Oakview South Newsletter

As we wrap up another wonderful school year at Oakview, I want to thank our students, families, and staff for making this year such a success. Our third, fourth, and fifth graders have demonstrated tremendous growth, perseverance, and kindness throughout the year. From academic achievements to everyday acts of leadership, our students have made us proud in countless ways. We are grateful for the partnership and support of our families, which plays such an important role in helping our students thrive.

To our fifth grade students, congratulations on reaching this important milestone. It has been a privilege to watch you grow into confident, capable, and caring young leaders during your time at Oakview. As you prepare for the exciting transition to middle school, know that you will always be a part of the Oakview family. We are proud of all you have accomplished and are excited to see the great things you will achieve in the years ahead. We wish you the very best as you begin this next chapter of your educational journey.

As summer begins, I encourage all of our students to take time to relax, enjoy family and friends, and continue learning in ways that bring them joy. Reading regularly, exploring new interests, spending time outdoors, and making lasting memories are all valuable parts of a successful summer. Thank you for entrusting us with your children each day. It has been a privilege to watch them learn and grow this year. Have a safe, happy, and restful summer, and we look forward to welcoming our returning students back to Oakview in the fall!

Sincerely,

Jim Alspaugh

Principal, Oakview South Elementary

June 3 Field Day

June 3 Fifth Grade Graduation

June 4 Early Release @ 12:35

June 5 Early Release @ 12:35

August 31 First Day of School

The third graders have also been learning about time; telling time on analog clocks to the minute and solving story problems about time. Asking your child to read the clock or discussing how long a trip may take to determine arrival time can help them with these skills.

In Social Studies, we are finishing up our unit on Michigan geography. We've learned about Michigan's natural characteristics such as our two peninsulas, the Great Lakes, rivers, islands, sand dunes, forests, and fruit trees. We've studied the human characteristics such as the Soo Locks, lighthouses, and our amazing bridges like the Mighty Mac!

We've been reading biographies and creating ways to present them to our classmates. Some students chose historical figures while other chose athletes or entertainers. Everyone enjoyed learning about their person, and hearing about other people from classmates has been very interesting!

We want to thank all of our families for their support this year. We hope everyone enjoys a great summer!

Math

I cannot believe we have officially reached the end of the school year! It feels like just yesterday we were walking into the classroom on day one, and I want to take a moment to express how incredibly thankful I am to have been your math teacher this year. The growth has been incredible to watch. We mastered the ins and outs of decimals, learned how to confidently add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions with unlike denominators, and even shifted our thinking into the third dimension by calculating volume. From graphing on coordinate planes to writing algebraic expressions, these fifth graders took on every single challenge with determination. More than just learning formulas, I am so proud of how they learned to think like problem solvers and support one another through tough concepts. Watching those "aha!" moments happen in real time has been the absolute best part of my year.

They are more than ready for the exciting challenges of middle school math ahead. Have a great summer! Thank you all for an awesome school year.

ELA & Science

As you leave Oakview South Elementary and begin your journey to middle school, remember how much you have grown as learners, leaders, and friends. We are proud of the hard work, kindness, perseverance, and responsibility you have shown during your time in 5th grade. While we will miss seeing you in our classrooms each day, we are excited to watch you take on new challenges, discover new opportunities, and continue to achieve great things. Always believe in yourself, make positive choices, and know that you will always be a valued part of the Oakview South family. Good luck in middle school—we know you will do amazing things!

Social Studies

We are wrapping up the year in Social Studies learning about events leading up to the American Revolution. Students should be able to tell you at least 3 events that led up to the Revolution. They have been having some debates about who was acting in a patriotic way and who was acting in a traitorous way. It has also been interesting to hear their thoughts on who had the power and authority to make laws and decisions and why some people would have felt loyal to Great Britain while others wanted to break away.They performed skits about the Stamp Act and Boston Tea Party. They also enjoyed watching a few episodes of the series Liberty’s Kids which gave them another chance to learn about the way things were in colonial America. I have very much enjoyed my time with the 5th graders and know they will do amazing things at the middle school next year!

Helping Your Child Persevere to the end of the school year.

As the school year comes to a close, many children feel tired, distracted, or less motivated. This is completely normal. With a little support at home, you can help your child stay focused, build confidence, and finish the year strong.

Why perseverance matters

Learning to keep going—even when work feels hard—helps children build confidence, independence, and problem-solving skills that will benefit them far beyond this school year.

What you can do at home

1. Keep routines consistent: Maintain regular bedtimes, homework time, and daily structure. Predictability helps children stay on track.

2. Praise effort, not just results: Say things like: “You worked really hard on that,” or “I noticed you didn’t give up.”

3. Break work into smaller steps: If something feels overwhelming, help your child tackle one small part at a time.

4. Use short work periods: Try 10–20 minutes of focused work followed by a short break.

5. Encourage “keep trying” strategies: When your child feels stuck, remind them to:

• reread directions
• try one problem
• ask for help after trying

6. Normalize challenges: Let your child know it’s okay for learning to feel difficult sometimes: “This is hard, but you can do hard things.”

7. Celebrate small wins: Recognize effort, improvement, and persistence—not just perfect work.

Helpful resources for families

• Big Life Journal
  Activities and tips to help children build perseverance and confidence
• Understood.org
  Practical strategies for supporting motivation and learning at home
• The Most Magnificent Thing
  A great story about frustration, creativity, and not giving up

If you have any feedback or suggestions for Oakview, click the box below. Thank you!

Here is a link to our monthly newsletter from Capturing Kids' Hearts.