Livesay's Owl Post

12/20 - Report Cards are released! (see information below)

12/22 - 1/5 - Winter Break ⛄

1/6 - Welcome Back!

1/9 - PTO Meeting 8:30 a.m.

1/15 - Heritage Spelling Bee (8:50 a.m. in gym)

1/19 - MLK Day (No School)

Report cards (EPRs) will be available for parents to download on Engaged Parent Portal beginning December 20th. Please take a moment to review your child’s progress together—it’s a great opportunity to celebrate strengths and set goals. You’ll see grades for Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, PE, Art, and Music, as well as marks for behavior and work completion from both 5th grade and Specials teachers. We will also be reviewing your child's EPRs during Parent Conference in January.

Our grading scale includes Exceeds Expectations, Meets Expectations, Approaching Expectations, and Does Not Meet. To earn an Exceeds Expectations, students must consistently score 95% or higher consistently on their daily assignments and assessments.

If your child is on a learning plan of any kind, this will also be reflected and taken into account on their EPR.

We are incredibly proud of the effort, progress, and growth our students have shown so far this year!

This week, students read “Winter’s Tale” in Wonders and focused on building comprehension by identifying key events, analyzing characters, and explaining their thinking using evidence from the text. Following our reading of the article about Winter, students also enjoyed watching Dolphin Tale, which gave us the opportunity to make text-to-media connections and discuss how real-life events can be represented in different ways.

This week in math, students worked on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, a key 5th-grade standard. They practiced finding common denominators, using equivalent fractions, and checking that their answers made sense. Students also explained their thinking using models and written strategies to show how they solved each problem. We completed a quiz this week to assess students’ understanding of these skills. After winter break, we will continue building on this learning by adding and subtracting mixed numbers. Below are some helpful videos for extra support at home if your child wants a refresher or needs additional practice.

Finding a Common Denominator (Least Common Multiple)

Adding/Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators

Adding/Subtracting Mixed Numbers

In writing, students are working on a Snow Globe Narrative. This piece builds on the goals they set during our Monster Narrative unit. Students are focusing on writing strong dialogue, choosing meaningful places to break paragraphs, and adding more details to make their stories clear and engaging. We are practicing showing characters’ thoughts and feelings through actions and dialogue, using sensory details, and revising our writing to make it stronger.

In science, students completed our Growing and Changing unit, which aligns with 5th-grade state standards focused on human growth and development. Students learned about the physical, emotional, and social changes that occur during adolescence and how these changes support growth into adulthood. We discussed how body systems work together, the importance of healthy choices, and how to show respect for ourselves and others during this stage of development. I am very proud of the maturity, thoughtfulness, and respect students demonstrated throughout this unit. Thank you to families for your support and for continuing these important conversations at home.