, and the lasting effects exploration had on the development of the United States. We will finish the unit with a review and assessment. Next week, we will begin learning about the colonization of America.

Please continue to check in with your child to make sure they are completing their newspaper articles and bringing them to school each day so we can check our work together. Thank you for your continued support!

D.A.R.E. Program 🚔🌟

We are excited to share that our 10-week D.A.R.E. program has begun in 5th grade. Students will participate once a week during their Encore time. Throughout the program, students will learn important skills to help them make safe, responsible, and healthy choices, handle challenging situations, and build confidence in making positive decisions.

TMS Volunteers 💛🏴‍☠️

If you would like to volunteer at TMS at any time this school year—including classroom activities, field trips, special events, or other opportunities—you must be approved through the Pender County Schools Volunteer Tracker.

If you are already approved to volunteer at another Pender County school, please make sure you add Topsail Middle School to your Volunteer Tracker account. Your approved schools do not automatically update when your child moves to a new school, so TMS must be added to your account before you can volunteer with us.

5th Grade Newsletter

Week of October 19th

TMS Student Handbook — Please Review

5th Grade News to Know

Stay Connected!

Wireless Communication Device Policy Reminder

Curriculum Spotlight -What We're Learning

FCA Huddle

TMS Volunteers 💛🏴‍☠️

Teacher Contact

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